Tracks of the Year 2016

These are my top forty tracks of 2016.  The playlist is available on Spotify and some of the videos are provided below for those of you of an audiovisual persuasion.

In reverse order...

#40 Wind In Our Sail by Weezer

A jaunty pop song full of sailing imagery. 

#39 Cool Out by Matthew E. White

A laid back tune with a whispered duet

#38 Night Owl by Metronomy

Sounds like a lost synth classic from the early '80s.

#37 Nihilist Party Anthem by Ball Park Music

Australian band from Brisbane with a dark indie-rock singalong.

#36 End Of An Era by Public Access TV

Typical NYC sound.  Could be The Strokes younger brothers. 

#35 Nothing But Love by James

Manchester's James still creating alternative love songs complete with horn sections.

#34 Signs by The Magnetic North

Simon Tong, former member of The Verve is behind this band and this beautiful song.

#33 Bulls by The Cat Empire

Infectious melody from the Aussie rock reggae band. 

#32 Let Me Get There by Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions featuring Kurt Vile

A quiet year for Kurt Vile so I expect he is recording new material.  

Hope Sandoval, on the other hand, released an album and will return later in this list.

#31 Natty Rides Again by Nattali Rize & Julian Marley

Head nodding Jamaican Reggae. 

#30 Drag by Cat's Eyes

Canadian singer Rachel Zeffira and a member from The Horrors making dreamy 60's influenced pop.

#29 On Hold by The XX

First new single from The XX for several years pushing the dance beats to the fore.

#28 Subways by Avalanches 

Melbourne Cut N Paste DJ Collective return after 15 years with a long awaited second album featuring this excellent track.

#27 What Part Of Me by Low

Minnesota slowcore band with a hypnotic duet. 

#26 Second Heartbeat by Urthboy featuring Sampa The Great

Aussie Hip Hop tune that Spotify informs me was my third most played track of 2016.

#25 Come On Mess Me Up by Club Sport

Another excellent Brisbane indie band.  

#24 You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen R.I.P.

The Canadian singer's final single released on his 82nd Birthday and three weeks before his death.

#23 Before The Wall by Kyle Craft

In the ramshackle style of a Dylan protest song this is a song that dreads an American future under President Donald Trump. 

#22 The Opposite Of Us by Big Scary

Melbourne band with an epic piano ballad. 

#21 1955 by Hilltop Hoods 

Skip hop legends with their ode to living in a small town and feeling like you are sixty years behind. 

#20 Randy by Justice

Funky French dance rock fusion.  Make sure you listen to the full version not the radio edit which cuts off the euphoric instrumental ending.

#19 Bad Habits by The Last Shadow Puppets
Taken from the second album from Miles Kane and Arctic Monkey's Alex Turner.

#18 Blast Off by The Allergies featuring Andy Cooper 

The Allergies have been making some smoking tunes lately and here the team up with Andy Cooper of my favorite US rap artists Ugly Duckling to ensure the Hip Hop Don't Stop.

#17 Dark Necessities by Red Hot Chili Peppers 

RHCP are still creating laid back funk rock which pleases me immensely.

 #16 Poem by She Drew The Gun

 Social commentary from a new band who hail from Liverpool.

Are we about to see a re-emergence of protest singers in the next few years? 

#15 Ain't No Love by Jake Bugg

This album track songs like an Odelay-era Beck song and was the highlight of Jake's third album.

#14 Gamma Knife by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard 

Sydney's High Priests of Weirdness.

#13 Big Ideas by The Boxer Rebellion

Epic production, great voice and guitars reminiscent of U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name" result in a tune that swerves into cheesy territory but I still love it. 

#12 California Kids by Weezer

Taken from Weezer's White Album which was one of the best albums released this year.  

No matter how bad things are there is always a beach in California.  

#11 Lauren by Men I Trust

A laidback funky bassline underpins this song about... 

well the lyrics appear to be randomly generated so I wouldn't focus on them.

#10 You Are Killing Me by The Dandy Warhols

Best tune from The Dandy Warhols this century and I've been playing regularly all year and it hasn't lost any of its appeal. 

#9 Another Day by Steve Mason

Former Beta Band frontman treading a similar path to his previous band but its a track well worth following.

#8 Robin Hood by Jamie T

This is the greatest homage to The Clash that I have ever heard - enjoy all the lyrical references and the unmistakable joyful Clash sound.  

#7 Shakedown Street by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

This is a funky cover of a Grateful Dead song from the 1970's and I have been unable to shake it from my head.

#6 One More Night by Michael Kiwanuka

London based singer with a modern classic.

#5 Beautiful Thing by The Stone Roses

22 years after The Second Coming The Roses return with two singles (one cheesy and one groovy) 

This is the one, this is the one I've waited for! 

#4  1 in 100,000 by L-Fresh The Lion 

Australian hip hop with beats, drops, attitude and Indian percussion. 

#3 Wow by Beck

Wow Indeed! Just drop your new album and stop teasing me with a new single every twelve months.

#2 The Spoils by Massive Attack featuring Hope Sandoval

Hope Sandoval's second appearance in this list is for her haunting vocals over this beautiful prime cut from the Godfathers of Trip Hop.  

#1 Burn The Witch by Radiohead

What else could it be? A claustrophobic string-laden rock gem   

The video is also my favorite of the year as Cambellwick Green meets The Wickerman.  

Mixtape Sep 2016

 So many great new albums are getting released this month - check out the albums beyond these tracks if you need extra homework.

Open playlist in Spotify 

1) High and Low by Empire of the Sun
First track taken from the Australians's third album expected to drop very soon.

2) Never Seen This Before by The Delta Riggs
Another funky band from Australia who have just released their Active Galactic album.

3) Let Love Be (With U) by Kula Shaker
Twenty years after their debut album K comes its companion album K2.0 and it is their best work since 1996.  I got giddy promoting the original as one of the greatest records of all time so I will be more even handed with this review - "Glamorous Indian Rock N Roll /Mythical Bollocks".

4) Bang Bang by Green Day
I haven't enjoyed a Green Day record since American Idiot but this is great punk rock.

5) The Spoils by Massive Attack featuring Hope Sandoval
This is outstanding - if they can top this I will be surprised.  Haunting and beautiful.

6) Architecture Lecture by Methyl Ethel
One of my favourite bands from Perth have just released five new tracks - Bonza!
  
7) Darwinism by Holy Holy
The first track to emerge from the Aussies' second album should whet your appetite for more.

8) Give Me A Reason by Jagwar Ma
Another cut of pure groove marinaded in Screamadelica.    These Aussies must be close to releasing a second album any day now.   

9) The World Is Overtaking Me by Mystery Jets
This Pink Floyd inspired band have released this tune reminiscent of Gary Numan's Cars.

10) Guilty by PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey releases a great new track that is not included on her recent album.

11) Lose My Mind by A-Trak & Tommy Trash
Groovy electro collaboration between the Canadian A-Trak and Queenslander Tommy Trash. 

12) Beverly Laurel by Tame Impala
New music from Perth's Tame Impala.

13) Whipping Boy by Ball Park Music
Lead single taken from these Australians' excellent fourth album called Every Night The Same Dream.

14) One More Night by Michael Kiwanuka
Classic sounds from this Londoner taken from his debut album Love and Hate produced by Danger Mouse.

15) Extreme Ways (Jason Bourne) by Moby
A new version of the classic Moby track taken from the new Bourne movie soundtrack.

16) Sunkick by The Shimmer Band
Third single from this new British group.

17) Inside Your Sun by Venus II
A new Australian band with an uplifting electro anthem 

18) You Belong by The Avener featuring Laura Gibson
A new song from the French house producer. 

19)California Gold by Dodgy
Still trying to recapture the classic sound of The Stone Roses.  At least that is something totally unattainable but worth aiming for nonetheless.  

20) Talent by Pixies
Short n' sweary. 

Mixtape March 2016

March!* 

*sorry for lame Dad joke

A great selection this month with lots to whet your appetite for new albums due for release soon.

1) The Wheel by PJ Harvey
A haunting song and her first from this years' high anticipated PJ Harvey album.
Hopefully it will even surpass 2011's Let England Shake.

2) Pleasure Drive by The Jezabels
Australian band with a storming catchy song taken from new album Synthia.

3) I Walk The Line by Hasley
This is a great cover of the Johnny Cash classic prison song by New Jersey singer Hasley.  Sends chills down the spine and makes you re-evaluate the familiar lyrics.

4) You Are Killing Me by The Dandy Warhols
This is a return to form from so hopefully we will be hearing more from them in 2016.

5) What Part Of Me by Low
The Minnesota Mormons have been making great laid back pop for over two decades and this cut was taken from last year's Ones and Sixes album.

6) Find Yourself(Richard Norris Remix) by Jacco Gardener
Dutch artist Jacco Gardner released the great Find Yourself single in 2015 and this trippy remix feels like it has tumbled down the rabbit hole.

7) Where The Light Gets In by Primal Scream
An upbeat dance track with catchy chorus, a vocal duet with Sky Ferreira and typical Bobby Gillespie lyrics - what's not to like?

8) 1 in 100,000 by L-Fresh The Lion
Australian Rapper takes things up another notch and away from the commercial career he was previously pursuing.  He sounds angry.

9) Gimme The Love by Jake Bugg
Nottingham's Bob Dylan is back and releasing tracks off his forthcoming third album.

10) Turn Up by Dub Pistols
I've been loving their 2015 Return of the Pistoleros album all week.  I will soon be exploring the groovy back catalog.

11) Estuvo Bien (Suedehead) by Mexrrissey
Morrissey has a huge following in Mexico and they have embraced him with a tribute band playing his hits with full horn fanfare and Spanish vocals.  Three singles released to date.  Viva Mozza!

12) Ui Yia Uia by No Zu
Melbourne based band hard to describe - best I could think of is a funky Bentley Rhythm Ace.

13) God Walked Down by The Allergies
Taken from their excellent Kicking Up Dust EP this band make some damn fine music and are worth a follow!

14) Room To Breathe by Andy Cooper
A solo effort from a member from my favorite US hip hop act Ugly Duckling.  His album of the same name Room To Breathe has just dropped.

15) How's Your Life by Tricky
Taken from the new album Skilled Mechanics sees The Tricky Kid do what he does best - whispering sour nothings over laid back grooves.

16)  In The Moment by DMA's
The DMA's from Sydney have finally released Hills End their debut album of retro indie pop.

17) Nighttime by Turtle Giant
Another great album released in February was Many Mansions I by Turtle Giant.

18) You Cannot Call For Love Like A Dog by Holy Holy
Australian band who skirt just the right side of The War On Drugs.

19) 3 Miles High by Travis
First thing I've enjoyed by Travis in thirteen years.  In fact I haven't heard from them in over a decade but I assume they've been releasing the same old stuff to smaller audiences in the intervening years.  Nice little bass line has elevated this to my radar.  Fran has not aged well - his beard makes him look more farmer than hipster.

20) Black Rabbit by Turin Brakes
Along the same lines as Travis are The Turin Brakes who once wrote a song called Fishing For A Dream over ten years ago.  I didn't expect anything more from them until I stumbled upon their new album Lost Property and found it a quiet masterpiece.  Black Rabbit is the album's epic closer.

Hope you enjoy these sounds as much as I have - see you next month!

Mixtape Feb '16

Alright Music Lovers!

Hardest of all months to spell - Welcome to Febuary!

This is a new mix of indie shmindee dance and rock n roll.
Some great new tracks from the end of last year and the beginning of this one.
It is also a leap year so you can enjoy it for an extra day.

1) Too Soon by DMA's.  Hopeful of a debut album this year from these Sydney Rockers.

2) You Ruined My Chippy Thursday (Should Have Gone to Codrophenia) by The Eccentrontic Research Council.  Weirdest thing from Yorkshire since Pulp.

3) Hold It by The Allergies.  I know very little about this group apart from their funkiness.

4) Greasy Mind by Slug.  Slug evolved from Sunderland's Field Music to make this seedy funk.

5) Float On by Ben Lee.  Cover of the classic 2004 indie hit by Modest Mouse.

6) Makin' Babies by Reverend and the Maker.  Taken from the album Mirrors - a collection of great and very short songs.

7) Fast and Slow by Sons of the East.  The Aussie Mumford and Sons.  Better than it sounds!

8) The Man Who Sold The World live version by David Bowie R.I.P.

9) Out of my Mind by The Arcs.  The talented Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys knocked out this side project in his spare time last year.

10) Wide Open (Kolsch Remix) by The Chemical Brothers featuring Beck.  A widescreen remix.

11) Virtue by Bloc Party.  Taken from their 5th album Hymns released in January 2016.

12) Bad Habits by The Last Shadow Puppets.  2nd Album coming 8 years after their debut.

13) Silver Bullets by The Chills.  These guys are not Big In Japan they are Small in New Zealand.

14) Three Packs A Day by Courtney Barnett.  New tune from Australia's finest whinger.

15) Feel Free (Pianna Version) by Groove Armada.  House music with pianos - lush!

16) Tomorrow by The Skints.  Final track from the excellent album FM from these London reggae allstars.

17) Take It There by Massive Attack,Tricky & 3D.   More reasons to be cheerful in 2016

18) Cool Out by Matthew E. White & Natalie Prass.  Laid back duet.

19) T Shirt Weather by Circa Waves.  The sound of Summer.

20) Blaze Up The Fire by Major Lazer featuring Chronixx.  Lets go out with a banger!

Mixtape Jan '16

1) Into The Cave by Lonelady.  Let's kick off the New Year with a dirty bassline from Manchester.

2) Like Kids by Suede.  A return to form even ends with a kids choir.  Never going to top We Are The Pigs but certainly making some great music again.

3) The Good News by Bloc Party.  And the good news is that Bloc Party release their fifth album this month.

4) Never Gonna Hold You (Like I Do) by Fraser A Gorman.  A singer songwriter from Geelong.

5) Harry's Symphony by Joss Stone.  The Soul singer from Devon has been working with Damian Marley and there is a strong reggae influence on her latest album.

6) Get It All by DBFC.  They are French, groovy and sound like Django Django.

7) 1990's by Custard.  Brisbane Indie Rock band who have been recording since the 1990's.

8) Higher by The Hilltop Hoods.  Adelaide's Finest Skip Hop Act.

9) Just A Dream by Tobias Jesso Jr.  Canadian songwriter sings a lullaby for his newborn on the eve of the Apocalypse.

10) Eye To Eye by Wild Honey.  All I know is they are Australian (probably).

11) Dusty In Memphis by The Dreaming Spires.  I know a fair bit about these guys on the other hand.  Second album from this band from Oxford is their homage to all things Americana.  If the lyrics are autobiographical the singer was also born in London in the late 70's to a Catholic family.
If that helps?

12) Play Some Roots by Chronixx.  Reggae for your soul.

13) Adventure Of A Lifetime by Coldplay.  Released their 7th album in early December and thankfully Chris seems to have stopped mopping over his divorce which ruined their 6th effort.

14) Let It Happen (Soulwax Remix) by Tame Impala.  I love a good Soulwax remix and here is one of my favourite songs of 2015 under their steady scalpel hands.

15) Salvation Army by Darren Hanlon.  Australian folk singer with a lovely little ditty.

16) Cheer Up London by Slaves.  Modern punk rockers that don't suck!  In fact they're awesome.

17) Eagle by Southeast Desert Metal.  Sounds like Motorhead mixed with Iron Maiden but they are an Indigenous Australian metal band from the desert South East of Alice Springs.

18) Sympathy For The Devil by Motorhead.  Lemmy is now rocking on his Valhalla Tour.

19) Song for Josh by Frank Turner.  Live version of a sad song dedicated to a friend who took their own life.  Brings you to tears.

20) Tomorrow Never Knows by The Beatles.  2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Revolver.  This track was 30 years ahead of its time.  The Beatles music is finally available on Spotify so enjoy!