“THE BEST THING I’VE HEARD ALL YEAR!”
BRETT ANDERSON Suede’s suave Sussex Man.
Fontaines D.C.’s album Skinty Fia is great. I love the singer’s slightly surly, don’t-give-afuck delivery, but there’s poetry and passion behind it rather than emptiness. They have a fantastic range, from really hard songs, such as the title track, to The Couple Across The Way, which is beautiful and harmonious. They’re on a really interesting artistic path.
The first time I heard Working Men’s Club’s album Fear Fear – a great title – I literally danced around the kitchen all night, it’s got such energy. It’s such an interesting record, very raw even though it’s very electronic, with a feeling of claustrophobia, like it was born out of desperation. I really like the tunes too and the way the singer puts his voice in interesting places against the chords.
I only heard Dry Cleaning’s first album this year. It’s really good but the single Scratchcard Lanyard is magical. It’s a fascinating combination of gnarly band and the singer’s spoken word. She walks a really tricky line between being profound and funny. “Tap dad on the head, all right you old loudmouth, thanks very much for the Twix” – completely bonkers and absolutely brilliant.
OUMOU SANGARÉ All hail the Queen of Mali.
I am a big fan of [Nigerian-American R&B singer] Davido, and the track Stand Strong was his return in 2022. His talent is still shining. This song means a lot to me because he sings about not taking notice of haters and their jealousy – a situation that many people have to face. I also loved Aya Nakamura’s song Méchante. Aya is the rising star of Afro-European urban music and one of the most successful female singers in Europe. She’s French but from a Malian family. She wrote a song about me a few years ago, titled Oumou Sangaré, in which she explained that I am an example for her in difficult moments. I am very, very proud of her and how she is now at the top, because it is not easy for a girl to get respected in rap music.
KEVIN MORBY Texan tunesmith, talking backwards.
I am writing this on the morning of the release of the new Bill Callahan record. Though I am only one song in, I can, with great confidence, announce that this will inevitably be one of my favourite things from this year. I also really love the album’s title, ytilaeR. I like that it forces you to refer to the album as “Reality Spelled Backwards” when describing it to someone else. Another great discovery has been Nick Cave’s new book Faith, Hope And Carnage. It’s been my bible as of late. I’ve chosen not to read it front to back but instead whenever I pick it up I choose a random chapter and dive in. Cave and co-writer Seán O’Hagan discuss everything from, well, faith to hope to carnage, and I’m already dreading the moment it comes to an end.
DENNIS BOVELL The Dubmaster.
There are two artists that I absolutely could not stop listening to this year. I first encountered [melodic North London rapper] Coops’s music when he was a very young lad at school with my son. I have watched his career grow ever since. His new album, Lost Soul II, is simply electric. His way of riding the rhythm is unique, and his stance on certain issues through his lyrics align with mine and my way of thinking. He’s a great artist. Secondly, I first heard of [grimester] L. Dot when she performed with a trio called F2D. They did a fantastic song where they saluted all the rappers that they liked from their area, and I think it became a bit of an anthem amongst many. I actually invited them to perform with me at the South Bank Centre and they were great – they wiped the floor. The three of them are all talented. But I really love L. Dot’s sound. She is her own sound engineer, records herself, does her own loops, she’s totally unique. Check out her mixtape: How We Are & Be. It’s a very clever title – think about it!
CARL BARÂT The Libertines’ sensible one (relatively).
I’ve been incredibly busy, starting businesses and moving house, so it’s really hard to get into a whole album. I’m ashamed to say two of my choices come via Spotify’s algorithm. Jake Thackray’s Lah-Di-Dah is a love song about someone getting married and has a charming, tragic Englishness, a Tony Hancock sitcom pessimism about it, like embracing her mother’s scabby cat and how her dad won the war. GMF by John Grant [from Pale Green Ghosts, 2013] is an excellent piece of songwriting.
Often, lyrically, you want to give people a puzzle, and it’s almost vulgar to expose what you’re saying, but GMF does the complete opposite with a clarity that’s like a stand-up comedian, saying what you shouldn’t. A surprise bonus is that the voice that props up the song perfectly is Sinead O’Connor. I also love Jamie T’s The Old Style Raiders [from this year’s The Theory Of Whatever]. His lyrical style is incredibly unique, the way he places the emphasis on words you usually wouldn’t, and how he settles into a groove and the melody settles into the beat. He writes in a puzzle, with images far and wide so you can choose your own adventure, and the chorus can be sung as a triumphant battle cry or a lament.
JAMES SMITH Yard Act’s post-Brexit boulevardier.
Wu-Lu’s album Loggerhead is a tapestry of influences, like a mixtape. There’s metal, drum’n’bass, rap, drone, and neo-classical arrangements. It goes from spoken word to pure death metal growl, which sounds weird but it feels pure, like he’s done it for himself and not played any kind of game. I was a bit late to Richard Dawson & Circle’s album Henki. The way he draws out melodies from the funniest sentences is so hypnotic. He sounds medieval whilst singing about vape shops! I really enjoyed
If My Wife New I’d Be Dead by CMAT. She’s an Irish country singer, but it’s pop too, with contemporary lyrical references. The songs are super-high calibre but she doesn’t take herself too seriously, which is refreshing to hear in that genre. I’m also really excited about the anniversary reissue of Revolver by this band called The Beatles, after hearing the early, alternative version of Tomorrow Never Knows, the way Ringo’s drums shape the sound, taking the swing out and played dead straight. Absolutely fascinating.
SYD MINSKYSARGEANT Working Men’s Club’s poet with an 808.
I really like the new record by [former Cabaret Voltaire frontman] Stephen Mallinder, Tick Tick Tick. It sounds so contemporary, which is amazing given how long Mal’s been doing this, and how minimal it is. He’s still pushing the boat out, still very much in his own lane – very admirable. I also like the Marina Allen album, Centrifics, especially the song Superreality. She’s a Californian singer-songwriter and just writes really beautiful songs, classic songs. And I think Gabe Gurnsey’s record Diablo – another electronic record, on Errol Alkan’s Phantasy label – is really boss. Phantasy are putting out some really good stuff at the minute. It’s a good label, run by artists, which I think is really important. Oh, and I went to see Moonage Daydream, which I thought was brilliant, and it sent me back to Bowie’s last album, Blackstar. A pretty incredible record, and to make that on your deathbed…
MAKAYA McCRAVEN Give the drummer some.
That new band, The Smile, with Tom Skinner and Thom Yorke from Radiohead – that was really exciting. It’s a real cool, interesting kind of project with a unique cast. It’s great to see these kinds of pop stars with success working with all kinds of creative, progressive musicians, bringing that into their fold. You see that all across from Kendrick Lamar to Lady Gaga. It makes for broader new sounds traversing genres.
The Black Star record No Fear Of Time was also really exciting. I’m a major [Black Star producer] Madlib fan, and a major hip-hop fan who came up in the ’90s with Mos Def and Talib Kweli. What’s great about it? Dope beats and great MCing!
Finally, I wanted to give a shout out to the young saxophonist on Blue Note records, Immanuel Wilkins. He’s one of the most exciting young jazz artists of today. His most recent album is The
7th Hand. There’s lots of pretty compositions, and he’s a dynamic powerhouse musician through and through. Beautiful and emotive.
KAREN O Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ positive affirmations.
The Linda Lindas twice supported us this year, and their charisma and freshness was like punk rock and rock’n’roll through a prism, which made me feel like I was a teenager again. Oh!, on their album Growing
Up, is like a mix of Bikini Kill and Missing Persons. It’s life-affirming watching these young AsianAmerican women kick so much ass. Another favourite is My Horror, from Santigold’s new album Spirituals. The music has a floaty, positive vibe, but the lyric sounds like the trauma of living in a pandemic, a total counterpoint. I discovered Charlie Megira’s album Tomorrow’s Gone this year. He was an enigma, an Israeli transplanted to Berlin who started releasing music at the beginning of the millennium, he died in 2016. Imagine if Chet Baker was a guitarist. It’s romantic and dreamy with a syrupy atmosphere, kinda like Marc Ribot with a touch of Link Wray. It immediately transported me, like the best stuff does.
JACOB LUSK The gospel according to Gabriels’ new soul superstar.
Seeing Celeste live, that was definitely one of the best things I’ve seen all year. We opened for her in the UK and I was gobsmacked by her voice… woah! The way she sings, it’s not like anyone I’ve heard before, to be honest. And Harry
Styles’ Matilda touched my heart. I was like, Oh my God, this can be me, I can start a family who will always show me love, doing my own thing. It blew my socks off. And I saw this girl Emma-Jean Thackray perform. She is wild, from another planet – she’s got soul and jazz and electro at the same time, her band was killer. It was nuts!
PAUL WELLER The Guvnor’s annual report.
After getting the album, I’ve just seen the film of Creedence Clearwater Revival At The Royal Albert Hall, which reminded me what a great band they were. There’s John Fogerty’s voice and the songs are extraordinary in their simplicity. They were a rock’n’roll band, not a rock band, and there’s a difference. I really loved Gwenno’s album [Tresor], this is her best so far. She sings in Cornish and Welsh, so I’ve no idea what the lyrics are about, but the sound of the words is so beautiful and evocative. Kathryn Williams too: she’s released many records but Night Drives is one of her best; it’s more concise and complete. Is nepotism acceptable? Steve Pilgrim has drummed for me since about 2009, and I produced his latest album Beautiful Blue. It’s just gorgeous, in that folk singer-songwriter tradition. And my daughter Leah’s album Freedom is fucking great. She’s been chipping away for years, but she’s really got her writing together: it’s proper melodic tunes and good words. I really believe in it.