Killian Laher asked Fraser McGowan (Caught In The Wake Forever) about his year in music. You can see the results below…

Tell me about some of the music you enjoyed most in 2015, can be new or old.

For me 2015 has been an excellent year for music. My tastes seem to have broadened a lot over the last few years & I seem to be open to a lot more styles lately.

A few of the albums that have been on repeat a lot over the course of 2015 are:

Take One Car – Everyone You Know Is Hear Right Now

Donnacha Costello – Stay Perfectly Still

Old Gray – An Autobiography

Moodcut – Heartbeat Takeaway

Will Johnson – Swan City Vampires

Hail the Ghost – Forsaken

Shifted – Under A Single Banner

Therapy? – Disquiet

Owl John – S/T

Andrew Coleman – Everything Was Beautiful & Nothing Hurt

Loren Connors – Airs

Vakula – You’ve Never Been To Konotop

Ezekiel Honig – A Film Of String & Wood

For me however there has been one stand out album that has been a huge revelation this year:

mewithoutYou – Pale Horses

I’d never heard them before & I’ve become quite obsessed with their new album over the second half of this year. Musically it’s just brilliant & I find the lyrics absolutely fascinating. Each listen reveals something new. I can’t remember the last time I fell in love with an album as much as this one. I’ve just bought tickets to go see them live in Glasgow in February next year. Very excited about this one.

Anything that particularly disappointed?

Yeah, there’s always albums that disappoint. As an “artist” myself I don’t really want to be critical of others. The new Helios album I didn’t take to. There was nothing wrong with the record at all. I have the upmost respect for him as a musician. But I just had a personal feeling that for me it was repeating the same old formula. Then again, I’d have probably been the first to complain if the album had gone in a drastic new direction!

What sort of year have you had yourself?

I’ve had a pretty quiet year musically. I had an ambient release on the wonderful Dronarivm in the first half of the year & since then I have just been recording at home. Recently I completed a Mastering Engineering course in the hope of expanding my part time mastering work. I’m feeling a lot more confident now when it comes to that side of things, so I’m looking forward to putting my new knowledge into practice.

How important is music in your life these days?

Music is always a very important aspect of my life. I’m constantly listening to & seeking out new things. Buying way too much vinyl aswell. It’s a wonderful stress reliever & a constant source of inspiration.

Non-musical highlight of 2015?

My non-musical highlight this year has definitely been watching my son grow & change. He’s 8 years old now & every day is different, he’s turning into a great wee guy. It keeps me on my toes but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What’s in store for you for 2016?

For me, I plan to spend 2016 working on my new Caught In The Wake Forever record. It’s a big undertaking & I’m taking things slowly. I am in no rush. For those interested, I’m keeping a blog of the process over here theviewfromthebeardmore.tumblr.com