Albums of 2023

Every year, I try to whittle down my favourite new albums into a top 10 and yet every year, I don't quite make it. At one point, my shortlist contained 32 and I could've argued a reason as to why each should be featured here. Eventually, I managed to get it down to a top 15 while still finding room for some of the others that missed out.

15) CMAT - Crazymad, For Me

In a crowded field of folky singer-songwriters this year, the Irish CMAT stood out for me for the combination of pop, Americana, witty lyrics and the concept of her 47-year old self travelling back in time to prevent herself from being in a relationship that could "ruin her life".

    If you liked this, try Mitski - The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We

14) Margaret Glaspy - Echo the Diamond

Combining bluesy rock with personal, cathartic lyrics, Margaret Glaspy's third album has the raw, nostalgic air of a basement bar in the mid 90s.

    If you liked this, try Feist - Multitudes

13) Gabriels - Angels & Queens

Confusingly released in two parts (the second of which also included the songs from the first part) the debut album from the Los Angeles/Sunderland soul trio is nevertheless brooding, sultry and full of drama.

    If you liked this, try Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy

12) Creeper - Sanguivore

If I said this sounds like Meat Loaf and My Chemical Romance made a concept album about vampires, I don't think you'd believe me but it's true. It's probably like nothing else you'll hear this year and it's glorious.

    If you liked this, try... I'm still thinking

11) The Menzingers - Some of It Was True

Now on their eighth studio album, the US punk rockers are growing up a bit. There's no less urgency in the delivery and the lyrics are as self-deprecating as ever, but they're still highly relatable as their fanbase gets older.

    If you liked this, try The Gaslight Anthem - History Books

10) Flyte - Flyte

Tender and wistful, the indie-folk duo's third album is the most minimal and intimate yet. The lyrics seem to say just enough while the music leaves you with headspace to contemplate, and this is best demonstrated on Even on Bad Days which is at turns comforting and heartbreaking.

    If you liked this, try Billie Marten - Drop Cherries

9) Anohni and the Johnsons - My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross

Much has happened since Antony and the Johnsons won the 2005 Mercury Prize with their iconic second album. Now reformed after 13 years away and with singer Anohni able to live as her authentic self, the band has released their extraordinary fifth album, a collection of soulful and sometimes uncomfortable tracks about environmentalism and LGBQ+ rights.

    If you liked this, try Christine & The Queens - Paranoïa, Angels, True Love

8) Dađi Freyr - I Made an Album

In 2020, Icelander Dađi Freyr won hearts all over Europe with the whimsical Think About Things and its hilariously awkward accompanying video and dance routine. The song was highly tipped to sweep up at Eurovision when covid-19 caused the cancellation of the contest. A year later and Dađi entered again with the equally cute 10 Years but alas one member of the band was struck down with covid, meaning they couldn't perform. In the years since, he's been working on this, his first solo album and, as expected, it's so much fun. Showcasing his trademark electropop with witty, mainly English lyrics and unusual melodies, I Made An Album is as joyful as you can expect, culminating in the frantic drum and bass of the German-language closer, Bitte. Douze points!

    If you liked this, try Duncan Laurence - Skyboy

7) Corinne Bailey Rae - Black Rainbows

You may remember Corinne Bailey Rae from the coffee-table soul of Put Your Records On or Like A Star so her fourth album, may come as somewhat of a surprise. Lurching between genres including garage rock, glam-punk, jazz and soul, Black Rainbows can be dizzying on first listen but this acts as a parallel to its theme of society needing to shut up and listen to both the hardships and successes of black culture. It's a wild and satisfying ride.

    If you liked this, try VV Brown - Am I British Yet?    

6) Everything but the Girl - Fuse

It's been almost 24 years since Everything but the Girl released their last studio album, Temperamental. Back then, the band had recently transitioned from jangly indie pop to subdued electronica and it's the latter which is evident on their comeback. It may be tempting to assume that the electronic music scene has have moved on in the intervening 24 years, leaving EBTG's sound a little outdated, but instead they've managed to make that rare record: one that's contemporary and yet instantly recognisable as the band's signature sound. Well worth the wait.

    If you liked this, try James Blake - Playing Robots into Heaven

5) Beyond the Lamplight - Beyond the Lamplight

For some reason, punk really grabbed hold of me in 2023. This self-titled pirate-punk album from Beyond the Lamplight was the most refreshing of the bunch. The band is a spin-off from folk-punk band Larry and His Flask and their sound isn't too dis-similar to the parent band. Intelligent, nimble lyrics combine with rip-roaring melodies and strong harmonies but here the chanted choruses and themes of drinking and friendship give off strong nautical vibes.

    If you liked this, try Skinny Lister - Shanty Punk

4) Nothing but Thieves - Dead Club City

Nothing but Thieves have consistently showed they're more than just a rock band. Their first couple of albums blended grungy rock with funky basslines and Conor Mason's outstanding, theatrical falsetto vocals. Their third, for me, was a mis-step: full of ideas and influences but perhaps a bit too many. But I think that's made this, their fourth LP, all the stronger. The scale of the work is bigger: it's a concept album about the titular Dead Club City. But what is that? Something from a sci-fi film? A post-capitalist wasteland? A real place? Maybe all these things. Sometimes concept albums can lead to a band getting overexcited and self-indulgent. For Nothing but Thieves, it seems to have focused the minds and consolidated their influences. It's their best yet.

    If you liked this, try All Time Low - Tell Me I'm Alive

3) Fall Out Boy - So Much (For) Stardust

Another band setting out on the comeback trail this year was Fall Out Boy. With 00s emo and pop-punk fashionable again, you may assume that Patrick Stump and co would stick to what they know but that's far from the case. Right from the opening strings, you can tell this album is heading for grandeur. Yes it's a pop-punk album with lyrics about getting your heart broken but intertwined throughout are shades of rockabilly, 80s power ballads and soaring strings. The whole thing rockets along like the soundtrack to an 80s coming-of-age film and I can't wait to see it.

    If you liked this, try You Me At Six - Truth Decay

2) Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!

In 2020, we were locked down and several artists turned to disco to bring joy into our lives. Jessie Ware was one of them, releasing the wonderful What's Your Pleasure to rave reviews. But how to follow that up three years later? The answer is: more of the same but with the dial fully cranked up. That! Feels Good! is a full-on celebration of everything that made disco what it was. As its title suggests, lyrically it's about celebrating yourself and enjoying whatever makes you feel good. But it's in the music where it gets interesting. As the album progresses, you're introduced to the Latin-tinged Begin Again and the hi-NRG house of Freak Me Now, mirroring how disco developed into other genres throughout the 80s and 90s. This makes it feel like a celebration, not just of pleasure, but of disco itself.

    If you liked this, try Romy - Mid Air

1) Susanne Sundfør - blómi

It's hard to describe Susanne Sundfør to anyone who's unfamiliar with her. She's a Norwegian singer-songwriter who started out making folk music, transitioned into electropop, then settled somewhere in between and added experimental sounds on top. Listening to this album is like walking into a contemporary art gallery: it's a full sensory experience. Although most of the tracks are in English (with one spoken word track in German), many of the song titles are in Old Norse. This includes the title track which translates as "to bloom", implying a sort of professional awakening. There are around three tracks (it's difficult to say) which amount to spoken-word poems over backing music. But if this all sounds very pretentious, the rest of the tracks are accessible, beautiful, soaring, soulful ballads which reach deep within and lodge themselves firmly in your very being, the highlight being the run of three tracks in the middle: fare thee well, leikara ljód and alyosha. It's like nothing else you'll hear this year. In fact, it's like nothing else you've heard since her last album in 2017. And that's why she's so extraordinary.

    If you liked this, try Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd?

Thanks for reading this far. If 15 albums is too much to listen to, you might prefer this playlist I put together of my favourite songs from 2023 instead.

Albums of 2022

Usually at the end of every year, I write a round-up of my favourite albums. I didn't get round to it last year so I really wanted to make sure I pick it up again for 2022, however I spent most of the Christmas break coughing on the sofa. Now, on the last day of the year, I'm sitting down to write a quick line about each of my 20 favourite albums so at least I can say I did it. If one sentence per album is still too long for you, here's a playlist of my favourite songs instead.

20) Wet Leg - Wet Leg

To be honest, there's nothing I can write that's not already been said about one of the wryest, most tongue-in-cheek, most talked about debut albums of the year.

19) Weyes Blood - And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Delicate and soaring all at the same time, Weyes Blood produces the type of easy-listening Americana that you could easily believe was recorded 45 years ago.

18) Sault - 11

London collective Sault continued ploughing their own mysterious furrow this year, releasing five albums on the same day and covering a diverse array of genres including soul, funk, punk, classical, reggae and gospel with soul-inspired 11 representing the best of the bunch.

17) Bonobo - Fragments

Laidback, pulsing, spacey beats, bleeps and other electronic noises are what we've come to expect from English producer Bonobo, and on this evidence, he only continues getting better.

16) First Aid Kit - Palomino

The time has come for Swedish duo First Aid Kit to enhance their traditional folk with some modern-day pop inflections yet it feels like a progression rather than a sell-out.

15) Alt-J - The Dream

That this is a slight disappointment compared to their previous releases shows how good art-rock pioneers Alt-J really are, but what their first three lack is anything as heartbreaking as Get Better.

14) Hot Chip - Freakout/Release

One of those albums that becomes better with repeated listens, Hot Chip's eighth is a heady mix of disco, funk and dance-punk, peaking early with the deserved dancefloor-filler Eleanor.

13) Father John Misty - Chloë and the Next 20th Century

On his fifth album under this nickname, Father John Misty adds new strings to his bow, largely substituting his usual mournful Americana for golden-age jazz, swing and bossa nova.

12) Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There

At turns experimental yet accessible, the second album from UK art-rock band Black Country, New Road was released to widespread acclaim, mixing epic rock with jazz, folk, grunge, emo and many other styles.

11) Gang of Youths - angel in realtime.

Australian band Gang of Youths combine alternative rock, chamber pop and Pacific Islander influences on this lush collection of personal, autobiographical stories.

10) King Princess - Hold On Baby

Diverse, yet cohesive at the same time, the frantic second album by US indie-pop singer-songwriter King Princess features lyrics about relationships, depression and being a woman in the music industry.

9) Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - When The Lights Go

The gloriously named Orlando Higginbottom (who records as the equally glorious Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs) may have taken 10 years to follow up his debut but this collection of 80s-inspired electropop was well worth the wait.

8) Paolo Nutini - Last Night In The Bittersweet

On his fourth album, Paolo Nutini combines his inimitable soulful voice with a whistle-stop tour of all his favourite styles of rock music from the early 70s to the present day.

7) Röyksopp - Profound Mysteries (Parts I, II, and III)

Making up for 8 long years without an album, Norwegian electronic duo Röyksopp released three albums in 2022 alongside short films to accompany every track, with Profound Mysteries Part I sounding the most... well, profoundly mysterious.

6) Maggie Rogers - Surrender

Instantly singalong indie-pop-rock is the order of the day on the catchy, inventive second album from US singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers.

5) Júníus Meyvant - Guru

Icelandic singer-songwriter, Júníus Meyvant mixes sultry, bluesy soul with Nordic folk to create this brooding, exhilarating record that culminates in the dramatic, spine-tingling epic, Undravera.

4) Florence + The Machine - Dance Fever

At this stage of her career, you know what to expect from Florence Welch but that doesn't stop her springing some surprises on you with this stirring, soaring collection of personal, poignant lyrics.

3) Loyle Carner - Hugo

As on his previous two outstanding albums, British rapper Loyle Carner includes many open and honest references to his upbringing and home life, and this time tackles race relations and his difficult relationship with his father.

2) Jacob Banks - Lies About The War

Ending a deal with a major record label and going your own way can often signal trouble, but on the basis of this album, brimming with ideas, it has presented British soul singer, Jacob Banks, a greater sense of freedom and passion.

1) Foals - Life Is Yours

Every Foals album seems to add an extra layer of sound to their existing mix of pulsating indie-dance-rock, and on this, their seventh album, we're treated to the introduction of funky baselines and tropical house beats, perfect for poolside sunbathing.

Albums of 2020

Look, there's nothing I can say about 2020 that hasn't already been said. It's been the most bewildering year that I've ever lived through but one good thing was that it gave me much more time to listen to music. Normally, I attempt to round off the year with a top 10 which, due to my indecisiveness, usually extends to a top 12. But this year, I've decided to make it a top 20 to celebrate the wider array of music I've been listening to. There were many others I could have included but these all spoke to me this year. That's all there is to it.


20) Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes - What Kinda Music
A collaboration between funk/soul musician and producer Tom Misch and jazz drummer Yussef Dayes, What Kinda Music is one of those albums that is difficult to categorise. It's a sumptuous, laidback and atmospheric collection of songs that is perfect both for focused listening and as a background for a lazy day. Once you're immersed within the music, time becomes irrelevant anyway. Have you been listening for hours or seconds? It's hard to tell. But, without a doubt, you've spent the whole time nodding your head with a satisfied expression on your face.

19) Ray LaMontagne - MONOVISION
Raw and delicate is what we've come to expect from Ray LaMontagne, now on his eighth studio album. MONOVISION is no different but what's striking is the simplicity of his songwriting. The lyrics speak directly to you and the chord progressions sound so familiar. It's like tuning into one of your favourite TV shows expecting some well-loved repeats but finding they made some new episodes that are just as good. The highlight is We'll Make It Through, an intimate song of hope that was perfect for a mid-2020 release.


18) Margaret Glaspy - Devotion
On her second album, American singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy introduces electronic elements to her indie folk arrangements. It's a commonly tread path and not one that always works but Glaspy makes it feel like she's been doing it all her life. Many of the tracks seem experimental and yet would sound equally at home on commercial radio. Primarily about the ups and downs of love, it's an album that will resonate with many a listener with its heartfelt lyrics and catchy melodies. The standout track is You've Got My Number: funky, confident and sexy.


17) Biffy Clyro - A Celebration of Endings
One of the many bands to have an album release pushed back due to the pandemic, Biffy Clyro are an act whose expansive rock sound is brought alive through live performance so not being able to tour this one must be hugely frustrating. A Celebration of Endings is the band's eighth album and their third consecutive UK number one so it would be easy for them to fall into a rut. Instead, they've recorded an album of progression and invention with many twists and turns throughout. The first single to be released, Instant History, hinted at a more electronic direction but in context of the full album, it's just one of the experiments they try before building up to the huge, frantic climax, Cop Syrup. Play it loud.


16) Creeper - Sex, Death & the Infinite Void
If your tastes haven't been catered for yet, maybe Creeper's second album will remedy this. Referring to themselves as "more of an art project than a band", they take elements of horror culture and mix them up with the sounds of emo, punk and a sprinkling of Britpop. High-energy sing-alongs and dramatic ballads are interspersed with creepy spoken-word interludes to really ramp up the experience. It's rewarding to listen to and difficult to explain but if you ever wished that My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco would write a horror musical together, you may be pleasantly surprised.


15) Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
Atmospheric but for a completely different reason, Punisher, the second album by indie singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers has been hugely lauded this year. Lyrically, its complex themes deal with loneliness, endings and the connections between the inner and outer self, which makes it a great album for self-reflection and drawing your own conclusions. If this sounds heavy, it is. Bridgers has made a very personal record and there's a lot of emotion here but there's lightness too. On Halloween, she shows her cutting sense of humour and jokes that she lives near a hospital so if she's awoken by sirens "someone better be dying".


14) Sault - Untitled (Black Is)
This is the first of two albums released this year by Sault, a secretive collaboration of musicians who eschew media attention and highlight black issues through their music. This very much feels like a landmark album to release in a landmark year for equal rights. Untitled (Black Is) is ostensibly a rhythm and blues album full of protest songs. At times, you feel this could have been written in the 1960s and at others, like there's no time like the present for an album like this. Sometimes these thoughts happen in the same song. It's a powerful record and is often not easy to listen to, which is exactly as it should be. It's an album designed to make you sit up and listen. Even in the beautiful and soulful Wildfires, whose lyrics reference George Floyd and other victims of police brutality, the intent behind this record is clear.


13) Róisín Murphy - Róisín Machine
Disco made a big comeback in 2020, a year in which many of us apparently wanted something we could dance away our cares to. Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia was another great example but, for me, Róisín Murphy did it better. Once the singer with the band Moloko, she's now an established solo artist who uses lots of influences to great effect. On this, her fifth studio album, 70s disco combines with 90s house music to hypnotic effect. At times, she channels Grace Jones at her peak, which ironically does not include Jones's early disco period. Róisín Machine is one of those albums which is perfectly suitable for consuming track by track but which, when listened to in full, unfolds slowly and reaches a crescendo leaving you wanting to listen again.


12) Sault - Untitled (Rise)
It was tough, and almost unfair, to decide which of Sault's two albums was their best this year, especially when Untitled (Black Is) was so powerful. However, this, their second of 2020 and fourth overall, seems more hopeful. The rhythm and blues of their previous album gives way to some funk and disco influences. The themes of protest and spoken-word elements are still present and, while there's definitely no indication that the fight is nearly over, it feels like the band can start to plan for what that world may look like once it is. The musicianship is immediately evident and for a relatively new band to release two albums of such high quality in quick succession shows incredible talent indeed.


11) The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You
A very late addition to the list, having only been released in the second week of December, the third album from electronic duo The Avalanches could maybe have been higher up the list if I'd had chance for a few more listens. The Avalanches famously took 16 years to follow up their outstanding debut, Since I Left You, an album so innovative that it warranted the creation of a new genre: plunderphonics. It took samples from a huge array of different songs and finely crafted them into new pieces. Their follow-up relied less on sampling and more on collaborations with other musicians, a trick which didn't always pay off. Thankfully, they've taken the best of both strategies and even introduced a third to produce a kind of concept album about space travel. There are similarities with Daft Punk's masterpiece Random Access Memories and, again, disco plays a huge part here. Like so many other albums on this list, it's best enjoyed from start to finish as interludes and sound effects help to build the narrative before the final track comprising Morse code. By this point, you've already left the stratosphere.


10) Laura Marling - Song for Our Daughter
In my book, Laura Marling is a national treasure. Now on her seventh studio album, the folk singer-songwriter actually brought the release of this forwards this year so that people could enjoy it during lockdown. With its stripped back and intimate sound, it suited that period remarkably well, even if the concept may seem a little strange. Marling wrote the album as an homage to a fictional daughter but I guess creating art can feel like taking a piece of you and putting it out into the world. Although nominated for the Mercury Prize this year, I feel Song For Our Daughter was still under-rated. The media went crazy for two Taylor Swift albums that were heralded as "stripped back" and yet they sound busy and overproduced compared to Marling's thing of beauty that somehow sounds sumptuous and delicate all at once.


9) The Killers - Imploding The Mirage
Building on the new-found confidence of their previous release, Imploding the Mirage is bold, assured and triumphant. When The Killers started out, they were seen as part of the post-punk revival scene of the 2000s with an electro-influenced debut. Many of their contemporaries have fallen by the wayside but The Killers have continually adjusted their sound to try and find their place since. There were a couple of hiccups in the middle of their career but they have re-found their purpose and have settled into a bombastic Americana groove that has improved over the last few albums. Another album to be pushed back due to the pandemic in the hopes that they'd be able to tour these songs that would surely resonate around stadiums, it's their first album without regular guitarist Dave Keuning. Instead, they've filled the gap with big names such as Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac, Adam Granduciel from The War on Drugs and k.d. lang. If you think you know The Killers because you're sick of hearing Mr Brightside, consider giving them another go. The lead single, Caution, is a particular highlight but My God, a gospel-tinged 80s power ballad in collaboration with Weyes Blood and Lucius is an excellent slow burner.


8) Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
A new discovery for me this year, Waxahatchee is the alter ego of American singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, now on her fifth studio album. Saint Cloud was inspired by the artist's alcoholism and quest to get sober. Its heartfelt and honest lyrics are set to a background of country-tinged indie rock and features plenty of simple refrains that quickly get lodged in your brain. A great example of this is Hell which is surely made for belting out at home on your own. It's another one of those albums that sounds both new and familiar, and made the perfect soundtrack to lockdown.


7) Caribou - Suddenly
From here onwards, I found it incredibly difficult to put these albums into rank order. Suddenly is the tenth studio album by Canadian musician and producer, Dan Snaith. Caribou's music would generally be described as electronic but that's really the extent of its classification. The beauty of Caribou's music is its inconsistency because you never know what's around the corner. There are dreamy vocals, samples, dancefloor fillers and experimental bleeps, often all within the same track. It can feel like you're listening to the artist's personal record collection but I guess this is Snaith making music for his own sake rather than anyone else's. This makes it a freeing and exhilarating experience, and with each listen you notice and appreciate something different.


6) Bright Eyes - Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was
Nine years after releasing their "final" album, Bright Eyes have returned with one of their best. In the interim, the members had all worked on separate projects and had started to tease new material as a band earlier this year. For me, the release was unexpected and maybe this has helped to play down expectations. The album begins in typical Bright Eyes style with some spoken-word pieces and a piano rag, and then gives way to thoughtful Americana with lush string accompaniments backing up Conor Oberst's fraught outpourings of emotion. If you already know Bright Eyes, it's everything you'd expect but cranked up a notch. There is room for experimentation and surprises on several tracks, yet chord progressions and melodies that seem so familiar on others. If you're new to Bright Eyes, it's a great introduction. I've spent my whole life detesting bagpipes and yet the standout track, Persona Non Grata, features this most polarising of instruments. That Bright Eyes have me actually loving them is very special indeed.


5) Doves - The Universal Want
Another comeback album, this is Doves' first since their 2009 number-two hit, Kingdom of Rust. Doves have always been masters at creating a sense of loneliness, even an element of foreboding through their music, and that's still present here. But there's something stirring in the darkness and starting to soar. "We can see hope, no more sorrow, you will love again" Jimi Goodwin's world-weary voice sings on For Tomorrow. These are songs that come from a knowing place, that acknowledge where we've been but provide hope for the future. I've said it so many times already but, that this album was released during a year of such upheaval seems so fitting. It may simply consolidate existing fans rather than winning new ones but it's an artfully made album nonetheless.


4) Khruangbin - Mordechai
Named after the Thai word for aeroplane, Khruangbin are a Canadian musical trio who take many different musical references from around the world and mash them all together. Mordechai is their third album and pretty much their breakthrough. Released at the end of June, it's the perfect album for listening to by a pool and would sound great blasting from the speakers of a beach bar. It's a shame so many of us didn't get to experience that this year. Mordechai incorporates latin, jazz and funk influences, plus many others genres which I'm sure I've never heard of. At turns, it will have you dancing on the furniture, grooving sensuously and kicking back in a comfortable corner. Pour yourself a pina colada and enjoy.


3) Nathaniel Rateliff - And It's Still Alright
With an earthy voice and simple instrumentation, Nathaniel Rateliff produces music that seems so primal. He's at his meandering best when building up to a chorus with an almost guttural wail, such as in Mavis or Time Stands. But by contrast there are also times of restraint and clarity which reflects how we all navigate through life. As a full album, it's a cathartic experience and displays a talent he has honed throughout his career. This is Rateliff's third solo album of stripped-back Americana, although he's also released three others with backing bands The Wheel and The Night Sweats which tend to gravitate more towards bluesy rock 'n' roll. It makes no matter which style he attempts, he's a master at both.


2) Haim - Women in Music Pt. III
Released with a blaze of publicity, Women in Music Pt. III is a confident step towards superstardom. It was written by the trio of sisters on the back of many personal struggles such as a friend's death, a partner's cancer diagnosis and a band member's diabetes. There's also many references to misogyny faced within the music industry. All of this sounds heavy but it's backed up with catchy melodies and sublime harmonies to create a bittersweet experience. There's also a huge array of styles, incorporating pop, rock, funk, country and many others. Ironically, some credit should also go to producer Rostam Batmanglij for bringing such a collection together and making it cohesive. He also performed the same mastery on my favourite album of 2019, Father of the Bride by his former band, Vampire Weekend. Make no mistake though, thematically, lyrically and musically, the success of this album belongs to Haim themselves.


1) Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
Earlier I claimed that disco made a big comeback in 2020 and nowhere is that more evident than on Jessie Ware's fourth studio album. Adapting the soul and electronica of her previous albums, What's Your Pleasure? uses elements of 70s pop and 90s house to great effect. It begins low-key with sultry opener Spotlight which contains hallmarks of what to expect later on. We get an introduction of funk before the album peaks at Save A Kiss, which grows and expands, and is crying out for a dance routine dreamt up in a bedroom. The tempo only lets up with sensual and pulsating tracks like In Your Eyes, which still manages to incorporate a thumping bassline. Penultimate track, The Kill, wouldn't sound out of place on an album by some Nordic electronic hipsters like Royksopp. Whether it was a tactical decision, or a natural career progression, Ware seems to have picked an opportune moment to change musical direction but it does feel like she's ahead of the curve rather than jumping on a bandwagon. I'm excited to see where she takes this next.

Thanks for reading this far. If you don't fancy listening to all 20 albums, I also put together a Spotify playlist of my favourite tracks of the year which includes songs from all these albums and many more. You can find here. 

Shopping Locally During Lockdown

The high street was already going through a tough time before Covid-19 came along. Now, we're heading into a second lockdown and non-essential shops, bars, restaurants and others have to close, limiting their ability to reach their customers. It's therefore a really important time to support your local independent shops.

Last Christmas, I wrote about how cost is often an important factor in people spending their money with international online corporations but cost can be measured in ways other than simply our immediate finances. This year, Amazon's profits have increased by 37% and its owner, Jeff Bezos, is now worth over $200bn. Where possible, I'd prefer my money to be helping local businesses get through this tough time so they can employ local people and pay their business rates so councils can continue to invest in the local area.

With this in mind, I've decided to make a list of independent businesses from Hull, Beverley and the surrounding area that also trade online so we can help support them through lockdown. Obviously, there's never going to be an exhaustive list and I've started with a few of my favourites but if you know of any others, leave a comment or tweet me (@earlofbeverley) and I'll keep on adding to this list. I've not included businesses supplying takeaway food as I think existing apps and services can do that better than I can.

- 19 Point 4 (clothing and homewares)

- Anders Browne (furniture)

- Art and Soul (art and homewares)

- Atom Beers

- Beasley's (clothing)

- Belle and Benjamin (children's clothing)

- The Blending Room (coffee)

- Bone Machine Brew Co (beer)

- Bug Vinyl (vinyl records)

- The Candy Shop

- Chinese Laundry (vintage clothing)

- Cocoa Chocolatier

- Cut-Price Bookstore

- The Deep Gift Shop (gifts, homewares, toys etc)

- Drewtons (food and drink)

- Floral Studio

- Form (stationery and art)

- Friends on Every Street (clothing and stuff)

- Great Newsome Brewery

- Homestead (homewares)

- The Hull Shop (gifts)

- J. E. Books

- Light & Scent (candles and bath bombs)

- Little Wold Vineyard

- The Modern Draper (men's clothing and accessories)

- My Hygge Things (homewares)

- Nordic Rosie (homewares)

- Oresome Gallery (jewellery)

- Poorboy Boutique (vintage clothing)

- Paper Rosie (stationery)

- Plant & Paint (plants and homewares)

- The Refill Jar (sustainable groceries)

- River City Coffee

- Roberts & Speight (food and drink)

- Roisin Dubh (homewares and gifts)

- Tessie's (clothing and accessories)

- Two Gingers (coffee)

- Vine & Grain (beer, wine and spirits)

- Vittles & Company (beer)

- White Rabbit Chocolatiers
- Wrecking Ball Press (books)

- Yorkshire Brewhouse (beer)

Life as a music fan

There was a time in the not too distant past when life as a music fan was easy to keep up with. You'd discover a new band. They'd release a single that would get a bit of radio play and you'd get used to hearing it quite a bit. You'd buy the CD single and it'd have a couple of B-sides tacked on. They weren't bad but you'd probably only listen to them once. The single would make its way into the charts and then about three months later, once the fuss had died down, they'd release another. A few weeks later, an album would follow. You were getting into them now; they might even become one of your favourite bands. They'd release a couple more singles, another three months apart, probably go on to tour the album and that would be it. Potentially, if the record company wanted to make a bit more money out of them, they'd reissue the album a year later with a few additional tracks that they originally decided weren't good enough for the album and they'd call it a "deluxe edition". It'd annoy you but you'd consider buying it. When the download era started, it didn't annoy you so much because even if you'd bought the original album, you could just download the extra tracks. Then, over time, you'd stop listening to the album so much. There's a chance you'd discover an EP that they released before they got a mainstream record contract and its mixture of demo versions of songs you already knew and other tracks that weren't quite good enough would satisfy you for now. A couple of years would go by and just before you forgot about your new favourite band, you'd hear their new single on the radio. It's brilliant! You forgot how good they were. So you start listening to the debut album again. It gets you excited for the follow-up. You hear the new single a few more times and a few weeks later, they release a second, followed by a new album a week after that. And the whole process starts again. This happened with a handful of bands. You only followed a handful because you didn't have the money to buy loads of CDs and the radio only played stuff they deemed mainstream.

Now, you've stopped buying CDs because you've got a subscription to Spotify. When you first signed up, it was a revelation! All of a sudden, you could listen to those bands that inspired your favourites or listen to whole back catalogues when you'd previously only heard a band's greatest hit on Top of the Pops that one time. So your list of favourite bands grows. Not just bands either; genres too. Suddenly you're into acid jazz, 70s disco and Indonesian hip hop. So you look at your Release Radar playlist every week. It often includes songs by bands you like but you're confused. Sometimes there's a new single; sometimes you think there's a new single but it's an album track and you're not sure if you've heard it before. Half the tracks seem to be remixes, live versions, re-imaginings. Just because you've put the latest Lewis Capaldi song on one of your playlists does not mean that you need to be notified on a weekly basis when an alternative vocal arrangement has been released. And you're really getting into some old stuff too. You've been listening to Dire Straits a lot recently and one week, your Release Radar contains one of their songs you've not heard before. They can't have reformed, can they? Wouldn't there have been more press? Well, you wouldn't know though, would you? Because why listen to the radio when the entirety of recorded history sits behind a green circle on your phone? So you Google it and you find out it's a B-side from 1987 and the record company is just adding some back catalogue stuff to online streaming services. It's not new. Why is Spotify getting you all excited like this? Or rather, why are you getting yourself so worked up?

So you follow all these new (and old) bands you've discovered which you could just about keep up with if they stuck to the established single-single-album-single way of doing things with a few weeks between releases. But now the record companies want more: more fans, more airplay, more money. And that band you discovered when you bought the first album on CD has popped up on your Release Radar. You've Googled it; it's a genuine new single. Awesome! You add it to a playlist and listen to it a couple of times in the first week. Then, the next week, your Release Radar has another one. What? You've only just got into the first one. You haven't even learnt the words to the chorus yet, never mind Googled the guitar chords. So you listen to the second single; it's alright. You start to think, maybe a few years ago, this would have been the B-side to the first. And then a couple of weeks later, there's another. You can't keep up. Someone at work says to you, "have you heard the new Vampire Weekend single" and you reply "which one?". Then the album drops. Fine. None of the rest of the stuff matters now. You'll just listen to the album; it's easier that way. It doesn't actually matter which ones the singles are because the radio now just plays Dua Lipa and Drake, and that's only because their record companies get them on the high-profile Spotify playlists. So you get into the new album. You love it; it's brilliant. But then a few weeks later, a new track appears in your Release Radar. You think you'll have heard it already but you don't recognise the title. You check and it's not on the album. What is this one now? Are they releasing a new album already? A couple of weeks later, the band drops an EP. An EP? EPs used to be things that bands recorded when they were on the way up, now they're things that record companies make them release within six months of an album because they can't wait another couple of years for a full follow-up. So you just go back to the album again and you find Spotify has replaced the original version with a new deluxe edition that not only contains those tracks that should've stayed on the cutting room floor, but also endless remixes and live versions. You start to think, "listen, I like this band but I just can't keep up. I want new music but I just need some time to enjoy it". And because you now like so many more bands, you can't listen to everything they release. It used to be that if Foals didn't release an album one year, it was fine because Biffy Clyro did so you still had something to get obsessed about. Now, they're all releasing two in quick succession and you don't need to think about whether or not you can afford the new album, but instead you have to consider if you actually have the time to listen to it.

So instead, you just stick on that Earth, Wind & Fire track again for the 1500th time and think "ah, I love Spotify".

Albums of 2019

It's a cliche that's repeated every year but at the end of 2019, it's certainly true: it's been a great year for music. There have been some interesting breakthroughs, high-profile comebacks and important works of art. As usual, I've found it hard to compress a year's worth of music into one list but here are my top 12 albums of 2019.

12) Feeder - Tallulah
Kicking off with the anthemic Youth, Feeder's 10th studio album is a rousing return to form. Formed in 1994, the band's early alternative rock sound gave way to middle-of-the-road indie towards the end of the 2000s. But a band that had survived the suicide of their drummer, Jon Lee, in 2002 could never be beaten. Tallulah is Feeder's first album since their second greatest hits collection and they've really found their purpose again. Feeder were in danger of fading into mediocrity but now they've released an album that captures their youthful energy but with riffs and lyrics that are the product of experience. It feels like you're eavesdropping on a group of old friends reuniting for a road trip across America. Let's hope this trip continues.

11) Metronomy - Metronomy Forever
Revolving mainly around singer/songwriter/producer Joe Mount, Metronomy Forever is the band's sixth studio album and continues Metronomy's exploration of electronica, synth pop and funk. There are hugely fun moments like on the stand-out Salted Caramel Ice Cream, a wannabe teen anthem about trying to look cool in front of a girl, and introspective moments too such as The Light: "Cause I understand that I hold you back but I'm just a man, a bad one at that". All of this is interspersed with instrumental bleeps and beats which makes the whole album feel both well thought-out and experimental. It's delightfully weird, fun and heartfelt at the same time. That's not easy to achieve.

10) Coldplay - Everyday Life
It's incredibly easy to follow the herd and diss Coldplay. In fact, their name has become a synonym for bland pop-rock. But there's more to them than this image. I've come to the realisation that they've settled into a pattern of releasing one formulaic album, followed by something ambitious and innovative, even if most people only seem to take note of the former. The boring X & Y was followed by the concept album Viva La Vida. Then came the formulaic Mylo Xyloto, with the haunting Ghost Stories three years later. This time, the band's eighth studio album follows the crowd-pleasing A Head Full of Dreams. Opening with the orchestral Sunrise, Everyday Life features lyrics in Spanish and Persian, topics such as racial inequality and war, plus samples, poetry, gospel choirs and more. It's hugely ambitious and there's a lot going on here. Not all of it works as well as Chris Martin thinks it does but it's a double album so there's room to experiment. A couple of the tracks do fall into "typical Coldplay" territory (mainly Champion of the World) and some of it is undoubtedly pretentious, however, overall it's a huge success and as far from bland as they're likely to get.

9) Brittany Howard - Jaime
Taking a break from her band, Alabama Shakes, Brittany Howard has produced her first solo album, Jaime, dedicated to her sister who died of retinoblastoma when she was a teenager. As a band Alabama Shakes walk the line between bluesy soul and roots rock but Howard takes this further on her own. Successful artists are adept at taking influences, mixing them up and making them sound like their own. The influences apparent on Jaime span a huge range of eras and genres, encompassing Nina Simone, James Brown, Prince, Gil Scott-Heron and others, while the lyrics cover politics, racism and teenage love. She may have taken a short time out to record it, but it feels like Brittany Howard's entire existence has contributed to this album's production.

8) Rosie Lowe - YU
"It could all be so simple" states Lifeline, the first track on Rosie Lowe's second album YU. And indeed you could be forgiven for thinking that's how the album will be. It starts off minimal and laid-back but soon, the production becomes more sultry and seductive. The stand-out track is Birdsong, the funkiest song you'll hear all year: "it's the very thought of you that gets me through the night and the knowing that I'll get it once more". It's essentially a collection of love songs but the confidence of the pulsing beats and funky guitar riffs belie the fragility and doubt of the lyrics. It's slinky but never entirely at ease with its sensuality which I think is such a relatable quality.

7) Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising
Weyes Blood is the stage name of Natalie Mering, an American singer-songwriter while Titanic Rising is her fourth album and surely her breakthrough. The music is pleasingly uncategorisable, being described by some reviewers as soft rock or chamber pop, but it has echoes of Karen Carpenter, Feist and Father John Misty. The lyrics are just as dreamy and ethereal. "Looking up to the sky for something I may never find" Mering croons on Andromeda, which helpfully sums up the album. If life is a journey, not a destination, so is Titanic Rising. Some tracks feel like they're about to launch into a big chorus along the lines of Nilsson's Without You but the moment never quite arrives. That's not to say the album doesn't have its own catchy moments, but the delight is in hearing how the songs unfold rather than celebrating when they reach the climax.

6) Bon Iver - i,i
Most bands are content with one concept album in their career but this year, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon declared that all four of their albums to date were part of one large concept with each representing one of the four seasons. To be honest, the metaphor does hold water. The debut For Emma, Forever Ago was recorded in a remote cabin and represents the bleakness of winter. The follow-up, Bon Iver, features the hope of spring whereas 22, A Million was frantic, hot and sticky like summer, bringing us full circle with the bizarrely named i,i. It begins where 22, A Million left off. The first four tracks are relatively short with angular motifs continuing the busy feeling of the summer. But by the time we reach the lead single, Hey, Ma, the dust clouds have cleared, the pace begins to slow and Autumn sets in. The album as a whole is less experimental than 22, A Million yet there are still awkward rhythms and discordant bleeps for atmosphere. Neither is it as simple and haunting as their first two albums. The lyrics have always been obtuse and mysterious, and that's not changed here. It's not a new musical direction but it does feel like the end of a movement.

5) The Tallest Man on Earth - I Love You, It's A Fever Dream
Measuring 1.7m, Sweden's Kristian Matsson is not what his stage name suggests, however, it's his music that stands tall. I Love You, It's A Fever Dream is his fifth studio album and the second since his divorce. His style of folk music has always been dark with strange lyrics but his previous album, Dark Bird Is Home was more personal than anything that came before, a product of the divorce which didn't work quite as well as intended. His latest effort continues the personal nature but strips it back further, creating a more cohesive collection of songs. The opener, Hotel Bar, is as lonely a song as you're likely to hear: "all I can do is say things will be fine". But this album doesn't wallow; rather it acknowledges what has gone before and hopes for something better. By track three, There's a Girl, Matsson is thinking about moving on: "there's a girl that tells me I'm alright, I hope she means it". What I've Been Kicking Around is the highlight and surely one for the long-term fans with its trademark guitar picking and metaphorical lyrics. It's an album that solidifies his reputation and has the potential to win new fans too.

4) Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka's last album, Love & Hate, was so confident that it began with a brooding 10-minute piece of art. How could he possibly follow that? The answer on this, his third album, is to do something entirely different. While his first two albums were hugely accomplished, they were recognisably classic soul records. Meanwhile, his third, KIWANUKA (I believe the capitals are important) sounds something like Marvin Gaye discovering prog rock. There are soulful strings, Hendrix-like riffs and political lyrics. The opener You Ain't The Problem hints at issues with immigration, while Hero seems to juxtapose fame with gun crime. Similar to Marvin Gaye's classic What's Going On album, the tracks on KIWANUKA segue into each other and there are also instrumental sections, spoken samples and interludes. It's very much designed to be listened to in one sitting which helps to make it feel like a very important project indeed.

3) James Blake - Assume Form
Widely anticipated, James Blake's fourth studio album doesn't disappoint. Known for delicate piano melodies, ethereal production and offbeat rhythms, Blake takes all of these and expands the sound even more. There are elements of R&B, hip hop and even Latin music here too. It feels slightly more upbeat than anything that he's done before but he's still a musician who sounds ill at ease in his being. "I will assume form, I'll leave the ether" he sings on the opening title track, apparently announcing what's to come. The next two tracks branch out with guest vocalists and rappers while Into The Red is a more familiar James Blake track with its overlaid vocals and distorted instruments. My highlight is I'll Come Too, a gentle yet tentative love song. Somewhere among the layered production, there's a newfound confidence that reflects an artist growing into their niche. Maybe a contributor to this settled status can be found in the credits? Blake's girlfriend, the actress Jameela Jamil is credited as a producer. Whatever the cause, long may it continue.

2) Foals - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost (Parts 1 & 2)
While other artists were spending 2019 recording double albums, Foals were persuaded to produce Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost as two separate releases. I'm grouping them together here as it's difficult to separate them despite the fact that there are stylistic differences. Part one is slightly more upbeat and fun. The lead single, Exits, feels like a pop-rock classic designed for sticky indie dancefloors. In Degrees and Cafe d'Athens continue the party with pulsing beats and ethereal hooks, before part one's final track, the haunting I'm Done With The World (& It's Done With Me) brings the tempo down and hints at something foreboding to come. Part 2 is undoubtedly darker and heavier but picks up the energy again. The Runner is another dancefloor smash but is bluesier with scuzzy guitars and ominous lyrics: "when I fall down, I know to keep on running". The album rattles on through political and personal crises, via Into The Surf where the lyrics request burial at sea, finishing with the 10-minute long rock opera Neptune. It's ambitious but by this point you're ready for it and it feels like an utter triumph.

1) Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
Befitting the trend of 2019, there was only one album that could beat Foals' two-in-one and that's a double album about political uncertainty. Vampire Weekend's fourth studio album and the first since the departure of founding member Rostam Batmanglij, Father of the Bride is quite simply one of the most important albums of the decade. Lyrically, it focuses on racism, religion and the rise of the far right. Musically however it's much lighter, juxtaposing its serious themes with a glossy exterior: a metaphor for pop culture maybe? Encompassing a huge range of styles including rock, pop, country, flamenco, folk and soul, it's much more ambitious than their previous efforts. With the loss of a founding member, the band could have lost its direction but instead they've simply found another one (although Batmanglij does still lend a hand in production, despite forging a solo career). The stand-out track is undoubtedly This Life, on the surface, a happy-go-lucky indie-pop romp but with lyrics such as "baby, I know hate is always waiting at the gate, I just thought we locked the gate when we left in the morning". It's a perfect summary and damning indictment of where it feels the world is heading in 2019. The fact it can be done while making tunes this catchy is something very special indeed.

Honourable mention must also go to albums which nearly made my list:
Hot Chip - A Bath Full of Ecstasy; Jack Penate - After You; Loyle Carner - Not Waving, But Drowning; Idlewild - Interview Music; The National - I Am Easy to Find; !!! - Wallop; Cassius - Dreems; Johnathan Rice - The Long Game

If you don't have time to listen to all of these albums, I made a playlist of the best tracks from 2019 on Spotify. You can have a listen here. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy. Here's to 2020.

Shop local

I get it. Shopping online is convenient, especially in the busy run-up to Christmas. You don't need to talk to anybody and you can do it in your pyjamas during the ad breaks of Coronation Street. The main argument, though, is that it's cheap. But we need to stop thinking about cost purely in terms of our immediate finances. For example, what does it cost our local area if we only spend our money with multinational corporations who pay relatively little tax and don't have a presence on our nearest high street? I'll take you through some of the reasons why I think it's important to shop local and support small businesses, and I'll tell you about some of my favourite independent places to shop on the high street in Hull.

In 2018, Amazon declared a tax bill of only £4.5m, despite UK revenue from sales reaching $11.3bn although its reported profit in the UK was only £72m as its Amazon UK Services is "only" a logistics business. Amazon reports its UK retail sales through its Luxembourg division, Amazon Europe, and its overall performance in the US as part of a complicated and yet legal setup. We don't know how much profit Amazon made in total from UK retail sales but if we assume an average 12% return and apply a standard UK corporation tax of 19% on that profit, that would come to £258m against the £4.5m that it actually paid. That's over £250m of cash that could be spent on schools, the NHS, prisons and other public services. Instead, we're handing out contracts for Amazon to supply schools with consumables and so Echo devices can ease the burden on the NHS by providing medical advice, therefore Amazon is taking more money from our public services. It's important to point out that the UK government makes these rules and that Amazon is legally complying with them. And it's not just Amazon. Starbucks, Google and even Boots have all reportedly used such corporate structures to manage their taxes.

So what's the alternative? Local independent businesses are more likely to pay their taxes. Yes, they would each pay less individually than the numbers mentioned above but when looked at collectively, it makes a big difference. Plus, if they're on the high street, they also contribute to local business rates which the council can reinvest in local services. They also employ local people and contribute to the overall development of your area. To buy local means you directly contribute to the success of your high street.

Time is obviously a major barrier and we should also see that as a cost. It can seem more convenient to shop online from the comfort of your own home but do we really have no other time in the day? Can we fit in a visit to the high street in our lunch hour? On the way to the bus stop? While the kids are at their gymnastics lesson?

The harsh truth is that we can't really moan about the state of the NHS and schools, or the deterioration of our local high street when we continue to spend our money with multinationals and not by supporting local businesses. That's the true cost.

For the last two years, I've tried to do my Christmas shopping at local independents only. It's not always possible; sometimes you can't find what you need, they may keep more restricted levels of stock or things are just too expensive on the high street. We shouldn't feel guilty about it if it doesn't work out but every little helps. So as a way of encouragement, I'd like to share with you some of my favourite places in Hull to help give you some ideas. The links will take you to each shop's Instagram page so you can see exactly what they're all about.

Fruit Market
19 Point 4 is mainly a fashion boutique, full of men's and women's designer clothing at great prices, but they also sell some fantastic and unique homewares, trinkets and gifts. Plant & Paint not only sells what it says on the tin. You'll also find upcycled furniture and home accessories. Plus, don't forget cheese plants and other greenery are hugely back in fashion. The fantastic Form is your calling point for cards, stationery and artwork, and always has something different to offer. Meanwhile, round the corner at the Store on Pier Street, they have some great gift ideas for any foodies in your family and they'll make up hampers for you with snacks, chocolates and booze, including an array of vegan options. Other shops in the area include Tessie's for women's clothes, Poorboy Boutique for vintage clothes and accessories, and the Oresome Gallery jewellery workshop. Plus when you get peckish, there are plenty of food and drink places to take your fancy.

Trinity Market & Hepworth's Arcade
Since the council spent tonnes on refurbishment, Trinity Market has really come alive and, along with the adjoining arcade, was nominated for the Great British High Street awards this year. In the market, The Eco Shed is ideal for any environmentally minded friends, Vittles & Co will suit any craft beer fans while Cocoa Chocolatier will surely please anyone with a sweet tooth. Over in Hepworth's Arcade, Beasley's is a Hull institution, stocking men's and women's clothes and accessories, plus don't forget to check out the table at the front where you'll find flyers and posters for restaurants, theatres and nights out, tickets for which are more great gift ideas.
Other shops in the arcade include J.E. Books for pre-loved literature and Roisin Dubh for trinkets and homewares, and don't go home without sampling some of the street food on offer back in Trinity Market.

Paragon Arcade
Recently acquired by Allenby and undergoing sensitive restoration, Paragon Arcade is already home to some great places to find gifts. Koda manufactures bespoke furniture while kids' clothes shop Belle & Benjamin offers families something a little bit different. Segal's jewellers is still going strong while Silver Springs boutique will give you some new inspiration. If you need to take the weight off your feet, check out White Rabbit chocolatier, Two Gingers coffee shop, 80 Days Bier Markt or Marla's sandwich place. You'll be spoilt for choice.

I've highlighted three of my favourite areas for independent shopping in Hull city centre but there are plenty of other places up and down the high streets. Let me know where you like to shop in the comments and I wish you luck with your gift hunting.