Wednesday 21 December 2016

EVEN THE STARS ALBUMS OF 2016 - FIFTEEN TO ELEVEN


We continue our countdown of our twenty favourite albums of the year with those we've placed in fifteenth to eleventh place.

A reminder of the list to date :

20 Cavan Moran - Forever At Home / Forever On The Road
19 Michele Stodart - Pieces
18 The Coral - The Distance Inbetween
17 Julia Jacklin - Don't Let The Kids Win
16 The Unrecorded - Parks


15 LUCY DACUS - NO BURDEN

Lucy Dacus' debut album No Burden was apparently recorded over the course of one day in Nashville and that comes through in the very raw deliberately unproduced feel to a record that's disarmingly open and honest in its lyrical approach.  Its opening track I Don't Want To Be Funny Anymore tells of a woman who feels trapped in the expectations of her peers as to how she should behave whilst Trust talks of setting fire to her soul.



Musically there's contrasts as well, Map On The Wall feels intensely claustrophobic to match the dark mood of the song's lyrics, whilst the likes of the aforementioned I Don't Want To Be Funny Anymore and the other lead single Strange Torpedo maintain the same level of intensity but wrap the songs in a guitar sound that makes them suitable for radio and an accessible starting point for a casual listener to fall for them as we did when they were being played in Piccadilly Records recently.

Lucy Dacus is on Facebook and Twitter.


14 THE GLASS CHILD - UNDER NORTHERN SKIES

Under Northern Skies is the third album from Charlotte Eriksen who records under the name of The Glass Child and releases records herself to her growing internet following around the world. It's a revelatory album, full of emotionally detailed songs that the listener should be able to relate some form of personal experience to whilst it feels the words are acting like a form of catharsis.



Our review said "It's a record that comes from the heart and from the pit of a soul that's been broken and looking to heal itself through the medium of these song. It's one of those rare albums where you feel like you're living and breathing it with the artist - uncomfortable in parts but ultimately exceptionally rewarding."

The Glass Child's official website can be found here. She is also on Facebook and Twitter.

The album can be ordered, along with her previous two from The Glass Child's shop.


13 COVES - PEEL

Coves returned in 2016 with their second album Peel before signing off on an undefined hiatus with very little promotion of the record outside of London. Continuing in the vein of debut Soft Friday but with an even more purposeful stride to it, Peel was the record that should have given them their big breakthrough.



Our review said : "Now they return with a fantastic follow up to their timeless debut. Peel sees the band, having relocated to London, beefed up yet still delivering the same classic pop we have come to expect. In Peel, Coves have produced a worthy follow up to the classic debut. Welcome back."

Coves' official website can be found here.  They are also on Facebook and Twitter.


12 THOUSAND YARD STARE - LIVE AT ELECTRIC STUDIOS

Reforming in 2015 for a show at The Borderline, Thousand Yard Stare took things further in 2016 with their first UK tour in 23 years and the release of Live At Electric Studios featuring reworkings of tracks from their first two albums Hands On and Mappamundi, bringing the songs right up to date without losing any of that infectious energy that made us love them the first time round, as well as new songs Heimlich Maneuver, Dystopia and Petrichor.



Our review said : "Live At Electric Studios is a solid, triumphant and welcome return and paves the way for hopefully a full long player of new material. In the meantime, enjoy this one, rediscover their small but delightful back catalogue and catch them on tour this autumn."

Thousand Yard Stare's official website can be found here where you can buy the album and they are on Facebook and Twitter.


11 SHE DREW THE GUN - MEMORIES OF THE FUTURE

She Drew The Gun was one of our top tips for 2016 and with Memories Of The Future she delivered one of the year's finest debut album. Lead single Poet and its video garnered Louisa and her band both critical acclaim and regular radio play on the likes of 6 Music as well as an ever-growing live audience.



Our review said "Memories Of The Future is an album to immerse yourself in. A cursory listen might leave you to dismiss it as light touch in parts, but it's far far from that if you give it the time and love that's gone into its making. Its intensity will unsettle as its honesty and laying bare of feelings, emotions and, on Poem, opinions, but music should challenge the listener and reveal new layers with every listen and Memories Of The Future does exactly that. We had high expectations for this record, they've been utterly and totally surpassed."

She Drew The Gun's official site can be found here. They are also on Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud.
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