Number 15: Idles – Tangk
Unsurprisingly, when Joe Talbot describes this as a collection of love songs, don’t be fully expecting it all to be warm and fuzzy. It is, though, their most expansive set of songs yet pushing into a range of new sonic territory. It has been a number of years since ‘Joy as an Act of Resistance’ announced them as one of the most vital post-punk bands in Britain. Ultra-mono pushed that into a more dialled up form of themselves that didn’t quite satisfy the same. Crawler was more interesting and started the shift towards this album. I was in love with lead single ‘Dancer’ before I had even heard it, safe in the knowledge that with James Murphy and Nancy Wong from one of my favourite bands, LCD Soundsystem, on board it couldn’t be anything less than brilliant. The actual listening to it did not disappoint.
The album was equally thrilling, Idles could do moments of quiet, moments of funk and groove. ‘Idea 01’ twinkles in like later era Radiohead (perhaps not a surprise with Nigel Godrich on production duties), a series of separate sounds somehow coalescing into a cohesive whole, Talbot treating the vocals delicately whereas previously the temptation would have been for him to overpower it. ‘Gift Horse’ is perfection, all driving bass and furious controlled power. ‘Jungle’ is perhaps the most underrated track, firmly a part of their current live set.
Number 14: Travis – L.A. Times
Around the release of ‘The Man Who’ Travis enjoyed huge sales and headlined large gigs and festivals. Since then there has been a slow decline punctured by the odd moment of magic. L.A. Times captures more of those magic moments in one place than any point since then, though managing to be significantly more uplifting than their slightly dour indie classic. ‘Bus’ alone is worth a place on this list, one of the finest singles of the year, and my most played track according to Spotify Wrapped. Quality tracks like ‘Gaslight’ and ‘Raze the Bar’ cement it. That Chris Martin (Coldplay) and Brandon Flowers (The Killers) do backing vocals on ‘Raze the Bar’ is a lovely moment of support from this exceptional group of bands who all broke through at around the same time. ‘I Hope That You Spontaneously Combust’ is like ‘Odelay’ era Beck. The title track ‘L.A. Times’ is the Pet Shop Boy’s Neil Tennant in low key rap mode gone Scottish and sweary. Experimentation has bought out their best work in ages, long may it continue.
Number 13: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Wild God
At 67 years of age Cave is enjoying the kind of creative run that most artists could only dream of. ‘Ghosteen’ and ‘Carnage’ were both sublime offerings and ‘Wild God’ continues the streak. An album full of joy as well as rumination on what has been lost, sometimes musically reminiscant of The Flaming Lips at their best, sometimes pure low-key Nick Cave – moments of fragile beauty continue to tumble past with regularity . The title track is one of the singles of the year, its two tracks spliced together nature somehow working and sending it soaring to the most wonderful heights. Cave has lived a full life touched by wonderful highs and deep tragedy and this album captures it all.
Number 12: Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before Your Supposed To
If there is a more intense 27-minute musical experience released this year, then I have yet to find it. Somewhere between hardcore and metalcore with propulsive drumming, angular distorted guitars and screaming vocals. It won’t be to everyone’s taste but if you like a bit of metal there is a huuuuge amount to unpack here, if it doesn’t whack you round the back of the head, steal your wallet and leave you for dead first. ‘Suffocate,’ featuring Poppy, is an absolute beast of a track, the recent performance on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ became a massive talking point, racking up several million views on social media sites on top of whoever watched it live on the show.
Number 11: Beabadoobee – This Is How Tomorrow Moves
Beatrice Laus has been crafting quality songs for a few years now but this is a turn into a slightly heavier, rock sound previously unhinted at. Rick Rubin being called in to produce it makes sense, more so live where her band have beefed up a number of earlier tracks to match the new releases. ‘Take a Bite’ is a wonderful start, reminiscent of quality late 90s indie, ‘Ever Green’ leans musically towards Peter Gabriel but with a much better vocal talent. ‘A Cruel Affair’ could have slotted in on Kirsty MacColl’s classic album ‘Tropical Brainstorm.’ ‘Beaches’ has been all over the radio. Her performance at Reading Festival was excellent, more than strong enough to make me miss the start of Liam Gallagher, and the very young audience in the Radio One Tent absolutely adored her. Great voice, great songwriting skills, using strong influences but wearing them lightly. This album is a huge amount of fun.
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