Jazdoc's 2016 Pop/Rock Records

[jazdoc]

Great, great year for new music. All on vinyl and subject to revision...

William Bell "This Is Where I Live"
Produced by John Leventhal. This is the answer to people who say 'they don't make music like that anymore'. Very good sound quality.

Blood Orange "Freetown Sound"
Probably my most played 2016 release and a reference quality recording

CloZee "Revolution"
This is the year the Feedbands label really hit its stride. Excellent quality vinyl of this French electronica artist.

Leonard Cohen "You Want It Darker"
Cohen closed out his career with perhaps the strongest trio of studio records in his long career.

Rainbow Girls "Percerptronium"
Another fabulous Feedbands release. A really fun record.

Shearwater "Jet Plane and Oxbow"
Another great LP on SubPop. Very good recording quality. They also release a limited run of their cover of Bowie's "Lodger"

Sugar Candy Mountain "666"
My latest earworm. A touch of psychedelia mixed with a bit of Velvet Underground with Nico.

Ultimate Painting "Dusk"
Side project for the guitarists Veronica Falls and Mazes. I like their collaboration better than their primary bands.

Jack White "Acoustic Recordings 1998-2006"
Great retrospective and a potpourri of outtakes and alternative interpretations.

Geoffrey Williams "Yes Is The Answer"
Final Feedbands entrant. Killer LP with great sonics.

Also enjoyed Charles Bradley "Changes", Mike Dillon "Functioning Broke", Whitney "Light Upon The Lake" and Teenage Fanclub "Here" (marginal sonics on LP). Tried and tried, but couldn't get into Bowie's "Blackstar'...

[Metamatic]

Top 5 Albums of the Year



Prince - HitNRun Phase one - late 2015 but 2016 for me. absolute corker of an album, stripped back lean electronic sound - modern sounding and proof even at 56 when he made this, this guy is an absolute legend that could do anything - RIP man. the Aussie bootleg vinyl is awesome.



James Vincent McMorrow - We Move. superb thinking man's pop from this talented UK singer songwriter.



Trentemoller - Fixion - more layers and layers of synth goodness from this electronic kingpin.



Brian Jonestown Massacre - Third World Pyramid. superb, effortless and my only complaint is its too short!!



Richard Ashcroft - These People. total surprise from the underachieving solo career - revitalised sound from Richard.



Andy Stott - Too Many Voices - Andy does techno, and very well.



Colder - Many Colours - after a 10 year hiatus the French electronic wizz is back.





Australian Album of the Year



Matt Corby - Telluric - brilliant album from the Aussie singer songwriter - superb recording as well.

Dope Lemon - self tiltled - bluesy laid back alt rock





Reissue of the Year



John Foxx - Cathedral Oceans 1-III. the most lavish and best box set I have bought - designed as a coffee table book with 5 LP's incorporated into the design. Brilliant



Pink Floyd - Obscured By Clouds. amazing sound from a digital reissue - who would have thought.





Old but good, best discovered album of the Year



Chelsea Wolf and Deerhunter - neither can do wrong as I went into their back catalogue.

[Bill Hart]

Great, great year for new music. All on vinyl and subject to revision...

William Bell "This Is Where I Live"
Produced by John Leventhal. This is the answer to people who say 'they don't make music like that anymore'. Very good sound quality.

Blood Orange "Freetown Sound"
Probably my most played 2016 release and a reference quality recording

CloZee "Revolution"
This is the year the Feedbands label really hit its stride. Excellent quality vinyl of this French electronica artist.

Leonard Cohen "You Want It Darker"
Cohen closed out his career with perhaps the strongest trio of studio records in his long career.

Rainbow Girls "Percerptronium"
Another fabulous Feedbands release. A really fun record.

Shearwater "Jet Plane and Oxbow"
Another great LP on SubPop. Very good recording quality. They also release a limited run of their cover of Bowie's "Lodger"

Sugar Candy Mountain "666"
My latest earworm. A touch of psychedelia mixed with a bit of Velvet Underground with Nico.

Ultimate Painting "Dusk"
Side project for the guitarists Veronica Falls and Mazes. I like their collaboration better than their primary bands.

Jack White "Acoustic Recordings 1998-2006"
Great retrospective and a potpourri of outtakes and alternative interpretations.

Geoffrey Williams "Yes Is The Answer"
Final Feedbands entrant. Killer LP with great sonics.

Also enjoyed Charles Bradley "Changes", Mike Dillon "Functioning Broke", Whitney "Light Upon The Lake" and Teenage Fanclub "Here" (marginal sonics on LP). Tried and tried, but couldn't get into Bowie's "Blackstar'...

Doc- did you watch Quarry? Ken Golden turned me on to it- set in Memphis is '72, a couple dudes come back from 'Nam under a cloud of involvement in a Mai Lai type massacre. Neither can get work due to this and things turn crazy---in the meantime, the producers plugged into the Memphis scene from that era. In one episode, a band is doing "Born Under a Bad Sign" in a smoky bar. William Bell is fronting and singing. Worth it for the music alone, but the series (1 season as far as I know) is gritty and pretty intense.

[jazdoc]

Hmmm. sounds interesting

[Johnny Vinyl]

Sugar Candy Mountain "666"
My latest earworm. A touch of psychedelia mixed with a bit of Velvet Underground with Nico.

This sounds interesting, but I'm on the fence about it.

I'm not normally a superstitious person, but the triple 6 title gives me the willies.

[jazdoc]

The title is a bit off putting but man, what a great album. Love this video http://youtu.be/-Goc4V1YjV4

[MylesBAstor]

Thanks for sharing Doc. Love your off the beaten path choices. Will have to try a few of your suggestions. Keep 'em coming.