Of course the requester of the list may not be included on
the list J
Rob J (pocketmoon@gmail.com)
#1 Secrets of the Beehive - David Sylvian
I was never into Japan but Sylvian's second solo album still
takes me away from the world. Track 4, Orpheus, is absolute beauty to me. If there was one album that I could play to everyone in the world it would be this one. Recent releases on Sylvian's own Samadhi Sound label such as Snow Born Sorrow (Nine Horses) well worth a listen but other work a challenge!
#2 Cowboy Junkies - Trinity Sessions
Margo Timmins...
sigh. I once sent a demo track to
CJ guitarist Michael Timmins who liked it but though the bass too 'busy'. Our
cowboy-junkies loving bass player was heartbroken. CJ's 2011 release Demons was an album of Vic Chesnut covers; powerful, heart wrenching, fist
shaking stuff. Saw them at Union Chapel in 2010 and they blew me away.
#3 In My Tribe 10,000 Maniac. Natalie Merchant is a huge
talent. 2010's Leave Your Sleep http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUyOKjK6_j4 is a
gentle masterpiece.
#4 The Trials of Van Occupanther - Midlake
First heard this falling asleep on a friends couch (post
party) and then 'Young Bride' cropped up on TV show 'House' so I had to buy it. Amazing live band! The follow up 'The Courage of Others' was even more epic.
#5 C'Mon - Low. Alan Sparhawk is never afraid to let the music
take it's time (so rare!) and Mimi Parker's equal billing on lead vocals is at times like
listening in to a conversation rather than just 10 songs in a row.
#6 Sufjan Stevens - Come on feel the Illinoise! Discovered
through Little Miss Sunshine. I smiled for days. So much of Sufjan’s work lays
bare his love story with Christ but it’s joyous, even for an hell-bound unbeliever
like me.
#7 Wrecking Ball - Emmylou Harris. Daniel Lanois! Who'd have
thunk it. Vinyl at it's spacious best.
#8 Fuzzy - Grant Lee Buffalo. Worth it alone for Jupiter and
Teardrop and Dixie Drug Store. Grant Lee Philips is great talent but for me
never captured the first-to-last greatness of Fuzzy.
#9 Neil Young & CrazyHorse - Zuma. Cortez the Killer
gives you 3:30 of guitar heaven before the man sing “He came dancing across the water with his
galleons and guns”.
#10 Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea - PJ Harvey.
I have no idea what most of it’s about
but PJ grabs you by the reproductive and doesn't let got. Didn't 'get' Let England Shake first time around.
#11 Sea Change - Beck. His break-up album. KT Tunstall
covered 'Golden Age' but left off spaceship noises so not as cool.
#12 The Boatman’s Call - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Like a bad case
of gout the Bad Seeds never go away. Dig, Lazarus, Dig! Was the last apocalyptic epic but this album opens with Into My Arms – the song sung by Nick at the funeral
of fellow Aussie, Michael Hutchens.
#13 Rothko - The Wrong'uns. http://wronguns.com/WrongUns_Rothko.mp3 My band! Appearing in a magazine next month, recording, gigging, 46 and loving it :o)
