Top 10 albums of 2019

My Top 10 Albums of 2019

Pre-amble

So here we are at the end of another year.  I have bought many records, CD’s and even cassette tapes over this year.  I have travelled around the world and picked up OG records when I can find them and new albums, mostly from my favourite online retailer, burningshed.com or from my favourite store, Rough Trade Bristol. 

There have been so many great album releases in 2019 but to make it to my 2019 top 10 there are certain criteria I have imposed on myself in order to keep the list to 10.  So, many records that were released in 2019 that were live albums or reissues are not included here.  So here are my self-imposed rules:

• I have to own the record on vinyl
• No live albums are included
• I have to have played the album more than 10 times for it to make the list
• The album cannot be a reissue
• It must have been released in 2019
• Albums only, no EP’s or 12” singles

So here goes.  My top 10 albums of 2019 in reverse order:

10. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Colorado

A real return to form for Neil Young who has had so many reissues this year but into his 70’s still remains a relevant, fabulous songwriter and performer.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse | Colorado

9. Thom Yorke - ANIMA

An ambient masterpiece from Thom which could have come off the back or Radiohead’s Kid A.  A stunning piece of work showing us that Radiohead and Thom are still out there.

Thom Yorke | ANIMA

8. Jon Anderson - 1000 Hands

Jon Anderson returns with an expansive solo work built up over many years with so many famous musicians showing us that in his 70’s Jon still sounds as fresh as he did in the early Yes years. Still with a great voice, maybe the best voice in music today?

Jon Anderson | 1000 Hands

7. Elbow - Giants of All Sizes

The last Elbow album, although enjoyable, did not really do it for me. However, Giants of All Sizes is an instant earworm and an album I can’t stop playing. Some great musicianship on this album, great songs and an all round winner.

Elbow | Giants of All Sizes

6. Isildurs Bane & Peter Hamill - In Amazonia

Peter Hamill gets invited to sing with Isildurs Bane and we get a superbly atmospheric album with a screaming vocal from Peter that harks back his tormented Nadir’s Big Chance from 1975, a favourite Johnny Rotten (John Lyndon) album.  Bearing in mind that Hamill was 71 this year his voice is still amazing.  I can not recommend this album enough.

Isildurs Bane & Peter Hamill - In Amazonia

5. Pixies - Beneath the Eyrie

It was 2016 when the Pixies last album Head Carrier was released but not to much praise.  Here a mere 3 years later We have an album which didn’t seem to get much press suddenly appear on the shelves of my local record store, Rough Trade, Bristol.  I had to buy it and so grateful I did.  To me it’s their best album since Bossanova in 1990.  If you like classic Pixies then you’ll love this one.

Pixies | Beneath the Eyrie

4. The National - I am Easy to Find

The National possibly one of my favorite bands.  I first heard them with their album Trouble Will Find Me in 2013.  An album I took a risk on and bought for the cover art.  Ever since then I have followed the band and saw an amazing set they did at Glastonbury Festival in 2017.  A superb performance with a drunk Matt Berninger, swigging red wine from a bottle which eventually made its way into the crowd.  His delivery was intimidating yet controlled and seeing the band live you could really appreciate the band as a whole (A good reason to see music live).  I am Easy to Find features many guest female vocalists including Sharon Von Ettington, Lisa Hannibal, Mina Trindle, Kate Stables and Gail Ann Dorsey (the late David Bowie’s bass player).

The National | I am easy to find

3. Lana Del Rey - Norman Fkg Rockwell

Ever since I heard Lana’s album, Ultraviolence I have fallen in love with her music.  I saw her perform  at Glastonbury festival a couple of years ago.  She was spell binding and her band were amazing.  Laid back music, fab lyrics and a beautiful voice.  For me it’s perfect West Coast music and has received a Grammy award for best album.  Of all her albums Born to Die, Ultraviolence and Norman Fkg Rockwell and essential.  I also got this on limited cassette tape!

Lana Del Rey | Norman Fkg Rockwell

2. Coldplay - Everyday Life

Let’s get this out there - I LOVE COLDPLAY. I have seen them live many times right back to their first album when they had a hit with Yellow.  They never let you down.  Great songs, amazing stage presence and yes, they play all their instruments.  A really great bunch of friends who for me constantly take risks and don’t just turn out the hits, although every album has some.  A Rush of Blood to the Head from 2002 is still, for me their greatest achievement, and their new album Everyday Life doesn’t disappoint.  So many people see Coldplay and Chris Martin as the band to hate.  It’s a shame that success is not celebrated in the UK.  Around the world Coldplay are loved and you only have to see their live shows and the size of the crowds who flock to see them to realize how popular they are.

Everyday Life, Coldplay’s 8th Studio album,  is an album of two parts: Sunrise and Sunset.  The track listing was announced in local papers noticeably the North Wales Daily Post, where once Jonny Buckland (Guitar) had a holiday.  Everyday life cuts across many genres and has to be heard on vinyl to be truly appreciated - it has been said it’s an “analog album” and doesn’t suffer from the issues of earlier Coldplay albums which are produced at too high a volume with poor dynamic range (namely Mylo Xyloto).

If you buy one album on vinyl this year consider this one.

Coldplay | Everyday Life

1. Black Midi - Schalgenheim

Just when I thought nothing else could come out this year, and certainly not to become the number 1 in my top 10 albums of 2019!  This album is a blend of post punk, punk, heavy rock, prog rock and more.  Vocals that sound like Alex Harvey from the Sensational Alex Harvey Band) and David Thomas from Pere Ubu.  I can’t currently stop playing this one from Rough Trade records.  The first from Black Midi and I can’t wait to see them live.

Black Midi | Schlagenheim

The Wall Pink Floyd 30th Anniversary reissue

Pink Floyd – The Wall: Original vinyl Pressing vs. 30^th Anniversary Reissue Vinyl Pressing 

My summary:

Original pressing is punchier and the vinyl surprisingly less clicky and poppy, especially when you consider my original review copy (from a friend) looks scuffed. 

The original pressing is much louder.

The reissue lacks a load of punch that is most recognizable on the original on track “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2”.  I just didn’t enjoy listening to it as much as the original.

Personally I just didn’t enjoy the album as much on the reissue, such a shame as the WYWH reissue is a better mix than the original with the guitars much more evident.  Possibly that album is better from the middly EQ.

Why I believe the reissue suffers is that although the vinyl is claimed to have been mastered from the original master tapes, it doesn’t mention the original master has been fed through the digital domain somewhere.  Or maybe the master tapes have just become tired after 40 years?  Sorry James Guthrie, maybe it’s just you – the mix is not open nor is it warm like the original – let’s get Steven Wilson to remix and remaster this album and go from there.

What have I gained from doing this?

What this review has done for me is that I really like this album.  I never really played it enough because I was so into DSOTM, WYWH and Animals.  The first two sides of this album are sensational.  Gilmour’s vocal on “Goodbye Blue Sky” is pure Floyd at it’s very best.

I’m off to buy a copy of the original – there are plenty of copies about as it was such a great hit.  It’s a simply stunning sounding disk considering it was made in 1979.

Overall rating:

Original Vinyl Pressing: 5/5

Reissue Vinyl Pressing: 3/5

Original Packaging quality: 3/5

Reissue Packaging quality: 6/5 (yes really great!)

External observations.

The original pressing was kindly lent to me by my close friend Steve Rogers.  The original sleeve has yellowed with age whereas the new reissue is very clean and bright white.  Noticeably, however, the bricks have a different layout on both copies and this can be seen clearly in the photo below.  Of note also the rendering between the bricks is a lot darker on the original whereas the inner cover is more vibrant on the reissue.

Inside the cover 

There are few differences on the inside cover except that the reissue is much more vibrant and the production credit section has moved to the left (see image below). Note that the original copy says: “Written by Roger Waters”, whereas the reissue says “Words and Music Roger Waters”.

 

The disks

Overall

The EQ is different between the two BUT you have to remember that whilst the reissues of DSOTM and WYWH are remixes The Wall is NOT.  The Wall reissue is less punchy (especially noticeable on the track “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2”.

The original vinyl is a reasonable grade, it is only when you hold the reissue do you realize how much more solid the reissue is on it’s 180gm vinyl.  Between the two however, there is more surface noise on the reissue (noisier vinyl).  My copy of the reissue also has some annoying pops and clicks.  Very annoying for what is claimed to be an audiophile copy – it’s not!

The detailed review

Side 1:

• In the Flesh?
• The Thin Ice
• Another Brick in the Wall Part 1
• The Happiest Days of Our Lives
• Another Brick In the Wall Part 2
• Mother

On “In the Flesh” the reissue seems to have less reverb on the drums.  On the original the drums appear to be recorded in a bigger room.  The guitars (chords) on the original are panned to the left yet on the reissue they appear to be more centrally mixed and, less forward in the mix.  Towards the end of the song when just before the baby cries, there’s a lot going on with loud music and the pane crashing/flying overhead.  I would argue that this tracks better on the original than on the reissue.  There seems to be a lack of separation on the mix than with the original.  Maybe as I believe this is not a remixed album just a remaster, that the EQ is responsible to this.

On “The Thin Ice” the piano seems further back in the mix on the reissue.  The synth is more prominent on the reissue.  The vocal is more central in the mix than on the original.

With the reissue “Another Brick in the Wall Part 1” is warmer and brighter.  But apart from that there is little to distinguish between the original and the reissue.

Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 is so much better on the original pressing – warmer, louder and great bass sonics – they seem to have EQ’s the hell out of it on the reissue making it brighter in the mid-range.  When the kick drums punch at the beginning of the track on the original it sounds like the speakers are going to jump of the wall.  The dynamic range is reduce on the reissue which makes it lackluster by comparison.  Shockingly so, making me immediately want to recommend the original over the reissue.  In a word the reissue sounds “limp”.

Mother on the reissue has sibilance which is NOT noticeable on the original – this is surprising as the original cut is much closer to the deadwax over the reissue.  The track ends without the warmth and cleanliness of the original.  It just sounds like a muddled EQ to me. 

I had to keep looking at the vinyl to make sure I was playing the reissue and not the original as it sounded worse.

Side 2:

• Goodbye Blue Sky
• What Shall We do Now?
• Young Lust
• One of My Turns
• Don’t Leave Me Now
• Another Brick In the Wall Part 3
• Goodbye Cruel World

The deep synth sound on the original pressing of “Goodbye Blue Sky” is immense.  It just isn’t noticeable to the same extent on the reissue.  However, the acoustic guitar sound benefits from the more middly mid range EQ lift on the reissue. It’s a bit lost on the original pressing.  Also when Gilmour’s fender bass string plays a lovely “country” crescendo at the end of the track it’s lost on the original but really stands out on the reissue.

On the original “Young Lust” is a bit muddled until the drums kick in it blows the speakers with its punch – wonderful.  An experience that is not evident on the reissue.  On the original pressing when Gilmour’s Fender solo at the end of “Young Lust” sounds just like a Fender sounds – beautiful natural single coil tones distorting naturally through an overblown amp.  This experience is not there on the reissue.

“One of My Turns” has a problem on the reissue.  When Waters sings “And I can feel…” suddenly I can here hiss coming up in the mix – it sounds like one of the digital outboard systems has failed somewhere and emphasized the background noise – it wasn’t present up to this point?

Side 3:

• Hey You
• Is There Anybody Out There
• Nobody Home
• Vera
• Bring the Boys Back Home
• Comfortably Numb

“Hey You” is one of the few stand out tracks on this album.  On the reissue pressing Masons drums (if indeed it was Mason) really kick in.  Next up “Is There Anybody Out There?”.  So crisp on the original that it sounds like Waters is in the room with me.  The acoustic guitar on this sounds really good and definitely benefits from the tweaked EQ.

Listening to “Nobody Home” it strikes me that the reissue is better suited to solo voice, minimal backing music and orchestra.  It really works on this track and presents a much clearer soundstage when compared to the original pressing.  Just a touch of nasty sibilance on Waters voice but apart from this the reissue handles it well.

We drift then into the, for me, real low point in the album: “Vera” and “Bring the Boys Back Home”. If it weren’t for Rick Wright’s subtle keyboard synth behind “Vera” I would never play it.  Lucky for me it’s a relatively short track.  On “Bring the Boys Back Home” the reissue manages to cope really well with the choral and loud string and horn section.

Now for the highest point on this album: “Comfortably Numb”.  It is here that the reissue presents a lackluster sound.  Minimal separation and a distinct lack of warmth that is very evident on the original.  Even the twelve-string chord just before Gilmour comes in with “There is no pain, you are receding”, gets lost in the reissue mix.  Compare Gilmour’s guitar solo on the reissue – it just doesn’t kick in as hard as on the original and then during the solo the drums seem to get lost on the mix.  This track is so much better on the original.

Side 4:

• The Show Must Go On
• In the Flesh
• Run Like Hell
• Waiting for the Worms
• Stop
• The Trial
• Outside the Wall

Do I really have to play this side?  I really struggle the Broadway Musical dramatics of “The Trial” and the album would be so much better if this track were scrapped.  It’s a pity Gilmour, Wright and Mason didn’t gang up on Waters and make him scrap it.  Gilmour, as a co-producer, should have convinced Ezrin to take it out.  Trouble is Ezrin like theatrics – think, Kiss, Alice Cooper.  It’s a shame as he has produced such dark music as Nine Inch Nails.  I can’t see “The Trial” appearing on a NIN album!

On with the show! 

“The Show Must Go On”: Well apart from me not liking this side of the album it really shines on the original pressing.  The reissue is very toppy again with an obvious EQ boost mid to top end. 

On “Run Like Hell” the original press has a clear and open sound stage with a great tight drum sound.  On the reissue it sounds good but just not as open as the original.  I would even suggest that the reissue sounds a little cluttered on this track.  By “cluttered” I refer to me not being able to pick out the detail of each instrument as well as I can on the original pressing.

“Waiting for the Worms”, “Stop”, “The Trial”, “Outside the Wall” are IMHO disposable tracks and there wasn’t enough of a difference between them on the original and reissue.   The Trial is slightly better on the original with more depth and space yet the reissue is acceptable but not nice on the ears in the louds orchestral pieces – it’s a bit too harsh for these ears.

So, to summarise, if you can find one, then I would recommend the original pressing over the reissue.  There’s a massive amount more punch to the drums, more space in the stereo mix and everything just sounds so much warmer.  I was very disappointed by the pops and clicks on my reissue and also some of the cuts are noisy when played loud.

Pink Floyd - The Wall 2012 reissue. 

Now this is NOT my favourite PF album at all. It reminds me of a Broadway or London Musical punctuated by David Gilmour's brilliance on Another Brick, Hey You, Run Like Hell, Comfortably Numb, without which it would be utter, utter pantomime theatre and, well, crap! They really needed Rick Wright on here as his influence on DSOTM and WYWH is without doubt essential to those albums. Poor old Nick Mason is relegated to simple drums as apparently he couldn't get the drums right on a lot of this. In Contrast The Wall, pales into insignificance as a sprawling, over indulgent, Roger Waters fascist-nazi-egotistical-claptrap! (Just listen to "The Trial" - it sounds like an out-take of the musical "Oliver Twist" - Roger Waters vocals pathetically mimicking the style of Fagan!) This, unfortunately, extends via some crappy out-takes onto the "Final Cut". With the Wall and Final Cut we see 6 pretty wasted sides of vinyl only brought to life by Gilmour's wonderful guitar and vocals. Why do I listen to this? Because it's Floyd - No other reason. I hated it on its release and still loath it today. 

It was a real pleasure for me to hear that Waters lost a lot of money on the touring of this and it was only Rick Wright who made anything out of the tour as he was ousted as a band member and taken on tour as a hired hand with a salary.

Blackfield - Blackfield IV - a review

Artist: Blackfield
Album title: IVFormat: Vinyl
Label: KSCOPE Number: KSCOPEPE830Studios: Air Studios, Zaza Studios, Angel Studios, Musikbox Studios, Ofer Meiri’s Studio, Pluto Studios and No Man’s LandCover Art: Carl GloverProduced and Written by Aviv GeffenMixed by Steven Wilson

http://www.kscopemusic.com/blackfield/iv/

Side 1:

• ·      Pills
• ·      Springtime
• ·      X-Ray
• ·      Sense of Insanity
• ·      Firefly
• ·      The Only Fool is Me

Side 2:

• ·      Jupiter
• ·      Kissed by the Devil
• ·      Lost Souls
• ·      Faking
• ·      After the Rain

There was a time, back in the 70’s, when I would burst in anticipation of every new release by one of my then favourite bands.  Typically, progressive rock bands such as Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant.  Each release would find me walking to our nearest record store and making the essential purchase; then rushing home to release the album from its shrink wrap and after smelling the packaging, placing side one onto my turntable and dropping the needle with great care.  As the first sounds emitted from the vinyl I would examine the album art and then read every inch of the sleeve notes then as the album played, every lyric.  It’s never been the same since the demise of the vinyl album and the excitement has waned with CD’s pathetic cover art and lyrics too small to read with the naked (and now no longer 20/20) eye.

During the past few years Vinyl has had a resurgence and many of todays releases have both a digital and a vinyl issue.  Then there are the reissues on 180-gram vinyl.  There are only a few bands that get me excited when a new release is offered for pre-order.  I could probably count them on one hand and anything from the Steven Wilson camp tempts me to make that ever so excited pre-order purchase.

Of Steven Wilson's releases whether they are solo, Porcupine Tree or Blackfield it is the Blackfield albums that really rock my boat.  I have them all on 180-gram vinyl but the new release, Blackfield IV, now takes the number one slot on my turntable.

A single vinyl album, Blackfield IV is not overlong to fill a CD to its gills but a the 11 songs span a mere 31 m 42s.  To produce an album of this size is both brave but also means the artist really has to decide the best works.  Avid Geffen really does this well.   Each side of the album is a delight with memorable tunes and wonderful orchestration topped by a superlative stereo mix by Steven Wilson.

Previous Blackfield albums have been mainly Avid Geffen and Steven Wilson providing most of the songs, vocals and instrumentation.  Backfield IV is a different beast altogether.  8 tracks have Aviv on lead vocal with guest vocalists Vincent Cavanagh (Anathema) on “X-Ray”, Brett Anderson (Suede) on “Firefly” and Jonathan Donahue (Mercury Rev) on “The Only Fool is Me”.  Steven

Wilson takes lead vocal on only three tracks and backing vocals on 4 tracks.

Side 1 kicks off the album with a great classic Blackfield song “Pills”.  This track could so easily have come straight off this albums predecessor  “Welcome to my DNA”.  In fact this seems to be one of the tracks which has more Wilson input than the others.  This track was released months before the album was released and was a really good teaser.  Geffen’s nervous warbling vocal is beautifully supported by Wilson’s harmony.  Unfortunately what follows does not stand up to the quality of this song.

“Springtime” is another track that adopts the classic Blackfield sound although is filled with some lush Wilson backing vocals and strings and horns from the London Session orchestra.  A nice touch but makes the sound more mainstream.  Is that a good thing?  No, not for me.

Vince Cavanagh of Anathema takes the lead vocal next for “X-Ray”.  I love the brothers Vincent and Daniel Cavanagh’s vocals.  “X-Ray” simply sounds like an Anathema track, the only problem being that it ends so quickly.  With Anathema we are used to long prog tracks, but here we get a sweet lush song lasting a mere 2mins 36 secs.  It’s a great track but could have been developed with a shared Geffen vocal.   It just doesn’t develop.  Perhaps Vincent had to leave for a gig!

“Sense of Insanity” is classic Geffen.  A song about war in Geffen’s homeland.   If Geffen wants a hit single then he should release this one.  It’s a soft ballad with tones of U2 and Coldplay.  I could imagine this being a crowd pleaser at a stadium gig (which unfortunately Geffen won’t achieve).  The fade out is a rousing chorus of oh-oh-oh and guitar reminiscent of Chris Martin and a Jonny Buckland guitar riff.  Is Geffen showing he can do mainstream or is this a Coldplay copy?

“Firefly” delivers another guest vocal but this time it’s from Brett Anderson from Suede.  This track is one of the albums stand-out tracks.  It’s a pacey track that could be a real hit for Anderson if released as a single.  When Geffen penned this I wonder what made him decide on Anderson vocal?  It certainly fits.  This is a really outstanding track and I have played it over and over again.  It’s the albums hit single.

Side 1 ends with another guest vocal, this time from Jonathan Donohue of Mercury Rev.  “The Only Fool is Me” is backed by a Harp and strings from the London Session Orchestra.  Again it is too short a track and sounds like filler from a Mercury Rev album and wouldn’t sound out of place in a London Musical.

Side 2 opens with “Jupiter”.  A string laden pop tune with Wilson taking lead vocal and a wonderful simple drum pattern reminiscent of late Beatles and Tears for fears circa “Sowing the Seeds of love” period.  It’s a great pop tune that instantly makes you think you’ve heard it before.  

Next up jumps straight into “Kissed by the Devil”.  A love song, where Geffen is missing a girlfriend now gone (or is he alluding to missing Wilson writing for this album?).  This ends with a fade with Wilson singing “When She Goes away”.  A classic tail off vocal that takes me back to those wonderful Beatles fades heard from “Rubber Soul” onwards.

“Lost Souls” then gets going with a great simple chord riff from Wilson.  Both Geffen and Wilson share the main vocal (Geffen in front with Wilson thickening up the vocals with a double track of his voice).  It’s a song that chugs along but doesn’t really go anywhere and would have benefitted from a Wilson inspired soaring guitar solo.  In fact this album needs more Wilson guitar.

With side 2 almost over we get into “Faking”.  A song that is much more Blackfield-esque.  A pumping beat that could out “Snow Patrol”: “Snow Patrol”!

Tagged onto the end we get a solo piece by Geffen: After the Rain”.  Great electronic syncopated drums and lush keyboards with a very simple lyric.  A great ending but leaving this listener wanting for so much more.

Steven Wilson said this was not the sort of music “where he is right now”.  Not surprising really as Wilson's epic solo album “The Raven That Refused to Sing” is a real group effort with string musicians and haunting themes.  With Wilson leaving this album to Geffen it suffers and has lost any hard edge that Wilson might have bought to the table.  I can imagine Wilson being bored by it.  To me it’s a beautiful album with some good commercial songs that lack development and ay notion of a hard edge.  Think Brett Anderson solo without Suede.  Great stuff but lacking the Suede edge.

Would I recommend it? Of course I love Blackfield, but for me Geffen is not being pushed here and I imagine wants to break into mainstream pop/rock to earn the success he clearly deserves.  If you were to take off Wilsons input this would be an album that would disappear without trace.  Geffen has the support of some successful friends but it won’t make him a star.  If these are the 11 strongest tracks from a pool of 30 then god only knows what the other 19 are like.

On a more positive note I cannot fault the packaging.  A great sleeve with classic Blackfield imagery and a wonderful 180 gram vinyl which is silent and has the expected vinyl warmth.  The mix is classic pop, which I don’t feel Wilson spent too much time on (he is so busy he probably doesn’t have too much time).

Jon’s verdict: 3 out of 5 stars – more effort required!