(more) albums of the year... part 5: in case you missed it, I'm sharing my favourite records of 2020 (main post here) this week. Seven albums a day across the week, in release order. Enjoy!
Their last record - very much a breakthrough record for the band - was in my top five in 2018. I didn't connect with this one quite so much but still really enjoyed it. Listening to Model Village while travelling through my own village on a bus to work is a really vivid memory of my first proper listen. As always, on the surface it feels full of angst, but dig deeper and you'll find endless important discussions taking place, rather poetically, in the lyrics. Alongside powerful instrumentation, of course. I can only imagine how keen they are to get back to the stage to share this record with audiences - their live show is certainly something to behold. Favourites alongside Model Village for me are Grounds, Kill Them With Kindness and Carcinogenic.
It's been a while coming, having listened to Tempesst since 2016, and this year finally brought us their debut album. Worth the wait! As I wrote in late September... "as the days (and night, and, well, all of the time) start to suddenly get chilly, a record which appears audibly sun-drenched is exactly what we need, right?" It's so well put together - the combination of brilliant lyrics, their 60s influences, psychedelic tendencies, and those harmonies! With A Woman, Age of the Bored and Walk on the Water are favourites here. More thoughts in my write-up of the album here.
Well, there's absolutely no surprise that Dawes make it onto my AOTY list, is there?! I adore pretty much everything they do and love this, their seventh (!) studio album. Taylor Goldsmith is without a doubt one of the best songwriters (and guitarists, while we're here) of our generation. They're one of the best and this is a dream of a record, and not one that I'd expected this year! While I couldn't watch them live (timezones, boo!) Taylor's livestreams with his wife Mandy Moore through the first lockdown were such a treat. Favourites here Who Do You Think You're Talking To, St. Augustine At Night and the title track, Good Luck With Whatever. Damn, I really love Dawes. I hope you will too...
This was one of those magical discoveries - I had never even heard of this artist (despite a couple of previous records) when I found a track from the new album in the blog's inbox. It was the title track of this record, which I really enjoyed at the time, shouted about it a bit online and moved on. Once the record was released I decided to give it a listen and loved it so much that I've revisited it a few times since. I really really dig it. Eyes Are Red (Don't Be Afraid), Lightning Bolts and Lights Out are favourites but the title track, featuring Sharon Van Etten, remains one of my favourite tracks of the year. Such a brill record!
A new artist sent through by my favourite PR company, but not only that, Paddy from Stay Loose was releasing the record on his own label, a new project for his blog Balloon Machine. The first release on Balloon Machine Records, a momentous occasion and an exciting milestone. I had high hopes from the first single and they were certainly reached. A unique vocal, superb songwriting and masterful delivery make for a really worthy spot on any AOTY list. Bone of Contention, Cold and Every Time remain favourites!
Ed The Dog - Untitled.crashed.crashed.crashed (buy/stream)
I don't think that I've listened to Ed's previous record, but how could anybody not like a record with tracks like Thank You Buddy and Everybody, I Love You on it? I adored it on first listen, but found my favourite track right at the end in the form of I'm Gonna Change That. The exact track that I needed to hear towards the end of the year, passing into a new year, feeling desperate for some kind of change. I'm glad that I'm far too slow with AOTY plans to get my list out as early as many others do, otherwise it would be missing last minute records like this!
Maggie Rogers - Notes from the Archive: Recordings 2011-2016 (buy/stream)
An even more last minute addition to the list comes from last year's AOTY artist, queen Maggie Rogers. I LOVE Maggie so much, and I am so desperate for new music. While this isn't quite *new* a lot of it is unheard, and I've been loving it. Having been quickly thrown into the spotlight with last year's record and the events that preceded it, Maggie spoke of wanting to get out her archive material before moving on to new music. It's an archive record, split into four parts, with tracks from two independent records and a couple of other projects Maggie was part of before the current iteration of her career came about. Laid out in reverse chronological order, you hear her getting younger. It's a really lovely collection of tracks - even better if you have time to listen to the version with commentary here. Love opening track Celadon & Gold and James is a lovely tune too.
It's that time of year... arriving just in time for Christmas (hey, did you really think that I'd forgotten you?!) my gift to you all is this list of my favourite records of the year. (You're SO welcome. Seriously. Don't mention it.) It's been quite the year and music has really had our backs through it all. While the world outside remains all sorts of bonkers, music is proving to be the salvation that it always is. There have been lots of incredible records released this year, and I've spent the last few weeks reminding myself of those that I've enjoyed. Rediscovering their delights, revelling in their joys, crying along to them and figuring out, a little self-indulgently, my favourites of the year.
In keeping with the personal style of the blog, a CMAT albums of the year post is essentially just a bunch of albums that I love. Set aside any expectations of technical chat, and instead, strap yourselves in for some soppy ramblings about the records which have mattered most to me this year, those that have shone a bright light on a gloomy year. Debuts from exciting new artists, some long-awaited returns, and new records from a whole bunch of talented artists - there is quite a mix of records and artists here, and I hope there's a little bit of something for everyone.
In a year where artists have had the rug pulled from under them in terms of live shows being paused and a real lack of government support, it's more important than ever to show your support for your favourites. Stream the hell out of their music, by all means - but grab a download or an LP on their site or through Bandcamp if you're able to. I decided that I wanted to share the love for more albums this year. So - the list has grown a bit, to 40 in total, up from 30 last year. And, instead of just writing about my five favourite records and listing some others that I love (as I did last year) I'm going to do things a little differently this year...
This is the first in a series of six (yikes) AOTY posts. Here, I'm sharing my top five (they're numbered, but in all honesty I adore every one of them a lot) and a list of 35 more records I've picked out that have meant the world to me this year (in release order because ordering them all would be an impossible task.) Then (after Christmas, just as soon as I write them...) I'll share five more posts, with seven records featured on each, writing a little about each of them. This year it felt like name-checking the longer list wasn't enough, I want to shower these records and artists with love, and I do have a lot of extra time on my hands thanks to furlough... again.
So, without further ado... my albums of the year!!!!! Don't they look pretty?!
1. White Tail Falls - Age of Entitlement (buy/stream)
Well, it's hardly surprising, is it? If you know me, or you follow the blog, you'll have heard/read me raving about this record a lot this year. In all honesty, there's been very little doubt in my mind as to which record was getting the top spot since this was released into the world. The rest of the top five certainly come close, but nothing has had such an impact on me this year as this piece of work. It's vulnerable, it's collaborative, it's experimental, and it provides an absolute rollercoaster of emotion. Simply put: it helped drag me through this year, and I love it.
A CMAT album of the year should be the record which has meant the most to me on a personal level, and this ticks so many boxes in that respect. If you've been living under a rock (well, ten points for social distancing) White Tail Falls is the solo moniker of all-round musical legend Irwin Sparkes, frontman of The Hoosiers. They've been (and still are) my favourite band since their debut album came out in 2007. My love for them was cemented at age 14 when I saw them live, and met them, for the first time in 2011, and I've been following them around the country (and all over the internet) ever since. I can't think of many other things that I've poured so much love into for so long.
I genuinely believe that the love I have for music, and my desire to set up a blog recommending new music, can be sourced back to the love I had for TH when I was younger. Irwin in particular has always been really supportive of the blog, which means the world. This year, a trio of crazy things happened - I premiered a video for the track Disintegrate (here) back in Feb, Irwin recorded an exclusive performance for the blog's fifth birthday in May, and I interviewed him about the new record in June (read that here.) Without getting *too* soppy those things are essentially teen Meg's dreams coming true. Being a little part, through the blog, in helping to spread the word about this superb record, has been a treat and it is such a joy to name it my album of the year.
Favourite tracks: Disintegrate, Body Weight, Devout & Rome's Already Fallen. (Alright, all of it.)
You know, I'm still a little in shock that this record exists. Album campaigns seem, on the whole, to exist on somewhat of a spectrum. Ideally, a few tracks will be released as singles, enticing you in, building anticipation. At the other end of the scale, a couple of records this year (which I won't name, but if you know... you know) have released almost the entire record (seriously, no exaggeration) as singles beforehand, to the extent that the excitement I had for those records was almost completely lost. At some extreme point of the spectrum, with the most unexpected record of the year, arrive Fleet Foxes.
One day, they're putting mysterious posters up (in France, I think?) implying that something was happening in a couple of days. Speculation began to build for a new single, and, lo and behold, we learn that an ENTIRE RECORD is due to drop?! What now??!!?! No time to prepare, to ready myself by obsessing over the back catalogue. No singles to obsess over. An entire 15-track, 54-minute record dropping onto streaming services, just like that. And it is GLORIOUS in every way possible. Arriving when it did, the record instantly became a soundtrack for my commute to work. Working in retail this year (when not furloughed) has been stressful, and taking that time to just sink into new favourites was a huge relief. In a strange year, the record has captured the feeling of hope and bottled it up beautifully. It is calming, it feels like a warm hug from a friend, it brought peace. Shore is certainly good enough to be in the top spot, but that crown is firmly in White Tail Falls' hands this year. Robin and the gang will just have to bring out another record, pronto...
Favourite tracks: Can I Believe You, Sunblind, Featherweight.
3. Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter (buy/stream)
I have been a fan of Laura and her music for a while now, but I've never really connected with a record of her's as much as I have with Song For Our Daughter. I think that I feel as if I came to her music late, when she was already at least a few records in, and her extensive back catalogue is a little daunting. When this record arrived earlier than intended on streaming services (Laura's choice, to give fans something of a treat while we were all on lockdown) I had exactly the time and the headspace to give it the attention that it required.
This record is a genuine work of art, one of the most beautiful records on the list. So many records in, there is no doubting that Laura knows what she is doing and that you can feel safe in her musical hands. Yet, nothing on the record feels like you're hearing something that she's done before. It feels fresh, mature and empowered. A gorgeous blend of vulnerability and strength come through the music and lyrics. It's something special. I must also give a quick mention to the stunning acoustic EP The Lockdown Sessions which Laura brought out earlier this month, with acoustic versions of tracks from the record.
Favourite tracks: Song For Our Daughter, Held Down, Strange Girl.
Another record which could easily have taken the top spot here. SO much love for this. It's still utterly ridiculous to me that I was given the opportunity to listen to this record, long-awaited by myself and literally tens of thousands of listeners around the world, around two months before it was released, by Ali himself! A teeny humble-brag, sure, but it really does blow my mind that me sitting at home and typing away about the music that I love results in that sort of thing. Feeling pretty lucky.
After loving Ali's debut LP Birthplace in 2018 so much there was a lot of pressure on this record to live up to it. (Spoiler: it does.) Coming from different places in Ali's life, both in terms of time, and geography, the records are less like siblings, and more like musical cousins. "If Birthplace is the countryside, then Cannot Be, Whatsoever is the city: it's not where I'm from, but it's where I've been for a long time now", Ali told me in our recent interview about the record. There's a lovely short film about the makings of the record here too. I only wish that I was able to see tracks from the album performed live this year - soon, I hope. If you like this one, head back in time to Birthplace, and Ali's collaborative record with Ed Tullett, Heiress, as both are equally stunning.
Favourite tracks: Decimal, No Plans, Halloween & Birdcage.
It blows my mind a little that Dizzy aren't known by more people. They're superstars in my eyes. So here I am, imploring you to listen to them. Their debut was such a gorgeous discovery - a friend took me along to their set at The Great Escape a few years back, and their debut record came out a little while after. I played it at HMV when I worked there, and a few colleagues started to really get into it too. For a while, barely a shift went by where we didn't listen to it a couple of times. I remember experiencing the absolute joy of working in a music store, having a customer ask what was playing and if they could buy it. Yes!
Dizzy are like a joyous ray of light in the dark, and their new record, released a few months back, is exactly that. It's a brilliant follow-up to their debut, and one of the most relatable records (for me, at least) on the list, offering up a look at the claustrophobia of suburban living, and figuring out life after your late teens, all the while trying your best not to compare yourself with your friends. As I wrote in a post about the album announcement: "lyrically, it all sounds a little sad, but those reflective and pensive lyrics are always paired with the band's sunny melodies, courtesy of the trio of brothers Alex, Mackenzie and Charlie Spencer - it's what makes the band's music so loveable."
Favourite tracks: Roman Candles, Sunflower, Good And Right & Beatrice.
So there you have it... my top five records of the year. I love them all and hope that you'll love them too if you get the chance to check them out. Below are 35 more records, in release order, that have meant the world to me this year. I'll be sharing a few more posts explaining why I love these ones so much ~soon~ (I have to write them first). So watch out for those, and a little end of year ramble soon too. Much love!
The Big Moon - Walking Like We Do Bombay Bicycle Club - Everything Else Has Gone Wrong Gengahr - Sanctuary Brooke Bentham - Everyday Nothing Franc Moody - Dream In Colour Halloweens -Morning Kiss at the Acropolis NNAMDÏ -
BRAT The Strokes - The New Abnormal Hailaker - Holding Jack Garratt -
Love, Death & Dancing Gia Margaret - Mia Gargaret Richard Walters - Golden Veins Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher AJIMAL - As It Grows Dark/Light HAIM - Women In Music Pt. III Dream Wife - So When You Gonna... Samantha Crain - A Small Death Stornoway -
The Farewell Show Haux -
Violence in a Quiet Mind Lianne La Havas -
Lianne La Havas Willie J Healey - Twin Heavy Siv Jakobsen - A Temporary Soothing The Magic Gang - Death Of The Party Declan McKenna -
Zeros Everything Everything -
Re-Animator Cosmo Sheldrake -
Wake Up Calls Bear's Den & Paul Frith -
Fragments Fenne Lily - Breach IDLES - Ultra Mono Tempesst -
Must Be A Dream Dawes -
Good Luck With Whatever Deep Sea Diver -
Impossible Weight Laura Fell - Safe From Me Ed The Dog -
Untitled.crashed.crashed.crashed Maggie Rogers -
Notes from the Archive: Recordings 2011-2016
If you made it this far, and like what I do here on cool music and things, a little friendly reminder that I have a Ko-fi page here where you can show the blog some monetary support. (Thanks!)
My fave Americans Dawes are releasing their seventh (!!!) studio album Good Luck With Whatever this Friday. They've been a favourite band of mine for a while now, since I caught them opening for Mumford & Sons in 2012, and at many shows of their own since, and a new album is always a cause for celebration - especially in such a strange year. It's hard to talk about their music without nodding towards their incredible lyricism - frontman Taylor is for me one of the greatest songwriters of our generation. Latest single Didn't Fix Me is a song focusing on mental health and personal survival, where that lyricism is at its best. I love them and absolutely can't wait for the album on Friday!!
Frontman Taylor Goldsmith says of the track "it feels very natural to outsource our problems. Telling ourselves 'once I have this job, this partner, this amount of money, etc, I will be happy' is really effective and convenient. Unfortunately no one's life actually works that way. I'm sure we all know plenty of miserable people who seem to have it all and plenty of blissful people that seem to have close to nothing. This song is about the efforts one makes to find some easy fix, unable to recognise that it will never work that way, that we are in the end our own responsibility."
Good Luck With Whatever is due 2nd October - pre-order/pre-save here.
There's nothing quite like (for me, anyway) the excitement of a favourite band (like, favourite favourite) announcing a new record. Especially when that band is Dawes and they already have six studio albums under their belts. You know you're in safe hands with them, and yet they never fail to surprise and amaze. I have so much love for this band and could talk to you about their incredible back catalogue, superb songwriting and impeccable musicianship for days. Just over a couple of years since the release of latest album Passwords, they've announced the wonderfully named Good Luck With Whatever, due for release on 2nd October.
Along with the album news, they sent lead single Who Do You Think You're Talking To? into the world. It's a bit of a bop. Sharing the track online, the band explain that it is "about the way we bring our baggage with us as we move away from traumatic experiences and relationships [...] the irony of sometimes our newer partners needing to be part of the processing more so than the folks who caused the trouble in the first place."
"As a band it was the first time we've ventured into certain grooves/arrangements for our tunes, so it was fun to push ourselves, see what felt natural and what we could get away with."
Good Luck With Whatever is due 2nd October - pre-order/pre-save here.
It's been exactly three years since Dawes were last over in the UK, playing a trio of shows to promote fifth album We're All Gonna Die. I saw them at the Islington Assembly Hall at the time, and found out during the show that they were playing an acoustic set at Rough Trade the following afternoon. Cue a spontaneous decision to travel back to London the next day, obviously. I also found out about a Sofar Sounds show they were playing and somehow managed to get into that too, and it became a really dreamy couple of days following a band I love around London. I've spent much of the time since eagerly awaiting their return, particularly after they released Passwords last Summer. Fast forward three years and I find myself in the exact same venue, watching them exactly three years to the day - I approve of the synchronicity. I wasn't planning to review the show, and spent much of the evening in a combined state of sleepy (I'd travelled to the gig straight from work) and in awe, but considering the rarity of a London show for the band, a write-up feels deserved.
With ten years as a band under their belts, what always excites me about seeing Dawes live is how much they are genuinely enjoying themselves up on the stage. You most certainly should not go to a Dawes gig if you're hoping to watch them play their albums exactly as they are on record. Instead, expect SO much more. Enigmatic and endearing frontman Taylor Goldsmith provides vocal variations to keep the audience on their toes, and a procession of wild guitar solos as he jams with bassist Wylie Gelber, drummer Griffin Goldsmith and Lee Pardini on keys. As somebody with very little musical skill myself, it's impossible not to be in awe of the band through these instrumental sections, skirting the line between it seeming completely effortless, and as if they are giving the performance every ounce of energy.
Beyond the music itself, the lyrics of Dawes, mostly the work of frontman Taylor, are pieces of poetical wonder. He manages to blend sadness and humour beautifully, drawing from real life experiences, relatable scenarios and contemporary issues. While quite simple, one of the lyrical highlights for me is the closing track All Your Favorite Bands, where the crowd prove their worth with a powerful singalong. The title track to album four, it's a kind of romantic ode to a lover, a friend, anybody that you care about, exploring various ways in which you could tell them just that, and settling on "may all your favourite bands stay together." I absolutely adore the sentiment.
Elsewhere in the set, the crowd singalong throughout, but most fervently for the likes of When My Time Comes, Somewhere Along The Way and A Little Bit Of Everything. With six albums to choose from, the setlist (which changes between shows, offering the band the opportunity to cycle through rarely played tracks alongside the favourites) actually manages to touch fairly equally on all albums, giving fans a real snapshot of the progression of the last ten years. Even without my favourite track (I Can't Think About It Now - I simply adore the instrumental section in it, it's one of my favourite tracks ever because of it) it was probably my favourite Dawes set that I've seen. A completely magnificent return to London. Now, perhaps not a three year wait for the next one? Fingers crossed!
Alongside news of a new Friendly Fires album, Monday was made pretty sweet with news of a run of European dates from my favourite guys Dawes. They'll be passing through Spain, Switzerland and Germany before shows in London (4th Nov), Manchester (5th) and Glasgow (6th) delivering a range of their 'Greatest Hits' (all of them, I hope!) Their last London shows will be almost exactly three years previous so it's a very exciting announcement! Tickets go on sale tomorrow (28th) morning at 10AM here.
I'm already looking ahead to albums from the likes of Maggie Rogers, Indoor Pets and Busted next year, but first, it's time to reflect on some of the wonderful music that I've been enjoying this year with a round-up of my favourite albums to be released in 2018. It's taken a lot of thinking (you hardly need me to tell you it's been a brilliant year for new music!) but I've whittled it down to a top five, which I'll follow up with some more albums I've really been loving this year.
1. Rae Morris - Someone Out There
If you've seen my posts during the year, it's probably not all that surprising that Rae has secured the top spot and deservedly so. I've pretty much spent the entire year telling anyone who will listen that I completely adore this record, and seeing Rae perform twice towards the end of the year cemented my love for these tracks. At the time of release, lyrics on many of the tracks were incredibly relatable, meaning that I connected with the album in a way I'd never really experienced before. This is a very special album for me. Picking a favourite track is almost impossible as I genuinely love every second, but if I had to choose, it'd be Dip My Toe.
2. Novo Amor - Birthplace
Until this year (to my shame) I hadn't even heard of Novo Amor before, but instantly fell for his beautiful falsetto vocals when I saw the Birthplace video over Summer. The video is a cinematic masterpiece in its own right, highlighting the issue of plastic pollution in our oceans. Finding that he had a page on his website detailing ways in which his album campaign and upcoming tour were going to be sustainable, I knew I'd stumbled across an artist I'd likely fall in love with, and I was right. The album may only be 33 minutes long, but those are 33 of the most stunning minutes of music I've heard this year and I absolutely can not wait to catch him headlining my favourite festival Bushstock next year! Favourite track: Repeat Until Death.
3. Mumford & Sons - Delta
Probably my most highly anticipated album of the year, my favourite chaps Mumford & Sons did not disappoint with Delta, their fourth studio album, though they did make us wait until November, and snuck into the top five at the last minute! The album has had a mixed reception from critics and fans alike, but I find that part of the joy of music is that it's totally subjective, and I personally love the record. The band themselves have expressed the belief that it's their best record yet, and I'm inclined to agree with them (but don't tell Sigh No More that... it'll always be a classic album for me!) Favourite track: Wild Heart.
4. Cosmo Sheldrake - The Much Much How How & I
I started listening to Cosmo at the end of last year, just in time for his debut record in April this year and he is absolutely one of my favourite recent musical discoveries. Cosmo is one of the most intelligent and fiercely creative people to grace my earphones this year, and his album is a collection of tracks that are bonkers and magical in equal measure. I love it. Birthday Suit sounds as if it has been taken directly from the soundtrack of an old Disney film, Wriggle provided one of my favourite remixes of the year from Mr. Jukes (listen to that here) and Come Along is one of my favourite standalone tracks of the year. But my absolute favourite on the record (currently) has to be the last tune, Hocking, it's five minutes of instrumental bliss (and simultaneous craziness.)
5. Idles - Joy As An Act Of Resistance
I'd challenge anyone who has listened to the Idles album this year to claim that it isn't one of their albums of the year. And to anyone that hasn't: listen to it, pronto, and add it to your list. I'm guilty of at first labelling the band and album as angry rock music, but delving deeper (and reading interviews such as this one with the BBC) has shown me that there is a lot more to this Bristol band than I initially realised. It's an incredibly socially conscious record, exploring issues such as Brexit and toxic masculinity, as well as real losses that singer Joe has endured in recent years. The album takes these negative subjects and turns them on their head, providing songs that celebrate difference and are full of hope and unity. Idles are the band I didn't know I needed in 2018. Favourite track: Danny Nedelko.
So that's my top five albums this year! There have been so many more that I have absolutely loved in 2018, so here's a list of some more (in release order) that I wholeheartedly recommend you checking out.
Django Django - Marble Skies The Wombats - Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life MGMT - Little Dark Age Superorganism - Superorganism Gengahr - Where Wildness Grows AdySuleiman - Memories The Magic Gang - The Magic Gang The Vaccines - Combat Sports Christof van der Ven - Empty Handed Peace - Kindness Is The New Rock And Roll Ben Howard - Noonday Dream Ghost - Prequelle Boy Azooga - 1, 2, Kung Fu! Dawes - Passwords Panic! At The Disco - Pray For The Wicked Florence & The Machine - High As Hope Evergreen - Overseas Dizzy - Baby Teeth Jungle - For Ever Low Island - Low Island & Friends 17-18
I've been a big fan of Dawes since I caught them supporting Mumford & Sons back in 2012 in Nottingham - their first two records had me hooked instantly with tunes like When My Times Comes, A Little Bit Of Everything and Fire Away and I adored their set at the show. Since then, they've released three more incredible records and I've been lucky to see them play live four more times in London, three of which were across one slightly whirlwind weekend in 2016 (which I wrote about here at the time) where I made a friend in the audience of a show at Islington Assembly Hall, and attended two acoustic shows with her the following day. I met the band that weekend and my love for them was well and truly cemented if it hadn't been already, and so the wait for the next UK shows started...
It seems that the wait may soon be over (once the band get through a US tour supporting the mighty Electric Light Orchestra, no less...) as they've recently announced the follow up to 2016 record We're All Gonna Die. Their sixth studio album Passwords is due for release on June 22nd (my birthday week - what a treat!) and it's lead single is the punchy Living In The Future, which you can check out below... the music video features a dog at the end, which is always a good thing!
It's a cracking music video and I'm enjoying the track - one of the best things about the band is that they're continually evolving, bringing changes to their sound between records, keeping it fresh, exciting and usually completely brilliant. If Crack The Case, the track shared alongside the single is anything to go by, the record is going to be just as great as everything that has come before. While less of a song and dance has been made about second trackit is in my opinion the better of the two, a laid back ballad showcasing the sublime songwriting skills of Taylor Goldsmith, that I believe make him one of the best lyricists of our generation.
Crikey. You wait for some new Dawes content and they deliver twofold on Valentine's Day with a new music video for the absolute tune Roll With The Punches and a new live record We're All Gonna Live to stream on Apple Music, Spotify etc. The record features recordings from their current An Evening With Dawes tour in America, where they're playing two sets each night, firstly with tracks from their latest studio record We're All Gonna Die, followed by a set of fan favourites (and with four other records, there's a lot to choose from.) You can listen on Spotify below... holding out for a physical release!
While I went to a seminar and tried to get over the excitement of the new live record, the band went and blew my mind by releasing their latest music video for what is possibly my favourite track from the latest record, Roll With The Punches. My favourite lyric of the track is "how dying love manifests, in a rug or a chest" and in an interview with the band Taylor discussed wanting to write a song about separation that focused on these smaller things, rather than the grand gestures of saying goodbye. In the video Taylor splits on screen with his real life girlfriend Mandy Moore, and a bunch of burly men proceed to split household items in half - most hard-hitting is probably the guitar and teddy bear! Get watching...
Here's hoping the An Evening With Dawes tour makes it to the UK eventually!
Back at the start of November I spontaneously followed the lovely Dawes guys around for a few shows over a couple of days in London, finishing up with a set at a Sofar Sounds show in a 3D printing shop (my post about the weekend is here) - the video from that night was posted online recently, check it out! This track is taken from their fourth record All Your Favourite Bands which was my favourite release of last year - looking forward to reflecting on this year's releases and making a playlist of my favourite music from this year (it's on the to do list!)
Since seeing them in Hackney last August I've been desperate to see Dawes again, so when they announced a mini UK tour for November a couple of months ago I was over the moon. I quickly grabbed a ticket and spent October listening to the record and getting excited... the show was on Friday in the beautiful surroundings of Islington Assembly Hall, my first show in the venue! Arriving expecting a queue I found only a couple of people waiting outside, and once we'd been let in I got chatting with two lovely girls at the barrier. The atmosphere was lovely and the show kicked off beautifully with a support set from Lily & Madeleine who recently released their record Keep It Together... definitely worth taking a listen to! Check out this live session of their track Nothing.
Lily & Madeleine
While chatting away to the girls at the front, they'd asked if I was going to the signing and acoustic performance the next day. There'd apparently been an announcement on Facebook for a show at Rough Trade West which I'd somehow missed... so I decided to see how I felt after the show, knowing I'd probably be heading back to London the following day for it. Dawes came on and played something like an eighteen song set, particularly impressive when so many of their songs are quite long! I got to hear tracks from the new album for the first time as well as tracks from the previous four, the show was full of incredible instrumental sections, solos, amazing crowd sing-alongs and a couple of stunning acoustic tracks, I was pretty overwhelmed - it was everything I'd hoped for and so much more. I recorded a couple of videos which I'll stick below... first up my favourite track from the new record, Roll With The Punches, and then I Can't Think About It Now, which is my favourite track from the previous album (All Your Favourite Bands) and, I think, one of my favourite tracks of all time, so hearing it live was really special (apparently they played it at Hackney too, but the track certainly didn't mean so much to me then!)
After hanging around at the merch stall, I left the venue and found a little group of people waiting to see if the band would come out. They're one of my favourite bands and their music means an awful lot to me, so I figured I'd stick around too. Their lovely tour manager took some of the other guys' stuff up to get signed, and they mentioned the Rough Trade set to him, at which point he said they were also playing a Sofar show after it. I've only ever been to Sofar in Oxford, where we have one or two shows a month - in London this month alone there are 92, so when I checked online I found there were three shows last night. Luckily, after hanging around a little longer, Taylor, the lead singer and guitarist of the band came out. Meeting him was pretty special and he kindly checked which show it was they were playing. Suddenly one Dawes show had turned into a couple of days of following them around for three shows. I headed back on the coach to Oxford, getting back at 2am and heading back to London to meet a friend eight hours later... tired but pretty happy! After a little shopping we headed to Rough Trade West for the instore, where we met with Christine, one of the lovely girls I'd met the night before. Crammed into the tiny store (which I also hadn't been to before, only the East London shop, and Nottingham) Taylor opened the show with a solo performance of For No Good Reason before Lee and Griff joined him for Million Dollar Bill and Roll With The Punches (which I filmed a tiny bit of), after which, deciding how to fill the last few minutes of the set because "all my songs have too many words", he played Now That It's Too Late, Maria ("it's like a song and a half"), the track which closes their fourth record. After a quick album signing we headed to the tube, and after saying goodbye to my friend, Christine and I travelled over to Farringdon, arriving a little early at the venue for Sofar Sounds, the iMakr studio, the world's largest 3D printing store.
Dawes at Rough Trade West
Opening up the night was Bruce O'Yates and his band... amusingly (and rather cool) he'd been to the store before to have his face 3D printed for his album cover - you can see it just behind him to the right on the pic below! I really enjoyed his set, check out his track Helen here. Next up was Natalie Wildgoose playing a solo keyboard set of jazzy tunes!
Bruce O'Yates
Up last, and finishing off a brilliant couple of days were the Dawes guys, this time with Taylor, Lee and guitarist Trevor. They played a different set to the earlier one as they knew a handful of us were going to be at both, opening with Taylor playing Moon In The Water solo before (not sure of the order) Something In Common, Picture of A Man and Somewhere Along The Way (little video of that here). Luckily the rest of the audience enjoyed it as much as us and requested an encore, and crikey, did they deliver... in the form of a song "we've never played for anybody", entitled My Greatest Invention. It was a little emotional and a beautiful way to finish off the little trio of shows!
Dawes at iMakr Store for Sofar Sounds
After a little chat with Taylor and Jerry, their tour manager, I headed back to get the coach back to Oxford. An emotional coach journey reflecting on what had just happened - seeing a band I've admired for a few years up close and personal like that in such a raw, stripped back environment where you can really appreciate their musicianship and Taylor's fantastic songwriting was truly special! Wishing them safe travels back to LA and hoping that it isn't too long until they're back in the UK! Also if you've made it to the bottom of the post and you're not already a Dawes fan... get listening to them - there are five fantastic records for you to choose from, and so many incredible tracks!
I've already rambled on about Dawes touring the UK before (post from September) however if you missed it.... they're coming over here to play in Glasgow, Manchester and London this week on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively, and I wholeheartedly recommend you get along to one of the shows! Since seeing them support Mumford & Sons back in 2012 I was really struck by their music, and I'd probably go so far as to say they're my favourite American band. I was totally amazed to see them headline London (in amazing style) last August and I've been waiting for a follow up to that show for a long time and finally it's almost arrived! Their 2015 record All Your Favourite Bands is one of my favourites of all time, and this mini-tour is in support of its successor, We're All Gonna Die. From that record, Roll With The Punches is certainly one of my favourite tracks - watch the guys performing it live for Charlie Rose below! With five brilliant records worth of tunes to choose from, it's hard to guess what the set will look like, aside from plenty of new tracks, but live highlights definitely include From A Window Seat, When My Time Comes and the beautiful All Your Favourite Bands, and I'm pretty excited to hear more new tracks, including One Of Us.
Honestly: take a listen, fall in love and come and join me at their Islington Assembly Hall show on Friday. You'll find me down the front yelling out the songs and having a jolly good time! Tickets and all the details for the three shows are on the Dawes site here.
I moved back to Oxford this month for my third and final year of university (quite scary) and I've already been to some cracking gigs... but October is looking particularly busy (we'll get to that when it happens!) Here's my playlist for the month, a snapshot of the music I've been listening to this month, whether live or otherwise - hope you enjoy!!
1. Dawes One Of Us -the most exciting thing to happen in music for me this month was that one of my favourite bands, Dawes, released their fifth studio album. We're All Gonna Die is the follow up to last year's All Your Favourite Bands, one of my favourite records of all time so this one had a lot to live up to and I haven't been disappointed. Feels only right to kick off the playlist with the opening track of the album!
2. Jack Savoretti When We Were Lovers - my favourite artists are the gift that keeps on giving, as this month another big favourite, JackSavoretti, announced his new record Sleep No More which is set to be released on 28th October, and released the first single from the album which is an absolute corker. Less than a month to go, very excited to hear more of the album - you can also hear a lot of it debuted live on his upcoming UK tour.
3. Slate Hearts Take Me to the Green - in a busy first week back in Oxford I went to a few gigs, one of which was the fantastic Lucy Leave hometown headline to round off their debut UK tour. These guys were supporting and they're pretty exciting, love this track.
4. Fil Bo Riva Killer Queen - I was sent Fil Bo's track Like Eye Did last month and loved it, so was glad to hear that this month he's released another. The studio version is pretty cool but I'm also digging this live version, his voice is really something special.
5. Bastille Power - another of the gigs I went to this month was finally seeing Bastille in Kingston, where they played much of their new record Wild World, a lot for the very first time which was cool to see/hear. It's been a while coming since their hugely successful debut album back in 2013 but the new record is definitely worth the wait and has just seen two weeks at the top of the charts (and it's looking like it'll be a third week tomorrow!)
6. Bon Iver Minnesota, WI - a much older track than the rest, I've been in quite a classic Bon Iver mood this month after security a ticket to one of the upcoming London shows in February. I bought this record entirely on a whim a couple of years ago because I had just bought a record player and wanted more to listen to and I adore it from start to finish.
7. homeplanetearth Find Me - these guys are a superb local Oxford band who have just toured the UK to celebrate their debut EP (which this track is taken from) including a huge show for Tigmus upstairs at the O2 Oxford which was the day before I moved back to town, very gutted to miss it!
8. Laurel Life Worth Living - a couple of days after moving back I attended my first Oxford Sofar Sounds in 6 months (absolutely crazy that it's been so long!), one of our acts was London based singer songwriter Laurel who had the crowd absolutely mesmerised. A beautiful stripped back set in the stunning venue, an independent cinema just up the road from me.
9. Tom Speight Falling - Tom was announced as support for Bastille the day before the show so I didn't get chance to check out any of his music before the show apart from a snippet of this track which went down pretty well on the night. The hardcore Bastille fans at the front were absolutely loving this guy who seemed pretty overwhelmed by all the loving, and by the fact he was using in-ear monitors for the first time.
10. Twin Atlantic The Chaser - I finally grabbed a copy of the new Twin Atlantic record a couple of weeks ago and it's got everything you might expect of their records, including the brilliant first single No Sleep and this recent single.
11. Lucy Leave Fighter Pilot - as mentioned above I saw these guys play in Oxford this month, where I ran the door for the show (an absolute pleasure!) I've heard of them on the scene for a while now and been really keen to catch them live so glad that I finally got the opportunity to do so!
12. Bon Iver 33 "GOD" - until it came to choosing a playlist for this month I hadn't actually given any of the new Bon Iver record (released today but I haven't had chance to listen fully yet!) a listen, but this track, which samples a bit of Paolo Nutini is quite cool, if a bit of a departure from the other track earlier in the playlist! Looking forward to taking more of a listen to the record and most importantly hearing it live in February!
13. Dawes Roll With The Punches - this is one of my my favourite tracks from the new Dawes record, which Taylor describes as a track which deals with separation not in a personal way, but looking at the consistencies in any separation/break-up, things that everyone can relate to. My enjoyment of the track is probably more in the sound than the deep meaning, but I definitely appreciate the songwriting which as always with Dawes is pretty clever!
14. Bastille Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith) - another of my favourite tracks from the new record, very much a slower tune but still really catchy. As I write this I've just received an email saying my video of Bastille from the show last week has been taken down from Youtube and I've received a copyright strike - had to sit through "copyright school", the joys..
15. The Hoosiers Weirdo (Acoustic) - my first gig this month was my last gig of the Summer, The Hoosiers headlining the O2 in Islington. Though I've seen them over 10 times it was the first time seeing them play in London and was made even cooler by interviewing Irwin and Al before the show for some research I'm doing. Sadly it was Sam's last (sort of) gig with the guys and I love this track from their third album where he takes lead vocals, particular this version on an acoustic album!
Some of the best news to wake up to is usually a tour announcement and today that came in the form of Dawes... I've been raring to see them live again since I caught them in the intimate Oslo Hackney last August, and they've just announced a tiny run of UK shows to celebrate the launch of their new record, We're All Gonna Die.
I finally grabbed a copy of the new record at the weekend when I took my first trip to Oxford's new Fopp (simultaneously the best and worst thing that could've opened in town...) and after a few listens I'm totally adoring it. Yes, it's different to the previous record which I totally love and without a shadow of a doubt place in my top 3 albums of all time, but difference isn't always a bad thing and the record is great! I'm really excited to grab a ticket and hear the new tracks performed live.
Dawes play Glasgow's King Tuts on 2nd November, Manchester's RNCM Concert Hall on the 3rd and finish up in London's Islington Assembly Hall on the 4th. Tickets are available at 9am on Friday here.
How can you not love a track when it's positively entitled We're All Gonna Die... It's the title track of American legends Dawes' upcoming record which is released this Friday... I'm currently trying to avoid the stream of the whole album over on NPR as I'd rather it be a surprise on Friday! The guys fourth studio record, All Your Favourite Bands, released the middle of last year, is one of my favourite albums of all time and features probably my favourite ever track.
It's easy to get a little dazed and confused when a band's next record takes a change in direction (which a lot of people commenting online seem to be), which is definitely the case with this and When The Tequila Runs Out, the first single from the album. With this being their fifth studio album however, it's natural that the sound will evolve - where's the fun in remaking the same album five times?! I'm no musician but I imagine it'd get pretty boring to keep doing the same thing over and over, and they'd lose the love in creating music... I'd much rather that a band continues to make music and enjoy doing so! After a few listens I'm really loving both of the tracks and hope that will be the case for the whole album - and I'm holding out for some UK tour dates to be announced before long too as I'm desperate to see them live again.
Only one gig this month (though it was more of a family festival in central London where King Charles happened to be playing) but a lot of brilliant new releases, here's my playlist for August, featuring some of the music I've been enjoying this month! As I'm going back to uni in September, and Tigmus have a lot of shows coming up, I'll get back to going to lots more gigs, phew! I'm also seeing my favourites The Hoosiers this Saturday, and a special Bear's Den show for Amazon next week which should be cool!
1. DawesWhen The Tequila Runs Out - probably the most exciting music news for me this month is that these guys are releasing their fifth studio album, We're All Gonna Die, on 16th September and this is the first track from it. A little unsure at first but I totally embrace the slight change in sound, and it's grown on me a lot! All the info about the album here.
2. All TvvinsThank You - I saw these guys supporting Twin Atlantic last month, and I'm digging their debut album IIVV, released this month. They're really fun live, and they're off on a 20+ date UK tour later in the year, looking forward to hopefully catching them at The Bullingdon in Oxford (dates and tickets here.)
3.Richard WaltersU - Richard releases his new solo record A.Min October, and this is the stunning first release from it. Check out the Mahogany Session which recently debuted online. To launch the record, Richard plays shows in London and Oxford in October.
4. Fil Bo RivaLike Eye Did - while I don't always get chance to check out the music I'm sent my artists and their PR people, I was glad I took a listen to this track after finding it in my inbox. Love it!
5. SG LewisYours - with two of King Charles' band members playing alongside SG Lewis I'm keeping an eye out on his music, and really enjoying the title track of his recent EP Yours. His biggest London headline show has just been announced, grab tickets for Koko in November here.
6. Public Service Broadcasting Spitfire - after a friend introduced me to these guys a couple of years ago I've been keen to see them live, and despite writing a post about their big Islington charity gig I managed to let the show sell out before grabbing a ticket... holding out for some returns as it looks set to be a great show! At Eastbourne airshow earlier in the month I loved hearing this track played on the pier after the Spitfire had done it's display, a great touch (and a great track!)
7. BlossomsBlow - you have to have been living under a rock to have avoided hearing about these guys yet, particularly as their debut album reached number one in the charts when it was released earlier this month. Check out their performance at Reading Festival here.
8. Dan CrollSwim - though I've come pretty late to Dan's music, only properly listening when I caught him at Bushstock back in June, I'm enjoying this recently released track Swim, the first taster of his upcoming record.
9. Mumford & SonsFool You've Landed (Baio remix) - it's been a couple of months since Mumford and friends released their Johannesburg EP, and they're just released some remixes of the tracks. Digging this track remixed by Chris Baio of Vampire Weekend.
10. Tom FigginsPermafrost - finally some new studio recordings from Tom.... check out his whole Ghosts EP on Spotify, of which this is my favourite track.
11. The MaccabeesSpit It Out - with these guys announcing their split this month, it seems right to feature them in the playlist, with one of my favourite tracks from their latest album Marks To Prove It. They've hinted/promised some final shows, so hopefully I'll get to catch them live finally!
12. Jack GarrattBYSKB v2m2 (demo) - alongside the release of his latest single Far Cry, taken from his album Phase, Jack has debuted a demo of a new track.
13. King CharlesIvory Road (Spotify Session) - the only gig I caught this month was Charles' solo acoustic performance at Spotlight on Seven Dials, and it was great hearing him close the set with my favourite track from the first record! Takes me back to when he performed the track to me in a field of thistles at Cambridge Folk Fest a few years ago (video).
A couple of weeks ago, Dawes posted a photo saying that they'd ended their tour in a guitar shop in Chicago. The photo got me pretty hopeful that someone had filmed some of the set, and the band shared this video today...
Playing on gear taken straight from the wall, they are sounding superb as always and in pretty impressive surroundings. Their next UK dates can't come quickly enough and it's great to see them sharing photos from the recording of their 5th release (though it'll take a lot to beat their latest record, All Your Favourite Bands, which is one of my favourite albums of last year and probably of all time!)
The video from Dawes' performance at a London Sofar Sounds show last month has just gone online - their appearance at the show was announced just after I'd seen them live at Oslo Hackney. I was naturally on quite a Dawes buzz following the show and gutted to not manage to get tickets as I knew seeing them in the setting of a Sofar Sounds show would be incredible, and I love this video of the title track from their latest (and fantastic) record, All Your Favourite Bands. Quite ironically sad in it's own way for the fact that since these shows, the band have announced that long time pianist in the band, Tay Strathairn, has parted ways with the band. Sad news but, as another of the track's on the new album goes... Things Happen!
There isn't really enough time in the day for me to tell you all how much I love the latest Dawes record, particularly its understated but beautifully performed title track All Your Favorite Bands. When I saw the band at London's Oslo Hackney recently, they performed this as their final track, a departure from the usual loud and energetic encore performance of many bands, but a really powerful and uplifting singalong. The song's message, "may all your favourite bands stay together", is one of the best things, as a music lover, that someone could say to me. Check out the official video for the track which the band have just released, featuring the likes of My Morning Jacket, Brendon Flowers and Conor Oberst.
Earlier this week I went to see Dawes playing at London's Oslo, a tiny venue in West London. Support came from soloist Leddra Chapman, who played a great opening set, but what I loved most was her excitement over seeing and supporting the band.
Released this June, the band's latest record, All Your Favorite Bands, is one of my favourite records of all time with the title track and I Can't Think About It Now particular highlights. So when they opened their set with the latter I knew it was going to be a great gig and wasn't disappointed! The set spanned their back catalogue, with songs from all four albums including a favourite of mine from the third record, From A Window Seat (video.)
In the intimate setting with a great crowd, and considering that the band, based and from America, barely play shows here, it was a really special night, and was fantastic to see that the band were enjoying it as much as us. They're one of the best and most tight live bands I've seen and, after seeing the band back in December 2012, it was great to hear the new tracks that I've been enjoying so much live - including the below video, new track Right On Time. Overall the set was awash with frontman Taylor's contagious energy, and heartwarming sing-alongs and incredible guitar solos from Duane Betts, who is currently playing alongside the band.
