She's got a wicked way of acting like St. Anthony

I've done The Guardian's list of the top 50 albums of the year for the last three years and (mostly) enjoyed it, so here we go again with this year's list.  Last year I'd previously met ten of the list - it will be interesting to see whether that is repeated this year.  

#50 : Crazymad, For Me - CMAT

Coming off halfway between Jenny Lewis and Self Esteem, Dublin’s CMAT sets life’s greatest embarrassments to ritzy country showstoppers – the musical equivalent of piling your beehive high to distract from your tear-reddened eyes. On her second album, she tots up the price she has paid for her bad boyfriends, self-subjugation and knowing avoidance of less-than-romantic realities, always with mordant humour rather than self-pity: “I’m just some stewardess who feeds your pets / And does your dishes and pays your rent,” she sings on the delicate, harmony-heavy Such a Miranda. For all that she has lost in these songs – pride, love, literal cash – her perspective remains a firmly clasped jewel.

I've heard of CMAT, but I have absolutely no idea where from so it will be interesting to see if I recognise any of this.

Nope - no idea at all.  It's almost my thing (she's a female singer-songwriter after all), but not quite - it's a bit too twangy for my liking.  I do suspect that I might have liked it more if I'd listened to the lyrics, but I had to make the dinner, so I didn't have that luxury.  There are definitely Jenny Lewis vibes - I was also reminded of First Aid Kit in places and Paula Frazer if you know her (if you don't then check her out - she's got a very distinctive voice).  There was also some St Vincent quirkiness, but not quite as mad.

Interestingly, whilst I was making the dinner, my youngest came down (to remind me to make the dinner quicker so she didn't miss any of the football) and sat listening to it quite happily, humming along.  Kids experience (and accept) a much greater variety of music than would have happened in my day - I blame the internet!

Wikipedia tells me it's a concept album about "a 47-year-old CMAT time travelling back to the past to prevent herself from being in a relationship that ruined her life" - and here I should point out that Ciara Mary-Alice Thomson is currently 27, so she's certainly using her imagination there.  Other points of interest are that John Grant appears on "Where Are Your Kids Tonight?" and Declan MacKenna co-wrote and appears on "Vincent Kompany" - this album has some groovy track names on it with "Such A Miranda" and "Whatever's Inconvenient" also amusing me.  The critics really liked this album and it did pretty well commercially, getting to #25 in the UK and #1 in Ireland (as her debut album also managed).

"Customers also listened to" Thala, Nadine Shah, Willie J Heale and Self Esteem - we met the latter on the 2021 year-end list, but that's all I've got from that lot.  I feel I should give this more of a careful listen but I suspect that's just not going to happen - sorry CMAT!  

#49 : Mid Air - Romy

Even if her lyrics remain pretty much the same as ever – I love you; you hurt me – and the trance-y backings (chiefly by Fred Again and Stuart Price) are well-crafted but rote, Mid Air is saved from feeling mid by the sheer character and authority of Romy Madley Croft’s singing voice. The xx vocalist lifts everything here, whether she’s being tenderly consoling on Strong, tempering the jaunty beat and saucy punning on She’s on My Mind with audible worry or giving terrified little quivers of vibrato on Twice as she realises the strength and certainly of her feelings.

Our first previous meeting and this is one I actually listened to out of choice on a Brucie-bonus new release week - I said I didn't mind it but there was nothing to drag me back (and I can confirm I haven't been dragged back to it).

Wikipedia tells me that Fred Again (who I've heard of) and Stuart Price (who I haven't) were heavily involved and it also notes the similarity with EBTG, which I noted in my review.  The critics were very complimentary about it and it did better than I'd have expected commercially - #15 here, some minor chart placings in Europe and the odd ripple in some random US charts.

"Customers also listened to" Roisin Murphy (which also featured in the same Brucie-bonus review), Fred Again, James Blake and Oliver Sim (who we saw on this list last year).  I thought this was perfectly fine, but also perfectly unrequired. 

Two interesting albums that didn't quite hit the spot for me, but I do feel I should give CMAT a second chance or maybe check out her debut album

2020 - I can have a rest now
#48/47 - Two surprisingly enjoyable albums