The Finest Vinyl of 2016

Even though i'm not writing that much on this blog anymore lately (due to a writer's block and lack of time), i haven't stopped buying vinyl records. On the contrary! So compared to previous years this year's The Finest Vinyl might have a few more albums listed  that i haven't posted anything about during the year. Might still do that in the future of course.

That David Bowie's ★ would end up on #1 might come as no surprise. And the fact that neo-shoegazers like Flyying Colours and Nothing are high on my list, probably neither. The rest of the list is not that predictable though.
Here they are, the 20 best albums of 2016 according to yours truly:

01. David Bowie - ★ (Blackstar) (Sony)

02. Flyying Colours - Mindfullness (Club AC30)

03. Nothing - Tired Of Tomorrow (Relapse)

04. DIIV - Is The Is Are (Captured Tracks)

05. Brian Jonestown Massacre - Third World Pyramid (A Recordings)

06. Wolf People - Ruins (Jagjaguwar)

07. The Early Years - II (Sonic Cathedral)

08. Mogwai - Atomic (Rock Action)

09. Minor Victories - Minor Victories (PIAS)

10. Amber Arcades - Fading Lines (Heavenly Recordings)

11. School Of Seven Bells - SVIIB (Full Time Hobby)

12. The Stargazer Lilies - Door To The Sun (Graveface Records)

13. Death In Vegas - Transmission (Drone)

14. Primal Scream - Chaosmosis (First International)

15. Toy - Clear Shot (Heavenly Recordings)

16. Esben And The Witch - Older Terrors (Seasons Of Mist)

17. Pinkshinyultrablast - Grandfeathered (Club AC30)

18. Aiming For Enrike - Segway Nation (Name Music)

19. The Avalanches - Wildflower (Modular/XL)

20. The Dandy Warhols - Distortland (Dine Alone)



Besides brand new albums, 2016 was also a good year for reissues.
These 5 were the best, in my eyes:

01. Lush - Origami (4AD)
Brilliant boxset with all their albums and outtakes/b-sides on vinyl. Released for RSD 2016.

02. David Bowie - Who Can I Be Now? 1974-1976 (Parlophone)
Superb boxset; includes a.o. the long lost The Gouster album. There were more great Bowie reissues in 2016, like the The Man Who Sold The World picture disc for RSD and the A Reality Tour boxset, but this was definitely the best.

03. Original Soundtrack - Lost Highway (Music On Vinyl/At The Movies)
Music of the David Lynch movie, with a.o. Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie and Smashing Pumpkins.

04. Porno For Pyros - Good God's Urge (ORG/Warner)
Long overdue, finally on vinyl! Black Friday release.

05. Life Of Agony - Soul Searching Sun (Music On Vinyl)
Also this title for the first time on vinyl. My favourite L.o.A. album.


2017 is around the corner. Who knows what that year has in store for us? There has been a lot of recent action by bands that i love. Slowdive should have an album recorded by now. Ride has been in the studio too. More studio reports have come through, from Girls Names for example. The new Dead Horse One album is ready and will be released early February. Hopefully there will be My Bloody Valentine remasters; pics of the remastering have been posted on social media. The Jesus And Mary Chain have one new song out already; album Damage And Joy comes out in March. And chronologically, the next David Bowie boxset would contain his Berlin albums. I simply can't wait!
So there's a lot to look forward to. Will it be able to top 2016?

 

School Of Seven Bells - SVIIB [12", LP]

It's been a few years since SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS released an album. Their previous one, Ghostory, is from 2012. It was the first that Benjamin Curtis and Alejandra Deheza did as a duo, after Alejandra's sister Claudia had left the band. A lot has happened since then. Benjamin was diagnosed with Lymphoma and died from that terrible disease in 2013. The songs you'll find on SVIIB were written not long before his death, and completed by Alejandra in the past few years. It's become a beautiful album. Heartfelt, honest lyrics. Sad at times, and with reason, but also joyful and uplifting. I think it's amazing that she found the strength to finish this chapter by completing the album. Musically it's one of their strongest albums as well. A worthy farewell of the band in this form. I sure hope we'll continue hearing of Alejandra though, because she's a great songwriter with a beautiful voice.

Label: Full Time Hobby
Year of release: 2016
Cat.nr.: FTH257LPA

SIDE A:
01. Ablaze
02. On My Heart
03. Open Your Eyes
04. A Thousand Times More

SIDE B:
01. Elias
02. Signals
03. Music Takes Me
04. Confusion
05. This Is Our Time

School Of Seven Bells - My Cabal [12"]

MY CABAL is a 12" by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS from a few years ago. Besides the title song that's taken from their debut album Alpinisms, there are some pretty good remixes (by Justin Broadrick a.k.a. Jesu and Mark Clifford of Seefeel fame) and an ambient instrumental track called My Camarilla on this EP.

Label: Ghostly International
Cat.nr.: GI-86
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. My Cabal
02. My Camarilla

SIDE B:
01. Chain (Seefeel Extraction)
02. Face To Face On High Places (Jesu Remix)
03. Face To Face On High Places (Jesu Remix - Instrumental Version)

The Fine Vinyl's Finest Of 2012

The last day of the year, so time for a round-up of 2012's best albums.

I think that 2012 has been a good year in music. Some really great albums were released this year. Both albums by bands that've been around for a while, and debut full lengths by new bands. So it wasn't too hard for me to come up with a shortlist for the 10 best albums of the year. Before i knew it, i had written down about 20 albums. Some of the albums on that list that didn't end up in my Top 10 are for example, in no particular order: The Laughing Stalk by Woven Hand, People Now People by Wooden Constructions, True by Violens, Spine Hits by Sleepy Sun, Oceania by Smashing Pumpkins and Worship by A Place To Bury Strangers. All very good albums that i still enjoy giving a spin on my record player.

But which 10 albums are my personal favourites of 2012? The Fine Vinyl's Finest of 2012, so to say? Here's the vinyl countdown:

10. PIPE DREAMS by WHIRR

09. GLITTER by DEAD MELLOTRON

08. OBSERVATOR by THE RAVEONETTES

07. MAUVE by RINGO DEATHSTARR

06. MELODY'S ECHO CHAMBER by MELODY'S ECHO CHAMBER

05. GHOSTORY by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS

04. COEXIST by THE XX

03. TOY by TOY

02. LONERISM by TAME IMPALA

01. OSHIN by DIIV

It was a pretty hard choice what was going to be number 1 and 2 on my list, but i made up my mind: DIIV made the best album of the year. An album that i can hear over and over, without getting bored of it. On the other hand, that counts for all other albums in this Top 10. Like said, 2012 was a great year in music :)

School Of Seven Bells - Alpinisms [12", LP]

Noticed that i hadn't written about SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS' debut album ALPINISMS yet, while at least 10 other releases by this band have been in the spotlight on this blog already. I could write a lengthy review here - but anyone who's only just slightly familiar with this band knows that this is, simply put, a great album. The beautiful Half Asleep is the first ever song i heard of them, and ever since i saw them at an ATP Festival back in 2009 i'm a big fan.


Label: Full Time Hobby
Cat.nr.: FTH068LP
Year of release: 2008

SIDE A:
01. Iamundernodisguise
02. Face To Face On High Places
03. Half Asleep
04. Wired For Light
05. For Kalaja Mari
06. White Elephant Coat

SIDE B:
01. Connjur
02. Sempiternal/Amaranth
03. Chain
04. Prince Of Peace
05. My Cabal

School Of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire [12”, 2LP]

The second full length by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS was released in 2010. My copy is of the European pressing on grey/black marbled vinyl on Full Time Hobby; in the USA it was released on Vagrant and that edition was white/black marbled. Compared to their first album Alpinisms, DISCONNECT FROM DESIRE is more danceable and pop-orientated. More rhythmic, if you want. After SVIIB having released 3 albums at the time I’m writing this, I think it’s only fair to say that this is my least favourite one. Certainly not a bad album but for some reason the magic of Alpinisms disappeared a little with Disconnect From Desire as far as i'm concerned. I’m glad they got it back with Ghostory, which was released a few months ago.

Label: Full Time Hobby
Cat.nr.: FTH094LP
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. Windstorm
02. Heart Is Strange
03. Dust Devil

SIDE B:
01. I L U
02. Babelonia

SIDE C:
01. Joviann
02. Camarilla

SIDE D:
01. Dial
02. Bye Bye Bye
03. The Wait

School Of Seven Bells - Iamundernodisguise [7"]

The A-side IAMUNDERNODISGUISE comes from the Alpinisms album by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS. A typical SVIIB song from their earlier days; repetitive and alienating. The B-side even takes that a little further and almost sounds like a mantra. I don't know the original of the song, but apparently it comes from a compilation album called The Green Owl Comp: A Benefit For The Energy Action Coalition. The artwork is great so that's why i thought i'd also made a pic of the other side of the fold-out sleeve:

Label: Full Time Hobby

Cat.nr.: FTH070S

Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:

01. Iamundernodisguise

SIDE B:

01. Trance Figure (Nobody Remix)

School Of Seven Bells - Heart Is Strange [7"]

Like the Windstorm single that has similar artwork, the HEART IS STRANGE single comes from the Disconnect From Desire album by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS. A radio edit of the track can be found on side A, while the B-side has a remix of Dust Devil by White Sea (in other words Morgan Kibby of M83 fame). Great stuff.

Label: Full Time Hobby
Cat.nr.: FTH104S
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. Heart Is Strange (Radio Edit)

SIDE B:
01. Dust Devil (White Sea Remix)

School Of Seven Bells - My Cabal [7"]

A true gem on Sonic Cathedral, this yellow coloured 7" by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS. It features the song MY CABAL and a remix of that song by Robin Guthrie (of Cocteau Twins fame). The version on the A-side is different than the one on their Alpinisms album (or the song's 12" on Ghostly International for that matter), but that's no wonder since this single came out a year earlier than the album. It's more straightforward, mainly because of the drums.
Robin Guthrie did a great job with the remix as well, giving it a less mechanical and more shoegazy touch; so more in the direction of the album version if you want.

Label: Sonic Cathedral
Cat.nr.: SCR004
Year of release: 2007

SIDE A:
01. My Cabal

SIDE B:
01. My Cabal (Robin Guthrie Mix)

School Of Seven Bells - Lafaye [7"]

LAFAYE is SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS' first single off their latest Ghostory album. A cool uptempo song and a b-side that's not on the album. Cover art is not really special but the single is on nice white vinyl, which kinda makes it up for that.

Label: Full Time Hobby
Cat.nr.: FTH141S
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Lafaye

SIDE B:
01. Love From A Stone

School Of Seven Bells - Ghostory [12", LP]

Finally i got my long-awaited new LP by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS in. I love their new album; at first i was a bit scared that you'd clearly hear that Claudia isn't in the band anymore but you can hardly tell - and to be honest i think this may even be their best album to date. Some really beautiful songs on this album.
I love how they use My Bloody Valentine's Soon in their closing song, When You Sing, without actually really ripping it off. Nice job.

Label: Full Time Hobby
Cat.nr.: FTH140LP
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. The Night
02. Love Play
03. Lafaye
04. Low Times
05. Reappear

SIDE B:
01. Show Me Love
02. Scavenger
03. White Wind
04. When You Sing

School Of Seven Bells - Face To Face On High Places [12", EP]

I believe this is SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS' debut release; a one-sided 12" on clear vinyl with a laser-etched image of a bird (magpie? crow?) on a branch with a ring in its beak. According to the credits, the band still had a drummer and bass player then, so it was a five-piece. On the debut album Alpinisms, one year after this EP, it was just Benjamin Curtis and the Deheza sisters. And nowadays it's only him and Alejandra Deheza.
This EP is much more experimental than their more recent work.

SIDE A:
01. Limb By Limb
02. Face To Face On High Places
03. S.Ada.Licht

SIDE B:
etching

School Of Seven Bells - Windstorm [7"]

Eagerly waiting for the copy i ordered of their (great) new album Ghostory, i'm spinning some SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS vinyl while i'm writing this. WINDSTORM is from their Disconnect From Desire album. A catchy midtempo tune that could go on and on and on. B-side Crescent Gold is a gentle, almost ambient song; not featured on the album.

Label: Full Time Hobby
Cat.nr.: FTH098S
Year of release: 2010

SIDE A:
01. Windstorm

SIDE B:
01. Crescent Moon

School Of Seven Bells - Silent Grips [7"]

This single by SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS was released in the same year as their Alpinisms album, but SILENT GRIPS is not featured on that album. Neither is the B-side, which is a Wire cover. A limited release of 2000 copies on green vinyl.

Label: Suicide Squeeze
Cat.nr.: S073
Year of release: 2008

SIDE A:
01. Silent Grips

SIDE B:
01. Used To

School Of Seven Bells - Half Asleep [7"]

First time i heard about SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS was when i saw them at ATP festival in the UK in 2009. When i got back home i started looking for their releases on vinyl, and this HALF ASLEEP single is one of the first ones i bought. Definitely one of my favourite tracks of their Alpinisms album.


Label: Ghostly International
Cat.nr.: GI-80
Year of release: 2008

SIDE A:
01. Half Asleep

SIDE B:
01. Caldo