Best 18 of 2018: Best Music of 2018

Ok, so I haven't done one of these for a while but 2018 has been a good year for music so thought I'd get back on the horse and write a review of some of my personal favourites from the past twelve months. This is all down to personal taste and nothing to do with album sales or chart position. If anything, this gives a platform to some music that might be less well known. I've done a review of my top 18 songs of the year, with an extended playlist linked below. As always, feedback is well appreciated. I'm a bit rusty with this, so take it easy on me. Enjoy :)

Alice Merton- Why So Serious: 'Why So Serious' is the lead single from the upcoming debut album by German/Canadian/English singer songwriter Alice Merton. Merton has had a rapid rise to fame following on from her successful 'No Roots' E.P. released in 2017, her full length debut album, titled 'Mint' is due for release in January 2019. 'Why So Serious' captures that same catchy infectious energy.  She could really be one to watch in 2019.

 

 

Ash- Copenhagen December 2018

Ash- Did Your Love Burn Out?: Taken from their 2018 album ‘Islands’ this is the third single from album to coincide with album release. This is now the 8^th studio album from Northern Irish alt rockers and they only appear to be getting better with age. There is now an added maturity to their sound and song writing. This song is less youthful and punchy, more of a slow burner. There are sounds of a slight Arctic Monkeys influence, if that was intentional or not is open to debate, but it’s not bad thing. It’s instantly one of their best songs and sits perfectly amongst the other big songs in their back catalogue. The guitar solo in the middle rounds the song off perfectly.

 

 

 

Barns Courtney- London November 2018

Barns Courtney- “99”: ‘99’ is the new single from English singer/songwriter Barns Courtney, following on from his superb 2017 debut album ‘The Attractions of Youth’ that spawned singles such as ‘Fire’ and ‘Glitter and Gold’. New single ‘99’ and B-Side ‘Good Thing’ will appear on his upcoming new album. It’s an uplifting indie anthem harking back to good old days of the late 1990s. Catchy and upbeat song it fits in well with his other material. His distinctive style and clever song writing are present throughout. Definitely bodes well for the new album. By far my favourite musical discovery of the year.

 

 

 

Black Honey- Brighton October 2018

Black Honey- Midnight: Taken from the Brighton quartets’ self-titled debut album, ‘Midnight’ showcases a band with the world at their feet. It’s a synth-pop disco inspired anthem with a huge sing along chorus. It’s a great catchy single. The art of the music video hasn’t been lost on this band either.  They’ve taken their time to get to their debut album but they’ve smashed it out the park. Far from one trick pony’s, the album is really strong from start to finish. All Killer, No Filler may seem like a cliché, but it’s an accurate representation of their album. Definitely up there as contender for one of my favourite albums of the year. 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fboUfXdWBk Link for Official Video

Brian Fallon- London February 2018

Brian Fallon- See You on the Other Side: This song appears on the Gaslight Anthem frontman’s second solo album ‘Sleepwalkers’ following on from his 2016 debut ‘Painkillers’. Whereas ‘Painkillers’ was a healing process, ‘Sleepwalkers’ shows Fallon in a better place. He has since remarried and is happy with life. This helps to show Fallon at top of his game. He has always been a talented songsmith (as demonstrated with GA and various other projects), wearing his heart on his sleeve.  ‘See You on the Other Side’ is a brilliant acoustic ballad. It’s a sad tale of love but one that expertly shows Fallon’s song writing strength.

 

 

Cecilia Krull- My Life is Going On: ‘My Life is Going On’ is a song by Spanish artist Cecilia Krull which provided the theme tune to hit Spanish Netflix drama ‘La Casa De Papel’, or ‘Money Heist’ as the rest of the world knows it. As with most hit shows a strong song during the opening credits can work wonders, and ‘Money Heist’ is no different. It captures the feeling of the show perfectly. An acoustic single that deserves a lot more recognition.

 

Dead Sara- Anybody: Having lost bassist Chris Null after their last studio album, Dead Sara returned with a new EP ‘Temporary Things Taking Up Space’. It shows the band taking a different direction. ‘Unamerican’ shows band as angsty rockers, something that has come across in previous records. ‘Heaven has a backdoor too’ shows a softer bluesy side, again something demonstrated on previous albums. However, an 80s sounding synth rock sound is something new to the Dead Sara armoury and they pull it off brilliantly. Shows a different side to the band, and the recent acoustic release of the same song shows what a talent Emily Armstrong is as a vocalist. It’s different to the Dead Sara we are used to, but it’s a welcome step in a different direction. Would really welcome a UK tour. Been a long time since their last appearance on these shores.

 

George Ezra- Paradise: The follow up album to his smash debut ‘Wanted on Voyage’ sees George Ezra carry on where he left off with his infectious brand of pop. His debut album seems a long time ago but the time off hasn’t done him any harm if the lead single is anything to go by. It’s a wonderful, catchy piece of song writing. It has a number of hooks which grab you and it only takes a handful of listens to grasp the lyrics and unconsciously sing along. It’s been a long wait, but it’s good to have him back.

 

 

Graham Coxon- Walking All Day: Blur guitarist Graham Coxon went in different direction to provide the soundtrack for Channel 4/Netflix show ‘End of the F***ing World’. One of the highlights is this gem. Again it’s a catchy, acoustic song, totally different from any of his Blur material. It fits the quirky, left field nature of the show perfectly. A really good song, and definitely recommend catching the show on Netflix too.

 

 

Greta van Fleet- London November 2018

Greta van Fleet- Lover, Leaver: Greta van Fleet are a band that seem to divide rock fans. On the one hand, they are derided for being Led Zeppelin rip offs. The other are lauding them as one of the saviours of rock. Truth is, they are somewhere in the middle. There are similarities to Zep, you cannot escape it, but that isn’t a bad thing and it certainly isn’t the be all and end all of the band. Impressively, they have managed to gain a huge following without actually releasing an album until late this year. Following on from two EP’s, their debut ‘Anthems of the Peaceful Army’ was met with great fanfare, including a sold out European tour. For a band to be selling out 3000+ capacity venues for multiple nights shows they are band who could be on their way to something big. Given that they have a strong back catalogue already, and half the band members are too young to legally drink in their home State of Michigan, it will take a lot to stop them.

 

 

 



Myself with Lissie at Resident Records in Brighton 

Lissie- Best Days: 'Best Days' is the third single from American singer songwriter Lissie's fourth studio album returns with 4^th studio album 'Castles'. I've been a fan of Lissie's since her debut album 'Catching a Tiger' back in 2010 and she has been consistently brilliant with every release. There have been slight changes in style with each album, but her talent remains evident throughout. There is a charming, raw huskiness to her vocals, something which is best experienced live.

 

 

 

Isaac Gracie- Running on Empty: 2018 saw the eponymous debut by the London born singer songwriter Isaac Gracie. Similar in terms of style to the likes of James Bay and Ben Howard, Gracie has helped carved his own little niche with well an album of well crafted songs. Having taught himself to play the guitar at 18, the now 24 year old has had a long road reaching his debut album. Influenced by the likes of Jeff Buckley and Bob Dylan, Gracie's songwriting touches on some quite personal experiences. The songs are very well produced however, belying his tender years. He is definitely a star of the future to watch out for. If his debut is anything to go by, it's an exciting future as he can only get better.

 

 

Miles Kane- Brighton June 2018

Miles Kane- Cry on My Guitar: The Liverpudlian indie rocker has made a triumphant return with new solo music after 5 years away. Having completed and toured a second album with Alex Turner as Last Shadow Puppets, it’s good to have Kane back with solo material.  He has come back on the top of his game, it’s like he hasn’t been away. This song fuses a Muse/T-Rex sound into this modern indie rock anthem. Having seen him on the promotional tour before the album was released, he’s still up there as one of the best live acts around.

 

 

 

Mike Shinoda feat K.Flay- Make It Up As I Go: 'Make It Up as I Go' is one of the singles from the debut solo album by ex-Linkin Park singer Mike Shinoda. The album titled 'Post Traumatic', is his first solo work since the tragic death of Linkin Park bandmate Chester Bennington. Released in June 2018, it features a mixture of tracks written by Shinoda himself as well as a number of collaborations. One such collaboration that struck me was 'Make It Up As I Go' written with American rapper K.Flay. Having recently discovered K.Flay's music after seeing her tour with Imagine Dragons, I started listening to more of her music and really liked what I heard. The collobaroation between Shinoda and herself works really well, they compliment each other perfectly. Anyone expecting something similar to LInkin Park will be disappointed, what you have instead is something more toned down but no less powerful. It's good to see Shinoda back making music and of high quality too.

 

 

Razorlight- Brighton December 2018

Razorlight- Japanrock: Johnny Borrell et al return after 10 years away. Razorlight were staples of the indie rock scene in the mid-2000s with hits such as 'America', 'In the Morning' and 'Golden Touch'. However, there has been little activity since the band's 2008 album 'Slipway Fires' other than a handful of live appearences and a solo album by frontman Johnny Borrell in 2013. 2018 sees the band return with a new album, 'Olympus Sleeping', and it's like they haven't been away. 'Japanrock' for example is a catchy, guitar-led indie anthem which wouldn't have sounded out of place on any of Razorlight's previous albums. It's really good to have them back.

 

 

 

The Struts- London September 2017

The Struts- Fire (Part1): It’s really good to have The Struts back. Having teased fans last year with the single ‘One Night Only’, they finally have the full length follow up their brilliant debut ‘Everybody Wants…’. It was really difficult to choose just one song from the new album ‘Young and Dangerous’, to list here, but gone for ‘Fire (Part 1)’. It shows the band at their flamboyant glam best. It’s catchy, has a big chorus and a killer guitar solo. The guitar work on the album as a whole is very impressive, with a number of solos catching the listener’s ear.  ‘Body Talks’, ‘In Love with a Camera’ and the Rolling Stones-esque ‘Primadonna like Me’ are other highlights on a very strong album. My personal favourite album of the year.

 

 

 

The Weeks- Buttons (Live): Bending the rules slightly for this one, but it is strictly a 2018 release so it’s being included here. Plus The Weeks are one of my favourite bands so had to include them. The Weeks released their first ‘Live’ album this year entitled ‘Live at the Vines’, a twelve track live record with the tracks chosen by the fans. My personal favourite track ‘The House We Grew Up In’ is missing, but it includes the mega fan favourite ‘Buttons’ which sounds immense in a live environment. The guitars are turned up to eleven, the crowd are singing along and you get the band jamming at the end. The band are seriously underrated and on this showing, it is hard to believe they haven’t got a bigger profile.

 

Weezer- Rosanna: Weezer have been on a prolific run recently. Their upcoming ‘Black Album’ is their third album in three years following 2016’s ‘White Album’ and last year’s ‘Pacific Daydream’. In between, earlier this year they surprised fans with the surprise cover of the 1980s hit ‘Rosanna’ by Toto. This followed a social media campaign by fans requesting the band cover Toto’s iconic song ‘Africa’. The cover of ‘Africa’ eventually followed with both tracks receiving positive reviews. Toto themselves responded by covering Weezer’s 2001 hit ‘Hash Pipe’. It shows a band having fun whilst showing they are very good at what they do.

 

 

 

Please follow the link below for an extended playlist on Spotify. Again the choices are purely my own. Hope you enjoy:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ZbxWGsZ48R2ALXzLmd09V



Thank You for reading. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and very happy new year.

 

Album Review: Barns Courtney- The Attractions of Youth 

Sometimes you just stumble across an artist by accident and immediately the ears prick up and you wonder "how have I never heard of you before?" Exactly this happened the other day when listening to a 'Rock and Indie' playlist on Spotify. Wasn't especially looking for some new music, but I did find an artist whose album I have had on repeat ever since. The singer, one Barns Courtney. 

Nope, I hadn't heard of him either. And more's the pity, because the guy is a big talent. Born in England but raised in Scotland, his debut album has been two years in the making. Early singles 'Glitter and Gold' and 'Fire' have earned him over 70 million streams on Spotify alone and playing festivals such as BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in 2016.

Cherry picking his most popular songs and ignoring the rest of the album is doing his music a huge disservice, however. There is a wonderful variety of styles and influences to be discovered. 

'Fire' and 'Glitter and Gold' kick the album off. Both are very strong indie anthems with big radio-friendly choruses and hooks. Doesn't take many listens for them to get under your skin. With the two main singles at the beginning, it's a big statement of intent. The rest of the album doesn't disappoint. 

'Hands' follows on next and there's an immediate change in style. Gone is the polished sound and in its place is raw, scratchy indie rock more akin to garage rockers Palma Violets. It really works though and shows that loud and brash can be called upon. 

Onto 'Golden Dandelions' and it quietens down again back to a style similar to the opening two tracks. It has a very radio friendly sound with another catchy chorus. You will see there is a pattern starting to emerge... 

'Hellfire' encompasses that raw sound again while 'Hobo Rocket' draws more than a few parallels with 'Loser' by Beck. At least that was a connection my brain made when I first heard it. The fact that Beck is mentioned in the lyrics could be pure coincidence. It's one of the strongest songs on the album though. How he manages to fit so many hooks into a 3-minute song I don't know. It's a superb indie anthem which you can imagine would go down a storm at summer festivals. 

The short interlude before the next song is a nice rest bite before the album moves onto 'Champion'. Now, this was the first song that got me into Barns Courtney and it's still one of my favourites. Sounding not unlike Imagine Dragons, it has a strong beat and another big chorus. 

'Kicks' shows that brash indie has plenty of representation while you could imagine if Ed Sheeran had released 'Never Let You Down' it would already be a worldwide smash hit. 'Goodbye John Smith' is a beautiful change of pace. A wonderful, slow paced piano ballad, listening to it, it sounds like a song from a different artist has been slipped in by mistake. It just shows, however, the range of styles he is capable of as well as the strength of songwriting on display.  

'Little Boy' is next and sounds like a lost track from David Gray, especially on the bridge between the verse and chorus and in the chorus itself. Another strong track. 'Rather Die' ramps the volume up one last time before the album's end. Here similarities between Courtney and Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy can be heard. Given that Myles Kennedy is widely considered one of the best singers in rock at the moment, that is most definitely not a bad thing. It's only slight, but there is a definite similarity when it comes to the chorus. This can also be heard during 'Golden Dandelions'.  The title track closes the album and it's a beautiful slow burner to end on.   

Overall, it is an album of huge quality and one I have revisited multiple times over the past week or so. In that time, I have not got tired of listening to it. The level of songwriting and songcraft is something to be admired and his music deserves to be shared. The variety of styles on display is impressive and gives the album a well-rounded feel. Not only that, but there isn't a weak song on the album or one you'd wish to skip. It's only the second week of January, but it's going to take a very strong album to knock this off the perch as 'favourite musical discovery of the year'.