Thursday 31 January 2019

Q#123 - December 2018 to January 2019


Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT  
Download mix from  https://www.mediafire.com/file/d1uz1tpj7vr77cb/Q123.zip/file 

Now with added Spotify playlist at end of notes.

Q's Compilations
Vol #123 – December 2018 to January 2019

Happy 2019! As usual, the first mix of the year is a “best of” what happened in the last 12 months. Music took a bit of a step back in 2018, I only went to 52 shows, but that probably says more about my general happiness taking a big positive swing. As always though, there were some fantastic records released this year, and here are some of my favourites.

01) Bat Fangs – Turn It Up: Winner of best Thin Lizzy impression of 2018 goes to Bat Fangs’, the duo of Betsy Wright and Laura King. Their self-titled debut on Don Giovanni records is a joy to behold, not trying to be anything other than an anthemic ode to 70s classics, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need. Wolfbite appeared on Q#122.

02) The Dirty Nil – Bathed in Light: Another unadulterated, no-frills rock and roll album (possibly the best of its kind for the year). Ontario trio The Dirty Nil released Master Volume in September via Dine Alone Records and really should be a massive hit. Huge choruses, driving drums, slick lead guitar licks, what more do you want?

03) Superchunk – Lost My Brain: What a Time to Be Alive is another superb record to the band’s discography (and continues their high energy comeback since 2010’s Majesty Shredding). This is their first record with a political slant, and this 90-second fist-pumper is a highlight. The title track for the record appeared on Q#118.

04) Bad Moves – One Thing: Tell No One, Bad Moves’ debut album (another on Don Giovanni Records), should appeal to any self-respecting power pop fan. You may remember Spirit FM from Q#121 and this is another expertly catchy tune.

05) The Beths – Future Me Hates Me: My absolute favourite album of the year was Future Hates Me by The Beths, every once in a while a band comes along that lands straight in the middle of my venn diagram, and their upbeat music/downbeat lyrics are a perfect combo. Album opener The Great No One was on Q#121 and I could quite conceivably put the rest of the record with a few extra tracks as this entire compilation.

06) Screaming Females – Soft Domination: All at Once was Screaming Females’ seventh studio record and managed to contain both their poppiest and least commercial work to date over the course of a 15-track double LP. They remain one of the best live bands you can see! I’ll Make You Sorry featured on Q#118.

07) Denzel Curry – 13Lack 13Alloons: One of the pleasures of putting together the top 25 albums of the year on Free Williamsburg is hearing some excellent records you didn’t hear up to that point. TA13OO tries, pretty successfully for the most part, to run the gauntlet when it comes to hip hop and I’ve certainly picked one of the most commercial picks, but I couldn’t help but plump for this tune that could have been plucked from the mid 90s.

08) Fat Tony – 10,000 Hours: Another Don Giovanni artist, Fat Tony released 10,000 hours, his fifth overall. As the song suggests, and the track delivers, Fat Tony has become an expert in his field.

09) The Holydrug Couple – Ikebana Telephone: I shouldn’t have to remind anyone about my liking of Chilean bands, and one of the Blow Your Mind heavyweights released their fifth album, Hyper Super Mega in September (in the US it was released on Sacred Bones). The keyboard influence of Moonlust go a step further on this album and has more of a pop flavour than their earlier psych work, and they’re equally adept in both worlds. Forever End appeared on Q#122.

10) Olden Yoke – Gamblers on a Dime: Fans of the band Quilt will recognise Shane Butler, who is the driving force in Olden Yoke. The project essentially started off as a solo project but they are now a quartet and their self-titled debut was one of the low-key triumphs of the year.

11) Thou – The Unspeakable Oath: Speaking of low-key triumphs, Thou had an exceptional year, and deserved all the praise they got for their album Magus (In the Kingdom of Meaning featured on Q#121), but they also managed to release a trio of Eps, one of which was the acoustic/slowcore Inconsolable. If you hadn’t guessed, that’s where this track appears. I’d love to know who they were channelling on this but it does make me pine for Red House Painters.

12) Shannon Shaw – Love I Can’t Explain: I’ve enjoyed Shannon and the Clams over the years and have seen them live a few times, but Shannon Shaw released a really great solo album this year, Shannon in Nashville. As most solo albums don’t quite manage, the material here steers away from her main act enough to make the whole thing worthwhile, but also ends up being the best thing she’s ever released. Broke My Own appeared on Q#121.

13) Tsunamis – 4AM: I will admit, I was struggling a little bit to fill the last few minutes of this mix, then I remembered that Chilean outfit The Tsunamis, released a 7” single in November (on Blow Your Mind Records, obviously). This is a lovely, laid back and hazy trip to the desert - or at least that’s what it sounds like to me.

14) Dusk – Stained Blue: Oh yeah, another Don Giovanni release! Dusk is the country side-project of Amos Pitsch, who you may know from the excellent band, Tenement. This track opens the record and is perhaps the rockiest things get on the album, almost drifting into REM territory. Eyes in Dark Corners appeared on Q#120.

15) Anna Calvi – Alpha: The years between Anna Calvi records can be lonely but Hunter (her first in five years) was always going to be worth it. Lead single Don’t Beat the Girl Out of My Boy appeared on Q#121 and between the two songs you get a pretty good idea of the record, the guitar work takes a step back but Anna herself steps forward.

16) Ought – Disaffection: Montreal quartet Ought have yet to put a foot wrong over the course of their three albums. Room Inside the World was released on Merge Records and they have really widened their influences and scope, spending more time in the studio to craft one of the finest records of the year. Desire appeared on Q#118.

17) Horrendous – Soothsayer: It’s always hard trying to figure out where to put the black metal song on the mix… they usually go at the beginning or the end, but here we are. My favourite metal album of the year was Horrendous’ Idol, with guitar solos and killer riffs everywhere to be heard. The Idolater closed out Q#122.

18) Daughters – The Lord’s Song: Another delightful discovery from the Free Williamsburg list was Daughters’ You Won’t Get What You Want, which is one of the more intense records of the year and probably a record that should be in the Nine Inch Nails discography somewhere. I have a ticket to see them in March and imagine it’s going to be a great show.

19) Big Bliss – Conscious Being: One of the hardest working local bands in recent years, Big Bliss released their debut album, At Middle Distance this year and it’s an accomplished debut, not losing any intensity from their live act. The reverb is perfect and while the influences are there to hear, it knits everything together excellently.

20) The Spirit of the Beehive – (Without You) In My Pocket: Hypnic Jerks was one of those records that really crept up on me towards the end of  the year, just how good it was. I’m just going to reproduce what I put on Freewilliamsburg.com: Philly quintet Spirit of the Beehive hit the jackpot this year with Hypnic Jerks, a record with something for every alt-indie fan but everything for a few. In lesser hands, the whole mishmash of styles and tempos would fall apart in a blundered mess, but they have managed to craft a masterful blend, mixing layered psych harmonies one minute with laid-back stoner folk to driving rock and roll, peppered with psychedelic and sampled interludes throughout. Hypnic Jerks is an album in the truest sense, greater than the sum of its collected parts, best consumed as its own snaking, all encompassing experience.

21) Snail Mail – Golden Dream: Lush is probably the one album you’ll see on most end of year lists that also crops up on this mix. There’s a reason for that, it’s a good record! This was the last song to end up on the mix but I think it fits in rather snugly, a lot is made of Lindsey Jordan’s age and there’s a reason for that too, it’s an amazing feat for a teenager.

22) Wand – Pure Romance: LA band Wand have been building up a fine discography over five years and managed to combine all their influences and sounds on their latest EP, Perfume, in May (the title track appeared on Q#120).

23) Mint Field -Para Gali: You may remember Ciudad Satellite from Q#121, and to be lazy, I’m going to copy another of my FreeDubya write-ups: Whenever I play this record, I can’t help but get caught up in it and I’ve not heard a more beautiful sounding album all year. Mint Field are duo Estrella Sanchez (vocals & guitar) and Amor Amezcua (drums & synths), hailing from Tijuana in Mexico. Over the course of 13 tracks, Pasar De Las Luces ranges from shoegaze, soundscapes and krautrock, with soaring vocals painting an extra layer of texture rather than a lyrical one; think My Bloody Valentine meets Cocteau Twins feel in that regard. While the album at times wears its influences on its sleeves a bit too unabashedly, the jump between their albeit promising 2015 EP and this, their debut full-length, shows a band massively growing in confidence. I’d say the sky is the limit for Mint Field, but their music already sound like it’s in the clouds as it is.


Hope this is an enjoyable mix, I’m relatively happy with it, though the next mix will inevitably include a bunch of stuff I should have used instead! 2018 was for the most part a really wonderful year, I hope it was for you as well.  
As always, Peace and Love - Q

Please note that the zip file has a password: QCOMPS.BLOGSPOT  

Download mix from  https://www.mediafire.com/file/d1uz1tpj7vr77cb/Q123.zip/file

Now with added Spotify playlist (albeit not mixed...)