2016 In One Healthy Mouthful

I have refrained from blogging this year for the simple fact, which the majority of us can agree with, it’s been a shitter. That isn’t completely true, however I do like using the whole year as an excuse for the most mundane of inconveniences, such as running out of milk. Simply roll the eyes, shrug the shoulders and walk away shaking your head and muttering “2016” to yourself.

However, through this damp squib of a year, with numerous heroes departing life and villains being plopped on frustratingly non-fictitious pedestals, there has been some rather tasty music.

So as this flaccid year draws to a close and the imminent arrival of President Toupée draws ever closer I will attempt to recommend some music that will warm the cockles of your bleak midwinter.

Adele

Well it wouldn’t be 2016 without the angelic Adele. Her newest album (albeit the tail end of 2015), is neither hither nor tither for me and if you took out the gaps between songs I’d struggle to differentiate between one beginning and one ending. However, that isn’t to say I don’t like it. She still has an absolute immaculate peach of a voice and I’d be lying if I said I wasn't an emotional wreck right at the front of her Glastonbury performance. The juxtaposition of her wondrous voice and not only stopping the music in order to wipe down her SULA (sweaty upper lip area), but telling the hundred and something thousand Glasto attendees that she’s doing so, just personifies her legend status for me. Up ya Adele, up ya.

David Bowie

So, what worse way to start this turgid bogie of a year than for arguably the most creative musical figure the world has ever seen to depart life in such a seemingly mystical fashion. The phenomenal nature of releasing his 25^th studio album on his birthday with little to no promotion and as it flew to the top of the charts he ostensibly and shockingly dies. Obviously after this tragic event it is made clear that his nearest, dearest and band were all sworn to secrecy about his illness and album. Nevertheless, the shock was echoed globally and regardless of my naïve sprinkling of Bowie knowledge his vision and the innovation he injected into the music industry has most certainly transformed it forever. 

Avalanches 

We all remember the wacky 90's Aussie group whose video was disjointedly endearing in a bizarre way. So, with baited breath I waited for their return and 16 bloody years later they are back, samples aplenty. Now, on first listen I convinced the over excited inner 10 year old that I was still listening to the same debut album that had once birthed the new millennium and with it my first soupçon of electronic music. Genius, I thought, yet recently I have started judging my love for new albums in the speed in which I return to replay them. And I did, for a day or two. However, until writing this, I hadn't gone back to it. Listening to it again today I still think it is a cleverly produced and masterfully sampled piece of fun but there is something about it that is sporadic and repetitive that makes it, in my opinion, frustrating to listen to. I love their use of samples as much as the next man, but alas I think this felt more like a world record attempt than a perfectly orchestrated album.

Lemonade

Video albums. It's been a big year for the video concept album with the obvious being Beyoncé and subsequently Frank Ocean but is it worth it? Lemonade has been heralded as album of the year multiple times, however, I think it says more for the clichéd metaphor that all men are pigs and quite frankly fuck'em. I'm not for one moment defending Jay-Z, whose name has been stuck on the forehead of the 'metaphorical' and seemingly adulterous villain in this story, because frankly her personal life actively disinterests me. However much like Eamon's explicit one hit wonder it would be great to get a reply album, regardless of their relationship feud more likely than not being a fictitious PR spunk pot, manufactured to sell more copies. This doesn’t take away from there being some genuinely good tunes on the album and as much as I disagree with publicly using your relationship for increased scandal, Beyoncé is a fucking goddess. So the realism of her and Jay-Z actually having real life problems, to me comparatively is like Poseidon stubbing his toe, but good on her and keep doing it for the ladies.

Mumford & Sons

Well that is my brief synopsis of the few major releases I have decided to ponder in slightly more detail. Now for my real musical highlights. As you may or may not have seen I do enjoy the rompy stompy country quartet Mumford & Sons and after their bleak, black foray into moody electronic rock it was nice to see them bounce back this year. They only went and recorded an EP in South Africa with none other than Baaba Maal. The results are a thing of beauty especially when performed in South Africa in the rain, emotional stuff.

Grime

As we wander out of the barn and more on to the ‘streets’, it most certainly has been a shitty year, however 2016 has been the year that grime has most certainly rolled rather abruptly into the mainstream. With Skepta leading the way with Glastonbury performance and being awarded the coveted Mercury Award but I’m not sure I care. Kano has most certainly made the best grime album of 2016, if not of any genre, yet he has had no way near as much critical acclaim as Skepta. I have just made the direct comparison between Numbers with Pharrell saying ‘it’s a three’, (well done Pharrell), and Kano’s opening track Hail and I think I must be missing something. Alternatively the wavy garms, “I keep my belongings in a Adidas man bag”, community have been brainwashed into thinking Skepta is here to save modern music. I’m not convinced.

I actually think Kano’s support act, the brilliantly talented Little Simz produced a far better album than Skepta this year and in turn is my prediction for a Mercury nominee in 2017.

Tribe Called Quest & De La Soul

Across the pond, 2 members of Hip-Hop royalty released new albums, one of which was featured a British rocker crawling out the ‘Darkness’, through the most unexpected of cameos. Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul’s latest releases both had moments of genius and their flows respectively are still of a caliber unmatched by any young MC with the exception of A.F.R.O. De La Soul’s latest chapter included British features from Damon Alborn, Estelle and none other than the spandex clad lead singer of The Darkness, Justin Hawkins. Where has he been? What has he been doing? Who cares to be honest, but there is someone out there that has got him on the new De La Soul album and whoever that person is, they need a medal.






Now as we roll ever closer to the end of this summing up and realising I’m now subsequently drawing ever closer to 2018, it is time to nip this summary in the bud. In doing so I have missed out multiple personal heroes who have passed away, namely, Prince, Ronnie Corbett, Alan Rickman, Willie Wonka, Victoria Wood and Sir Terry Wogan. There is one individual in particular who I believe will be remembered through the ages of history, who’s whit was as quick as his hands, the man, the legend, Cassius Clay AKA Muhammad Ali.

Predictions

Finally here are 3 of my predictions for brilliant new music in 2017. First and foremost The XX new album is out tomorrow and I’m rather overexcited about it, as I’m sure a lot of people are, here is hoping it doesn’t disappoint.

    


Next up is a young Australian who talks openly about the seven months she endured a drug-induced psychosis and how it was her passion for music that helped her through. She perfected her craft by busking her way around Melbourne and has recently released her debut EP so I hope an album is to follow in 2017. Failing that she is touring in the UK so get tickets whilst you still can.

Lastly and certainly not least is a London based band that have recently ripped through a sold out SCALA as their last stop on a European tour. ISLAND’s emotive and melodic rock appears hard to position, as I find it hard to comparably place next to anything I have ever heard. So, with 2 EP’s in their arsenal I hope I smell an album in 2017.

So there you have it, a belated and sporadic look into a sprinkling of the cloud that was 2016, with of course the arbitrary silver linings speckled about. It was a year that we lost a lot of legends but it was also a year we celebrated them. So I hope you all had a very happy New Year and onwards into 2017 and for god sake someone protect David Attenborough.