The votes are in and the Last Mixed Tape readership has had their annual say in who is the TLMT Readers Album of the year 2018. See full rundown and Spotify playlist below.
20. Rejjie Snow – Dear Annie What TLMT has to say: An album brimming with potential, Dear Annie finds Rejjie Snow creating a working melting pot of his influences into one cohesive twenty song epic record that jumps sounds in a blink of an eye.
19. Le Galaxie – Pleasure What TLMT had to say: A solid, well-crafted record Le Galaxie’s third outing finally finds the group harnessing the production of their studio work in a way that serves the song first. Excess has been replaced by focus, with nothing lost but everything gained along the way.
18. Hilary Woods – Colt What TLMT had to say: Things fall apart, Colt portrays what’s left behind, and what can be made, or remade, afterward. That seems to be the thread line in Hilary Woods work, a sort of need to reconstruct from her imagination. There’s a dreamlike logic to the music. It all makes sense whilst you’re in the dream but the feeling that something is not quite right remains with you, even when you’re awake.
17. Spies – Constancy What TLMT had to say: Constancy doesn’t play like a debut at all. It’s a confident album that twists, turns, and tricks its way around the listener from beginning to end, all the while portraying a sound that’s filled with sonic and emotional catharsis.
16. Just Mustard – Just Mustard What TLMT had to say: Wednesday is an often eerie journey into the distant soundscapes of Just Mustard. Filled with some truly inspired use of noise, mood, and texture, the group’s debut offering is one that identifies them, much like the underlined sound of the record, as a band on the verge of something. What that “something” is remains to seen, but right now they have elevated themselves above the pack and expectations are high.
15. Wyvern Lingo – Wyvern Lingo What TLMT had to say: Wyvern Lingo could have stayed in position and done what was expected of them so early on in their career. But instead, they grew as songwriters, they grew as people and most importantly, they grew as a unit. All of which is shown in great detail on this album. Their first full-length outing is a success. One that will put Wyvern Lingo firmly on the map not only in Ireland but further afield. The hype will persist, for good and for bad, but if Wyvern Lingo continue to sidestep the trappings of such attention and write music that’s representative of who and what they are as artists, then the future is wide open.
14. O Emperor – Jason What TLMT had to say: With Jason, O Emperor leave on their own terms. Completing a body of work as expansive and diverse as the group’s early musical ambitions. The record is joyfully weird, ominously off-kilter and unrelentingly creative. In this way, Jason does not play like a wake, rather it’s a celebration, one final session for the lads.
13. Subplots – A Silent Phase What TLMT had to say: A meeting of atmosphere, texture, and depth of field, A Silent Phase simmers with soundscapes that run right beneath the far-reaching vocals, subtle guitar interplay and crushed snapped beats. All of which makes Subplots latest release such an engaging album to simply sit and listen to.
12. Delorentos – True Surrender What TLMT had to say: Success can make an artist stand still, frozen to one spot and unwilling to move out of fear of losing what made them successful in the first place. True Surrender is a reaction to this process and identifies Delorentos as a band brave enough to follow their own inspirations as naturally as possible. A career high for the group, True Surrender isn’t different for the sake of different, it’s just simply different.
11. Saint Sister – Shape of Silence What TLMT had to say: Saint Sister have a made a debut that could be considered a triumph at any point in an artist career, let alone this early on. Everything about Shape of Silence feels carefully placed, considered and produced. Add to this the sheer weight of thematic mood, cinematic storytelling and enchanting sounds that form the album and you have something more than a record. You have a world, brought to life by a sense of mystery and intrigue that will leave you wanting to unravel what’s at the center of it again and again.
10. Paddy Hanna – Frankly, I Mutate What TLMT had to say: Frankly, I Mutate is simply wonderful. The exhilarating turn from joy to sadness and back again makes for a compelling listen. It would be difficult to define Paddy Hanna’s performance as exactly that “a performance”. It’s not. Instead, Hanna lives through the record, pushing every inch of himself out into the open for us all to see, while the music that surrounds him does the same.
9. Kojaque – Deli Daydreams What TLMT has to say: Without a doubt, Kojaque’s Deli Daydreams captured the imagination of many on the Irish music scene this year via gems like ‘Eviction Notice’ and ‘Love and Braggadocio’.
8. Villagers – The Art of Pretending To Swim What TLMT had to say: Every Villagers album has a distinct personality. In this wider context, The Art Of Pretending To Swim works as a meeting place between the raw and sonically expansive elements of the past whilst adding new and exciting colours to the mix. On its own, the record is a piece of gentle genius, low on pretence and high on ambition. Few albums, and indeed artists, reach out and connect in such a meaningful way with The Art Of Pretending To Swim Villagers do just that and more.
7. Proper Micro NV – Dormant Boy What TLMT has to say: Sitting on a strong bedrock of electronic beats, the pops and clicks that populate Dormant Boy’s sonic backdrop perfectly wrap themselves around the floating vocals on tracks like ‘Eyes’ and ‘Always’.
6. Bodies – Drench What TLMT has to say: An album built from many textures, Drench makes great dynamic flourishes, persistent alt-rock guitars and a deep sense of atmosphere merge into one, resulting in a very promising debut from Bodies.
5. Hostess – A Simple Life What TLMT had to say: A work of crafted electronic soundscape sculpting, Hostess delivers an album that’s simply a joy to listen to. The sort of record that just feels like it’s taking you somewhere new and personal to its creator. No pretence, no pandering, no compromise. A Simple Life is a true understated gem.
4. Elephant – 88 What TLMT had to say: The bravery of 88 is two-fold. Elephant’s courage to expand his music and Shane Clarke’s courage as a person. Musicians, writers, artists etc communicate things we’ve all felt before but it takes something special to convey not just a feeling but a past in its entirety and still be able to make it relatable. Through spine-tingling moments of musical reflection, sonic expressionism and a sense of place 88 encompass every nuance of emotion all at the same time. As I said before 88 about life itself.
3. Gavin Glass – Opus Pocus What TLMT had to say: Sometimes we need music to speak to us directly, we use it to get over break-ups, remember better times or simply soundtrack a place and time in our lives. With Opus Pocus, Gavin Glass achieves just that, an album which makes us all feel a little less alone when we seem lost, through music that feels at ease with itself.
2. Robert John Ardiff – Between The Bed And Room What TLMT had to say: There can be no doubt Between The Bed And Room is a personal record. Everything about how the album sounds portray an introspective almost isolating outlook. It feels intimate, a sort of catharsis wrestled with through song. Sometimes allowing yourself to be exposed as a songwriter is a daunting task, one not all artist can pull off, but here Robert John Ardiff simply allows himself to express that which he desires to express, either consciously or subconsciously. All of which results in an honest self-portrait of a songwriter.
1. Pursued By Dogs – Pursued By Dogs What TLMT had to say: An album built from gestures rather than moments, the debut outing from Pursued by Dogs is overwrought with drama, raw emotion, and mood. Working as one whole piece, the record concerns itself with blending deep soundscapes, scattered beats, and monochromatic music into a single large canvas.
For more playlists, 8-tracks, and mixed-tapes like this one, follow the Last Mixed Tape on Spotify.
The votes are in and the Last Mixed Tape readership has had their annual say in who is the TLMT Readers Album of the year 2018. See full rundown and Spotify playlist below.
20. Rejjie Snow – Dear Annie
What TLMT has to say: An album brimming with potential, Dear Annie finds Rejjie Snow creating a working melting pot of his influences into one cohesive twenty song epic record that jumps sounds in a blink of an eye.
19. Le Galaxie – Pleasure
What TLMT had to say: A solid, well-crafted record Le Galaxie’s third outing finally finds the group harnessing the production of their studio work in a way that serves the song first. Excess has been replaced by focus, with nothing lost but everything gained along the way.
18. Hilary Woods – Colt
What TLMT had to say: Things fall apart, Colt portrays what’s left behind, and what can be made, or remade, afterward. That seems to be the thread line in Hilary Woods work, a sort of need to reconstruct from her imagination. There’s a dreamlike logic to the music. It all makes sense whilst you’re in the dream but the feeling that something is not quite right remains with you, even when you’re awake.
17. Spies – Constancy
What TLMT had to say: Constancy doesn’t play like a debut at all. It’s a confident album that twists, turns, and tricks its way around the listener from beginning to end, all the while portraying a sound that’s filled with sonic and emotional catharsis.
16. Just Mustard – Just Mustard
What TLMT had to say: Wednesday is an often eerie journey into the distant soundscapes of Just Mustard. Filled with some truly inspired use of noise, mood, and texture, the group’s debut offering is one that identifies them, much like the underlined sound of the record, as a band on the verge of something. What that “something” is remains to seen, but right now they have elevated themselves above the pack and expectations are high.
15. Wyvern Lingo – Wyvern Lingo
What TLMT had to say: Wyvern Lingo could have stayed in position and done what was expected of them so early on in their career. But instead, they grew as songwriters, they grew as people and most importantly, they grew as a unit. All of which is shown in great detail on this album. Their first full-length outing is a success. One that will put Wyvern Lingo firmly on the map not only in Ireland but further afield. The hype will persist, for good and for bad, but if Wyvern Lingo continue to sidestep the trappings of such attention and write music that’s representative of who and what they are as artists, then the future is wide open.
14. O Emperor – Jason
What TLMT had to say: With Jason, O Emperor leave on their own terms. Completing a body of work as expansive and diverse as the group’s early musical ambitions. The record is joyfully weird, ominously off-kilter and unrelentingly creative. In this way, Jason does not play like a wake, rather it’s a celebration, one final session for the lads.
13. Subplots – A Silent Phase
What TLMT had to say: A meeting of atmosphere, texture, and depth of field, A Silent Phase simmers with soundscapes that run right beneath the far-reaching vocals, subtle guitar interplay and crushed snapped beats. All of which makes Subplots latest release such an engaging album to simply sit and listen to.
12. Delorentos – True Surrender
What TLMT had to say: Success can make an artist stand still, frozen to one spot and unwilling to move out of fear of losing what made them successful in the first place. True Surrender is a reaction to this process and identifies Delorentos as a band brave enough to follow their own inspirations as naturally as possible. A career high for the group, True Surrender isn’t different for the sake of different, it’s just simply different.
11. Saint Sister – Shape of Silence
What TLMT had to say: Saint Sister have a made a debut that could be considered a triumph at any point in an artist career, let alone this early on. Everything about Shape of Silence feels carefully placed, considered and produced. Add to this the sheer weight of thematic mood, cinematic storytelling and enchanting sounds that form the album and you have something more than a record. You have a world, brought to life by a sense of mystery and intrigue that will leave you wanting to unravel what’s at the center of it again and again.
10. Paddy Hanna – Frankly, I Mutate
What TLMT had to say: Frankly, I Mutate is simply wonderful. The exhilarating turn from joy to sadness and back again makes for a compelling listen. It would be difficult to define Paddy Hanna’s performance as exactly that “a performance”. It’s not. Instead, Hanna lives through the record, pushing every inch of himself out into the open for us all to see, while the music that surrounds him does the same.
9. Kojaque – Deli Daydreams
What TLMT has to say: Without a doubt, Kojaque’s Deli Daydreams captured the imagination of many on the Irish music scene this year via gems like ‘Eviction Notice’ and ‘Love and Braggadocio’.
8. Villagers – The Art of Pretending To Swim
What TLMT had to say: Every Villagers album has a distinct personality. In this wider context, The Art Of Pretending To Swim works as a meeting place between the raw and sonically expansive elements of the past whilst adding new and exciting colours to the mix. On its own, the record is a piece of gentle genius, low on pretence and high on ambition. Few albums, and indeed artists, reach out and connect in such a meaningful way with The Art Of Pretending To Swim Villagers do just that and more.
7. Proper Micro NV – Dormant Boy
What TLMT has to say: Sitting on a strong bedrock of electronic beats, the pops and clicks that populate Dormant Boy’s sonic backdrop perfectly wrap themselves around the floating vocals on tracks like ‘Eyes’ and ‘Always’.
6. Bodies – Drench
What TLMT has to say: An album built from many textures, Drench makes great dynamic flourishes, persistent alt-rock guitars and a deep sense of atmosphere merge into one, resulting in a very promising debut from Bodies.
5. Hostess – A Simple Life
What TLMT had to say: A work of crafted electronic soundscape sculpting, Hostess delivers an album that’s simply a joy to listen to. The sort of record that just feels like it’s taking you somewhere new and personal to its creator. No pretence, no pandering, no compromise. A Simple Life is a true understated gem.
4. Elephant – 88
What TLMT had to say: The bravery of 88 is two-fold. Elephant’s courage to expand his music and Shane Clarke’s courage as a person. Musicians, writers, artists etc communicate things we’ve all felt before but it takes something special to convey not just a feeling but a past in its entirety and still be able to make it relatable. Through spine-tingling moments of musical reflection, sonic expressionism and a sense of place 88 encompass every nuance of emotion all at the same time. As I said before 88 about life itself.
3. Gavin Glass – Opus Pocus
What TLMT had to say: Sometimes we need music to speak to us directly, we use it to get over break-ups, remember better times or simply soundtrack a place and time in our lives. With Opus Pocus, Gavin Glass achieves just that, an album which makes us all feel a little less alone when we seem lost, through music that feels at ease with itself.
2. Robert John Ardiff – Between The Bed And Room
What TLMT had to say: There can be no doubt Between The Bed And Room is a personal record. Everything about how the album sounds portray an introspective almost isolating outlook. It feels intimate, a sort of catharsis wrestled with through song. Sometimes allowing yourself to be exposed as a songwriter is a daunting task, one not all artist can pull off, but here Robert John Ardiff simply allows himself to express that which he desires to express, either consciously or subconsciously. All of which results in an honest self-portrait of a songwriter.
The Last Mixed Tape Reader’s Album of the Year 2018 is…
1. Pursued By Dogs – Pursued By Dogs
What TLMT had to say: An album built from gestures rather than moments, the debut outing from Pursued by Dogs is overwrought with drama, raw emotion, and mood. Working as one whole piece, the record concerns itself with blending deep soundscapes, scattered beats, and monochromatic music into a single large canvas.
For more playlists, 8-tracks, and mixed-tapes like this one, follow the Last Mixed Tape on Spotify.
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