bob dylan |

Right now it’s New Year’s Eve and I’m up, thinking about all the music that meant a lot to me this year. Personally it’s been a year of flux and over the last few months I haven’t been able to keep up writing as I would have liked, let alone include so many of the great year end releases. So to round things off in a semi-reasonable fashion – and before we plunge into January – here are a few of the songs I’ve loved along the way…some old, some new, all worth a listen.

Videos included at the bottom and there’s a Spotify playlist here with some more tracks

Dark Dark Dark ‘Patsy Cline’ 2013 was the year I discovered the stirring, intense folk of US band Dark Dark Dark. Lyrically their songs are stunning. This one resonated on a personal level, it’s poignant without being self-pitying and I’ll always remember it.
Damien Jurado ‘Yuma Arizona’ I posted this song for my friends on their wedding day, it’s an older track but so incredibly pretty. I think I heard it covered live, one of my favourite ways to discover sometimes overlooked or forgotten tracks.
Low ‘So Blue’ The first time I heard this song, from ‘The Invisible Way’, I was sucked in to how insanely powerful it was…for that reason it stayed with me
Frightened Rabbit ‘The Oil Slick’ When it comes to Frabbits I’m a massive fan girl. This is my favourite track on their 2013 release ‘Pedestrian Verse’
Melt Yourself Down ‘Fix My Life’ This is song is completely crazy, an erratic blend between gypsy jazz and dance – synths, brass and whoops all the way. It never fails to cheer me.
James Brown ‘I’ll Go Crazy’ I love James Brown but I’d never heard this song. It is INCREDIBLE.
Fleetwood Mac ‘Go Your Own Way’ – Fleetwood Mac are a band I go back to time and time again, I beliver this song to be one of the greats.
Bob Dylan ‘Hurricane’/Daft Punk ‘Get Lucky’ – An unlikely combination I’ve included both of these because my friend plays them on guitar and we all sing. Those moments are the best, I wish I could bottle them.
Mogwai/Explosions in the Sky/Yo La Tengo – I’m not going to choose anything in particular from these three, except to say they make for the best studying/working music I’ve ever found.
Lau ‘Throwing Pennies’ – Oh how I love Lau. The Scottish folk trio fuse traditional folk influences with an Orcadian beautiful vocal, original melodies and experimentation.
Hiss Golden Messenger ‘Drum’ – I got this on my ipod about a month ago, such a sweet and uplifting song.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra ‘Swim and Sleep Like a Shark’ – Eeeek I like this band a lot. It reminds me of sitting with my very good friend, saying very little.

That’s what’s in my mind right now…happy new year when it comes!

The blog’s been quiet. This is mainly due to manically busy times at life and work (running a festival press office), so I thought I’d spotlight something each week that shouldn’t be missed. I might not write very much – if I rush it I’ll be up nights worried about typos – but in any case the music speaks for itself.

Edinburgh’s Meursault are a phenomenal folktronica band, led by Neil Pennycook’s stunning voice – the kind you can’t ignore: it’s raw, charged and runs right into your bones. Their new album Something for the Weakened is an absolute treasure, you can stream it all here.

Here’s the wonderful single Flittin’

Catch Meursault live at the one day Thistly Fest, near Dunbar, this Saturday, also featuring Remember Remember, Capitals, Woodenbox, Withered Hand and a session from Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison.

In other news I’m also loving the new Niki & The Dove album, Instinct, this is a standout track called The Drummer:

Plus I found a Bob Dylan song I didn’t know, Idiot Wind, which apparently is about his ex-wife selling their story to the papers. It’s scathing and angry, in a great way.