I appreciate that some of us have got this record collecting bug worse than others, but who among us would be capable of resisting the chance to own a true rarity by one of our own favourite artists? And by true rarity I mean a very limited, personalised edition - of one copy. Step forward I Will Play This Song Once Again, a record label specialising in excruciatingly limited, personalised releases. Some of the singles in their catalogue have editions of just 5 copies, though my own purchase, 'What Have They Done To You Now?' by Daniel Knox, had a massive run of.....35. This means that Daniel recorded the song 35 times, each a one-off individually cut performance, prefaced by a brief spoken introduction, which in my case was a dedication to me using my full name (pronounced absolutely correctly - believe me this rarely happens) followed by the date and time of recording - four o'clock one morning in December since you ask.
The original recording of 'What Have They Done To You Now?' appeared on Daniel's excellent 'Disaster' album in 2007 and is revisited on my single in a very dramatic, rolling reworking - a unique performance, quite literally. I'd love to play it for you, but it's mine, all mine! Here's the original though. Check out more of Daniel's terrific music here.
And so to my favourite five albums of 2015. There'll be no tremendous surprises here for anyone who has cast a beady
eye over this blog in the past 12 months. Here we go (in reverse order, natch....).
5) Daniel Knox - Daniel Knox
Daniel's songs can bring a smile to your lips one minute and cause a shiver to run down your spine the next. The
power of his voice will rock you back on your heels before melting your heart. It's extraordinary stuff.
4) Trembling Bells - The Sovereign Self
When I listen to Trembling Bells, I find myself concocting make-believe musical genres in an attempt to pin down their general wonderfulness. Last
time I posted about them (here) I hit on 'Psych-Folk-Kraut-Rock', though I'm currently favouring 'Medieval-Wyrd-Noir'.
Feel free to disregard my waffle, except this next bit...'The Sovereign Self' is an astounding LP.
3) Alasdair Roberts - Alasdair Roberts
I'm sure that everyone has a select clutch of artists about whom they find it incredibly difficult to remain objective. Alasdair
Roberts is one such artist for me. This fantastic LP was released on Drag City in January and was followed later in the year by an EP as a member of The Furrow Collective, then in the Autumn with another, self-distributed, solo LP,
'Missed Flights and Fist Fights'. There may very well be more 2015 recordings out there that I still need to track down,
such is Alasdair's restlessly creative nature. I have a ticket to see him in concert again in March, expect further gushing superlatives
to come your way shortly thereafter.
2) Lonelady - Hinterland
'Hinterland' has been so deeply embedded in my noggin this year, that for a while I completely disregarded it from my 2015
review, being convinced that it must have actually been issued in 2014. It's a terrific album, released a full five years
after its predecessor 'Nerve Up'. Let's hope we don't have to wait quite so long for the next one.
1) Rozi Plain - Friend
Rozi Plain contributed substantially to This is the Kit's excellent 'Bashed Out' and also to 'We Resonate' by Rachael Dadd, a fine LP that reached my 2014 long-list. In spite of this, 'Friend', the third album Rozi has released under her own name, inhabits a unique sonic world,
sounding quite unlike anything else I've heard, while simultaneously remaining resolutely warm and accessible. An absolute delight and highly recommended.
I'm currently trying to hammer out a list of my favourite 10 albums of the year and as time wears on, I realise that it's a task I should've started
a lot sooner. So while I'm mulling it over for the millionth time, here are 5 of my favourite individual tunes of 2015.
5. Drinks - Hermits on Holiday.
When I posted this in May, blogging chum Swiss Adam memorably described it as 'weirdo lo-fi shit, in a good way'.
Couldn't have put it better myself.
4. Lonelady - Hinterland. The scratchy post-punk-funk of Lonelady (think Gang of Four meet A Certain Ration) was pretty much the soundtrack to my
year. One of my live highlights too.
3. Birds of Hell - Hometown Rage.
This haunting lo-fi snapshot of Pete Murdoch's childhood concludes with a genuinely moving snatch of a 78rpm recording of
his late Grandmother's voice, echoing down the years.
2. Daniel Knox - Blue Car.
Singer, songwriter, part-time movie projectionist and Instagram artist extraordinaire, Daniel
Knox played locally in March. Standing a couple of feet away from him as he sang the stunning 'Blue Car' was an absolute 2015 highlight.
1. This Is the Kit - Silver John.
The lyrics are a gentle musing on the end of life as we know it, but in spite of the heavy subject matter, 'Silver John'
is like a thick warm coat on a bitterly cold winter evening.
On Tuesday evening, in preparation for our
trip to the coast the following day, I sat at
my laptop perusing a selection of online pub-lunch menus and stumbled upon a dish
that caused my eyebrow to creak upwards in
the manner of Roger Moore's Spitting Image
puppet. Vegetarian Fish 'n' Chips. Intrigued,
I read on. The 'Fish' was actually halloumi, deep-fried in chilli, coriander and lime
batter. I closed my laptop. We had a winner. There was no
further research required.
Apparently, Chicago singer/songwriter Daniel Knox enjoyed a full English breakfast
on every stop of his recent UK tour (the
best was in Coventry, in case you're
wondering). I'd be interested to hear his
opinion on the merits of my veggie Fish 'n'
Chips. Maybe next time. Daniel's 'Blue Car'
is easily my favourite song of the year so far and
to be standing immediately in front of him as
he sang it, a couple of weeks ago, was
one of those, never to be forgotten, concert
moments. Check out more of his remarkable
music here.
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