I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2023 : 61-70

 

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.

61 The Lunar Laugh - In The Black      IDHAS Review

62 Cult Figures - Between Us And Heaven      IDHAS Review

63 Vanity Tapes - Hiatus      IDHAS Review

64 Sandra's Wedding - The Hopeful Boy Replacement Service      IDHAS Review

65 Star Collector - Attack, Sustain, Decay... Repeat     IDHAS Review

66 The Smivets - How We Fade   IDHAS Review

67 Stephen Lawrenson - Chants Of A Lifetime      IDHAS Review

68 Dropkick - The Wireless Revolution     IDHAS Review

69 Missilkid - Missilkid      IDHAS Review

70 Alex Lahey - The Answer Is Always Yes      IDHAS Review

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The Smivets - How We Fade

 

Last Year, I discovered The Smivets completely by surprise and reviewed the Mountain Highway album here. It was an album that came from nowhere on a new artist site that I had never visited before and is so good that it made the Best 100 Albums Of The Year.

The Smivets are a one man affair, Uttoxeter's Steve Smith who describes himself as a music dabbler. You really would think this is a group, it so well performed, arranged and produced. How We Fade shows that Mountain Highway was no flash in the pan.

This is glorious Rock, genre defying rock, largely 70s orientated and covering everything from Pop Rock to Classic Rock and all in between. Not only is it instrumentally ace, but the album is incredibly lyrically adept and it is the genre crossing that adds to the interest.

The opener, Galaxies, is awesome blasting through Indie Rock, Psych, Prog and Melodic Rock. Keep The Change is another monster affair, this time more of a Classic Rock bent. To The Fires is top notch Prog whilst England Sleeps is West Coast Rock as if it were performed by Lindisfarne.

Alpha Male Arse borders on Psych Rock, yet My Car's A New Pair Of Shoes is closest to Merseybeat. Cutting The Cord is more getting it together in the country late 60s Rock. Tulip sounds more than a little Gabriel era Genesis, although acoustically so.

How We Fade is a crackerjack of an album. It is a Rock album and not all of our followers lean towards something so Classic Rock. But this is such an inventive and well put together that it just demands your attention. 2 out of 2 in the IDHAS Best Of Years methinks.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2022 : 91-100

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. A reminder that anything reviewed on I Don't Hear A Single is highly recommended. 

This year, the standard has been the highest since I DHAS began six and a half years ago. Narrowing things down to this 100 as been really difficult. For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the album. 

No 91 : Starter Jackets - Dead Malls       IDHAS Review

No 92 : Phil Angotti - Once Around Again          IDHAS Review





No 93 : The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness - The Third Wave Of        IDHAS Review

No 94 : The Airport 77s - We Realize You Have A Choice          IDHAS Review

No 95 : The Confusions - Black Silhouettes      IDHAS Review

No 96 : Bigger - Les Myosotis     IDHAS Review

 

No 97 : The Stroppies - Levity      IDHAS Review





No 98 : The Smivets - Mountain Highway     IDHAS Review

No 99 : Fontanarosa - Are You There?   IDHAS Review

No 100 : The Wheel Workers - Harbor    IDHAS Review

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The Smivets - Mountain Highway

 

As someone who covers new music, I hear lots and lots of stuff, the good, the bad and the ugly. However, there is still no greater joy than when an album catches you by surprise. It isn't that often when that happens and it is never genre specific.

Mountain Highway is one such album and I've been meaning to tell you about it for a while since I played Somerset on an IDHAS 10 Song Mix. The Smivets are a one man band and I can tell you little about that one man apart from his name being Steve and he is from Uttoxeter.

Mountain Highway is no big sounding affair, nor is it lo-fi. It comes across as a showcase of Steve's talent. The album defies genres, because every song is different to any other. There are times when it is loose and a bit messy and times when a song is just perfect, particularly Somerset.

Contained within are songs like Jesus, The Devil and So On could be a song recorded in a Georgia Studio in 1956, all Rock n Roll and I Think She Loves Me is early 80's Synth Pop. Hey Bon is Southern Boogie Rock, yet the title track is all sludge grunge Alt Rock, almost dirge like.

Tourmaline is a cross between West Coast Rock and Modern Prog and Untouchable is all Garage Rock, megaphone and all. Let's Get This Over With verges on Status Quo fronted by Neil Young with an incendiary Guitar Solo. Foregone is a Psych masterpiece.

Better Than Rock And Roll is just astounding. It chops and changes, is messy at times and so damn catchy at times. Then there is the magnificence that is Somerset, one of the best songs that I've heard in the past year. Mountain Highway is formidable. There is a lot to take in, but the ride is one you'll love. 

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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