theviewfromthebooth

[theviewfromthebooth]

The Top 50 Tracks of 2024

“Really?

THIS is in your top 50 songs?

Of the whole year?”

In all of the years I've been doing this, one thing that I've not had much of is resistance. Those of you in the audience are more than happy to unwrap my playlist and discover the gems inside, knowing that any parts that don't suit your tastes can be skipped without feeling the need to let me know about it.

My girlfriend was in this category herself last year, approaching my list as an endearing but slightly confusing quirk, as often happens at the start of a relationship. This year, she wanted a sneak preview, and wasn't prepared to hold in any bemusement. 

I don't mind, because it helps to reinforce one of the key tenets of this enterprise.  I am sharing my list with you all, in the hope that you get some joy and entertainment from it, but it is steadfastly MY list. 

There might be inspiration from outside sources, but that does not mean collaboration. This is a part of me that I'll always do alone. I can take her to Anfield,  I can take her to Glastonbury, I can take her to Philly to meet my mum, but the top 50 is always MY top 50. She can do her own. 

This list was closed pretty early this year, which I take as a good sign. Far from meaning that there weren't enough contenders, it actually means that there were that many that I felt so strongly about that they demanded inclusion. Any late entries had to go into the Bubble List (including Doechii. Sorry Mari).

The closest to a late entry was swapping summer Kendrick for autumn Kendrick. Not Like Us was a ‘moment’, but he was smart enough to realise that a song that ubiquitous would have a shorter ‘use by’ date. His battle with Drake was juicy fresh fruit that nourished us at the time, but GNX was the diet staple that goes in the freezer ready to be revisited time and again. 

The surprise of the year award has to go to another rapper, whom I assumed had given up on his day job long ago. I can imagine Uncle L looking at that microphone tattoo on his arm and thinking “C'mon, let's give it one more go”. 

Porno raps from a man in his mid-50s talking about a woman 25 years his junior could have been super icky in the wrong hands - not quite A minor, but on the same scale. However, the genius that is Q-tip delivers a helping hand, taking a song already famously sampled and going back for seconds. That eerie mist cloaks the song with intrigue, and that bassline at the end drops just at the point where you think you know what's happening.  

I don't like the idea of New Year's resolutions, but one thing I am determined to do is to tie down interviews with two people that I've been chasing for a while - Moeen Ali, and Lily Fontaine of English Teacher. Two Liverpool fans with fascinating tales to tell about their life and work.

English Teacher are the first act to complete the full Mighty Mojo promotion: Top of the Bubble List in 2023, Top of the Top 50 in 2024. This Could Be Texas is in a battle with Doechii and Master Peace for my album of the year, beguiling and thrilling in a way that the classic indie rock template no longer felt capable of. I bored people shitless talking about it when it arrived, and was ecstatic when they won the Mercury Music Prize, even if I don't know how much that matters anymore.

They were the band I was most determined to see at Glastonbury and they didn't disappoint there either, with a set that felt at once a celebration of a new milestone, and a jumping-off point from which to build.

R&B didn't only capture my heart as a song, but spoke to my soul as a concept. “Despite appearances, I haven't got the voice for R&B” took me back to being the only black face at rock shows, wearing my Super Furry Animals T-shirt as a suit of armour, but also a lanyard proving that I belonged. It returned me to the times when people would ask me to play R&B while DJing, assuming that someone else had forced me to play ‘this rubbish’, despite the fervent air guitar/drums/bass that accompanied it. 

The chaser - “even though I've seen more Colour shows than KEXP” speaks to the part of me that doesn't feel the need to have to choose between nature and nurture - the sounds coming from my dad's stereo were just as important and influential as those in my best mate's bedroom. We're all a rich tapestry, and we like what we like. And yes Lyndsey, that includes Say She She, and a load of kids from Cork.

[theviewfromthebooth]

The Bubble List 2024

2024 has been the year of change. Whether it was Jurgen Klopp or Spotify, some of the big pillars in my life over the last decade came crashing down around my ears. In both cases, the fear of what would come in its place proved to be unfounded. While it might be a bit soon to proclaim the new status quo as bigger and better, Arne Slot & Apple Music have certainly given me everything I’ve asked for.

Focusing on the music for now, considering how broken the industry continues to be, I’m constantly impressed that so much great music keeps finding its way to me. I must confess that the only time I listen to the radio is when I'm at my girlfriend’s house or in her car, and her stations of choice - 6music, Radio 2 & Absolute Radio - have been instrumental in keeping those supply lines flowing. Many of these selections first hit my ears through their airwaves, and it’s nice to know that traditional methods still have merit.

This has been particularly important this year, as I’ve had less time to trawl the internet, mining for beats. The see-saw between my two loves has unquestionably tipped in the direction of sports this year, as I’m sure most of you here are well aware. This was always the plan. 50-year-old career DJs fit into two categories - rich & famous, or someone who made bad choices as a youngster and is either too stubborn or too afraid to change course. I still have a few years to reach superstar status, but while there were times in previous years when playing records for a living felt like a chore, as of now it’s only the late finishes that I’m struggling with.

Finding my way to the Jacaranda has injected me with new life, even if my musical palette has narrowed from the days of Motel. I’m able to find enough depth to keep things interesting, and the best thing is there’s a steady influx of kids, which means that I get to test out new music. The thrill of taking a risk and hitting the bullseye remains as exhilarating as ever. Crawlers, Geordie Greep, Amyl & the Sniffers and Swirls have become part of the regular rotation, and I’ve even seen people singing along. 

Hopefully, there’s enough of you here that I can start to sneak in a few others, especially those artists on this list who are often part of the crowd. The Bubble List has plenty of international stars, but the bread and butter is still those at the start of their musical journey. Anything I can do to help them grow is a pleasure. 

After all, pleasure is precisely what they have given me. Listening back as I write, I’m struck by the variety of moods across these 2 hours and 58 minutes. The run from Dylan Cartlidge’s religious optimism, into Tuxedo’s slinky disco, onto SBR Bone & Star’s rumbling paranoia, Bob Vylan’s laconic malevolence and Nia Archives’ heartbreak’n’bass, is one of the most satisfying sequences I’ve put together in the 14 years I’ve been making these lists. And there’s another 38 tracks after that. 

The last of them is truly unlucky not to make the Top 50, and a mark of the quality left to come. St. Vincent is at once a student of the best guitar bands from my childhood and the kind of maverick that will inspire similar testimonies of wonder in the next generation. Bringing Dave Grohl in (when he was still cool) to give some oomph to the kind of “quiet/LOUD!!” that Nirvana was so good at is a masterstroke, but unlike on other cameos, he doesn’t steal the show. Annie’s sleazy drawl oozes from her lips and her fingers, drawing you into her world like a spider spinning a web.

Happy Holidays. See you back here on New Year’s Eve for the top 50.

[theviewfromthebooth]

Liverpool prove that stacking wins is hard work

Credit: Naomi Baker via Getty Images

It’s a popular debate in football: “just how comfortable is a 2-0 scoreline?”. On a bitterly cold October night, Liverpool further muddied those waters, producing a disjointed display that bore little resemblance to the straight forward wins against Ipswich and Brentford that opened the Arne Slot era. Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah scored in each half, while Bologna will wonder how they didn’t manage any.

The answer was the peerless Alisson Becker, with a collection of outstanding saves as the fifth clean sheet of the season was undoubtedly the hardest to earn.The maximum six points earned from their Champions League campaign will ultimately trump any complaints of a win much more difficult than expected, especially in the wake of shock defeats for Bayern Munich & Real Madrid. Despite two years away from Europe's top table, the muscle memory needed to navigate tricky European encounters has remained.

The Anfield crowd arrived keen to make themselves part of the spectacle - they heard the call from the manager to feel the hurt and hunger generated by a year in the Europa League, and responded with interest. Bologna fans played their part, determined to enjoy their first European outing in 60 years. The result was a feverish soup of an atmosphere - the kind with the ability to inspire and intimidate in equal measure. The early exchanges showed two teams falling either side of that line.

It took 90 seconds for Liverpool to create a great opening. Ryan Gravenberch breached the Bologna midfield for the first but certainly not the last time, laying off to Salah at the perfect moment, who repaid the compliment. The ball eluded Darwin Nunez and Bologna fumbled it to safety. That was the catalyst for a swarm of red as the visitors were unable to escape their half, hemmed in by a tenacious Liverpool press. Bologna are merely loaned the ball for a matter of seconds at a time. Riccardo Orsolini took a speculative shot after a rare Gravenberch error like a man who doesn’t think he’ll get many. And yet, seconds later the ball is in the Liverpool net.

The centre backs were caught square but Thijs Dallinga was too eager - the Reds reprieved by the linesman’s flag. As is so often the case when Liverpool survive a scare, they snap into action. The genesis of the opener is a smart one-two between Dominic Szoboszlai & Alexis Mac Allister, great hold up play from Nunez, and then vision to find Salah. His lofted cross from the corner of the area is delicious, with Mac Allister and Luis Diaz beating the offside line and racing each other to tap in, the Argentine emerging victorious.

One is nearly immediately two. Another beautiful ball from Salah springs Trent Alexander-Arnold onto the Italian defence, at which point everyone in the ground knew what was coming: a perfect sliderule ball to put Nunez through on goal. This time it was the Uruguayan who was curbed by enthusiasm, his run starting seconds too soon to waste what was a comfortable finish. A minor mistake, but exactly the kind he needs to rectify if he’s to claim a permanent home in the team.

In those dominant opening twenty minutes it's clear that Salah arrived at Anfield determined to be the orchestrator - looking to hurt the opponents with his passing, as if stung by the justified criticism of his use of the ball at Molineux. Alisson superbly offered him another chance with a 60 yard volley into his path, but the Egyptian was unable to find the onrushing Diaz. After half an hour Bologna were finally able to take a breath, and began to pose a threat going forward. However, like many visitors to Anfield, when those attacks broke down was when they were at their most vulnerable.

Inversely, their most dangerous moments came when handed the initiative by their hosts. Szoboszlai headed a testing Alisson clearance into the path of Dan Ndoye, leading to a deflected shot rattling the Brazilian’s bar.

That clang of woodwork marked the turning point, as Liverpool’s profligacy gave Bologna hope. They were unlucky that another presentable opening, from one of a mounting number of free kicks, was inadvertently cleared by a black shirt.

Anfield had barely breathed a sigh of relief before Alexander-Arnold lost the ball in a dangerous area only to be bailed out by his goalkeeper with an excellent reflex save. For the first time this season, Liverpool faced a spell where it looked like a goal against was inevitable. Composure was sorely lacking, which soon spread to the top end of the pitch. Good opportunities - the kind that Slot lamented his team passing up in the dying moments on Saturday - were once again left unconverted.

Liverpool’s midfielders took turns to drive through the lines, but all were unable to deliver the killer pass. The half ended with plenty to ponder for the Head Coach, and as the second began it was clear that tigerish retrieval of the ball would be key to placing the game under their control. Szoboszlai and Diaz were the instigators, which in turn made them cheerleaders, as every lung-bursting run to close down their man was greeted with a guttural roar.

The second half’s first significant moment was another important Alisson save, as Orsolini evaded a sleeping Alexander-Arnold from another disputed free kick. After Kacper Urbanski slashed at his own golden opportunity to make himself a Bolognese legend, Slot had seen enough.

Diogo Jota arrived from the bench to replace Nunez, whose promising start faded as he struggled to keep hold of the ball. Bologna’s confidence remained, believing they were as likely to score as Liverpool. Diaz should have proved them wrong, but he failed to pull the trigger after motoring across the edge of the area. When the Colombian saw his number raised moments later he would have known that he had made a mistake.

And then, the moment Anfield yearned for finally arrived. With 75 minutes on the clock, Jota broke through the midfield and laid it into Szoboszlai’s path, who in turn found Salah in his favourite spot - the corner of the area with a worrying defender in front of him. A shift inside as Alexander-Arnold overlapped proceeded a wonderful curled finish into the top corner - the kind that appears if you close your eyes to imagine the typical Salah goal.

Bologna heads finally drop, and all that remained was for the supremely gifted Gravenberch to decide if he would deliver the coup de grace to another magnificent display with his first goal of the season. It’s truly a blessing to see a footballer become elite before our eyes, and the scariest part is that it’s clear that he’s not yet in full bloom.

That goal didn't come, but his ability to make the right decisions on the ball and execute them perfectly time and again is a precious commodity, proven by Liverpool’s willingness to spend hundreds of millions of pounds to find it. In the end they only needed thirty-eight of them. They also only needed two goals, despite creating enough chances for five or six.

Post match, Slot once again struck the right tone - happy with the result while slightly frustrated with the performance, without reaching either extreme: “You're always aiming for perfection, but you'll never reach it”, he smiled. Two months into his Liverpool career only Callum Hudson-Odoi has denied the Dutchman perfection, but despite becoming the first Liverpool manager to achieve eight wins out of nine, Slot is keenly aware that there is more work to do.

While his Liverpool team keep winning, that work will be all the more enjoyable.

[theviewfromthebooth]

Slot's first Setback

The honeymoon is over. 

After a perfect start to the Premier League campaign, Liverpool and Arne Slot came back to earth with a bump, as they lost at home to a limited but spirited Nottingham Forest. The Dutchman may have been denied the August Manager of the Month award by fellow newcomer Fabian Hürzeler at Brighton, but he wasn’t spared its fabled curse. 

It was a game and a performance that never  got going, as Liverpool looked sluggish and sloppy throughout. As they took greater risks in search of the breakthrough, Callum Hudson-Odoi delivered the classic sucker punch, with the only move and finish of true quality that the game produced.

With a daunting run of seven games in twenty-two days ahead, there was always a feeling that Liverpool's season started here, despite all of the early positivity. The dominant question on the lips of reporters and supporters has been rotation; How much, who and when?

Slot’s answer was as matter of fact as his every utterance since assuming the head coach position at Anfield; none as yet. Same team, same bench, with no spot as yet for new boy Federico Chiesa. 

The Dutchman's aim was to pretend the first intrusive international break of the season hadn’t happened, that his preferred starting XI were ready to put another team slowly but surely to the sword, as they had done with Ipswich, Brentford and Manchester United.

From very early on that illusion appeared flawed, as the rust developed from time away with other teammates and other managers was more prominent than the rhythm built up over the opening three wins each with a clean sheet. Forest came to frustrate, as Nuno Espirito Santo packed his side with five central midfielders at the expense of his sharpest attacking threats - wingers Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga. 

Like Ipswich, the Forest plan was to squeeze the contest into a compact impenetrable box. However unlike the opening day, Liverpool found it hard to exploit the space out wide that this tactic provides.

Their passing - and crucially their decision-making - was nowhere near as crisp. With the exception of the largely excellent Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool players gave the ball away too easily, allowing Forest’s aggressive tackling to bear fruit. It was a day when Slot's apparent obsession with duels began to make sense, as the away side grew in confidence with every contest won, pushing the boundaries of referee Michael Oliver without straying over the lines.

Anfield grew more restless with every stray pass, clearly assuming that their as-yet unbeaten opponents shouldn’t be causing this much trouble. 

On the hour mark, came the changes. Whether this was pre-planned or a result of Forest’s obduracy is unclear, but it was the first time a Slot move raised real eyebrows since Jarrel Quansah’s half time hooking at Portman Road. 

Alexis Mac Allister, yet to produce his best in a red shirt immediately after wearing a blue and white one for Argentina, was replaced not by the expected Curtis Jones but by Conor Bradley, releasing Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield. The removal of Diogo Jota & Luis Diaz for Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez was more predictable, with the Uruguayan in particular hopeful to impact the season for the first time against his favourite opponents.  

For all of the talk last season of the potential for Alexander-Arnold to become a number 6, it was Dominic Szoboszlai who retreated alongside Gravenberch, with the Scouser tasked with occupying the Forest defenders and supplying his forwards. It was a formation that naturally incurs more risk than we’ve seen from Slot so far, but as the second half ticked by without any sense of inevitability building towards Matt Sels' goal, it was a risk deemed as essential. 

The trouble with taking risks is that sometimes you have to deal with the consequences. Forest became more dangerous on the break with the second half introductions of Hudson-Odoi and Elanga. Nuno’s plan was to take the game as deep as he could, shorn of his preferred starting midfield duo of Danilo and Ibrahima Sangare through injury. The Portuguese asked debutant James Ward-Prowse and player of the month Elliott Anderson to commit to the dirty work of closing spaces and harrying Liverpool into mistakes, before the flair men came in to win the game.

On 72 minutes Hudson-Odoi did exactly that, cutting inside Bradley and curling a shot in off the far post. Alisson may have believed it was going wide as he didn’t dive, a decision that added to the sense of disbelief and anger that echoed around the ground. 

Slot’s response was to introduce even more risk, replacing Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate with Kostas Tsimikas and Jones, this time with  Gravenberch dropping deeper to operate alongside Van Dijk in defence. The pursuit of urgency produced uncertainty, as the absence of calm heads on the pitch and in the stands became telling. 

As their title race petered out last season, there was a feeling that Liverpool’s frantic feverish attack had become rushed - an element that Slot had appeared keen to eliminate. Embracing the chaos at this stage might have seemed like giving his players a familiar comfort - the footballing equivalent of a cheat meal - but all it did was increase the confusion. 

Liverpool were unable to generate shots on target, let alone any attacking momentum. The majority of attacks seemed to die at the feet of Mohammed Salah, bad timing after a fortnight in which his new contract was the dominant conversation. After causing shockwaves by announcing that this was his last Liverpool season at Old Trafford, this performance proved that the decision to give him whatever he wants isn’t as simple as it first appeared. 

The Egyptian wasn’t alone in underwhelming - Gakpo and Nunez were anonymous, and Alexander-Arnold’s foray into midfield was another failed experiment. In truth no one came out of this performance with much credit except for the ecstatic opponents, planting their flag on this ground for the first time since Neil Armstrong did the same on the moon.

Slot now gets to see how his team deals with adversity, and for all the talk of the challenges of the incoming rush of games, one suspects the head coach will be happy for the chance to get that stinker out of their system in three day's time.

[theviewfromthebooth]

The Mighty Mojo's Top 50 tracks of 2023

Some of my all time favourite moments have happened in 2023. Things I’ll be boring people with forever, long past the point that anyone expects any kind of sense from me. Most of them came in the musical sphere as well; playing first shows, playing last shows, attending shows by others, starting a new music podcast…even singing. Out loud. Into a recording device! And yet, it’s not exactly been a parade of roses from gun to tape. There’s definitely been some times where I’ve needed the calming, comforting routine of my list - days when listening to a couple of albums fulfilled my desperation to find something I could call productive, or positive. Luckily for me, and for all of us, there was plenty of music.

My long list hit the 100 mark earlier than ever before. August 12th. As much as I was enjoying the wealth of great music I was hearing, in the back of my mind I was sweating over the December cull. I may have had to set a couple of weeks aside like the old days when I was producing an albums list as well. I no longer have that kind of time! In the end, the filtration happened naturally. There are times when a song is the greatest ever after 1 or 2 listens, but can go stale after 12-15. Circumstances and mindstate can often overly influence feelings - like a music version of Beer Goggles. In the cold light of day it was obvious who had to be left on read. Well, listened.

Initially I was surprised to see there wasn’t that much Hip Hop. In total there’s 9 of the 50 that would be universally considered Hip Hop, matching the same number from the Bubble List, and down from 14 last year. That instinctively makes me feel like I’ve missed something, and no doubt I’ll find some tunes that could have made it here over the next couple of years. But when I was preparing the long thread yesterday, It made me reconsider.

There might not be as much of what we conventionally recognise as Hip Hop, but there’s loads of RAPPING. ArrDee is rapping. Kae Tempest is rapping. Cooper T are rapping. Genesis Owusu is rapping. Paris Texas are rapping. The genre has fully burst out of the box, the linear lines melting away. In the year Hip Hop celebrates its 50th birthday, the best way I can honour it is to acknowledge its influence wherever it lies.

Another hallmark this year has been enjoyable belligerence. Gen and the Degenerates delivering what their label wanted while taking the piss out of them for it, Willie J Healey serenading us with the sweetest fuck you since Cee Lo Green, Corinne Bailey Rae doing the one thing no-one expected and writing a punk banger. 

I love it when songs have a spiritual sibling, and the ease with which New York Transit Queen slips into Deceptacon is thrilling and satisfying in equal measure. I can say the same about Little Dragon, as Slugs of Love feels like the little sister of Whip It - bouncing around, demanding to be sat together. That’s a very different thing to a song that rips off another. These are complimentary sounds, rhythms and melodies - the kind of thing I and every other DJ is trying to find 300 times a night. Starting in about 8 hours. 

See you there.

[theviewfromthebooth]

The Mighty Mojo tracks of 2023: The Bubble List

Being ahead of schedule is a rare treat in any aspect of my life, and for that reason I am embracing my decision to release the Bubble List so soon into December, and so far ahead of the Top 50 that will still be released on New Year’s Eve. Some traditions die hard.

In past years I’ve taken my obsession with capturing the year in its entirety to unnecessary lengths. The speed of other actual publications to crown the year’s best everything was always looked on with disdain, as I scoured my regular channels for new music like a desperate man scanning his phone for dealers at 4am. The thought of missing a banger by going too early disturbed me, in large part to ‘The El Camino incident’, in which my favourite album of 2011 dropped in the first week of December. When RTJ3 appeared on Christmas Eve 5 years later with no warning, it seemed to confirm that I was right and everyone else was wrong. Well, this year, the darndest thing happened. 

I realised that NO ONE ELSE CARES. I have yet to have someone call me up for a song appearing on my list in the wrong year, in the 13 years I’ve been putting this thing together. I need to chill the fuck out. And so I have.

The other handy element to releasing the Bubble list now, is that it comes hot on the heels of Spotify Wrapped, and the annual debate around streaming royalties. I say annual because that’s when everyone gets involved, but there’s been a steady undercurrent throughout the year of artists rebelling against the system to speak out. I have always been supportive of their stance - it’s disgusting to see the disparity in profits between the people who own the platform (and due to many undiscussed deals, this includes most of the major labels) and those who literally power it with their artistic endeavours.

And yet, I’ve always remained within this crooked system, simply because I believed it to be the only place to find the depth of music I was looking for. Last I heard, Tidal was still quite specific, and a lot of the others were only marginally better. And then there was the library of playlists that I’ve built up over the years, an encyclopaedia that I lean on heavily on a day-to-day basis. There’s a playlist for nearly every scenario my mind could possibly imagine, and that has a worth beyond currency.

I can’t ignore the fact that Spotify’s algorithms have also been responsible for exposing me to many of the people on this list. The sheer amount of Aussies that feature is testament to that, and again that’s only possible due to the buy-in of the music community. There are ways that Spotify is helping young artists. But it’s just not enough.

It’s still a bit of an eye-roller to announce your departure from something, but in this instance I’m going to indulge myself. I’m looking at other options, and I suggest you all do too. If you want more detailed info on the reasons why and the best action to take, follow United Musicians and Allied Workers on socials https://linktr.ee/umaw 

*Steps down from soapbox* So, the music then. I really went deep into it this year, racking up over 120 songs in the long list by September. The best part of that is that it meant that I had a long time to live with these songs, sort them in my heart and allow the cream to rise naturally to the top.  Aside from the Aussie invasion there’s no real trends - except more of a push to the extremes of comfort in sound. There’s some mad bits in here, and some initially jarring sounds that eventually connect, and when they do it’s all the more thrilling having taken you to the edge. With so much to choose from it was easy to stay within the hardest boundary of the bubble list - outside the odd superstar feature, these are underground/new artists that aren’t widely known or available. In the wake of the streaming debate it feels more important than ever to shine this little light in their direction.

The full Twitter (Some traditions die hard) thread with links to socials and places to buy music/merch will come next week, and you’ll have the benefit of the whole of December to absorb it all before the next hit. 

See you in a few weeks.

[theviewfromthebooth]

The Mighty Mojo’s Top 50 tracks of 2022

Open eyes. Open laptop. Start typing.

 That's how I used to deal with writing this blog when it was a weekly pursuit - believing if I start before my brain is fully warmed up, it'll disable all of the fail-safes and caveats that can hinder the flow of consciousness that produces my best work. Well… seeing as my regular writing tasks are all about football these days, and for people who pay a lot more attention to libel laws than I used to, those fail-safes are entrenched deeper, so I thought I'd bring back the old trick.

 That's not to say I have some deep dark controversy to expose. My feelings haven't changed on the fundamentals of this list. I'm still begrudgingly using Spotify, offset by regularly purchasing songs and imploring you all to do the same with the thread of links on Twitter that comes with this list.  I'm still finding ways to entertain kids half my age, even if part of that entertainment is looking at my weird silver circles spread all over the table like a museum exhibit. I'm STILL only using one track per artist, despite some extreme provocation from Chance the Rapper, Nas and a few others. We've come too far down that road to turn back now.  Most importantly, a great song still hits me as hard as it ever did. Most of the top 10 were, at some point this year, the most important sound in the world - as integral to my daily routine as trainers or a toothbrush. When I couldn't fathom using a spare moment in any other way than to ingest another hit of pure aural ecstasy. There's a risk when clasping any song too close for too long that the love can go sour, but for the songs at the very sharp end, those butterflies always returned, however long I forced myself to stay away. One regular part of this annual round-up that I couldn't avoid repeating - there was loads of great music out there this year. 

The way that Chance flipped that Whitney Houston sample - to flatten one of the most powerful and rich voices in modern history and use the pitch fader to draw the melody - is strikingly bold. 070 Shake had the hardest beat drop of the year just by shifting it a few bars. Viagra Boys commandeered my brain with a bassline. Tobe Nwigwe realised that Coast Contra were so talented each MC needed a fresh beat to ride. And Loyle Carner distilled his greatest hits into an epic three minutes that is such a maelstrom of emotions that I saw it reduce a middle-aged Canadian man to tears. Which then brought me to tears. It was a weird day. 

 A gospel sample to make your heart soar just as the words born of yearning, anger, fear and finally acceptance threaten to smash it into a million pieces. All served on a break that pulses like a heartbeat and causes involuntary head nodding. Loyle, you've smashed it mate. This song deserves to make you massive. 

 I can't wait to hear it live. Most likely in a field in Somerset. The only other time music made me cry in 2022 was there - watching Kendrick captivate the world with music that had done the same to me for years. It's one of my favourite memories because it reminded me that music could take me to places that nothing else can. And I need to keep seeking out those places. We all do.

[theviewfromthebooth]

The View from the Booth Top Tracks of 2021

Hey everyone. How’s your year been? 

Shite, huh? Yeah, me too. 

Well, at least we’ve got the music.

And boy did we need the music.  After last year where we became untethered from time, space and release schedules, this list was as an anchor, keeping the whole ship upright, but also allowing me to mark off the months as Spotify tells me exactly when each song came into my life. The first song added to the 2021 playlist was January 5th, and the last one in was Bloc Party on December 12th. I’d say that was a pretty comprehensive account of the year’s music.

WEEEELLLLLLL…. As always I got inside my own head about the nature of this list, and the difference between songs released in 2021, and songs that I DISCOVERED in 2021. I think on some level I am still mentally judging my list against all of the others released around the same time, as If one day I’ll be recognised alongside actual national publications, with audiences of millions. 

“Forget Mojo’s list, we wanna be on The Mighty Mojo’s List!”

About as likely as me playing left wing for Liverpool, or headlining Glastonbury.  This list is about MY 2021. So, for example if I only discovered an album in February, that was released in March 2020, but heavily influenced my 2021, that album is eligible. Even if the album name is the date of release - 3.15.20.  How the fuck does one of my favourite artists release a brand new album - that’s fucking brilliant - and I don’t hear about it for a year? Covid, that’s how. Gambino is in, and that’s the bottom line. 

I’ve had to be more ruthless this year than normal. Firstly, I’ve had to change the name of the playlist a few times, thanks to Spotify removing the ‘Private/Public’ option. When you see this post it may still be called ‘Subterfuge’. I didn’t want to give anyone a sneaky peek, but still wanted to be able to post other playlists all year, and bring you all to my page. 

There’s a few songs that started on the long list, and then migrated to the Bubble list, and eventually got bumped from that too. Sometimes those first two or three listens can be alright, but by the time you’ve heard it for a few months, it doesn’t quite have the staying power. Gut feelings after repeated listens is actually a much fairer way to judge something as subjective as music than writing a review. 

Reviews are still worthwhile in some regards - if you trust the ears and opinions of the reviewer. But the truth is you don’t know how many times they listened before making their mind up.  We can all think of songs or albums that didn’t grab us at first, but are now essential. Sometimes, the perception of the artist colours the music before you even hear it, which happens A LOT with reviews. Some writers want you to know more about them and their vocabulary than whether or not you should buy the album.

That was definitely me at some point in my career, but if you’re reviewing 20-30 albums a year, it’s very easy to find yourself saying the same things over and over again, sometimes without even realising.  Which brings me to my other big musical journey of 2021 - The  Twitter Albums List:

Is there any album that when you play it, you have to listen to from start to finish, in the correct order? My GF is a shuffle queen and I'm trying to get her to appreciate the art of the album....

It started off as an experiment to prove people should at least WANT to listen to an album as the artist intended rather than just cherry picking your favourites. Now this might seem a bit po-faced on my part (Who me? never!) , but it was inspired by my ex, who loved plenty of songs without any thought to what album they are on, and therefore if there are any other songs on there that she might like.  When you love Nirvana but only ever hear “Come as you Are” or “Heart Shaped Box”, in the car for the best part of 6 months, you’d be desperate for a “Stay Away” or a “Very Ape”. So I asked the Twitterverse, and they delivered me 176 days of (mostly) gold. 

However, by the time I got about two months deep, the original premise - albums that demanded to be heard front to back - took a backseat. The journey became me re-discovering a lot of albums I’d dismissed, mostly for those same reasons I mentioned before - perception, a bad review, or even just not being in the right headspace to hear it the first time round. Finding new music is always fun, but this list re-opened whole genres, and in particular, a decade. I’ve always been wary of 80s music as my memories of so much of it was either trashy pop, or moody, dark and ultimately a bit boring. People, I was very wrong. Peter Gabriel, XTC, Bauhaus are now listed alongside Talking Heads, The Cure, Kate Bush and Paul Simon as some of my favourite artists of that era. It’s amazing how often our own perceptions act as barriers, without even realising. When you’ve been doing something for a long time, keeping an open mind isn’t as easy as it sounds.

There was only one song that crossed over from that list to this one, but that’s mainly because only one of the 176 was released this year. Coral Island played a big part in my music life this year, but like Little Simz, there were so many songs I could have chosen, the vote was split, and so didn’t end up as high as I initially thought.

That said, the number 1 of 2021 has been locked in for a while. It was actually that first song back on January 5th, and it’s been the yardstick to which I’ve held everything else. I’ve loved a lot of songs in 2021, but no one has moved me like Shame.

I was already on the lookout for their new album after Alphabet dropped last year, but Snow Day is on a whole different level. Every song that has more than one section gets compared to either Bohemian Rhapsody, Paranoid Android, or both, and while it sounds nothing like either, what it does share is a carefully crafted tempo that builds then explodes to devastating impact.  

The moment “Everything comes together at once” didn’t really make sense the first few times I heard it, but that didn’t stop me screaming those words as soon as I worked out what they were. The two-note riff that keeps popping up throughout and ultimately takes us home hits like a hammer, forcing me to take a deep breath at the end, just to fully take it all in. And then I’m ready for what’s next.

Bring on 2022.

[theviewfromthebooth]

The Mighty Mojo’s Top 50 tracks of 2020

My rhythm is all fucked up. Bad enough that we’re in that time of year when no one knows what day it is, but now I’ve been forced into doing this a day early, due to the limitations of social media. Apparently if you want to create a thread of 50 artists, complete with links, you can’t schedule it the day before, it’s gotta be in the here and now. Oh, and in three parts. So here we are! I imagine there’s a bit of fatigue in reading articles that start with “2020 - what a year that was eh?”, or some variant. But there really isn’t any way of getting around it. I’d say the percentage of people on the planet whose lives have been unaffected by one disaster or another - natural, economic or political - is under 10%. It’s seeped into every crevice. For me and for most of you, music is the solace. The blanket under which we hide while the bad news hammers down around us. And once again it has delivered. Despite around 6 hours of music in 2 playlists, there’s still loads of great music I’ve not covered. Even as the career of musicians is being threatened, they’re out there on the front line, giving all that they have for as long as they still can. From my perspective, the stream wasn’t a constant flow. Around March I lost the ability to play music to people face to face. After over a decade of having at least one set a week, I had no idea what the withdrawal symptoms would look like. I mean, I could have guessed that I’d start a quiz. For a while it scratched the itch, especially the intros round. The problem with it though, was that by nature those things rely on the audience having some prior knowledge. There was no outlet for new songs.

Finding new music and passing it on really is at the heart of my love of DJing. Absorbing the reactions to those new songs from the crowd has always shaped the emotions I connect to the song. In much the same way as it does once I see an artist perform it live. It’s like going from 2D to 3D - a whole new dimension. I had no access to either of those methods, and consequently for a long time I didn’t seek out new music. The maddest part was I didn’t realise it was happening - as if without those live interactions the part of my brain that wants new music was dying.

There were exceptions of course. I’m sure there’s a fair few of the 50 that I tweeted about in excitement, but they were isolated incidents. When I looked at the “2020” playlist while changing phones in August, there were only 11 songs on it. I actually think seeing that shocked me back to life.  One of those exceptions was RTJ 4 by Run the Jewels. You all know I’m a full on RTJ stan by now, but even my expectations were too low. The 4 year wait after RTJ 3 allowed my mind to race with possibilities. What if they waited too long? What if Mike had become too distracted, or EL couldn’t make murder mayhem melodic music now he was happy? I really should have known better. 

It takes roughly 14 seconds to know that the album is a classic. Seriously. Go listen to the 1st 14 seconds of that album, and tell me you don’t already know. The imagery contained within the words and the music are far too complex for me to sum up, so I suggest you all hear it from them. Talking about JU$T on Song Exploder: https://songexploder.net/run-the-jewels

Or if you have time, they discuss the whole album with Rick Rubin: https://brokenrecordpodcast.com/episode-37-run-the-jewels

Both of those podcast series are well worth your time, and I want to also give a shout out to Sodajerker, another pod talking with musicians about how they create. There’s no point pretending there’s not an RTJ 4 song at number 1, but I think it’s fair to note that at least 5 that could’ve taken it. In the end I went with my heart. I do always baulk slightly at the idea of such strict rankings, but I in reality it’s only the top 20 that get such forensic treatment. With the rest it’s more like a true playlist, with more emphasis on how they flow together. I appreciate the commitment required to listen to a three hour playlist, so I want it to be as enjoyable as possible. Thanks as ever for taking the time to listen, and to read. Please buy as many of these records as you enjoy - they’ve all earned it.

NB:  A couple of extra notes after finishing the Twitter thread….

Fiona Apple has no social media, so I couldn’t tag her. That’s absolutely fair enough if you can, so more power to her. 

I’ve tried to use official artist stores as a rule, as I’m assuming that means they get a larger percentage of the money.  If that’s not possible then I go with Bandcamp, and finally the bigger stream and/or download sites. These assumptions are based on conversations I’ve had with musicians involved with them, but if I am mistaken please let me know.

if you’re an artist reading this, and would prefer me to link to somewhere else, please add that to the thread. 

Credit for the picture at the top is a guy called Lee Male. Look at more of his stuff here: https://3dtotal.com/leemale

Finally, I’m sorry if you’re not on Twitter. I will be posting this on Facebook & Instagram, but the links will have to come a bit later. 

[theviewfromthebooth]

The Bubble List 2020

Hey everyone. Congratulations for making it to the last month of 2020. To say it’s been a mad one doesn’t even begin to cover it, but the one constant I always had to rely on was my music. The way I listened to it has changed, and I’ll cover that when I post the top 50 of 2020.

“So wait….this isn’t it?”

Not yet. First it’s the Bubble List.

This is more than an overflow for the top 50.  I know no one will listen to 100 songs, but the bubble list is primarily intended to shine some light on artists that are less well known, and really need all of the help they can get to keep going. 

There are some artists on here who don’t exactly count as underground; a fella with a Mercury Music Prize, some with Grammy nominations, another with a top 10 album. Some artists here were in my top 50 last year.  Despite these apparent riches, I’m not sure any of them would pass The Bus Test.  The bus test means that an artist is so well known that i could stand up on the Bus, pull out my headphones and play their biggest hit from my phone. If most people would recognise them, they’re too big for the bubble list. Not a well known metric, but an accurate one if you ask me.

Also, let’s be real about this -  a much larger slice of the music business than we realise needs help right now.  As someone who absorbs music like I do, and engages with musicians on social media, it’s impossible not to see the damage caused by the double whammy of Brexit and Covid.

If you can’t play a show, and sell some merch, it’s almost impossible to make a wage. Of course there have been online alternatives, as artists extend their creativity to the hustle, but in truth no one can pretend that they’re anything like the real thing, and certainly not this long. The people of New Zealand are going to be spoilt for choice as the world’s musicians go searching for a crowd. Nadine Shah admitting that she had to move back in with her parents once her gigs had been cancelled should be shocking, but i’m not sure it is. 

The other thing all of this does is focus attention on the unjust elements of the system that’s left - namely streaming. The government’s Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee have commissioned an enquiry to examine what economic impact music streaming is having on artists, record labels and the sustainability of the wider music industry. It’s a welcome sign that things can change, and I’d advise all of you to follow Tom Gray of Gomez (@MrTomGray) who has been involved in the excellent #BrokenRecord campaign.

 He’s inspired me to finally address my own complicity in this system. For starters, For the last 12 months I’ve been paying for the full Spotify package! I use it more than ever, as it has begun to reach further into the musical recesses that I peek into. Now that I don’t have to add a random youtube or scratchy soundcloud link it makes my life easier, but still. It’s a shitty system, and they should pay the musicians a fair slice of their profits. I can guarantee that Spotify would get nothing from me without them, no matter how many times they enter me in that fucking prize draw for a Google speaker. This is all a long-winded way of saying that I’ve bought every record on the playlist, and I’ll be linking to their socials and any merch pages they have in a Twitter thread so you can too, should you so wish. The point of this whole enterprise is sharing the gems I’ve found with you all, and it’s worth the extra effort to go beyond merely telling you something is worth investing in, to metaphorically putting it in your hands. It’s interesting that the day I’m releasing this is the day Spotify have released their 2020 Unwrapped data, as everyone pours over the details of how much they’ve consumed which artist.  They should put in exactly how much money we have given each artist in 2020 - that would sure hammer home the message.  If there’s someone in your 2020 list and you haven’t bought any of their records, or don’t even follow them on socials? Please rectify that shit.

I will look at how Spotify has captured my habits, but mine will always be the definitive lists. So, you wanna know about the music on my lists, huh? It’s all great. I know , I know...I'm biased.  

I have to say though, unquestionably, my ears have begun to be tuned to those of a middle-aged man. The amount of times that I’ve said “My Dad would like this”, is frankly appalling, but I’m letting go of the wheel. It is what it is. I always seem to be fighting against myself every year when I do this, so what’s one more battle.  

That’s not to say this is a set of armchair music. It may have been a while since I’ve punched the air at a room full of drunk people swinging their limbs, but you all best believe that I’m squirreling away a stack of bangers to drop on you. Soon. Until then, enjoy. Top 50 of 2020 will be here on New Year’s eve.

TMM

[theviewfromthebooth]

Unbearable

Hey everyone. I've not written anything in a while, or had much motivation to, but everything is all over the shop right now, and a couple of weeks ago, something just came out of me. Back in those quaint times when we all still hoped this wouldn't be as bad as it is now (roughly three weeks ago), I made a joke in The Anfield Wrap office about making a disaster movie involving the Coronavirus and Liverpool's title party - the two biggest things in all of our worlds at the time. 

Well, I did it. It's a short story, but I've dreamt it as a movie, and hopefully the words will turn into images for you too. It was meant to be funny, but halfway through I realised that it isn't. It's also a bit too niche for most football or literary fiction sites (apparently), so I'm putting it up here. In the absence of any kind of appetite for the usual April Fools shenanigans, this is a good time to drop it. 

 It became a way for my mind to deal with everything – by laying out the worst case scenario, our situation becomes more bearable by comparison. Also worth noting that this was written before the government backed away (publicly at least) from herd immunity.... 

 Dedicated to my two biggest creative inspirations – Matt Groening & John Gibbons. 

                                                           -x-

UNBEARABLE:

A short story from the brain of a trying-not-to-panic Liverpool fan "For years Evertonians have been saying that the world will end if Liverpool ever win the league again......what if they were right?”

Ronnie has been planning his title party for years.  In the pub, in bed, at work, on the toilet. While his beloved Liverpool drifted nearer, then further from their holy grail, he has never wavered from what he calls his life's work. Torture is what Jan calls it. He still doesn't know how close she came to leaving after the open top bus fiasco in 2014,  but he knows he never wants to see that look in her eyes again.  She'll come around once she sees it, and feels it.

That day in 1990, when he was the same age as little Dirk is now.....the street party. The last time he remembers his parents happy. All he wants is that same unlimited joy for Dirk... and to keep him in Red. Kev was  a stubborn little so-and-so, but that won't happen again.

Back then he only had Roy Evans and his sporadically brilliant Spice Boys as ammo – now he's got Jurgen Klopp and his mentality monsters. Even Jan is changing her tune.  Ronnie couldn't believe his luck when she agreed to let him dress Dirk up as the Premier League trophy, complete with silver paint & ribbons. They won't need a bus – Adam down the road will bring his flat-bed truck. What better memory for the lad than to be paraded through the streets of Anfield, held aloft by thousands of jubilant Kopites? Just 2 wins away. He can almost taste it. Nothing can stop them now....

“It has been confirmed....all football in Britain is suspended until at least April 30th, as a result of the coronavirus. BBC Sport understands FA chairman Greg Clarke expressed his fear at Friday's emergency meeting that the season may have to be abandoned....”

The blood drains from Ronnie's face as he stares through the TV screen. The phone buzzing in his pocket snaps him back to reality, as news reaches the Whatsapp group:

Within the  walls of Whitehall, Clarke almost slips as he gets up from his chair. His head is so scrambled he offers Hancock his sweaty hand, before quickly whipping it away much to the amusement of Hancock and Johnson, and eventually Scudamore. Their laughter sends a chill through his bones. They think they've cracked it, but he KNOWS football fans. Closed doors aren't enough to keep away fans who've been waiting 30 years. And Liverpool have a LOT of fans.

As the chauffeur moves away, he takes out his phone to Google 'Herd immunity'.........

Ronnie's phone is red hot. Plans are moving at pace. Everton have been squashed and Operation Palace is full steam ahead. Dirk is bouncing off the walls in excitement and it's not even 10 am. Luckily a cuddle from cousin Danny always calms him down. Danny's dad is no such help. Kev has always been the bitterest of Blues, but claiming Dirk's life is at risk feels pretty low, even for him.

Ronnie plants a kiss just above the paint line, before pulling the woolly crown tight over the boy's ears, and hoisting him onto his shoulders. Dirk's laughter vibrates through his back as he shouts “You better get in that bunker of yours if you're that worried”, turning his snarl to a smile.  Jan takes a picture of her glassy eyed husband with the Premier league trophy, which goes down a treat in the Whatsapp group, followed by the obligatory joke about 'going viral'.

Only this time it's no joke. By the time they get to Adam's garage the streets are packed. Half of Liverpool have descended onto the estate. And they've all come to lift the trophy.

Johnson's brow furrows ever deeper as his aide lays out the situation - hiding his eyes from the mess he's created. Liverpool Council can't control the crowds. Reports suggesting as many as 3 million people are on the streets. Budget cuts sanctioned by his hand have left emergency services at breaking point, even before the 600% increase in population. Suspending public transport has caused queues of 10 miles and counting in every direction. Vaccines are running out fast, with nowhere near enough immune patients to protect the vulnerable.

His hands tighten on each other, as if the answer can be wrung from them. With the pleading eyes of his aide boring through his thinning scalp, the spell is broken. A menacing silence hangs between them.  He knows the whole country hangs on what he says next.

He knows he needs a miracle.

As the clock hits 90 minutes, so do Crystal Palace. Liverpool have roared back from an early setback to lead by 4 goals to 1. From the swaying throng in the garden of  Hotel TIA, Ronnie can feel himself let go of 30 year's worth of tension. 30 years of balls hitting posts and staying out. 30 years of penalties not given. 30 years of “should've saved that”. 30 years of “should've been us”.  All gone.

The final whistle is met with a guttural roar.  A roar 3 million strong, a roar so full of electricity that it creates a mushroom cloud over Anfield skies. Dirk reaches for his father, who doesn't miss a beat with his mock trophy lift, complete with the Henderson stutter step. Silver tears stain his face as he watches his son surfing the sea of hands.

A moment like no other.

It's only the thought of sharing the moment with Jan that causes Ronnie to reach for his phone. 34 missed calls. 55 unread on Whatsapp. “The Reds are still massive!” he thinks to himself as he opens Jan's most recent message:

“It's too late. I'm sorry. Good luck. I love you both.”

“With their country now stabilised, this new Chinese study into the Coronavirus will become the template for the rest of the world to follow. There has been some surprise at the results.  It appears children under 8 are the biggest carriers, while the fatal age threshold is only 40 years old, and could be even lower for those with a higher than normal blood alcohol level. The bad news for us here in Britain is the government's controversial 'Herd Immunity' strategy has been completely discredited”.

“FOR GOD'S SAKE TURN IT OFF!”

Anxious limbs fumble at the remote for what feels like hours, before finally, silence. Three pairs of eyes dart from George Alagaih's worried face to that of the Prime Minister.  Hancock musters the courage to meet his glare.

“At the current rate of infection, Liverpool will be at 90% by 7pm this evening. Considering what we now know about their vaccine levels, and....alcohol consumption....”

“HOW ON EARTH HAVE YOU FUCKED THIS UP? YOU TOLD ME THE SCIENCE WAS WATERTIGHT!”

“It was as watertight as could be in such an unprecedented scenario. The goalposts kept moving...” “I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR FUCKING GOALPOSTS! ALL I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU IS HOW WE STOP IT SPREADING!”

“W-we do have a plan”.

Hancock hands over the proposal, and takes three deliberate steps back. He allows himself to exhale once he sees Johnson's eyebrows rise, and then settle, from behind the folder.

“I've run the numbers, with Sunny & Wallace. It's tight, but we can afford it.”

The Chancellor  nods slowly as Johnson looks in his direction.  A nervous head appears through the crack in the door, like a tortoise unsure of Spring.

“We need a decision, sir.”

Ronnie pants hard, darting for space like Mo Salah in a forest of defenders. He can't bring himself to believe it. Not yet. Not like this. No time. Just keep running. Half a mile from home. She'll come around once she sees us.

Dirk lets out a yelp as they're brought to an abrupt halt by Breck road traffic. Ronnie looks deeper into the faces around him. What was once drunken ecstasy is now something very different. All he sees is agony, smudged with silver. Doors have been bolted, windows shut. Songs are now screams. Visible waves of panic ripple through the crowds, as infection and information sow their seeds in real time. It takes him a while to recognize the hard thudding against his spine isn't his own heartbeat – it's his son coughing. He whips Dirk off his back and holds him in front of his face.

“Don't cry mate, it's gonna be okay” he croaks, barely able to say it let alone believe it.  Suddenly a cheer rises up ahead.  Ronnie instinctively moves towards the sound. That sound he thought he would feast on forever. Before he can pinpoint it, a larger sound fills the space. Less a sound than a NOISE. A long, buzzing noise, that prickles the neck and causes everyone to look up.

Bright white foam boxes with big red crosses fall from the sky.  More and more. Hundreds. Thousands. Cheers break out all over as boxes are ripped open, and the hugging of strangers resumes.  Ronnie releases Dirk's hand as he catches the box thrown at him, and pulls off the top.  He takes out the tablets and the bottle of water, and rubs his boy's back as he swallows them down. Overcome with relief he takes the trophy for one last spin, before placing him back on his shoulders. Home time.

“We shall not, we shall not be moved! We shall not we shall not be moved! Just like the team, that won, the football league...”

“WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED!”

Dirk waves to the little planes in the sky that saved the day.  He continues waving at the much bigger planes looming, and the giant glass bowl they're carrying.

[theviewfromthebooth]

The Mighty Mojo's top tracks of 2019

It's the most wonderful time, of the year......when I get a chance to share the music I love with all of you, in a little more detail than over 5 hours on a Friday night.

The usual hand wringing about my opinions and their relevance in the wider audience was conspicuous by it's absence this year. We're 10 years in - those of you who keep coming back to this list know what it is.

As usual I've waited until everyone else has shot their bolt, but this year I wasnt looking at NME, Pitchfork or BBC 6Music for comparisons.....I was looking at you.

As much as I've enjoyed seeing all of your end of year lists via Spotify, I always knew mine would bear little reflection to the list you're about to hear. Spotify is by no means my primary outlet for listening to music (for the reasons outlined in last year's post), and is waaay down in terms of discovering new stuff. I suspect a lot of you would say the same. And yet, it's still the most reliable outlet to have everything I want listed, so here we are.

As always, picking one track per artist caused me problems, but the good thing is that it made me really drill down into what I'm after in a great song: what moves me to the point where it becomes unskippable even after months of daily listens. And it's not always the same thing. You want an example? Well here's two.

I'd never heard of Squid before April, but a random trawl of the Getintothis singles club (game recognize game) found me stumbling upon Houseplants, all itchy energy, wailing breakdowns and a catchy refrain that hit a lot of my favourite references, like XTC and Talking Heads. And then they repeated the trick with The Cleaner, which came at a slower pace but with a bit more funk, and a chorus line that had people singing along in Motel halfway through its 1st play.

I flip-flopped over which should make it in quite a bit, and it came down to which one do I give greater value - the reaction of the Motel crowd when I played The Cleaner, or my visceral excitement of hearing them tear through Houseplants live in Heebies basement? Both are important tie-breakers, so the answer will not always be the same.

My other big issue this year was with Foals. It seems churlish to call it an issue when one of your favourite bands releases two albums in one year, but that's the nature of this beast.

Personally I blame Emily Eavis. If this doesn't get them a headline slot on the Pyramid by 2021 they may get desperate, and NO ONE wants to see Yannis with multi-coloured tape on his fingers, and vague platitudes about complex global problems scrawled on the back of his hand. And all of us who saw their recent tour documentary knows he has it in him.

But I digress.

On any good album your favourite song can change many times, but with Foals this was complicated by life, and the connections we build through music. In Degrees will always make me think of a certain person (hiya x), Exits of a certain time and place, and Black Bull of one particular lad trying to breakdance, but in the end I went for the song that got the most out of me.

I've finally found a way to get fit without hating myself or giving up, and my workout playlist has played a massive part. Not just in giving me energy, but in the case of The Runner, a mantra:

"If I fall down, then I, I keep on running".

Sounds simple doesn't it? And yet it has given me so much power, to keep going where I would have previously quit. Plus it has a boss little widdly solo at the end.

In the context of those decisions, the number one was an easy choice. Lizzo has won the world over this year, and I couldn't be happier. I can't say I was at her " Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall" show in the Shipping Forecast back in 2014, but she's appeared on this list a few times, including last year.

Her attitude is talked about more than the music, because she's an absolute force of fucking nature, but Juice is a legit banger, worthy of a place in the cannon of any hip hop, R&B or soul singer of the last 50 years. Nile Rodgers probably thinks he wrote it.

Prince was lined up to produce her album before he died, but I'm not sure even he could have improved on Juice.

This record slayed Motel week after week, shook my soul when she performed it live at Glastonbury, and is entwined in every great memory I have from 2019.

The whole damn meal.

ANNUAL REMINDER TO INVERT OR JUST IGNORE THE NUMBERS.

Spotify still doesn't grasp the nature of a countdown playlist in which the best is saved for last.

Maybe next year....

[theviewfromthebooth]

The View from the Booth: Tracks of 2018

Right. Here we fucking go. I realise it's been a bit drawn out this year, but for me it has been interesting. In some areas it's felt more like a tester of Social media algorithms, but I have been able to see how the top 10 have hit your ears. I'm pleased to say they've all got some love – hopefully you're beginning to believe me about all of those great tracks out this year. Normally I put the playlist at the bottom, but that’s no good if you wanna listen as you read. Plus I’ve made you all wait long enough, dammit.

It pleases me that however hard it is to make a living from making music in 2018, there's still plenty of people giving it a go. However, when a band like Spring King – with strong support from label, fans and press – can't make it work, it makes me wonder if that well of beautiful dreamers will ever run out.

I know that Spotify isn't exactly the heart of the revolution on this subject either. The amount that artists are paid per stream is still pitifully low, and it doesn't seem to be doing them much good. 87 million paid subscribers sounds great, until you realise last quarter there was an operating loss of 90 million Euros.  

Had they gone the Netflix method, as suggested by a friend of mine who's operated at all levels of success within the industry, and actually invested in music – the artists and it's production -  rather than just taking money for distribution, it could have been a real force for good. For now, it's just the easiest delivery method. So while I'll keep using it, I'll also keep buying tracks, albums, gig tickets & even merch if they have anything left that goes over my gut. I suggest you all do too.

In typical fashion, there was a real battle in my head for the top spot. Yeah, yeah you say that every year knobhead. But that's what happens when you love what you listen to. I have great memories tied to every song on this list, as I've navigated what has actually been a great year for me. But in the end, when I look back in 5, 10 years time, I fully believe that 2018 will be known for the emergence of Brockhampton.

I'll be honest.......the concept of Brockhampton sounds horrific on paper. A band drawing comparisons to One Direction & Wu Tang Clan in equal measure, a mish mash of up to 15 different voices and almost as many styles. But these guys know what they're doing. Rather than fear being labelled a manufactured boy band, they're redefining exactly what that means. To them, it's a group of boys, who want to be the biggest stars on the planet, making the music they want to make.

Boogie has a beat like a fire alarm that hits you like a heart attack, and keeps you off guard as each new voice tries to elbow its way into your psyche. There's an urgency about the whole thing, as if this has been building up inside them all, busting to get out.

Kevin Abstract's main refrain:

“I've been beat up my whole life

 I've been shot down, kicked down twice

 Ain't no stopping me tonight

 Imma get all the things I like”

feels very now, both in the frustration and the desire to finally win, for once.  Well congrats lads – you've won 2018. No, there's no trophy.

Annual reminder to ignore the numbers on the side of the playlist - Ash is no.50, not number 1. The list is a countdown not a count up, despite what Spotify are trying to tell you........

[theviewfromthebooth]

2018: The Bubble list

I'm taking a bit of a risk with the tracks of 2018 list this year. I was finished before the start of December. Every other facet of my life suffers when I leave things to the last minute, but seeing as my ears are always open to new songs it makes sense to go as deep into the year as possible. Efficiency can be a curse you know. 

Especially in a year like this one, where I've been hearing great new tunes at a rate of about 3 a week. I know you're reading this thinking:

 "No way has there been 156 truly great songs released in 2018", 

but trust me - they're out there. The fact is that I've made 2 lists of nearly 50 each, and still I'm making tough decisions. So, my on the bubble list. Here by popular demand, based on votes on Twitter and Facebook. Those of you who voted against are free to ignore this and wait for the top 50, but...........

  There has been a rough guideline to how I've chosen these songs beyond

 "Do I like it? "

 As much as possible, I want it to feature tracks from 3 distinct groups of artists:

 1) New artists, independent or otherwise 

 2) Not necessarily new, but not widely known artists 

3) Dang, are they still making records? 

 Anyone who doesn't come into those categories is basically just unlucky not to make the top 50, but they've spent enough time in my head to earn inclusion. I don't think Jack White or The Chemical Brothers really need the promo, but there you go. 

The other big difference with the bubble list is that it's not numbered. The hope is it feels more like a mixtape, filled with new discoveries passed on from a sibling, a mate or a girlfriend/boyfriend. Just, a really long one! 

Having a smoother flow means you can tackle it in chunks if you want. In fact.......It's' just occurred to me that it's a truer reflection of what it's like to hear me DJ. My aim at the start of every night is to literally lead you on a merry dance across the musical spectrum, as smoothly as possible. 

There will always be diversions as I react off of the people in front of me, and each night ultimately follows it's own path. If I could find a way to get a snippet of:

 "Hey man, have you got any Digitalism/Dilated Peoples/Dinosaur jr?" 

"OOOOHH......er......Yeah fuck it, let's do it " 

on Spotify I'd add that in, but otherwise this is as close as it gets to The Mighty Mojo experience. Maybe pour yourself a rum and apple juice to go along with it. If you really wanna be authentic, try to make it to the toilet and back in the space of one song. 

However you decide to do it, I hope you enjoy it. Remember this is just the starter; The big guns will be appearing a little later in the month. I want to give the songs here the space they deserve, to worm their way through your ears and into your heads, and hopefully hearts.

[theviewfromthebooth]

The View from the Booth Songs of 2017

Good afternoon, good morning or good evening, from wherever and whenever you're visiting my little corner of the internet. Writing words may not be the centre of my world any more but music is still pretty close, and therefore, here we are with my top 50 songs of 2017. You may have noticed in recent years that I've not covered albums. This is not because I've stopped listening to them, or “The album is dead”, or such nonsense (it's not dead – there were hundreds of albums released this year, and many were good). It's more that I no longer wish to force myself to listen to enough to justify a top 20, let alone a top 50. My November/December cram sessions have been a regular staple for a good few years now, but I don't feel like I've been giving each album enough time. I like a record to roll around inside my head, like a Werthers' Original on my tongue. On top of that, the idea of articulating exactly why I love each one with insight and humour now feels like a chore, and even worse a retread of what has gone before. When I go to my cupboard of similes and adjectives for a touch of descriptive spice, all I see is the same old same old. Music should never be a chore. Those of you who follow me on Twitter ( @Bear_necessity – you won't regret it) may have seen me tweet a thread of some of my favourite albums of this year released on independent labels:

re: That last RT, here are some independant musicians who made albums I've enjoyed this year, in the order I think of them. First up: @LittleSimz https://t.co/GeRQL6feYm

— The Mighty Mojo (@Bear_Necessity) December 19, 2017

That pretty much covers it, although I would add major label albums by Mr Jukes, Beck, Soulwax & Joey Badass to the list. So yeah, just the songs now. It's not as if that wasn't a tough enough job on it's own. My Twitter followers will also be aware that I spent the early Christmas holidays shaving this list down from over 80. I'm pleased to report I loved a lot of new music in 2017; my DJ licence has been renewed for another year. 

It's interesting to see how the list shapes up as a whole in comparison to past years. There's a lot less grime than last year for example, and less that you could buy on Beatport. There's also a few that surprised me, including at least 3 artists that I've previously slated. Two of them I probably still will – the sun even shines on a Dog's ass sometimes – but it would be a lie to omit them. I dare say you can guess who I'm talking about. Even withstanding the usual late amendments, I could have released this a week ago. The reason I didn't goes back, like so much else, to my teenage years of musical awakening. 

New Years' Eve '95 was spent watching MTV's top 100 videos of the year. Whatever else I was doing, or being made to do, was to the backdrop of that years' highlights. It also felt like the perfect time to reflect, and to get myself excited about what could possibly be to come over the next 12 months. I thought I'd give you a chance to share my experience, even if you aren't drinking egg nog and playing American Monopoly. The other reason for the delay is that I've been waiting for Spotify to recognise the genius that is Ty Segall. The Main Pretender may have only come out at the end of November but it absolutely has to be included, even if not doing so would make it easier on myself. When have I ever done that? You can see The Main Pretender is officially in at number 10, but it's a file local to my computer so when listening to the playlist, here's a handy guide: 

Step 1) Press play on playlist 

Step 2) After listening to Beck, press pause 

Step 3) Press play on the video below

Step 4) Take a breath; change your underwear if necessary 

Step 5) Press play on playlist, and prepare for The Orielles 

All that remains is to tell you about the number 1. In truth all of the top 3 were at number at some point (The picture with the Spotify playlist is an obscure clue as to who nearly won), but with the tragic passing of the Screaming Eagle of Soul, Mr. Charles Bradley, I had to give the nod to his last great contribution to music. It took me a while to work out that Mr.Jukes was actually the lead singer from Bombay Bicycle Club, but once you know you can hear the hints of his past lurking in the breakdown of Grant Green.  The man who gives the track it's name, and also lends a juicy sample*,  is a deliciously talented Jazz guitarist that I've come to late on, just like I did with Bradley. Hopefully I'll discover just as much treasure. BBC never had a vocalist like Bradley to work with, and to his credit Jack Steadman has done him justice with a beautiful sunshine soul standard.

See you all in 12 months.........

*He's also the cool cat at the top of the page

[theviewfromthebooth]

Bido’s own #themightymojo brings the noise to #shangrila bar #Glastonbury #gigsketching #mookloxley #bidolive #mojo #smokingcausesheartattacks

[theviewfromthebooth]

The View from the Booth  Tracks of 2016

First of all, an apology. I realise this is the 2nd playlist north of three hours that I've given you in a week, at a time of year where time isn't really our own. I actually checked to see how many songs in common the two lists have.......and its 5. Out of a total of 115 songs. I understand if you take a while to catch up with everything, although I assure you it'll be worth your while.

I've had a lot of fun compiling this list, even if I do frustrate myself with the self-imposed parameters. Every year I think I'm going to bend on the 1-song-per-artist rule:  

“I mean in previous years I've resisted but those songs weren't as good.

Surely I can't ignore.......Am I Wrong, or This is England, or Burn the Witch?”

......at which point I actually look back at previous year's and some of those dilemmas........and resolve to remain vigilant. I could have extended the list back to 100 or even 75, but to be honest there's plenty of artists who haven't even got one record here who'd probably take all the other spots. Some good friends who've made good records will be disappointed reading this list, but hopefully when they hear the playlist, it'll soften the blow – if they were even arsed in the first place of course.

There's a good mix of styles and tempos, but this more than other years I feel like it flows quite well, which is a happy accident. There's a few nice runs, partcularly Skepta to Swet Shop Boys, and Haarm to Jamie T. Spotify won this year's “Which music platform has the most of the songs I've picked” award, with a record-breaking 49. Beyonce was the only anomaly, and to make up for those of you who don't have Lemonade, I've included both parts of Chance the Rapper's Blessings, so everyone gets at least 50.

At the other end of the list, my favourite song of the year only had three real contenders, which proves how much of an impact those three songs had on me. Get my Bang is a beguiling slice of sexual frustration breaking loose, Childish Gambino proves Leather pants and a porn star 'tache don't always mean a mid-life crisis on the towering Me and Your Mama, .....and the number one?  One of the men of the year, Anderson Paak marries the year's best bassline to a snapping backbeat and a party lyric that adds up to dancefloor dynamite. If Bruno Mars made this record we'd all be hearing it in our sleep, but once you hear Come Down you'll probably be doing that anyway. You've got a fun 3 and a half hours ahead of you.

1.  Anderson Paak ft. T.I.        Come down

2.  Childish Gambino              Me and your Mama

3.  Wild Beasts                        Get my bang

4.  Danny Brown ft. Earl Sweatshirt

     Kendrick Lamar & Ab-Soul  Really Doe

5. Spring King                          Rectifier

6. Radiohead                           Ful Stop

7. Zack de la Rocha                Digging for Windows

8. A Tribe Called Quest           We.....the People

9. Gengahr                              Embers

10.Metronomy ft. Robyn          Hang me out to Dry

11.DJ Shadow ft. Run the Jewels  Nobody Speak

12. Kano                                  New Banger

13. HoneyBlood                       Sea Hearts

14. Colony House                    You Know it

15. Elf Kid                                Golden Boy

16. Hamilton Leithauser & Rostam      Peaceful Morning

17. Ocean Wisdom ft. Four Owls       Real Smooth

18. De La Soul ft. Snoop Dogg             Pain

19. Jamie T                                Dragon Bones

20. Glass Animals                      Life itself

21. Mura Masa ft. A$AP Rocky Lovesick Fuck (remix)

22. Kid Cudi ft. Pharrell              Surfin'

23. Haarm                                  Foxglove

24. Rat Boy                                Move

25. Kendrick Lamar                    Untitled #3

26. Phantogram                          Same old Blues

27. The Allergies ft. Andy Cooper Rock Rock

28. Aesop Rock                           Rings

29. Charles Bradley                     Changes

30. Solange                                 Cranes in the Sky

31. Beck                                      Wow

32. Trudy & the Romance            Wild

33. Kate Tempest                         Tunnel Vision

34. White Denim                          Ha ha ha ha (Yeah)

35. Hackney Colliery Band          Heart Shaped Box

36. Martin Solveig                        Intoxicated

37. The Lemon Twigs                  Those Days is coming soon

38. D.D Dumbo                            Satan

39. The Bulletproof Bomb            Millenial Moaning/Generation Me

40. Swet Shop Boys                     No Fly List

41. Kaytranada                             Breakdance Lesson No.1

42. A Tribe Called R.E.D.             R.E.D.

43. The Avalanches                     The Noisy Eater

44. Skepta                                   Man

45. Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve Iron Age

46. Baltic Fleet                            Angel's Shotgun

47. Schoolboy Q                         John Muir

48. Clean Cut Kid                       We used to be in love

49. Beyonce ft. Jack White         Don't hurt yourself

50. Chance the Rapper              Blessings (pts. 1 & 2)

51. Mac Miller ft. Anderson Paak Dang

*UPDATE* I don’t know how after listening through to this playlist 3 times in 3 days, but I missed off a very important song, that just has to be there. Sorry if that ruins the uniformity of the 50, but right now I don’t give a shit. This song has to be in. Those of you who have heard me play (especially those working the bar at the time) will know how much I rinsed this tune, and I’m still not sure how I missed it in the first place.  

Error rectified.