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...)
