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?

 

Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe - Cocaine Cat [10"]

The collaboration between TESS PARKS and ANTON NEWCOMBE (of The Brian Jonestown Massacre) will result in an album in June and a tour to support it, but for Record Store Day they've already released this limited COCAINE CAT 10inch (2000 numbered copies, clear vinyl) as a taste of what to expect. And i must say that the result is definitely making me want to hear more from this duo. Both songs sound as a perfect combination of Tess' solo work and a stripped down, less orchestrated Brian Jonestown Massacre. I saw they'll be playing the Amsterdam Paradiso in July, so i'll try to be there for sure.

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: AUK118-10
Year of release: 2015

SIDE A:
01. Cocaine Cat

SIDE B:
01. Mama

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone [12", 2LP]

Still one of my favourite albums by THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE: their debut full length METHODRONE. It was originally released in 1995, but back then it only came out on CD. In 2009 this excellent 180gram double vinyl edition was released, which i bought a few years ago. It's 70+ minutes of pure psychedelic shoegaze bliss, combining the best of what until then bands like Spacemen 3, Loop, My Bloody Valentine and the Velvet Underground had to offer. Nevertheless it has an own distinctive sound; a sound that 20 years later still characterises Anton Newcombe's music. And which i really like :)

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: AUK008LP
Year of release: 2009 (album originally released in 1995)

SIDE A:
01. Evergreen
02. Wisdom
03. Crushed
04. That Girl Suicide

SIDE B:
01. Wasted
02. Everyone Says
03. Short Wave
04. She Made Me

SIDE C:
01. Hyperventilation
02. Records
03. I love You
04. End Of The Day

SIDE D:
01. Outback
02. She's Gone

The Finest Vinyl of 2014

Yes indeed, it's that time of the year again. Time to think which album i played the most, gave me the most goosebumps, which cover art or vinyl pressing i liked best... the so-called Finest Vinyl has become a tradition already.
And like previous years, it's been a tough choice to decide which albums i'd have to remove from my shortlist, because there are way more than 10 that i'd like to put in the spotlight right here. Also it was extremely hard to choose which album belonged on which spot exactly. But my mind's made up now...

First of all, let me tell you which 5 titles were very close but did not make it to the top 10 (in no particular order):

Ringo Deathstarr - God's Dream
I Break Horses - Chiaroscuro
Smashing Pumpkins - Monuments To An Elegy
Lamb - Backspace Unwind
The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream

Then, if i'd have to choose a best 7" single of the year, it would be Newmoon - Invitation To Hold.
And a best 12" EP would definitely be the Split EP by Whirr & Nothing.

But on with the show, here's the moment you've been waiting for:
THE FINEST VINYL of 2014:

01. NOTHING - Guilty Of Everything

02. WARPAINT - Warpaint

03. CHEATAHS - Cheatahs

04. THE RAVEONETTES - Pe'Ahi

05. FUJIYA & MIYAGI - Artificial Sweeteners

06. ESBEN AND THE WITCH - A New Nature

07. THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - Revelation

08. DEAD HORSE ONE - Without Love We Perish

09. MOGWAI - Rave Tapes

10. WHIRR - Sway

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Revelation [12", 2LP]

The cover art of REVELATION looks familiar to those who know the split EP that THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE recently released for RSD 2014 with The Magic Castles, and the Fist Full Of Bees EP that they released for the same occasion a year earlier. Once again they've released a really strong album and this one will definitely end up in my personal top 10 albums of 2014, that's for sure. Anton Newcombe's record label A Records always has such great thick quality records and also the colours of this release look really fantastic: opaque light blue in the middle, and see-through dark blue on the outside. Gorgeous. The only sad thing is that i still haven't managed to see them live. They were in Amsterdam a while ago, but i couldn't make it that day. I'm sure one day it will happen though ;)

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: auk030lp
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. Vad Hände Med Dem?
02. What You Isn't
03. Unknown

SIDE B:
01. Memory Camp
02. Days, Weeks And Moths
03. Duck And Cover

SIDE C:
01. Food For Clouds
02. Second Sighting
03. Memorymix

SIDE D:
01. Fist Full Of Bees
02. Nightbird
03. Xibalbia
04. Goodbye (Butterfly)

The Brian Jonestown Massacre & The Magic Castles - Split 12" [12"]

This split 12" by THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE and THE MAGIC CASTLES is one of the Record Store Day releases i bought this year. Both bands are featured with two songs and i must confess i didn't know The Magic Castles very well, but i like the songs on this 12" a lot. Mellow folky psychedelic tunes. Their previous album from 2012 was also on Anton Newcombe's A Records, just like this split, and actually all of BJM's releases. The first of the two BJM songs will be on their new album "Reveleation", while the instrumental Lions Ride Free is exclusive to this release. It's a numbered limited edition of 3000 copies, on beautiful clear/white/grey splattered vinyl.

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: auk028-12
Year of release: 2014

SIDE A:
01. THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - Goodbye (Butterfly)
02. THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - Lions Ride Free

SIDE B:
01. THE MAGIC CASTLES - Rebecca's World
02. THE MAGIC CASTLES - Trembling Hands

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Revolution Number Zero [2x7"]

This limited double 7" by BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE was released late last year. It's a numbered gatefold edition on grey vinyl; my copy's #1457/2000. The EP is called after the song REVOLUTION NUMBER ZERO, which can be found on side B. I hear a lot of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" in that song by the way, but not in a way that it gets annoying. Just like that title track, Don't Say A Thing on side C is unique to this EP. Viholliseni Maalla on side A is the same version as can be found on the great Aufheben album, while the version on side C is in English instead of Finnish, and also musically a bit different. Small typo on the artwork and the labels: it's spelled "Maala" here, so with only one L. All in all a pleasant release to keep the fans happy until a new album is coming out. Hopefully that won't take too long.

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: AUK024-7
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Viholliseni Maalla

SIDE B:
01. Revolution Number Zero

SIDE C:
01. Viholliseni Maalla (In The Land Of My Enemy)

SIDE D:
01. Don't Say A Thing

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Aufheben [12", 2LP]

 

Fantastic album by the BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE that came out in 2012. I only bought it quite late in the year, but if i wouldn't have done that, it probably would have ended up in my Top 10 list of last year. Anyway, AUFHEBEN only has awesome songs on it and it's still a regular on my record player. I love the artwork as well, and the two different kinds of blue vinyl that are used. Top notch product.

Label: A Records
Year of release: 2012
Cat.nr.: AUK023LP

SIDE A:
01. Panic In Babylon
02. Viholliseni Maalla
03. Gaz Hilarant

SIDE B:
01. Illuminomi
02. I Want To Hold Your Other Hand
03. Face Down On The Moon

SIDE C:
01. The Clouds Are Lies
02. Stairway To The Best Party In The Universe
03. Seven Kinds Of Wonderful

SIDE D:
01. Waking Up To Hand Grenades
02. Blue Order/New Monday

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Fist Full Of Bees EP [12"]

Haven't been writing for this blog during the past two weeks and now there's this whole pile of crate digging finds from the Utrecht record fair, Record Store Day releases, my regular new purchases and the old stuff from way back - each release waiting for its own entry in this project. Aaarghhh! Where to begin? Well anyway, here's one of the Record Store Day releases: a brand new BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE EP called FIST FULL OF BEES. It's a handnumbered (limited to 2000 copies) EP on burgundy/purple vinyl. Really cool songs that are more or less in the same vein as their latest full length Aufheben. Especially the oriental sounding Everything Fades To White.

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: auk025
Year of release: 2013

SIDE A:
01. Fist Full Of Bees
02. Food For Clouds

SIDE B:
01. Everything Fades To White

Brian Jonestown Massacre - One [12"]

ONE is a 4-track EP by the BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE. To be honest, not everything that this band did (especially their older stuff) is really my cup of tea, but i do like this EP quite a lot. The title track The "One" is an uptempo psychedelic rock song with a dominating beat and distorted guitars. Then there are two versions of the song This Is The First Of Your Last Warning (an Icelandic version and an English version). A very danceable tune that wouldn't have been out of place during an early nineties' indie dance rave. It's got that Madchester vibe, you know. The highlight for me however is Bruttermania. Again an uptempo tune, with a wall of guitars (MBV/Jesus And Mary Chain-style) and some Russian (?) lyrics. Awesome song.

Label: A Records
Cat.nr.: Auk017LP
Year of release: 2009

SIDE A:
01. The One
02. This Is The First Of Your Last Warning (Icelandic Version)

SIDE B:
01. Bruttermania
02. This Is The First Of Your Last Warning (English Version)