Educating Omand - Year 3: The Top Five
Find the full list of albums for Educating Omand: Year 3 here
Another year has come and gone and 2020 has been weird in so many ways, hasn't it? One constant for me though, and something that helped to keep me going, has been listening to music. As ever, my Educating Omand list, thanks again this year to David Ames, has given me a lot of different music to discover. It has pushed me out of my comfort zone, not always successfully, and has broadened my musical horizons as well as letting me appreciate in more depth some of the bands I had discovered in previous years. Heads have been banged, nodded and wobbled, vocals have been lauded, lamented or ignored and, generally, a good time has been had; there haven't been any utter travesties this year that I can remember either!
Before I get to my top 5, some honourable mentions (Oh and, for
the record, I’m not including the Jamie Cullum album in this tally because I already knew and loved it):
Twelve Foot Ninja – Silent Machine - “Another Educating Omand album another raucous
metal… bossa nova track?!” Yes, this one surprised and delighted in equal
measure. Good fun and hilarious music videos.
Yellowcard – Ocean Avenue – “it kind of lived
down to the very low bar I had set being somewhat wallpapery pop punk … and
then the fiddle kicked in.” When an unexpected fusion works, boy, it
really works.
Protest the Hero – Volition “This is an album to put on and sit between the
speakers and just “appreciate” it for a few tracks.” A bit full on to
listen to the whole thing at once but worth your attention in fits and starts.
But on to the main event and, in proper pop-picker [oh that dates you – Ed] reverse order, here’s my top five
albums of Educating Omand: Year 3.
5) Bring
Me The Horizon - Sempiternal
“the thing that captured my
attention from the off was the melange of rhythms that really should clash
horribly but just… work. It’s jazz by any other name and is brilliant.”
“what if you put Eminem in
front of the LSO and the Symphony Chorus, with a side order of the BBC
Radiophonic Workshop?”
front of the LSO and the Symphony Chorus, with a side order of the BBC
Radiophonic Workshop?”
“He wields instruments and
twines tonality in the same way that modern artists create with a palette knife
to produce works which, on the surface, are sumptuous, rich and beautiful,
interesting and intriguing, drawing the attention to closer inspection.”
2) The
Dear Hunter - The Meaning of, And All Things Regarding, Ms. Leading
“You know when you get to the
end of a really good film and you’re utterly exhausted by the drama of it all?
That’s what The Dear Hunter Acts albums do for me.”
“I sat, motionless,
open-mouthed at the utter artistry that flowed from the speakers. It’s like
nothing I have ever heard before.”
So that’s my Education in “music that I missed out on after the 80s” over for another year. I wonder who my
tutor for Year Four will be? [*stage whispers* - Ed] What? Oh, they’ve planned something
different for me next year? [*nods* *more stage whispers* - Ed] I’m going on a GAP YEAR?!
I’d better start packing
then. See you next year!
then. See you next year!
Post a Comment