Album(s) of the year

Unlike most years I’ve actually listened to a fair amount of music that’s been released this year. Top x albums in no particular order:

Black Pumas - Black Pumas
The Cinematic Orchestra - To Believe
Eagles of Death Metal - EODM Presents Boots Electric Performing the Best Songs We Never Wrote
Hanggai - Big Band Brass
Marika Hackman - Any Human Friend

I’ve been listening to a lot of Jazz this recently, so that is going to influence my picks heavily. In no particular order and/or genre:

Matthew Halsall: Colour Yes
The Delines: The Imperial
Rose City Band: Rose City Band
Steve Mason: About The Light
Ill Considered: Ill Considered 8
Jah Wobble and Bill Laswell: Realm of Spells
Soccer96: Rewind
Kandodo: K3
Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids: An Angel Fell
The Quiet Temple: The Quiet Temple

Other LPs worth a mention: Earth: Full Upon Her Burning Lips, Nick Cave & Bad Seeds: Ghosteen and the new one by Comet Is Coming.

Really, this year has been memorable for some very well curated reissues by Stereolab, box set reissues by New Order, A Certain Ratio and Section 25 (all ex-Factory obviously), Warp Records and of course Julian Cope’s Autogeddon reissue. I’m sure I’ve forgotten a load of things too.

1 Like

Started to make a list thinking I’d maybe pick 6 or so - currently at 22 !

Totally randomly I’ll suggest Kode9 and Burial, Fabriclive 100

https://www.discogs.com/Kode9-Burial-Fabriclive-100/master/1444444

and Billy Nomates, “No”

Although discogs says that the Fabric mix is actually 2018 :thinking:

The only albums that were released this year that have been added to my Tidal favourites are:

The Cure: Anniversary - Live In Hyde Park

Jenny Lewis - On The Line

Not sure I’ve had time to think on this much but one of the most interesting was

Angel Bat Dawid’s - Oracle. It takes some listening but I’ve found myself returning to it. ‘Black Spiritual future soul jazz’ is a very sucky descriptor but certainly there are many layers at play here.

Totally missed this one - cheers

1 Like

Pop wise I liked Lana Del Ray - Norman Fucking Roswell, Nick Cave - Ghosteen, James Blake - Assume Form, Big Thief - Two Hands. There might be more.

4 Likes

Not bought any albums from 2019

But favourite single is

image

Especially the radio edit version

Some fine choices here already. A few that have blown my frock up;

Emily King- Scenery
AURORA- Different kind of Human- Step 2
My Baby LIVE
Dominik Eulberg Mannigfaltig
Hayden Thorpe Diviner
Micheal Kiwanuka KIWANUKA
Nocturnal Sunshine Full Circle

Finally, my outright album of the year is Sturgill Simpson’s Sound & Fury. I didn’t know I needed a spiritual rework of ZZ Top’s Afterburner complete with batshit Netflix video in my life but apparently I did.

1 Like

Just too many, been a big Alt-Jazz year for me too, some of which have already been mentioned. Also The Home Current and Melt Yourself Down deserve a mention.

Pleasant surprises, for me, include the Gary Numan 40th Anniversary re-issues and the new Slipknot and Tool Albums.

Fab year for music all round :+1:

How the fuck I missed those two off my list I have no idea. I shall be reporting myself to the cockpunching thread forthwith.

Lizzo ‘Cuz I love you’

Slowthai ‘Nothing great about Britain’

Angel Olsen ‘All mirrors’

Fat White Family ‘Serfs up’

Sault ‘V’

Top 5 would be:

Boy Harsher - Careful
Acretongue - Ghost Nocturne
Numb - Mortal Geometry
Statiqbloom - Asphyxia
Twin Tribes - Ceremony

The way the cards have fallen this year, it’s mainly been gothy darkwavey rather than IDM.

I’ve stuck together a playlist:
Spotify – 2019

3 Likes

Cheers, looking forward to a listen.

Apologies this is a long list - but, in my defence, it has just been a great year music-wise.

In no particular order:

Blue World - John Coltrane

Beautiful Vinyl Hunter - Ashley Hendry

Dreaming Is Dead Now - Skinny Pelembe

Remind Me (The Classic Elektra Recordings 1978-19884) - Patrice Rushen

Melkweg - Jameszoo / Metropole Orkest / Jules Buckley

Braille, Slate & Stylus - The Natural Yogurt Band

Ebi Soba EP - Ebi Soba

Sad About The Times - V/A compilation

Diabolique - L’Epee

A Song For Paul - Ghost Funk Orchestra

Horace Tapscott With The Pan Afrikan People’s Orkestra Live At I.U.C.C - Soul Jazz Records re-issue

Visible & Invisible Persons Distributed In Space - V/A compilation from Numero Records

Turn To Clear View - Joe Armon-Jones

Feherlofia - Fenella / Jane Weaver

Voyage - Blue Lab Beats

Up On High - Vetiver

Building Better World - London Elektricity

1634 Lexington Avenue - Carlton Jamal-Smith

Serious Times - Kaidi Thatham

In Search Of Hades - The Virgin Recordings 1973-1979 - Tangerine Dream

Resavoir - Resavoir

Moving Cities - Antoine Berjeaut / Makaya McCraven

Chernobyl OST - Hildur Gudnadottir

Bastard Music - Meatraffle

Blume - Nerija

Jungle Run - Nubyan Twist

Obiaa - Pat Thomas & The Kwashibu Area band

Hometown: Detroit Sessions 1990-2014 - Tribe

As Olan mentioned the Stereolab re-issues are great.

Mavis Staples - We Get By
Cosey Fanni Tutti - Tutti
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Angel Olsen - All Mirrors
Brittany Howard - Jaime

Forgot about that, good shout :+1:

1 Like