For the last few 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.
Narrowing things down to this 100 has been really difficult. The countdown is 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
As I finally get in to 2023, there are some superb albums to tell you about, none more so than the return of The Foreign Films. Over a consistently stellar career, I still consider The Record Collector one of the finest albums ever and the triple vinyl version is like a work of art.
That album demonstrated the full range of Bill Majoros's musical ability and the length was no issue, in fact you wanted more. The two albums since then have seen a slight move away from some of the genre variety in favour of a mastery of Pop Rock.
Both Ocean Moon and Starlight Serenade endorse this opinion and Magic Shadows my be the poppiest album of The Foreign Films career. This is no criticism. Majoros is one of the most listenable of artists and the latest is wonderful.
(Please note : The You Tube Links are UK and Europe only, To view in the States and Canada go here.)
Majoros is joined as ever by Carl Jennings on Bass, Additional Guitar and Backing Vocals. Keyboards are taken care of by Rob Preuss and he is a big addition. As ever, the mutual appearances on each others albums is continued with The Nines' Steve Eggers on Backing Vocals on two songs.
If anything, Magic Shadows sounds more than a little 80s with its big drum sound and the general vibe. This is never more so on the excellent Perfect Future with the vocal in Russell Mael territory, particularly the Bates Motel period. It is a song that wouldn't be out of place on the Electric Dreams soundtrack.
Something that you will have heard is Cosmic Lover which took pride of place on a recent IDHAS 10 Song Mix. It is an absolute stomper in a Marc Bolan does Spirit In The Sky sort of way. Lost In Time has a real Twin Peaks feel about it, particularly with the driving Bass and haunting Guitar.
Everywhere you look, there are stand out songs. The best of which may be Cinema Girl (Magic Shadows) which has a real gentle Psych Pop feel, yet has a real big production 60s harmonic Pop soundscape with Backing Vocals reinforced by Steve Eggers. It is an amazing 6 minutes that is over way too quickly.
House Of Mirrors is wonderful Toytown joy, a vocal harmony masterpiece. Into The Light is pure Pop, almost Power Pop whilst remaining party-ish. Daydream In The Sun is all American Grafitti and then changes Tempo becoming a "lets do the show right here2 with a Duane Eddy twang.
Rainclouds is a big very 80s way with a guest appearance from Dave Rave on Backing Vocals. There really is so much to like here. If you have even a little interest in Pop Rock this is the album for you. It would be worth the admission for Cinema Girl alone, yet you have the bonus of 10 other splendid songs to accompany it.
I have been a fan of The Foreign Films from the very off and I have never ever been let down. The keyboards play far more of a part here without ever detracting from the enjoyment. The melody count is off the scale. Magic Shadows is as good an example of how music can change your mood for the best. It is Highly Recommended.
You can listen to the album on all the streaming sites. A CD is on the way and I will update all purchase details as soon as I have them. You can listen to the full album song by song here.
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 few years I 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. 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 grossly unfair, even more so in 2020 with all that has happened during the year. To qualify, an album has to be available for sale in any format.
For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to where you can find further details on how to listen or buy the album.
The Record Collector was one of my Top 10 albums of 2018, a work of great thought and beauty. You can read the review here. That masterpiece was well trailed, so it is surprising and somewhat delightful to see the low key release of Ocean Moon and it is at NAME YOUR PRICE on Bandcamp.
Gathering up new songs and hidden gems, it features guests such as fellow Cannuck, Steve Eggers of The Nines and three Orchestral Arrangements by the wonderful and much missed, Wim Oudijk. Ocean Moon is a splendid nine song affair.
There's a much greater concentration on the Pop here than on previous offerings. The feel is somewhere between 60s US Pop and UK 70s Pop Rock. The latter most relevant on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road glimpses of Under Your Spell.
A Letter To Our Future Selves is simply magnificent with Oudijk's Toytown arrangement complementing the piano lead to fashioned up a memorable slice of Psych Pop. There's some great Sax from Scott Neilsen on the McCartney Pop of Stars In Her Eyes. Birds In A Blue Sky could easily fit on XTC's Skylarking.
Dream Another Dream is a fine Sedaka - esque arranged Teen Ballad and Down In The Boulevard has a great Vocal Arrangement on a piano led song that reminds me a lot of heyday John Howard. Dream With Me Tonight is more straight ahead with another fine Orchestral Arrangement, this time from Jason Fredrick.
The stand out song though is the title track, Ocean Moon. Pop Rock just doesn't get better than this, it is a gentle masterpiece. Bill Majoros is a major talent. A multi instrumentalist that leads on melody and arrangements. Ocean Moon is 28 minutes that will feel like three. Highly Recommended!
A reminder that the album is available at Name Your Price here, where you can also listen to it. The CD Release will be coming soon on the Kool Kat label.
2018 has been a fantastic year for the type of music that we like. 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 Top 10 person, I just think what's the point.
However, for the first time last year, I did a Top 50, normally I just say what my favourite album of the year is. I've simply done it again, because those five posts of last year were so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists.
As I said the standard this year is incredibly high, so much so that I've extended the choice to 100 albums. 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.
For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to the IDHAS Review if applicable.
I was an early adopter of Bill Majoros and his magnificent Foreign Films adventures. So as I catch up on the pile of reviews that I'm behind with, it seems most fitting to start with the masterpiece that is The Record Collector.
It's been a long time in the making, previewed over that period by the excellent Record Collector Side releases and Majoros's superb additions to Steve Eggers's releases with The Nines. The culmination is this Triple album in all it's intended glory. It's Pop, but not as we necessarily know it, a journey into all things of that ilk.
This has certainly been worth the wait. The album veers off into all directions, but keeps everything melodic, inventive and so damn catchy. Just listening to Side 1 alone, Pop Rock, Prog and Orchestral Rock are taken in and the journey just gets better and better. Shadow In The Light could be Bolan, Junior Astronomer's Club could be Orgone Box and the beauty of the weeping She Reveals Her Heart cannot be over emphasised.
Kori Pop's vocals add a great deal to Side 2. Her joint vocals on Teardrop Town, which you can imagine Nick Cave writing and her lead vocal on Land Of A 1,000 Goodbyes which is all Lisa Mychols and benefits from Pop's Piano playing. Broken Dreams is great 80's Power Pop, State of The Art is so Jon Auer Posies. Lucky is all jangly Psych Pop.
Side 3 is particularly Beatlesesque, notably Lennon. the exception being the haunting, A Foolish Symphony on which Kori Pop takes lead vocal duties on a wonderful arrangement. Side 4 is much slower, more moody and I'm reminded of great Singer Songwriters such as John Howard and Colin Blunstone.
On Side 5, the arrangements are varied, but very 60's Bacharach, Emily'd Dream is a cracking slab of Psych featuring Dialogue from Steve and Chantel Eggers. Summer Fades is a fine closer. Side 6 closes this extraordinary affair with the almost 13 minutes of Fall Of The Summer Heart.
Fall Of The Summer Heart is Psych Wonderment. Overall there is a lot of music here. It feels very much like one of those great Singer Songwriter albums of the 70's when Budget wasn't a problem. However, the variance never lets the album become boring. I must also mention the superb Arrangements of Wim Oudijk, a man I miss greatly and who lit up my Psych Pop world with his chats and recommendations.
You can listen to and buy the album here. You can also buy the triple vinyl format from the same link. That's how I listened to it and if ever an album should be heard on Vinyl, it's this one. The album will also be released on CD by Ray at Kool Kat om Monday. You can order that here.
I've picked my favourite songs today here, but they change and this is an album that everyone will find a different favourite on.
