I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2024 : 21-30

 

For the last eight years We have compiled annual Best Of 's  because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists. A reminder that anything reviewed on I Don't Hear A Single is highly recommended. A reminder that only new albums are included among these 100.

Narrowing things down to this 100 has been really difficult. The 100 albums are posted in reverse batches of 10. For each album, A song is embedded from the album and a link is provided to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the album.

Into our Top 30 on The IDHAS Best Albums Of 2024 with Numbers 21 - 30.

31 Aerial - Activities Of Daily Living      IDHAS Review

22 Sykofant - Sykofant      IDHAS Review

23 Mothboxer - Twelve     IDHAS Review

24 Nick Piunti And The Complicated Men - Up And Out Of It     IDHAS Review

25 Motorists - Touched By The Stuff     IDHAS Review

26 The Low Sixes - The Oshawa Tree        IDHAS Review

27 Willie Dowling - The Simpleton      IDHAS Review

28 The Nature Strip - Domesticated Beast      IDHAS Review

29 Derrero - Breezing Up      IDHAS Review

  

30 James Clarke Five - Zoom And The Gadflies     IDHAS Review

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James Clarke Five - Zoom And The Gadflies

 

I wasn't always about the new and came to the internet reviewing world quite late in 2005. I was involved in a place called Anything Should Happen (hence the IDHAS email) that celebrated the under appreciated, but in a lost or long deleted album sort of way. We celebrated James Clarke Five as much as is humanly possible without exploding with enthusiasm.

So it was delightful to see the release of Parlor Sounds in 2019 and that appeared in our Best 100 Albums of that year. You can read the album review here. I've talked enough in the past of my adoration of intelligent Indie, so suffice to say that the Ex Cherry Boy fits that bill and more.

Zoom And The Gadflies is an album of two halves, not that a JC5 ever could be that completely because every song is inventively different. But it does apply here, because in visiting the types of music that influenced him listening wise the direction changes. There are no need for cover songs when you have as wandering mind as Jimmy Hughes.

It gets Electronic as the album progresses, simply because his influences did. What is not in doubt is that everything works. The Indie is still melodic, but incredibly left field. The Electro or Synth Pop is really really catchy. 

Over those first songs you get the Adam And The Ants Burundi Beat of (Who's Been On The) Big Rock Candy, The Protectors TV Theme like Ghost and the Acoustic Pop Rock (with a nod to George Michael's Faith) of Pineapple Rock that incorporates a stomping chorus and a Psych Pop riff.

Add in the Piano Jazz of Manhattan Rock, the wonderful UK Glam Rock of Gadfly Groove and the fairground joy of D'You Not Think with another killer chorus. The remaining five songs are very different, but as enjoyable. 

It's Been So Long is great 80s Synth Pop, incredibly catchy and Buddy and Joe is cinema organ like twang. Zoomdust is short and ethereal and Hot Chicory Bop is an Electro Funk instrumental. All of this is rounded out by the splendid Pop Rock of Goodbye Patience. Absolutely Wonderful!

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2019 : 71- 80

It's been difficult to get these choices down to 100. I'm also not a believer in saying one album is better than another. Most of the time you are comparing Apples To Oranges. I'm not a List person, I just think what's the point.

However, for the last couple of years I have compiled Best Of 2019, normally I just said what my favourite album of the year is. I've done it again, because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists.

There is no meaning or judgement on an album that is Number 1, Number 100 or not on the list. Anything that I review on here, mention on Social Media or play on the Radio Show is as highly recommended.

I would also add that the Top 100 includes albums available as Download Only. To suggest that they are anything less than equal to a Physical release is patently nonsense and omits many wonderful albums.

I will compile a Top 20 of Reissues and Compilations combined after all this is complete. For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to the review, where you can find further details on how to listen or buy the album.


71 I Was A King - Slow Century        IDHAS Review 







72 James Clarke Five - Parlor Sounds       IDHAS Review 







73 Extra Arms - Up From Here       IDHAS Review 







74 Råttanson - I'd Much Rather Be With The Noise       IDHAS Review 







75 WarrenScottBand - The New Deal       IDHAS Review 







76 The Galileo 7 - There Is Only Now       IDHAS Review 

77 The Morning Line - North       IDHAS Review 







78 The Pozers - Crybaby Bridge       Review 

79 The Tor Guides - Backwards In Reverse       Review







80 Mothboxer - Time Capsule Volume 1        IDHAS Review 








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James Clarke Five - Parlor Sounds

James Clarke Five's Parlour Sounds finally gets a physical release. What's more it's on Wally Salem's wonderful The Beautiful Music label. Wally will always be a hero to me for having Armstrong on the label, but there's far more to TBM than these two as you will see here.

James Clarke Five has been James Hughes's solo vehicle for nigh on two decades. Those in the know will recognise as one of The Cherry Boys, the Liverpool outfit that has become a real name dropper over here. The band offered up wonderfully sad songs with a real charm and had Chris Sharrock in the band in the early days.







Parlor Sounds is the sort of pop that we love. It is splendid laid back Pop Rock. I can explain it best by telling you that Pilot's Just A Smile is covered here, a song that should have been covered far and wide and shouldn't be lost in the Magic / January mayhem.

There's a real charm to the whole album. It opens with the album's best song, a sort of Ben Folds does Sunshine Pop, What Do You Know About Ray, a song that was played a while ago on the IDHAS Audio Spectacular. There's a real mid 70's Pop Rock Feel to the whole album.






Think John Miles, Pilot, Jigsaw, The Alan Parsons Project, even Gilbert O'Sullivan. Talking of John Miles, Mairead is so Miles does Peter Skellern with the accompanying Brass. Under My Skin is like a sped up on Christopher Cross and Jade is all 60's UK Beat Pop.

The variety doesn't always work. I could live without the twee Miami Vice 80's Synth Pop of Somewhere Out There Somewhere, but I'm sure it will appeal to may others. There's A Rainbow is a Jangling Al Stewart and The Redemption Of Casper Green is fantastic Toybox Pop, an absolute joy, McCartney-esque.







Parlor Sounds is a real feel good album, a pleasure to listen to. James Clarke Five deserve far more attention, perhaps now is the time. You can buy the album at TBM here. The album can be listened to and bought as a download here. You can find out more about James Clarke Five here.



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