NWR Record of the Year 2019

David Crossley

David Crossley

Location
East Sussex
So much good music. Here are my three suggestions.

1. Nick Cave - Ghosteen. Cave has changed since losing his son. If the last album seemed bleak, this one whilst seeming to address loss, does have hope. It has been said that you need to be able to handle genuine anguish to listen to it, though maybe if you didn't know of some of the tragedy he's faced you might not appreciate it as much. A lot of it is monotonal, all of it is slow, and it's quite haunting. I'm guessing people will go from "beautiful" to "dull", but I think Nick and Warren Ellis are at the top of their game. It also harks to some of their film scores in tone and mood.

2. Idles - A Beautiful Thing, Live at the Bataclan. Idles are surely one of the best live acts in the UK right now. If you don't know them then I reckon the studio albums are a better place to start, but on vinyl, turned up loud, this double album is pretty close to a live gig. There's a lot lot more to them than the noise, in fact remarkable sensitivity. Real men don't need to be shits. Warning - it comes with strong anti-establishment, anti-homophobic, anti-violence to women and pro-love sentiments, so maybe over-forties should be prepared to shout "crap" and throw a slipper at their separates system.

3. WH Lung - Incidental Music. Maybe not quite the best, but it was my local Indie store's record of 2019 and it is very good. Kind of hinting at some 80s synth pop music with a modern twist. Well worth checking out. I'd let it pass me by, but glad I took up their recommendation.
 
David Crossley said:
So much good music. Here are my three suggestions.



2. Idles - A Beautiful Thing, Live at the Bataclan. Idles are surely one of the best live acts in the UK right now. If you don't know them then I reckon the studio albums are a better place to start, but on vinyl, turned up loud, this double album is pretty close to a live gig. There's a lot lot more to them than the noise, in fact remarkable sensitivity. Real men don't need to be shits. Warning - it comes with strong anti-establishment, anti-homophobic, anti-violence to women and pro-love sentiments, so maybe over-forties should be prepared to shout "crap" and throw a slipper at their separates system.

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Am I being simplistic here but why would being over 40 cause me to throw something if I heard someone espousing the above?

Find the Nick Cave too full of worthy dreariness to enjoy. Preferred Skelton Tree. Like the Lana Del Ray album from last year.

My favourite from 2019 is 'Purple Mountains' by Purple Mountains aka David Berman who tragically killed himself not long after its release. It's a really beautiful witty album
 
Can't actually remember if I bought anything new last year. I did buy older stuff, especially obscure punk compilations, to load onto my usb memory stick for playing in the car. Also, for the same car-playing reasons, I bought the Damned's Music For Pleasure on CD (got the vinyl on release), which was largely disliked at the time but now lauded. Idiot Box is a great track on it.
 
Nigel Palesford said:
Am I being simplistic here but why would being over 40 cause me to throw something if I heard someone espousing the above?

Find the Nick Cave too full of worthy dreariness to enjoy. Preferred Skelton Tree. Like the Lana Del Ray album from last year.

My favourite from 2019 is 'Purple Mountains' by Purple Mountains aka David Berman who tragically killed himself not long after its release. It's a really beautiful witty album
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Tongue in cheek provocation, Nigel. I’m guessing many of the lyrics would be a challenge to the political allegiances of many, but perhaps I should not quote them. But they are an important band.

Totally accept that I’m a Cave fan. Skeleton Tree is better, I agree.

I’m not really into Lana del Ray, but that’s probably down to not listening.
 
I think you have to be very strong to listen to the new Cave album - it's almost unbearably moving and a very tough listen which is why I'm not overseen. Prefer 'Release The Bats' myself!
 
Nigel Palesford said:
Am I being simplistic here but why would being over 40 cause me to throw something if I heard someone espousing the above?

Find the Nick Cave too full of worthy dreariness to enjoy. Preferred Skelton Tree. Like the Lana Del Ray album from last year.

My favourite from 2019 is 'Purple Mountains' by Purple Mountains aka David Berman who tragically killed himself not long after its release. It's a really beautiful witty album
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Bizarrely Purple Mountains is one of my two “recommendations for you” on Roon.

Time to get listening methinks.

Aldous Harding - Designer FWIW. Which comes entirely out of left field for me. Not my sort of thing I’d have thought. But yes.
 
Mark Palmer said:
Bizarrely Purple Mountains is one of my two “recommendations for you” on Roon.

Time to get listening methinks.

Aldous Harding - Designer FWIW. Which comes entirely out of left field for me. Not my sort of thing I’d have thought. But yes.
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I like the Aldous Harding album too. Very good. Just got Qobuz so listening to a lot of new music which is a mixed blessing!
 
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Ghosteen. Captivating and beautiful.
Primal Scream - Maximum Rock & Roll. Compilation I know but so many good tunes and not leaving out their awkward jangled beginning.
Jaz Coleman & St Petersberg Philharmonic Orchestra - Magna Invocatio. Some of Killing Jokes best tunes transformed.
 
Jonathan Mitchell said:
Primal Scream - Maximum Rock & Roll. Compilation I know but so many good tunes and not leaving out their awkward jangled beginning.
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Just finishing Allan McGee's autobiography, in Fopp for £3 and very entertaining. His Primal Scream, Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody valentine, etc., days were just a decade of drug-fuelled madness, but he was sober by the time Oasis started to make it big. Well worth a read if you know or care something about Creation, post-punk music, or the Scottish band scene of the 80s/90s.
 
I think I bought only two 2019 released albums.

I heard the really catchy track The Family Business on BBC 6 Music and bought the CD Other People's Lives by Stats. Family Business is best track on it IMO.

The other one was Duck by Kaiser Chiefs

Not the only album I bought: I've really enjoyed listening to the double album Lullaby of Broadway - The Best of Busby Berkeley at Warner Bros but that music is way older :)
 
Tom Cannavan said:
Just finishing Allan McGee's autobiography, in Fopp for £3 and very entertaining. His Primal Scream, Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody valentine, etc., days were just a decade of drug-fuelled madness, but he was sober by the time Oasis started to make it big. Well worth a read if you know or care something about Creation, post-punk music, or the Scottish band scene of the 80s/90s.
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Tom - I was chatting to a friend the other day about a fairly small, independent, record shop in Glasgow I frequented often in the late '70s/early '80s. It was great for punk/new wave/post-punk records, but couldn't remember its name. Possibly 53rd Precinct. Do you remember it?
 
Paul Anderson said:
Tom - I was chatting to a friend the other day about a fairly small, independent, record shop in Glasgow I frequented often in the late '70s/early '80s. It was great for punk/new wave/post-punk records, but couldn't remember its name. Possibly 53rd Precinct. Do you remember it?
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23rd Precinct Paul, in a basement in Bath Street - ironically now a wine shop! Was two doors along from McCormicks music store too, where all the bands bought their gear and hung out, so I was there on a weekly basis :)
 
Paul Anderson said:
Thanks Tom - just a few numbers out but I definitely recall it being downstairs from the street level. Fond memories.

Is it worth a visit as a wine shop?
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Yes, it's the good spirits company now, but they do a lot of wine and beer and one of the better selections in Glasgow - they also have a specialist wine shop in the west end of the city, so pretty good place all round.
 
2019 less memorable than 2018 but my top albums this year have been Richard Dawson - 2020 and The Divine Comedy - Office Politics. Looking forward to some good stuff this year and if not, there is much other good stuff to listen to from previous years!
 
Reading this thread I feel like Mr Justice Cocklecarrot asking “Who are these Beatles?”

At the gym the other day the physiotherapist, before selecting some music for the session, asked people which decade of music they considered to be “theirs”. People answered variously the 80s or the 70s or the 90s. The person before me said the 60s. I said the 1760s!

It’s curious how my tastes in music have evolved, just as my tastes in wine did. I used to be interested in all genres but around 1980 the cost of LPs reached five pounds (!!!) and the New Romantics began to dominate the popular music scene. What with the high cost of records and the crap music I gave up on popular music and never really returned to it. I don’t listen to much music other than jazz and classical now.
 
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