the vinyl countdown

This is a simple project brought about by a recovering serial downloader. Whilst I have always bought physical music, I wanted to make it more habitual. Each week I’m buying a new record, on vinyl. Most weeks I’ll go into a real actual record store and make my purchase supporting their existence too. Here, i’ll document what I buy and what i think and give links for you to listen along and buy too. Feel free to join in.

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A dirty dozen of favourite records from 2017

Top 10s are a bit passe? Right? Plus I'm awfully indecisive at this time of the year. So I've decided against trimming the shortlist down any further and stuck at a top 12 records which I enjoyed this year. 

 Without any further ado here they are... 

**12: Diet Cig - Swear I'm Good At This

**

**

11: Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights

10: Big Thief - Capacity

9: St Vincent - MASSEDUCATION

8: Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice

7: Father John Misty - Pure Comedy

6: Waxahatchee: Out In The Storm

5: The National: Sleep Well Beast

4: Japandroids: Near To The Wild Heart of Life

3: Wolf Alice: Visions of a Life

2: LCD Soundsystem: American Dream

1: Phoebe Bridgers: Stranger In The Alps **

You can also listen to them all on Spotify in this playlist here. How do they compare to your top records?

Alternatively you can just listen here:

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2016 Favourites: Top 10 Albums

I found this harder than usual this year as there was a lot of stuff doing the rounds which did little/nothing for me (Solange / Kanye / Frank Ocean et al I’m looking at you). That said, I’ve whittled down the records that I did like into some form of ranked listing.

Car Seat Headrest  - Teens of Denial

Teleman – Brilliant Sanity

Savages – Adore Life

Kevin Morby – Singing Saw

Frightened Rabbit - Painting of a Panic Attack

Angel Olsen – My Woman

King Creosote – Astronaut Meets Appleman

The Julie Run – Hit Reset

Tacocat – I Hate The Weekend

Jesu/Sun Kil Moon - Jesu/Sun Kil Moon

There were a few others which I did like this year, but for whatever reason have not made the top 10 (likely, i’ve not spent enough time with them) so these may also be worth investigating too...

A notable nod to:

Nick Cave – Skeleton Tree

David Bowie – Blackstar

Leonard Cohen – You Want it Darker

Mitski – Puberty 2

Advance Base – A Shut-Ins Prayer

Bon Iver – 22, A Million

Let’s Eat Grandma – I, Gemini

Steve Mason – Meet The Humans

Emma Pollock – In Search of Harperfield

Money – Suicide Songs

Polica – United Crushers

Field Music – Common Time

Unloved – Guilty of Love

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

Methyl Ethyl - Oh Inhuman Spectacle

I’ve also thrown together a Spotify playlist of c. 100 tracks that I have enjoyed this year, some of which are lifted from these here lists... How do these stack up with your favourites from this year?

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2016 Favourites #1 Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial

Hop on over here to listen to the whole record.

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2016 Favourites #2 Teleman - Brilliant Sanity

Hop on over here and listen to the whole record.

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2016 Favourites: Savages - Adore Life

Hop on over here to listen to the whole record

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2016 Favourites: #4 Kevin Morby - Singing Saw

Hop on over here to listen to the whole record.

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2016 Favourites #5: Frightened Rabbit - Painting of a Panic Attack

Hop on over here to listen to the whole record.

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2016 Favourites #6 Angel Olsen - My Woman

Hop on over here to listen to the full record.

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2016 Favourites #7: King Creosote - Astronaut Meets Appleman

Hop on over here to listen to the full record.

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2016 Favourites #8: The Julie Ruin - Hit Reset

Pop on over here to listen to the whole record.

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2016 Favourites: #9 Tacocat - Lost Time

Hop on over here to listen to the full record.

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2016 Favourites: #10 Jesu / Sun Kil Moon

Hop on over here to listen to it: 

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Week 16: Emma Pollock - In Search of Harperfield

Impulse Buy.

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Week 19: Sun Kil Moon - Universal Themes

I’ve been increasingly taken with Sun Kil Moon since Benji (I know, bandwagon jumping) so this was a must buy this year

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Week 18: Lucinda Williams - The Ghosts of Highway 20

Not my usual style of record as is a bit more country than my typical choice, but it’s been popular in the house, nevertheless.

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Week 17: Unloved - Guilty of Love

This was highly recommended as an album of the month in Rough Trade and I subsequently stumbled across one track from the record and was sold. David Holmes doing his thing. 

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Week 15: Frightened Rabbit - Painting Of A Panic Attack

A new release from the FRabbits. Lots more polished than the earlier stuff, but they can’s half turn a lyric or two