A Certain Ratio are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year and on this occasion they will release a new box set titled 'ACR:BOX' which will be available vinyl, CD, download and streaming services. They have also revealed a brand new acoustic version of "Won’t Stop Loving You". The 'ACR:BOX' box set will be available as a signed 7 x coloured vinyl set and limited to 1000 copies worldwide, 4 x CD set and digitally and its release will coincide with a series of dates starting from May 4th whereas the compilation will officially released a day before on May 3rd.
As part of our first Next Wave presentation in 2019, we are welcoming Brighton based musician Simon D. James. Simon released his debut EP 'My Everything' last year and the songs on it were inspired, when he was traveling the world from Mexico City all the way to India. Musically, he has been inspired by Bowie and Cobain and his music could be compared the contemporaries could link to The National, Broken Social Scene and The Decemberists. There are altogether four tracks on his debut EP and the video of the title track "My Everything"can be previewed below.
The Specials will return with a brand new studio album almost 20 years after the last release. The new album will be entitled 'Encore' and the first single from the album is entitled "Vote for Me" has already been revealed and included some classic Specials sound that we were used to listen in the 80's. Following the release on February 1st, the band will take 'Encore' on tour.
Fiat Lux are back! The Yorkshire based group will release their first new material in almost three decades. The new album will be entitled 'Saved Symmetry' and this will be their second album release and a follow up to their 1984 debut 'Hired History'. Already in 2018 they issued the first single from the album titled "It's you" which proves that the band remained loyal to their original sound and in fact it sounds like we have been transferred to the golden Fiat Lux era in the 80's. The second single "Everyday In Heaven" is going to be released in February.
In 2007, short after we started our blog where we included a short story on Fiat Lux in our 'The Story of' label and today we are happy to see that there will be a new chapter in 2019 after three decades of break.
In this first week of January, just after we completed our Top 100 singles list of 2019, time to give you a small digest of some of the anticipated release for the first quarter of 2019.
The Belgian group Balthazar will return with a new album in
January and it will be their fourth release and the follow up to their album
‘Thin Walls’ from 2015. The album will be entitled ‘Fever’ and its release was
preceded with the release of the single of the same name in October last year.
Brooklyn based Beirut will return after four years break
with a new album in February. The new album will be entitled ‘Gallipoli’ and as the previous two, it will be released through 4AD. Two singles were already issued from "Corfu" and "Gallipoli"were issued in later 2018.
After eight years of hiatus Ladytron will return with the
self-titled sixth studio album. The album will be released in February and it was
already announced with three singles and two videos in 2018. Sadly the band did not appear in any of them. As per media
announcements, the sound on 'Ladytron' will be heavier than on the previous album.
Sharon van Etten will release her sixth album ‘Remind Me Tomorrow” on Jagjaguwar. The album was preceded by two singles in 2018 and Sharon certainly got big plans for 2019. Yesterday she announced the video for the third single "Seventeen" on Youtube.
White Lies will return with their fifth studio album this year fittingly entitled 'Five' which was preceded by three single releases. The band continues to deliver uplifting and melodic post punk and has also revealed some interesting artwork material on their album and single releases covers.
Boy Harsher will release their second album this year on February 1st and this will be their first follow up to their debut from 2016. In 2017 the duo released the 'Country Girl' EP which was pronounced as the EP of the year on Burning Flame. So far two singles were announced from the upcoming album.
The Brooklyn based Xeno & Oaklander will release their seventh studio album in March. The album is going to be entitled 'Hypnos' and the first single from the album and the visual concept have already been reveled. "Angelique" is the first lead track for now while the animations were provided by by Mike Meire.
This year, for the fist time we were counting down the top 100 favorite singles tracks which were either officially released or were simply great album tracks. Just a short refection on the top 3; No 3 is Pinkshinyultrablast's song "In the Hanging Gardens" which combines more influences than any other tune on he charts. It is layered, complex and one of the few songs that was holding the synth pop torch in 2018. At No 2, we find "At least the Sky is Blue" by Ssion and yet another collaboration with Ariel Pink. The video for the song was voted as Video of the Year on our site. And finally, No 1, certainly one of the biggest surprises in 2018, "I Love You, but I am Lost" by Tears for Fears. It was released in the last weeks of 2017 and managed to make an impact on us in 2018. It was not love on first listen, but the song managed to grow becoming the song of the year. Not all Tears for Fears would agree here, but we think that the band managed to reinvent themselves not losing their aesthetics.
Please find the entire top 100 list below.
01. Tears For Fears - I Love You But I 'm Lost
02. SSION ft. Ariel Pink - At Least The Sky Is Blue
03. Pinkshinyultrablast - In The Hanging Gardens
04. Seinabo Sei - I Owe You Nothing
05. MGMT- When You Die
06. Thom Yorke - Unmade
07. Lady Gaga- Your Song
08. Chvrches ft Matt Beringer - My Enemy
09. Johnny Marr - Hi Hello
10. Robyn- Honey
11. BadBadNotGood - I Don't Know
12. David Byrne - Everybody's Coming to my House
13. U.S. Girls- Rosebud
14. Ladytron - The Island
15. Arcade Fire - Put Your Money on Me
16. Soft Cell - Northern Lights
17. Thom Yorke - Suspirium
18. St Vincent - Fast Slow Disco
19. Sufjan Stevens - Mystery of Love
20. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - If Love Is The Law
EP has always been a good format to discover new artists and music and like every year, we are presenting you our favorite extended players in a top ten list. As always the EP is connecting the world from New Zealand, Australia via Europe all the way to US and Canada.
2018 has been quite silent
and not such active year with news and updates from our end. Musically there were some
interesting releases but much weaker with offer (hardly any synth pop) than the previous
years in this decade. Regardless of this, every year comes with a certain charm
and some records still manage to impress and leave a long-lasting memory. What was evident, especially
in the top albums pool, is that top four albums, in direct or in indirect
way link to the LA music scene, and at least two of them feature collaboration with Ariel
Pink which means that we have a thematic top five for the first time. This year on our menu we have top ten favorite albums plus additional ones worth mentioning, also great but did not make such impact like the first ten. Of course there are always other good ones that we missed who might be considered in the years to come along the new releases.
