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Post by noise is a friend on Dec 28, 2016 18:12:57 GMT 1
Well, all in all, it was a pretty horrible year. Too much political crap. Too many good people dying. Too much personal grief to cope with. Still, some good music. Here's my Top 30 (which might change).
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Post by rob strong on Dec 31, 2016 1:07:16 GMT 1
As a far wiser man than me observed last week - to be fair, 1916 was much worse.
2016 has been notable for what appears to be a collective need to overreact to everything (on social media, at least). There have been far more famous people since the advent of widespread TV usage, so it's not surprising that some of those celebrities are coming to the end of their lives. We've lived through an era where the Tories were widely considered to be total scum as a result of Thatcher's policies, but it shouldn't be surprising that there's been a move back to the right - it was going to happen at some point. How many of the people screaming about Brexit and Trump on social media even bothered to vote? What are they actually doing to make sure next year, and the year after, and the year after that, are better? Ultimately, the only way to change things is to talk to people, and work with people, scary as that might be. On the Friday after the Brexit vote, I only saw one post on Twitter from someone who'd discussed the issues with another human face to face and got them to change their vote - more of this is desperately needed. I don't understand why those who didn't bother to vote haven't had at least as much bile directed towards them as those who voted for Trump or Brexit have received.
Sorry to hear 2016 hasn't been a good year for you personally, Neil.
On a musical level, I've struggled more to find new music worth listening to in 2016 than I have done for 30+ years. Particularly new bands, whose output would usually have dominated my favourite albums of the year, because there's nothing better than a great new band discovered. At least in part, this is also why I've been to massively less gigs this year than I would have in previous years.
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Post by noise is a friend on Dec 31, 2016 13:50:37 GMT 1
Good points there, Rob. It's just that many of the "celebrity" deaths were quite unexpected - Prince, George Michael, Victoria Wood. That said, I saw great shows from Stars Of The Lid, Gary Numan, Silver Apples and Mika Vainio.
Sent from my SM-A300FU using proboards
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Post by rob strong on Dec 31, 2016 20:58:06 GMT 1
Prince - drug death George Michael - inconclusive autopsy but known history of drug use
Surprising they lasted as long at they did, rather than surprising they've died.
I did see some great shows this year, but not as many as usual. Stick In The Wheel (twice), Lynched (possibly my show of the year?), Explosions In The Sky / Entrance, Mogwai, British Sea Power (twice), Martin Carthy, Eagulls, Man Of Moon, Sunshine Frisbie Laserbeam, Chastity Belt, Clint Mansell, Band Of Holy Joy, TRAAMS, Alasdair Roberts, Victories At Sea. All folks whose music I was already familiar with at the start of the year.
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Post by markus on Jan 1, 2017 10:11:50 GMT 1
Album purchases 2016: Amenra - Alive Bardo Pond / Acid Mothers Temple / Guru Guru – Acid Guru Pond Bracken - High Passes CHVE - 10910 CHVE - Rasa Friends Of Gas - Fatal Schwach Giardini di Mirò - Rise and Fall Of Academic Drifting (2-LP reissue) Hood - British Radars Julie's Haircut / Sendelica - Sidesteps Matt Elliott - The Calm Before Mogwai - Atomic Spartiti - Austerità Syndrome - Forever And A Day
pre-ordered: Absent In Body - The Abyss Stares Back # 5 LP Julie's Haircut - Invocation And Ritual Dance Of My Demon Twin
Shows: Colin H. Van Eeckhout + Scott Kelly, Cyclorama (twice), Julie's Haircut (twice), Shellac, Mogwai, PJ Harvey, Giardini di Mirò, Part Chimp + Hey Colossus
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