Ok, in an effort to return to semi-normal service here I thought I’d have a run down of what, Buffalo Tom’s latest aside, has been playing on my turntable, car stereo and iPod of late.
GrimLake – The Reality of the Naive
There’s been a lot of post-rock going into my ears of late. I’ve been taking in music from all over the shop – Germany’s Kokomo, Toundra and Audiolepsia from Barcelona… Then Lost in Kiev, one of my favourite discoveries of last year, shared that they’d been included on a free 41-track compilation. This is taken from that compilation but there’s so many great tunes on it that it’s been spinning heavily since I downloaded it.
The National – Day I Die
I don’t know why it took me so long to get a copy of the new album from The National. Their previous albums have seen heavy rotation and I enjoyed the early tracks but for some reason I only picked up Sleep Well Beast early this year. It’s a great album, one of 2017’s best, that sees the band play to their strengths while expanding their musical arsenal. Well worth investigation.
The War On Drugs – Nothing To Find
If we’re talking best albums of 2017 then The War On Drugs’ A Deeper Understanding has to be up there – that album hasn’t left my car since its release and has been played to the point I’m surprised its still holding up.
Death Cab For Cutie – No Room In Frame
Perhaps because it’s about time a new one was due from these guys but for some reason I’ve been spinning Death Cab’s Kintsugi a fair bit lately. That the vinyl came with a cd for the car never hurts. While it’s not up there with their finest – I feel a Top Five coming on – it’s a strong album nonetheless and I hope there’s more from them soon.
Pink Floyd – The Happiest Days of Our Lives / Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)
He’s a fair few years ahead of me on this one but my son is loving some Pink Floyd lately. Because Echoes is such a great compilation it’s often in the car and my son has developed a love for this particular combo. Initially it was the helicopters but I’ve often caught him singing along to ‘Another Brick…’ and in true pre-school style there’s no such thing as too much of a good thing so this is often requested multiple times but with Gilmour’s playing as sublime as ever on this one who am I to complain.
Mumbling About... 
Good stuff. I’ll always like Pink Floyd better than just about anything else so that’s my fave. And while I like post-rock, ultimately I don’t find it satisfying enough to listen to on a regular basis. (Don’t tell my son.) I especially like War on Drugs whose album just won a Grammy for Best Rock Album (is that just an American thing I wonder?)
Ah yes, that reminds me: I saw Dunk records have put together a very nice looking vinyl pressing Pray for Sound’s album.
Grammies… we pay attention I think, but have our own back-slapping ceremonies too
Yes, vinyl is really the thing these days. Gramophones will be making a comeback next.
All great tunes. I enjoyed GrimLake the most after Floyd of course. I do enjoy the post-rock sound at times and even bought a couple of Pray for Sound CD’s that have gotten a lot of play.
Grim Lake,I really dig (Reminds me are Arc Angel’s ‘Too Many Ways To Fall”). Listened to it twice. Enjoyed the other cuts also. Good spins. Always a nice reminder on how good Gilmour sounds. It will be interesting what your son will be listening to down the road.