Favourite release of 2017

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stegraham
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Favourite release of 2017

Post by stegraham »

I’m kinda starting this thread for selfish reasons. I haven’t got my list together yet, but I want to see what I’ve missed – what other people have been buying and listening to this past year. One of the main reasons I haven’t got my list together is that when it gets to the start of November I’m told that I’m not allowed to buy any more new music, but put it on the Xmas list. This means I haven’t yet got the new Luna album or the Joel Gion one. There are also some albums I haven’t got because I’m waiting (hoping) for the physical release, such as the Slipstream one, Molton Young Lovers by Airiel (there is a vinyl release of this, but expensive to buy from the US) and the recent Mark Peters one (tape or download – my tape player stopped working ages ago!).

Anyway, looking at the new releases I’ve bought this year, there are very few which have really grabbed me, and made me play them over and over again. Out of the albums I have I’ve gotta say that the Black Grape one has been my favourite. I think the title track, Pop Voodoo (we sing “Pot Noodle” in our house), is fantastic, and the whole album has got a great feel good vibe. Maybe next is Vol2 of the Mood Duo albums – Lost in Light could go on for another 8 minutes and I wouldn’t get bored. Number three is probably the GSYBE album. The rest of the albums are OK, I’ve got them, played them, but they haven’t really set the world alight. JAMC, Slowdive, Ride, St Etienne, BMX Bandits, Vacant Lots, Wand, Rainbow Rain, Charlatans, BJM, White Manna etc.

From a singles/EP POV I’ve enjoyed the recent Alien Stadium record, the two Luna 7 inches were good. The Limiñanas latest 12” is a cracker too. But the single of the year, for me, must be “Donald Trump – F**k You!” by legends Oi Polloi. What a f**king horrible w@nker that man is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHC0uac4Apg

Compilations? The Yearning’s “From Dusk to Dawn” collates all their early stuff. C88 – sequel to C86 and C87. I’m sure there was another one I enjoyed but can’t remember at the moment! Oh yes, the Darkside boxset!

Hopefully, after Xmas, I’ll be able to put together a proper top 10.

Ste
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by BzaInSpace »

Way too much on this week for a proper listing, but hands down album of the year for me is Prince of Tears by Baxter Dury.

Marvellous stuff indeed.
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by mojo filters »

I've not really found much of interest in terms of 2017 releases, so most of my musical energy has been devoted to the back catalogues of artists I've only recently discovered. I think I've spent more time listening to podcasts than music this year!

Off the top of my head I can only think of 2 new albums I've been impressed by in 2017:

Jesu / Sun Kil Moon - 30 Seconds To The Decline of Planet Earth

Impressive sophomoric collaboration between Justin Broadrick and Mark Kozelek. Their previous effort was patchy, and rather lacklustre on the musical side in too many places. By contrast Broadrick seems to have developed and diversified his input this time - better suiting Mark's lyrics and creating much more of a Sun Kil Moon vibe, compared to the last album.

Unlike many hardcore Kozelek fans, I'm enjoying his evolution as an artist in general. Unfortunately I could not get excited about his solo SKM album this year, which was far too long and very short in the quality control department. Thankfully 30 Seconds... continues his impressive history of sucessful collaborations, in line with the acclaimed albums he previously recorded with Jimmy Lavelle / The Album Leaf and Desertshore.

Belle & Sebastian - Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance

After missing the mark of their otherwise stellar back catalogue with the erratic Write About Love, B&S found their mojo once more! The music once again moves forward, which is most evident in the prominent use of synths and Ben Allen's production.

Sadly they kept my favourite track for the extra vinyl tracks release. Fortunately the promo CD came with those extra 4 songs. The standout A Politician's Silence is classic baroque pop, showing the clear heritage going back to Forever Changes. However there are plenty of great songs on the regular CD release.

Compared to previous classic albums which moved the band forwards, this might not quite rank right up there with the lush orchestrations on Dear Catastrophe Waitress, or the energetic pared back rock sound on The Life Pursuit - but it gets pretty close, which I suspect is about as much as we can now expect.


At least 2018 looks like it will be a better year for music. If for no other reason than we should be getting a new Spiritualized album!
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stegraham
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by stegraham »

The new JAMC led me to buy the Sister Vanilla album earlier this year. Not sure why this passed me by, but I like - and have played it - much more than Joy and Damage.

A new band - to me - this year are LSD and the Search for God. They are hardly prolific - two EPs over the last ten years, but I think this track off their "Heaven is a Place" EP is fantastic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpGJQeZCqXQ

Ste
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by TheWarmth »

Mojo: That B&S album came out in 2015. They did release a new EP last Friday, though: How To Solve Our Human Problems (EP1 out of 3).
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by mojo filters »

TheWarmth wrote:Mojo: That B&S album came out in 2015. They did release a new EP last Friday, though: How To Solve Our Human Problems (EP1 out of 3).
D'oh! Shows how much attention I've paid to this year's music...

I even saw that tour and bought the brilliant recording of their SECC gig.

Am surprised how little publicity the new EPs have had. My understanding is that only the vinyl comes out this month. I've tried to get a review promo, but apart from seeing a few shockingly priced CDs, have had no luck.

I can see the sense in going back to focusing on EP releases, as per the early years. The paradigm shift in the music business has rendered the album format rather redundant in many ways.

Fortunately I got a ticket for next year already, and they are nearly sold out. Always a good turnout (1700 seats which sell fast) though an odd crowd at local B&S gigs - lots of older folks, though it's nice to feel young for once at a gig!
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by stegraham »

B&S are releasing a CD in Feb next year with all three EPs on it. How to solve our human probelms is the title.
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by johnnyboy »

Some great albums and gigs for me this year:

Hand Habits - Wildly Idle (Humble Before The Void)
Oh Sees - Orc
Kevin Morby - City Music
Hey Colossus - The Guillotine
Duke Garwood - Garden Of Ashes

Gigs by all of those this year have been aces (except Hand Habits as I missed seeing her, but then she plays amazing guitar in Kevin Morby's band anyway so I have kind of seen her live really........she's a seriously good guitarist)

Delightful discovery of the year for an older release is the "I Need Some Money " album by Eddie Harris, featuring this wonderful track https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnFzZhoJd6s which came to my attention via the recent high praise of John Dwyer from Thee Oh Sees. It's a beauty.
Last edited by johnnyboy on Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
mojo filters
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by mojo filters »

stegraham wrote:B&S are releasing a CD in Feb next year with all three EPs on it. How to solve our human probelms is the title.
Thanks for clearing that up. I've been looking for that but all the info seemed to involve the vinyl releases. I guess CD collectors are dying out these days. There's a couple of reviews of the 1st EP up now, which are generally positive, however I'd prefer to determine that for myself!

I've only heard two new songs (one of which is described as a new single, from a few months ago) I could find on YouTube, but was reasonably pleased. The chorus for We Were Beautiful is fantastic but the rest of that track reminded me of the parts of the last album I didn't care for so much.
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by BzaInSpace »

TheWarmth wrote:Mojo: That B&S album came out in 2015. They did release a new EP last Friday, though: How To Solve Our Human Problems (EP1 out of 3).
:lol:

And I thought I was well behind on stuff that has been released this year...
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by rameses »

The Wedding Present - George Best 30.
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by TheWarmth »

Here's my list. Some of it won't be very popular here, but I'm ok with that.

1. Slowdive : Slowdive
2. Julie Byrne : Not Even Happiness (This album is amazing. Check it out if you haven't. It's mellow and folky, but there's
something haunting and incredible about her voice and the melodies are crazy awesome).
3. Noel Gallagher's HFB : Who Built The Moon? (David Holmes' production on this is very divisive, but I really dig it.)
4. Morrissey : Low In High School
5. Ride : Weather Diaries
6. Ryan Adams : Prisoner
7. Mogwai : Every Country's Sun
8. Charlotte Gainsbourg : Rest
9. Son Volt : Notes of Blue
10. Damu the Fudgemunk : Vignettes

Edit: SHIT! I forgot to include the Fever Ray album. That one is probably in my top 5 somewhere.
mc
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by mc »

mojo filters wrote: D'oh! Shows how much attention I've paid to this year's music...
:lol:

It is a very good album though, some of their strongest songs in many a year. For me, Nobody's Empire and Enter Sylvia Plath are all-time top 10 B&S songs without a doubt.

Regarding their new material, I was passing through Glasgow earlier this week so I popped into Monorail and bought some LPs. They'd sold out of the new B&S EP, and they said "you're better off waiting 'til early next year when all three get issued in a box set."

I said, "oh, I assumed we were supposed to buy them individually, and the third one came with the box."

They said, "that would be sensible, but no. All three EPs are released separately, and then they release all three in a box set afterwards. We're getting hardly any in, because everybody's waiting for the box set."

How bizarre! I'll be waiting too ;)
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by mojo filters »

mc wrote:
mojo filters wrote: D'oh! Shows how much attention I've paid to this year's music...
:lol:

It is a very good album though, some of their strongest songs in many a year. For me, Nobody's Empire and Enter Sylvia Plath are all-time top 10 B&S songs without a doubt.

Regarding their new material, I was passing through Glasgow earlier this week so I popped into Monorail and bought some LPs. They'd sold out of the new B&S EP, and they said "you're better off waiting 'til early next year when all three get issued in a box set."

I said, "oh, I assumed we were supposed to buy them individually, and the third one came with the box."

They said, "that would be sensible, but no. All three EPs are released separately, and then they release all three in a box set afterwards. We're getting hardly any in, because everybody's waiting for the box set."

How bizarre! I'll be waiting too ;)
The whole release strategy sounds unusual, and there's hardly any solid info out there. Even their website seems short on specifics.

Obviously some promo materials have gone out, as I found a couple of online reviews at sites I'd never heard of. However they don't appear to have sent out regular press packs, unless they're saving those for the box set release.

I'm just frustrated since the only place I can hear any new stuff appears to be YouTube (with obvious quality constraints), plus there's only I'll Be Your Pilot and We Were Beautiful on there. The former is not specified as part of the EP set, but appeared as a "new single" a few months ago, rather curiously. I vaguely remember an email announcing it with an accompanying video, though don't recall any details of a physical release.

Ironically I thought a return to EPs made more sense in this day and age, where bands can prioritise quality over quantity and save money on costly studio time. Stuart Murdoch even said this was done to get away from the album>tour>album etc pattern.

However whilst they may not have been recorded in one album session, it seems most fans will be buying 3 EPs together, which adds up to roughly one album's worth - released just in time for the start of their string of international dates!

I'd add The Everlasting Muse to your list, which is apparently the first track Stuart Murdoch wrote for that album. I wasn't as keen on Enter Sylvia Plath live, as the mix made the synth sounds far too prominent. I think that was one of the songs where Stuart played this awful retro 80s keytar, which never sounded good.

If you have not heard it already, I highly recommend the Concert Live recording of their last Glasgow gig touring that album, featuring a small orchestra. For some reason they don't publicise it much, and you can only buy it from Concert Live's website. However it's an excellent recording that was mixed and mastered in real time, so pre-orders were already burned within a few minutes of the gig ending.

Given how much live revenues are relied on by bands these days, I'm surprised Spiritualized have never taken advantage of this. Whilst it's nice to get a recording taken from FOH, chances are at best that's just two auxes assigned off the main bus in a "set and forget" configuration, and often just the main LR house feed - which inevitably is offsetting stage spill, and relies on audience spill into the stage mics for ambience.

It would have been particularly nice to record the special orchestra gigs that only fans prepared to travel to Norway and Australia got to enjoy. I hope the UK gets something similar when the new album eventually comes out, even if I have to travel down to London again for such a special gig!
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by TheWarmth »

Mojo: I don't know if those of you in the UK/Europe are getting a different deal than those of us in the US, but Matador has offered a subscription deal for the B&S EPs, where you get them upon release and then, as you said, the third one comes with the box and a poster. That's what I signed up for:

http://store.matadorrecords.com/how-to- ... -parts-1-3
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by heisenberg »



2. Julie Byrne : Not Even Happiness
I really enjoyed the Julie Byrne album this year too. I saw her play in Glasgow in April to an audience of maybe 150 people. It was great to be at a gig where no one's phones were out taking pictures and where no one in the audience talked all the way through the music. In fact the audience was almost completely silent for the whole show, which was such a welcome experience and sadly one that's too uncommon. And for me, her music is even better live than it is on record. The lap steel and cellist backing her sounded superb and in general the songs were that bit more powerful in person. The overall vibe was just so chilled and positive. I also got to meet Julie after the show; she was genuinely lovely, just exactly how'd you'd imagine her to be from her music. No posture or arrogance or fakery involved or needed here, just a great and honest performance to get lost in. A refreshing change, and overall a great gig experience which left me positively affected for days afterwards.
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by TheWarmth »

That's awesome, Heisenberg. I didn't attend when she performed in Chicago and I wish I had. I'll definitely go next time.
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by Greeny »

Right out of left field this one, but the release from 2017 that has gone straight into my 'desert island discs' is actually a reissue of a 1972 concept album that sank without trace when first released - Murray Head's Nigel Lived.

To be honest, the only thing I knew about Murray Head was the hit he had yonks ago with that song from the musical Chess, called One Night in Bangkok.

But this year I read the autobiography of the great studio engineer Phill Brown, who was at the controls for the two legendary Talk Talk albums among many others (which was why I bought the book).

He absolutely raved about Nigel Lived, saying it was one of the best things he ever worked on. The effort that went into it, given the studio technology of the time, was really amazing to read. With no digital effects to call upon they had to record it to tape as they wanted it. For example, they wanted an echoey sax sound like a busker in a subway, so they put their sax player into a subway by Centre Point in London in the early hours of the morning to record him live using a mobile studio powered from a socket in a nearby Italian restaurant!

After reading Phill's eulogy for the record I had to listen to it, and as luck would have it there's been a new, artist approved audiophile vinyl edition released this year by Intervention Records:

https://www.interventionrecords.com/rec ... gel-lived/

As a fusion of musical theatre, jazz, rock, English pastoral folk, found sound and psychedelia it's pretty much out there on its own.

I think it's just fantastic, more than simply a period novelty. And I'd humbly say that that the final track, Junk, is a better musical interpretation of the Big H than the Velvets managed...
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by spzretent »

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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by Aquarian-Time »

I confess to having lost a bit of my musical listening mojo recently, in a very strange personal space at the minute, hopefully all will resolve itself swiftly and I will throwing my hat in the ring here with my fave stuff from 2017...stay tuned
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by Spiby »

Slipstream's "Out of The Blue", with "Maybe the Day Will Come" being a particular highlight - LGM-era Spiz meets Technique-era New Order.

Merry Christmas one and all

Pxxx
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by olan »

I think 2017 has been a particularly poor year for new music. I'm in agreement with Alan about the Australian Testing Labs and Free/Slope LPs on Polytechnic Youth. Dom Martin has consistently released excellent music over the years on his various labels (Love Monster by Zone Six was my record of the year by some margin in 2015). However, my favourite LP this year is probably V by Papir:

Image
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by BVCP206 »

rameses wrote:The Wedding Present - George Best 30.
They were brilliant at the O2 in Leeds, not the best venue but they completely nailed it the place was buzzing :D
'Remember, change is not good'
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by angelsighs »

I'd agree that 2017 doesn't seem to have been a vintage year for albums. I am really struggling to think of anything that stands out. Fair few albums I enjoyed- but enjoyment isn't enough to make an album of the year

I guess I could make more effort to keep up with new releases- I don't know how people find time for this! (Although the fact you can stream most things first nowadays helps with that)
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by niamhm »

As in previous yrs I couldn`t put the albums I`ve enjoyed this yr in any sort of order so its just a list of albums I`ve enjoyed, some pretty mainstream and some maybe not so much,

War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding,
Mogwai - Every Country`s Sun,
JAMC - Damage And Joy,
The Bug Versus Earth - Concrete Desert,
Endless Boogie - Vibe Killer,
Forest Sword - Compassion,
James Holden And The Animals Spirits - The Animal Spirits,
Peter Perrett - How The West Was Won.
Pigs,Pigs,Pigs,Pigs,Pigs,Pigs,Pigs - Feed The Rats,
Blown Out - Superior Venus,
Micheal Head And The Red Elastic Band - Adios Senor Pussycat.
Moon Duo - Occult Architecture Vol 1 and 2.

Probably missed a few things out that will come back to me later, but those are the ones I either remember as good or are later ones still getting played as they`re still fresh.

Saw a few memorable gigs/performances this yr, though probably not as much as some but anyway.
Mick Head And The Red Elastic Band,
Kraftwerk,
War On Drugs,
Endless Boogie,
Pigsx7
Moon Duo,
Mogwai ,
JAMC all left a mark live this yr,
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by BROKENHEART »

Aldous Harding } Party. Wonderful songs and vocals. A real treat to see her live.
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by Shinesalight »

I'm kind of getting more psych-centric year on year so best of list for me is mainly focused on albums from that genre with a few notable exceptions. Anyway, here goes and in no particular order (although Kungens Man and Papir are personal highlights):-

Kungens Man - Dag & Natt
Papir - V
Neil Young - Hitchhiker
Electric Moon - Stardust Rituals
The Black Angels - Death Song
Causa Sui - Vibraciones Doradas
Heaters - Matterhorn
Mogwai - Every Country's Sun
The Space Spectrum - Drone Jams Vol II
Slowdive - S/T
Moon Duo - Occult Architecture Vol 1 & 2
The Myrrors - Hasta La Victoria
The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
Ride - Weather Diaries
Here Lies Man - S/T
The Cosmic Dead - Psych Is Dead
Stupid Cosmonaut - Algol
Hills - Alive At Roadburn
Sundays & Cybele - Chaos & Systems

Gig wise, I seem to be starting to cut down these days as I edge nearer to the big 5-0. My favourite gigs this year were:-

Damo Suzuki & Zofff
The Cosmic Dead (always brilliant live)
Kikagaku Moyo (ditto)
Kill West (can't believe I got to see them live seeing as they're young lads from Argentina and I put their first record out :D )
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Liverpool Psych Fest (getting to be more about catching up with friends than seeing the bands)
Mugstar
Sundays & Cybele
Moon Duo
Drive-by Truckers
Sundays & Cybele
www.dronerockrecords.com
The Home of Drone
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by runcible »

Bucking the trend a little but I've found 2017 to have some excellent releases and I regarded it as a decent enough year for albums.

In no particular order my favourites:

1. Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band - Adios Senor Pussycat
2. Robert Plant - Carry Fire
3. The Magpie Salute - s/t
4. Jen Cloher - s/t
5. Kurt Vile & Courtney Barnett - Lotta Sea Lice
6. Pete International Airport - Safer With Wolves
7. Vibravoid - Muchroom Mantras
8. New Candys - Bleeding Magenta
9. GospelbeacH - Another Summer Of Love
10. Papir - V
11. Brian Jonestown Massacre - Don't Get Lost
12. Endless Boogie - Vibe Killer

Live wise it's been more of a struggle with far fewer gigs about. I enjoyed this lot:

Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band (saw him 4 times this year - Liverpool twice, Manchester, Bristol))
Josefin Ohrn & The Liberation (Leeds Brudenell)
Steve Gunn (Leeds Holy Trinity Chursh)
Moon Duo (Leeds Brudenell)
Magpie Saliyte (London Under The Bridge)
Jen Cloher (Leeds Headrow House)

Hoping for some better opportunities for live music in 2018...
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by cantona »

My favourites

Slowdive - Slowdive
Gas - Narkopop
Max Richter - Three Worlds: Music From Woolf Works
Hammock - Mysterium
Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda - World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda

Gigs

Slowdive - Copenhagen
olan
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by olan »

Image

This was one of my favourite releases of the last few years. Sadly, Dom only puts out 300 copies of each Polytechnic Youth LP so it is very hard to find these days. The LP has been reissued in the last week so those of you in the UK who need a copy should be able to get one. I believe Alan Spzretent has a few copies available for those in the States. I have no commercial or artistic interest whatsoever in the reissue, but can recommend this LP to all who didn't get a copy. You can listen here for free:

https://atlinc.bandcamp.com/releases

The opening tune is one of the finest hommages to Krautrock and the VW you will hear in a very, very long time.
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by bolting lettuce »

2. Julie Byrne : Not Even Happiness
I really enjoyed the Julie Byrne album this year too. I saw her play in Glasgow in April to an audience of maybe 150 people. It was great to be at a gig where no one's phones were out taking pictures and where no one in the audience talked all the way through the music. In fact the audience was almost completely silent for the whole show, which was such a welcome experience and sadly one that's too uncommon. And for me, her music is even better live than it is on record. The lap steel and cellist backing her sounded superb and in general the songs were that bit more powerful in person. The overall vibe was just so chilled and positive. I also got to meet Julie after the show; she was genuinely lovely, just exactly how'd you'd imagine her to be from her music. No posture or arrogance or fakery involved or needed here, just a great and honest performance to get lost in. A refreshing change, and overall a great gig experience which left me positively affected for days afterwards.
heisenberg

I wanted to thank heisenberg for the recco to check out Julie Byrne! I bought Julie Byrne's "Not Even Happiness" LP a few weeks ago before the sold out gig last week at Zebulon LA. Your description of JB was perfect, and I now count myself as a big fan as well.
This site has give me so many musical riches, and this is certainly another great one.
heisenberg
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Re: Favourite release of 2017

Post by heisenberg »

bolting lettuce wrote:2. Julie Byrne : Not Even Happiness
I really enjoyed the Julie Byrne album this year too. I saw her play in Glasgow in April to an audience of maybe 150 people. It was great to be at a gig where no one's phones were out taking pictures and where no one in the audience talked all the way through the music. In fact the audience was almost completely silent for the whole show, which was such a welcome experience and sadly one that's too uncommon. And for me, her music is even better live than it is on record. The lap steel and cellist backing her sounded superb and in general the songs were that bit more powerful in person. The overall vibe was just so chilled and positive. I also got to meet Julie after the show; she was genuinely lovely, just exactly how'd you'd imagine her to be from her music. No posture or arrogance or fakery involved or needed here, just a great and honest performance to get lost in. A refreshing change, and overall a great gig experience which left me positively affected for days afterwards.
heisenberg

I wanted to thank heisenberg for the recco to check out Julie Byrne! I bought Julie Byrne's "Not Even Happiness" LP a few weeks ago before the sold out gig last week at Zebulon LA. Your description of JB was perfect, and I now count myself as a big fan as well.
This site has give me so many musical riches, and this is certainly another great one.
You're absolutely welcome. I haven't listened to the album in a few months, so reading this post inspired me to play it last night.
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