Unlike those words that I have heard from so many people over the years: "they don't make music like they used to," I find the opposite is true. Yes, technically music making has evolved over the years. Increased access to equipment, recording, and ways to find an audience has changed drastically. The spirit hasn't though. There is incredible music being made all around us all of the time. More than ever. It's difficult to keep up! My problem as an older person who has yet to fully adjust to the idea that music doesn't have to be physically possessed is that I get overwhelmed. I am fully aware that I have missed a lot of great music this year, because I get overwhelmed by it. There's too much! I do not make enough time available to hear more music. I cannot afford it. I can't keep up! These selections are ten of many releases I enjoyed this year. I share them only hoping to present my thoughts in a vague way to show appreciation to these great artists and inspire an individual to look into these artists further. There's always been good music and likely always will be. Happy New Year!!
Write ups can be accessed via the band/album names below
Normally, when I present these annual
best of lists, it feels like a celebration of how much great music has come
along during a given year.It is fun to
remember those early year albums, along with the fresh fire of an exciting late
year release!This strange year has been
no exception.So much great music has
come about in 2020, despite the crushing blows received by the music industry
(and so many of us) during this pandemic.This is a small portion of what teased my ears this year and, as always,
was very tough to narrow down.The
creative spirit is alive and well and though I have not found the same kind of
fire, inspiration, and solace that I normally do from music, it is still my go
to – no matter what.Something always breaks through and brings
about raw feelings and hope.As 2020
winds down, it is difficult to be too optimistic, as promise of a return to
normal life still seems so far away.At
any rate, please check out these fine artists, if you are unfamiliar, there’s a
lot of great music here.
Nostalgia
indeed!When I first listened to this
album from Vancouver BC’s Spectres
(their 4th LP, but my introduction), I was immediately transported
back to when I was a shy kid in the 80s losing myself in the discovery of post-punk
music.These discoveries were so
exciting for me that I still get a charge thinking about it.I used to dream about finding rare (or
non-existent) vinyl singles in strange places, like in the grocery store near
the produce, or in a roped off section of a hardware store.These records would have striking cover art
that would intensify my curiosity about what mysterious music was inside to
discover.Hell, I still have dreams like
these on occasion.What’s so great about
Nostalgia is it not only sounds like
it could’ve come from the early 80s UK indie chart (though thankfully without
the over treated 80s drum sounds), but it could’ve thrived there.I can easily see them being heralded as
legends now, if they had been a part of that era.
The most obvious influence could be
the bass, which draws on the style that Peter
Hook created in Joy Division and
New Order.The opening of the incredible “When Possessed
Pray” is very reminiscent of “Ceremony,” and the influence is only intensified
when vocalist Brian Gustavson
borrows the vocal melody from “Age of Consent” to open the second verse.What’s funny though, is despite a handful of nicks
like these here and there, Spectres do not sound like any particular previous
band at all.My introduction to Spectres
is the second track “Dreams.”This song
is a shimmering breath of fresh air as it evokes both the excitement and
sadness of a young relationship that is experiencing that first
separation.One is off across the world,
while the other stays at home.The trebly
guitar chimes of the chorus is exhilarating.
It’s damn refreshing to encounter
lyrics that are about things beyond broken hearts and relationships (don’t get
me wrong, I love these things too), but here we get songs about the world,
culture, religion, and politics – but not in a preachy specific way.The LP opens with “The Head and the Heart,”
which builds momentum as it progresses, making it a perfect introduction.It is about discovering a worldview beyond
religious doctrine and they seem pretty happy about it as the song closes with
the repeated refrain of “the worst is over.”Elsewhere, in “Pictures from Occupied Europe,” Gutavson channels Pete Shelley as he shouts over a frenetic
set of verses lamenting the fact that we struggle to learn from history and as
a warning against the factors that lead to fascism (“Recondition / shapes of
what’s to come / polarized parties / breakdown has begun / and no one cares
what happened anymore”).The dangers of
political polarization between the left and right continues in “Years of Lead,”
which has an absolutely killer guitar hook.“Insurgence” reflects all of this political tension and comes on the
some chanted “woooah –oooooohs” like a fueled up to the point Killing Joke.Meanwhile, “The Call” is a song after my
heart with its Peter Hook bass intro that jumps in like Big Country’s “Steeltown.”I
can almost hear a phantom e-bow from the ghost of Stuart Adamson, as the
sing-along chorus kicks in.As my friend
Matt said, when I shared this song with him: “That’s got it going on.”The exciting finale is “Along the Waterfront,”
with its stumbling forward musical momentum and its melancholy mix of the
excitement and possibility of youth and the dashed hopes of experience.
There is not a weak track on this
collection.If you like you like UK post
punk, catchy pop songs, and thoughtful lyrics, then this is likely right up
your alley.Highly recommended!
