The time has come where we take a look back over 2020 and tell you about some of our highlights (and lowlights) from the music industry. Rather than a top 10 bestest albums in the world ever list (they’re so 2019) we decided to mix it up a bit and add some different categories this year including Best Live Stream, Most Atrocious Festive Song, Boxset of the Year & Best Record Store Day Release. Read on to see if you agree or disagree with our selections.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Winning out here (IMHO) was Barbarians, the first album in seven years from Oxfordshire based duo Young Knives. Not quite a concept album, the record had a running theme of human violence (barbarism) and ultimately, redemption.
Taking its cue from a book on the human condition and how we have evolved in every aspect apart from our innate ability to beat seven shades of shit out of each other, it was an LP with a lot to offer.
Showcasing just how far the band have evolved from their "indie-schmindie" (their words, not mine) beginnings back in the mid-noughties, to the vibrant, eclectic, fearless music-makers on a one-way charge into oblivion and making the music they want to hear, the ten tracks on offer somehow brought together songs about a Warhol-hating uber-feminist ('Society for Cutting Up Men'), a field recording from a school in Papua New Guinea ('Holy Name '68'), a bizarre corn-dolly creation made of dried fish ('Jenny Haniver'), spiritual awakening ('I Am Awake') and children seeing things that can't be unseen ('What I Saw').
Since starting their own label (Gadzook) Young Knives have really excelled in creating meaningful, thought-provoking and challenging music, unencumbered by the demands of a record company looking for "the next big hit". The LP seems to have re-inspired the band to some extent, so we can only hope there isn't a gap of another seven years before the next album, although if it's as good as this one, nobody would really begrudge them taking their time over it.
Notable mentions for the Album of the Year crown go to Jarvis Cocker's new ensemble JARV IS and their debut, Beyond the Pale. Cocker has spoken of how the album evolved from a series of live shows, where feedback was taken on-board, songs reconfigured, lengthened or shortened as necessary, with this album the end result.
An example of quality over quantity, it's seven tracks were all quite lengthy, being given the time to breathe and develop where necessary. From the swooning, effortless opener 'Save the Whale', to the sophisticated up-tempo 'Must I Evolve?' and 'House Music All Night Long', it's a tour de force of all that makes Cocker great as a musician, lyricist and performer.
The wry humour and classic innuendo on 'Swanky Modes' is worth the admission price by itself, but the album as a whole is a delight, and well worth the wait from Cocker's last full album, 2009's 'Further Complications', which was issued as a solo release.
Arctic Monkeys also waded in with a fantastic live album (captured at the iconic Royal Albert Hall) which, although it won't win any plaudits for imaginative titles, was a masterclass in not only performance, but picking a set-list that truly encompasses a band's entire repertoire; from the cheeky Sheffield chappies we met on their debut Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (which definitely does win plaudits for imaginative album titles) to the laid-back, sci-fi lounge-jazz cool of Tranquillity Base Hotel + Casino.
RECORD STORE DAY RELEASE OF THE YEAR
With the annual Record Store Day event split over three days this year (four, if you include 'Black Friday', and five if you add in the rather confusing 'National Album Day') there was plenty of limited, rare and must-have vinyl on the shelves of independent record stores this year to pilfer (although what with the second national lockdown, most of this was in fact, pilfered via online sales...if you managed to win the battle against virtual queues and the ever-increasing number of 'SOLD OUT' notices on your favoured releases).
With such a huge choice on offer, this section is pretty limited to my own RSD spoils, which included the translucent clear-blue double vinyl reissue of Daft Punk's Tron: Legacy soundtrack (an epic collision of the French electronica duo's big beats and masterful use of an orchestra, resulting in a great listen - even if the film itself wasn't that essential).
Jarvis Cocker also released reissued of his two solo albums that have long been out of print on wax - 'Jarvis' (aka 'The Jarvis Cocker Record') was reissued on two-tone green vinyl with a bonus 7" of his politically-charged anthem 'C***s Are Running the World', whereas 'Further Complications' (aka 'The Second Jarvis Cocker Record') from 2009 was reissued on white vinyl with a single-sided 12" of the lengthy (and accurately-titled) 'Discosong (You're In My Eyes)'.
Belgian electro-rockers Soulwax put out a 15th anniversary edition of their sublime remix/re-recordings album 'Nite Versions' on pink and white double vinyl - a fantastic reimagining of their 2004 album 'Any Minute Now' with one of the best optical-illusion covers you'll see anywhere. Although it might give you a headache after a while.
Former Pink Floyd-er Roger Waters saw his huge 1990 live staging of 'The Wall' album released on clear vinyl, featuring a host of guest stars ranging from Cyndi Lauper, Van Morrison, Bryan Adams, Ute Lemper and Paul Carrack. Finally, there was a lovely and much sought-after triple-vinyl reissue of the original 'Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy' radio series, which brought back a lot of memories of the seminal sci-fi series for many listeners.
BOX SET OF THE YEAR
In terms of sheer content alone, my winner for the Box Set of the Year category falls to Chester Brit-proggers Mansun, with their sublime, career-spanning Closed for Business set. In summary, this 24-CD/1-DVD box contains possibly everything you might want from a band's output: the original albums, single and EP material, a plethora of unreleased live concert discs (ten of the buggers), radio sessions, rarities, demos and outtakes, a full concert DVD from their hey-day, and if that isn't QUITE enough for you, there's three books looking at the history of the group - this would be a big seller just by itself - a compilation of the various fanzines that existed back in the late 90s dedicated to them, and a guide to the recording sessions, studio tapes/discs/DATs and instruments and equipment that gave them their unique sound.
Artcards, postcards and a replica handwritten lyric sheet signed by Mansun frontman Paul Draper round out the package. If you're unfamiliar with Mansun, they came to prominence in 1997 with their debut album Attack of the Grey Lantern, which spawned somewhat unlikely chart hits in the form of 'Taxloss' and 'Wide Open Space'.
1998 saw the release of the prog-rock inspired Six, a mish-mash of conspiracy theories, 60s sci-fi spy thriller 'The Prisoner', Taoism, Winnie the Pooh, and even an operatic interlude narrated by the legendary Tom Baker. Their success could not be replicated on Mansun's third long-player, 2000's Little Kix, which some felt was a disappointment after the musical tangents they went off on for their first two albums.
By 2004, things had ended for the group, with a "sort of" fourth album (Kleptomania) released as a collection of new material, EP tracks and rarities. With the way Mansun fizzled out, it's timely there's a definite underlining of their time in music presented here, and in such great detail. Coming hot on the heels of 21st anniversary editions of their first two albums, it's somewhat comforting that the standalone album reissues act as companion pieces to this mammoth set, with little duplication of bonus material.
Notable mentions for Box Set of the Year must go to (in no particular order): Young Knives, for the DIY-ethos of the limited edition of their 2020 album 'Barbarians'. Containing a clear/pink 'splatter' vinyl, a hand-crafted lyrics/trivia book, a rather lovely enamel band-logo badge and some signed and numbered art screen-prints, it's a labour of love from Henry and Thomas Dartnall, who, through regular video and social media updates, provided a way for fans to keep up on how things were progressing - this tied into their (now legendary) 'Caravan Sessions' (see below) which were a whole heap of fun.
MUSE also went the extra mile in terms of theme with a deluxe package for their Simulation Theory live film (which is perhaps the most bonkers, over the top, extravagant, egotistical yet utterly brilliant live concert film released this year) - presented as a retro-futuristic collection of Blu-ray, a coloured vinyl LP of selected live tracks, a cassette of the original score of the film as well as a comic book reimagining of the plot of the concert film (yes, the concert film has a plot...) it's a lavish - if expensive - piece of memorabilia, which is a nice companion for the deluxe album set that came out in 2018. While it's irritating there was no CD of the gig, perhaps this links in with the theme of 80s-inspired sci-fi? (It makes sense...)
LIVE STREAM OF THE YEAR
Filling our Saturday nights for a period during the national lockdown this year was Mr. Jarvis Cocker, who broadcasted a series of what he termed "Domestic Discos" live and direct from his living room in the north of England. Tying in quite nicely, the name of the live-stream reflected the track 'House Music All Night Long' from his 2020 album 'JARV IS...BEYOND THE PALE'. Anyone familiar with Jarvis' BBC 6 Music radio show knew the drill - a mixture of lesser-heard gems, old-time classics, dance-floor bangers and all the weird and wonderful in-between, all bathed in the ethereal strafe and strobe of his lounge disco lights, as well as the introduction of a dry-ice machine.
Making cameo appearances was Jarvis' partner Kim, who often showcased her dancing in front of camera, and also a Flat Eric soft toy, who became the unofficial mascot of the Domestic Disco. With Jarvis occasionally ditching the headphones to engage in some of his trademark dancing himself, as well as the occasional technical issue (his amp blowing up one week was an unintentional source of amusement) it was certainly a varied way to spend two hours on a Saturday, and who knows, such stints at the decks may continue for Jarvis, once the promotional whirlwind and tour for his LP dies down.
Special mention here goes to Young Knives - winners of my Album of the Year, and notable Box Set of the Year entrants. Dubbing their live-stream the 'Caravan Sessions' - brothers Henry and Thomas, aided by Henry's son Arthur - entertained us with live renditions of tracks from their back catalogue as well as their new album (often playing these before the official release date) as well as a host of cover versions ranging from Grace Jones, Laurie Anderson and TV on the Radio to Death Grips, Devo and Kraftwerk.
With a quiz quite often featuring on most streams, the chance to contribute a remix of a 'Barbarians' album track, as well as a real enthusiasm for social media interaction, these 45-minute nuggets were great fun to watch and engage in. While the live renditions were often raw, with a warts-and-all feel, this was kind of the idea - Thomas on bass and keyboards in a caravan, with Henry on vocals and guitar at his home, just enjoying every minute and the experience of cracking out some live music under circumstances we've all had to endure this year.
LIVE EVENT OF THE YEAR
A bit of a 'non-category' really, seeing as actual, in-the-flesh, being-in-a-room-with-other-concert-goers experiences were curtailed around March time, but come on, humour me. The category is made all the more restrictive by the fact I only managed one live show this year, which was John Shuttleworth (the comic creation of actor/musician Graham Fellows - he of Jilted John fame) in the extraordinary 'John Shuttleworth's Back' at the Dancehouse Theatre in Manchester.
The title of the show was meant to reflect the "comeback" nature of his live touring, but thanks to a supposed spelling error by his "sole agent and next-door neighbour, Ken Worthington", seemed to indicate a problem with his John's spine. Regardless, John/Graham was in fine form, his famously sparse stage set up consisting of little more than a spotlight, a stool and his ever-present Casio keyboard (this led to some cracking quotes, such as: "I warn you ladies and gentlemen, this next one is on the Folk setting").
Clad in his trademark leather coat and turtleneck sweater (which has to be incredibly warm on stage...) John/Graham led us through the latest instalment in his life's endeavours, which mainly consist of coveting the Citroen Berlingo that belongs to his wife's best friend, Joan. The fantastically mundane social commentary, which acts as a kind of stand-up comedy, is interspersed with delightful comedy songs (with smatterings of pathos and genuine emotion) including his Eurovision entry ('Pigeons in Flight'), and his ode to culinary routine ('I Can't Go Back to Savoury Now') amongst others. Somehow, Fellows crafts an evening's entertainment around the (let's be honest, rather boring) exploits of a sixty-year-old Sheffield suburbanite, but it never drags or has you wishing the time away. Rather, the humour is in the detail, the ambition of a man who believes he should be a world-conquering music star, yet is ultimately doomed to play venues little better than the local working men's club or hospice. With his tour cut short, Fellows has reiterated that postponed dates will happen, so if you haven't caught Mr. Shuttleworth yet, do not fear - John Shuttleworth's Back will be...erm, back!
DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR
If something ever sounded like it should be a shoe-in as a good idea, then the formation of The Jaded Hearts Club was it. A "super-group" (however horrifically ego-centric that sounds) consisting of The Last Shadow Puppets Miles Kane, Jet's Nic Cester, Muse's Matt Bellamy, Blur's Graham Coxon, Transcopic's Jamie Davis and The Zutons' Sean Payne, they initially joined forces to perform Beatles covers at a birthday party, until someone had the great idea of recording an album. This is where things went a bit cock-eyed.
Recording an album was not a great idea. In fact, it should never have been an idea to start with. In the history of ideas, it's probably up there with Fred West's mum and dad thinking it'd be wonderful to have a baby, The Manhattan Project working on a revolutionary new weapon, and the people who pitched the Keith Chegwin-fronted game-show 'Naked Jungle'. This album actually made me angry. Angrier, in fact, than I was after watching the 'Gavin & Stacey' 2019 Christmas Special, which was an epic, epic, epic pile of shit. The fact that their album ('You've Been Here Before' - I can assure you guys, I bloody well haven't, and am unlikely to be again) came out in October after we'd all been told to remain in our homes and suffered varying levels of loneliness, unemployment, spiralling mental health issues, financial uncertainty, cabin fever and BBC's 'The Big Night In'. 'You've Been Here Before' was the last straw, the final kick in the teeth, the final splattering of piss running down your bruised face after you'd been roughed up in a back alley on your way home from the pub.
It was an unnecessary, unasked for, unabashed failure in almost every sense. In fact, I wrote a review of it at the time, which I don't think was ever published - not because it failed to reflect the album accurately (the album had a review embargo on it until near its release date, which tells you all you need to know) but because the album was so fucking terrible it was probably felt better to just ignore it and, like a lump that appears overnight on a body part, hope that it goes away. But it won't go away, and hopefully it's very existence acts as a life-long reminder to all concerned that going on a jolly with your mates under the guise of recording an album (one released during a time of unprecedented national crisis) was ultimately one of the worst decisions you could make. Thankfully, not many people bought it anyway, which we can only hope spurs on the decision by those concerned to dismantle the whole project and go back to making music people might actually want to listen to in the first place.
ATROCIOUS FESTIVE SONG OF THE YEAR
In recent years, there's not been too many sure-fire classic Christmas hits that can stand the test of time like the Old Guard (TM) of Slade, Cliff, Band Aid, Shakin' Stevens and...erm, Mel & Kim (it's my festive guilty pleasure, what can I say!). The trend is sure to continue with the release of Gemma "I'm the G.C." Collins (her of 'TOWIE'...I don't want to say 'fame'...) and Darren Day (yes, he's still a thing) doing the creepy Christmas track 'Baby It's Cold Outside' - the seemingly sinister story of a man drugging the object of his "affections" so she'll stay at his house longer. If the most well-known version featuring legendary Welsh crooner Tom Jones and the less-legendary Cerys Matthews (who has always possessed a voice like a fucking cement mixer colliding with a busload of out-of-tune violins and dying cats) was creepy, Collins and Day somehow make it even more so. Seriously, it's fucking horrible. Yes, all proceeds are for charity, but come on. You'd fucking hammer your own bollocks into mush and donate a tenner than have to sit through this gash. Surely? Anyone - and I mean anyone - encouraging this filth ought to be taken outside come the end of December with the Christmas tree, ready to be recycled/burnt at the stake.
A very close second, and this is purely only because of a cross-over in terms of me writing this and the song actually being released, is fucking LadBaby aiming for their third Christmas No.1 with 'Don't Stop Me Eating' - a groan-inducing parody of That Journey Song That Shall Not Be Referred To By Name. Yes, yes, I get that it's for charity (aren't they all these days - what happened to flogging a song for all it's worth and earning a damn fine royalty payment off it Noddy Holder?) but come on. It's not the main guy in LadBaby I have issues with, it's his sodding wife. She just strikes me as the sort of person I would not get on with, and would, in a party environment, sit in the corner, watching her get more and more pissed, trying to hold in my true feelings and not storm up to her and tell her how bloody annoying she is. So for that reason, I'm out.
And there we have it. Many people will be raising a middle finger to 2020 instead of the usual glass of fizz, and to be honest, the outlook doesn't look amazing in the short-term for most of us, either. But hey, don't fret - in the first few months of 2021, we can look forward to album releases by the likes of established chart favourites Chungha, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Tash Sultana and many more.
And if you needed something else to tear you out of the Covid-induced cabin fever, Sting is releasing a duets album in March! So, you know...there's that, too. Over and out.
By Pete Muscutt