The year 2021 draws (thankfully) to a close - so it's time for a look back to see what the second year of lockdown has provided in terms of music.
The trouble with lockdowns and webshops is that one has bucketloads of excess recreative hours in which to hunt down bargains and oddities, also to pursue manic-record-collector urges to extreme lengths. And all for the 2nd year in succession. Add to that the factor of the resurrection of my turntable and a fresh burst of vinyl-adoration and we're in for a wild ride through the joys of yesteryear.
2021 opened with a return trip to Rush & Anathema for a stack of remastered CD's, then the subdued delights of The Durutti Column entered the spotlight and I caught up with a whole series of albums that I had previously missed out on.
From the beginning of April a seismic shock went through my world with the rediscovery of the vinyl LP and the revelations that brought. Beginning cautiously with the re-acquisition of obscure post-punk artefacts that I had never found on CD (Dalek i, Pink Military, Wah! Heat), I moved onto the likes of 80's favourites as OMD and Ultravox. Things just snowballed from there and soon I was, via the 2nd-hand market on Discogs, busily recreating my former LP collection. Now, at year's end I can say that this target has been reasonably accomplished and most of the records that shaped me are now back here in the rack.
Some artists have had a stronger influence on me than others and to recover them on vinyl meant forking out for newly-released editions and this was worthwhile for : Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, Efterklang and King Crimson. The increased emotional impact of vinyl reproduction got me, from the autumn, into contemporary classical composers like Johann Johannsson, Max Richter and Olafur Arnalds; these all plough a furrow of resonant melodic melancholy that combines the old and the new into something both familiar and fresh.
The only major changes in the Hifi were getting the awesomely-analogue-sounding Denafrips Ares II and combining the digital and analogue front ends into a single installation. Now I can happily switch between the Volumio PC streamer, Cambridge CXC CD transport and the 80's classic Logic DM101 TT as the mood takes me, enjoying all three intensely.
The year ends with me playing the entire Nektar back catalogue to death, and shaking my head in disbelief that this band never got the exposure they deserved, intertwined with relaxing moments from the glacial sonic beauty that Olafur Arnalds is slowly building from the Icelandic wilderness. And Samantha Fish blasting out hard-rockin' swamp blues when I'm doing the washing-up.
What will the new year bring ? Heaven knows. A stack of Steve Reich and Philip Glass LP's would be nice, There is a new set of Echo & the Bunnymen reissues on vinyl as well. We'll see.
So much great music - and the time to enjoy it as well!
Who could ask for more?
