coxy

Tag: Little Simz

  • Most-listened to albums during 2024

    Most-listened to albums during 2024

    In a time where everyone shares their year-in-music as a Spotify Wrapped screenshot on Instagram Stories, only to be glanced through because nobody is really interested, I’ve written this blog post. Besides, I’m not active on Spotify or Instagram.

    I’m going to presume you are more interested in discovering album recommendations and that will be the focus here. This is my most-listened to albums of 2024 according to Last.fm, with maybe a few extra thrown in for good measure. Let’s crack on:

    10.
    This Is Why
    by Paramore

    Released 2023 • post-punk, new wave
    Apple Music – Spotify – MusicBrainz – More

    Considering I was into a lot of emo music ‘back in the day’ I didn’t get on board with Paramore until quite late on. Manchester band Dutch Uncles went on tour as support to Paramore when they came to Oslo. One of the band members from Dutch Uncles put me on the guest list and it was only then, after seeing Paramore live, that I figured I should give them a chance. I really like Paramore now and there’s a whole back catalogue to catch up on.

    9.
    NO THANK YOU
    by Little Simz

    Released 2022 • hip-hop, neo-soul
    Apple Music – Spotify – MusicBrainz – More

    Keen readers of the blog will already know that I am a fan of Little Simz and it always makes me happy to get a notification from Last.fm saying that she made it into my Top Artists for the month.

    NO THANK YOU was an album that dropped just before I saw Little Simz play live last year and it’s been a favourite of mine since. If I am ever scrolling through my music library and see this artwork, I’m ready to hit play.

    8.
    AM
    by Arctic Monkeys

    Released 2013 • indie, rock
    Apple Music – Spotify – MusicBrainz – More

    When I was an indie-kid bopping around in the music scene in Manchester, Arctic Monkeys were on the scene as a bunch of Sheffield bands broke through. I have always liked Arctic Monkeys. This album is a strong one in the band’s catalogue.

    7.
    OK Go
    by OK Go

    Released 2002 • indie, rock
    Apple Music – Spotify – MusicBrainz – More

    This album I bought in 2002 after hearing the debut single ‘Get Over It‘ on the radio and I really loved the album – but the band fell off my radar a little and I didn’t really listen to anything OK Go produced until they became popular for the viral treadmill thing.

    They are a good band with a few good albums, but this will always be my favourite. Clearly. Over 20 years later and it’s still appearing in my Top Albums of the Year.

    6.
    Collapsed in Sunbeams
    by Arlo Parks

    Released 2021 • bedroom pop, neo-soul
    Bandcamp – MusicBrainz – More

    Arlo Parks is great. The music is pretty chill and always a good one to go to when you want some downbeat vibes. The songs are sad, but also happy at the same time.

    I think when I first got this album I played it on repeat a lot and it was my most-listened to album of 2022, dropping to 9th place in 2023 and now bumping back up to 6th in 2024.

    Do I need to say more than that? It charted in my Top 10 every year since it was released.

    5.
    LaGuardia
    by Stars

    Released 2019 • indie pop
    Bandcamp – MusicBrainz – More

    The song that really sold me on Stars was ‘Your Ex-Lover Is Dead‘ which has all the beauty and whimsy and magic of a romantic story told with all the pomp of ‘Fairytale of New York‘. And weirdly, I bought the single on vinyl when it came out and never listened to it until years later.

    Stars have many albums with many great songs and a good way to get into them is to listen to LaGuardia, which is a ‘Best of…’ release.

    4.
    Florist
    by Florist

    Released 2022 • ambient, indie-folk
    Bandcamp – MusicBrainz – More

    Do you have an artist that feels like your “go-to” when you just want to listen to something chill and relaxing as you lounge and potter around the house? For me, this is Florist.

    I saw Florist live in Seattle a few years back and it didn’t disappoint. They came to Norway recently, but played in Bergen – a whole 8+ hour train journey away from Oslo.

    If asked I probably wouldn’t say this is my favourite album from the artist, so a bit surprised that of all the Florist releases that I own, it turned up before the others in my top albums this year.

    3.
    Cast of Thousands
    by Elbow

    Released 2013 • indie, indie rock
    Apple Music – Spotify – MusicBrainz – More

    Even though it’s not the most quiet and calming album, Cast of Thousands by Elbow is my go-to album when I can’t sleep and I am lay in bed desperately trying to fall asleep.

    By no means does this mean it is a boring album; quite the opposite. It’s very intricate and if you listen closely there are many layers of sounds that you might not consider on a first listen.

    If this album is appearing in my Top 3, then it means I have had a lot of sleepless nights this past year – but Elbow calms my mind, helps me focus, and takes me to a place where I am able to drift off. And sometimes that is just what you need.

    2.
    Hyper Opus
    by Calling Marian

    Released 2023 • techno, electronic
    Apple Music – Spotify – MusicBrainz – More

    Marian and I met through Tumblr many moons ago. We first followed each other, then started chatting and became online friends, and then I flew to her home town in France to visit her and her family. This was before she made techno music and now she’s a really good DJ working the techno scene in France and has her own record label.

    If you are into techno, you should listen to this and everything that Calling Marian released on her Soundcloud and Bandcamp for CVNT Records.

    1.
    All Hell
    by Los Campesinos!

    Released 2024 • indie pop, emo
    Bandcamp – MusicBrainz – More

    Well. No surprise here for me. Los Campesinos! are possibly my favourite band of all and so if they release new music it’s bound to be something special.

    If you haven’t really heard the Welsh indie-emo band Los Campesinos! then this release is a good place to start.

    It’s new, it’s fresh, it’s All Hell.

    So, that’s the list! You made it! Thanks for scrolling all the way down from ten-to-one and checking out my most listened to albums of the past year.

    I hope you found something above that you have not heard of before and I hope for a “most played of 2024” list that you weren’t too disappointed that the list contained a grand total of one (1) album released 2024.

    If you were looking for albums released in 2024 then here’s two bonus ones for you that didn’t get as much airtime as the ones listed above, but that I did purchase:

    Letter To Self
    by SPRINTS

    Released 2024 • garage punk, alt. rock
    Bandcamp – MusicBrainz – More

    Beer Baby
    by Drunk Mums

    Released 2024 • garage rock, punk
    Bandcamp – MusicBrainz – More

    ✌️

    Bye!

  • Little Simz performing live in Oslo

    Little Simz performing live in Oslo

    Back when I lived in the UK, I went to a lot of concerts. Between knowing the assistant to the director of SJM Concerts and taking photographs for NME-rival magazine Artrocker, I would see myself guest listed for several concerts each week. Most of these were in Manchester, but quite often in Leeds, sometimes in Liverpool or other cities in the North West of England.

    Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to see some of my most favourite bands play live (Blur, David Bowie, Los Campesinos!, Green Day, Tellison), often for free. And also to watch others that weren’t quite my go-to when I pick up a record, but have been great shows (The Darkness, Paramore, Limp Bizkit, Kanye West, Harry Styles). Shows that were just a bit odd, therefore brilliant maybe? (Daniel Johnston, Lord Mongo, Salty Lips) Or to be able to discover new, smaller artists before they get popular or disappear altogether (Jamie T, Tom Vek, Bromheads Jacket, The Old Romantic Killer Band, Cage the Elephant, Kings of Leon).

    There are too many to mention or properly categorise.

    Now that I’m old(er), live in Oslo and have a family to look after, I don’t really go out to as many live shows. This entire year, I only made it to 3 concerts and 1 festival; The Wombats, Harry Styles, Day 2 of Øyafestivalen and Little Simz.

    I guess that’s okay, but I think in 2023 my intention will be to go to more.

    Seeing artists play live can be a great experience. Some concerts are great to go to on your own, others with friends. My music taste is quite broad and it’s sometimes hard to find someone to go and so I don’t mind going on my own. That’s what I did for the Little Simz show.

    I’d been in Manchester the entire week and only flown back earlier in the day, but made my way out into a cold and snowy Oslo, queuing alone outside the venue, Rockefeller Music Hall.

    The spare ticket? I gave it away for free to two people looking to buy their way into the sold out show. My friend Ben described this as “the most Coxy thing I have heard this week”.

    Since I wasn’t feeling super fresh and was quite tired after a 6am start to catch a plane – evident by the fact I got into the venue, bought a beer, but walked away from the bar before they served it – I decided to go up onto the balcony at the venue, where things are a little more sensible and reserved.

    This meant that I was prone to grabbing my phone and taking photos + video of what was going on. I don’t usually do this but often see others doing it. I’ve become one of them. But now you get to witness some of what I witnessed:

    Little Simz, in my opinion, put on a great show. I like her music anyway but wasn’t sure what to expect from a live performance. And she delivered.

    From the music, to crowd banter and audience participation, the slow songs, the hard hitters, to bringing her cousin up on stage to give him credit for his part in all this, to the heartfelt thank yous to the tour crew – who were also handing out water to the crowd to keep the fans hydrated.

    There was no faulting it.

    Not too long before the show rolled around in the calendar, Little Simz dropped a new album called NO THANK YOU. On stage, she acknowledged that the tour was not for the new album, so there would be no new songs played tonight.

    That said, after the official set had ended, the lights stayed down and NO THANK YOU started playing. Little Simz and her co-pilot for the evening came back out on stage and just started dancing as people were leaving the venue – with the remaining crowd just vibing for the next 10 minutes.

    It was a proper party atmosphere. Nice.

    Little Simz · 18.12.2022
    Rockefeller Music Hall (Oslo, Norway)