Tag: 2012

41. Baltic Fleet ‘Towers’ (Blow Up) Instrumental album that draws upon its Teutonic influences whilst at the same time creating a lush cinematic feel.

Paul Fleming’s kraut-imbued industrial pop married hooks with inventive musicianship
resulting in one of the finest records from Liverpool in years.

1 Darren Hayman and The Long Parliament – The Violence
2 The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Aufheben
3 Beaulieu Porch
4 Melody’s Echo Chamber
5 Mmoss – Only Children
6 The See See – Fountayne Mountain
7 Tame Impala – Lonerism
8 Colorama – Good Music
9 The Primitives – Echoes and Rhymes
10 Death By Chocolate – Kosmonaut
11 Alfa 9 – Gone To Ground
Fabulous Byrdsie pop. Some gorgeous tunes
12 Toy
13 First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
14 Crybaby
15 Allo Darlin – Europe
16 John Derosa – A Wolf In Preacher’s Clothing
17 Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn’t
18 Scott Walker – Bish Bosch
19 The Sunchymes – Let Your Flag Fly Free
20 The Explorer’s Club – Grand Hotel

I will be honest: I’m being rather retro with many of my choices this year. But that’s because there’s so much quality revisitations knocking about at the moment. Like, handily enough, this one from PaulFleming’s Baltic Fleet that does much to distil everything that I’ve enjoyed from the antique analogrevolution this year. Motorik beats appear all over the place, but these are delivered with layers ofwarmth and 1980s panache and grit (honestly, it works!) to bring all manner of memories back to thisoverstuffed once-popular cultured brain. Numan, Bunnymen, Joy Division, Kraftwerk, Thomas Dolby,OMD all pop up and fade out all over the place which makes Towers both a lovely (and loving) nod to atremendously exciting, experimental and influential past, but also something that stands up positively toscrutiny today.

a cinematic, krauty gem made up of Analogue synthesizers intertwined with distant guitars roll over a backdrop of live & electronic drums – builds & builds into a remarkable listen