Favourite Records of the Year. Selected by: Messer
After the two consecutive successes ‚‘Im Schwindel‘‘ and ‚Die Unsichtbaren‘, 2014 had to be endured without a new album by Messer, but fortunately not without other releases: while Record Store Day ’14 showed the groups changeableness with ‚TCM Tones‘, last months ‚Ein Film ist zuende, nur ein Film‘ succeeded with its balancing act between art piece and driving rock improvisation. Either way: no Heavy Pop Advent calender without being kicked off by Messer!
Pogo:
Appendix to 2013:
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00AFOS6P2″ target=“_blank“ ]Push the Sky Away[/amazon_link]‘
Sadly I noticed this master-piece too late. It’s already been 2014, and during the Leipzig Tatorts credit roll with Simnone Thomalla and Martin Wuttke I heard the song of the same name, ‚Push the Sky Away‚. I can’t even remember the Tatort, but the song gripped me, just like the whole album afterwards. By now I’ve owned the album for almost a year and just can’t get enough of it.
1. Marianne Faithfull – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00KYSTHB6″ target=“_blank“ ]Give My Love to London[/amazon_link]‘
One Saturday morning, Philipp and I were having breakfast in my kitchen, taking bites of our crispy rolls, enjoying some strong coffee, and he asks me, if I heard the new Marianne Faithfull-Album. By that point he only read about it as well, and when he started to mention the people involved – Warren Ellis & Co. – my interest was peaked. I have to thank Philipp for this. It is indeed one of the most beautiful records of 2014, and even more.
2. Ought – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00IROICZQ“ target=“_blank“ ]More Than Any Other Day[/amazon_link]‘
The same kind of coffee mentioned above filled my cup, when boredom drove me to Pitchfork and made me read their newest reviews. „…Ought aren’t telling you what to do with your life. They just want to make sure you live it.“ It was that sentence that made me give a listen. And what I was hearing, was one oft he most varied post-punk records in a long time. It gives off the feeling of a band having a very good and heterogenous taste in music, and mixing it together on their album. Highlight: ‚The Weather Song‚ – makes me wanna dance.
3. Mutter – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00LIDEVKS“ target=“_blank“ ]Text und Musik[/amazon_link]‘
There are a lot of bands existing as long as Mutter. Sadly, most of them don’t succeed in being relevant and gripping over time. Somehow Mutter stay interesting after such a long time. The new album is a surprising listen and a grower. ‚Am Abend‚ and ‚Ich will mehr als das‚ are my personal favourites.
4. Sleaford Mods – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00JF2EW8U“ target=“_blank“ ]Divide and Exit[/amazon_link]‘
Not coffee, beer! Going to bed without brushing teeth! Take a piss standing up! This is naughty, minimalistic, ugly and cocky. Good enough reasons for an essential listen.
5. All diese Gewalt – ‚Kein Punkt wird mehr fixiert‘
This might be the least known album in my selection, the solo record by Max Rieger. He’s the guitar player and singer of our mates Die Nerven, and he’s made an unbelievably breathtaking album. He succeeds in creating an atmosphere unlike any other. As soon as the needle hits the record, it starts getting uncomfortable, and right now, in late fall, this is a very fitting soundtrack.
Philipp:
1. Marianne Faithfull – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00KYSTHB6″ target=“_blank“ ]Give My Love to London[/amazon_link]‘
While browsing through the record store, I always ended up with ‚Broken English‚ in my hands. Not only the beautiful cover art was intriguing, even Morrissey often stressed how important Marianne Faithfull is for his music. So someday I took it with my, and I was quickly enthusiastic about it. But despite that I never really dug in deeper into her work, and I ignored her last releases. ‚Late Victorian Holocaust‚ was the first song I heard from the new record, after Hendrik recommended it; by the way a title I don’t get as of now. After listening tot he song about twenty times back to back I gave the rest oft he album a listen, and it was as exciting for the most part. Ignoring some issues I have with the opener I pretty much like everything about it: the production, the instruments, Brian-Eno-crooning-in-the-backgriund-of-a-Leonard-Cohen-cover and of course Mariannes voice.
In no particular order:
Bar – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00JOX78KE“ target=“_blank“ ]Welcome to Bar[/amazon_link]‘
I actually thing it sound silly, but whatever: ‚Welcome to Bar‚ was my record oft he summer. It might be the music itself, maybe it came just at the right time. Anyway, I do think that I mostly listened to it smoking on windowsill, and that it was a lot of fun.
Jason & Theodor – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00NF1WWXO“ target=“_blank“ ]Life Under Palmtrees[/amazon_link]‘
How you listen to records by artists you’re biased with and furthermore waited for a long time is always an interesting question. I was surprised by ‚Life Under Palmtrees‚ because it didn’t sound familiar at all – despite or even because the multitude of shows by Jason & Theodor I attended some time ago. But mainly because this record has so many small and ingenious details that you have to slowly discover. An eventually it will sound familiar again.
Andalucía – ‚There are Two uf Us‘
I’m biased (in the best possible way) here, too. Philo is one of our closest friends and often accompanies us on tour. He has a beautiful voice and doesn’t treat his guitar nicely. Pieces like ‚Margo‚ or ‚The Shrill‚ are especially recommended to people who like guitar music.
Mile Me Deaf – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00JPRTVTU“ target=“_blank“ ]Holography[/amazon_link]‘
In case of this nice record I’m completely objective: if Münchner Freiheit are the German beatles, than Mile Me Deaf are the Austrian Beatles. Whatever that means.
Honorable Mention:
Prince – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00N0YIQFE“ target=“_blank“ ]Art Official Age[/amazon_link]‘
Just during the last two years I’ve become a huge fan of prince. On ‚Art Official Age‚ there are over the top moments (the strange Eurodance part at the end of ‚Funknroll‚ for example), but sometimes it can be interesting if you can’t decide if what you’re hearing is awesome or ridiculous. And then there are thoroughly beautiful tracks like ‚Breakfast Can Wait‚, ‚This Could B Us‚ and the ‚Affirmation‚ trilogy.
Hendrik:
1. Amen Dunes – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00IXXNJWM“ target=“_blank“ ]Love[/amazon_link]‘
I like a lot of records that were released on Sacred Bones, their cover designs are mostly striking as well – and because this album released on the stile savvy label and had one of the most intriguing and beautiful covers I’ve seen in a long time, I gave it a listen. Again and again, until it finally released on vinyl, and then even more, even louder, even longer, even more intense. Compared to his previous work, the album has very structurized pieces, but they lose nothing of their elusive magic.
2. Iceage – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00MP0T01I“ target=“_blank“ ]Plowing Into the Fields of Love[/amazon_link]‘
The band is divisive, so maybe I should recommend to get a picture of them for yourself – preferably with the gripping video clip for ‚Against the Moon‚. The song markst he musical leap the druggy group from Kopenhagen took for their third album.
3. Viet Cong – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00OI2WMMU“ target=“_blank“ ]Viet Cong[/amazon_link]‘
I was in for the name alone, but when I listend to their EP ‚Cassete‚ and now their first album I got euphoric. I met the band for an interview, and the impression was confirmed, great guys, interesting backgrounds. Viet Congs music invokes the A-Team theme, Bladerunner, the Beach Boys. I was waiting for this kind of music for a long time.
4. Warpaint – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00G5WK8TK“ target=“_blank“ ]Warpaint[/amazon_link]‘
Great production, strong songs, a lot to discover – but I don’t want to play their market crier. Warpaint, who seem to be a prominently supported supergroup from LA, show some great songwriting, each song from their album plays itself into the foreground at some point. Music is great!
5. Mutter – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00LIDEVKS“ target=“_blank“ ]Text und Musik[/amazon_link]‘
Just like every other album by Mutter: strange! But it grows and grows and just won’t stop to grow, entangles me and I can’t get out o fit, it suffocates me, I can’t get it off of me, I’m slowly losing my breath.
Messer online: Blog | Facebook | This Charming Man Records | Sammlung Jägers Website | Sammlung Jägers Facebook |
Cheers to Messer for joining the Heavy Pop Adventskalender!
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