Merseyside music’s top 30 tracks of 2014 so far

Merseyside’s top tracks of 2014 so far

Merseyside music has had another vintage year, Getintothis‘ Peter Guy selects his annual top 30 tracks thus far.

They say music is cyclical. While we’re not sure who they are – they’re probably correct. And on Merseyside, it seems we’re entering a new phase in the expanding sonic snowball that’s been evolving for sometime.

The 2010-2013 cycle which saw a vast array of fledgling Merseyside-based artists mount serious musical campaigns on a national level has come to fruition with many leaving an indelible impression and a solid platform from which to build. Many of these artists are currently in hibernation period, ingesting ideas, honing new music and formulating their next move.

In the present, there has been a slight sea change. With the exception of Circa Waves, who burst out of the blocks, signing for Transgressive and dallying off into the Libertines-endorsed sunset, there’s been a slow-burn of new artists finding their way around the region. It’s been harder, yet perhaps more intriguing to see how their music will develop. They’ve clearly taken nods from the mini generation before them and are thriving off the current strong infrastructure at the heart of Liverpool’s music community but there’s a sense of ‘something to live up’ – and a growing sense of expectation and ambition.

You can genuinely sense how much many of these new, young musicians want it. No bad thing. For as these 30 tracks exemplify, there’s serious contenders. And once again, like the cycle before them, there’s no consistent strand of music tying it together. It’s simply a glorious mess of magnificence. The national music press this week printed a piece on the current Liverpool music scene – and while it wasn’t incorrect, it also missed the point. It essentially repeated what the city’s music lovers have been going on about for a very long time.

The new cycle has begun. These artists are at the forefront.

30. Kasst & Kozmic: In Time