TOP DOGS: WHO'S THIS YEARS DADDY (PART 2)

So last week I took a look at who was doing well in the critics end of year polls. I considered some of the selections within Under the Radar and Rocksound Magazine. Today I will be taking a look at the selections of Rock-A-Rolla and Q Magazines. Once again these are two publications which have minimal overlap, but once again I believe them to both contain selections of real merit.

ROCK-A-ROLLA

So top spot goes to Michael Gira's Swans who return after a thirteen year absence with their latest full length. I've included the tracks "You Fucking People Make Me Sick" and "Reeling the Liars In" from the album "My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope to the Sky..." "YFPMMS" features a haunting minimal melody with backing vocals from Gira's own three year old daughter before it plunders into a schitzoid world in which pianos seem to fall from stairs... Oooh. "RTLI" is a very strange effort for the Swans, lest we not forget these guys are the godfathers of the NY no wave scene, the song is stripped down and reminiscent of Lou Reed or Nick Cave!!!






For the other slots from Rock-A-Rolla I've opted for Master Musciians of Bukkake. To my mind MMOB don't really sound like anything I've heard before, perhaps that's a reflection upon my lack of well rounded musical knowledge... who knows?! Anyway, despite the gross out moniker this band sound like the soundtrack of some spaced out crazy cult... if that can be a sound? The music is kinda hypnotic and has moments of sublime beauty. Anyway, here's "Patmos" from their album "Totem Two" (fifth in Rock-A-Rolla's album of the year list).



It's hard to define US Christmas, whose album "Run Thick In the Night" came 6th in RAR's end of year poll. I guess the closest thing would be stoner or psych rock perhaps?! However, that probably doesn't do justice to a band which seems so sonically ambitious. This is USX's fifth album and is their third to be released on Neurosis' Neurot label. I've been so taken by these guys that I've also added a further track called "Scalphunters" from their third album, on top of "Suzerain" from 2010's "RTITN".






Q

Q magazine's album of the year is "The Suburbs" from Arcade Fire. I've loved Arcade Fire ever since they released their debut "Funeral", for me this their third album represents a return to form., some friends have even suggested this is their best effort to date, which for me is a stretch, however, there are some crackin' tunes here, I've included a performance of their song "Month of May" which they did on the Jools Holland show.



I've plumped for Gil Scott-Heron's "I'm New Here" as one of my extra picks from Q's list. The album came twelfth on their list and represents a labour of love for XL records boss Richard Russel who also produced the album. I've included the song, "Me and the Devil" from the album which features a haunting black and white video. I love GSH's frazzled blues vocal on the track with it's brooding minimal musical accompaniment, the outro is a bit spesh as well!



The Black Keys' album "Brothers" came eleventh on Q's list. I've included the single, "Tighten Up" from the album. Check it out!