SPOTIFY PICK #7: MONKEY PICKS OF 2013

I didn’t think 2013 had been a vintage year for new music but in compiling the now traditional end of year playlist I failed to whittle it down to the intended 20 tracks, eventually settling on 22, so it couldn't have been that bad.

They aren’t necessarily the best 22 as I’ve stuck to songs available on Spotify. Therefore, “I’ve Never Been To California” by Bronco Bullfrog misses out as do the Hidden Masters and Paul Messis, both who would have seen something from their albums included. Kurt Vile’s wonderful “Wakin’ On A Pretty Day” is omitted due to being nine and a half minutes long and as much as I love the Manics’ Rewind The Film album those songs sound better taken as a whole rather than pulling one out to sit alongside the work of others.

The coveted Album of the Year Award goes to Daniel Romano for his country masterpiece Come Cry With Me and Single of the Year is taken by The Higher State who just pip Baby Strange, with a honourable mention to the great comeback 45 by Suede.

Those with Spotify can listen here. Enjoy.

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages – The Corner Man

Suede – It Starts And Ends With You

The Primitives – Lose The Reason

Alfa 9 – Green Grass Grows

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Swim And Sleep (Like A Shark)

The Sufis – No Expression

Baby Strange – Pure Evil

The Higher State – Potentially (Everyone Is Your Enemy)

The Junipers – And In My Dreams

Camera Obscura – Break It To You Gently

Triptides – Night Owl

Bleached – Looking For A Fight

Charlie Boyer and the Voyeurs – Things We Be

The Lucid Dream – Glue (Song For Irvine Welsh)

Foxygen – No Destruction

Babyshambles – Picture Me In A Hospital

Midlake – Antiphon

Mary Epworth – September

The See See – Featherman

Daniel Romano – He Lets Her Memory Go (Wild)

The Monks Kitchen – Shake

Mavis Staples – What Are They Doing In Heaven Today

ALFA 9 – GONE TO GROUND (2013)

To describe something as a toe-tapper sounds like damning it with faint praise but it’s not, it’s an involuntary and welcome reaction, and one that doesn’t happen as often as one would wish. Listening to “Green Grass Grows”, “Petty Lies” and “Into The Light” on Alfa 9’s Gone To Ground  without tapping your toes ranks alongside putting a Fruit Pastel in your mouth without chewing.

That trio of songs immediately leap out but Gone To Ground is filled with solid, tightly composed and sharply produced songs, the likes of which people aren’t supposed to write anymore. Broadly West Coast folk-pop in spirit there’s an unfashionable classicism about them. There’s nothing wildly inventive or original but that’s no bad thing here, sometimes there’s nothing better than a dozen warm tunes to make you feel a whole lot better. There’s a good variety too yet it all hangs together snugly: from those aforementioned pop janglers; to the Californian dreaming of the title track and “Nothing Feels”; the Crawdaddy blues wailin’ of “Old Man Blues”; and the sparkly stomp of “Mad Song”. They all sound like the band are having a whale of a time and exchanging little sideways nods and smiles as they play. However tempting it might be to throw in a seven minute psychedelic jam that’s something they thankfully avoid, keeping the album from drifting from its tight focus. With seven years since their previous album Alfa 9 have had plenty of time to hone these songs to perfection.

I’ve played this about 20 times over the last few weeks without the need to skip any tracks although some of the rhymes on the Oasis-do-Tomorrow-Never-Knows “The Castle” would make even Noel Gallagher blush. A very fine album.

    

Gone To Ground by Alfa 9 is released by Blow Up Records on 11 March 2013.