Perfect Sound Whatever: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Immensely comforting - a witty and wise account of the rejuvenating effect of opening yourself up the the creativity of others.
Loved James Acaster's memoir / epic listicle that posits his theory that 2016 was the best year for music. His dry wit I expected, but was impressed by the real life stories of so many musicians the world over. Paints a striking picture of what it means to be a modern musician.
honest, unaffected, poignant - and, yes, entertaining
James is a phenomenally talented comedian and his music taste is second only to mine.
If, as the pundits say, comedy is like jazz then I'm against it. I didn't drill power chords and feedback techniques just to go fannying about looking for the melody. James Acaster, though, is a bit of an outlier. He's a music wonk with a sense of the ridiculous and his controversial theory that 2016 was the greatest year for music ever is off by a mere five decades. Interesting take, though.
'Loved James Acaster's memoir . . . paints a striking picture of what it means to be a modern musician' - Edgar Wright


January, 2017.
James Acaster wakes hungover and heartbroken in New York. Luckily, there is one thing he can rely on for comfort - music. In true Acaster fashion, this results in 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.

By turns hilarious, moving, Perfect Sound Whatever sees James takes us through the music of 2016, the bullshit of 2017, and how the beauty of one defeated the ugliness of the other.

'James Acaster is a music wonk with a sense of the ridiculous and his controversial theory that 2016 was the greatest year for music ever is off by a mere five decades. Interesting take, though' - David St. Hubbins, Spin¨al Tap