RELICS CREW PICKS FOR 2023!

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Irene Hundleby

RELICS CREW PICKS FOR 2023

These albums reflect each of our personalities, include new releases, 2nd hand finds, re-issues, RSD limited editions, or albums we've heard about, and in 2023, discovered for the first time! Basically, the albums we've had on high rotation and loved throughout the year...

ANDREW AKA NOISE

M.I.A. – Arular

ALTON ELLIS – Mr Soul of Jamaica

JOHN MAYALL and the BLUESBREAKERS – A Hard Road

FREDDIE KING – Texas Cannonball

HOLY CHURCH of the ECSTATIC - Various Artists - Compilation

FREYA

KING WOMAN – Celestial Blues

OFFICE DOG – Spiel

MF DOOM – Mm.. Food

MOCHAT DOMA – Etazhi

KILIMANJARO DARKJAZ ENSEMBLE – Here Be Dragons

TIM

Far too many to mention or list...

Album of the Year

LONNIE HOLLEY – Oh Me Oh My. A tragic but ultimately uplifting life story, this is Lonnie's 6^th album after releasing his debut aged 62 and he's just getting better.

Honorable mentions Creation Rebel – Hostile Environment, righteous and dread as ever, only 40 years between albums! and PJ Harvey – I Inside the Old Year Dying

Reissue of the Year

PLAYING FOR THE MAN AT THE DOOR – epic box set of recordings made by itinerant/self-appointed musicologist Robert 'Mack' McCormack across the southern US from 1958-71. Worth it for the history, the book, and the music. And that's before you get to George 'Bongo Joe' Coleman's street performances played on empty oil drums.

Honorable mentions - Pharaoh Sanders – Pharaoh, sublime 1977 album unearthed... Byran Ferry – Mamouna, 3 discs of languid perfection!

New to Me / Old to the World / Discovery of the Year

LEON RUSSELL

He played with so many big names and was a giant star in his own right in the early 70s but is somewhat airbrushed out of history now. I read a very lengthy biography by Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom, and it got me started on the fringes of his discography. There's a good reason why he was/is known as the Master of Time and Space.

The Thing I Wish I Could Turn More People On To

WEST AFRICAN XYLOPHONE MUSIC

Nothing else in the world sounds like the Collection Prophet title Xylophones Fang- banana-trunk xylophones recorded on location in Gabon in the mid-70s. Track it down somewhere.

Neil Young Album of the Year

NEIL YOUNG – Before and After

Neil is something of an industry-within-the-wider-music-industry and managed to release 2 official bootlegs, a 80s/90s albums box set, yet another 'legendary/lost' album - Chrome Dreams - and finally put out Time Fades Away on CD in the first 11 months of the year along with a number of vinyl reissues.

Then in December came Before and After, a live album with the audience removed, of lesser-known gems from the last 56 years. And it's surprisingly engaging. Archives Vol 3 next year. Long may he run!

And finally, I'd have to say that everything I've listened to at home the past few months has sounded better than ever courtesy of a new ATOLL IN200 AMPLIFIER. This is a beautiful machine and brings music to life in ways which are best understood by the ears rather than talking about them...

Now just saving up for a pair of Textone speakers! (Come in and take a listen) ...

ALAN

CUL DE SAC – Crashes to Light, Minutes to the Fall

Only available on CD, released 1999. Jazz psych spontaneous jam band originating from Boston, Massachusetts. Studio album featuring Glenn Jones (guitar) being the main inspiration. Keyboardist Robin Atmos with Glenn are the long term stayers that create the overall substance of the band.

Also recommended is their album 'I Don't Want To Cry' which was released through Flying Nun Records (#330) in 1995. Basically, a two track band room recording of spontaneous jazz influenced jams. Raw and great!!

ASH RA TEMPEL – Ash Ra Tempel

Self titled LP, re-issue. Good space rock, driven by Manuel Gottsching. Originally released 1971. Can't go past a few synth & guitar riffs with Manuel...

BRIAN ENO – Top Boy

Ambience at its best from Eno, Top Boy is a Netflix serial soundtrack - 2LP. Definitely worth watching the series of course. Funny thing, I didn't even know that Brian had composed the music until I had finished watching all 3 series...You hear so much more depth off this vinyl pressing.

SPIRITCZUALIC ENHANCEMENT CENTER – Transporting Salt

Again, more spontaneous jazz filled themes. Originated in Germany and occasionally has Damo Suzuki for his poetry.

M WARD – End Of Amnesia

Folky style of music released 2001. It was the second studio album which I seem to play quite a bit.

BOB DYLAN – More Blood More Tracks

Bootleg series vol 14, vinyl. Much better song versions which are far more relaxed than the actual main releases, which seem kinda rushed...

DAVID KILGOUR & SAM HUNT – Falling Debris

One song jumps out for me which is First One Hit. Short wee burst of energy from the heart. Cheers David!

I could keep going of course,

KEVIN MORBY – More Photographs A Continuum

Eclectic mixture but that's 2023!