As we arrive near the conclusion of what has been a crazy, bizarre, traumatic, difficult and emotional year, there have been some rays of light amidst the weird darkness that have helped keep us sane to a certain extent. Chief amongst these for me has been music, which, despite the difficulties attended by the ongoing situation, with countless venues facing near certain closure, and artists having to eke out a living as best they can, there have still been some splendid sounds created throughout this year. Hence, here I have my rundown of the albums that have helped me get through this most extraordinary year…I have three number one albums, as I found it impossible to separate them…
1. Lanterns On The Lake – Spook The Herd
A fine album indeed from these North East dreampop/indie folk/stargazers with a message to give…
1. (Joint top) Doves – The Universal Want
After a wait of some Ten years, the boys returned with a sumptuous new album, one that shows a band hitting top form, almost like they hadn’t been away…
1. (Joint top) bdrmm – Bedroom
A glorious slice of noisy, hazy shoegaze from these unassuming lads from Hull.
2. The Churchhill Garden – Heart And Soul
After the wonderful digital release of this album last year, came the glorious, gorgeous, beautiful, magnificent, delicious definitive version, across two slabs of beautiful purple vinyl, and beautiful packaging, with even more beautiful music contained within. A sonic blissout from start to finish, and testament to the talents of Andy Jossi and Krissy Vanderwoude, who make up the core of the band, along with the guest appearances from Ben Aylward, Craig Douglas, Alister Douglas and Demi Haynes, who all added superbly to this awesome collection.
3. Fontaines DC – A Hero’s Death
Hot on the heels of their fantastic debut ‘Dogrel’ comes their equally superb sophomore album, an album that shows how far they have come in a short space of time, really evolving their core sound.
4. IDLES – Ultra Mono
As brutal, uncompromising and visceral as ever, this new album from the Bristol punk outfit left no one in any doubt where they were coming from…
5. Jetstream Pony – self-titled debut album
A delightful, joyous, gloriously delirious slice of indie pop fuzz with oodles of dreamy glittering essence. After some finely crafted singles and eps, this album was a splendid culmination of that buildup.
6. Hinds – The Prettiest Curse
An album of such giddy abandon, almost falling-apart-at-the-seams unadulterated fun, it exhumes that typical Spanish exuberance and colourful vibrancy as these four young musicians from Madrid just live their dream of creating joy and happiness in everything they do.
7. The Luxembourg Signal – The Long Now
As well as being a member of Jetstream Pony, Beth Arzy also lends her vocals to the dreamy, tremulous tones of LA, London and San Diego shoegazers The Luxembourg Signal. This is their third album, and a delightful one it is too, gazing at the stars and heart in the clouds…
8. FØG – Fogesque
Anyone who listens to the Muso Asia show on DKFM will be familiar with these fine South Korean dreamgazers, indeed they featured on one of the DreamGaze WorldWide events in the middle of the year, and were simply astounding, breathtaking and beautiful.
9. Pins – Hot Slick
Always entertaining and energetic live, these Manchester based psychpop, indie rock, punks have discovered their funky, dancetastic side, with this delicious groover, and are out to cause more mischief on the local indie dancefloor…these ladies mean business…
10. Sonic Boom – All Things Being Equal
A man who perhaps needs no introduction, who has been ploughing his own musical furrow for many years now, creating his own sonic template, making his own beautiful noise ever since his Spacemen 3 days. Pete returns in his Sonic Boom guise for the first time in 30 years to give us more of his soporific psych rock electronic drone blissout like only he can.
11. Andy Bell – The View From HalfwayDown
12. Nah – (self-titled)
13. Dorcha – Honey Badger
14. Nax – Congelado
15. The Microdance – Our Love Noire
16. Align In Time – On A Spiral
17. The Orielles – Disco Volador
18. The Black Watch – Brilliant Failures
19. The Black Watch – Fromthing Somethat
20. Sexores – Salamanca
21. Sexores – X
22. I Break Horses – Warnings
23. Cavern Of Anti Matter – In Fabric
24. The Twilight Sad – It Won/t Be Like This All The Time (Live)
25. Homem em Catarse – Sem Palavras|Cem Palavras
26. Mint Julep – Stray Fantasies
27. Hum – Inlet
28. – Meadowlake – Wait For Me
29. Mogwai – ZeroZeroZero
30. The Voices – Death Of A Lover’s Song (2020)
My shoegaze site 