the toppermost of 2013

Hello, my friends. Yes, I have returned from the wilderness. Actually, I didn't go anywhere. A series of business plans, musical endeavors, and odd back issues caused me to be blogless for a while. Now, I'm back, back, BACK!

Let's kick off this short entry with a list of my ten, favorite longplayers of 2013. Hopefully, at some point, I will be able to go into more detail about each one. I promise to try to post as much as possible without another hiatus. For the time being, let's just look at my top picks. Drum roll, please!

David Bowie - "The Next Day"
Disclosure - "Settle"
Agnetha Fältskog - "A"
Goldfrapp - "Tales Of Us"
Alison Moyet - "The Minutes"
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - "English Electric"
Pet Shop Boys - "Electric"
Prefab Sprout - "Crimson/Red"
ShyBoy - "Water On Mars"
Suede - "Bloodsports"

There you have it. Discuss amongst yourselves. There will be a quiz.

loose change

Alison Moyet is about to release the stuttering staccato of "Changeling" as the next single from her current, glorious longplayer, "The Minutes".

It's a strange choice for a single. Perhaps I should clarify. It's a bold statement. The perfect single to showcase Alf's edgier, more synth driven direction with collaborator and knob twiddler extraordinaire Guy Sigsworth.

But, if memory serves me correctly, wasn't this the first track from the album? That's what I find so odd about the choice of single. It was already the first taste we got of her daring, much welcomed direction. In these digital days, I guess it doesn't matter which song is the teaser track or an official single.

Anyway, she looks fierce in the clip. Dressed in a black neoprene number which gives her a slightly futuristic appearance, she stands defiantly against a backdrop of kaleidoscopic city scenes, her herky jerky motions adding an air of anxiety.



"Changeling" will hit the "shops" on October 14.

this girl is on fire

Thanks to a bit of geo blocking, those of us based in the USA were denied access to the video for "When I Was Your Girl" for nearly a week! Outrageous! Thankfully, we waiting patiently for it. Panic was held at bay.

Of course, the single is the first to be lifted from Alison Moyet's eighth solo longplayer, "The Minutes", even though a previous track, "Changeling", was leaked a couple of weeks ago as a little taster of things to come. Comparing the two tracks, it's easy to believe the album will features a wide variety of sounds.



Alison looks absolutely stunning. Such a gorgeous woman with a stunning voice. To these ears, the feeling, fire, emotion and passion of the song is reminiscent of her Jules Shear cover, "Whispering Your Name".

"The Minutes, which hits the "shops" on May 6, had its knobs twiddled by electronic master, Guy Sigsworth. This bodes well for the album as it puts Alison squarely back in the shoes she wore when she was one half of Yazoo in the early 80s, while still maintaining the singer/songwriter sound she started developing with "Hoodoo" and carried on through "Essex" and "Hometime". This is not a retro retread!

The following are the eleven songs that make up the entirety of "The Minutes".

1. Horizon Flame
2. Changeling
3. When I Was Your Girl
4. Apple Kisses
5. Right As Rain
6. Remind Yourself
7. Love Reign Supreme
8. A Place To Stay
9. Filigree
10. All Signs Of Life
11. Rung By The Tide

Hard to believe next year will mark the 30th anniversary of her solo elpee, "Alf".

Moyet minutes

The stunningly gorgeous artwork for Alison Moyet's forthcoming album, "The Minutes", has been revealed. Eleganza!

"The Minutes" will hit the "shops" on May 6. The first single, "When I Was Your Girl", will be available from April 1. Prepare to be enthralled!

the minutes in moments

Alison Moyet just delivered "Changeling", the first fruits of her labor for "The Minutes", her forthcoming eighth studio longplayer.

Produced by knob twiddling legend and electronic wizard, Guy Sigsworth, the track shows Alison returning to her programmed roots while still maintaining her robust vocal delivery.



The stuttering, squelchy production set against Alison's passionate vocal is a powerful mix. Guy, who has produced Madonna, Björk and Imogen Heap, brings a new dimension to Alison's music while still maintaining her identity. A magnificent match!

I'm very much looking forward to the new album. But I'd like Sony to pull their fingers out and get to releasing deluxe editions of her back catalog? They were on the release schedules and then they disappeared into the mist!

get set with the jet set

There are few things more gruelling than the flight from NYC to LA. The long security lines. The surly flight attendants. The tiny seats which make you feel like herded cattle.

However, five hours of timezone hydroplaning allows me the opportunity to catch up on some new(ish) music. There was no better way to spend part of my journey than listening to "Reconnected Live", the audio documentation of Alison Moyet's return to the concert stage as one half of Yazoo. Together with Vince Clark, she circumnavigated the globe bringing joy to those of us that thought any pairing was only ever going to be the stuff of dreams.

The collection even includes an unreleased track from 1983. "Get Set" is the holy grail of Yazoo rarities and it finally sees the light of day. This previously elusive track is a typically bouncy, electro retro number which fits in perfectly with the entirety of Yazoo's recorded output. It was originally recorded as the theme for the UK television show "Get Ready For Summer".

Unfortunately, it's only featured as a bonus track on the iTunes download configuration of the album. Not sure why labels insist on doing this. Surely, their fanbase would prefer its inclusion on the CD.

Alison Moyet has been keeping quite busy lately. This week, she made a guest appearance at The Buggles' show in London. It was their first ever live performance, and they played their debut longplayer, "The Age Of Plastic", from top to tail. Of course, with Trevor Horn's pedigree, they played a few other Horn related nuggets.

Alison, looking slim and sexy, sang a couple of tunes including Yazoo's "Only You" backed by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and their impressive group of musicians. Highlight of the evening had to be Alison stepping in for Grace Jones on "Slave To The Rhythm". No easy task considering Grace's formidable presence, but Alison's powerful pipes certainly compliment the immense production of the song.

This isn't the best visual representation of her take on "Slave To The Rhythm", but it's the only clip of it uploaded to YouTube, so far. I don't think it's possible she could sound more amazing.



As if that wasn't enough, the remastered reissues of Alison's first four solo albums should hit the "shops" shortly. Haven't heard a peep about them since they were announced earlier this year. It would be in Sony's best interest to get them out while her profile is high.

Lastly, Alison is working on a new album with Guy Sigsworth at the helm. Amazeballs in the making!

more Moyet remastering

After the success Alison Moyet has had with her recently released hits collection, Sony has announced that plans are in the works for some long overdue brushing up of her back catalog.

Not only will Alison's first four longplayers - "Alf", "Raindancing", "Hoodoo" and "Essex" - get the remastering treatment, but they will each feature a second disc containing b-sides, 12" versions and remixes associated with each period. Huzzah!

It's really about time. Funny how many projects are being remastered, reissued and revisited lately. In the 90s, at the height of my compilation and retrospective production, there were endless albums that were criminally ignored because the labels didn't think anyone gave two dingles about them. Oh, how times (and revenues) have made labels change their tunes.

Moyet makeover

When you've had a career reaching back nearly 25 years, it's easy to have had one or two greatest hits collections under your belt. In the case of a rare few, they will have released three retrospectives. The trick is to make each one special enough for diehard fans and casual listeners alike.

So it is, after the rousing success of the Yaz(oo) tour with Vince Clarke and the anticipation of a forthcoming hits tour, Alison Moyet will return on October 19 with a new, appropriately titled compilation, "The Best of Alison Moyet: 25 Years Revisited". Her third such collection after "Singles" in 1995 and "The Essential Alison Moyet" in 2001.

The deluxe edition of the album will feature a second disc will contain eleven, brand new interpretations of Alison’s favorite songs from her back catalogue recorded with her current live band. Yes, you heard me shriek with delight.

The following is the tracklisting for "The Best of Alison Moyet: 25 Years Revisited" which features songs from across all of her seven solo albums:

CD 1 - "The Best Of Alison Moyet"

1. Love Resurrection
2. All Cried Out
3. Invisible
4. Where Hides Sleep
5. That Ole Devil Called Love
6. Is This Love?
7. Weak In The Presence
8. Ordinary Girl
9. Love Letters
10. It Won't Be Long
11. This House
12. Hoodoo
13. Footsteps
14. Whispering Your Name
15. Should I Feel That Its Over
16. More
17. Yesterday’s Flame
18. Windmills Of Your Mind
19. Almost Blue
20. One More Time

CD 2 - "25 Years Revisited"

1. All Cried Out
2. Ski
3. Hoodoo
4. Ordinary Girl
5. Midnight
6. This House
7. Find Me
8. Footsteps
9. Is This Love?
10. Situation
11. Wishing You Were Here

And Alison is sporting a new, svelte and sultry look. After years of struggling with her weight, she has managed to get it under control with the help of her devoted husband who she has known for 20 years.





Thanks to fellow, pop aficionado Stephen Sears over at XO's Middle Eight for directing our attention to Alison's stunning transformation. Photographer Chris Floyd certainly captured Alison's beauty in ways we haven't seen in years. Bravo!

Although, I must admit that I'm not in love with the cover art for the album. It looks a bit down market for such an auspicious collection. Surely they could've not made it look like it belongs in the budget bin.

the waiting game

I've been playing around with Soundcloud for a while and I totally dig it. Imagine being able to share songs among friends in a simple, easy way. Oops! My infomercial roots are showing. Must get those touched up.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, I discovered a brand new track that's about to be released by New York, electro maestros, My Robot Friend, which features the husky, dulcet tones of Alison Moyet. It's called "Waiting" and it's going to appear on MRF's forthcoming longplayer, "Soft Core", which will be available on October 13 from all fine shops (what's left of them) and digital storefronts.

Clicky click for joy.

It almost starts out a bit like "The Other Side Of Love" for a moment. Then that unmistakable voice struts in and lets you know she's raring to blow. The whole thing has shades of Yaz.

Apparently, there is a new, greatest hit collection in the pipeline scheduled to be released before the end of the year. As if brilliant sets like "Singles" and "The Essential Alison Moyet" didn't cover her career properly. Not sure why someone feels the need to scrub them up.