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DJ John Peel famously described The Fall as "always different, always the same." I think the same, largely, could be said for Current 93. The undercurrent of England's Hidden Reverse flows through group leader David Tibet's lyricism and composition, as does the looming spectre of apocalypse, sometimes in the shape of black ships eating the sky and sometimes in the shape of giant Noddy dolls crucified over London. In later years, Tibet's lessons (mean to type lyrics there, but I'll leave it) have predominantly dealt with and been drawn from early Hellinistic apocalypse literature (though it's still easy to see the influence of William Blake here, too -- the rose was sick, and things are only worse). This album is the hypnotic high-point of this point in his career. Indeed, it's one of Current 93's best albums and their best album-length piece of output since 2006's magnum opus Black Ships Ate The Sky. Behind Tibet's singing/recitation (which is more repetitive than in past albums, a perfect choice for this album) is great accompaniment from one of my favorite lineups of Current 93 yet, including, among others, Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance), Ossian Brown (Coil, Cyclobe), Andrew Liles (Nurse With Wound), and Michael J. York (Coil). England's Hidden Reverse has been rather quiet over recent years, with Coil fully inactive since the death of Peter Christopherson in 2010 and Nurse With Wound attending to the auditory operating table less and less. It's good to see the stream still bubbling furiously in this, the latest dispatch from the incomparable Current 93.
Favorite Tracks: "The Birds Are Sweetly Singing," "The Policeman Is Dead," "The Postman is Singing"
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Things have been pretty quiet from the erstwhile Palace Brother over the past few years. The rushing stream of releases has slowed to a trickle since his marriage and the last few releases (Best Troubadour and Wolf of the Cosmos) have been covers albums. This one continues that trend, but, here, the artist being covered is Oldham himself (under his Palace and Bonnie "Prince" Billy monikers). This isn't the first time he's done this (Bonnie "Prince" Billy's country-fried Sings Greatest Palace Music takes a totally different approach to, in a number of cases, the same material), and this album proves just as essential as the earlier one. Here, though, there's something of a fragile, quiet reckoning with mortality while Oldham picks and sings songs from over half a lifetime ago, like "Ohio River Boat Song." I'd love to hear an album of totally new material, but, when you can revisit your back catalog and find something new in each of the 12 songs delivered (well, 11 and an outtake), I'll gladly take what I'm given.
Favorite Tracks: "I See A Darkness," "Ohio River Boat Song," "New Partner"
Spotify
Somehow, Heather Leigh manages to maintain the adventurous and unexpected nature of her earlier improvisational work on this, 2018's best pop album. And, despite what it sounds, despite lyrics that range from the extreme oversharing of "Prelude to Goddess" to the "What exactly happened in that garage?" of "Lena," this is a pop album. But it 's a pop album that shows how far you can go, both lyrically and musically, and still operate within the realm of pop. I listened to this for weeks on end when it came out, and I'm still surprised by it. I still can't get enough of it. It repays in measures, especially 16-minute album centerpiece "Gold Teeth." And somehow I made it this far without mentioning that the album is almost entirely pedal steel (somehow both the most overused and most underrated instrument in American music), with some bass assistance from Leigh's husband, David Keenan, one of the greatest writers working today. If you're a fan of pop music, experimental music, or are drawn to phrases like "cracked Appalachia," check this one out.
Favorite Tracks: "Prelude to Goddess," "Lena," "Gold Teeth"
Spotify
The horror releases of 2018 (e.g., Hereditary, Ghost Stories, Mandy) make it easy to make a case for this year as the greatest year for horror since the 1970s. The crown jewel of this year's releases is Luca Guadgnino's reimagining of Dario Argento's Suspiria, and Thom Yorke's score for the film will certainly go down in history as one of the all-time great horror scores. But it's more than that -- It's the most vibrant, interesting work Yorke has put out since Radiohead's decade-old masterpiece, In Rainbows. Moving between quiet, hypnotic piano balladry ("Suspirium"), kraut/prog-rock score cues ("Has Ended" sounds like something Pink Floyd would've contributed to the Obscured By Clouds soundtrack had they been listening to enough Can), and culminating in the 14-minute vocal ambience of "A Choir of One," Yorke's score provides a perfect backdrop for Guadgnino's 70s Berlin. Like the greatest of scores, though, the album doesn't need the film to land successfully. Indeed, it was just as gripping of a listen before seeing the movie as after, and I find myself returning to it regularly. This one will definitely stand the test of time.
Favorite Tracks: "Suspirium," "Has Ended," "Volk"
Spotify
I already talked about this album's genesis as a European travelogue in my write-up of Mark Kozelek's recent gig in Chico. Rather than reiterate that here, I'll point you towards that review and talk about the elements of the album that I didn't get to cover there -- in particular, the strong, memorable second disc. The disc starts with "David Cassidy," Mark's paean to the recently deceased Cassidy (as well as AC/DC's Malcolm Young). It's obviously from the lyrics that the lyrics were written to be delivered live, but, amidst the encouragements for the crowd to cheer for the late Cassidy, are some incredibly heartfelt lyrics about how David Cassidy and The Partridge Family (along with AC/DC, Glenn Tipton, KK Downing, etc.) changed Mark's life. The next two tracks are covers. First up is a pretty joyous run-through of The Partridge Family's "Come On, Get Happy." Next is Kozelek's third recorded cover of AC/DC's "Rock 'n' Roll Singer," and I think it's his best one yet. Again, it's clear that Mark is singing in the studio as if he were still on-stage. (I find myself wondering throughout how This Is My Dinner would've been received as a true live album. Some of Neil Young's greatest songs first appeared in live versions -- Why not the same with the Koz?) Rounding out the second disc are the finale, a reading from John Connolly's "He," and the penultimate track (and my album favorite), "Soap for Joyful Hands." It's the best song ever written about washing your socks with hotel soap, and, as usual, it's about an awful lot more. Mark intends to release at least two albums in 2019, and his 2018 output has made me incredibly eager for those to come out. Thankfully, the first comes in March, which is just around the corner.
Favorite Tracks: "This Is My Dinner," "David Cassidy," "Come On Get Happy," "Soap for Joyful Hands"
Spotify
This is the latest from Richard Dawson (check out last year's Peasant) and friends, and, although I haven't had the chance to spend a ton of time with it yet, it's on my mind a lot, and I think I'll be remembering it as one of the best of 2018 in years to come. The title (a combination of "Magic" and "Logic") sums up central themes of the album pretty well -- What place do magic, myth, & romance have in this cold, logical, rational age? Having only heard the album a few times, I don't know Hen Ogledd's answer yet, but tracks like "Sky Burial," "Problem Child," "First Date," and "Etheldreda" make me certain I'll continue returning until I know for sure. One part improvisational experimentation, one part freaky folk, one part classic pop songwriting, and one part driving rock, this one has something for most everyone.
Favorite Tracks: "Sky Burial," "Problem Child," "First Date," "Etheldreda"
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