What do you think?
Rate this book
Perfect Sound Whatever
The hilarious and heartwarming new memoir from James Acaster: cult comedian, bestselling author, undercover cop, receiver of cabbages.
January, 2017.
James Acaster wakes hungover and alone in New York, his girlfriend having just left him. Thinking this is his rock bottom, little does James know that by the end of the year he will have befouled himself in a Los Angeles steakhouse and disrespected a pensioner on television.
Luckily, there is one thing he can rely on for comfort – music. In true Acaster fashion, this ends up with a completely unnecessary mission: to buy as much music as he can released in 2016, the year before everything went wrong (for James, at least). Some albums are life-changing masterpieces, others are ‘Howdilly Doodilly’ by Okilly Dokilly, a metalcore album devoted to The Simpsons character Ned Flanders. But all of them play a part in the year that James gets his life back on track.
In PERFECT SOUND WHATEVER, James takes us through the music of 2016, the bullshit of 2017, and how the beauty of one defeated the ugliness of the other. He will also reveal how he stole a cookie from Clint Eastwood and attempted to complete his musical odyssey by reforming one of Kettering’s most overlooked bands.
January, 2017.
James Acaster wakes hungover and alone in New York, his girlfriend having just left him. Thinking this is his rock bottom, little does James know that by the end of the year he will have befouled himself in a Los Angeles steakhouse and disrespected a pensioner on television.
Luckily, there is one thing he can rely on for comfort – music. In true Acaster fashion, this ends up with a completely unnecessary mission: to buy as much music as he can released in 2016, the year before everything went wrong (for James, at least). Some albums are life-changing masterpieces, others are ‘Howdilly Doodilly’ by Okilly Dokilly, a metalcore album devoted to The Simpsons character Ned Flanders. But all of them play a part in the year that James gets his life back on track.
In PERFECT SOUND WHATEVER, James takes us through the music of 2016, the bullshit of 2017, and how the beauty of one defeated the ugliness of the other. He will also reveal how he stole a cookie from Clint Eastwood and attempted to complete his musical odyssey by reforming one of Kettering’s most overlooked bands.
304 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2019
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 535 reviews
August 28, 2019
James Acaster is perfect. He is the 2016 of people.
November 12, 2023
This was enjoyable for me. A great way to find new music and artists while also getting to know James Acaster
January 11, 2020
This book is literally perfect for me. It combines my three biggest passions: books, music, and English panel-show comedians.
As with his last book, I listened to the audio again. I love hearing James Acaster talk - even when he’s not telling jokes or being deliberately funny, there’s something about him that’s just so compelling.
He gets very real here about his mental health struggles, his suicidal thoughts, his therapy, all the things going wrong in his life, and much more, and it is real and raw and dark and deep but somehow still very funny throughout?
He also goes into a lot of detail about different artists and albums and their musical processes, which I understand some people who aren’t particularly interested in music might find boring, but I found it fascinating and I now have a long list of new artists to look up and discover!
As with his last book, I listened to the audio again. I love hearing James Acaster talk - even when he’s not telling jokes or being deliberately funny, there’s something about him that’s just so compelling.
He gets very real here about his mental health struggles, his suicidal thoughts, his therapy, all the things going wrong in his life, and much more, and it is real and raw and dark and deep but somehow still very funny throughout?
He also goes into a lot of detail about different artists and albums and their musical processes, which I understand some people who aren’t particularly interested in music might find boring, but I found it fascinating and I now have a long list of new artists to look up and discover!
September 14, 2019
I like Acaster a lot – he’s an amazing comic – but this book is... kind of boring. When he’s in stand-up mode, talking about his own life, it’s predictably great (though he dealt with much of this life-history better in his last show). But Perfect Sound Whatever is mostly about music, and he writes blandly and clunkily about that: earnest at the expense of insight, leaning on vague platitudes.
He also makes the completely mystifying decision to render his many interviews with artists in reported speech (rather than direct quotes), patiently explaining their motivations and mitigation in a way that makes it sound like he’s their mum. Removing the musicians’ voices makes these potentially affecting and insightful stories sound remote and virtually identical.
Which is a shame, as I was really looking forward to this one, and it’s clearly a labour of love. I did find a few cool new records, though. I say ‘new’ – they’re all from 2016.
He also makes the completely mystifying decision to render his many interviews with artists in reported speech (rather than direct quotes), patiently explaining their motivations and mitigation in a way that makes it sound like he’s their mum. Removing the musicians’ voices makes these potentially affecting and insightful stories sound remote and virtually identical.
Which is a shame, as I was really looking forward to this one, and it’s clearly a labour of love. I did find a few cool new records, though. I say ‘new’ – they’re all from 2016.
April 23, 2022
Essentially a book of reviews of albums from 2016 that James bought and listened to in 2017. As a result of this he posits the theory that 2016 was the best year in music ever.
Also, alongside the reviews, Perfect Sound Whatever is a memoir of James difficult year in 2017 in which he struggled both emotionally and professionally.
Funny and engaging, plus you'll be introduced to cool new music.
3.5 stars 🌟
Also, alongside the reviews, Perfect Sound Whatever is a memoir of James difficult year in 2017 in which he struggled both emotionally and professionally.
Funny and engaging, plus you'll be introduced to cool new music.
3.5 stars 🌟
August 23, 2019
Ahh, I listened to this book so quickly and now I’m sad it’s over! I would consider myself a casual music fan, I’ll find a few songs I really like and listening to them over and over until I get sick of them. But I’m happy to say that this book made me to find a new found excitement for music. You can hear James Acaster’s passion for every song he writes about and although my taste in music is slightly different to his it made me share this passion. As for the storyline, he somehow managed to make it reasonably light and got a few good laughs out of me, despite talking about a very difficult period of time for him (which speaks to his talent). The openness he approached every story with was great as I felt like it made it easier to relate to some of the problems he was dealing with. James Acaster truly held nothing back in this awesome book which I think everyone should give a try. Honestly feel like no review can fully sum up how much I enjoyed it.
February 10, 2021
It's always good fun when your coping mechanism is getting hyperfixated on things and your current hyperfixation is a man called james acaster who has the exact same coping mechanism as you and this entire books essentially calls you out for getting hyperfixated on things instead of dealing with your anxieties yay. There is a very small chance this book triggered my depression ✌🏾 But I actually really enjoyed it especially the autobiographical sections which were very funny but also very sad and sweet. As an ~academic~ I love seeing people using obsession to pay the bills. Gives me hope LOL. Good Audiobook 4/5 stars.
August 14, 2021
My year has been a bit scrambled and since covid, I can't seem to read as much as I used to. Not quite sure why is that important for the review of this book, but there it is. Ok, I actually remembered why. I guess 2017 for James was a scrambled year as well and I could sympathize and understand his book from a slightly different angle than I would in a regular year.
I thought it was very brave and important for James to talk about his mental health issues. I know everyone keeps saying that about any half-famous bloke or famous lass who talk about mental health, but it still is important. Last winter being the hardest on me so far, I could empathize with his story.
The musician stories were too short and didn't stick. I didn't like them due to this reason alone. Usually, I really like the origin stories of songs, but this didn't stick.
Nevertheless midway through the book, I got quite an inspiration to explore new music. I've started to listen to a lot more music this year and have started to explore uncharted theories. So James has accomplished the goal he set out with this book - to look for your best year in music. I don't know what it tells about me, but obsessively listening to music released in a specific year doesn't seem that weird to me.
We came around an extremely weird part of the book. It was a part I had once already heard from James himself. I attended his "new material" night in London and one of the stories - about lasagna has been engrained in my brain since then. I didn't know how to feel about it, so I just concentrated on my memories from the night, which made me miss London a lot. So I will be moving back there and hopefully see many more shows by James before he abandons England in favour of New Zealand.
I didn't know this book is about music, it was a surprise once I started. I checked out some of the music James mentioned but found that we probably don't have much in common and some of the music he likes is and I quote "just noise" to me. Nevertheless, he ended the book by mentioning Elizabete Balčus and her 2016 album (to which I'm listening as I type this). She and I are both from Latvia, so I found this book to be a satisfying circle with a meaningful ending.
Despite me not really liking the book, it was the right book at the right time for me and made me feel a lot of things.
And I almost forgot to mention that I love that story about Kettering and Lohan - 5/5.
I thought it was very brave and important for James to talk about his mental health issues. I know everyone keeps saying that about any half-famous bloke or famous lass who talk about mental health, but it still is important. Last winter being the hardest on me so far, I could empathize with his story.
The musician stories were too short and didn't stick. I didn't like them due to this reason alone. Usually, I really like the origin stories of songs, but this didn't stick.
Nevertheless midway through the book, I got quite an inspiration to explore new music. I've started to listen to a lot more music this year and have started to explore uncharted theories. So James has accomplished the goal he set out with this book - to look for your best year in music. I don't know what it tells about me, but obsessively listening to music released in a specific year doesn't seem that weird to me.
We came around an extremely weird part of the book. It was a part I had once already heard from James himself. I attended his "new material" night in London and one of the stories - about lasagna has been engrained in my brain since then. I didn't know how to feel about it, so I just concentrated on my memories from the night, which made me miss London a lot. So I will be moving back there and hopefully see many more shows by James before he abandons England in favour of New Zealand.
I didn't know this book is about music, it was a surprise once I started. I checked out some of the music James mentioned but found that we probably don't have much in common and some of the music he likes is and I quote "just noise" to me. Nevertheless, he ended the book by mentioning Elizabete Balčus and her 2016 album (to which I'm listening as I type this). She and I are both from Latvia, so I found this book to be a satisfying circle with a meaningful ending.
Despite me not really liking the book, it was the right book at the right time for me and made me feel a lot of things.
And I almost forgot to mention that I love that story about Kettering and Lohan - 5/5.
November 14, 2019
The memoir sections of this book initially come in small glimpses, but build up a pretty comprehensive picture of a year in which workload and relationships had a detrimental effect on James' mental health. There are an incredible amount of music recommendations throughout the book, and the stories that Acaster has discovered behind the artists own state of mind during the recordings add a level of connection to the albums. The stories behind many of the albums illustrate similar themes to Acaster's own life in 2017: loneliness, guilt, and ill health. The breadth of musicians talked about is particularly impressive.
Focusing an entire book based on largely overlooked albums from the year 2016 can at first seem incredibly niche, however the passion that went into the project as well as the relation of this to his own personal struggles is hugely compelling.
Focusing an entire book based on largely overlooked albums from the year 2016 can at first seem incredibly niche, however the passion that went into the project as well as the relation of this to his own personal struggles is hugely compelling.
September 23, 2019
You know when you get stuck at the pub talking to the guy who goes on and on and on about obscure bands and how „you absolutely have to download this album by this little known band from Southampton who sing only in Swedish except they don’t know Swedish but still it’s magical“?
Yeah that’s this book.
A promising start, followed by insanely niche rambling (he almost lost me when talking about that Bandcamp album he loved that was downloaded by only 7 other people) but the ending got better.
Yeah that’s this book.
A promising start, followed by insanely niche rambling (he almost lost me when talking about that Bandcamp album he loved that was downloaded by only 7 other people) but the ending got better.
September 24, 2019
Aimed more or less directly at me, so I had a great time, but I can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone who isn't expressing their mental illness via hyper-aggressive music consumption and cataloguing.
January 3, 2022
In an ideal world I wanted to go through the book, album by album, listening to each one after reading the context/how he found them. However, I would never have finished the book if I had continued with this, so read the second half through without listening to anything. This way it was quite repetitive and a bit of a slog, the interludes of his year were a welcome relief but I wanted more of them as the albums came thick and fast. I picked up some amazing music that I never would have found otherwise, so will definitely be going through it slowly again now whenever I need a new album.
This book also changed the way I think about music, as I too often rely on artists that I know I like/have heard of/think I’m meant to like. Many of the artists Acaster finds from 2016 are reacting to similar political/social issues that we are having to deal with now, and so after reading about their modern day motivations and struggles I find them more relatable and lyrically interesting, where previously I have often dismissed new music.
James approached the project amid the fallout from Brexit, and felt alienated from his country/people and the growing sense of nationalism. This clearly influenced the music he listened to, and it would be interesting to do the same thing in 2022 - after nearly 2 years of the pandemic, isolation, and more social turmoil.
This book also changed the way I think about music, as I too often rely on artists that I know I like/have heard of/think I’m meant to like. Many of the artists Acaster finds from 2016 are reacting to similar political/social issues that we are having to deal with now, and so after reading about their modern day motivations and struggles I find them more relatable and lyrically interesting, where previously I have often dismissed new music.
James approached the project amid the fallout from Brexit, and felt alienated from his country/people and the growing sense of nationalism. This clearly influenced the music he listened to, and it would be interesting to do the same thing in 2022 - after nearly 2 years of the pandemic, isolation, and more social turmoil.
May 20, 2020
James Acaster is a very funny and underrated comedian. I was very happy to see he wrote a book and snatched it up. I loved the autobiographical portions of the book which were just as funny as I was hoping for.
I didn't enjoy the music information as much as I thought I would. He gets very detailed about some really obscure musicians and albums from 2016. I do like listening to people speak passionately about something they love, but I felt lost a lot. Maybe it was because I was listening to an audiobook and wasn't able to pull up and listen to the songs he was talking about. Obviously he wouldn't have been able to include snippets of songs without violating copyright laws. Maybe I should have just read a physical book and had Spotify open at the same time?
I still had a good time listening to this audiobook. I just think I didn't get the full experience.
I didn't enjoy the music information as much as I thought I would. He gets very detailed about some really obscure musicians and albums from 2016. I do like listening to people speak passionately about something they love, but I felt lost a lot. Maybe it was because I was listening to an audiobook and wasn't able to pull up and listen to the songs he was talking about. Obviously he wouldn't have been able to include snippets of songs without violating copyright laws. Maybe I should have just read a physical book and had Spotify open at the same time?
I still had a good time listening to this audiobook. I just think I didn't get the full experience.
October 16, 2021
This book is written with such sincerity and interest that I can't help but love it. The way Acaster talks about the albums and organises them next to his own experiences is fantastic. It's a book for people who love music, but are not necessarily musicians.
I haven't listened to most of the albums mentioned, and probably won't get round to it. Let's be honest, over an album every day for a year is a huge undertaking. But the way the music is written about Is inspiring. The context given for everything is fantastic.
I'd recommend this to anyone who loves music in general, and especially to those who feel like they can't find new stuff. This book articulates just how much beautiful music is out there.
Also James Acaster's scrapes mentioned in this book are hilarious. If you like his shows, it's more of that.
I haven't listened to most of the albums mentioned, and probably won't get round to it. Let's be honest, over an album every day for a year is a huge undertaking. But the way the music is written about Is inspiring. The context given for everything is fantastic.
I'd recommend this to anyone who loves music in general, and especially to those who feel like they can't find new stuff. This book articulates just how much beautiful music is out there.
Also James Acaster's scrapes mentioned in this book are hilarious. If you like his shows, it's more of that.
January 29, 2023
| | blog | tumblr | ko-fi | |
3.5 stars (rounded up)
A compilation of wonderfully funny and awkward anecdotes.
Perfect Sound Whatever will definitely appeal to readers who are already acquainted with James Acaster. As I consider him to be one of my favourite comedians I was looking forward to this new book by him. Acaster manages to translate his 'on screen/on stage' humour to both the print and the audiobook format of Perfect Sound Whatever. What comes through is also his passion for the project that is at the heart of Perfect Sound Whatever: to convince his audience that 2016 Was The Best Year For Music.
He recounts of how the music from this particular year helped him rediscover his love for music and come through a particularly miserable year (aka 2017) in which his girlfriend broke up with him, he was dropped by his agent left him, and had to stop seeing his incredibly unprofessional therapist.
His deep dive into pop, rock, indie, metal, electronic, and some very obscure music of 2016 clearly provided him with both purpose and relief.
Throughout his endlessly amusing narrative he intersperses some of his favourite 2016 tracks, providing readers with some information about the artists' life, career, and music style. His critique of these songs were surprisingly in-depth as he is able to discern exactly what elements of a track speaks to him and why. Acaster also manages to fit the right artist and track to a particular moment of his 'not-so-good' year. These songs clearly spoke to him and it was lovely to see the way in which music helped him feel more in control of his life.
I recommend listening to the audiobook format as Acaster's performance enhances his already entertaining book.
3.5 stars (rounded up)
A compilation of wonderfully funny and awkward anecdotes.
Perfect Sound Whatever will definitely appeal to readers who are already acquainted with James Acaster. As I consider him to be one of my favourite comedians I was looking forward to this new book by him. Acaster manages to translate his 'on screen/on stage' humour to both the print and the audiobook format of Perfect Sound Whatever. What comes through is also his passion for the project that is at the heart of Perfect Sound Whatever: to convince his audience that 2016 Was The Best Year For Music.
He recounts of how the music from this particular year helped him rediscover his love for music and come through a particularly miserable year (aka 2017) in which his girlfriend broke up with him, he was dropped by his agent left him, and had to stop seeing his incredibly unprofessional therapist.
His deep dive into pop, rock, indie, metal, electronic, and some very obscure music of 2016 clearly provided him with both purpose and relief.
Throughout his endlessly amusing narrative he intersperses some of his favourite 2016 tracks, providing readers with some information about the artists' life, career, and music style. His critique of these songs were surprisingly in-depth as he is able to discern exactly what elements of a track speaks to him and why. Acaster also manages to fit the right artist and track to a particular moment of his 'not-so-good' year. These songs clearly spoke to him and it was lovely to see the way in which music helped him feel more in control of his life.
I recommend listening to the audiobook format as Acaster's performance enhances his already entertaining book.
November 10, 2019
Other than seeing Acaster put in a great performance on Would I Lie To You, I didn't really know a great deal about him, but this was a great birthday gift from my daughter (thanks Nat!).
I certainly didn't know he was such a huge music fan. OK, the premise of buying 366 albums from 2016 sounds like something a comedian might do to get a book out of it (think Tony Hawks lugging a fridge around Ireland, etc), but it doesn't read like that. Acaster writes truthfully (uncomfortably so at times) about the problems he endured in 2016-17, both in his private life and his career, carefully - and at times brilliantly - interweaving these issues with relevant records.
Perfect Sound Whatever starts off with a couple of key records from 2016 - the final (classic!) releases from two musical icons, David Bowie and Leonard Cohen (Blackstar and You Want It Darker respectively) but after that - with the odd exception such as Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Nick Cave, John Cale, etc - there are an awful lot of obscure acts included here. I took the trouble to listen to most of the choices (I have just got a few from the epilogue to check out as I write) and to be honest there's quite a lot I am not remotely bothered about hearing again, but that is ultimately besides the point as Acaster made them all sound interesting, as he recounted the backgrounds behind them. There were also a few* I am definitely going to check out again.
I'd give this book four and a half stars if I could x
*Rock & Waves Song Circle, Ka, Zeal & Ardor, TW Walsh, Arabrot, Wes Borland, Wei Zhongle, Sadie Dupuis, Run The Jewels, Denmark Vessey if anyone is interested! :)
I certainly didn't know he was such a huge music fan. OK, the premise of buying 366 albums from 2016 sounds like something a comedian might do to get a book out of it (think Tony Hawks lugging a fridge around Ireland, etc), but it doesn't read like that. Acaster writes truthfully (uncomfortably so at times) about the problems he endured in 2016-17, both in his private life and his career, carefully - and at times brilliantly - interweaving these issues with relevant records.
Perfect Sound Whatever starts off with a couple of key records from 2016 - the final (classic!) releases from two musical icons, David Bowie and Leonard Cohen (Blackstar and You Want It Darker respectively) but after that - with the odd exception such as Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Nick Cave, John Cale, etc - there are an awful lot of obscure acts included here. I took the trouble to listen to most of the choices (I have just got a few from the epilogue to check out as I write) and to be honest there's quite a lot I am not remotely bothered about hearing again, but that is ultimately besides the point as Acaster made them all sound interesting, as he recounted the backgrounds behind them. There were also a few* I am definitely going to check out again.
I'd give this book four and a half stars if I could x
*Rock & Waves Song Circle, Ka, Zeal & Ardor, TW Walsh, Arabrot, Wes Borland, Wei Zhongle, Sadie Dupuis, Run The Jewels, Denmark Vessey if anyone is interested! :)
March 9, 2021
Have you ever had a conversation with a music snob? They use genres that are gibberish; they ramble on and on about the composition of songs; they “like” music that feels like work to listen to and if they ask your opinion on music it’s to enhance their own feeling of superiority - and to allow them to form an expression of derision should you mention any band that more than 30 people have heard of.
This feels like the book version of that conversation.
Don’t get me wrong, I respect what james has done here- talked about some very difficult personal issues and then described bands going through the same and how it impacted their music. I also understand and respect any ways we can do to raise awareness of men’s mental health issues. But I wanted to hear more from James and less about random self produced albums I have no memory of. I read the whole book and while I can tell you about the issues James was facing, I can’t tell you about more than 3 albums he spoke about. So, not for me this book, sorry James.
This feels like the book version of that conversation.
Don’t get me wrong, I respect what james has done here- talked about some very difficult personal issues and then described bands going through the same and how it impacted their music. I also understand and respect any ways we can do to raise awareness of men’s mental health issues. But I wanted to hear more from James and less about random self produced albums I have no memory of. I read the whole book and while I can tell you about the issues James was facing, I can’t tell you about more than 3 albums he spoke about. So, not for me this book, sorry James.
September 2, 2019
Can't be objective about this one. Acaster's way with prose is second-rate, and he only really has one note as a music writer, but this is still an incredibly powerful, wonderful book that in a very pure way details just how redemptive the right album in the right place can be. I will read it again and again.
August 15, 2021
James Acaster collects the music of 2016. He has amassed (as of 2020) over 600 albums released in 2016, and posits that 2016 is the best year of music.
Well, kind of.
What he actually posits is that for him, the music of 2016 was instrumental (heh) to him as a person, impacting his both his growth and his mental health. So in 2017—the worst year of his life, according to the author himself—he set out to collect 366 albums from 2016 in order to outlast his crumbling relationships and depression.
A few notes:
1. There was a passage near the end of the book about how any important, critical year could be considered a personal 'best year of music' that I really enjoyed because it does take the original prop-like conceit ("2016 is the best year in music") and breaks it apart in order to provide better depth and breadth. It's not just that 2016 had some bangers, it's also that this project and this music saved Acaster in some way, making it far more meaningful than just songs, MP3s, records. It's personal, and I think that's important and interesting and really one of my favorite takeaways.
2. I did come out of this with an urge to listen to so many of these wild and varied albums that I'm almost a little frustrated because I don't have the foggiest idea where to start. Like, there's just so much music, wtf.
The little calendar in the back isn't a bad idea, though, if only I could commit to an album a day.
2.5 I'm musically dumb af, to be clear. Like: I like music, and I like what I like, and I can't tell you more than that. Bops, man.
3. The book is told as interwoven descriptions of Acaster's life in 2017 partnered with album reviews / musician biographies. I thought Acaster's bits were decent enough, and the album reviews engaging, but the biographies felt so ridiculously clunky that I was kind of frustrated by them. It's clear that Acaster was able to connect with some of these artists directly, and the stories just feel like they're being retold secondhand down a shitty phoneline: there's no grace to them, no nuance or character.
I appreciate what the intention was but the execution was distinctly lacking, especially when compared to other bits that felt far more natural and engaging.
Well, kind of.
What he actually posits is that for him, the music of 2016 was instrumental (heh) to him as a person, impacting his both his growth and his mental health. So in 2017—the worst year of his life, according to the author himself—he set out to collect 366 albums from 2016 in order to outlast his crumbling relationships and depression.
A few notes:
1. There was a passage near the end of the book about how any important, critical year could be considered a personal 'best year of music' that I really enjoyed because it does take the original prop-like conceit ("2016 is the best year in music") and breaks it apart in order to provide better depth and breadth. It's not just that 2016 had some bangers, it's also that this project and this music saved Acaster in some way, making it far more meaningful than just songs, MP3s, records. It's personal, and I think that's important and interesting and really one of my favorite takeaways.
2. I did come out of this with an urge to listen to so many of these wild and varied albums that I'm almost a little frustrated because I don't have the foggiest idea where to start. Like, there's just so much music, wtf.
The little calendar in the back isn't a bad idea, though, if only I could commit to an album a day.
2.5 I'm musically dumb af, to be clear. Like: I like music, and I like what I like, and I can't tell you more than that. Bops, man.
3. The book is told as interwoven descriptions of Acaster's life in 2017 partnered with album reviews / musician biographies. I thought Acaster's bits were decent enough, and the album reviews engaging, but the biographies felt so ridiculously clunky that I was kind of frustrated by them. It's clear that Acaster was able to connect with some of these artists directly, and the stories just feel like they're being retold secondhand down a shitty phoneline: there's no grace to them, no nuance or character.
I appreciate what the intention was but the execution was distinctly lacking, especially when compared to other bits that felt far more natural and engaging.
September 20, 2019
Nisam siguran koliko je opravdano da zameram knjizi na mojim pogrešnim očekivanjima, ali eto, zameriću joj. Volim Akastera, čovek u svojim pojavljivanjima na britanskim panel emisijama odaje onaj posebni šarm kotrljajućeg niza nesrećnih koincidencija, te sam od ovoga ipak očekivao malo više njemu specifičnog humora. U suštini, gomila muzičkih preporuka iz 2016. godine (od kojih mnoge znam, da se pohvalim hipsterstvom) sa klimavo i suviše entuzijastično napisanim komentarima na iste, uz par anegdota koje Akastera za te albume vezuje. Ne posebno zanimljivo slušanje - sva sreća pa Audible ima return opciju.
2+
2+
September 3, 2019
Loved it. Cleverly drawing parallels between the experiences of artists making their 2016 albums with his own eventful 2017, with funny bits. Very well done.
And now I have about 100 new albums I have to go listen to...
And now I have about 100 new albums I have to go listen to...
September 3, 2019
The chapter on Lindsay Lohan and Philip Hollobone is incredible
April 6, 2024
4.5 Stars
Couldn’t be more pleased with this read, Acaster strikes again! There was just something so magical about the prose used to describe all of these albums and how the themes followed the same narrative as James’ experience in 2016/17. I can’t say I’m a massive music person but this actually excited me at the prospect of discovering new music and in turn, that music helping you discover yourself.
This was very close to being a 5 star read for me but, unfortunately, I felt like it dragged nearer to the end. I don’t know whether this was actually the case or if it was just because of me feeling too drained but either way, I still enjoyed myself thoroughly.
I will most certainly be listening to as many of the albums mentioned as I can - promise!!
Couldn’t be more pleased with this read, Acaster strikes again! There was just something so magical about the prose used to describe all of these albums and how the themes followed the same narrative as James’ experience in 2016/17. I can’t say I’m a massive music person but this actually excited me at the prospect of discovering new music and in turn, that music helping you discover yourself.
This was very close to being a 5 star read for me but, unfortunately, I felt like it dragged nearer to the end. I don’t know whether this was actually the case or if it was just because of me feeling too drained but either way, I still enjoyed myself thoroughly.
I will most certainly be listening to as many of the albums mentioned as I can - promise!!
July 31, 2023
Such a lovely book by such a lovely man! Encouraged me to approach listening to music really actively and make sure that I take real enjoyment in it. I love that he's so unpretentious (or at least self aware and very open and unjudgemental of music or genres that seems "basic" or "lame) and took such effort to get in touch with the artists mentioned in the book. A real labour of love <3
November 20, 2019
Perfect Sound Whatever is James Acaster’s account of his life in 2017, a year of stress, both personally and professionally, from which he took refuge in hundreds of albums released the previous year. As he accumulated these albums he built evidence for the humorous assertion that 2016 was the greatest year in music ever. But the humour hides a deadly serious intent to persuade you that 2016 really was the greatest year in music ever.
As chance would have it, I spent 2016 working my way through Rolling Stone Magazine’s top 500 albums of all time, a project culminating in a list of sixty favourite tracks posted on my blog. So I was always going to love the idea for Perfect Sound Whatever. But did I end up agreeing with this claim that 2016 was the greatest year in music? In answer I would like to mention the time when James has a late night snack in New York. He buys lasagna, heats it up, tucks in with a serving spoon and is disappointed. Later, drunk and desperate he turns to the now cold meal and discovers a magical transformation in its cold creaminess, with crispy bits around the edges. A few days after this gastronomic transfiguration, he tries to recreate the experience with another portion of the same lasagna, using the same oven and the same fridge, only to cook up a disgusting, chilly mess. The one variable in this experiment was the fact that James wasn’t drunk the second time. So, the moral of this tale is that there are two things to consider in judging the music of 2016 - the music and the person listening to it. James was going through a turbulent period in his life, and times of trouble can bring with them a kind of hypersensitivity. I recall very clearly listening to Jethro Tull’s Thick As A Brick when my father was seriously ill. Every tumbling note from Ian Anderson’s flute sounded like bird song. The Victorians used to say that hunger is the best sauce, and hunger for comfort is sometimes better than Hi-Fi when it comes to music. I think something similar happened to James. Sharpened awareness collided with a lot of good music, which turned out to be as delicious as that first serving of cold lasagna. But was that meal objectively delicious, or subjectively tasty? As George Harrison said in Savoy Truffle, “you know that what you eat you are, but what tastes sweet now turns so sour.”
So I don’t agree that 2016 was the best year in music ever. But my reservations don’t take away from James Acaster’s musical journey and what it meant to him. James, as most of us do at one time or another, felt lost and alone in 2017, and in those times music can be a saviour. From humanity’s earliest days, music has been a way of bringing people together, to work as a team. We see that in all kinds of music from sea shanties and marching tunes, to delirious sing-alongs with Blur at Glastonbury. Of course one lot of marchers can clash with another, so it makes sense to join not with one exclusive crew or marching band, but with the music of humanity in general; and James is very good at throwing himself across all kinds of musical frontiers. Along with hilarious accounts of wretched interactions with healthcare professionals, and disastrous dinner dates with sociopathic women, this musical eclecticism was the most attractive aspect of the book for me - a welcome antidote to the present political situation.
James was an occasionally grumpy, but mostly charming companion who thanked me for reading his book on its final page. The only thing I would suggest is that he is the sort of person who when in the grip of an enthusiasm is affronted if the world does not share his passion. There is a generosity here, and something more difficult, a sense that James’s experience should be everybody else’s. Perhaps the ability to go on your journey, whilst letting others go on theirs, is an equally generous approach. I think, to be fair, there is an acknowledgment of this in the book’s title, Perfect Sound Whatever, taken from a song by Jeff Rosenstock. A perfect sound can also be ordinary or imperfect. No one person, and no one time, has a monopoly on perfection.
Perfect Sound Whatever is an extremely funny and often moving book, with great suggestions if your music listening has become stale and in need of a shake up. I really enjoyed it.
As chance would have it, I spent 2016 working my way through Rolling Stone Magazine’s top 500 albums of all time, a project culminating in a list of sixty favourite tracks posted on my blog. So I was always going to love the idea for Perfect Sound Whatever. But did I end up agreeing with this claim that 2016 was the greatest year in music? In answer I would like to mention the time when James has a late night snack in New York. He buys lasagna, heats it up, tucks in with a serving spoon and is disappointed. Later, drunk and desperate he turns to the now cold meal and discovers a magical transformation in its cold creaminess, with crispy bits around the edges. A few days after this gastronomic transfiguration, he tries to recreate the experience with another portion of the same lasagna, using the same oven and the same fridge, only to cook up a disgusting, chilly mess. The one variable in this experiment was the fact that James wasn’t drunk the second time. So, the moral of this tale is that there are two things to consider in judging the music of 2016 - the music and the person listening to it. James was going through a turbulent period in his life, and times of trouble can bring with them a kind of hypersensitivity. I recall very clearly listening to Jethro Tull’s Thick As A Brick when my father was seriously ill. Every tumbling note from Ian Anderson’s flute sounded like bird song. The Victorians used to say that hunger is the best sauce, and hunger for comfort is sometimes better than Hi-Fi when it comes to music. I think something similar happened to James. Sharpened awareness collided with a lot of good music, which turned out to be as delicious as that first serving of cold lasagna. But was that meal objectively delicious, or subjectively tasty? As George Harrison said in Savoy Truffle, “you know that what you eat you are, but what tastes sweet now turns so sour.”
So I don’t agree that 2016 was the best year in music ever. But my reservations don’t take away from James Acaster’s musical journey and what it meant to him. James, as most of us do at one time or another, felt lost and alone in 2017, and in those times music can be a saviour. From humanity’s earliest days, music has been a way of bringing people together, to work as a team. We see that in all kinds of music from sea shanties and marching tunes, to delirious sing-alongs with Blur at Glastonbury. Of course one lot of marchers can clash with another, so it makes sense to join not with one exclusive crew or marching band, but with the music of humanity in general; and James is very good at throwing himself across all kinds of musical frontiers. Along with hilarious accounts of wretched interactions with healthcare professionals, and disastrous dinner dates with sociopathic women, this musical eclecticism was the most attractive aspect of the book for me - a welcome antidote to the present political situation.
James was an occasionally grumpy, but mostly charming companion who thanked me for reading his book on its final page. The only thing I would suggest is that he is the sort of person who when in the grip of an enthusiasm is affronted if the world does not share his passion. There is a generosity here, and something more difficult, a sense that James’s experience should be everybody else’s. Perhaps the ability to go on your journey, whilst letting others go on theirs, is an equally generous approach. I think, to be fair, there is an acknowledgment of this in the book’s title, Perfect Sound Whatever, taken from a song by Jeff Rosenstock. A perfect sound can also be ordinary or imperfect. No one person, and no one time, has a monopoly on perfection.
Perfect Sound Whatever is an extremely funny and often moving book, with great suggestions if your music listening has become stale and in need of a shake up. I really enjoyed it.
July 15, 2023
what happened is i boarded a train that i'd be on for 11 hours, naively thinking i'd work and sleep and contemplate life while watching italy become austria become germany. but it's deutsche bahn, so the aircondition broke, and i had to dab myself with a towel and chug water and sit poised so that my sweaty back wouldn't touch and soak the warm cushion of the seat while an old lady next to me was wearing cold compresses on her forehead and the employees of deutsche bahn were frantically handing out water bottles and apologising. so i couldn't work, or sleep, or think at all. so i decided to binge-read acaster's 316 page manifesto on why 2016 was the greatest year for music of all time for a solid 9 hours or so. the fact that i didn't grow sick of this book or lost focus says something about my horrible overheated state, but also about the book. the concept of it was not so appealing to me at first but this book was in a second hand book store in munich for 2 euros and i'm a big fan of acaster and i wanted to support him.
thing is, reading about acaster's mental health deteriorate in 2017 in fragmented anecdotes, combined with his enthusiasm for all the music from 2016 he (obssessively) found (some in obscure corners of avant-garde genres) has been oddly comforting. it's filled me with warmth (yes, yes, I was already warm) for acaster, and music, and for the brutal beating that life sometime is. i actually - on week 3 of sleep deprivation and next to loud germans and in delayed trains that make me reminisce my cold cold home country - really enjoyed reading this book.
thing is, reading about acaster's mental health deteriorate in 2017 in fragmented anecdotes, combined with his enthusiasm for all the music from 2016 he (obssessively) found (some in obscure corners of avant-garde genres) has been oddly comforting. it's filled me with warmth (yes, yes, I was already warm) for acaster, and music, and for the brutal beating that life sometime is. i actually - on week 3 of sleep deprivation and next to loud germans and in delayed trains that make me reminisce my cold cold home country - really enjoyed reading this book.
July 31, 2020
while this is first and foremost a book about music (and, specifically, one man's obsession with a particular year in music) the bit that i surprisingly enjoyed the most was the discussion of mental health interwoven throughout. james acaster is one of my favourite people, and i really appreciated his honesty and openness when discussing his depression. he talks about how his 2016 album project was a coping mechanism of sorts, and the importance of therapy. it's very comforting to know someone you admire and look up to struggles with the same things as you. perfect sound whatever isn't as funny as classic scrapes (though i still genuinely laughed out loud several times over the course of reading this) - it's more of a collection of musical portraits than anything else - but i think that suits the tone and message of the book.
james's music recommendations are eclectic and often esoteric to say the least. there'll be something for everyone in there to have a go at, whether it be math-rap or a folk bandcamp project. there were parts i skimmed here and there, purely because i just didn't have an interest in a particular genre. that being said, a lot of the artists he talks about have fascinating histories regardless of their style. i really wish i'd listened to the audiobook, but i'll definitely be rereading this at some point to broaden my musical tastes and to hear james's dulcet kettering tones.
james's music recommendations are eclectic and often esoteric to say the least. there'll be something for everyone in there to have a go at, whether it be math-rap or a folk bandcamp project. there were parts i skimmed here and there, purely because i just didn't have an interest in a particular genre. that being said, a lot of the artists he talks about have fascinating histories regardless of their style. i really wish i'd listened to the audiobook, but i'll definitely be rereading this at some point to broaden my musical tastes and to hear james's dulcet kettering tones.
February 21, 2020
The book is comprised of two distinct parts, James Acaster recounting the emotional and psychological journey he went through that ultimately lead him to become obsessed with the music of 2016, and the reviews of the music he came across on this journey.
The retelling of the personal and professional turmoil he felt he during 2017 is honest and open hearted. His descriptions of his mental and emotional state are frank and brave at times. He moves from being very silly to very serious with great ease and it's never jarring.
Where the book falls down are the reviews of the music. These pieces are not poorly written but do feel like an unwanted interludes between the much more interesting story being told. There are attempts made to link the themes of the music described to what's happening in James' life - these are effective some of the time, but more often you feel like you can see the workings going on in the background to shoehorn the work of certain artists to fit with certain anecdotes.
I thinks it's unfortunate that he or his publishers felt it was necessary to couch a personal memoir with great potential within the gimmicky confines of the 2016 music review concept.
Ultimately, what I liked about this book, I liked a lot and it will encourage me to go back and read Classic Scrapes and look forward to what James Acaster turns to next.
The retelling of the personal and professional turmoil he felt he during 2017 is honest and open hearted. His descriptions of his mental and emotional state are frank and brave at times. He moves from being very silly to very serious with great ease and it's never jarring.
Where the book falls down are the reviews of the music. These pieces are not poorly written but do feel like an unwanted interludes between the much more interesting story being told. There are attempts made to link the themes of the music described to what's happening in James' life - these are effective some of the time, but more often you feel like you can see the workings going on in the background to shoehorn the work of certain artists to fit with certain anecdotes.
I thinks it's unfortunate that he or his publishers felt it was necessary to couch a personal memoir with great potential within the gimmicky confines of the 2016 music review concept.
Ultimately, what I liked about this book, I liked a lot and it will encourage me to go back and read Classic Scrapes and look forward to what James Acaster turns to next.
November 21, 2020
I wish I loved anything at all the way James Acaster loves music from 2016. I really enjoyed reading this in little short sharp burst, it was hard to binge the vignettes from his life, the potted biographies of artists and the epic, poetic descriptions of their albums. Listening to new music consumes so much of my time and attention that I rarely do it but I did mark a few pages with stuff I think I’d like.
Writing about music people broadly haven’t heard is brave but it works! My favourite genre of podcasts is about films I generally haven’t seen so maybe that’s just me. I probably wouldn’t have been as interested to pick this up if I hadn’t listened to Acaster’s excellent Perfect Sounds podcast on the BBC, so maybe some background is helpful in engaging with this instead of treating it as one man’s account of his niche obsession. It was great to read a man be so frank about his mental health in 2020.
On a personal level this made me reassess my interactions with media, my dedication to literally nothing in my life fully and my passiveness to my career and my art. For a man who claims to have taken a year off he sure made me feel extremely lazy.
Writing about music people broadly haven’t heard is brave but it works! My favourite genre of podcasts is about films I generally haven’t seen so maybe that’s just me. I probably wouldn’t have been as interested to pick this up if I hadn’t listened to Acaster’s excellent Perfect Sounds podcast on the BBC, so maybe some background is helpful in engaging with this instead of treating it as one man’s account of his niche obsession. It was great to read a man be so frank about his mental health in 2020.
On a personal level this made me reassess my interactions with media, my dedication to literally nothing in my life fully and my passiveness to my career and my art. For a man who claims to have taken a year off he sure made me feel extremely lazy.
November 16, 2019
On the plus side, I enjoyed reading more about James Acaster's life, and I enjoyed hearing some things about the musicians' lives to an extent. On the negative side, some of it was pretty boring because it was so subjective and the music fairly obscure. This was not as enjoyable to me as Nick Hornby's similar book '31 Songs'. I understand that James identified with a lot of the music because of what he was experiencing himself, and the unusual concept of the book reflects some of the unusual concepts of the albums he spoke about. I will go and listen to the Spotify playlist that accompanies the book, and see if I can find some new favourites for myself. The cold lasagne story basically sums up the whole book though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 535 reviews