Better Late Than Never....

There was an almost reverential silence when Kenny Anderson and Jon Hopkins took to the stage at Glasgow's ABC a couple of weeks ago. I had been looking forward to this gig for a while although I wasn't sure how the Mercury nominated album would translate live.

Any concerns were swiftly allayed when they started with the wonderful piano instrumental First Watch. Poignant,thought provoking and just simply beautiful. One of the many highlights of the night followed next with, for me, the highlight of the album, John Taylor's Month Away. Romantic, powerful and effortless came to mind when witnessing this track performed live. The audience was transfixed and with good reason. They then went on to play the rest of Diamond Mine and the crowd was lost in the beauty of these songs with Kenny's plaintive singing and guitar playing being complemented by Jon's delicately understated electronics and some nice backing vocals from none other than KT Tunstall.

With the album done and dusted, the duo played a selection of KC songs, punctuated by the Fife man’s brilliant banter and a great cover of The Only Living Boy In New York before finishing the night on a high with Kenny's own personal fave, My Favourite Girl.

They were only playing a few select dates to tour Diamond Mine and if they decide to play any more dates this year and you haven't seen them perform the album live I would strongly suggest making a date in your diary.

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins - John Taylor's Month Away

Albums Of The Year Part 2....

Kenny Anderson's recordings were given new life in 2011 thanks to lush, fresh and flourishing ambient instrumentation of producer Jon Hopkins. Simple songs, beautiful production, understated and subtle throughout. Diamond Mine will stand the test of time like all good well crafted music does. It is a very short album but is reflective, at times poignant and very unique.

I have had a look at all the year end lists and they all seem to have one glaring omission in the shape of Ersatz GB . It may not be a This Nation's Saving Grace or a Perverted By Language but Ersatz GB still trumps most records released this year. Ersatz GB is Smith's 29th studio album, and while not necessarily his best, it certainly demonstrates that his appetite for creating angry, angular, wonderfully warped state-of-the-nation addresses is hardly diminished.

When it came out in February I failed to see what all the fuss was surrounding Let England Shake. I didn't really pay it mush attention until a few weeks ago and will gladly admit to being so wrong. It is an album of outstanding quality and variation with songs that are sparse with powerful lyrics describing the horrors of war from the perspective of the young soldiers who are slaughtered in them. Passionate, thought provoking and clearly a labour of love Let England Shake is a is a sublime piece of work that fully deserves the praise that has been heaped upon it this year.

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins - Bats In The Attic