For the 31st and 32nd instalments of the podcast I look back on the year that was and pull together two episodes of some of my most loved and most listened to pieces of music released in 2019.
There’s an unofficial subtitle to the two episodes and that is 'Women & Weirdness’ because much of the music was made by women and much of it is a bit weird. Sometimes it’s both at the same time. I don’t think this means much but I can’t help but feel there’s some kind of reason, maybe many, that most of the albums I’ve bought and loved this year were made by women - Rozi Plain, Aldous Harding, Salami Rose Joe Louis, Pixx, Jessica Pratt, Little Simz and more besides. But contrast that to individual tracks and singles and it’s a different story.
What’s also noticeable (for me) is how relatively unplugged I am from underground electronic music these days and that’s definitely something I want to rectify in the new year. The simple reason is that it takes time to find that stuff - especially really good stuff - and time is not something that I have an abundance of. There have been a number of discoveries that haven’t made it into the episodes either for stylistic / sequencing reasons or that the release date has been out by a year or so. So it’s not a lost cause - but when I think back to when I used to work in record shops (a poor example for obvious reasons) then it’s something I’m aware of and I do miss being a bit more involved in that scene.
Anyway, I really hope you enjoy these two episodes. They are a good representation of the music I’ve been digging this year. There are two heart-breaking omissions though and so I’ve linked to them below. One was Pixx’s ‘Andean Condor’ which, no joke, is one of my tunes of the year but I simply couldn’t get it into either episode in a way I was happy with. And the other is Avey Tare’s ‘Saturdays (Again)’ which only makes its way in in the guise of a looped few seconds but is a far better piece of music than how it was used. Check ‘em both out below…
All that’s left is to say thanks for listening and we’ll see you in 2020.
Love and cheers,
Ross Cale (25th December 2019)
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Tracklisting w/ links to purchase, if I can find them (these are directly related to the artists where possible but not always). Also, I take no responsibility for the links. Just trying to help…
Nikolaienko – April Echo taken from Inkosi [12th Isle] (2019) https://12thisle.bandcamp.com/album/v-a-inkosi
Ross Blake – Ages taken from Pretty En Rose Original Soundtrack [Horse Arm] (2019) https://rossblake.bandcamp.com/album/pretty-en-rose-original-soundtrack
Halo Maud – Des Bras (Andy Votel Remix) [Heavenly Recordings] (2019) https://uk.7digital.com/artist/halo-maud/release/des-bras-andy-votel-remix-9228680
Devendra Banhart – Abre Las Manos taken from Ma [Nonesuch] (2019) https://devendrabanhart.bandcamp.com/album/ma
The Comet Is Coming – Unity taken from Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery [Impulse!] (2019) https://www.junodownload.com/products/the-comet-trust-in-the-lifeforce-of/4087200-02/?track_number=8
Michael Kiwanuka – You Ain’t The Problem taken from Kiwanuka [Polydor] (2019) https://michaelsamuelkiwanuka.bandcamp.com/album/kiwanuka
Bonus Listening: Michael Kiwanuka plays two live tracks and talks to Adam Buxton on the excellent Adam Buxton podcast: https://soundcloud.com/adam-buxton/ep-108-michael-kiwanuka
Stealing Sheep – Jokin’ Me taken from Big Wows [Heavenly] (2019) https://heavenlyrecordings.ochre.store/release/128690-stealing-sheep-big-wows
Quantic – Atlantic Oscillations taken from Atlantic Oscillations [Tru Thoughts] (2019) https://quanticmusic.bandcamp.com/album/atlantic-oscillations-single
Penelope Isles – Chlorine taken from Until The Tide Creeps In [Bella Union] (2019) https://penelopeisles.bandcamp.com/album/until-the-tide-creeps-in
Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage – Depression! Despair! taken from Bad Wiring [Moshi Moshi] (2019) https://jeffreylewis.bandcamp.com/album/bad-wiring-2
Aldous Harding – Designer taken from Designer [4AD] (2019) https://aldousharding.bandcamp.com/album/designer
Soccer Mommy – Blossom (Demo) [Fat Possum] (2019) https://sopharela.bandcamp.com/album/blossom-demo-be-seeing-you
Little Simz – 101FM taken from Grey Area [Age 101 Music] (2019) https://bleep.com/release/123455-little-simz-grey-area
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Spotify episode playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1MNkj8HNh5Sj5DYGjghRit?si=QFI0gZfSRYy4tL7hZREy4A
Threadwork is presented by Ross Cale.
Huge thanks to Bod for production support.
Huge thanks to Bettina Langlois for the Threadwork soft sculptures. Check out some of her other work here: https://www.instagram.com/bettenoire93/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/RossCale
Threadwork website: www.threadwork.net
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Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/rosscale3/