- Top Tens
1 Hamilton - original Broadway cast recording
2 Carrie and Lowell - Sufjan Stevens
3 Welcome Back to Milk - DuBlonde
4 I Love You, Honeybear - Father John Misty
5 Marks to Prove It - The Maccabees
6 To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
7 Sometimes I just Sit and Think... - Courtney Barnett
8 Something More Than Free - Jason Isbell
9 Music in Exile - Songhoy Blues
10 Currents - Tame Impala
Songs of the year:
Wait for It - Hamilton
John My Beloved - Sufjan Stevens (thanks to Carson)
i - Kendrick Lamar
Film:
Girlhood
Festival performance of the year (ever)
Sufjan Stevens @ End of the Road Festival
Second place - SS's soundcheck @ End of the Road Festival
Kevin B.
- Top Tens
The youth of the Republic of Essex have spoken - Jack and Torran's Top 10 Albums -
Nothing but Thieves - Nothing but Thieves
Bring me the Horizon - That's the Spirit
Halsey - Badlands
Justin Bieber - Promise
Major Lazer - Peace is the Mission
Jack U - Jack U
Halestorm - Into the Wildlife
5 Seconds of Summer - Sounds Good Feels Good
Ellie Goulding- Delirium
The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness
- Top Tens
2015 Top 10 Albums
Dan Patlansky - Dear Silence Thieves
Shinedown -Threat to Survival
Halestorm - Into the Wildlife
Silent Divide - Master of Disguise
Dinosaur Pile Up - Eleven Eleven
Blackberry Smoke - Holding all the Roses
Gun - Frantic
Plain white T's -American Nights
We are the Ocean - Ark
Zac Brown Band - Jeckyll & Hyde
Iain @docswallow
- Top Tens
JJ Rosa who launches new single ‘Where Is The Mercy’ on 11th December at Cargo in London, shares her Top Ten Albums of 2015
The Weekend - 'Beauty Behind the Madness'
Jamie Woon - 'Making Time'
Kwabs - 'Love + War'
Lianne La Havas - 'Blood'
Rudimental - 'We the Generation'
Disclosure - 'Caracal'
Blackalicious - 'Imani, Vol.1'
Kendrick Lemar - 'To Pimp a Butterfly'
Adele - '25'
Hurts - 'Surrender'
Here is the video for JJ's 'Where is the Mercy'
- Top Tens
A Top Ten Albums 2015 from Peter Noble of Noble PR
1. Dan Patlansky – Dear Silence Thieves
2. Jared James Nichols – Old Glory and the Wild Revival
3. Chantel McGregor – Lose Control
4. Joel Hoekstra – Dying To Live
5. Whitesnake – The Purple Album
6. King King – Reaching For The Light
7. Erja Lyytinen – Live at the 100 Club
8. Robin Trower – Something’s About To Change
9. Joe Bonamassa – Live at Radio City Music Hall
10. Walter Trout – Battle Scars
- Top Tens
MITSKI - TOWNIE (David)
'And I want a love that falls as fast as a body from the balcony.' Loving the dark cynicism of the lyrics here! Also it's just great to hear someone nail that fuzzy lofi guitar sound in 2015. A very cool artist all round.
GRIMES - KILL V MAIM (Conor)
My expectations for Art Angels were low, I assumed it was going to be full of EDM club bangers. I was wrong, and happily so. Album of the year for me and the production and vocal delivery is absolutely spot on. Claire Boucher has recaptured my heart.
VANT - DO YOU KNOW ME? (Luke)
We played with this band in Reading a couple of weeks back and they were deadly. Loud, sharp guitars with killer hooks stuffed in every corner of every song.
FANGCLUB - BULLET HEAD (Rob)
By far one of the most impressive singles we heard this year. Has a sort of quotsa / nirvana vibe that's irresistible. Even better that they're a local dublin band!
TAME IMPALA - THE LESS I KNOW THE BETTER (All)
This song got us through every day of tour. Kevin Parker has a way with music that no one man operation comes close to. They blew us away at electric picnic, amazing band.
THE WEEKND - CAN'T FEEL MY FACE (David)
I first heard this song come on in a club in Reykjavik, and I was instantly hooked. It's got a bass line that'd bring even the most hardened Motown purist to their knees. Structurally it's a breath of fresh air, the contrast of the Michael Jackson esque vocal with the simple but huge beat of the chorus is really striking.
CIRCA WAVES - STUCK IN MY TEETH (Rob)
Circa waves entire album really is superb,but this song just has the most catchy hook in the vocal. Brilliant band.
DEERHUNTER - BREAKER (Luke)
I had been waiting on the new Deerhunter album all year and the first taste of it didn't disappoint. The song is achingly pretty and melts into an even prettier chorus. Top marks.
FIDLAR - WHY GENERATION (Conor)
My expectations were high for FIDLAR's sophomore effort and unfortunately they didn't quite hit the highs of their debut. Why Generation is the stand out track on the album for me and sits head and shoulders above the rest of the material. Big riffs and hooky as hell.
KENDRICK LAMAR - KING KUNTA (All)
This song took over Luke's life for the first half of the year. To Pimp A Butterfly is the stand out hip hop album of the year for us; the production is second to none.
- Top Tens
As we get to July (just where does the time go??) we thought we would have a quick look back at our albums of the year so far … A-Z
Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime want to Dance from Ellen
Calexico - Edger of the Sun from Keith
Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometime I just Sit from Russell
Decemberists - What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World from Graham
Du Blonde - Welcome back to Milk from Kevin. B
East India Youth - Culture of Volume from Sally
Father John Misty - I Love you Honeybear from Matt & Nigel
Gengahr - A Dream Outside from Pete
Halestorm - Into The Wild Life from Iain
Mew + - from Si
Natalie Prass - from Jim
San Fermin - Jackrabbit from Gráinne
The Shires - Brave from Julie
Slaves - Are you Satisfied? from Kevin.H
Songhoy Blues - Music in Exile from Ken
The Staves - If I Was from Kevin. B (the other one) & Joe
- Top Tens
The votes are in and counted for another year resulting in a landslide victory for The War On Drugs – 'Lost in the Dream' as the Rock Club UK Album of the year for 2014.
Happy New year all!
1 The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
=2 Elbow - The Take-off and landing of Everything
=2 Royal Blood – Royal Blood
3 Sharon van Etten – Are We There
4 Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams
5 The Rails – Fair Warning
6 Temples – Sun Structures
=7 Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots
=7 Mogwai – Rave Tapes
=7 St Vincent – St Vincent
=7 Wild Beasts – Present Tense
8 First Aid Kit – Stay Gold
=9 Beck – Morning Phase
=9 Esben and the Witch – A New Nature
=10 East India Youth – Total Strife Forever
=10 The Horrors - Luminous
All the votes are HERE
- Top Tens
Only just heard St Vincent's album from beginning to end - sounds fantastic, but too soon to say if it's a top tenner. Not played Lykke Li's album in full yet, although what I've heard sounds great.
For me, there's a considerable gap between number one and the rest. For once, that part was easy. My problem was (like Lou) listening to a lot of 2013 records during 2014. Number one would've been Bill Callahan's Dream River, released in 2013. Here are my favourites:
Albums
1. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
2. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
3. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
4. Wild Beasts - Present Tense
5. Neil Young - A Letter Home
6. TV on the Radio - Seeds
7. Ariel Pink – Pom Pom
8. Beck - Morning Phase
9. Mogwai – Rave Tapes
10. Thom Yorke - Tomorrow's Modern Boxes
Gigs
1. Atomic Bomb (William Onyeabor by Damon Albarn, Hot Chip and Co) at the Barbican
2. Bill Callahan at the Royal Festival Hall
3. Keaton Henson at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
4. TV on the Radio at Oslo
5. Mogwai at the Royal Festival Hall
6. Neutral Milk Hotel at the Roundhouse
7. Slint at Electric Brixton
8. Gruff Rhys at Soho Theatre
9. Sinkane at Oslo
10. Bonnie Prince Billy at St John at Hackney
Nigel
- Top Tens
A Rockin' year it seems ....
1. Royal Blood - Royal Blood
2. Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots
3. The Horrors - Luminous
4. Slash - World on Fire
5. Foo Fighters- Sonic Highways
6. St Vincent - St Vincent
7. Beck - Morning Phase
8. Billy Idol - Kings and Queens of the Underground
9. Jack White - Lazaretto
10. Pink Floyd - Endless River
Carla
@QuaglinoMngmnt
- Top Tens
The music I have most enjoyed during 2014 some of which I saw at Green Man and End of the Road Festivals are;
1. First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
2. The Rails – Fair Warning
3. Lily & Madeleine – Fumes
4. Simon Felice – Strangers
5. Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams
6. Elbow – The Takeoff & Landing of Everything
7. Smoke Fairies – Smoke Fairies
8. Tori Amos – Unrepentant Geraldines
9. The Hayden Triplets – The Hayden Triplets
10. Jenny Lewis – The Voyager
- Top Tens
Albums
- Mogwai Rave Tapes
- The War on Drugs Lost in the Dream
- The Barr Brothers Sleeping Operator
- The Twilight Sad Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave
- The Felice Brothers Favorite Waitress
- The Rails Fair Warning
- King Creosote From Scotland With Love
- The Phantom Band Strange Friend
- Wild Beasts Present Tense
- East India Youth Total Strife Forever
Gigs
- Mogwai Royal Festival Hall 24.1.14
- Suede Royal Albert Hall 30.3.14
- Kan St Pancras Old Church 22.5.14
- Matt Berry Garage 9.4.14
- Handsome Family 100 Club 13.5.14
- RM Hubbert Lexington 30.11.14
- Shearwater XOYO 30.4.14
- Marijuana Deathsquads Black Heart 11.2.14
- Dead Rat Orchestra London Canal Museum 28.7.14
- Chris Wood Kings Place 7.2.14
Festival Performances
- Loudon Wainwright III Cambridge Folk Festival
- Jason Isbell Cambridge Folk Festival
- Lau End of the Road Festival
- Richard Thompson End of the Road Festival
- McGoldrick, McCusker, Doyle Cambridge Folk Festival
- The Rails Cambridge Folk Festival
- Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham Cambridge Folk Festival
- Barr Brothers End of the Road Festival
- Fisherman's Friends Cambridge Folk Festival
- Danny & the Champs Leigh Folk Festival
Track of the Year
The War on Drugs An Ocean in Between the Waves
Book of the Year
Joshua Ferris To Rise Again at a Decent Hour
Film of the Year
The Imitation Game
TV Show of the Year
The Detectorists
Best Musical Experience of the Year
Taking my dad to his first ever Cambridge Folk Festival
Most Disappointing Musical Experience of the Year
Herman Dune deciding to play a tedious covers set in belated tribute to Lou Reed at their gig at the Lexington back in January
Matt @mjcartledge