While so much of 2020 has been shit for so many, in my assessment
it has been a great year for new music. A
lot of my listening has been focussed on expanding my knowledge and appreciation
of Hard Bop and the likes of Art Blakey, Lee Morgan and of course Miles. However, I have still overspent, again, on
new music.
After almost 40 years of obsessive listening and
understanding that there is no such a thing as a “best of” list in terms of music
– as it is all just personal taste, I do like to reflect on what have been my
favourite new records each year.
Once again this year’s
list is topped by a magnificent local release.
Last year the honour went to Delaney Davidson and Barry Saunders Word
Gets Around (I mention that again because it is just so good, deserves a mention
and was one of my most played records this year as well).
This year the honour went to
Reb
Fountain’s self-titled masterpiece.
I
bought a new New Zealand made turntable this year (
a Wand
14-4).
I played it to the Simon, the
man behind the Wand and he has since been using at his go to demo record when promoting
his turntable and arm.
Early in lockdown I was blown away by two other
releases that seemed to sum up or reflect the times so well.
Fiona Apple’s
Fetch
the Bolt Cutters and Lucinda Williams’
Good
Souls Better Angels. Both are career
highlights in catalogues already filled with highlights. 
Shit Lucinda is angry!!!
There were a few
other great examples of American anger and desperation or frustration at their
current divided states.
If a single song
summed up those sentiments it would be Jim White’s
Divided States of America
off his more aggressive than usual
Misfit’s
Jubilee.
Jason Isbell and The
Drive-By Truckers (who released two) released great records this year (although
I am still waiting for the vinyl of their latest).
Chuck Prophet’s Get off the Stage from his Land
that Time Forgot album was another example of venting frustration at the White
House.
However, the angriest and most
thoughtful of these was probably American Aquarium’s
Lamentations.
An album that really takes a personal view on
the combination of what it means to be southern and to have faith in the
ability to rebuild.
Over the last ten years I have listened to a lot of what many
call Desert Blues.
Most of it comes from
Mali and was represented first in my collection by Tinariwen.
At the time they were considered quite revolutionary
blending western style with traditional approach.
That has now been taken further by the likes
of Bombino, Songhoy Blues and Tamikrest.
The latter two released a couple of great albums in 2020 with
Optimisme
and Tamotait.
Optimisme mixes not just blues but some healthy doses of Heavy
Metal as well – really fun stuff as the cover indicates. Check out the opener Badala.
Who would predict that I would include a Taylor Swift album
in a favourites list? – have been paying more attention to her since
Ryan Adams covered her excellent 1989 album.
I have always been a fan of great pop and it is good when a pop artist
shows that they can not only do great pop but also show the breadth of their
skills. Her two “lockdown albums” are both
worth checking out but my favourite now is still Folklore.
For anyone who still misses The
Go-Betweens, you should checkout Melbourne’s Rolling Blackouts CF.
Their second album,
Sideways
to New Italy is an excellent sunny album that deserves repeat listens.
When it comes to
soul music I generally err towards the traditional country soul of Memphis and
Northern Alabama. Two new soul albums that I have enjoyed a lot this year have been
Lianne
La Havas self-titled album.
I bought
this in the middle year and thrashed it for a while (especially the opener
Bittersweet) and had forgotten
about it until I started to compile this list.
I sense a new period of thrashing coming.
I am never sure where to classify Thundercat – at times soul, sometimes Jazz and
the occasional collaboration with hip-hop artists.
At any rate
It
Is What It Is is of course what it is! Which is of course fantastic!
In terms of the more traditional soul Markus
King left his band behind him to make
El
Dorado a more laid-back solo album.
It
took a while for the quality of the album to shine – but isn’t that the way
with
the best music.
I was surprised to
see that Dan Penn, one of my favourite soul songwriters from the 60s was releasing
another solo album at the tender age of 79.
While lacking any new standards Living
on Mercy is a great addition to his canon.
And then Moments
from This Theatre also got a first vinyl release.
While Reb for me led
the local music this year there were a lot of other excellent local releases.
The Beths released their second effort Jump Rope
Gazers.
Like a lot of bands this year they
were not able to do any more than a local support tour for it.
I wonder how things may have been different if they had been
able to capitalise on their growing base in North America. I bought Dick Move’s excellent power punk album
Chop on the strength of its cover alone (best cover of the year no doubt).
However the band and album I was really
taken with was Ingrid and the Ministers and their gentle, Dunedin sounding,
Kill the Sights.
We currently seem to have
an almost endless stream of talent coming through in New Zealand.
We all need to get out and support it to keep
it going!
Honourable mentions must also go to the ever-consistent Darrell
Watson and Tami Neilson.
The last few years has seen a wealth of
great music made by women across all spectrums.
When I was growing up I had bugger all music by what we called female
singers then.
This year about three
quarters of the of the music that has made the most impact on me has been written
by women.
Last year most best-of lists were
dominated by women.
I did not connect
with a lot of that, there was an ethereal quality to leaves me cold.
This
year was different. I seemed to be all in.
Whether it was the “indie folk” of Phoebe Bridgers’
Punisher
or Waxahatche’s
St
Cloud.
Both to me were major steps
up from their earlier work and played often.
Then there was cluster of great more traditional country
music by The Highwomen, Margo Price, Brandy Clarke and Shelby Lynne, all absolutely
worth checking out.
On any given day I could easily have added a few others to
the list so honourable mentions also go out to Matt Berninger – Serpentine
Prison, Milly Tabak & The Miltones –
Honest Woman, Emma Swift – Blonde on the Tracks, Bob Dylan – Rough and Rowdy Ways and Larkin
Poe – Self Made Man.
