Editor’s Picks: Top 50 songs of 2019 – Part One

2019 eh? You’d laugh if you weren’t too busy crying… Bloody good year for music though.

Throughout the past 12 months we’ve been cracking on with uncovering new music, a keen ear amongst our contributors for anything and everything new and exciting. From a personal standpoint, I’ve probably purchased more new vinyl this year than any other (just the ticket when you’re about to move house…)

With it being the end of the year, we’ve joined the long list of your other favourite websites to compile the best songs released this year. 50 songs sounds like a lot to work with until you have to compile said list. With that in mind, honourable mentions and shout outs must go to a number of artists and singles that have been on our radar and in our playlists throughout the year.

From the METZ reissue of ‘Pure Auto‘ to various songs from Mac DeMarco’s latest album ‘Here Comes The Cowboy‘, Show Me The Body’s raging ‘Camp Orchestra‘ to the mega dance number from Stealing Sheep in ‘Jokin’ Me‘. Then there’s Demob Happy’s ‘Less Is More’, False Advertising’s ‘You Won’t Feel Love‘, Grey Hairs‘ ‘Hydropona‘, Claw The Thin Ice’s ‘Tropic of Cancer‘ and ‘Looking For The Cure‘ from William The Conqueror. All great tunes, not enough space.

Here’s the first of two parts featuring a list of the 50 best songs released this year – in my personal opinion, the person who puts all this together. In alphabetical order mind you, as things are complicated enough as it is don’t you think?

Aiming For Enrike – Hard Dance Brainia
(Music For Working Out)

Where else to start than with experimental instrumental duo Aiming For Enrike out of Norway. An invigorating burst of dance-floor ready math-rock that builds and builds to a joyful climax. Almost as good as their live show.

Aiming For Enrike talked us through their 2019 musical highlights as part of our What’s On Michael Portillo’s iPod feature – Check out their picks here.

B Boys – Pressure Inside
(Dudu)

A song that’s been on constant rotation from an album that has been listened to at least once a week since release (and then a month or two prior to that thanks to our review stream!) This trio of New Yorkers gripped me like no others this year – potential contender for best single of 2019!

Bike Thiefs – Hockey Dad

Toronto trio Bike Thiefs came new to us this year with the captivating ‘Hockey Dad‘ and its stream of consciousness vocals against scrappy instrumentation. At the time we suggested it’s in the ballpark of Flat Worms and Parquet Courts and we’re still feeling that comparison.

Blood Wizard – Carcrash

The solo project of Cai from Kagoule, it’s no surprise that he hits the ground running with a song that already sounds like a bit of a classic. A sun-soaked jam out in November, but still one to enjoy in the colder months.

BODEGA – Domesticated Animal
(Shiny New Model)

Another cucumber cool bopper from NY art-punks BODEGA. A chorus that reminds me of the sort of team spirit mantra you might hear from a cheerleader outfit, it continues the great BODEGA tradition of being ludicrously catchy (as is everything else this lot put out).

Vocalist Ben talked us through his 2019 musical highlights as part of our What’s On Michael Portillo’s iPod feature – Check out his picks here.

Alex Cameron – Stepdad
(Miami Memory)

There were shades of it on last album ‘Forced Witness‘ and now with ‘Miami Memory’, Aussie songwriter Alex Cameron is blurring the line of comedic artist who pens a good tune to bona fide pop star. ‘Stepdad‘ is bleak at times but the bombastic instrumentation and Cameron’s knack for an earworm chorus mean it’s one to triumphantly sing along to.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Alex Cameron earlier this year – Check it out for yourself here.

The Chats – Pub Feed

“MEDIUM WELL!” Snotty Aussie punk that’s as catchy as it is daft. A song about smashing your tea at the local pub, what’s wrong with that?

Corridor – Domino
(Junior)

From their Sub Pop debut (the first francophone act for the prestigious label), Montreal outfit Corridor put out this sun-soaked 60’s sounding jam in the second half of the year and we’ve been hooked ever since. Following a lengthy hypnotising stretch in the middle, they expertly drop you back in with that swell hook in head-spinning fashion.

Crack Cloud – The Next Fix
(Pain Olympics)

In typical Crack Cloud fashion, fuck knows what’s happening with this (is it on an album coming out?!) They get weirder and more engaging as they go on and latest single ‘The Next Fix‘ is no exception. Follow up, Part Two of the Pain Olympics series (‘Crackin Up‘) is just as brilliant; the Canadian ‘multimedia collective’ remain one of the most exciting acts knocking about today.

Richard Dawson – Two Halves
(2020)

‘Jogging‘ first grabbed our attention back in August, a hilariously bleak lengthy saga of someone struggling with anxiety from the little moments in life. It would have been included here had it not been for follow up single ‘Two Halves‘. A wonderfully captivating tale of what one assumes is a children’s football match and all its highs and lows and levels of incompetence. I laugh every time I hear a defeated Dawson sing “I am inconsolable” but the line “Stop fannying around, keep it nice and simple. You’re not Lionel Messi, just pass the bloody ball” is one of the best from an album full of terrific lines.

Deliluh – Lickspittle (A Nut In The Paste)
(Beneath The Floors)

I’ve been listening to this record a lot while walking round the local park – big fan. First single ‘Lickspittle (A Nut In The Paste)‘ packs in a lot of influences but all at once sounds fresh and new.

Vocalist Kyle talked us through his 2019 musical highlights as part of our What’s On Michael Portillo’s iPod feature – Check out his picks here.

Die! Die! Die! – Casualties of Decades
(O)

Crunchy as hell new single out mid-year from New Zealand punk leg-ends Die! Die! Die! From a new four-track EP, the first new material written with returning bassist Lachlan Anderson, ‘Casualties of Decades‘ is absolutely pummelling and the band sound as vital now as they might have ten years ago.

We spoke with 2/3 of Die! Die! Die! around the release of their new EP, which you can read here and here.

Dinosaur Pile-Up – Thrash Metal Cassette
(Celebrity Mansions)

Dinosaur Pile-Up sure know how to write a raging lead single don’t they? A few year’s back they did it via the crushing ‘11:11‘ for the album (get this) ‘Eleven Eleven‘ and in 2019 they’ve once again knocked it out of the park with ‘Celebrity Mansions‘ lead single ‘Thrash Metal Cassette‘. Bigland and co. give a nod to their thrash heroes in throat-shredding fashion whilst still sticking to the DPU hallmarks of a dynamite singalong chorus.

Baxter Dury – Slumlord
(The Night Chancers)

Very much a continuation of the sounds heard on last album ‘Prince of Tears‘ (a firm favourite following its 2017 release), Dury thrives in his character based showboating, bigging ones self up with a horrid, dingy undercurrent. As ever, the female vocal is the key here and sounds splendid in contrast to the crumbling bravado of Baxter.

Field Music – Money Is A Memory
(Making A New World)

From the album ‘Making A New World’ due out in early January – one which evolved from two very special live performances at Imperial War Museum’s Salford and London – ‘Money Is A Memory‘ is a funky romp that tells the tale of an office worker in the German Treasury working on the final instalment of reparation debts made in 2010, some 91 years after the Treaty of Versailles was signed… The brothers Brewis strike gold once again.

Flat Worms – Into The Iris
(Into The Iris)

Fuzz attack from California trio Flat Worms – That deadpan vocal still tickles our fancy and the raging closing stretch is perfect. What else would you expect from these three?

The Futureheads – Electric Shock
(Powers)

A favourite band returned in 2019, recharged and revitalised following a hiatus. A new album followed and was everything we’d hoped for, with ‘Electric Shock‘ being a delight tucked into the middle of the record. I’m a huge Barry Hyde fan and his vocal performance here is superb – filled with such emotion (for what was apparently a mishap in the kitchen!) The shouts of bassist Jaff and guitarist Ross in the chorus get the hairs standing to attention every time it’s played. Rager!

We had the pleasure of interviewing The Futureheads after all these years away – read that here.

Gauche – Flash
(A People’s History of Gauche)

Genius move from Gauche – combining my favourite aspects from two great post-punk bands (Daniele Yandel of Priests and Mary Jane Regalado of Downtown Boys) and forming a DC supergroup of sorts. In ‘Flash‘ we have a really vibrant, groovy dance-a-thon with arse-shaking in mind.

Girl Band – Shoulderblades
(The Talkies)

I remember hearing this for the first time and being completely stuck to the spot for its six minute duration. I then had it on whilst I was cycling and was so hypnotised I’m surprised I didn’t come off… An incredibly energising yet unsettling piece of music from Irish noise outfit Girl Band.

Grotbags – Big Baby
(Grotbags)

From the best Manchester boy band (with a female member), ‘Big Baby‘ tells the tale of a black pudding eating, triple-XL sized infant and is absolutely hilarious. The only issue is that i’ve lisened to it so much that it’s almost gone past the point of ‘hahaha, this is dead funny, this‘ to unconsciously singing it during the day. The new album is a peach and is already my favourite album of 2020.

Guest Singer – New Experience
(I’m Irrelevant Now)

Guest Singer a.k.a. Jake Cope really reminds me of Alex Cameron. Not so much in appearance or the Aussie’s treading the ‘is this a piss-take?’ line, more-so in producing moody 80’s sounding synth-pop ragers that sound timeless. ‘New Experience‘ was the debut Guest Singer single released at the start of the year and was very much a hit the ground running moment for Jake and co.

Guest Singer answered a host of daft questions for us as part of our a/s/l feature – Get your chops round that here!

The Hecks – Flash
(My Star)

More 80’s vibes from Chicago outfit The Hecks, a band whose new album ‘My Star‘ has wormed its way into one of our favourites released this year. At the time of first hearing them, we described The Hecks sound as “quirky pop in an accessible, ludicrously catchy way similar to the likes of Flasher and Trouble In Mind alumni OMNI“. Listen to the closing stretch of ‘Flash‘ – A stroke of throwback, prog-y genius.

International Teachers of Pop – I Stole Yer Plimsoles

Featuring the great Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods, ‘I Stole Yer Plimsoles‘ is the latest arse-shaker from International Teachers of Pop, following the release of their debut album earlier this year. A massive pop tune, it sounds like the sort of thing you might have heard on the radio between the likes of ‘I’m Horny‘ or something from Madison Avenue back in the day.

ITOP Button-presser and knob-twitcher Adrian Flanagan talked us through his 2019 musical highlights as part of our What’s On Michael Portillo’s iPod feature – Check out his picks here.

Julia Jacklin – Pressure To Party
(Crushing)

Australian artist Julia Jacklin captured my heart earlier this year with the release of the wonderful ‘Pressure To Party‘ and the album that followed is a delight. Joyous instrumentation contrasts an almost cracking vocal as she sings of things one might be forced to do post-break up.

KAPUTT – Accordion
(Carnage Hall)

In our End of Year ‘What’s on Michael Portillo’s iPod‘ feature, Freddy of Leeds noise outfit THANK mentioned David Byrne when talking about Glaswegian outfit KAPUTT and I’ve not been able to shift it when listening to them. “FORWARD, FORWARD, I’m always looking FORWARD” sounds like something you might’ve heard during any Talking Heads period. ‘Accordion‘ is a banging little post-punk number from their debut on tastemaking label Upset The Rhythm.

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For those sorts who don’t read, you can listen to all of the above (and the forthcoming PART TWO) in our handy Spotify playlist here!

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What’s On Michael Portillo’s iPod – End of Year: BODEGA

Here at Birthday Cake For Breakfast, we like to get to the heart of what an artist is all about. We feel the music they listen to is just as important as the music they make.

In 2019 we’ve had all sorts talk to us about inspirations, including the likes of International Teachers Of Pop, Working Men’s Club, WARMDUSCHER and Die! Die! Die!

With the year coming to a close, we’ve decided to turn it on its head a bit and ask some of our favourite artists what releases from this year they’ve been raving about. With that in mind, we’re chuffed to have Ben of NY art-punks BODEGA talk us through their favourite releases from the past 12 months.

(Photo Credit: Kevin W Condon)

Purple Mountains’ self titled album
(Drag City)

“A few autumns back when BODEGA was figuring out its early repertoire me and Nikki performed a few Halloween sets of Silver Jews eternals – which I think (and hope) seeped into our new band’s DNA. No other songwriter so consistently achieved my favorite artistic conceit ——> illuminating the grace and joy at the bottom of the trashcan. Berman’s death was and is a tragedy but his last record (w/ BK’s Woods) is a gift. It’s his most straight-forward set of songs but is all the more powerful for its sense of clarity. ‘She’s Making Friends, I’m Turning Stranger’ is a self-aware performance of sad-sackery that is as sad as it is funny. ‘Snow is Falling in Manhattan’ is so archetypal it’s already sitting on the shelf of NYC immortals next to Rodgers and Hart ’Manhattan.’ ‘I Loved Being my Mother’s Son’ is so elemental and heart-wrenching —> I heard it at the exact right time in the back of a long van ride this year and have never been the same.”

Juan Wauters’ album La Onda de Juan Pablo
(Captured Tracks)

“Juan Wauters (of Queen’s best non-Ramones punk band the Beets) went on a trip throughout Latin America w/ a suitcase full of recording apparatuses and enlisted musicians in different local styles to play on his new record (his first in all Spanish). Part of the appeal in listening to the disc is imagining the story, setting, and players of each song. There is a very fun interactive ‘tour itinerary’ on his website where you learn that Juan often chose different players from different regions for the same tracks. For example we learn that Mexico spawned the hearty bolero ranchero ’A Volar’ as well as the breezy bossa nova-esque ‘Blues Chilango’ which features a Mexican bongo player and a Puerto Rican saxophone. My favorite is ’Disfruta La Fruta’ —> an acoustic drone w/ flute and marimba improvisations over the vocal. Hearing Juan’s curation and direction of the various players (including a spoken word feature from his own father) throughout the LP gives us a sense of his own musical taste and in that way fulfills the classic function of the travelogue: self-portraiture.”

The Hecks’ album My Star
(Trouble In Mind)

“This art punk Chicago band added a new member and expanded their sound for their second disc —> their icy cool aura now includes synths and an embrace of new wave pop textures. Of all of the post-punky bands playing today, The Hecks don’t so much write songs as create sculptural sound forms. Sure, they’ve always had hooky verses and choruses (‘Heat Wave’ hits the pop pleasure spot) but notice the repetition of chords and riffs in the second half of ‘Chopper.’ This is machine music played by humans – as manic as it is contemplative.”

Mdou Moctar’s album Ilana (The Creator)
(Sahel Sounds)

“I first got hip to this disc when BODEGA played Pickathon w/ Mdou and his gang this past summer. It’s pretty heady groove-based psych rock in the West African Tuareg guitar style. The rhythm section creates a nice bed of syncopated repetition but the real appeal here is the tasty lead playing. The guitar sounds as indebted to Tuareg as to classic rock: the playing is riffy and full of scale-scorching licks but always manages to be both soaring and melodic. This is desert blues that emits an uplifting sense of euphoria and celebration. Undeniable.”

Fontaines D.C.’s album Dogrel
(Partisan Records)

“Fontaines are a superb rock group that claims to have been initially inspired by poetry more so than any specific rock group. On their debut they often artfully mix biting direct-prose (‘Chequeless Reckless’) with enticing cryptic verse. Right in the middle of the LP is the knock-out ballad ‘Roy’s Tune’ (written by guitarist Conor Curley) – I’ve played and been bowled over by it hundreds of times and I still have no idea exactly what it is about. Yes – they are a literary band but for now their lyrics are fairly sparse and only elusively connected to narrative. Grian (the singer) repeats verses and phrases not necessarily to accrue meaning but to paint images and take delight in each syllable’s sound. It isn’t just the words that do the image-making either. The whole band’s bouncy strut in ’She Sha Sha’ mimics the click clack of a mid-afternoon stroll down cobbled streets (it’s hard to not think of Bloom and Stephen if you too have ‘a heart like a Jame’s Joyce novel’). But really it’s the slightly silly and most trad rocking ‘Boys in the Better World’ where the band really makes me feel like I’m flying —> it’s my track of the year and to me is already classic rock.”

‘Shiny New Model’ – the shiny new mini-LP from BODEGA – is out now!

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Live Review: BODEGA at The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge 11 August 2019

Words: Andy Hughes

Having spent the afternoon drinking white wine and watching the films of Jon Voight, my Sunday evening a few weeks back was unexpectedly catapulted from a lovely flat in Whalley Range to The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge. Very last minute so it was, but worthy of the trip for seemingly the only Northern date on the most recent UK tour of BODEGA.

Thankfully the advertised start time was a touch delayed, so I managed to not only make it in prior to them starting, but also grab a delicious Gluten Free Ale on my travels past the bar. As expected, the main room was bustling for this sold out show (like the first time we saw them, and the time after that), though I managed to squeeze in near the merch (and purchase a fetching badge in the process).

‘Can’t Knock The Hustle‘ kicked things off, guitarist Madison wigging out ever so slightly, feeling his way into the drawn out intro as the band sized up the room. Vocalist and percussionist Nikki is front and centre, hypnotic as she sways, whilst behind her their latest signing (percussionist Tai Lee) bounces up and down on the chorus. New-ish in the line-up, her background is apparently in the musical STOMP as a performer/drummer, and it shows – her playing style is fierce and powerful, Lee glaring out from behind her stand-up kit as she batters it relentlessly.

Debut album ‘Endless Scroll’ lit up End of Year lists and all sorts following its release in summer of last year. Songs from their debut full-length make up the majority of the set (as you’d expect), from the anthemic ‘Bodega Birth‘ to the full-pelt ‘How Did This Happen?!’, vocalist Ben reeling off the vocals like a stream of consciousness and coming at it both barrels on the latter. There’s an intensity to the quintet from the off – Madison getting proper stuck in towards the end of ‘Margot‘, tall and slim, looking like he’s been playing basement shows in Europe since birth. On the rapid ‘I Am Not A Cinephile‘, I can’t tell whether it’s because I was half-cut or if it’s the song that’s cut in half, but it sounds even more sped up and furious as it’s blasted out.

Introductions are made, BODEGA lovingly representing themselves as an Art Rock unit from NYC, very happy to be in attendance in Hebden Bridge. It wasn’t quite clear what followed ‘Williamsburg Bridge‘, but Nikki mesmerised as she shouted out to the back of the room, eyes wide with a hand extended outward. This bled into the scrappy ‘Bookmarks‘, with Ben and Nikki bouncing off each other real horrorshow on the vocals. ‘Name Escape’ sees Ben whip off the guitar, moving about up front instead with microphone in hand, as bassist Heather Elle cooly plays the best riff on the record.

There’s a new one tucked in – A “Mid-tempo ballad about machines” – which would have its premiere on BBC Radio 6 Music a day or two later. ‘Shiny New Model‘, title track from an EP out later this year, sounds like it’s got the makings of a BODEGA classic and the crowd lap it up with gusto. It’s soon followed by the current classic, ‘Jack In Titanic‘, one which sees phones aplenty shot into the air to video the joyous single.

“Thank you guys for coming out – even if your Dad made you…” Says Nikki (quite rightly clocking the 6 Music Dad’s littering the room), but it’s not a slight – more of an observation the band can appreciate.
“I wanna say something about Dad’s coming to shows…” Adds Ben, suggesting that back home, no one over 22 goes to shows anymore.

‘Truth Is Not Punishment‘ brings things to a close and it sees every one on stage get a bit more amped – guitarist Madison bouncing about during the revved up intro, Tai Lee and Nikki joining him in enthusiasm, both percussionists bopping and lively throughout the stretched out version of the song, Nikki all smiles as it builds and builds. It brought to mind visions of this going off back at Soup Kitchen in Manchester a year ago, everyone drenched, and made me grateful to not be in that small room in the heat!

Chants of one more song were seemingly nixed as the lights came up and music played out, but then we’re joined once more by the five-piece. “Bodega’s for the people!” Shouts Nikki, Ben adding “It’s for the children.” The heartfelt ‘Charlie’ follows, preceding the last big one of the evening – ‘No Vanguard Revival‘ from their forthcoming EP – one that’s been in their locker for a while and gets the room moving in its joyous, rock hard, post-punk pomp.

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Live Review: Field Music at Imperial War Museum North 24 January 2019

Words: Andy Hughes

2019 – the year of live performances in unfamiliar settings. Having warmed up for the year with a live screening of England valiantly crashing out of last year’s World Cup right before Californian speed-freaks OH SEES played on the very same stage, I’ve already pencilled in NYC post-punk darlings BODEGA in a Northern library this March. This past week kicked it off proper though, with the turn of Sunderland’s own Field Music and a specially commissioned live performance at the Imperial War Museum North.

As part of the Imperial War Museum’s ‘Making a New World’ season (exploring how the First World War has shaped society), the performance drew inspiration from a rare document in IWM’s extensive collection – an image taken from a 1919 publication on munitions by the United States War Department. Created using a technique called ‘sound ranging’, utilising an array of transducers to capture vibrations of gunfire, the image highlights the minute leading up to 11am on 11 November 1918 and the minute immediately after, when the guns fell silent.

With this as a starting point, the Brewis brothers (Peter and David) then created a show through imagining the six parallel strands of the image continuing throughout the next hundred years, resonating and vibrating across the globe in the shadow of the First World War. From the programme on the night:

“In writing these songs, we felt we were pulling the war towards us – out of remembrance and into the everyday – into the now.”

(Photo Credit: Imperial War Museum)

As far as venues go, leading up the evening it sounded like we were in for a real treat. IWM North is quite the spectacle, with tanks at every turn and old clobber lining the walls. But what could be expected of the evening and its musical performance? David Brewis to arrive on one of their many tanks? Peter Brewis via fighter plane?

As a hush fell amongst the gathered crowd, the Brewis brothers arrived on foot with a number of familiar faces from Field Music live shows – keys player Liz Corney, bassist Andrew Lowther and Kevin Dosdale. Guitarist Dosdale it would turn out had gone above and beyond for the evening’s performance, not only learning an entirely new set of Field Music songs within a short space of time, but seamlessly weaving together the audio with accompanying visuals that were projected behind the band, linking up pivotal points across the six strands as above.

As the band kicked into gear, led by David behind the kit with his swell vocal, the six strands bounced into life, individually twanging like the strings of a guitar on each beat, moving continuously throughout the performance to reflect the document of 1919. Chosen blips in the timeline came thick and fast with the arrival of each new song, with stories of Supreme Allied Commander Marshal Foch, the first Housing and Town Planning Act, ‘Best Kept Garden’ competitions and rebuilding following WWI.

(Photo Credit: Imperial War Museum)

In terms of the music, outside of tonight’s setting these are confined for the time being to a few BBC 6 Music sessions and their forthcoming IWM London performance. But what I can tell you is that each track is groovy as you like, typical of the exquisite Field Music brand and very much in the style of 2016’s ‘Commontime‘ LP. There are lots of little tinkerings and extra percussive sounds throughout, small elements that really add to the overall sound and give a sense for the setting.

A daunting, heavy bassline permeates ‘I Thought You Were Something Else’, a song on the deadly influenza pandemic, whilst ‘If The Wind Blows Towards The Hospital’, inspired by the advent of mustard gas, features a particularly strong passage that I find myself completely lost in. ‘Only In A Man’s World’ is an incredibly funky Prince-esque sprint about the development of the first modern sanitary towel from Kimberley-Clark.

This is one of the great aspects of the evening – each song being ridiculously good in its own right, backed by intriguing stories from the past century. From developments in ultrasound technology (‘From A Dream, Into My Arms’) to pioneering reassignment surgery (‘A Change Of Heir’), the development of the Ondes Martenot, one of the first electronic musical instruments (‘A Common Language’) to the staggering reparation bill dealt to Germany by the Treaty of Versailles in 1921 (‘Money Is A Memory’) – not paid in full until 2010!

Not long after Donald Trump’s name appears on the timeline (‘An Independent State’, based on the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – considered a major blow to the Peace Process), the six strands disappear one by one until there’s just one remaining, its pulsing becoming ever fainter until it just stops. Silence.

There’s no encore – we’re told that it wouldn’t really make sense given the circumstances. But it ends on a high, the band offered much applause given not only was the evening a learning experience, but it came with an entirely new Field Music set! It’s suggested that on the journey home we may think of that lonely person downstairs in the German Treasury department, still organising the payment of reparation debts almost a century on from the First World War – its impact still casting a shadow today.

Read our review of ‘Open Here’ from Field Music!

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Top 50 of 2K18… End of Year – #10 – 1: From N0V3L to Viagra Boys

Following on from our Top 50 list released earlier this year, we’ve had our thinking caps on and put together another 50 favourites that have had us hooked for the remainder of 2018!

Don’t be daft – Keep an eye on our lists to come and make sure you don’t miss out on some of the year’s biggest bangers!

Full list here and a handy Spotify Playlist can be found here!

Words: Andy Hughes

N0V3L – ‘Suspicion’

Featuring members of Canadian DIY collective Crack Cloud, N0V3L are set to put out their debut EP early next year. Early single ‘Suspicion’ is a pulsating bit of jangly post-punk that sounds like it was recorded about 30 odd years ago. Similar to Crack Cloud, our attention is very much held.

Baxter Dury, Etienne De Crécy & Delilah Holliday – ‘How Do You Make Me Feel’
(B.E.D., Heavenly Records)

Similar to that record Parquet Courts put out with Danielle Luppi, Baxter’s side-step with French producer Etienne De Crécy and LDN punk Delilah Holliday (of Skinny Girl Diet) still provides the good stuff, but with a few tasty additions thrown in for good measure.

Produced by De Crécy & Dury in France, this is proper retro dance heaven, topped off with the alluring, hushed vocal of Holliday on the chorus.

You Tell Me – ‘Clarion Call’
(You Tell Me, Memphis Industries)

Debut single from You Tell Me, the new project from Sarah Hayes (Admiral Fallow) and Peter Brewis (Field Music). ‘Clarion Call’ really stops you in your tracks, the vocal of Hayes sending shivers and bringing to mind early Kate Bush at times as she sings of freeing yourself of anxieties and taking that step. Top marks from Brewis, as ever.

Flasher – ‘Sun Come and Golden’
(Constant Image, Domino)

Taken from their debut album ‘Constant Image’, released mid-year, ‘Sun Come and Golden’ is the crowning achievement for Flasher – subdued to start but building to euphoria as it opens up. Their vibrant sound on this made it an instant earworm and one that we have had on repeat for the second half of the year.

Terry – ‘The Whip’
(I’m Terry, Upset The Rhythm)

Catchy as all hell, ‘The Whip’ seemed to be on BBC Radio 6 Music all the time at one stage and its ludicrously infectious chorus is a sing-along stroke of genius. Aussie outfit Terry have been knocking about for a number of years and whilst they didn’t click with us at first, we’re fully on board now. ‘The Whip’ is definitely a gateway – thank us later.

D.U.D.S. – ‘Not At All’
(Immediate, Opal Tapes)

Described by a friend as “disgusting” (in a good way), this is mega-danceable post-punk from Manchester’s worst kept secret D.U.D.S. The bass player put in an incredible shift live and it’s captured here too in all its funky glory. Massive.

Ought – ‘Desire’
(Room Inside The World, Merge Records)

Now here’s a song that’s been played to death in our gaff – A piece of music which has really gripped me these past few months. From their wonderful new record ‘Room Inside The World’, Canadian quartet Ought bring the mood down somewhat, bringing it right back up with the addition of a 70+ choir – a masterstroke and one that really puts a lump in the throat for its grandiose conclusion.

BODEGA – ‘Name Escape’ 
(Endless Scroll, What’s Your Rupture?)

Another from the incredible BODEGA now, the NYC punks going all Gang Of Four on ‘Name Escape’. Brilliantly bass heavy thanks to the cucumber cool Heather Elle, vocalist Ben Hozie shouts his way across this captivating banger.

GØGGS – ‘Pre Strike Sweep’
(Pre Strike Sweep, In The Red Records)

Rock hard bit of noise from GØGGS, side project of – you guessed it – Ty Segall (him again). Permeated by the fuzziest of riffs and guitar squeals, vocalist Chris Shaw backs you into a corner and shouts, shouts, shouts.

Viagra Boys – ‘Sports’ 
(Street Worms, Year0001)

Single of the year? Our (Viagra) boys this latter half of the year for certain, we’ve become quite attached to this gnarly outfit from Stockholm. This is the hit that got us going from the off – Piss-funny and catchy as all hell. You must know by now?

We recently interviewed Viagra Boys whilst they were Up Norf – Read all about it!

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Top 50 of 2K18… End of Year – #40 – 31: From Pottery to BODEGA

Following on from our Top 50 list released earlier this year, we’ve had our thinking caps on and put together another 50 favourites that have had us hooked for the remainder of 2018!

Don’t be daft – Keep an eye on our lists to come and make sure you don’t miss out on some of the year’s biggest bangers!

Full list here and a handy Spotify Playlist can be found here!

Words: Andy Hughes

Pottery – ‘Hank Williams’

A late entry from Canadian post-punk outfit Pottery, the bright and breezy ‘Hank Williams’ is an infectious blast of wonky-pop. Dust off your dance shoes and expect big things from the lads – they’ve already been linking up with the likes of Parquet Courts and Oh Sees!

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – ‘GNT’
(King Of Cowards, Rocket Recordings)

Whilst Newcastle’s Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs would make any End of Year list based on name alone, they’ve also got the musical chops to back it up. From the brilliantly titled LP ‘King Of Cowards’ comes this heavy, Sabbath-esque howler in a digestible (for them) running time. Brutal.

Pigs x7 talked us through inspirations on this record – read all about them here.

Dead Tenants – ‘Not Walking’
(LPII, Buzzhowl Records)

Album number two from New York City natives Dead Tenants, which we had the pleasure of premiering a few months back. ‘Not Walking’ reminds us of Chicago trio Meat Wave, if they were noisier and more unfiltered. Solid bit of noise-rock.

BMX Bandits – ‘Way Of The Wolf’
(BMX Bandits Forever, Elefant Records)

As much as the mere mention of them will cause some to roll their eyes, I really get a kick out of The Beatles’ output like ‘Ob-la-di ob-la-da’ and ‘Don’t Pass Me By’; harmless, upbeat and unashamedly catchy. For BMX Bandits and ‘Way Of The Wolf’, it’s really hard not to hear ‘Ob-la-di ob-la-da’, which is no bad thing. It bounces along and is so pleasing to the ears, with a chorus that’s super infectious.

To retain our street cred, Kurt Cobain is alleged to have said that if he could play in any other group, it would be in BMX Bandits!

Iceage – ‘Pain Killer’
(Beyondless, Matador)

The brass on ‘Pain Killer’, released earlier this year as part of the fourth album from Danish art punks Iceage, gives the song such a boost, giving it a proper big match feel. It’s nothing new to have a blast of brass in post-punk, but here it elevates it above and beyond.   

Kagoule – ‘Balance’
(Strange Entertainment, Alcopop! Records)

Old favourites of ours on Birthday Cake For Breakfast, with ‘Balance’ very much being a live favourite of old. This year saw them follow up their fantastic debut album with eagerly anticipated second album ‘Strange Entertainment’. Banger central – Kagoule are brill!

Read our review of ‘Strange Entertainment’ here!

You Tell Me – ‘Incantation No. 1’
(You Tell Me, Memphis Industries)

The b-side to stunning debut single ‘Clarion Call’, You Tell Me sees Admiral Fallow’s Sarah Hayes team up with Field Music’s Peter Brewis. Brother Brewis takes the lead on ‘Incantation No. 1’ and it very much feels like Field Music territory here, so we’re in hog heaven! Debut self-titled LP out early next year on Memphis Industries.

Protomartyr – ‘Forbidden’
(Telemetry at Howe Bridge, Domino)

Detroit’s Protomartyr recently embarked on a run of American shows with the brilliant Canadian post-punk outfit Preoccupations. The thought of that pairing making its way over to the UK together suddenly made my trousers become very tight around the crotch… To placate us until then, Protomartyr have released a split 7” with Preoccupations, electing to cover ‘Forbidden‘ from the excellent S/T Preoccupations LP out in 2016. The outro has been extended much further to thrashed out, pulse-racing joy.

Pom Poko – ‘My Blood‘
(Birthday, Bella Union)

It says wonders for this lot that I thought this was experimental, genre hopping Deerhoof when I first heard it! Box fresh out of Norway, ‘My Blood’ is getting the regular rotation treatment on BBC Radio 6 Music and with good cause – Full on energy and that mega riff is top notch.

BODEGA – ‘How Did This Happen?!’
(Endless Scroll, What’s Your Rupture?)

Straight talking NYC punks BODEGA have been a constant in our house since our discovery of them back in July. Their brilliant debut LP ‘Endless Scroll’ has been on heavy rotation and it’s the opener from the record that first caught our attention. The Parquet Courts vibe runs strong with this lot, likely due to the record coming out on the Parquet Courts affiliated What’s Your Rupture? label. Strong Album Of The Year contender!

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Hey, have you heard about…Viagra Boys

(Photo Credit: Renan Peron)

It seems like Sunday evening is becoming the new time for discovery as of late. Just the other week, a late night search unearthed the incredible BODEGA (who we were lucky enough to catch live mere days later). Cut to last night and it’s beats before bed – Dirty grooves out of Stockholm from Viagra Boys.

‘Sports’ – seemingly their third release behind ‘Call Of The Wild‘ (2017) and ‘Consistency Of Energy‘ (2015) – is a gnarly little genre-hopping three-track. Its title track is catchy as fuck, kicking off on a sludgy groove whilst a deadpan vocal reads out a laundry list of Yankee tropes, eventually verging into the chaotic as screams of its title and all the preceding American ball games ring out! It’s piss-funny, acerbic and – quite frankly – right up our street.

‘Jungle Man‘ struts around on its hind legs, the bass tone right out of ‘Valley Girl’ and with the whole thing sounding like an easier to digest Pissed Jeans (which is not a slight on either…) Post-punk brass blasts make this a keeper, for sure. ‘Beijing Taxi‘ on the other hand slows things down somewhat, sounding a touch like Bowie in its instrumental, verging into Protomartyr territory on the vocal.

Look – what we’re trying to say is, it’s all good. Viagra Boys are our new favourites, ok? Check out title track ‘Sports’ below:

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Live Review: BODEGA at Soup Kitchen in Manchester 10 July 2018

I’m sure, like me, you’ve been enjoying the seemingly never-ending heatwave we’ve been experiencing in the UK. For a change, Manchester is no longer in constant downpour (though, funnily enough, it’s pissing it down as I write this…) and whilst it’s been a dream for the most part, the mere thought of being packed in like sardines in a sold out sweltering venue wasn’t the most pleasant.

But for a band like BODEGA – who I’d discovered on Sunday, figured out were playing Manchester on Monday and whose debut record I’d picked up after their show on Tuesday evening – it was very much a whatever the weather scenario.

Norman Records humorously clocked the Austin Brown production of their recently released debut ‘Endless Scroll’, out on the Parquet Courts affiliated What’s Your Rupture? label and the fact that it was recorded onto the same Tascam tape machine as ‘Light Up Gold’ and suggested “Guess who Endless Scroll sounds like”. Humorous, yes, but there’s no harm in this obvious nod of the head from the Brooklyn based collective.

In Manchester’s boiling Northern Quarter, the Parquet Courts comparisons come alive in Soup Kitchen through the likes of ‘Boxes For The Move’ and ‘How Did This Happen?!’, the former greeted with continuous applause at its culmination and the latter a hip-shaking, post-punk delight. The crowd remain lively throughout, lapping up everything on offer from these cool New Yoikers who announce early on that they “Come in peace”.

Computer clicks and nonsense computer chatter permeate the room on BODEGA’s arrival, whilst a computer mouse wrapped around the microphone stand ties in with some of the album’s themes of unwanted computer devotion and being unable to escape the black mirror (“All day at work, stare at computer. Come home from work, stare at computer”). Of the jerking, hypnotic ‘Bookmarks’, vocalist/rhythm guitarist Bodega Ben suggests the song is set in a dystopian universe (“2013…”)

Vocal duties are shared with the lively Nikki Belfiglio, whose frantic run through of the sweat-soaked, rapid punk-y disco jolt of ‘Gyrate’ is a joy. She later jokes of the World Cup’s complications on the evening, noting that her fellow stand up drummer Montana Simone is French, whilst the sound guy is Belgian. “If it sounds shit…”

Simone gives it some proper welly behind the kit, soon as sweaty as those shaking their arses down the front. They’re all glowing under the bright lights in fact, a great sign of how much the band are vibing off the crowd. Lead guitarist Madison Velding-Vandam intently eyeballs someone during the huge opening build to a real kraut-y extended blast of ‘Can’t Knock The Hustle’, giving it a right seeing to without taking his eyes off the punter. Elsewhere, he bounces off the super-strength bass line of Heather Elle on funky plink-plonk opener ‘Name Escape’.

Some pleb films the first half with his flash on – one can only assume that it was him who continuously farting throughout too… But otherwise the audience are devoted to BODEGA, erupting in cheers when ‘Charlie’ comes with a dedication to Mark E. Smith (“I’m sure he’s rolling in his grave now” – Bodega Ben).

The speed-run punk effort of ‘I Am Not A Cinephile’ is an unbelieveable rager, whilst ‘Jack In Titantic’ feels like a low-key instant classic. But it’s closer ‘Truth Is Not Punishment’ that leaves the lasting memory – An unreal 10 minute run through, full of unbelievable moments and a proper shift undertaken by the quintet. Velding-Vandam lets loose and rages through guitar solos that bring out shit-eating grins from all around. It’s a thrill – A constant pummelling, brilliant from start to finish.

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