2020 IN REVIEW.....

It's fair to say that this has been a year that no-one will forget. The Covid-19 pandemic has altered the world as we know it. Lifes simple pleasures, such as going out for a pint, are no longer simple: when pubs and bars have been allowed to open, new rules such as ordering from your table, limits on group sizes. The music industry has taken a battering, with social distancing rules rendering live events impossible. Concerts and gigs are the lifeblood of the music industry, and many artists bread and butter: with revenue from recorded music, be it from physical or digital sales, a fraction of what it once was, the pandemic has put many a musicians and venues future in jeopardy. There have been some attempts to get around this: audience-free gigs streamed online have been popular, if without the familiar atmosphere of actually being there. 

Most of the vinyl i buy is "vintage"; that is to say, it's old music. I tend to buy new releases on CD, as the cost of new vinyl is often extortionate and i can listen to new music around the house or at work - i like to put a new album on whilst i'm in the bath so i can get lost in it without interruption. This year, though, i've bought more new albums, and most of them have been on coloured vinyl. A marketing gimmick that was mainly restricted to 7"s back in the day, it has become more popular with over half of new albums coming in an array of colours: swirled, marbled, and splattered pressings being the most recent trends. (There has been a long running argument over the audio quality of coloured and picture disc vinyl, and whether it is inferior to the standard black pressing, but i can't say that i've noticed any difference.) I've largely ordered these new albums online, from a local independent store - Vinyl Lounge in Mansfield - or failing that i've used Rough Trade. Time on my own to really immerse myself in new music has been limited this year, and as i get older i find it more difficult to get really excited about new music; maybe it's the sheer volume of it available, maybe that a lot of it sounds homogenous. But a few albums have really grabbed me, worked their way into my soul, until they've almost become part of my dna. The first one took me by surprise, or rather my interest in the music did. Whilst dance music was part of my musical diet growing up - acid house, techno, some electronica -  i've had virtually no interest in it recently. So last year, when i happened upon an artist named Georgia whilst watching Glastonbury on tv, i was intrigued enough to investigate further. Her most popular track then was "About Work The Dancefloor", a vintage house -inspired ode to dancing your cares away. Coming from good stock - her Dad is dance music pioneer Neil Barnes of Leftfield - and with a few years of mostly under-the-radar releases behind her, including her first self-titled 2015 album, Georgia had slowly gained a following by the time she appeared at Glastonbury, stood behind her red part-electronic drum kit. After a few tasters for her forthcoming second album were released i was really into her music, buying the more experimental debut to tide me over. Seeking Thrills came out in early January to mostly positive reviews, an invigorating blend of classic techno and house music shot through with pure pop melodies and some modern grime and garage inspired touches. Its bright primary colours and hymns to the dancefloor were just the ticket in a cold, dark winter. 11 months on, we need these songs more than ever.

 

 I've spent much of this last year discovering my "modness", through the music, clothes, films, literature, etc. that are associated with the subculture, and vast amounts of the music have been from times past. Each artist, each record label, has led me down a rabbit hole to yet more discoveries, a music that - in some cases - i'd previously dismissed, Jazz in particular. Through compilations of the legendary Blue Note and Verve labels, and a multitude of Mod Jazz collections, i've developed a liking for the genre, and begun to search for more releases. One artist that i discovered on a covermount cd was saxophonist Nubya Garcia, whose album Source weaves strands of dub, reggae, and various other Caribbean and West African styles into a whirlwind of multicultural jazz that envelops you. Source is not an album to dip into: it's a journey that takes you through a vibrant neighbourhood, like a block party or a carnival. 

IDLES, one of the most vital bands of the last few years, consolidated their new found success by streamlining and sharpening their approach, both sonically and lyrically, whilst losing none of their passion or attack. If anything, the hip-hop styled production on Ultra Mono gave their songs even more punch. Thematically they stuck to familiar territory: mental health, toxic masculinity, class war, the current socio-political climate - but the crisp, focused sound of "Grounds" , "Model Village", "Mr Motivator", "War", and "The Lover" made every track feel like a bomb going off. Frontman Joe Talbot continued his mantra of "love not hate" and of trying to be a better person, of accepting your faults and moving forward. They did attract some criticism for a perceived lack of new ideas, and admittedly a couple of songs didn't quite hit the mark, but it was their most direct statement so far. Collaborating with hip-hop producer Kenny Beats was a good move. Where they will go next is anyone's guess.

  

Someone whose music i never paid much attention to until this last year was Baxter Dury. Although he's been making his own music for twenty years now, he's generally still considered a cult artist on the fringes, and to most people who have heard of him he's just the son of the late Ian Dury.  After seeing a couple of videos from his new album, The Night Chancers, i decided to invest in it (on clear vinyl) and, after a couple of listens, i succumbed to its charms. A collection of songs whose characters inhabit a sleazy, scuzzy, night time world of furtive one night stands, dodgy landlords, lifes losers and misfits in grubby bedsits, leering and sneering at others on social media. A world where no one wins. Dury's largely spoken word monologues are backed by queasy synths, electronic rhythms, splashes of strings and female backing singers, like a low rent lounge-disco act in the sort of grimy club where your feet stick to the floor. It's an often unsettling meeting of Serge Gainsbourg and the later music of Leonard Cohen - if they'd been born in Essex. 

                                         

One of the early releases that caught my attention was by Brummie indie-pop quartet The Big Moon. Terrible name aside, this all female band do a nice line in sparkling, summery tunes layered with synths and harmonies, undercut with dark wit and self deprecating lyrics. I first heard them whilst scanning the internet for new music, and chanced upon "Your Light", the first single from Walking Like We Do: catchy sunshine pop with an equally summery video. The rest of the album is equally infectious, and just the sort of thing to raise your mood.

Stone Foundation have been around for a few years, putting out their own psychedelic take on soul and funk to critical acclaim, their profile having no doubt been raised by regular collaborations with Paul Weller, who has produced, played and sang on their last three albums. I've been listening to the odd song of theirs over the last few years, but their latest album Is Love Enough? is the first i've got around to buying. Full of soulful grooves and powerful tunes, i'd highly recommend it.

Another band who Weller has ties with are The Moons: frontman Andy Croft has played with the Modfather on and off for a while now. They play sixties-inspired indie with elements of Mod and psych in the mix. I've been aware of them for a couple of years, and after hearing a couple of songs from their new album, Pocket Melodies, i decided to give it a go. It's a lush, summery sounding record, full of pastoral Kinksian melodies, Beatlesque orchestrations, with hints of glam rock, 2-tone and Britpop thrown in. Nostalgic tales of childhood and teenage romances dominate proceedings, although the politically critical "Sleep" stands out with a cutting lyric. It's not going to win any awards for innovation, but it's a pleasant listen. 

 

Which brings me around to my favourite album of 2020. As life under lockdown and continuing restrictions slowed to a crawl, so there was more time for soul searching, for taking stock, for learning to appreciate what you have and for accepting what you cannot change. Although it was written and recorded before the pandemic, Paul Wellers' fifteenth studio album On Sunset is awash with these thoughts and sentiments. Weller is 62 now, and no doubt entering his seventh decade resulted in the themes prevalent on the album, and on his recent musical mellowing: his last few releases have embraced folkier, pastoral sounds, blues and jazz. Weller has never been one for standing still: he rarely makes the same record twice, always moving on. But occasionally he circles back to previous influences and styles for inspiration, and its his years in The Style Council that have come to fore on this album: soul, funk, jazz, deep house. Often derided and mocked in their day, TSC are currently undergoing a reappraisal, with a new documentary and a best of having been recently released. On Sunset is a beautiful, soulful record, acknowledging the past and taking comfort in the present, but with one eye on the future. The title track finds Weller revisiting Los Angeles and comparing it with the disappointing first time he visited it with The Jam in 1977, when the young punk firebrand was appalled by the hippy culture that still dominated the area. But years later the vintage soul strings and soft backing vocals envelop his musings on the passing of time. It's a far more relaxed Modfather, a more spiritual minded man that we find on these songs: Village finds Weller taking stock and concluding that he is happy with where and who he is: "i don't need all the things you want/i just wanna be who i am". The gently funky soul of Baptiste praises the healing powers of music. There's a very "zen" feeling throughout: Equanimity and More deal with materialism and finding an inner peace, free from the stresses that we place upon ourselves in modern life. There are two tracks that continue the experimental streak that Weller has developed in recent years: Mirrorball and Earth Beat both point toward the dancefloor without turning into full on bangers, both full of shimmering synths, electronic squelches, and musique concréte. The lush strings of closing track "Rockets" - partly a  tribute to Bowie - glide over similar sentiments: "Nothing in the chambers

Worth nothing at all
All the wealth is hidden
Diamonds a-glistening and solid gold
Well, have it all
It's worthless"

It's, quite simply, a thing of beauty. Yet, for all the sounds of a man finally content with his lot, Weller hasn't sat still: a new album, Fat Pop vol.1 has already been recorded, packed full of songs "that could all be singles", according to a recent interview. 

There have been other albums, tracks, and artists that i've discovered this last year, some whose music i haven't had time to really live with: U.S Girls, Fontaines D.C.'s second album, Future Islands recent release. And artists who have yet to put out more than a few singles - an honorary mention to The Veras and The Mysterines - so i will no doubt write about them in future posts. As for 2021, we still have challenges ahead: but hopefully the return of live music, as well as some great records. Best of luck to us all.