Top albums of the year lists... is it just me or does it get progressively more difficult as the years blur together?
Handily, Killing Joke have anticipated the problem for me with 2012. So that’s on the list then.
Let’s see
1. Killing Joke – 2012
It sounded like it might be a bit close to concept album territory from the publicity and all the usual corruption and ecological collapse themes are well to the fore here, on one of KJ’s most coherent sets. Like a fine wine KJ just get better with age.
2. Jim Jones Revue – Savage Heart
Brilliantly delivered manical rock ‘n’ roll. Perhaps not quite the equal of ‘Burning Your House Down’, but let’s face it, that was some act to follow.
3. Guile – Alone On The West
Marvellous dark psychedelic debut trip from the criminally under-rated Staffordshire band.
4. Stranglers - Giants
At its best, as good as anything from the band this side of the millennium.
5. Mark Lanegan Band – Blues Funeral
Most rounded effort yet from the man most likely to appear on someone else’s album.
6. Barry Adamson – I Will Set You Free
Uneven, but when it’s good, it’s far more satisfying that Magazine’s own 'Know Thyself' return.
7. Brian James Grand Cru – Chateau Brian
The other side of the 35th anniversary of ‘Damned, Damned, Damned’ – the man who wrote those riffs in reflective mood, with little more that an acoustic guitar and piano. Somewhat erratic, but worth it for 'Crawlin' My Way Back Home'.
8. Peaking Lights – Lucifer Dub
After two pleasingly blissed out bass driven pop albums this venture into dub territory, was the logical next step and with it Peaking Lights appear to have made the album that's been lurking within them all along.
9. Iggy Pop – Apres
Iggy Pop sounding far more comfortable rumbling through a set of easy listening standards, that being a Stooge and following up some of the finer moments from 'Avenue B'.
10. Jah Wobble & Keith Levine – Ying & Yang
It’s difficult not to like anything with that internal organ shaking bass, and here Wobble & Levine have come up with a far more interesting album than PiL’s ‘This Is PiL’.
11. Meteors – Doing The Lords Work
You know what you’re getting with The Meteors. That doesn’t make it any less welcome. When you can play a guitar like Paul Fenech, this is what you should be doing. Not sure about their cover of ‘Paranoid’ but time spent listening to Fenech play guitar is never wasted.
12. The Orb and Lee Perry
Worth a mention, just for the wonderfully bizarre partnership. Working with The Orb makes Lee Perry look like a regular guy. Well, almost...
13. Joy Division – Warsaw
Not new. Not from 2012 and not even an official release. But inspired by catching Peter Hook’s The Light, I went back to this album, one I probably hadn’t heard in years, and found it stands up rather well.
Bubbling under;
Stan Ridgeway – Mr. Trouble; clearly being indulged in the hope he turns into Tom Waits,
Brian Jonestown Massacre – Aufheben; more drone rock par excellence.
Push comes to shove, Killing Joke, Mark Lanegan Band and Guile make the top three, in no particular order.
But overall I'm going with 'Blues Funeral' as the stand out album of 2012.
