A Year In Music – Niall McCann (Film Director) by Killian Laher

Records of the year 2018

As usual I didn’t get to listen to as many records as I’d have wished this year but here is a list of those I’ve been listening to and made an impressive in the last year.  If you disagree with any of my picks please email me on gotellsomeonewhogivesafuck@gmail.com

The following albums are not ranked, art is not a competition.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Sparklehard.

Malkmus returns with his best album since his work with Pavement. What a legend.

Go Kart Mozart – Mozart’s Mini-Mart.

Lawrence, one of the true mavericks of British music does not disappoint us here, but then he never does (on record).

Gazelle Twin – Pastoral

Post Industrial brilliance.  Everything is post something these days.  Anyway, this is an incredible, if somewhat disquieting record. (disquieting is a good thing)

Yves Tumor – Safe in the Hands of Love

Like nothing else.

Idles – Joy as an Act of Resistance

Two albums in and Idles are establishing themselves as the musical answer to the shitheap of a world we live in presently or a world we always have.  You need this band in your life.

Shame – Songs of Praise

One of the best new bands to emerge in years.

Cat Power — Wanderer

Parquet Courts – Wide Awake

Like Fugazi crossed with the Minutemen, a great record by a great band.

Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel

One of the best songwriters about right now.

Aphex Twin – Collapse EP

Come to Daddy. You slag.

Beak – >>>

The best record yet from the Bristol based, former Portishead member featuring indefinable maestros.

Julia Holter – Aviary

Low – Double Negative

A bold step forward from a band that are never afraid to reinvent themselves.  Simply incredible.

The Breeders — All Nerve

Paddy Hanna – Frankly I Mutate

You’ll be gobsmacked by the song writing on display here, a talent to be cherished.

Young Fathers – Cocoa Sugar

“The Mercury Award winning album” and  for once it’s worth it.

Jessica Moss – Entanglement

Spiritualized — And Nothing Hurt

Jason Pierce returns with another staggeringly beautiful record.

Luke Haines – I Sometimes Dream Of Glue

A bizarre, sometimes disturbing, never less than compelling set of songs from one of Britain’s greatest songwriters.

Björk — Utopia

Lisa O’Neill – Heard a Long Gone Song

What a voice!  Lisa O’Neil just keeps getting better and better, another unique album by a unique artist.

Brigid Mae Power – The Two Worlds

Power’s stunning voice, seductive melodies and openness will lure you in and this is a record you will return to again and again.  Mesmerising stuff.

Aidan Moffat and RM Hubbert – Here Lies the Body

Hubby and Moffat team up for their first full album of songs written together.  This record is beautiful, moving, sad, and funny all at once. Great beards too.

Hilary Woods – Colt

Manic Street Preachers – Resistance is Futile

Not their best record but it has this song on it.

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – King of Cowards

Second album in 2 years from the best named band about, complete with great riffs and a sense of humour?  Do it.

PS: Very much looking forward to the new records by Nervs and Tandem Felix which should be with us next year.

Films of the year 2018

Just like with music I didn’t see nearly as many as I wanted this year but the following are some of the films that stuck with me from the past year (another great year for Irish Film, especially when it comes to documentary:

While you Live, Shine – Paul Duane

When all is Ruin Once Again – Keith Walsh

Battlefield – Emile Dinneen

The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid – Fergal Ward

A Mother Sends her Son to be Shot – Sinead O’Shea

Lomax In Eireann – Declan McGrath

Climax – Gaspar Noe

Lean on Pete – Andrew Haigh

Loveless – Andrey Zvyagintsev

The Square – Ruben Östlund

You Were Never Really Here – Lynne Ramsay

Zama – Lucrecia Martel

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – The Coen Brothers