Looking for a last-minute pressie? Listener reviewers Nick Bollinger and Jim Pinckney have the best pop and rock of the year.
Anna Calvi, photo Maisie Cousins
HARVEY PRESENTS LOCUSSOLUS, Locussolus (International Feel). Renowned for his distinctive remixes and epic DJ sets over the past couple of decades, Harvey distils all of that knowledge and experience into an adventurous and absorbing album. Hauling in the likes of Andrew Weatherall and Emperor Machine to help doesn’t hurt, but it’s Harvey’s unique character that shines through.
CERVANTINE, A Hawk and a Hacksaw (LM Dupli-Cation). Beautifully recorded and elegantly packaged, this fifth album from the American duo draws on Eastern European, Balkan, Greek and Mexican folklore traditions in a way that is respectful yet still vibrant. Contemporary Zach Condon may have gravitated towards pop traditionalism with his latest Beirut album, but Cervantine goes in the opposite direction, delightfully.
CAT’S EYES, Cat’s Eyes (Shock). Revelling in Horrors frontman Faris Badwan’s encyclopaedic knowledge of 60s girl groups, and showcasing Canadian opera singer Rachel Zeffira’s gorgeous voice, Cat’s Eyes is a meticulously worked study in pop classicism. For all of Badwan’s emaciated charm and vampiric vibes, this is simply a great fun record that balances the dark and light superbly.
DEMOLISHED THOUGHTS, Thurston Moore (Ecstatic Peace/Matador). The New York noise-rocker goes acoustic with help from a harpist, a violinist and Beck. Although lyrically and melodically lovely, Moore’s experimental impulse persists in the subtle drones, weird resonances and thrilling crescendos.
BAD AS ME, Tom Waits (Anti). There may be no kind of song here Old Scrap-Metal-Throat hasn’t tangled with before. Still, this typical mix of bone-rattling blues and broken-down ballads is his most entertaining set in more than a decade. Keith Richards contributes meaningfully.
THE CONSTANT PAGEANT, Trembling Bells (Honest Jon’s). On their third and best album yet, this Scottish quartet, led by sometime Bonnie “Prince” Billy drummer Alex Neilson and blessed with the immaculate voice of Lavinia Blackwall, produce a fruitful fusion of ancient British folksong and passionate power-chorded punk.
HELPLESSNESS BLUES, Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop). Sombre meditations on life and responsibility meet elevating melodies in this mature, beautifully realised sophomore set. If the pastoral picking recalls Crosby, Stills & Nash, the stacked harmonies evoke Yes – in a good way.
WHOKILL, tUnE-yArDs (4AD). Although based in Oakland, California, the extraordinary Merrill Garbus, aka tUnE-yArDs, weaves melodies and rhythms in a way that can sound sub-Saharan, even when she’s expressing an urban American unease. And despite the serious political subtext, a joyful lo-fi funkiness infuses the whole thing.
ANNA CALVI, Anna Calvi (Domino). Although comparisons with PJ Harvey are perhaps inevitable (they share a producer), the dramatic singer/guitarist shows more than enough individuality on her confident and impressive debut. Nominated for a Mercury Prize, and endorsed by Nick Cave and Brian Eno, Calvi will be performing in Auckland at Laneway 2012.
GOB, Dels (Big Dada). Surrounding himself with top-level operators like Roots Manuva, Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard and fast-rising producer Kwes has paid dividends for the refreshingly untypical Ipswich MC Dels. He may not have the experience to be quite the full article, but youthful adventurousness and a penchant for a bit of dissonance stand him in good stead.
TELL ME, Jessica Lea Mayfield (Nonesuch). Mayfield writes her songs from the point of view of a sexually liberated Gen Y woman, and Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys matches these to a sound as modern as drum loops, without compromising the music’s imperishable country roots.
THE LOST NOTEBOOKS OF HANK WILLIAMS, Various (Egyptian/Sony). A dozen-odd neo-traditionalists – from Alan Jackson to Jack White – find convincing melodies for unrecorded lyrics left behind by the master of country song. Among the highlights are Lucinda Williams (no relation) in a rare happy moment and Merle Haggard (the senior contributor to this set) intoning The Sermon on the Mount.
WE’RE NEW HERE, Jamie xx & Gil Scott-Heron (XL). A brilliant and unlikely meeting of the minds between the gifted young pup from the xx and grizzled jazz legend Scott-Heron. Sadly, the latter didn’t make it through the year, but what a spectacular and fittingly forward-looking way to bow out.
SING ALONG WITH THE YOOTS, the Yoots (Economy). It could almost be some vintage ska reissue, until you recognise the tunes as kapa haka favourites or notice the occasional count-in of “Toru, wha!”. Fat Freddy’s Drop’s ebullient trombonist, Joe Lindsay, steers this summery barbecue-friendly set.
SMOKE RINGS FOR MY HALO, Kurt Vile (Matador). The year’s haziest hits came from hard-working Philadelphian Vile, who has been growing towards a release of this stature for some time. It’s easy to bandy around names like Neil Young and J Mascis, but this album shows the 31-year- old has definitely got his own thing going on.
SOME WERE MEANT FOR SEA, Tiny Ruins (Spunk). English-born/Wellington-based Holly Fullbrook fits the profile for a nu-folkie, but her music isn’t really folk, just quiet. Gently hooky songs such as You’ve Got the Kind of Nerve I Like show the instincts of a literate popsmith.
THE STEPKIDS, the Stepkids (Stones Throw). This Connecticut trio cook up hook-heavy baroque soul that recalls the genius of Cadet Records supremos Richard Evans and Charles Stepney (Ramsey Lewis, Rotary Connection, etc), with a touch of Funkadelic and some sweet harmonies. They have songwriting chops way beyond their years, and a taste for the unusual and unexpected.
BAD LUCK MAN, Delaney Davidson (Voodoo Rhythm). Representing the downtrodden, brokenhearted and hard done by, Lyttelton’s travelling troubadour must have found himself with a surplus of source material for a fourth album that is consistent and convincing throughout.
THE OLD MAGIC, Nick Lowe (Proper). While other pop elders such as Paul Simon ponder life’s big questions, Lowe wonders if hastily purchased roses will buy him forgiveness for his latest transgression. And he delivers his tales of anti-heroism in a mature style located somewhere between the Brill Building and the British music hall.
KINSHASA ONE TWO, DRC Music (Warp). Made over just five days by a carefully curated bunch of producers and local Congolese musicians, the spontaneity is well evident, and infectious on the latest venture from Damon Albarn. In a world of over-produced and over-thought-out records, the little unevenness the process brings is a genuinely welcome addition.
Click here for the 10 best classical CDs and DVDs of the year; here for the top 10 DVDs.