Rollasoc's Top Ten albums 2015 - Part 1. The nearlys

I will try to make this an even shorter post than last years three part list.

I am going to keep this list to albums I have physically purchased and not to albums that I have streamed on Spotify.   If I don't like it enough to buy it, then I don't think it should be on the list.

I believe I have bought nineteen or twenty albums this year in physical form

Didn't make the list

1. Muse  - Drones - Nothing wrong with it, just not as good as their first two albums.
2. Idlewild - Everything ever written - I preordered this and it came with a acoustic live album,  I pla the acoustic album a lot.  This not so much.   I think the songs are fine, just don't like the production on it.

Honerable Mentions.

1. Loft - Empires - Cornish rock at its finest. Disqualified from the list by being download only.   Great 7 tracks though.

I really want to steal their raw files and have a go at mixing them.

2. Steven Wilson - Transience

Released on vinyl only and with my record player broken, I have yet to play this.  It did come with a download code, which I might download once I open the vinyl.  It does have a new version of Lazerus on it, which I have been known to play every now and again live.

3, Jessica Graae - Sea Dream.

https://jessicagraae.bandcamp.com/


A member of FAWM.   She released an album on bandcamp in the Autumn.  I decided to go for the physical copy, lush folk rock.

4. Bjork - Vulnicura -   Should be higher in the list, but some of the songs are quite long and I stupidly put this album in the car, which restarts the last song everytime you start the engine (and the forward button doesn't work).  So given I have a 3-6 minute trip to work. I can end up listening to the same song for a week.  So I'm a bit fed up of this.

Great use of electronics and orchestration.  Looking forward to the new mix without the electronics.

5 Iron Maiden - The book of Souls -   The first maiden album I have bought in more than a decade.
Quite long.

6. Hozier - Shock horror, something you might have heard of.  Occasionally, I listen to the chart music on Spotify.  I really liked this song.  Album is a bit hit and miss.

7. Dave Kerzer - New World (Deluxe version)

I'm sure he sent me the download in 2014, the officially the physical copies didn't ship until 2015.

Some old school prog, that doesn't hide its influences.   For a double album that is really long, I really don't struggle to listen to this in its entirity.  Plus Dave in his day job at Esoundz has been a top notch guy with good customer service since I started buying products from him, probably 15 years ago.  So good luck to him.

8. Passenger - Whispers 2

 Another beautiful album from Passenger, this time all proceeds going to charity.  Think I might have made a mistake not putting this into the top ten.


Tips for 2016.

1. The Anchoress - Confessions of a romance novelist.

Released in January, so looking forward to this collaboration between Catherine A.D and Mansun's Paul Draper.

2. Paul Draper - Spooky Distance

The companion album to The Anchoress, Catherine A.D. plays on this.  So far only one track has been leaked, at the Mansun Convention in 2014, plus some snippets by Paul.

So that is my two tips (other than my solo album, if I ever finish it. ha ha).

So tomorrow the top ten begins in ernest.

Drastic

Last week I took a trip up the road to the historic town of Chester, for a convention about '90s band Mansun.

Mansun are one of my all time favourite bands.  Highly prolific in the short time they were together and underestimated in the grand scheme of '90s music history.

I'd only ever been to Chester once before.   When Mansun released their second album called Six.   Being from Chester, they had their album launch party at midnight, in the local Virgin Megastore.

I was one of the lucky winners of tickets to the event.

So it was nice to go back, have a better look around the town and go to the convention.

The convention stemmed form the Mansun's Only Love Song Facebook group.

The convention involved several tribute band, unseen archive video and audio, memorabilia and panels discussing the rise and demise of the band.

As part of the convention, the organisers asked bands to submit cover versions, for a compilation CD.

Over thirty songs were recorded.  Nineteen made it onto the CD.  The rest are downloadable, if you buy a CD.

We recorded one of the b-sides from Mansun's second EP.  A song called Drastic Sturgeon.

I have been playing this occasionally at open mic nights for years.  So it seemed the obvious choice of song.  Also, if you are unfamilar with Mansun, they are one of those rare bands that bundles singles with multiple new tracks as b-sides.  Sometimes the b-sides are better than the lead track.

You can buy the CD Here

Here are a few images that I took with my point and shoot or camera phone last week.

So a storming weekend.   I met some great people and it was nice to hear a new track from the Mansun frontman Paul Draper.  Looking forward to the album now.

Later,

Rollasoc

Drastic Sturgeon (Mansun Cover)

Cover version of the Mansun EP2 track Drastic Sturgeon. A rare outing for the Mandolin at least....

Drastic turn of events

Summer is upon us and we were initially getting close to finishing Ep6, when I had a moment of clarity.

Back in February, I wrote a song as part of the Fawm write an album in a month.  (I managed six songs in the four weeks).   As a consequence of one of the songs, E wrote a counter song. 

So, my grand plan was given, we have mostly mixed the other three songs for the EP (in record time), was to add the song from the Fawm session, since it obviously should go with the counter song.

So that will put us back a month or so.  So EP6 will now have 5 tracks upon it.




In other news, we are recording our first cover version, which will be released next month in Chester, at the convention for the 90's Britpop band Mansun.   We are in the process of recording one of their early B-sides.


At least it has allowed me to get out my old acoustic for the first time in two years.

More details, once we have finished recording it!



Later


Rollasoc