There were a lot of amazing albums released this year. As per usual, I’ve spent countless hours engulfed in new releases along with the albums of the past that I love. I couldn’t possibly list everything I listened to this year that I thought was worth sharing, but I’m going to list thirty-five albums here that really connected with me this year. I listened to all of these albums a lot this year and these were the ones that I was often returning to in times of not deep diving into back catalogs. These are in no particular order, but I will say that the first ten albums I have listed here are real standouts for me this year!
If you enjoy these albums, please spend some of your hard earned money on the ones that you really connect with. Every bit helps these artists continue to make compelling records. I’m also posting some of the album covers from this collection of records to showcase some of the artwork.
First Ten Standouts
- Joe Rainey – Niineta : listen/purchase
Envelope pushing Native American record engulfed in drum/singing…skin-tingling singing - Eric Chenaux – Say Laura : listen/purchase
Incredibly smart jazz informed experiments with voice and guitar - Jeannine Schulz – Humble : listen/purchase
Ambient micro-shifts of drift full of organic movements - Läuten der Seele – Läuten der Seele listen/purchase
Mangled collages in the arena of Mr. Rogers - John Scofield – John Scofield : listen/purchase
World class solo guitar of original pieces and interpretations of classics - Art Of Primitive Sound (W. Maioli, P. Meyer, L. Maioli) – Strumenti Musicali Della Preistoria: Il Paleolitico : listen/purchase
Primitive instruments in wide open recording spaces - Mali Obomsawin – Sweet Tooth : listen/purchase
Native song/singing framed within beautiful jazz freak-outs - John Also Bennett – Out there in the middle of nowhere : listen/purchase
Patient lap steel guitar and field recordings in desolate landscapes - Robert Haigh – Human Remains : listen/purchase
Harold Budd inspired works of piano and space - Peter Phippen – Into the Ancient : listen/purchase
World renowned ancient flute player with shimmering surroundings
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- Horse Lords – Comradely Objects : listen/purchase
Knitting Factory ready wicked smart mathy push and pull experiments in rock - Firebreather – Dwell In The Fog : listen/purchase
Super heavy and melodic Pabst induced Gibson LP doom sludge - Lifeguard – Crowd Can Talk : listen/purchase
Young kids channeling Unwound and Southern Records classics - Mike Baggetta / Jim Keltner / Mike Watt – Everywhen We Go : listen/purchase
Improvised stomps with jazz leanings trio work - ‘ t Geruis – Bain D’Étoiles : listen/purchase
Micro music that pushes repetition in the best way possible - Jon Camp – Jon Camp : listen/purchase
Guitar rag freak folk journey - The Web of Lies – Nude With Demon : listen/purchase
Heady scuzz that channels everything from Sonic Youth to Satisfact in garage lore - Cafe Kaput – Maritime (Themes and Textures) : listen/purchase
Channeling the best of what Eno had to offer in his early ambient inventions. Top shelf - Rosales – Woven Songs : listen/purchase
Beautiful slow shifting drone - Thought Forms – Clean : listen/purchase
Psych guitar based music without all of the tropes and reimagined acoustically - Friendship – Love the Stranger : listen/purchase
Songwriter based tunes channeling Richard Thompson and David Berman - Naujawanan Baidar – Khedmat Be Khalq : listen/purchase
Afghan street psych pumps that you can dance to - Lay Llamas – Goud : listen/purchase
Experiments in pop song writing but channeling krautrock, acid-folk, and Foetus - Adam H. – Floods : listen/purchase
Outstanding shifting long-form quiet to loud ambient passages - Yellow6 – A Change In the Weather : listen/purchase
Perfectly paced guitar based music for those that love Labradford, Pan American and Alan’s guitar work in Low - Deniz Cuylan : Rings of Jupiter : listen/purchase
Super mature guitar pieces channeling the likes of The Durutti Column - Éliane Radigue & Frédéric Blondy – Occam XXV : listen/purchase
Long form organ drone that changes with every listen - Gary Peters / Talk West – The Different Same : listen/purchase
Pedal steel with just a bit more structure than the great Susan Alcorn - Desolate Shrine – Fires of the Dying World : listen/purchase
Swirling black metal that you are constantly catching up with - Golden Feelings – Golden Feelings : listen/purchase
Sun saturated reverb drift with a hint of Pieter Nooten or Robin Guthrie - Beaunoise – Buchlaworks: Module III : listen/purchase
Smart improvised modular explorations - Aldous Harding – Warm Chris : listen/purchase
Songwriter-based music with unique phrasing wrapped perfectly within John Parish approaches - Sawako – Stella Epoca : listen/purchase
Falling apart fragments of found sound, horns, piano/synth composed framing Sawako’s voice with perfection - Pan American – The Patience Fader : listen/purchase
Stillness defined through delays, guitar, attention to detail…and patience - Undeath – It’s Time To Rise From the Grave : listen/purchase
Killer classic death metal songs not over-produced like so many in the genre these days