There were five songs that really blew me away this year. I'm not going to do a Top 5 or any Top list, ranking them doesn't really mean anything as they all really hit me in that wonderfully incomparable way a song should.
Carla J. Easton's - 'Never Knew You' - a glorious POP tune and a great video, complete with fancy gowns and animal head masks. Carla's album Weirdo is my POP album of the year.
Steve Kilbey's 'Josephine' is gorgeous and I've loved hearing it ever since it debuted during his Monday evening Instagram sessions. Lovely lyrics, and the feeling is enormous. There's some great stuff on the 11 Women album.
Sam Barton's 'We painted our faces and gave false names', wow, this blew me away the first time I heard it on the Flashback Records compilation, later released on Sam's Acid Apple Satin Walls album. It reminded me of that next level that music took me to as a teenager when you realize just how important all this is. A wonderful track that I listened to over and over many a time this year.
Illuminati Hotties' 'Freequent Letdown'. First off, best band name I've heard in years. And this tune is just so joyous and catchy. Top pop.
AC/DC's 'Through The Mists Of Time'. A great timeless rock song. This also blew me away the first time I heard the album. My childhood best friend messaged me reminding me that they were putting out a new one and he absolutely loves the whole record, saying how it was such a great thing to have happen this year of all years. While the rest of it just sounds like latter day AC/DC to me, 'Through The Mists Of Time' really stands out. I found myself putting it on a few days after I gave the album a listen, and then just kept coming back to it, until eventually it found its way on the stereo almost every time I had music playing. I love it. It's my favourite thing they've done with Brian Johnson since 'Thunderstruck', and ranks up there with my favourites of the second incarnation of the band. My affection for this tune had me listening to them a lot more, realizing that Powerage definitely ranks in my Top 5 Albums of All-Time, and I then watched all the documentaries available about them in less than a week.
La Roux's 'Automatic Driver' deserves an honourable mention as I've listened to this tune a ton and it's just the type of pop song I love.
And High On Stress' 'Work Release'. If you like The Replacements...
I discovered a bunch of great artists this year. High On Stress being a big one. As well as Anton Barbeau, Hedvig Mollestad, and Emma Tricca.
Mr. Barbeau has many a fine tune, usually in the English eccentric meets his California homeland style, but it was this one that he wrote for and dueted with Allyson Seconds on that has been on my stereo the most.
All of Hedvig Mollestad's records are worth checking out though it is her 2013 album with her trio, All Of Them Witches, that I put on the most, always accompanied by a big 'YES!' at its awesomeness.
I don't remember how I first heard Emma Tricca, but I'm so glad I did. This tune is pure loveliness.
As for older songs and artists I discovered this year, a French Instagram friend hipped me to the beauty of Nino Ferrer's 'Le Sud'.
Mat Colegate posted Judee Sill's 'The Kiss' on FB one night which lead me down an extraordinary rabbithole, with 'Jesus Was A Cross Maker' coming to the fore as my fave.
Ms. Sill reminds me a bit of Dory Previn, who I love and was listening to a lot especially at the beginning of the year when I was driving out to California. Her 'Going Home' I believe is my song for 2020, even though it was a year I wasn't really sure what I could consider 'home'.
I have another Album of the Year - A Love Supreme Electric. Henry Kaiser, John Hanrahan, Mike Watt, Wayne Peet, and Vinny Golia. I fell in love with this from its opening notes. It is what it says, an electric version of Coltrane's A Love Supreme and Meditations. The music is ENORMOUS and really takes you very far indeed.
It was my pleasure to talk to a lot of the artists mentioned above on the Etcetera ETC With Young Southpaw podcast - Henry Kaiser, Steve Kilbey, Anton Barbeau, Nick from High On Stress, Hedvig Mollestad, and Carla J. Easton. As well as a bunch of other great guests like Greg Proops from 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?', Mat Osman from Suede, Mark Monnone from The Lucksmiths, author John Higgs, and many others. You can listen to those here.
Maybe I'll get around to posting about all the books I read and films I watched this year in another post. But it's worth noting that P. G. Wodehouse audiobooks and Letterkenny really kept me going this year.
Happy New Year all!
