Best Of 2018- Redux featuring Bonny Doon

A short series of posts looking at the albums that either arrived too late, or I discovered through other peoples 'best of' lists, that I feel warrant discussion in the 'Best Of 2018'.

First up,

"Long Wave" by Bonny Doon

I have to thank Jimmy Lonetti from Minneapolis for highlighting this gem as his album of 2018 on the Rockin' The Suburbs podcast. Co-host Patrick Foster described them as tending toward Teenage Fanclub, which obviously got my full attention.

Indeed there are some tracks here that have the feel of something that could have been on "Thirteen" by Bellshill's finest, "Try To Be" and "Take Me Away" in particular.

This album is far more than that though. It is a veritable smorgasbord of indie rock influences thrown together in a pastoral mix of gently twisting guitar riffs and harmonised vocals.

From the "A Lotta Things" which feels like it could have come straight from the 1997 alternative rock masterpiece "Too Many Days Without Thinking" by Swell, onto the "Roscoe" era Midlake echoes of "I Am Here (I Am Alive)" this record seems to have been designed to appeal specifically to me.

The whole set has a generally relaxed vibe that means it is not music for every occasion, but for those late evenings/early mornings, or sun kissed summer days it is perfect.

Other influences include The Velvet Undergound on "Saved", and Spiritualized on "Saw A Light".

If any of these name checks gets your juices flowing then I strongly recommend you give this album a listen. I'm glad I did.

I "saw a light" indeed.

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