I want to give thanks to 10 records in particular that carried me through this decade. They helped me to process and appreciate emotional turmoil, political awakening, illness, happiness, friendship, disillusionment and belonging, through the ages of 21 to 31.
They fed directly into the music I have made; 100+ songs, 400+ performances, 3 solo releases and collaborations with inspiring artists. They influenced the musical arrangements and strengthened my conviction in the beliefs and opinions which formed the lyrics. They are:
1. ‘Young Man In America‘ – Anais Mitchell (2012)
Anais Mitchell is a writer who helps you develop a firmer understanding of the self. She is able to pinpoint aspects of your character which you are not yet ready to embrace, and challenge you to confront them. In doing so she reflects an unrivalled grasp of the reoccurring patterns of human behaviour. This record, for me, is one of the greatest works of contemporary philosophy out there. There is magic in the recording too, with one of the purest vocal and instrument sounds I have ever heard.
2. ‘Sleeping Operator‘ – The Barr Brothers (2014)
This album was a lesson for me in musical arrangement. There is so much attention to detail in the soundscapes that are produced. The vocal harmonies and musical timbres create such rich, warm and subtle textures. There is so much going on but all of it is relevant. It is a bold piece of work, which cycles unashamedly through a wide range of musical genres, yet fuses them together cohesively with infectious songwriting at its core, grounded in the work of Paul Simon. I think it’s the first record since Elliott Smith’s XO to achieve this so successfully.
3. ‘Great Lakes‘ – John Smith (2013)
2013 was still very much a time when male behaviour was defined by the centuries which came before it; characterised in particular by an unwillingness to show vulnerability. As a young man of 24, struggling to find a place in the world, this record brought great hope and meaning. It was gentle, loving and kind; all things I aspired towards being. I really felt it gave me a voice and stood in proud defiance of the behaviours we now describe as toxic masculinity. The guitar playing was truly inspirational. This was around the time I started to consider going pro and hearing someone play my favourite instrument so impressively confirmed that there was nothing I would rather spend my life doing.
4. ‘Simone Felice’ – Simone Felice (2011)
This record had been out for several years before I picked it up in 2016. It was amazing how quickly it became such a profound influence on my songwriting and vocal delivery. People began to assume Simone Felice had been my most important artist for years and years. It is such an incredible window into contemporary life in the United States, with engaging cultural references that paint such a vivid, unsettling picture of the collective feeling in society. It somehow manages to have summed up a decade, despite being released right at the very start. The minimalist production is incredible, placing great emphasis on the incredible vocal sound. It is a great lesson not to over-complicate things.
5. ‘Hand On The Plough‘ – The Tillers (2013)
A very different record from the others in this list, this reflects my love of traditional folk music, particularly from North America. This is a record which makes you feel good from start to finish. Its sound is somehow evocative of a time I have never known and places I have never been, yet makes me visualise and feel them like I have. The musicianship is incredible, with some of the greatest banjo playing I have ever heard; technical enough to be astounding yet melodic enough to be universally accessible. I simply can’t imagine anybody not loving this record.
6. ‘Overgrown‘ – James Blake (2013)
This is a deeply unsettling album. It has a harrowing, and enormously affecting sound, which for me captures the cosmic loneliness of the 21st Century like no other record. I think it is only the greatest works of art that can have this profound an effect on your mood and as such it is utterly astonishing. With one of the sweetest voices out there, the tracks weave effortlessly between extreme beauty and deeply unsettling discord. Even at this late stage in human culture I think James Blake has been able to create a completely unique and original new genre of music with this record. He is a true innovator.
7. ‘Machines of Love & Grace‘ – Martha Tilston (2013)
This, along with ‘Great Lakes’ came at a very important, transitional time. Having been one of the first artists that got me into singing acoustic music, Martha Tilston was always massively important to me. I was hanging on her every word, and I realise 7 years on this album offered the politics and social awareness that now constitute the core of my values and opinions about the world. It is another album which identifies the accelerated pace of social change in the latter half of the decade. Its challenges to environmental disaster, wealth imbalance, gender inequality and unchecked corporate superiority were by no means ingrained in the Zeitgeist in 2013 and as such it was hugely forward thinking. We owe a great debt to Martha’s brave vision.
8. ‘The King Is Dead‘ – The Decemberists (2011)
Traditionally my favourite band of all time, this is my favourite of their records. I instantly loved every song and still do after literally hundreds of listens. I’m never not in the mood for this album. Unlike some of their other work, there is nothing overly complicated about these songs. They are just incredibly strong, infectious melodies which are allowed to take precedence in the arrangement. It is an album that fits logically into so many genres, taking a lot of influence from traditional American folk music. I find albums can be evocative of certain times of the year but this record takes you through every season, helping you to embrace or anticipate the arrival of whichever you choose. With a lyrical vocabulary taken from 1000 works of classic literature, its imagery is so, so vivid.
9. ‘Mynd‘ – Edgelarks (Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin) (2013)
This album was a total paradigm shift. It completely redefined what was possible with a contemporary folk record. I had never heard anything like these progressive song structures, outside the realms of the noughties metal and hardcore bands I grew up with, but these two musicians had the technical ability and infinite vision to pull it off. Enhanced by Mark Tucker’s incredible production, the songs have a totally unique quality, unrestrained by commonly occurring musical patterns and formulae. They are complete soundscapes with such varied and well considered instrumental arrangements, executed with unrivalled technical ability.
10. ‘1989‘ – Taylor Swift (2014)
Another deeply unsettling record, this album seemed to describe with its articulate, prescient vision, the future of the modern relationship. Taylor Swift has a rare command of language that enables her to convey raw, visceral feelings and experiences in such a universally relatable way. In doing so she manages to capture the impact of this Century’s social and cultural influences on human interaction, to outline the subtler consequences of the world we have made. It was the last great pop record. I wonder if anything from now on will be able to match it.
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