Songs from the Album Club (Year 1)
Why not expand your musical horizons?!?!? We have!!!!
The year is 2020 and I’m in a house in Clapham, enjoying the liminal space between lockdowns. I’m with my partner Caroline and we’re seeing her friend Mungo, a friend from university that I had met earlier in the summer. Due to a breakup, Mungo now finds himself in a slightly unusual living situation. He is a man around the age of 26(?) at this point, and recently started living with at least four young spunky men fresh out of university (so probably aged 21-22), one of which is his cousin. They all went to Oxford or something and now have fancy jobs selling stocks and trading chemicals or whatever, which basically makes them quite wealthy students.
Being fresh out of university, they are falling back on what they know: nonsense. They have made it into a very university-y kind of house. Mungo introduces me to a game they invented which entails bouncing a potato off a cushion (I think they called it “The Potato Game”). There is a room next to the kitchen, which is entirely empty other than having a tall pile of approximately six double mattresses in it. Some sort of dispute with their bastard landlord means they’ve been there for about six months. Mungo and I sit on top of the mattresses. We then go into the living room, where there is an old school analogue synthesiser on the table. I prod away at it for 10 minutes or so, not knowing what it does, what it's for or how it works. I’m having a great time.
It is here (I think) that I learn that Mungo and his young spunky pals all share a love of music. To share this love with one another, they have set up the “Album-a-day Club”, where each day they recommend an album for one another to enjoy. There is an elaborate spreadsheet setup by one of the finance nerds with formulas and conditional formatting to monitor participation. “What a nice idea”, I think. A couple of years later Mungo reports that this club eventually collapsed, descending into a draining competition of who could recommend the most niche music. As all things with men, it had to be ruined; failing into a pit of over-competitive hyper-masculinity, vying for overall domination. “That’s a shame”, I think to myself.
Fast forward to summer 2023 and I’m bored with music. The Spotify algorithm - my main source of new music - is stuck on repeat and I’m feeling somewhat stuck, musically. In response to this, I steal Mungo’s idea (with some adaptation). I manage to coax a group of friends together to. An album a day is a bit much, so we downgrade it to twice a week; further downgraded to once a week later on after some consultation with participants. We have a “no tedious banter” rule, so as to avoid getting bogged down in the man-brain quagmire, keeping it “all about the music”.
Settling at around 14 participants, we are now 66 albums down since starting in September 2023 at the time of writing. This is a selection of my favourite ones I’ve heard over the past 12 months. I dedicate this one to all the participants, who I hope have enjoyed the experience as much as I have.
If this doesn’t sound completely dreadful to you and you’d like to participate in the Album Club, please message me! The more the merrier! There’s a Google Sheet!
Play the jingle!
Big Exit - PJ Harvey
Full marks to my dear friend Sam for this one, sharing PJ Harvey’s album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea in late September 2023. I feel like this recommendation really embodied the spirit of Album Club. Sure, sometimes you’ll want to flex your niche music knowledge and recommend some up-and-coming chaps fresh out of Cumbria or whatever. But sometimes, its good to share stuff that we all “should” know already as music aficionados.
PJ Harvey very much tickles that particular spot. If you’re pathetic (like me), you’ll look at who gets nominated for the Mercury Prize each year to measure the extent your fingers are are in-and-around “the pulse”, but never get around to really listening to any of them. If you’re even more pathetic (like me), you’ll head over to your favourite place on earth - Wikipedia - where you can peruse the finest musical talents that have emerged from the UK and Ireland since the early 90s.
If you’re EXTRA pathetic (like me), you’ll go to the “Artists with multiple wins” section. And who is the only name on that list? Why, of course, is PJ bloody Harvey. “Gahhh!” you think. “I don’t know who that is! This isn’t giving me the confirmation that I hoped for! What if I listen to PJ Harvey and I don’t like PJ Harvey?! Who is she???”
Anyway, I’m glad Sam recommended PJ Harvey for this reason. I feel like she is one of those artists that people interviewed on 6Music always bang on about, and obviously she’s an acclaimed musical artist, so this was an important opportunity to see what all the fuss is about.
This album is very good. It has some good and proper “get stuck in” songs, with some big guitar bits that keep things pretty simple but in a great way, with Big Exit being a great example of that, as it smashes its way through the front door.
I admit to having a bit of an irrational aversion to “older” guitar music (i.e. music before Robbie Williams’ Life Thru a Lens). My theory behind this is because I feel like many of these bands have been mimicked and built upon so much by bands more of my era that I think they feel a bit dated (which is stupid but is the main feeling elicited when Caroline tries to get me to like “The Beatles). This album does sound a little bit dated to me, but in a way that feels much more tolerable, and is one that I come back to every so often when you feel like a good head nod.
Law Hill - Fergus McCreadie
Naturally, being a top guy, Mungo recommended this one in October 2023. This album really hit the spot for me, as I was dabbling in and around somewhat of a “jazz wanker” phase. “Getting into jazz” feels like a natural rite of passage if you're a pretentious prick, so it was probably only a matter of time. I did go through a phase of listening to jazz in my final year of uni (I downloaded a 200-song jazz compilation of iTunes for £1.99) but never blossomed into a full blown habit. Since I got a drum kit in 2020, I’ve been pondering vaguely about other ways, other beats, things that I haven’t heard before.
Here’s the problem with genres that I’m not already familiar with: how do you access them? Whilst I love the Spotify algorithm (my musical daddy) it generally just feeds me what I already know, operating under the approximate instructions of “more of the same please!”. Sometimes it gives me a band that has a woman in it, but that’s as radical as it gets. I can’t just type in “jazz” into Spotify and listen to some generic AI generated playlist (that’s what they want me to do!) - I want to get stuck into a body of work. But it's too hard and I can’t be bothered. Guess I’ll just listen to The National again.
Anyway, all my problems are solved because of Album Club! Like a mindreader, I am presented with Fergus McCreadie’s album, Forest Floor. I wanted my mind to be blown, Law Hill was the dynamite. It’s a wild ride of jazz folk piano, double bass and drums, with our kid Fergus doing a smashing job on the keys. All his songs seem to have nice names which seem to invoke some kind of Scottish nature thing that he’s presumably well-into, and vaguely enables me to connect with nature as I sit in my one-bedroom flat with zero outside space, listening to the traffic and breathing in the smog. And fair play Fergus, because it's mint. Myself, Mungo and our respective partners went to see him play at the beginning of the year, and it was really good. In a concert hall with a gin and tonic, significantly younger than all the other attendees. Drunk and listening to jazz. What a life. What a world.
You Wanted a Hit - LCD Soundsystem
Shout out to Maggot alumnus Joe for this one; similar to PJ Harvey in the sense that I really should know who and what LCD Soundsystem are, but I just never bothered.
Or, more specifically, I vividly remember sitting at a pre-drinks at my friend’s university halls in Liverpool (c. 2011) and one of his friends put on that “Daft Punk is Playing in My House” song and thinking: this is fucking shit. It very much connected to my parallel theory around that time that LCD Soundsystem were one of those bands that you listened to if you were a cunt. You’re just a silly indie kid who is trying to break away from standard indie bangers, but isn’t sure what to do, which is evidenced because you’re listening to some dross like Daft Punk is Playing in My House (it's even annoying to type) and pretending that you like it (also see: Hot Chip, Arcade Fire, Sigur Ros). I’ve now grown up, dispelled of this theory and pulled myself together.
Anyway, this worldview ruined LCD for a good 5-6 years, before I eventually relented when I heard All My Friends, which is one of the greatest songs ever written. Daft Punk is Playing in My House, on the other hand, is total fucking shit; an opinion I stand by to this day.
In fact, this is a generally pretty accurate experience of listening to LCD Soundsystem: either mind-blowingly brilliant, or complete garbage. There honestly isn’t much in between. The album Joe picked here, This is Happening is no different. For every You Wanted a Hit and Dance Yrself Clean (mind-blowingly brilliant), there’s a Drunk Girls and I Can Change (compelte garbage). I guess that’s the thing about genuinely innovative art: you’ve got to throw a lot of shit at the wall to make the good shit stick to the wall.
Anyway, I’m extremely blessed to have been forced to listen to this album, and it's given me a great appreciation for James Murphy and his very extended band. I was even more blessed to see them play at All Points East in August of this year as well (with Joe, no less) and it was one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Almost to justify my hit/miss theory of the band, they only played what I perceive to be the hits. Wall-to-wall bangers it was. Once again, I am right.
Happiness - Jonsi & Alex Somers
This song comes from the album Riceboy Sleeps was recommended by Joe’s brother, Louis. And… well.. I mean… just… bloody hell. Goodness, gracious me.
All I can say is: hope you like crying. I’m not going to say much about it, other than I think Happiness might be the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard. Have at it.
Wild Palms - Loved Ones
Thanks to Louis’ friend Tom for this one! I know very little about Tom, other than that Tom lives in Rome, and seems to spend all his time rifling around record shops buying records of bands that he’s never heard of before. I like this very radical approach to record purchasing, and to me suggests an elite echelon of man who is simultaneously “into records” but doesn’t take “records” too seriously.
Its pretty remarkable that he found this album as well, as - according to Spotify - its from a band that almost no one seems to have listened to and barely existed. They’ve got a smattering of a few thousand plays on most of their songs, so if you want to impress your friends with a niche band no one has heard of - you’re welcome!
Anyhow, the album Wild Palms is off - Merry Monarch - is really nice. It's a soft, gentle and peaceful experience. It's got a kind of folky feel to it, with lots of lovely depth, with lots of lovely male harmonising that doesn’t sound annoying. Bonus points as well for a cracking album cover.
It's possible that I’ll never meet Tom, but I wish him well on his record accumulation habits, and thank him for introducing us to Loved Ones.
It Never Entered My Mind - Miles Davis Quintet
That’s right guys, it's jazz time again! It was Liam who found himself clicking his fingers and playing air trumpet in the shower to this one, and was inspired enough to share it with us.
A lot of you probably have heard of Miles Davis, and that’s pretty much the extent of my knowledge also. The only additional fact nugget I can offer relates to my experience of going to Guca (pronounced gooch-ah); a trumpet festival in Serbia. I’ve been to this festive twice, despite having no particular love of trumpet, and this requires too much context to bother explaining at this moment in time. The salient point relates to a section of Guca’s fairly sparse Wikipedia page, which captures a quote from Mr Davis, reading: “I’ve never seen a trumpet played like that before”. This offers a decent representation of the Guca experience overall.
Anyway, back to Miles and his quintet. It Never Entered My Mind, and wider album (entitled Workin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet), is just very nice. It makes me think of old films when there is some sort of dimly lit candle dinner. You can’t hear the couple, but you can see them, and they’re looking very loved up with one another, having a great time. Lots of laughing, then looking deeply into one another’s eyes. Bit like Lady and The Tramp.
As well as the lovely piano and trumpet, I really like the shaky drums in the background that make it sound like it’s raining outside. The sort of music you ballroom dance with your 70s wife around your own living room to, or shar some dog spaghetti. Thanks Liam, thanks Miles.
Lights Out - Nubiyan Twist
That’s right, I’m recommending another jazz record! Another shoutout to our Joe for this one.
At this point, I’m wondering: have there been a disproportionate chunk of jazz records that have been recommended within the album club setup? Or have I just chosen them? I’ve detailed earlier my jazz journey, but perhaps I’m just part of a wider trend? In other words, is it them, or is it me?
Lets explore. As if it needed explaining, the group is made up entirely of white men in their early 30s. A fairly-open minded bunch, we’re now getting to the point where we’re opening ourselves up to new musical experiences. Sure, we could have done this when we were younger, spunkier men, but it's interesting to note that we didn’t. We could have gone to the cool nights out whilst we were at university when our minds were malleable and full of nice ideas, but we didn’t. We stayed in, played Football Manager and watched the 80s dart-based gameshow Bullseye. Now, here we are, working the 9-to-5, talking about loft insulation and considering a National Trust membership. Which makes me think: is new open-mindedness is born out of boredom with the world, rather than any sincere appetite for anything new? Perhaps now the idealistic shouting of the young, fast-paced guitar men we know and love will gradually begin to feel caustic on our slowing, gradually Toryifying minds?
Who knows! Its just a theory, and not a problem that Nubiyian Twist have to worry about! I’m not actually sure whether to categorise this as jazz or not, but whatever it is, it's mint. The album, Find Your Flame has got a lot more going on that Miles Davis, complexity-wise. I’m going to wager that NT are made up more of just a quintet, but it’s quick, lively and makes me feel like there’s a colour explosion in my brain. My brain is at at Holi festival and Lights Out is the bit where people all throw colour powder at each other. If you want a comparison, they’re a bit like Ezra Collective or Hiatus Kaiyote; both of whom are also mint.
Bliss - Arab Strap
Another shout out to old Sam for this one. This band initially elicited a lot of confusion for me when it was first shared, as I tried to piece together who they actually were. In case you are in the same boat, they are not:
Jockstrap - very experimental duo featuring the violinist from Black Country, New Road
The Boy with the Arab Strap, which is actually an album by Belle & Sebastian
Straps eh! Crazy world!
Arab Strap I think are definitely the best out of all of this lot, and this album - I'm totally fine with it don't give a fuck anymore - is absolutely outstanding. It’s probably the album I’ve come back to most out of all of the ones discussed on this post. And if you’re looking for a comedown after the sparky highs of Nubiyan Twist, then look no further than this masterpiece.
The lyrics very much occupy that space of which I can only describe as “sordid shame”. I’m not normally one who thinks about lyrics too much, but when delivered in that gorgeous Falkirkian rasp, I find it difficult to turn my ears away. I think its an objectively quite depressing album, but I’m fully on board with that. Not everything in life is jam doughnuts and Chinese takeaways at the end of the day, and Arab Strap very much here to remind us of that fact.
It's an amazingly diverse album, existing somewhere between a mosh pit and the thumping beats of a 3am strobe-lit BNO. The first song absolutely lets you know it's there with some big rock energy, but then songs like Bliss veer mid-song between indie banger and cool electronic DJ guy. Doesn’t sound like it would make sense, but it’s really great.
I’d quite like to listen to more Arab Strap, but this album is so good that every time I go to broaden by Strap-y horizons, I just fall back on this distillation of depraved misery. I’ll be here if you need me.
That Thing With the Rabbit - Headache
Big up our dear friend Sean for this one, and what a one it is. This truly is an experience.
Firstly, Headache: what is it? Well, apparently Headache is the project of a electronic musician and producer called Vegyn, who does the music, and a man called Francis Hornsby Clark, who does the words. Vegyn is definitely a real person - he’s done some work with Frank Ocean and done his own music as well apparently - but who “Frank Hornsby Clark” is remains a mystery. He seems to have no online presence, and that is quite possibly not his real name. But Vegyn apparently says he’s real. Its presumably a pun on John Cooper Clark, but who really knows…Whoever it is, all the lyrics written are delivered by an AI voice, and contributes to a quite extraordinary listen.
Much like Arab Strap, do not listen to this if you want to pep yourself up. Remarkably, The Head Hurts but the Heart Knows the Truth, is actually more depressing than the Arab Strap album. The lyrics are a sort of stream of consciousness detailing an extended, multi-faceted mental breakdown; a man who has lived a transient life at best, coping with some quite extreme mental health problems. It’s set to the background of some delightfully made and very accessible electronic music. That Thing With The Rabbit is probably my favourite, but frankly they’re all really good.
It's honestly like nothing I’ve ever heard before, and is weirdly addictive. The lyrics are a savagely honest and deep insight into someone’s mind. You rarely hear anyone in music do a decent job of properly talking about severe mental health struggles (probably because this is something society fails to do more generally). It's one of those things where, if you’re had really dark thoughts, you feel like pop culture never quite manages to provide anything relatable; so when something comes along that gets close to that, it's quite exciting in a way. Not that I personally have experienced anything as distressing as what is being described here, but there are nuggets to connect with. It's incredibly exposing and - if rooted in lived experience - is an incredibly brave piece of music. Headache does an amazing job of painting a picture of pure instability; the most mental of mental thoughts.