Arts & Culture
Gig Monkey's Record of the Year 2017! And the winner is...

By Ocelot’s Gig Monkey, Ed Dyer

Another year has been and gone, but it has left behind a decent stash of local music for us to enjoy. So, after much deliberation and arguing (with myself), these are my top ten local releases of 2017.

10 - Lucy Leave – The Beauty of the World EP

Gloriously off-kilter and left-field, this is spiky, gnarled post-punk that is not an easy listen if linear, friendly music is your thing; no, this is math rock for the dyscalculic – it doesn’t make sense, and is wonderful because of it. Lucy Leave are a band that delight in making their audience uncomfortable and seem hell bent on being as unpredictable as possible.

9 - Enrosadira – In Search of Fresh Water EP

An instrumental record that commands attention with a habit of constantly changing riff, key, time signature and feel, this keeps you guessing, focussing on the shifting, swirling soundscape that comes to surround and envelope you. It is a progressive blend of Prog-Rock, Jazz, Math Rock and Psychedelia that truly captures the attention and doesn’t drift off into background muzak territory or confusing free-jazz noodling.

8 - The Great Western Tears – Tales from Tallows LP

A real Americana treasure, this is as genuine sounding as you could hope for. Country music is often at is best when laced with sorrow and regret, and Great Western Tears excel at this with some hauntingly stark lyrical imagery adding plenty of heartache, longing and loss to cleverly understated and restrained music all pitched to perfection, never once over blown or underdone. This album is a bronco of a ride around some pretty dark and lonely points, but still manages to shine very brightly.

7 - Raze*Rebuild – The Interlude EP

This grown-up skater punk is littered with seriously chunky riffs, soaring solos and growled vocals but is underpinned with a heart and soul - songs of a substance and intelligence that may surprise. These are refreshingly honest, straightforward, no frills, blue collar rock ‘n’ roll everyman torch anthems built round killer tunes that should be required listening on all school of hard knocks syllabuses.

6 - Henry Soothill – Thrang EP

Spartan and hypnotic in style this is built round mesmerising rhythms that gracefully pulse along, slowed down Nile Rogers guitar licks and a flowing, smooth vocal delivery. The result has a seriously atmospheric trip hop vibe, if trip-hop had been created during a workshop at WOMAD festival led by an electronica band and is unlike anything you will have heard previously, a rare achievement in these days of carbon copy musical blandness.

5 - Buswell – Stitched Shoes & An Irish Wristwatch LP

This was everything I wanted it to be, a real gem of folk-pop songs blended with lavish cinematic pretentions. Musically epic in scope and sound, underneath the orchestral bluster it is possessed of a real heart and soul – simple seeming songs augmented with layer upon layer of lush sweeping strings, punchy brass and emotive woodwind. It is when you start considering the vast number of instruments and musicians involved that you understand that this album is as much about them as it is Buswell himself. The people are the true heart and soul of the record and it is all the better for it.

4 - Catgod – Ready When You Are LP

[caption id=“attachment_32756” align=“alignright” width=“300”] Photo credit: Ian Wallman[/caption] The debut album from a band that has been collected around multi-instrumentalist and producer Robin Christensen-Marriot is an extraordinary record. It is a slick, polished and effortless sounding collection of Jazz, Blues and Soul inspired Dreampop songs that cleverly builds layer upon layer of sounds that both relax and leave you in wonderment at the nuanced way the different influences and styles are assembled and being presented. This is an album of rare quality and talent indeed.

3 - All Ears Avow – Edge of This EP

The pace of the record is relentless, a compelling blend of crunching riffs, slick melodies and polished production, principally pulling in elements of modern alternative rock, pop-punk, melodic metal and even atmospheric electronica. It is then peppered with almost imperceptible traces of soul, rhythm & blues and funk, nods to the historic roots of all that is good in music. All Ears Avow are becoming masters of dynamics, structure and momentum, and this EP is the new pinnacle of their achievement.

2 - The August List – Ramshackle Tabernacle LP

Sonically this still delivers the duo’s analogue and rustic “back porch” style, but now everything is bigger. Whilst it doesn’t have quite the rawness of the first record, here the energy is tamed and more controlled, but this just means it can be directed more accurately, a musical sniper rifle rather than shotgun. Brilliantly though, while the production and craft is all upgraded, they never stray too far from the backwoods feeling. This is analogue music of wood, and strings and breaths of air that is all about simpler days, troubled ages, youth and twilight years; yet it fits into a modern, digital word with barely a murmur.

RECORD OF THE YEAR - Rewire the Time Machine – Rewire the Time Machine LP

Drawing influence from a myriad of rock-based sources this spectacular album is sure to tick boxes with fans of alt-rock in general, but especially if the big, riff driven output of the likes of Desert Rock titans Kyuss and QOTSA is your thing. It is the monstrous riffage and pounding rhythms that grabs you by the proverbial balls, but with vocal melodies that Mr Grohl and his merry band of Foo Fighters would be happy to unleash upon the world there is further wizardry at work that makes this instantly accessible and immediately sing-along-able. It is well judged - full, lush but not over complicated and you feel like you are stood in the middle of the band at times. If you have ever enjoyed a record with big riffs and great melodies then get hold of a copy of this, it is a stunning achievement.

  • Gig Monkey's Record of the Year 2017! And the winner is...
  • Gig Monkey's Record of the Year 2017! And the winner is...
  • Gig Monkey's Record of the Year 2017! And the winner is...
  • Gig Monkey's Record of the Year 2017! And the winner is...