It Starts With a Birthstone...

  In this late stage of December I've actually given up on the idea of any sort of remotely definitive Album of the Year rundown, evern...

 

  'A masterpiece..' Mike Scott.

  In contrast to many, I found ABBA's return in 2021, something of a triunph. They did themselves and the universe rather proud by not p...

  Parquet Courts arrived late in the day in 2021 with what I thought was the best album of their career thus far:   'It's the group ...

 

  Something of prime time Prefab Sprout about this. Never a bad thing.

  ' Polnareff's place in French pop culture was sealed.'

 

 

 Probably, the album, when all the Albumof the Year lists are compiled, that will turn out to be the record of 2021, along with Floating Poi...

  A song by a band called The English Rain. The Beatles via the Byrds via that Eighties Indie classicist thing epitomised by Pete Astor more...

  'Curiously there was little demand for angular, Wemar-style pop with falsetto vocals in 1971 Calfornia.'

   Sister John again. This song is just great but it could easily have been several others from the same album.

  'I'm not a religious man, but I can understand religion...'   Andrew Choi, (St. Lenox's), latest album,  Ten Songs of Wors...

 

  Somehow you know instinctively that Sister John are from Glasgow only hearing a few notes from them. They establish themselves almost inst...

                                                   'as powerful and soulful as gospel gets.'

 

  If there's one new discovery I've made during this weekend it's that I like Dark Tea. Not the drink, (although I do), but the ...

 

  Rather bright, sparky album called Mercurial World that definitely seems to take its lead from Eighties Pop. Prince, Madonna and Janet Jac...

  'The West Coast's one man Beatles...'

 

 An album that is generally ranking very highly on End of Year Charts everywhere and quite deservedly so. In many ways the most 2021 soundin...

  Should be much higher given that it's one of the best British Pop albums ever made. Not entirely surprising that it isn't given th...

  A couple from The Sound of Yourself, the album from Superchunk singer Mac McCaughan from earlier on this year. Sounds very little like I r...

  An enjoyable first time watch of American Psycho leads to a tribute to one of the great 'methods'.

 

 One of the most surprising records I chanced upon all year, which I did way back towards the beginning of it. Still sounds great: An album ...

 

  Kitner, a quartet from Boston released a gritty album called Shake The Spins earlier on this year. I think it's their first. It's ...

                                                         For a woman who sadly passed recently.

  Another day, another series. Well, why not? It's been very well itemised recently what a fabulous year 1971 was for new albums. David ...

 

  Top Ten countdown begins with one of my favourite records of recent months.   A proper treat for mid-October. ex Galaxie 500 frontman, Dea...

  A very good record. A talented man digging his way out of a hole.

  LA based Massage feature Alex Naidus, once of Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Half a Feeling, first song from latest album Still Life takes ...

 Poodle haired rock. Schizoid Funk Rock. Gangster Rap. Then the book ends. A sad tail in many ways about a rather sad city. Jim was right.

 

   It starts with...a bell. The new album by Cool Ghouls, San Fransciscan psychedelic melodicists who have been on my radar for a while now....

 

  Lindsey Buckingham is one of the most immediately recognisable voices. His new album, an eponymous one has been highly praised. I've o...

 

    I'm always really pleased when Courtney Barnett shows up. She's been pretty much a constant in my life since my sister directed ...

 

  Trying to make lists of favourite records of the year in this day and age is a frankly an impossible tasks. For their will always be some ...

  No, not the Film Director John Ford. The writer Jonn Ford. The  'alas poor gentleman. He looked not like the ruins of his youth.' ...

  More on Pearly Gate Music tomorrow.