Sounds like 2011 (From York Press)

Sounds like 2011

9:20am Friday 6th January 2012 in CD reviews

Our CD reviewers round up music highs and lows ...

Charles Hutchinson’s choices

Chameleons of the year: Bombay Bicycle Club, A Different Kind Of Fix (Island Records/Mmm Records)
Jack Steadman’s quartet switch the guitar electricity back on, adding haunting electronica and harmonies, courtesy of new recruit Lucy Rose, to experiment with sounds and instrumental detail, allied to candid, complex lyrics.

Best soundtrack to non-existent film: Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi present Rome (Parlophone)
Danger Mouse shares love of analogue recording techniques, Italian film music and spaghetti westerns with composer Daniele Luppi, reassembling Marc4 backing band and Alessandro Alessandroni’s I Cantori Moderni choir from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly for labour of rekindled love.

One man band of the year: The War On Drugs, Slave Ambient (Secretly Canadian)
Philadelphian writer, guitarist and arranger Adam Granduciel goes on a sprawling 47-minute adventure that straddles synths, country rock and Eighties pop on songs to make you think of love, not war.

Unlikely duo of the year yet as clever as…Cat’s Eyes, Cat’s Eyes (Polydor)
The Horrors’ Faris Badwan and Canadian opera singer Rachel Zeffira forge retro album rooted in mutual crush on early Sixties’ girl groups. Classic pop yet avant-garde, dated but now.

Still minor but she really should be major by now: Eilen Jewell, Queen Of The Minor Key (Signature Sounds)
Eilen Jewell has a lingering voice from the golden age of the jukebox and writes film-noir dramas that glide between country, early R&B, Fifties rock’n’roll and Forties jazz. Smouldering, smart and now.

Dan Bean’s best (and worst) of 2011

Joint best album of the year: James Blake, James Blake/Kurt Vile, Smoke Ring For My Halo
Tough decision this year, with great efforts from Rifles, Foo Fighters and Birdy all being more than worthy of praise. But Blake’s fragile voice and minimalist electronica was a pleasant surprise in a sea of more mainstream acts. Kurt Vile also, while moody and lonely on first listen, is a work with such depth of talent on show it deserves recognition.

Bravest change of direction: Eddie Vedder, Ukulele Songs.
From rock legend to George Formby tribute act? Not quite, but this was still a ballsy move for Vedder. Turns out his vocals are as affecting when accompanied by ukulele as with electric guitars.

Joint worst album of the year: Bruno Mars, Doo-Wops & Hooligans/Lou Reed & Metallica, Lulu
Bruno Mars’ vocals are strong, and there’s no denying he can write a hit record. The problem is, they’re all so bland, poppy and shamelessly unchallenging, they’re almost insulting. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Lulu was so challenging, it’s as if Reed, et al, forgot they needed to sell copies of their vanity project to make it successful, so deliberately set out to make a difficult, self-indulgent in-joke.

Robert Beaumont’s choices...

Tribute Album: Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain (Nonesuch)
While Emmylou has written heart-rending tributes to mentor and soul-mate Gram Parsons, few have been as direct, moving and honest as The Road, which opens her finest album since 1995’s Wrecking Ball. Her love for Gram burns as brightly as ever and her voice still comes directly from heaven.

Neglected album: Glasvegas – Euphoric Heartbreak (Columbia):
Euphoric Heartbreak never reached the audience it deserved. Singer Jim Allan’s tortured private life widened the band’s vision from poverty-stricken Glasgow to souls in turmoil, set against the background of a majestic Phil Spector-esque blizzard of sound.

State of the Nation: British Sea Power – Valhalla Dancehall (Rough Trade): A hugely ambitious work, ranging from the storming Who’s In Control?, a timely, desperate, state-of-the-nation address, to the sublime Pink Floyd-esque Once More Now. BSP still delight in pushing back boundaries.

Bravest album: Various Artists – Younger Than That Now (Fat Cat Records): This Yorkshire-inspired tribute to Bob Dylan at 70 features fascinating reinterpretations of Visions Of Johanna by Chris Smither and Changing Of The Guards by Jez Lowe, plus a haunting live version of Not Dark Yet by Steve Phillips and the Rough Diamonds recorded at an hotel in Robin Hood’s Bay.

Alt country album: Gillian Welch – The Harrow And The Harvest (Acony): Sparse and bleak, rich and melodious by turns, the Harrow And The Harvest is an uncompromising look at the fragility of the modern American dream. Ably supported by musical partner and lover David Rawlings, Welch has never sounded finer.

Ian Sime’s Top Five

Adele, 21 (Pias) A true classic in the vein of Tapestry and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Produced by Rick Rubin and Paul Epworth, 21 includes some of the best-loved songs of our time: Turning Tables, Someone Like You and Rolling In The Deep.

Jennifer Hudson, I Remember Me (Sony) Despite a shameful Hollywood make over, Jennifer Hudson remains the undisputed heir to Aretha Franklin. With her Gospel voice, Hudson invariably sends shivers down the spine on the slightest of material. I Remember Me is full of great songs and is truly wonderful.

Amy Winehouse, Lioness: Hidden Treasures (Island) Amy Winehouse was a great musical talent. Although mostly relying on vintage material from the Frank era and beyond, Lioness: Hidden Treasures offers a glimpse of what else might be hidden away in the achives.

Doris Day, My Heart (Sony) My Heart is a fantastic showcase of Doris Day’s private recordings from the 1097s. Great for fans, but also a wonderful way to discover a musical legend.

Kate Bush, 50 Words for Snow & Directors Cut (Fish People/EMI) The usually reticent Kate Bush delivered two new albums in 2011, albeit Director’s Cut being recreations of vintage material. 50 Words For Snow is the most sinister album since Pink Floyd’s The Wall, but still a rich and rewarding recording.

Tony Kelly

If the X-factor is losing its va-va-oomph, other more vital factors came to play throughout 2011:

The hex factor – St Vincent, Strange Mercy (4AD):
Bewitching, beguiling, intriguing and innovative music from the anointed one, aka American virtuoso guitarist Annie Clark. An album that cast a sensuous, sinuous, spell.

The next factor – Bill Ryder-Jones, If... (Domino):
Swapping the scally-dom of The Coral for full-blown orchestration, the guitar wizard conjured this collection of lush, romantic works, which would exile a celestial choir to respectful silence.

The sex factor – Miles Kane, Colour Of The Trap (Sony):
Another Scouse powerhouse on fervent form as Kane waved a florid farewell to The Rascals and the Shadow Puppets with a flourish so soulful as to recall Smokey Robinson at his most miraculous.

The flex factor – Radiohead, The King Of Limbs (no label):
Another sonic adventure both in marketing and message as the monarchs of reinvention initiated another direction. Worth being in anyone’s top five for Thom Yorke’s dance on Lotus Flower.

The wrecks factor – Jon Fratelli, Psycho Jukebox (Island):
Now on his own he out-Fratellied the Fratellis with a percussive fortress of sound. Rumbustious, raucous tunes and writhing, Runyanesque lyrics charting the scars and barbs of love yearned and curdled.

Mark Stead’s choices...

How to live up to expectations award: Elbow – Build A Rocket Boys!
Honest, heartfelt, crafty, effortless and brilliantly northern, never more so than when Guy Garvey drawls “Back in your box” on Neat Little Rows. Nobody makes such great songs about nothing much as this band do.

How not to live up to expectations award: Kasabian – Velociraptor!
An album made on autopilot, raising the question of whether Kasabian’s well of inspiration is running dry. They’ve had it easy at the top for a while; now they need to be made to work harder.

Nothing wrong with being a bit strange award: Cold Cave – Cherish The Light Years
New York new-waver Wesley Eisold veered from the sublime to the bonkers, and it somehow all worked on a pounding, chiming synth-pop showcase. Catacombs and Confetti would be instant Eighties classics if this was the Eighties.

If this album was a coaster, people would stop drinking tea award: Viva Brother – Famous First Words.
No depth, no guile, no joy, no clue. An album completely without mitigating circumstances.

Dishonourable mention: The Strokes – Angles. Proof that democracy and songwriting don’t get on. Hard To Explain seems a long, long time ago.

Album of the year: The Horrors – Skying
Built on knife-edge hooks, swooping imagery, glacial tunes and sheer confidence, Skying spectacularly outstripped expectations. Every album sees The Horrors take a leap forward. If they continue in that vein, their next one can’t land soon enough.

Paul Rhodes’ CDs of the Year

Album of the Year: Devon Sproule, I Love You, Go Easy (Tin Angel)
Also gig of the year for her spellbinding July house concert, this is easily the pick of 2011 – engaging, literate without being pretentious and with a warmth and ambition to stave off the coolest of winter chills.

Looking for new star? Joan As Policewoman, The Deep Field (PIAS)
The album title refers to a young but impossibly distant galaxy, yet this is Wasser at her most vibrant and accessible. Although she sends out mixed messages, this album crackles with frisson.

‘We’ll always have Oslo ’ Lifetime achievement award... a-ha, Ending On A High Note, The Final Tour (UMC)
Perhaps a reissue too far, but this live concert recording and DVD sums up how tuneful and uplifting this bunch of Norwegians were. On their day, better than Coldplay.

Gin soaked and smoked sound award... Joe Henry, Reverie (Anti)
So atmospheric it is like having your own blues club in the corner of the room, Henry milks every drop from this classy production which will appeal to fans of Tom Waits.

‘Better git miserable sunshine’ award for songwriters gone bad... Josh Rouse, Josh Rouse and the Long Vacations (Bedroom Classics)
A victim of his own happiness. It will be fascinating to hear how Rouse takes this limp, sun-addled affair to a chilly York audience at the Duchess on January 27. It will take all of his skills to tailor these off-cuts into something memorable.

Maxine Gordon’s choices...

MY album of the year was practically every music journalist’s choice and won the Mercury Music Prize, the second time for artist PJ Harvey. Let England Shake (Universal Island Records), is Harvey’s masterful musical ode to war and the fallen. There is a folksy edge, as befitting a collection of war songs, but with guitar, sax and mellotron, there’s plenty of gusto and lovely melodies too.

Runner-up is Glen Campbell who, at 75 and living with Alzheimer’s, announced that Ghost On The Canvas (Surfdog Records) would be his last recording. The songs are moving rather than mawkish and the overall mood life affirming.

My ‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ prize goes to Suede frontman Brett Anderson for Black Rainbows (EMI), not least for unashamedly singing about “ashtray eyes” and “carpet burns as if he were still a young Britpop-ster.

The ‘Greatest hits of the year’ gong wings its way to Scritti Politti for Absolute (Virgin); a value-packed 18-track compilation with two new songs illustrating that 30 years since their first and pop-perfect album, Songs To Remember, Green Gartside still has his magic touch (and voice).

Finally, the ‘One that got away’ award heads to Nerina Pallot for Year Of The Wolf (Geffen). Pallot writes songs for Kylie Minogue, but is yet to make it in her own right. Perhaps that might change in 2012 as Pallot releases All Bets Are Off, the standout track from Year Of The Wolf.

Matt Clark’s choices...

Age shall not wither: Martin Carthy, Essential (Topic)
When he threw away his chord book and reinvented open tuning, Martin Carthy changed folk music for good. Everyone wanted to play like him and this appropriately named compilation to celebrate his 70th birthday shows why.

Age shall not wither part two: Paul Simon, So Beautiful or So What (Concord)
Also marking his 70th, Paul Simon returns with his first album in five years and his best for two decades. It’s full of sensitive words and beautiful tunes. Still crazy after all these years? Not on this showing.

Age shall not wither part three: Deep Purple, BBC Sessions 1968 – 1970 (EMI)
This is a fascinating insight into the band’s transition; when noodling Rod Evans gave way to ballsy Ian Gillan. These sessions chart the instant difference and show why Deep Purple went from cult status to global icons.

The sound of Summer: Cloud Control, Bliss Release (Infectious)
Think Mamas and Papas in collaboration with Jack White, then add a liberal dose of psychedelia. This joyous album has more hooks than a fishing tackle shop.

Melting ice: Ladytron, Gravity The Seducer (Nettwork)
Ten years on and Ladytron opens a new chapter, well almost. Their totalitarian electro pop, which has influenced almost every band since they formed, has become less frosty with age. Doom and gloom has never been such fun.

Steve Carroll’s choices...

The Reinvention award – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (Sour Mash)
Freed from the shackles of pub rock following the demise of Oasis, Noel Gallagher produced a sublime debut solo record, with hardly an electric guitar in sight.

The Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover award – Esben And The Witch, Violent Cries (Matador)
Crushingly bleak, vocalist Rachel Davies’ off-key delivery was a funeral wail amid understated guitars. Fearing a stereotypical emo sound, Violent Cries broke magnificently from the herd.

Best Live Act Award – Biffy Clyro, Revolutions Live At Wembley (14th Floor)
Live records, particularly at caverns like Wembley Arena, are sometimes renowned for their poor quality but not this CD and DVD package. It’s tremendous.

The Discovery Award – Death Cab For Cutie, Codes And Keys (Atlantic)
A classic example of a band that hasn’t travelled well, the American band’s brand of slow burning, Neil Young-like, intensity is wonderful. Don’t miss out.

The Haven’t We Done A Greatest Hits CD award - Ash, The Best Of Ash, (Rhino)
Stalwarts of the Indie scene, Ash have managed to stick around while peers like Echobelly and Sleeper disappeared into history. A creditable collection of Britpop memories.

Ron Burnett’s jazz choices

Kate Peters Septet (own label)
Vocalist Kate delights with her contemporary take on standards and lesser-known pieces. Her young seven-piece band is pure gold – grab this before she leaves York for super-stardom.

Liane Carroll, Up And Down (Quietmoney Records)
Award-winning vocalist/pianist Liane carries her super-charged live performance into a wonderfully satisfying studio recording – a classic.

Quentin Collins/Brandon Allen Quartet, What’s It Gonna Be (Sunlightsquare Records)
A fierily creative and youthful trumpet/saxophone partnership for jaded jazz palates, which re-lights the Blue Note touch-paper and ignites your speakers, but in a nice way.

Marius Neset, Golden Xplosion (Edition Records)
Cool Nordic to South American heat, virtuoso swing of Michael Brecker to the anthemic voicings of Wayne Shorter and Weather Report, plus cross-pollination of electronic Pat Metheny, this young Norwegian saxophonist is the big story of 2011.

Derek Nash Quartet, Joyriding (Jazzizit Records)
Jools Holland’s hot soloist and leader of award-winning Sax Appeal steps into the limelight with this small group, excelling on soparano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones in a joyful album of straight-ahead swing.

Martin Dreyer’s classical albums of the year

Opera: Handel’s Flavio, re de’ Longobardi. Early Opera Company / Christian Curnyn. Chandos CHAN0773 (two discs).
Luminous account of one of Handel’s most exciting Italian works, by a company and (York graduate) conductor who are doing great things in the world of early opera.

Chamber music: Beethoven, String trios. Leonid Kogan (violin), Rudolf Barshai (viola), Mstislav Rostropovich (cello). Supraphon SU4052-2. Who could resist these three greats in a newly-reconstructed 1960 recording of an under-performed niche of Beethoven’s output, bursting with idiomatic style?

Oratorio: Elgar, The Kingdom. Hallé Choir and Orchestra/Sir Mark Elder. Hallé CDHLD7526 (two discs). Now rejuvenated under Elder, the Hallé forces’ passionate Kingdom adds lustre to their rediscovery of Elgar in recent years, at bargain price, too.

Instrumental: Ravel, Complete music for solo piano. Steven Osborne. Hyperion CDA67731/2 (2 discs). Beautifully played and intelligently phrased, these are works to browse again and again. Superbly recorded.

Orchestral: Mathias, Piano Concertos 1 & 2; Vaughan Williams, Fantasy. Mark Bebbington (piano), Ulster Orchestra / George Vass. Somm SOMMCD246. Three premiere recordings. Vaughan Williams’s fascinating early work (1902) accompanies two lyrical concertos that breathe a similar romanticism.

Julian Cole’s top five…

Jointly wonderful: Ry Cooder, Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down (Nonsuch/Perro Verde); Ron Sexsmith, Long Player Late Bloomer (Cooking Vinyl)
On his best work in decades, Cooder’s modern protest anthems link back to his early 1970s recordings of songs by Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie; utterly magnificent.

There is a winning vulnerability about Ron Sexsmith’s music, in which self-doubt and the mundane details of life are burnished with Sexsmith sparkle; rarely has lack of confidence sounded so good and so complete. The self-knowing title track is nothing short of superb, and perfectly illustrates the way Ronald Eldon’s music can move out of his own dark corners to emerge as uplifting and lilting.

Sarah Gillespie with Gilad Atzmon, In This Current Climate (Pastiche Records)
Gillespie combines Bob Dylan’s laidback delivery and opaque poetry with strident touches of Joni Mitchell, and throws in Arabic-infused jazz, thanks to saxophonist Atzmon.

Nick Lowe, The Old Magic (Proper Records)
Man’s disappointment to woman and himself has never sounded better. Lowe delivers more songs of regret and loss in which males mess up and fool themselves about loneliness.

Fionn Regan, 100 Acres Of Sycamore (Heavenly)
What an understated delight, but Regan is no musical softie. A sinuous strength sustains these modern folk songs.

Tom Waits, Bad As Me (Anti Records)
All of Tom Waits is present on his 17th studio album, from the acid-gargle crooner, the drunken barfly and the yearning romantic to the curdled curmudgeon. Compelling, weird short stories address dissolution, love gone wrong and the financial collapse.