2012-A Look Back Part 1

2012

Possibly my worst year as a human being. I did become an Uncle again twice! Yin & Yang. Anyway on with the lists. Well you probably know how much lists get on my nerves by now, so c'mon here's your chance to whinge about mine. Leave a comment. Be nice. Be offensive. Be whatever you want to be. These are not ranked you know, it's not sport. This is just 20 of my favourite Albums of the year.

The Top 20+

The Fog Signals - The Ghosts of Bush House
Resonant reverberations. Who would have thought you could make a compelling record from a building? You can really picture this boffin with mini tape recorder and mike in hand saying "Quick lets get the sound of that floorboard on tape.' Creaks, horns, voices, rusty lifts, wind, squeaks all chime for Mr Fog's tape recorder. Excellent gear.

Ix Tab - Spindle & Bregnut Tree
erie, dank, majickly psychedelic and enchanting. It's getting dark in the forrest, you've become disorientated. Are you gonna make it out?

Swans - The Seer

Does it get any better than Swans in full epic flight?

No.

At their peak again.

Who would have tipped they'd be making the best record of 2012?

No one.

Scott Walker - Bish Bosch

Incomprehensible drunk, incomprehensible madness or incomprehensible genius?

Or all of the above. He has developed his own musical language and is honing it to almost accessible listenability.

Pye Corner Audio - Sleep Games

Just when people were ready to write off GhostBox (the record label) along comes a record to say that isn't going to happen. This one creeps up on you like a stalker (the one it's soundtracking). Then it's in your albums of the year. Perhaps more horrological than Hauntological.

Fabulous Diamonds - Commercial Music

Awesome drones, the coolest drumming and words I don't think I really wanna know. This has a cult like vibe. There is something deliciously wrong (so right) about Commercial Music.

Dave Graney & The MistLY - You've Been On My Mind

Just when you thought rock was dead and gone, unexpectedly Dave makes a rock album. Not only that, it's fuckin great. The soundtrack to wandering empty country town streets alone at 1.30 am and driving in the Australian summer at dusk with the windows down.

Outer Space - Akashic Record (Events: 1986-1990)

For those of you not diggin the new Emeralds record. No need to fear John Elliot's other group went out onto Saturn's rings and bought this back for your pleasure.

BEBETUNE$ - inhale C-4 $$$$$

I don't know if this is a mixtape, plunderphonics or all new material made by James Ferraro. 5th world soundz from a futuristic metropolis. This maze of plastic, neon, digital and HD is all put through the Ferraro warp machine for one bad trip that keeps you coming back for more.

Panabrite - Soft Terminal/Blue Grotto/The Baroque Atrium

This trio of albums was in my life to soothe, calm and rejuvenate me with its Utopian vistas and wombedelia. Then put these records at a loud volume and they can be quite the opposite ie. dark, strange and slightly dread inducing. Then through headphones they reveal that this ain't no ambient/new age dross. The compositions are put together with great thought and care. This isn't synth music on autopilot. Subtly sublime.

Bataille Solaire - Baal Shamash Et Son Char Celeste

They remained a mystery to me. I didn't come across one article on them or seek one out. I liked the mystique. Church organs and synths drifting through labyrinths and wormholes. Soundz from the cosmos that drift into black holes, through the asteroid belt and back again. This was a voyage to strap yourself in for. Hynagogia lives.

Lazerhawk - Visitors

This album had similar sort of influences as Daft Punk's Discovery. You know like AOR, funk, disco, metal, 80s soundtracks etc. Add a little horror and you are almost there. But unlike Daft Punk they didn't put it through the now/house/trance ringer, they just left it as is. Fun, good times and neat tunes. Retrolicious.

Gary War - Jared's Lot

This was like the world had blown up in 1982. Then in 2012 aliens landed. In an old bunker they found a bunch of records including Kraftwerk, Chrome, Ilitch, ELO & Durutti Column. They also salvaged a malfunctioning turntable and ELO's robot. When these aliens got back to their planet they started a groop. Their repertoire was retro electro human rock. The little aliens loved it. The robot sang on a couple of tracks but his batteries were running low. They thought it was great anyway.

Human Teenager - Animal Husbandry

See above.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes

More deliriously addictive pop from the pint size pop master. He's made the pop album of the year again.

Lee Gamble - Diversions 1994-1996
Deep spacious electronics leaving an emptiness that is evocative of the aforementioned era without actually sounding like the jungle pirate tapes that are apparently the source material. Memoredelia.

Dolphins Into The Future - A Star Maker, Strange Dreams & Clairvoyance
Dolphins come back strong in 2012 with some of their most out there music to date. I can see/hear scuttling sea creatures, palm tree jungles, underwater song, neon squids and mysterious deep sea disco fish. Put on The Blue Planet: episode 2, The Deep, turn the sound down and crank up the Dolphins. With a little help from your friends, the good times will roll.

Ekoplekz - Intrusive Incidentalz Vol 2/Mildew Riddims/Skalectrikz
Mutant machine music. How can all of this be so good? Three and a half hours of deliciously deranged dubby electronic noise for the end of dayz. Clank, clatter and squelchy splatter. 

Motion Sickness of Time Travel - Motion Sickness of Time Travel
MOTT make immersive echoing electronic drift from the heavens. Sometimes this aquatic pulsating music has a womb like vibe and at other times it's a little ominous. Ethereal vocals send this into almost holy territory. In 2012 it didn't get more beautiful than this.

Sand Circles - Motor City
It's 2am....you fill in the rest. Choose from these words - driving, cruising, cityscape, lonely, bewildered, lost, lights, tunnels, urban, roads etc. There is something allusive about Sand Circles soundtrack for night city cruising that sets them ahead of the pack. Totally irresistible.

The other bewdies

• Umberto - Night Has a Thousand Screams
• Miami Nights 1984 - Turbulance
• LX Sweat - Sweat, Sweat, Sweat
• Mark Van Hoen - The Revenant Diary
• Actress - RIP
• Dolphins Into The Future - Canto Arquepeligo
• Belbury Poly - The Belbury Tales
• Geoff Barrow & Ben Salisbury - Drokk
• Inner Tube - S/T
• Bassnectar - Vava Voom
• Moon Wiring Club - Today Bread, Tomorrow Secrets
• Future - Pluto

Return To The 4th World

Been diggin on that new mixtape 91 from Pontone by K-Punk aka Mark Fisher Return To The 4th World. It's a trip, it's a journey, a voyage into the Fourth World.  It had me wantin to dig out electric Miles albums to add to my I-Pod and listen to Liquid Liquid - geez they were good and 23 Skidoo and John Hasell. Then wonder who were these others. I probably would have you know included Paul Shcutze, MBV etc.


Fuckn great LP and cover combo

Then I was diggin a different journey. Fabulous Diamonds vision is becoming more singular as they go on. Their vision has narrowed from an almost 4th world esque, (a bit of artistic licence here, give me a break) well open ended experimentalism on the first record to a quest for an almost singular but perfect drone by their third record. It's a pretty, pretty good trance like vibe on this. That drum sound is something else isn't it?  Listening to Liquid Liquid today had me flashing on some of those percussive sounds. I wonder if they're fans? Anyway good stuff/lovin Commercial Music.

On the Hi-Fi

So I ended up going back to The Velvets Loaded and you know it's ok but you know compared to the first 3 ??? I'd prefer to listen to those 2 records put out in the 80s VU and Another View (another gone missing). Anyway this somehow got me onto Coney Island Baby, Lou solo and I've been diggin that. So it's all win/win really. I don't really know if people rate this Reed LP and I couldn't really give a rats toss bag. These are all top records!

Now in the unlikely to be listenin to this now category that I guess Stereolab were in a while back there. Moonshake's big good angel ep from 1993 and weren't they a funny band sort of at an intersection of post punk, post MBV and (for want of a better term) post rock. They were kinda 2 bands in one but it was that dichotomy that made them so compelling. There were so many ideas going on it was fantastic. The possibilities seemed endless but I guess something had to give and the band split in two. Callahan kept the name and continued on and I must admit I never heard those records but I think he had label mate PJ Harvey guest on a couple of tracks. Anyway Margaret Fiedler's songs on big good angel were a prototype for Laika her next project which is where I'm at now with the first ep Antenna where the claustrophobia and spaciness meet. They were a fine band. I guess I'll be diggin out the first couple of LPs soon once I stop being Oneohtrix Point Never.

Then there is like five records I've hardly got to. Today Fabulous Diamonds 3rd record came out. They called it Commercial Music, so maybe they're a comedy band after all. Sounds pretty good so far. I dunno if there are any jokes in there though. If Peaking Lights can be somewhat successful I can't see a reason why Fabulous Diamonds can't do the same. I'm thinking this is as good as the first one and oh they really have sold out, there's song titles on Commercial Music. Trip out on these groovy drones man. 

                                                        

Then there is this download from bandcamp that I have only listened to once but sounds awesome and a little spooky. It's called the Ghosts of Bush House by The Fog Signals. When I first saw that title I thought what they named a form of house music after one of the Bush Presidents? and now it's coming back into vogue?. How wrong I was. Bush House was apparently a BBC building with studios, offices and whatever. Anyway The building was quite resonant and some guy has gone and done some recordings there. Experimental gear like that Australian guy who recorded telephone wires in the outback. What was his name? I've got the cd somewhere............

The Fog Signals

Finally there's two bargain bin bewdies I've not even touched yet but can't wait to listen to. The first being Supermodified by Dave Graney & The Lured Yellow Mist.

So this is a period of Graney's career I missed I think. There are gaps baby, who was I in the early 00s? It's remixes, obscurities and retakes of tracks from the early to mid 00s as far as I can gather. Should be interesting as always. $5! Larry Emdur stylee.

I liked them when I was little! I wonder what I'll think of them now. We had the Beautiful Album on K-Tel if I recall correctly which must have been after this. Wasn't there a song Prefab Heart I loved that. Anyway who knows where I'll stand on this today? I remember tangled telephones and channels in hairdoes, all very new wave of course and appealing to preteens. New wave was great for that age.

Bambino Melbourne Music Mafia

I was gonna go on an all Aussie trip with the bassists and there did seem to be a particular Australian style but the youtube's  annoying me. Maybe another time. Sorry Grant McLennen, Chris Walsh, Ian Rilen, Mark Lock, Mark Ferrie & Brian Hooper.  Geez how's that for a list. They will all eventually be members entered into my Aussie bassplayer phonebox of fame

A few years ago now I don't remember the exact year (2008?) but it seemed like Melbourne rock was really goin' great guns with top records by Beaches, Eddy Current, Ooga Boogas, Witch Hats, The Drones, Fabulous Diamonds all in the same year. Not forgetting the old garde Mr Cave & Mr Graney as well, who delivered the goods too. It seemed like it was gonna go through the roof in the following years but it didn't. Anyway no need to dwell on such ideas. Looking forward to new records from Ooga Boogas and Beaches if they still exist
.

Anyway it seems like there is a bambino Melbourne music mafia now. Twerps, Toatal Conrol, Eddy Current, Dick Diver, UV Race etc. You know they're all playing on one anothers records or producing them. Like the old Melbourne Music Mafia. The bambini have their own scene/quasi sylee/monopoly of cool/uncool now. Anyway I'm also even enjoying a Lost Animal track at the moment. The UV Race have become my favourite post Eddy Current Suppression Ring Band and I mean that as a compliment. Maybe the Melbourne scene will eventually go bananas like the old days, I hope so there seems to be some great talent about. The Bambini Rock (well some of em do).

The UV Race of the Bambino Melbourne music mafia with country connections.