My favourite music of 2012

“Bit late with this list aren’t you, Albert?”

Let me answer that question, as I’m sure you are wondering why, in January 2014, I’m writing about my favourite music of 2012, over a year after everybody else.  For one thing, I find it impossible to judge a year’s music before the year has ended.  “Best albums of the year” lists being published in November is just plain silly.

Secondly, when a year ends there is still a lot of its music that I haven’t heard.  I’m never going to hear all a year’s music of course (I’m still finding my favourite albums of 1973) but waiting a year has meant several albums are in my 2012 list that I hadn’t heard a year ago.

The lists below are in purely alphabetical order.

My Favourite Albums of 2012

Actress – R.I.P.
The Cinematic Orchestra – In Motion #1
First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Road
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
Flying Lotus – Until The Quiet Comes
Daughn Gibson – All Hell
Goat – World Music
Grizzly Bear – Shields
Julia Holter – Ekstasis
Squarepusher – Ufabulum
Tame Impala – Lonerism
Sharon van Etten – Tramp

My Favourite EPs and singles of 2012

Burial + Four Tet – Nova
Clark – Fantasm Planes EP
Four Tet & Burial – Nova
King Creosote – I Learned From The Gaels EP
Magnetic Fields – Andrew in Drag
Those Darlins – Screws Get Loose
Why? – Sod In The Seed EP

My favourite gig of 2012

Midlake at the Brudenel Social Club

Spotify playlist of some of my favourites from 2012

When Big Joan Sets Up 3rd Jan – Guitar Frenzy 2 – Back by absolutely no popular demand.

New Year,new timeslot. Big Joan’s assault on Friday nights kicked off with the return of Guitar Frenzy a solid 26 minute block of rabid strumming and twanging from a plethora of bands who you wouldn’t want to live next door to.

Breeze and Recon – “Testify” (Download) (Futureworld)
The Fall – “Touchy Pad” (EP – “The Remainderer”) (Cherry Red)
Dre Island – “Uptown Down” (V/A LP – “Militancy Riddim”) (Overstand)
Neil Young – “Expecting To Fly” (LP – “Live At The Cellar Door”) (Reprise)
Basic Soul Unit – “Innershell” (EP – “Lab.Our”) (White Label)

Guitar Frenzy 2

Gas Rag – “War Pervert” (EP – “Demoes”) (Self Released)
Nightmare Boyzz – “Don’t Wanna Feel Alright” (LP – “Nightmare Boyzz”) (Slovenly)
The Pink Noise – “Bad Trip” (LP – “Greedy Heart”) (Skrot Up)
Slim Customers – “Living In Paradise” (LP – “Sharks Killing Kids”) (Self Released)
The Little Richards – “J-Bone” (7″) (Self Released)
Yi – “Got A Stone” (7″ – “Punk Memories”) (Self Released)
Buck Biloxi and The Fucks – “I’m A Disaster” (split 7″ s/w Legendary Wings) (Pelican Pow Wow)
Brat Farrar – “New Kind of Kick” (V/A EP – “Cramped”) (Kizmiaz)
Manatees – “Under The Gun” (EP – “Out For Booze”) (Pelican Pow Wow)
Catholic Spit – “Sick Sick Sex” (LP – “A Pact With The Devil”) (Bad Touch)
Pleasure Leftists – “Elephant Men” (12″) (Derranged)

Elephant Man and Teetimus – “Which One Badda?” (7″) (Tizzy Music)
Ballboy – “The National Trust” (EP – “Merry Christmas To The Drunks,Merry Christmas To The Lovers”) (Bandcamp)
Maztec – “M-Theory” (EP -“M-Theory”) (Renegade Hardware)

Eclectic Mainline 2013 review – part 2

Following on from last week’s programme, my first show of 2014 completes my two-part review of 2013.  You can listen back to the whole programme via the wonders of Mixcloud:

You will also find the full programme on the BCB Listen Again service.

Last.fm doesn’t seem to be going away, but neither does it seem particularly vital in 2014. But for what it’s worth, I’ve shared my my top 10 Last.fm artist for 2013 on Google+.

Here is the track list from tonight’s programme:

The Knife – ‘Full Of Fire’ (LP – Shaking The Habitual) (Rabid) (video)
Jeffrey Lewis and The Rain – ‘WWPRD’ (WWPRD EP) (Rough Trade)
Machinedrum – ‘Eyesdontlie’ (LP – Vapor City) (Ninja Tune) (video)
Steve Mason – ‘Come To Me’ (LP – Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time) (Double Six)
Mogwai – ‘Special N’ (LP – Les Revenants) (Rock Action)
No Age – ‘C’mon Stimmung’ (LP – An Object) (Sub Pop) (SoundCloud)
Oneohtrix Point Never – ‘Zebra’ (LP – R Plus Seven) (Warp) (SoundCloud)
Phosphorescent – ‘Song For Zula’ (LP – Muchacho) (Dead Oceans) (SoundCloud)
Mark Pritchard – ‘Ghosts’ (EP – Ghosts) (Warp) http://youtu.be/IaUX1u1s4FQ
Raffertie – ‘One Track Mind’ (LP – Sleep Of Reason) (Ninja Tune)
These New Puritans – ‘V (Island Song)’ (LP – Field of Reeds) (infectious) (video)
Kurt Vile – ‘Never Run Away’ (LP – Wakin On A Pretty Daze) (Matador) (video)

There is one tune I forgot to include, one of my favourite singles of 2013, this by The Uncluded:

A Bumper Buffet New Year Special (#57)

Happy New Year!

The Head Honchos at BCB entrusted us with the task of seeing in the New Year, and somehow we managed not to break anything (although Betty Bird did inadvertently knock the needle from Emma Bob 3’s Nadine Shah record when playing with her Hello Kitty Christmas gifts). We played a lot of good music between 11pm and 1pm and you can pretend it’s midnight all over again by listening to part one and part two via BCB’s nifty podcast thingy. (A parental advisory warning – there are a few sweary bits post midnight). And we did the typical end of year round up thingy by chucking in a few 2013 favourites as well as tips for 2014.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who sent in requests and suggestions!

This is what we played:

1. Prince – 1999
2. David Bowie – Boys Keep Swinging
3. Future of the Left – Johnny Borrell Afterlife
4. Cowtown – Ghost Wave
5. Foals – Impaler
6. Courtney Barnett – Lance Jnr
7. Nadine Shah – Dreary Town
8. Daft Punk – Get Lucky
9. Jeffery Lewis and the Rain – WWPRD
10. Tera Melos – Weird Circles
11. Marnie Stern – Year of the Glad
12. Stereolab – French Disko
13. Beastie Boys – Sabotage
14. Electric 6 – Gay Bar
15. Shirley Bassey – Spinning Wheel
16. Queen – Don’t Stop Me Now
17. McClusky – Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues
18. Fuck Buttons – Year of the Dog
19. Olivia Newton John & ELO – Xanadu
20. Hot Chip – Ready for the Floor
21. Notsensibles – I’m in Love With Margaret Thatcher
22. Los Nortes Americanos – Something
23. Suuns – 2020
24. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five – White Lines
25. The Knife – Full of Fire

Thank you LOADS if you’ve tuned into Buffet in 2013. We’re back on Sunday 26th January at 7pm. Big hugs to you all and have an ace 2014!

Team Buffet x

That countdown in full…

Just in case you missed it, here’s a full rundown of the 2013 Christmas Countdown – our top 20 tracks of the year.

1 Simon Crabtree – The Spirit of Bradford City
2 Polyphonic Spree – You Don’t Know Me
3 Ron Sexsmith – Nowhere To Go
4 Steve Mason – Oh My Lord
5 The Seven Inches – Cashback
6 Hobbes Fan Club – Your Doubting Heart
7 Arrows of Love – The Knife
8 Drenge – Face Like A Skull
9 Swim Deep – The Sea
10 Marika Hackman – Cinnamon
11 Chris T-T – The Bear
12 Tim Burgess – The Doors of Then
13 Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Swim and Sleep Like A Shark
14 I Am Kloot – These Days Are Mine
15 Teleman – Cristina
16 Vessels – Elliptic
17 Damn Vandals – Kings of Never Never
18 Chutzpah – Eyes
19 Eagulls – Nerve Endings
20 Beaty Heart – Lekka Freakout

You can listen again to the final show of the year featuring the top 5 by clicking here – and it will also be repeated on Thursday from 8pm – 9pm on BCB 106.6FM.

Buffet’s Cliff-Free Post Christmas Show (#56)

Ho ho ho!

If you tuned in – big thanks! If not, and you feel you can endure yet more Christmas music (but not the supermarket variety) you can listen here. It was rather like a real Christmas family gathering, as my sister, Emma from The Bet Lynch Mob,  joined me in the studio and I told her off a lot. And where else would you hear Wonder Women save Santa with a Tiara? Who needs TV soaps!

This here is what we played!

1. Geoff Love & His Orchestra – Sleigh Ride
2. Shonen Knife – Space Christmas
3. Gruff Rhys – Post Apocalypse Christmas
4. Yo La Tengo – It’s Christmas Time
5. Future of the Left – The Real Meaning of Christmas
6. Spinal Tap – Christmas With the Devil (scratch mix)
7. Wonder Woman in the Prisoner of Christmas Island (part 1)
8. 50 Sniffs – Credit Card Christmas
9. The Knife – Christmas Reindeer
10. Bert Kaempfert – Santa Claus is Coming to Town
11. Wonder Woman in The Prisoner of Christmas Island (part 2)
12. Sufjan Stevens – Hey Guys! It’s Christmas Time!
13. The Kinks – Father Christmas

If you have nothing better to do on New Year’s Eve we’ve been handed the reigns by BCB to see in 2014 – a frightening prospect! Join us for chaos, f-bombs and lots of good music! 11pm-1am 31st December. We’ll be Tweeting as we go from @buffetdisco

Have a good one!

Team Buffet x

 

 

An Alt Country Christmas on Going North from Nashville, Monday 30th December, 10 -11pm

Join John & Sue & a host of artists celebrating Christmas alt country style!

Low: Like Christmas
Iron & Wine: The Desert Babbler
Mary Chapin Carpenter: Christmas in the cIty
Sea of Bees: Feliz Navidad
Sufjan Stevens: Christmas in the Room
Sting Soul Cake
Tracey Thorn: Joy
Grammercy Arms & Mascott: This Christmas Time
Frank Turner: Last Christmas
Duke Special: This Time Next Year
Kill it Kid: Send Me An Angel Down
Kate Rusby: Arise Good Christians
Ed Harcourt: In the Bleak Midwinter

Boxing Day bonanza

It was Boxing Day and boy, did we have a party.

Not just a stockingful of alternative festive tunes but also the final part of this year’s Christmas Countdown.

Here was what we played in full:

The Wind Up Birds – Working Christmas
City and Colour – Harder Than Stone
Poppy Factory – 7×7
Electric Soft Parade – Mr Mitchell

Christmas Countdown Top 5
5 The Seven Inches – Cashback
4 Steve Mason – Oh My Lord
3 Ron Sexsmith – Nowhere To Go
2 Polyphonic Spree – You Don’t Know Me
1 Simon Crabtree – The Spirit of Bradford City

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down – Holly Roller
Mongol Horde – How The communists Ruined Christmas
Larry and his Flask – Closed Doors
Red Paintings – Wasps
Velvet Underground – I Can’t Stand It

The good news is you can listen again by clicking here.

And we’ll be repeating the whole kaboodle for good measure on Thursday 2 January from 8pm to 9pm.

When Big Joan Sets Up 26th December – Hale and Beefhearty

The undoubted jewel in the festive entertainment crown, this week’s wingding brought you The Magic Band recorded live in London and climaxed with Rufus Hound doing the pasadoble whilst turning into Peter Capaldi

The Wind-Up Birds – “Working Christmas Day” (download single) (Bandcamp)
Cliff Richard and The Shadows – “We Say Yeah” (LP – “The Young Ones OST”) (Columbia)
Midifister – “Kill Me If You Love Me” (download LP – “Genocide 2.0”) (Aleph 9)
Ballboy – “Merry Christmas To The Drunks,Merry Christmas To The Lovers” (download EP – “Merry Christmas To The Drunks,Merry Christmas To The Lovers”) (Bandcamp)
The Magic Band – “My Human Gets Me Blues” (LP”…Plays The Music of Captain Beefheart – Live in London 2013″)(Proper)
The Magic Band – “Low Yo Yo Stuff” (LP”…Plays The Music of Captain Beefheart – Live in London 2013″) (Proper)
The Magic Band – “Diddy Wah Diddy” (LP”…Plays The Music of Captain Beefheart – Live in London 2013″) (Proper)
The Magic Band – “Golden Birdies” (LP”…Plays The Music of Captain Beefheart – Live in London 2013″) (Proper)
DJ Rashad – “Rollin” (EP – “Rollin'”) (Hyperdub)
Girl One and The Greaseguns – “(Here Come The) Catastrophe Machines” (7″) (Squirrel)
The Fall – “Say Mama/Race With The Devil” (EP – “The Remainderer”) (Cherry Red)
The Magic Band – “Steal Softly Through Snow” (LP”…Plays The Music of Captain Beefheart – Live in London 2013″) (Proper)
The Magic Band – “Click Clack” (LP”…Plays The Music of Captain Beefheart – Live in London 2013″) (Proper)
The Magic Band – “The Floppy Boot Stomp” (LP”…Plays The Music of Captain Beefheart – Live in London 2013″) (Proper)
Tingle In The Netherlands – “Astronaut Love Triangle” (LP- “Why Can’t You Write Something Nice For A Change”) (Nerve Echo)

Eclectic Mainline 2013 review – part 1

This week’s programme was going to be full of festive cheer, what with it being on 25th December. But then when I started to plan next week’s look back at 2013 and I realised I had far too much good music from the past 12 months for one showt. So no Christmas tunes this week. Anyway, if you really want festive tunes, you could do no better than listen to Phil Cope’s Christmas mix, recorded live during the WIN Christmas special a couple of weeks ago.

You can listen back to my programme in full courtesy of the wonders of Mixcloud:

You will also find the full programme on the BCB Listen Again service. Here is the track list:

Bleached – ‘Dreaming Without You’ (LP – Ride Your Heart) (Dead Oceans)
Boards of Canada – ‘New Seeds’ (LP – Tomorrow’s Harvest) (Warp)
Bill Callahan – ‘Javalin Unlanding’ (LP – Dream River) (Drag City)
The Cairo Gang – ‘Tiny Rebels’ (LP – Tiny Rebels) (Emtpy Cellar) (Soundcloud)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – ‘Jubilee Street’ (LP – Push The Sky Away) (self-released) (video)
Deerhunter – ‘Neon Junkyard’ (LP – Monomania) (4AD)
Nils Frahm – ‘Says’ (LP – Spaces) (Erased Tapes) (Soundcloud)
Fuck Buttons – ‘The Red Wing’ (LP – Slow Focus) (ATP) (video)
Daughn Gibson – ‘You Don’t Fade’ (LP – Me Moan) (Sub Pop) (Soundcloud)
Kink Gong – ‘Baozoo Khen’ (LP – Voices) (Discrepant)

There is one song I would like to have played in this show, but not having a radio edit of it, I couldn’t. It’s GMF, by John Grant. One of the highlights of 2013 was seeing him have the gaul to sing this in a busy shopping centre when he did an instore performance at Jumbo Records.