I think the five records I listed on Monday were probably my top 5 of 2016, but a few others came close. Major credit must be given to the following records, all of which had more than their fair share of plays in these parts during the past 12 months: SEPTEMBER GIRLS - 'Age Of Indignation' Superb second album from Ireland's premier psych-femmes. Some great songs on this in addition to the psych vibe I've been wallowing in during 2016. One of my favourite in-car albums of the year.
JAMES - 'Girl At The End Of The World' I feel I ought to mention our old mates James who put out their finest album in 20 years. It would have been number one too if it hadn't been for a certain "singer" who shall remain nameless. If you want some cheer in an otherwise repulsive year, you can't go far wrong with 'Girl At The End Of The World'.
YAK - 'Alas Salvation' Yak were a band hotly-tipped at the start of the year. They definitely proved they have something and can knock you for six when you see them live. Some cracking tracks on their debut album.
THE WEDDING PRESENT - 'Going Going...' David Gedge returned and went all post-rock on our asses. Without a doubt the most ambitious Weddoes album to date (as well as the series of live shows that accompanied it) but very probably one of their best.
NEW MODEL ARMY - 'Winter' I find it amazing how after thirty-odd years, a band like New Model Army are not only still going, but remain relevant and making bloody good records. 'Winter' is as good as anything they've done since the early 90s.
Lots of points for these as well: TELEMAN - 'Brilliant Sanity'; CATE LE BON - 'Crab Day'; WEEZER - 'Weezer (The White Album)'; EAGULLS - 'Ullages'; and, of course, LUSH's wonderful comeback - and sadly ultimate farewell - 'Blind Spot' EP.
Seeing as they've called it quits again so soon, I just want to put it out there that I'm more than happy to give Miki's gorgeous 12-string a good home in its retirement...
2016 was a busy year for gigs for us, even if it started off quite slowly. More than two-thirds of the 13 shows we attended in 2016 took place in the last four months. Strangely, there seemed to be more 'classic' acts than usual. I think, on reflection, my top 5 gigs of the year were:
Worst gig of the year? Regrettably I have to say it was young Welsh newcomers Pretty Vicious who were the victims of appalling sound quality, one of the worst I've experienced in nearly 30 years of gig-going. I still think they're going to be massive, though.
As for 2017 - well, I don't want to think about it too much. Reckon I should just let it happen and see what comes of it. I'd like to think it can't be half as shitty as 2016 but I've never been much of an optimist. Blog-wise, I have ideas but little motivation to bring them to life, so don't expect too much.
On the upside, I do have a Grandaddy album and gig to look forward to in March, so that'll do nicely for starters. And believe it or not, it's THIRTY YEARS since the Wedding Present's debut album was released! I've heard Gedge is going to tour it one last time...
Enjoy the ride folks.
(The next post will be on Sunday - yes, that's right, SUNDAY - and it's the first of SEVEN DAILY POSTS. It's a very special week on Is This The Life? - Can you handle it?)
Dunno what it is about volume at gigs these days, but not for the first time this year, MrsRobster and I were violently assaulted by a merciless salvo of LOUDNESS to the utter detriment of the show itself. Loud is good, but too loud is most certainly not. What you get is a piercing noise that ironically means you don't actually hear much of what is going on. Believe me, I've been to enough gigs in my time to know what I'm talking about.
That aside, I was looking forward to seeing both bands on tonight's bill. Once more, it was Swiss Adam who tipped me off about a band. In this case, it was support act Cabbage from Manchester. Their sole release, a 5-track EP called 'Le Chou', showcases their warped, satirical brand of psyche-pop. With socio-political messages abound, weird lyrics about dinnerladies masturbating in school dinners, and even a few good tunes, Cabbage have been creating something of a buzz up North.
A small (very young) crowd gathered at the front and were appreciative to the point of personal contact, one young lady even being picked up and swirled around by the singer. The best song was one of the band's newer ones, Necroflat In The Palace, with its chorus that proclaims "I was born in the NHS / I want to die in the NHS." It's about the apparently close relationship between Jimmy Saville and the Royal Family. So not your average pop song. But then, any band named Cabbage could never be your average pop band.
I was chatting to a bloke in the Gents (as you do!) during the interval who said: "Well Yak have got something to live up to," clearly impressed by the support act. He raved about the headliners having seen them a few months before in the tiny downstairs bar at Clwb. "I've heard a lot about them," I told him. "I love the album." "Ah, fuck the album," he retorted. "It's live you have to experience them."
With that build up, and everything else I've heard about Yak to date, I was expecting something mind-shreddingly awesome. And maybe, in the end, along with the LOUDNESS, that was the problem. Yak came on and instantly the place started throbbing. There wasn't a large crowd there, and most of those who were present were barely of legal drinking age (it wasn't a great night for the bar, put it that way), but within seconds a vibrant, energetic mosh pit was in full swing.
If you've not heard of Yak, think The Stooges, MC5, early White Stripes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Spacemen 3, classic-era Sub Pop bands, the Velvet Underground (in their loose, improvised jamming mode) and a few ultra-heavy doom metal chords thrown in for good measure and you're nearly there. Led by a guy who used to sell antique furniture to Thurston Moore (true!), Yak's live shows have become something of legend in the very short time they've been together. And they started strong, rocketing through a slew of tracks from their debut album: Harbour The Feeling, Hungry Heart, Smile, Use Somebody, Alas Salvation, Victorious, etc. Aside from the occasional address to the audience, it was a continuous barrage of aggressively brilliant noise, the songs coming at us like machine-gun fire. And then, at some point, it just dipped.
I'm not sure what it was, but both MrsRobster and I started to lose interest in the last 15-20 minutes or so. It felt like they'd played all their songs so were just recycling some riffs they'd already played and worked them into some directionless jam. A real shame because up to that point, they were fantastic.
There's definitely something going on with Yak. They may never headline Wembley, but they could well be touring arenas in a year or two's time. They just need to make it to an hour of awesomeness before that happens.
MrsRobster's verdict: On Yak: "If they'd played just the first half hour it would have been brilliant." On the mosh pit: "Not so much a mosh pit, more like a creche!"
