A LOT of albums get spun over at Tidal Wave towers over the space of a year, so we consider a huge number for this annual indulgent waffle-fest. Some bands just don’t make it easy to give their record the best possible shot at glory – specifically those selfish sods who realise an album in late November or later (or ahem, ones we don’t notice have a record out until then). Here’s three:
Japan’s Mono have specialised in grand, orchestral post rock for years. For My Parents sounded at least as good as anything else they’ve done in the single listen we’ve been able to give it.
We’ll expect big things from Canada’s Metz in the future. Judging by VERY recent debut album, hardcore punk could get relevant once again.
The EP that Wrexham’s Gallops put out a few years back promised greatness; it sounds as if this full length record may just have delivered it. We even had it pencilled in as our last album of the week for 2012 but ran out of time to give it anything more than a cursery listen. For fans of Errors, aye?
Anyways…
15. Bob Mould – Silver Age
In the year that Sugar’s seminal Copper Blue got its twentieth anniversary bumper reissue, the last thing you’d expect the band’s erstwhile frontman to be doing is firing out a really good solo album stuffed with sharp riffs and caustic lyrics. But that’s exactly what did.
14. Woodpecker Wooliams – The Bird School of Being Human
A genuine little curio, from an eccentric young English singer-songwriter. Driven mostly by harp strings and found sound, they appeared from nowhere and won us over in a heartbeat. A fabulous live show at a Song, by Toad BAD FUN night rather helped.
13. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – ‘Alleujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
For all your Mogwais and Explosions in the Sky, every post rock fan’s wet dream was always going to be a new Godspeed album. Off hiatus, and even with a record of mostly old songs recorded for the first time, this did not disappoint.
12. Django Django – Django Django
Also known as the one where a bunch of Edinburgh art school students fled to London and got massive. And it was well deserved. Surely one of the oddest bands to hit the mainstream in years, they were robbed of their Mercury by overrated charisma vacuums Alt-J, but the recognition will surely only spur them on.
11. The Douglas Firs – The Furious Sound
The stunning second album from Neil Insh’s collective chilled our hearts with its tales of witch trials, but warmed our senses with minimalist, percussion heavy, doom-laden folk. We’ve always liked them, but just how good this was came as a bit of a shock.
