Best Song (So far..)
The nominees are:
Even as We Speak - "Forgiving"
The Muldoons - "In Love Again"
Gary Olson - "Giovanna Please"
Close Lobsters - "All Compasses Go Wild"
The Bell Streets - "Brooklyn"
Jetstream Pony - "It's Fine"
The Beths - "I'm Not Getting Excited"
Jeanines - "Been in the Dark"
Seablite - "High-Rise Mannequins"
Green Gartside - "Wishing Well"
The Claim - "Spring Turns Into Winter"
Elvis Costello - "No Flag"
Nah... - "Perfect Game"
The Proper Ornaments - "Purple Heart"
Graeme Elston - "Miracles"
Nick Lowe - "Lay It On Me Baby"
And the winner is... "In Love Again" from the Muldoons. From the ashes of the Church Grims, one of my favorite Scottish jangle bands, arose the Muldoons. The brand-new album, 'Made for Each Other,' came out on July 10th and will not be eligible for a MIDDY, but this song was released to the public a few weeks before the deadline. Expect the LP to be way up on my year-end list come December.
Best Album (So far..)
The nominees are:
Even as We Speak - 'Adelphi'
As much as I loved comeback EP "The Black Forest" in 2017, it still didn't prepare me for this leap.
Gary Olson - 'Gary Olson'
A gorgeous piece of baroque pop from Ladybug Transistor's trumpet player.
Close Lobsters - 'Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols'
Will the fact that the entire B-side was previously released keep one of my favorite bands from grabbing a MIDDY?
The Bell Streets - 'Monument'
From the Sugargliders to the Steinbecks to this collaboration with Nick Batterham, Josh Meadows never disappoints.
Jetstream Pony - 'Jetstream Pony'
The odds-makers like them because they took the top spot on my Festive 50 lists in 2018 and 2019.
And the winner is... 'Adelphi' from Even As We Speak. Any of these could have taken the MIDDY, but 'Adelphi' gets the nod by a whisker because it's not often a nearly 35-year-old band can make music that not only appeases "mature" fans like myself but sounds so contemporary they could (and should) win a new generation of indie-pop followers as well. I'm indebted to all five artists in the category for helping me through the toughest half a year in my life.
What are the albums that had you all ears in the first half of 2020?
10 comments:
Thanks for alerting me to the new Claim single, which I’d missed. I’m not generally an obsessive collector, but i do have everything the Claim have ever released, and I’d hate to miss a single track. Probably the band I’ve seen live more than any other; they mean a huge amount to me.
Hi Dan. good to hear from you. Great song from a split single I believe is no longer available in physical form but can be bought as a download. There are reasonably priced copies on discogs, however. I bet paying shipping to your neck of the woods must be depressing. Is it just me or is the Claim having a renaissance? Between the reissue of Boomy Tella and a remarkable comeback album with the New Industrial Ballads this feels like this is their time... again. We have A Turntable Friend to thank for that. Take care.
Hi Brian. I really like Close Lobsters and Gary Olson albums. I will check out the others on your list. In addition to Olson and Lobs, my faves of 2020 so far include Rolling Blackouts CF, Kyle Forester, Ezrat (formerly EZTV), No Ones, Dropkick, Eyelids, Real Estate. I will definitely be picking up The Beths new one. Cheers! - Matt
Hello McPop. Glad you stopped by because I had no idea there was a new Dropkick or Kyle Forester. Will check out immediately. The new Beths album got panned over at Pitchfork, but I think it has the spirit of the first LP. Got it last weekend and have played the hell out of it already. I picked up their debut EP too but have not listened yet. I haven't given enough time to the new Real Estate. That's a band that seems to have fallen out of favor. No fanfare whatsoever when the new one came out. Pity. Rolling Blackouts CF is on its way. A little tardy to that one. As always, thanks for the update.
Kia Ora, Brian.
There’s definitely a sense of unfinished business with The Claim. A couple of old friends have been to see their recent shows, and they’re apparently still an explosive proposition live. It’s not often I miss England, but I am very jealous not to be able to see the Claim again.
My copy of Spring Turns into Winter posted today. Which means I will receive it sometime in October!!! And yes, postage was more than the price of the record... Thanks again for alerting me to this 7". It sounds great.
Hey Brian,
I second JP, EAWS, & CL.
I'll add for 2020 LPs
Strawberry Generation - Afloat
En Attendant Ana - Juliet
Basic Plumbing - Keeping Up Appearances
--Howard
Hi Howard. Basic Plumbing was on my list of 10 albums, as was Strawberry Generation, but I decided to lay off Afloat only because I had given them so much attention in my previous post as Best Newcomer.
http://lineartrackinglives.blogspot.com/2020/07/more-middys.html
I should also mention it was you that brought the latest from Josh Meadows to my attention. I haven't given any time to En Attendant Ana. Must rectify that.
Super mid-year list! Totally in agreement on the Even as We Speak and Gary Olson records. Have also enjoyed the Novelty Island EP's (if you haven't heard, I think you'd dig them), and new Dent May, Snowgoose, and Electric Soft Parade releases.
Peace!
Hey Indiggy. Thanks for taking the time. Looks like I have some work to do. I don’t know a couple of these.
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