Vinyl Revolution Best of 2021. (30-21)

30. BLONDE OTTER - BUT CRAIG & SHAME-  ALPHABET (TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE BECAUSE I CAN'T COUNT!)

Leaving aside the fact that I can’t count, Blonde Otter and Shame are two sides of the same indie coin. Blonde Otter’s ‘But Craig’ is a slick, carefree pop tune from the bands assured self-titled album whilst Shame turned in a bruising second album ‘Drunk Tank Pink’. ‘Alphabet’ is one of a number of belligerent tirades that pepper their record.

 

29. DRUG STORE ROMEOS – BUILDING SONG

Taken from the beguiling ‘World Within Our Bedrooms’, Drug Store Romeo’s have successfully harnessed the world that lies between innocence and knowing. A truly immersive album.

28. RODDY WOOMBLE – ARCHITECTURE IN L.A

Idlewild-frontman makes another softly spoken gem. ‘Lo Soul!’ is a hazy, shimmering collection that gets better with every listen. ‘Architecture in L.A’ is a surprising lo-fi pop single that wouldn’t sound out of place on a 1970’s AM radio station.

27. THE HELICOPTER OF THE HOLY GHOST – SLOW DOWN

Taken from the slow-burning ‘Afters’ album, ex-Audience songwriter Billy Reeves tentatively returned to music after recovering from a horrific road-smash that left him and a friend for dead. Employing the talents of Chris Anderson (Crayola Lectern) and Bluetone Mark Morriss only serve to further highlight the great songwriting on show here. It’s good to have you back, Billy!

26. KYNSY – HAPPINESS ISN’T A FIXED STATE

Another of the tracks that Vinyl Revolution first featured in its summer 2021 compilation, Ireland’s Kynsy make edgy, self-assured music and ‘Happiness Isn’t A Fixed State’ is a sure-fire radio hit in the making. No pressure, but we’re predicting big things for this lot in 2022…

25. DEL AMITRI – YOU CAN’T GO BACK

Obviously, If Del Amitri make a new album then it’s going to feature somewhere in our charts! But ‘Fatal Mistakes’ is well worth its place thanks to the sheer songwriting genius that abounds on their 2021 record. The video for this track is well worth a look too…haven’t they aged well?!

24. THE GORSTEY LEA STREET CHOIR – UP WITH THE LARKS

Stand-out track on the bands ‘From Prince’s Park to Farsley’ 2021 highly recommended mini album. GLSC also featured in last year’s Top Ten and the next 12 months look like an exciting time for the band as they prepare for more releases and their first live dates.

23. GUIDED BY VOICES – HIGH IN THE RAIN

Classic GBV powerpop taken from the ace ‘It’s Not Them…’ album. Just how Robert Pollard keeps up his heroic songwriting standards is beyond me, but its great to have the band still so prominent after all these years.

22. THE REDS, PINKS AND PURPLES – I WOULDN’T DIE FOR ANYONE

Lo-fi bedroom pop at its finest. TRPP turned in an excellent album in ‘Uncommon Weather’ in 2021 and this one of its many charming highlights.

21. SPEARMINT – THEY CALL US STUPID

Spearmint’s 2021 album was a loose concept album concerning itself with the fate of lead singer Shirley Lee’s father’s band ‘Wally’. It’s a curious idea which culminates with the spoken word Holland Park title track. Spearmint remain an underappreciated gem and in a perfect world we will be featuring them on a future NAKED eco release.