Vecka 40-41

En ny lista med bara anglosaxisk musik. Många ganska kända artister, t.ex.

Waterboys och Steven Wilson, för att inte tala om comebackande  Cat Stevens/

Yusuf (bilden), OMD och The Dream Syndicate.

1. The Toadies (US) are probably the last band from the major-label grunge cash-grab you’d expect to still be operating in 2017. The Texas four-piece struck platinum with 1994’s Rubberneck, and its ubiquitous undead-goth twanger “Possum Kingdom” continues to age as well as its subject. It has, at the very least, cemented Toadies’ cult one-hit wonder status (although their ZZ Top-meets-Pixies riff rock transcends a lot of music from that period).  Pastemagazine

2. Steven Wilson (UK) Steven Wilson har efter många år av progressiv rock tagit ett stort steg in på en ny bana genom att välja en rakare väg. Hans utveckling har pekat mot detta ett tag och även nyanserna från sidoprojektet Blackfield antydde det. Det är inte något unikt för honom, men enkelheten i arrangemangen på To The Bone gör hans musik mer lättlyssnad än någonsin tidigare, samtidigt som den vecklar ut sig till en ännu mäktigare musikupplevelse då hans melodier och texter blir mer direkta.  Nöjesguiden

3. Yusuf/Cat Stevens (UK) 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of his first success on the U.K. charts with the single "I Love My Dog," and on his album The Laughing Apple he explicitly looks back to his early days, albeit filtered through the eyes of experience.  this merging of past and present makes for Yusuf's most satisfying album since his return to popular music in 2006. Allmusic.com

4. The Dream Syndicate (US) The Dream Syndicate’s first album in 29 years, How Did I Find Myself Here?, is the best kind of nostalgia kick: It effortlessly recalls the band’s much-too-short original run while also settling into a lived-in, comfortable groove. The album assuredly follows the template of the band’s first two classic albums, 1982’s The Days of Wine and Roses and 1984’s Medicine Show, both of which alternated wiry, caustic rock songs with hazy, slow-burning jams.  Pitchfork

5. The pains of being pure at heart (US) The Echo of Pleasure is the Pains’ fourth full-length album.  It can be traced back to British ‘80s alternative rock. Songs thump along to big drums and keening keyboard hooks while Berman sings about love, death, and dancing, his painfully pure heart clearly on his sleeve. The melodic ennui of New Order is most definitely in the mix, but there’s also a bit of Cure-like mopey shoegaze. Popmatters

6. Angus & Julia Stone (Au) It’s been three years since Sydney-born siblings Angus & Julia Stone released their self-titled album. Snow is a welcome return to serene sounds which stay true to the minimalist production of previous endeavours. Lead tracks “Snow” and “Chateau” may create the most groundswell, but don't neglect the rest of the album- Thelineofbestfit

7. Waterboys (UK/Sco) If you're a longtime Waterboys fan who often wonders when Mike Scott is going to get funky -- well, your time has finally come. Stylistic shape-shifting has long been part of Scott's modus operandi, but with the Waterboys' ambitious 2017's double set Out of All This Blue, Scott and his collaborators have jumped headfirst into R&B and funk rhythms, with drum loops and hip-hop-influenced production dominating many of the tracks. Audiodb.com

8. Deerhoof (US) Mountain Moves is one of Deerhoof’s widest-ranging and most melodic sets, with hints of chamber music, hip-hop, and avant-garde jazz, plus more legible lyrics than usual. It’s a purposeful mosaic. Pitchfork

9. Parquet Courts (US) At its best, Human Performance is Parquet Courts in a mellower, heart-stopping Velvet Underground mode, but it is also at turns upbeat and funny, sensitive and odd. Compositionally, these are the most dynamic Parquet Courts songs yet. Alongside the likes of Courtney Barnett and Sadie Dupuis, Savage remains one of the best rock lyricists of his generation. Pitchfork

10. Orchestral Manoeuvre in the Dark (UK) Comeback av OMD med albumet The Punishment of Luxury. No one else sounds like OMD when they are at peak power, building sparkling arpeggios and towering synthesized cathedrals that are simultaneously euphoric and resigned. McCluskey, for his part, can still hit the high notes and emote effectively, as he does on the elegiac closer “The View From Here”. He is appropriately mournful on the expansive “Ghost Star”.  PopMatters

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