In a year when it’s become increasingly transparent that not only do independent artists fail to make any reasonable income from selling / streaming their music but also that most of them lose money touring rather than make some, we should feel all the more blessed that there is still so much beautiful music pouring out of the creative energy channels of artists around the world that even an old indie kid with an admittedly limited range of musical preferences finds consolation in new sounds all year. Thank you to all bands, artists, and labels for keeping at it! To keep music close to your heart is one of the most important things to help with the preposterous stuff life throws at us and here’s a list of the 10 albums that served this purpose best to our entirely non-representative ears in 2022. We’d like to add that this year there were no less than six albums that we saw in a joint no. 10 spot. In the end, we settled for the one we played maybe one more time than the others, but honorary mentions must be made here of the wonderful longplayers released by Chorusgirl, The Shop Window, Dot Dash, The Orchids, & Convinced Friend. Read on
Our Top Ten Singles / EPs of 2022
Here’s our top ten singles / eps of 2022 — without any claim that these are THE best releases from this year, because that would be nonsense, they’re the ones we liked most. And while the concept of an ep or even more so a 7″ single is pretty straightforward, the definition of what can count as a single has been blurred by the blessings of the digital age in music. So it seems reasonable to add that individual album songs that did not get a ‘proper’ single release but were merely set free into the streaming wilderness of YT or Spotify prior to the album release were still counted as singles here because they serve the same purpose as singles did in earlier years. In any case, if it’s a single to us, it should be a single to you. Read on
Our Top Ten Singles / EPs of 2021
When we announced our top ten records last year, we were optimistic enough to claim that things would be fine and 2021 would be our year. Well, how wrong can you be. At the end of a year that has been every bit as difficult as the previous one, we still find ourselves in the same place, with the pandemic still raging and no prospect of it ending any time soon. So we’ll refrain from any further prophecies for now but are all the more grateful for the amazing spirit of resilience among labels, bands and artists and for excellent new music still being released every week. Here’s a list of the top ten singles / EPs from 2021 that we liked best. Read on
Our Top Ten Albums of 2021
Corresponding to the top ten singles / eps from 2021 that we liked best (cf. post above), there is of course also a list of the top ten albums we felt the need to come back to most often to find some consolation going through this hellhole of a year. Here it is in full: these are the ten LPs that served that purpose best for us throughout the past twelve months. A sincere Thank You! to all artists, labels, and anyone else involved in their making! Read on
Our Top Ten Albums of 2020
If you read this, chances are you’ve made it through 2020 – congratulations! Another year when we thought, at its beginning, well this one cannot possibly get worse than the one before. And then you all know what happened. We hope that music has helped you as much as it did us. Here’s the albums of this year that we liked most. A click on the cover leads you to a place where you can buy the record. Read on
Our Top Ten Singles / EPs of 2020
If you read this, chances are you’ve made it through 2020 – congratulations! Another year when we thought, at its beginning, well this one cannot possibly get worse than the one before. And then you all know what happened. We hope that music has helped you as much as it did us. Here’s the singles & EPs of this year that we liked most. A click on the cover leads you to a place where you can buy the record. Read on
Our Top Ten Albums of 2019
As another kind of sub-awesome year draws to its welcome end, once more, one of the very few things that kept us sane is the music we love. And because we also love lists and love them all the more when they are ranked instead of presenting an “all of these were equally great” levelling, here’s our very well-considered top ten albums of 2019. There’s a song sample for each record and the cover will link you to a place where you can buy it. Respect and gratitude to everyone who’s written, recorded, played on, produced, released or manufactured a record this year – you rule! Read on
Our Top Ten Singles / EPs of 2019
As another kind of sub-awesome year draws to its welcome end, once more, one of the very few things that kept us sane is the music we love. And because we also love lists and love them all the more when they are ranked instead of presenting an “all of these were equally great” levelling, here’s our very well-considered top ten singles and EPs of 2019. There’s a song sample for each record and the cover will link you to a place where you can buy it. Respect and gratitude to everyone who’s written, recorded, played on, produced, released or manufactured a record this year – you rule! Read on
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To start a singles club in 2012 on the promise of not only releasing 7 exclusive 7″ singles in that particular year but to do the very same over 7 consecutive years, is one thing. It is quite another thing to finish 2018 having accomplished just that – the release of 49 singles in total, 7 each in every year, is a monumental achievement that the London-based DIY record label Where It’s At Is Where You Are and its mastermind John Jervis deserve our highest praise for. Read on
Our Top Ten Albums of 2018
If you’ve been following this little blog and its associated modest indiepop radio podcast, there’s probably not a lot on these eoy-lists that will surprise you. Still, we feel they might be a useful addition to this year’s posts here. Our top ten albums are ranked below; a sample for each record is included and a click on the cover will lead you to where you can order the record.
Our eternal gratitude to all the bands and labels putting so much effort and all their hearts into giving us something to keep our backs straight and our heads above the waterline throughout this shithole of a year! Read on