TOP PICKS & SKETCHES OF 2019

Lists, lists, lists. There are too many lists - more than ever these days (isn’t there more of everything?). We live in abundant times, digitally speaking. But what about the quality? Well, what a year 2019 was for quality music. A good thing for the Song Sommelier, in our inaugural year! Since we’re about quality over quantity, we’ll keep this brief. Lists and picks are subjective and there’s no point just ranking stuff by numbers - those are called year-end charts. So, we’ve picked things in threes. Things are generally good in threes. Three categories, from three of us, myself, Mick and our man among the music artists, Eric Karsenty. I’ve taken the liberty of treating you with a smattering (well, three to be precise) of Mick’s rough sketches - which are just as good at capturing the spirit of the Song Sommelier as his sublime playlist covers. Almost. One of the highlights of 2019 for me, has been to receive Mick’s sketches and the final masterly painted or drawn covers that complete the posts so perfectly. Cheers to Mick, and thanks to you discerning listeners. We’re onward and upward in 2020, with a growing team of collaborators, some new series to reveal, and some pretty good ideas. Now, as ever then, all in the execution. A very happy new decade…with love & music, Keith.

THE DARK & STORMY AWARD - for best alt. R&B, neo-soul, urban pop track

We took the liberty of mixing up the R&B, neo-soul, hip-hop and urban pop into something that signified a mood, a sentiment, and a rum cocktail. The music being made across these scenes stands out better than just about anything else in popular music right now. We got to Volume 6! Listen back to the very first edition.

Keith’s Picks:

• Favourite:        Celeste, Fatherson

• Commended:  BANKS, BEA1991, Biig Piig, Raphael Saadiq, Michael Kiwanuka, Kelsey Lu

Mick’s Picks:

• Favourite:        SOAK, Everybody Loves You

• Commended:  SAULT, Lizzo, Jorja Smith, Steve Lacy, Sudan Archives, Little Simz

Eric’s Picks:

• Favourite:        30/70, Tempted

• Commended:  Eliza, Jamila Woods, Jordan Rakei, Bobby Oroza

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THE RIFF RAFF AWARD - for bringing back guitar music

Missing assumed deceased, or at least very ill, ‘rock’ music went out of fashion some time ago, usurped by a mix of indie-pop, post-punk and, in one case at least, classic pop-rock with a portent, and for that matter, potent - injection of YOUTH. Rock, dead? Fuck off no it isn’t! Listen back to Volume 1 now.

Keith’s picks:

• Favourite:        Sam Fender

• Commended:  Riscas, Marsicans, Burning Alms, VIALETTERS, Alex Lahey, Life

Mick’s Picks:

• Favourite:        FONTAINES D.C.

• Commended:  Boy Azooga, She Drew The Gun, Stella Donnelly, Jade Bird

Eric’s picks:

• Favourite:        IDLES

• Commended:  Ex Hex, Mannequin Pussy, Foals

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THE NEW AMERICANA AWARD - for keeping the album alive

As if driving a stake through Rock’s heart wasn’t enough, the music industry has been gradually losing touch with its very life force since streaming took a hold. The album is dead, long live Americana. Because Americana needs the album and so do we. Look up these favourites on your platform of choice, preferably a turntable dudes! Meanwhile, volume 2 of New Americana is er, somewhat overdue…sorry about that!

Keith’s Picks:

• Favourite:        Joseph, Good Luck Kid

• Commended:  The Lumineers, Cass McCombs, The Delines , Angel Olsen

Mick’s Picks:

• Favourite:        Jenny Lewis, On The Line

• Commended:  Sharon Van Etten, Lissie, Deerhunter

 Eric’s picks:

• Favourite:        Charlie Parr, Charlie Parr

• Commended:  Purple Mountains, Vetiver, Andrew Bird 

Joseph, by Mick Clarke

SEE YOU AGAIN SOON AND REMEMBER: SIP, DON’T SKIP!

Thanks for listening.

A Christmas Comedown

On & off over the past decade, around about this time of year, I attempt to read A Christmas Pudding, by Nancy Mitford. Read more…

KACEY & AIMEE'S HAWAIIAN CHRISTMAS

Is it cold outside? I don't think so, not in Hawaii, it isn't baby. Kacey, Aimee & friends agree...the presents this year sit under the palm tree. Read more…

A BLUE CHRISTMAS

A very close friend of mine once found himself quite alone one Christmas morning. Read more…

UNDER THE INFLUENCE: THE NATIONAL

As I often can with artists & bands that have a profound impact on my ears (and the rest of me), I can recall precisely the events that pulled me towards The National. Read more…

ELECTRONIC EARS: LES FEMMES ÉLECTRONIQUES

It’s 1958, and in the depths of the BBC’s Maida Vale studios, the Radiophonic Workshop is being opened. The Studio Manager is one Daphne Oram,, read more…

DARK & STORMY SOUL VOL. 5

On the way to work the other day I was reading the usual music industry clips. On this particular day, I skimmed over pieces about how artificial intelligence (AI) ‘tools’ can help artists make music…read more.

THE BOUTIQUE HOTEL BAR VOL. 2

A funny thing happened to me last summer, regarding music and chill. I took a call from an old colleague who works in the highfalutin world of ‘luxury brands’. The mission should one choose to accept it. Fly to Ibiza, bring back chill…read more.

THE SONG SOMMELIER MANIFESTO

I was inspired to write something about modern day music listening and how the streaming era has changed it for good. But others have already written it better. Rachel Ament’s recent piece in the Paris Review ‘How To Really Listen To Music’ (not anything as preachy as the title suggests) was a first rate digest on the scholarly works of others, that have focused on how to broaden the mind to new genres, and focus on specific aspects of the music (rhythm, lyrics, melody). It’s an excellent summary that will make you think about what a pleasure music is, if only we’d stop for a moment to really enjoy it.

I’ve also been working my way through Dave Hepworth’s books — but in particular A Fabulous Creation, which is a thrilling journey through the L.P.s golden years — beginning with The Beatles Sgt. Pepper and ‘ending’ with Thriller. But the book is steeped in wisdom and appreciation of just how cultural trends shift — nudged or rammed by changes in product technology that can unlock latent demand and give us new ways to consume. In the case of the L.P. the technology enabled consumers to identify with the artist as creators of true bodies of work. What had gone before was all about the single song.

In the music industry, there is a lot of rumination on streaming’s disruptive effects, yet In so many ways, streaming has done little but bring us full circle. The song is once again all dominant — as it was in the years before Columbia Records first created the L.P. in 1948. What streaming has done, is scaled the volume of recordings into infinity. With access to everything we are both spoiled and punch drunk. That’s the challenge for artists and those that work with them and on their behalf. In all the abundance, how can my work really matter? And for us fans, who can we really get behind?

Don’t get me wrong, this is the best time to be a music fan in many, many ways. Yet, almost everyone I speak with about this has some issues with their current relationship with music. Some feel they are not discovering enough that’s new, even in these days of personalised algorithmic recommendations. Others feel like they are missing out on the familiarity needed to deeply enjoy music, which after all requires repetition as a critical part of the process. Mostly, we want context and we want connection — we need the reason to listen.

These are both good and bad times for music — a pivotal point in its history, no less. There is borderless entry into the music industry for artists. Unprecedented access to all music for listeners. Money back in the bank for labels and publishers. Huge valuations for music distributors. But contrast that with low remuneration for the vast majority of artists. Disproportionately so for songwriters. A crisis for music journalism. A crisis of mental health for musicians even in the highest echelons. At best a contradictory, at worst dysfunctional, ecosystem. There is a looming crisis when it comes to music’s value.

The solution friends, is the music manifesto.

We think that’s what music artists have when they create at their best. They work to a manifesto. Take Harry Styles. It seems to us he has a manifesto. Hatching from the world’s biggest ever boy band, he is meticulously crafting pop music inspired from a hay day when hits and albums mattered and music could appeal to every member of the household. When pop music actually popped. Angel Olsen has a manifesto. She is refashioning the role of the troubadour. Sam Fender has a manifesto. He is bringing back classic blue collar rock music, all the way from South Shields via New Jersey. Charli XCX has a manifesto. She is taking pop music back to the future (specifically 1999). The 1975 has a manifesto. They are tapping into the 80s when pop mashed up tunes with experiments, but packing the music into messages relevant to right now.

You get the idea.

We think labels should have a manifesto. And streaming services. And radio stations. And music magazines. We think listeners should too. We each need our own way of dealing with the assault on our senses, the tyranny of choice and the endless variety, without defaulting to ‘1000 albums to hear before we die’ or ‘Songs To Sing In The Shower’. We’ll never get through them all anyhow! And besides, you should take cold showers!

So, we’ve written our own manifesto for The Song Sommelier. You can read it below. Not to be too grandstanding or anything like that. We base it on some modest principles: The laws of the universe, basically. All three of them. Order. Exchange, and Place.

In terms of order, we want to explore music’s lineage better. We eschew the notion of new music vs. catalogue. Our playlists feature the apprentices — some of them prodigious, others just rookies with the potential to become great. And the masters — some still with us, some gone. Some retired and some experiencing yet another creative peak.

When it comes to exchange, we want to encourage a dialogue of equals between artists with legacy and those starting out in life. What can they learn from each other, and what can they generate that’s new and exciting from this dialogue. How should we, the fans interpret and enjoy it?

For a sense of place, we want to bring context. The stories behind the songs, albums and playlists from the point of view of the listener. And from the point of view of the creators, where do they see their own place? What is guitar music is today’s music landscape? Where did a scene come from, emerge, blossom and then fade — only to always be revived in some form? We want to bring out these stories to contextualise the music wherever possible. To quote Zane Lowe: “It’s not so much about when you listen but how you listen”.

OUR MANIFESTO IS THAT MUSIC IS LIKE FINE WINE. IT’S ALMOST ALWAYS BETTER WHEN DISCOVERED THROUGH PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION OR VIA A FASCINATING STORY WELL TOLD. WE MISS STARING AT THE COVER WHILE THE SONGS PLAY, AND READING ABOUT HOW THE MUSIC WAS MADE. SO, WE BRING IT ALL TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE UNDER OUR CURATION BRAND THE SONG SOMMELIER. ORIGINAL ARTWORK, PERSONAL SLEEVE NOTES BY THE CURATOR, AND PLAYLISTS THAT TAKE TIME, THOUGHT AND PASSION TO PUT TOGETHER (THOUGH NOT AS LONG AS IT TAKES THE ARTISTS TO MAKE THE SONGS!). OUR EVENTS AND PODCASTS WILL BRING NEW DIALOGUE TO THE TABLE. BUT IT WILL BE ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC. WE LEAVE THE ALGORITHMS TO THE ROBOTS AND FOCUS ON THE ART. WE JUST WANNA BRING VINYL VALUES TO PLAYLISTS.

Are you in?

Learn more and come and curate. Tell your own story with its own soundtrack. Get in touch via the ‘About’ page.

NEW TROUBADOURS VOL. II

This is just the troubadours time of year isn’t it? When everything is falling: leaves, rain, governments. Whatever, it’s important to be comforted when the sky is closing in a little. All the songs in this collection seem to usher in change. And, since the songs are so damn good, it’ll make you feel a lot better about what Autumn brings. Read more.

READY FREDDIE - NEVER BORING!

The re-issue of Freddie’s solo work in remastered and ‘special edition’ form on the new compilation Never Boring warrants a re-visit to his solo works. It really is the most tremendous fun darlings! Read more…

SPOON: THE MYSTERY ZONE

I can tell you exactly when I first got into Spoon - it was April 2009. I’d come across a session by the band on the niche online site for fans of very indie music…Read more

SONGS OF LOVE AND LOSS

Music is for entertainment.  Music is for dancing.  Music is for bringing people together. Music is for fun.  Music is for lifting the soul.  It’s for all these things.  But music can do other stuff. Read more…

THE CITY & THE SCENE: BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham. City of 1000 Trades. And nearly as many music styles. The soundtrack to Peaky Blinders series 6 & 7 is sorted mate! Side A: A Midland Education, by Pete Paphides. Side B: The City & The Scene, by Keith Jopling & Jez Collins.

SIDE A: A MIDLAND EDUCATIONAL

SIDE B: THE CITY & THE SCENE

PROTEST SONGS NOW, AND THEN...

Can an industry prize be considered anything other than ‘establishment’? Well, maybe not. Take The Mercury Music Prize for example. Something seriously anti-establishment went on during this year’s ceremony in West London. Read on…

SIDE A: PROTEST NOW!

SIDE B: PROTEST THEN!

RIFF RAFF VOL. 3

Don’t you just love it when artists put the sax back into rock? If you just love a bit of sax, read on…

FANTASY SETLIST: U2

What more can be said about U2 as a live entity? Well, maybe look at it from a personal perspective - in this case, U2’s performances’ impact on the life & times of Paul Smernicki, music manager (Hyyts, swim school, Magnum Haus, Jessie Buckley) and long-time label executive. And at one fleeting moment, a potential addition to U2’s management team. Listen and read.

ELECTRONIC EARS

Aha! At last, we’ve convinced Fenner Pearson to expand his wonderful Electronic Ears brand into the Song Sommelier as a playlist series. Now we can all begin to appreciate this expansive genre just that little bit more. This first ‘excavation’ episode sets the context with a little history, and subsequent volumes will take us wherever they may take us! Read on…

PRIMAL SCREAM:UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Across a lifespan covering four decades and counting, Primal Scream have fundamentally displayed two core characteristics. First, a shapeshifting restlessness - always on the move - directing themselves down whichever musical pathway inspires and excites them at the time. Read more…

FANTASY SETLIST: BOB DYLAN

Bob Dylan is undoubtedly one of the global titans of modern music - perhaps of music from any time. His countless hits, vast album catalogue, decades of touring, industry awards, Legion d'Honneur and Nobel Prize for Literature all testify to this. However, despite all this, Dylan remains impenetrable to many music fans. That’s something hard to deal with for diehard Dylan fans. Read more…