I used ‘Robin Guthrie’s Springtime‘ as the header because it is most certainly not Norman Weatherly’s springtime. ‘Robin Guthrie’s Springtime‘ may be taken as an optimistic look forward, but even that could be a long wait. It is not uncommon for winter to linger well into March, a swing month that can go either way, late winter or early spring. April holds more hope for spring weather, with the possibility of some lingering snow and the harbinger of spring more determined than previous months. May, now we are talking about serious springtime. Given the timeline I have laid out for your benefit, this EP is either too early or overly optimistic by about five months. I hope for the latter.

What can be said with certainty is that these are four darn fine pieces of sonic dreamscapes. I can get lost while doing some task with ‘Robin Guthrie’s Springtime‘ playing, and before I know it, the EP comes to an end which necessitates me hitting the repeat button. Robin Guthrie, yes, the one from the Cocteau Twins, has offered up some easy listening that hits the sweet spot. Soothing chill music to ease a troubled mind in the troubled times of Covid.

Following the late 2021 releases of the ‘Mockingbird Love’ EP, the full-length album ‘Pearldiving’ and the ‘Riviera’ EP, the new year brings yet another release by legendary Scottish music sculptor Robin Guthrie.

On January 4th, exactly sixty years after his birth, Guthrie is releasing his ‘Springtime’ EP via his Soleil Après Minuit imprint with distribution in North America via Darla and in Europe by Cargo. These four new titles were recorded in the summer of 2021, soon after completing ‘Pearldiving,’ his first album in nine years.

‘Springtime‘ is a standalone collection featuring Robin Guthrie‘s ever-present signature sound and atmosphere. His approach to music is perhaps more akin to that of a painter or a photographer. The adept use of light and shade, melody and counter-melody, the carefully and precisely arranged instrumentation, musical textures, and colourings give his music a depth and level of detail which marks a master artisan.

Keep up with Robin Guthrie

Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud | Instagram | Spotify | LinkedIn | Email

‘Springtime’ EP https://robinguthrie.bandcamp.com/album/springtime
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/3LOmByf0SD8GqTH0kKhxpu
‘Riviera’ EP https://robinguthrie.bandcamp.com/album/riviera
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/5ZQ3eZrkx5JqeoyQTgqFIE
‘Pearldiving’ https://robinguthrie.bandcamp.com/album/pearldiving
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/3qeHLQq8W62NOm4SH9Yya6
‘Mockingbird Love’ EP https://robinguthrie.bandcamp.com/album/mockingbird-love
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/78iqh8E1w21f5RxVUNXPuq

Chalk up another good year full of good music. I am fond of collecting data on what I have listened to rather than compiling a best-of collection. I do this because no artist is better than any other artist or band. That applies to album releases as well. To me, there are just differences. I listened to 585 different albums this year. That number does not consider the bucket full of singles or Apple curated lists that I listened to in twenty twenty-one or some of the albums I listened to on Apple Music, and it got stuck on repeat.

There are some solid contenders for the most listened-to spot. They are all winners to me. The most frequently listened-to album of 2021 was the perennial favourite, Dark Side of the Moon, with seven listens. We have nine copies of DSotM in our library, and I have been a steady listener of this album since it first landed on my turntable in 1973. I listened to other albums by Pink Floyd as well this year, I simply listen to Dark Side of the Moon more frequently. More frequent than other albums by Pink Floyd and more frequent than any other album in our library.

The second most frequently spun was Exotic Quixotic by Lusitanian Ghosts. I didn’t particularly like this album, but I kept repeatedly listening, hoping it would click eventually. Unfortunately, it never did.

There were several other contenders worth mentioning. The Tender Age by Ward White was a good listen. After white, we have black. As in Black to the Future by Sons Of Kemet. Not as strong as Your Queen Is A Reptile but still a good listen.

The most-listened-to band/artist for 2021 was The Beatles, with 18 album listens. It is interesting to note that out of those 18; there was only one album that got heard more than once. That album waw Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band which I listened to twice.

The top runner-up is a perennial favourite that makes a showing in this list every year, Various.

One most listened-to album within the category of various was Spiritual Jazz: The World. A very well-put-together collection of music that works together seamlessly.

The most-listened-to format in 2021 was streaming, with 337 out of the possible 585. Vinyl only had 120, although it seemed like more. We are in the digital era, so those numbers should be no surprise.

The year of release that I listened to the most was 2021. I heard a lot of new music now that I have been blogging submissions from various sources. 1969 to 1972 were all in double-digit listens as were 1975, 1977, 1979, 1982, 2006, and 2020. A bit of shotgun listening going on there.

I was some other music that moved my heart but didn’t make it onto any list. Here are a few, there are too many to mention all of them.

Cannonball Adderley, Sam Jones, Art Blakey, Hank Jones, Miles Davis on the LP Somethin’ Else from 1958.

King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King from 1969 and The Great Deceiver series from 2021.

TRAITRS Horses in the Abattoir 2021

Collect Call on The Golden Hour 2021

Anthony OKS on In The Garden 2021

So there it is, what Norman listened to in the year 2021. There was plenty of good music and none in there that I will call a stinker and never listen to again. It’s all good music, just different ways of putting it together.

I want to give a big shout out to some people who helped me with music appreciation this year:

Shauna McLarnon from Shameless Promotion PR contact@shamelesspromotionpr.com.

Johan Larsson from Mystic Sons johan@mysticsons.com 

Jack Dwyer from Mystic Sons jack@mysticsons.com

Johan Larsson from Mystic Sonsjohan@mysticsons.com 

It turned out that the letter ‘B’ would need smaller parts; the whole package would be too large and cumbersome. So here we go.

The B-52’s first release was their eponymous and, in my opinion, best offering. A flood of good memories came flooding as I listened to this oft-played album—memories of going round and round at the roller skating rink as Rock Lobster blasted out of the speakers. I don’t know who the DJ was, but they knew how to pick good songs.

Bachman Turner Overdrive. I was 18 and had a good-paying job, and a car that I installed a cassette deck in and a frequently played cruiser album was this eponymous offering from BTO.

The other album I have from them is 4 Wheel Drive; while it is a good album, it doesn’t carry the power or the memories that cling to the first album.

Joan Baez. An iconic name in the folk music canon. I don’t have much of her music, just her self-titled album and Joan Baez Vol. 2. I respect her for her contribution to music, and these were two pleasant albums.

Caroll Baker’s 20 Country Classics is next in line. I don’t remember how I came to acquire this album. It’s not a bad album, and it’s just not that good either. She made a small splash in Canadian and western music charts and then faded away.

Long John Baldry

It Ain’t Easy. I should have good memories of this album, but they are fuzzy because I was dead drunk by the time Long John Baldry started his set and not much better by the end. I still enjoy listening to this album and kicking myself for not keeping the original copy and the signed cover that I staggered out with at the end of his show.

Baldry’s Out is a good album, but it is not the same as It Ain’t Easy. This album shows how he didn’t stay in a rut with a sound that didn’t change. He was willing to shake it up and move on with fresh material.

Long John Baldry is yet another good listen but not the same as the other two. Many roads lead to the nirvana of music, and these three show three different and enjoyable ways.

I need to be in a certain mood to listen to Bobby Bare. I vacillate between hating his music and loving every note,I don’t know why but it’s true. I was in a good mood when I heard Bobby Bare on “This I Believe” and “This is Bobby Bare.” “This I Believe” is a gospelish album, not a preachy album, and it is a decent listen as a collection of feel-good music. “This Is Bobby Bare” is a double album best of offering and a good collection of music that showcases his talent. I enjoyed both of these records.

Syd Barrett. The Madcap Laughs. This album was released the same year as Dark Side of the Moon, and that is where the comparison stops. This album sounds very similar to the early Pink Floyd albums. No surprise there, right. I hadn’t listened to this album recently, so it was a pleasant time listening. That is surprisingly good, considering how messed up he was considered by many. Roger Waters and David Gilmour contributed to this record, making it all the more interesting in that it is a Syd Barrett album, not a Pink Floyd album. Or, at the very least, not a contemporary Pink Floyd album. As I stated before, this record certainly has the heritage of early Pink Floyd releases that Syd Barrett was a driving force and a principal player.

Barrett is the next Syd album, but it doesn’t grab hold of me in the same way that The Madcap Laughs did. It is still a good album, although it has a different flavour. David Gilmour contributed to this album as well as Richard Wright. The keyboards of Richard Wright are the high point on this album for me, delicious playing.

An Introduction To Syd Barrett. This album features a series of new remasters and remixes, all overseen by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. The cover art, featuring various images relating to songs contained within the album, was designed and created by long-term Pink Floyd conceptual artist Storm Thorgerson. An Introduction To Syd Barrett was a good overview of his work, and the remixes were splendid.

The Beach Boys
I have three albums from the Beach Boys, “Wow! Great Concert, “Endless Summer” and “1962-1965.” Although I am not a massive fan of them, they can still entertain me. I was fortunate to have seen them live; they are masters of working a crowd with their repertoire.

There we go, part one of the letter B. Stay tuned for part two.