I had to take my time and think about this. Last year I separated the year into quarters mainly because the first three months of 2015 was so good, I felt I couldn't justify only a half yearly comment on what had come so early in the year.
This year, well, without wanting to piss on any bonfires, hasn't lived up to the same dawn of hope and excitement. It helped I had two records pre-ordered from before Christmas last year, and there was nothing with a release date I was anticipating greatly this.
There has been a couple of nice records. Villagers - Where have you been all my life is a pleasant re-working of Conor O'Brien's back catalogue and Nada Surf released their 7th record You know who you are which is distinctly listenable, especially "Cold to see Clear". They just aren't brilliant.
The Anchoress, aka Catherine AD aka Catherine Anne Davies, in conjunction with God-Like Genius Paul Draper of Mansun fame, released Confessions of a Romance Novelist, which is a strong collection of songs, a great vocal performance and beautiful production which gets better with each listen. It just didn't set my pants alight. There was no tingle , no sensation of electricity up the spine.
I may be being unfair. I'm a massive Paul Draper fan girl, and I'm waiting with bated breath for the debut single, One E.P and then L.P Spooky Action. This is the support act, and that is probably doing it an injustice.
That was kind of it for albums in quarter one. What did excite was a handful of E.P's and singles. Issac Gracie is someone to keep an eye on. More soul and heart than James fucking Bay, more talent in his right bollock than Zayn Malik has in his whole body and better song writing than Chris Martin has managed since 2002. Stand alone single, Last Words is stunning and he's followed it up with an E.P, Songs from my bedroom, basically demos which demonstrate a special musician at the cusp of greatness.
There's been a lot of hype across the pond, especially in New York about Acid Dad, who brought out Let's Plan a Robbery E.P, with lead track Don't Get Taken a barnstorming opener.
Back home in London, M O S E S are rippling the surface of the water with a couple of brilliant tracks, Low and Cause you got me.
There was also the protracted release of Anna B Savage's E.P, side A are her first four tracks, appropriately named by roman numeral, I, II, III, IV and then on side B, a live recording from Café Oto.
If any of those can sneak out a long player before the year is out, it could round things off perfectly.
So far, without a shadow of a doubt, the best album I have heard this year, was released last year, and I feel ashamed and frankly ridiculous for not listening to it then. It is a masterpiece. It was the album on everyone that matters lips, and I missed it.
I Love You, Honeybear by Father John Misty, is a record of such humour, lyrical dexterity, brilliant melody and simplistic songs that it's almost flawless. It's the sound of someone in love who just does not give a shit who knows it, who he tells or how he says it. I'm not going to lie, I draw parallels with the relationship I have with my wife, and our life, our habits, our little strange behaviours and our neighbours.
It is my album of the beginning of 2016 and it came out months before the end of last year.
It seems April had only just started when there came a flurry of announcements. Biffy Clyro debuted Wolves of Winter from their forthcoming new record Ellipsis, Richard Ashcroft is back from hibernation with another solo album, Bears Den have appeared out of nowhere with news of a second long player and We are Scientists have created a brand new genre of music, Helter Seltzer (which is an absolute belter incidentally, but i'll tell you about that in July)..
All this does pale into insignificance a touch when it comes to the Paul Draper releases. In only a few days time I'll be holding his debut single in my grubby mits and come June we'll have an E.P to behold, followed by the album in August. Today Steve Lamacq premiered the lead track Feeling My Heart Run Slow, which was initially debuted back in 2014 at the Mansun Fan Convention, but with the benefit of a year or so of tinkering and a sheen of production technique we get this monster of a tune.
It's been a slow start to the year, it's just about to pick up and explode.
