Slow roasted seasonal salutations

Another year draws to a close and 834 songs, 74 albums & 2.2 days of new music have been boiled, filtered, strained and condensed into just a few tracks for your pleasure. It’s a labour of love that has me enthralled and stressed in equal measure. If you have a copy you are loved, if you have several copies spanning more than a decade you are treasured. This is my way of thanking you for being in my life & I love you. Here is the festive round up; the ones that got away will follow :)

 
How Many More Times – Field Music (Plumb)

I had the delight of hearing this little gem performed amongst the racks of Resident Records at an in store signing. Hailing from Sutherland, brothers David and Peter Brewis deliver articulate, no nonsense Northern observations with great aplomb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niEk7as7MzI





The Moon exalted – Damon Albarn (Dr Dee)



Damon Albarn swept all before him in 2012. His opera Dr Dee was a triumph, magnificently realised by the English National Opera and easily my favourite show of the year. As if that wasn’t enough, Damon also found time to record with Blur, collaborate with Flea and Tony Allen on the Rocket Juice and the Moon project and co-produce Bobby Womack’s best album in years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p2BLQGIens

We Are Fine – Sharon Van Etten (Tramp)














Sharon was a live highlight of 2012, so much so that I stayed on after to meet her. She was lovely, unassuming and genuinely overcome by the rapturous reaction she’d received. When I told her that this song had brought a tear to my eye, she signed her record with one. Sweet :)

She wrote 'We Are Fine' about her struggles with panic attacks and here duets with fellow sufferer Zack Condon (Beirut).

http://www.youtube.com/v/sIpFYNScLDY&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 

·       The Barely Skinny Bone Tree – Beth Jeans Houghton & the Hooves of Destiny (Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose)

Beth’s debut fizzes with a confidence and laissez-faire that has you begging for more. A joyful kaleidoscope of acoustic folk, spliced with glam rock threaded throughout by angelic vocals and a wry wit. Despite dire sound, she was great live at the Haunt this year. Now that she's dating Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, I'm sure we'll see alot more of her.
 

http://www.youtube.com/v/m9Acdwb1DjQ&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 
The Way of Alone – Jim White (Where It Hits You)






I never tire of Jim’s slow burning songs and his ability to reach inside and shed light on the human condition. I first saw him perform in 1997 in support of David Byrne and bought his debut then and there. This year I also got to meet him after his Brighton Ballroom show and a more delightful human being you’d struggle to meet.

http://www.youtube.com/v/aV5hezwCl8Q&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 

·       Dear Believer – Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

Singer Alex Ebert formed the band after meeting Jade Castrinos outside an LA coffee shop. The name comes from a messianic figure he created after a break up ‘sent down to Earth to heal and save mankind but distracted by girls and falling in love.’ I say reaching for Heaven is what I'm on Earth to do.

http://www.youtube.com/v/pJ3PCgBRTys&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 You Can Take Me With You – Krystle Warren (Love Songs: A Time You May Embrace)

I had the enormous pleasure of interviewing Krystle twice for Radio Reverb in 2012. Already a fan of her music, her warm nature & generous spirit was a wonderful added bonus. A great talent with a voice born of experience and truth, she’s definitely one to watch. if you haven’t seen her live yet, sell your house for a ticket!

 

http://www.youtube.com/v/C9JWslSRXJg&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 

·       Dissolve Me – Alt-J (An Awesome Wave)

Deserved Mercury Prize winners Alt-J were signposted to my willing ears by Mike H back in May & their sparkling debut record has enthralled me since with its delicate touch and melodic flair. Quintessentially and marvellously English. I'll be seeing them live with the lovely Fabio J in San Francisco in April.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jfmwYNq_cg&feature=player_embedded

 

·       Peace and Love – Cat Power (Sun)

Plagued by bad luck, bankruptcy and mental health issues Chan Marshall is a survivor with the scars to prove it. On ‘Sun’ she plays, records and produces her first batch of new songs in 6 years with a spitting urgency primed with self belief and spirit.

http://www.youtube.com/v/_nl3Oo4-IQ4&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 


Property Lines – Dusted (Total Dust)






Dusted swept my eardrums aside on a visit to Resident Records and I was compelled to buy the album immediately. It’s been a car favourite ever since & this ditty with its insistent pulsing growl is one that always gets my sap rising. Thank you once again Toronto.

http://www.youtube.com/v/R9WApEeO9-s&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 


Sparkly– Young Magic (Melt)





Melt was an impulse buy which consumed me after just a few listens, sound tracking my summer and filling the cloudy days with sunshine. Lie on your bed, close your eyes & play loud.

http://www.youtube.com/v/2ydYhTG4LbI&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

Lighthouse– Patrick Watson (Adventures In Your Own Backyard)

 









I came across Montreal’s Patrick Watson when browsing in a Toronto record store back in 2006. I’ve been a fan ever since and hearing him has the added benefit of association with dear friends Kimberley and Viviana and a wonderful gig at the Mod Club which I dragged them along to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JloqD2Lpcps&feature=player_embedded

Proserpina– Martha Wainwright (Come home to Mama)

I had the privilege of hearing Kate McGarrigle perform this song just a few weeks before she died. Martha’s rendition of her mother’s work is deeply etched with love and loss and a wonderful tribute. This song never fails to bring a tear to my eye.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4di1pbzveQ&feature=player_embedded

 

·       Amalia– Melody Gardot (The Absence)

Melody surprised many this year by embroidering her trademark torch song with world rhythms to dazzling effect. I had the pleasure of taking beautiful Amanda to see her at the Barbican as a birthday treat and the seamless blending of genres and her presence left me speechless. A Joni Mitchell in the making...

http://www.youtube.com/v/azmZM8De_7s&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 

·       The Machine In Your Hand – The Magnetic Fields (Love At the Bottom Of The Sea)

 

Stephen Merritt’s writing just gets better and better and I never tire of his quirky sideways & squinting take on the world. What other writer could come up with a line as succinct, witty and damning as ‘You're not really a person; more a gadget with meat stuck to it’ – I wish I had!

 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgf00vBo3QM&feature=player_embedded

Reagan’s Skeleton – Yeasayer (Fragrant World)

 

Yeasayer describe their music as Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel and their syncopated sound bursts never fail to get my pulse racing and my feet twitching. This song had me gyrating in the car on the way to work on many occasions much to the amusement of the other commuters stuck in traffic. Play it loud & dance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrwUkEMmKZY&feature=player_embedded

 

·       Distance– Why? (Mumps, etc.)

 

I’m not a great fan of hip hop but Jonathan "Yoni" Wolf’s take on this tired genre is fresh, articulate and shot through with light, pathos and humour. ‘You wanted an effigy of me so true it bleeded;
each hair a filament of glass formed while heated’ says it all.

http://www.youtube.com/v/SkKItuyJhsk&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 

·       Winter Fields – Bat For Lashes (The Haunted Man)

 

Epic and uplifting, Natasha Khan captivated her home crowd back in November much to delight of chum Nick & I. This track though will always remind me of Fabio J who brought sunshine to the winter fields of Sussex when he visited me in November. I can't wait to explore Sonoma County with him in April when I visit SF.

http://www.youtube.com/v/kE-mBuOUsNs&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 

·        Dirge –Perfume Genius (Put Your Back N 2 It)

Remembering Alasdair Iain Warwood who died 14^thJuly 2012 & a big hug to the lovely Ed J

Boys that held him dear; do your weeping now; all you loved of him lies here.

Perfume Genius was a live highlight of 2012 & my loitering aftershow paid off when I met him outside.

http://www.youtube.com/v/bDGhkrSq9cs&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 

·       We All Have To Find Our Own Way out – Mark Eitzel (Don’t Be A Stranger)

Meeting Mark Eitzel & spending several hours in his company, drinking, laughing and swapping stories was frankly magical and a memory to cherish. This song’s laconic shuffle sums up the man beautifully and I hope that his luck improves and that he finds his own way out.

http://www.youtube.com/v/K5ekravNqNA&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

·       A Holly Jolly Christmas – Sufjan Stevens (Songs For Christmas Vol. 9: Let It Snow)

 

To lighten the mood, here’s a little festive gem from Sufjan’s second volume of Christmas songs – ‘Silver & Gold’ – joy!

http://www.youtube.com/v/jq_Ttra3YLo&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 

 

 

It's the End of the World as we know it and I feel fine...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY&feature=player_embedded

That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes,
an aeroplane - Lenny Bruce is not afraid.
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn,
world serves its own needs, dummy serve your own needs

The world did not end at 11.11AM as expected on the 21^st December. There were no balls of fire, no earthquakes, no meteor showers, no screaming children and to our dismay the office telephones continued to ring. Relief in some ways, but collectively we felt somewhat let down by the Mayans and so ordered a meateor pizza which felt both approapriate and life affirming.

December continued to limp along like a rain soaked dog with just the occasional lamp post of debauchery to lift the wallowing self pity that has engulfed me. According to Keith (acupuncturist) many are presenting with my symptoms of malaise which he puts down to our lack of summer. Perhaps that’s it? Summer certainly appears to have left my life and instead I feel the creeping decay of autumn stripping the leaves from my branches. Perhaps I’m just getting old and struggling with the transition? Being over 50 in gay world really does not help. Everything is geared to youth and a sharp intake of breath. Nothing appears to have depth and at my age I am expected to trade Issey Miyake for embalming fluid. However despite this entrenched ageism I seem to have become daddy of choice to a harem of lithe young men. This does wonders for lust but does nothing to fill other voids. I yearn for someone with depth and intellect to appear and make a stodgy pudding into a syllabub.

There is never enough time to do and say all that we wish - the most important thing is to do as much as you can in the time that you have.

The Ghost of Christmas Present

 

 

 

 

Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on

November ended on a high with Shearwater delivering a blasting set at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar. They were mesmerising to watch and the energy coming from the stage was palpable. Many encores saw them run out of rehearsed material but founder Jonathan Meiburg carried on alone playing crowd requests until curfew. It was a gig which had me reaching for their album ‘Animal Joy’ the moment I got home. ‘You As You Were’ missed making the festive round up by a whisker but you can hear it and a little more here -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBLB-_b3_Jk&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIVU2AHfdeQ

 

December saw my mood chill and slide like mercury in a thermometer. My soul entombed in the pointless struggle of the day to day; an endless snaking balance sheet with no double line. I call these becalmed periods a ‘Peggy Lee’ thanks to the song ‘Is That All There Is’ which perfectly expresses my frustration and miasma. This existential masterpiece was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller during the 1960s and covered countless times since by singers as diverse as PJ Harvey and Chaka Khan, but Peggy’s version has never been bettered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VscVP_Gt_s&feature=player_embedded

Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is...

 

During these storms I struggle to see the positive and yearn to escape from a noose of debt and servitude. All my energy is spent on suppressing the urge to simply up sticks and disappear somewhere. Luckily common sense has prevailed thanks to the little things which bring respite from the gloom. This week the sight of a green woodpecker buzzing from tree to tree as I walked to my car was one such moment. Seeing the red capped streak in an urban setting was like finding a twenty pound note in the street.

 

On December 7^th a more prolonged break in the clouds came in the shape of the inimitable Martha Wainwright. Although stripped down in comparison she put her brother to shame with a repertoire trapeze vaulting between stomping indie, standards, Piaf and some Kate McGarrigle for good measure.  She was simply a wonder and the icing on the cake was meeting her with dear friend Marije after the show. I even managed to squeeze a Christmas CD into her hand which she seemed genuinely grateful for. Here she is talking about and singing from her marvellous Piaf tribute Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, à Paris. http://vimeo.com/12222663

https://www.facebook.com/My.Sundown/posts/10151122324506012?comment_id=23935786&ref=notif&notif_t=feed_comment_reply#!/media/set/?set=a.376231765799537.89083.263206980435350&type=1

And for the uninitiated here’s the first song I saw her perform years back in 2004 as support to brother Rufus at the Brighton Dome -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX-bIr8dr6U
She wrote the song about her father Loudon Wainwright III and in a 2005 interview said -

'for most of my childhood Loudon talked to me in song, which is a bit of a shitty thing to do. Especially as he always makes himself come across as funny and charming while the rest of us seem like whining victims, and we can't tell our side of the story. As a result he has a daughter who smokes and drinks too much and writes songs with titles like Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole.'
Tuesday 10^th saw another show in a church, this time by Patrick Wolf at St. Mary’s. However the space was freezing and the high vaulted ceiling had the sound lost in a muddle of echoes. A great shame really as the boy has a massive talent. Darling Amanda and I did our best to keep warm by huddling together, craning our necks for a view and sipping wine that anyone taking communion would have spat out. Not a great success really, but he did sing ‘The River’ as an encore which sent me home feeling a little happier. It is one of my favourite songs, perfect for a ‘Peggy Lee’ at Christmas and here it is - http://www.youtube.com/v/GpFudDAYqxY&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

 

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry

He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on

I made my baby say goodbye

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on