Yo guys I found my blogger password! Let's celebrate this with my 9th annual album of the year ranking. A little later than I wanted, but considering I listened to pretty much as many albums over last 9 months as I did over previous 18, I think we're doing fine and maybe we'll stay on track to finally finish this ranking in Jan-Feb next year.
As always, let's start with a top10 singles playlist. And some honorable mentions:
30. Rita Payes - De camino al camino
29. Santiago Downbeat - Salon de Baile
28. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God
27. samlrc - A Lonely Sinner
26. Sorcha - Stomp the Floor
25. MONO - OATH
24. Poppycock - Magic Mothers
23. HighSchool - Accelerator
22. Louie Zong - RAT TAXI
21. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - 35
And now some opinions! Oh no!
(Each album cover links to a representative song from it).
Probably the most experimental position on this year's list. An instrumental jazz-funk album recorded with vintage gear in attempt to capture the 70s soul sound. Although I would say it's unmistakably modern with this style of layered production and very purposeful configuration of synths. But it's definitely trippy, and I think that kind of trippiness is what captures the inspiration most. If chill modern jazz with subtle hiphop stylings is your thing then I would certainly check it out.
Jhariah's music is kind of, like how movies portray music theater. Rather than showing what it is, it's moreso how people doing it imagine it in their heads. In a more pristine and crazy and exciting way. AOTY.org users further describe it as "emo-pop" or "dark cabaret", I could throw in "vivziecore". But it's a really unique blend of these sensibilities with some funky instrumentation and sort of electro-swing production. It just feels like very fun music with lot of honest excitement put into it, without filter of embarrassment or trying to meet anyone's standards but the artist's.
An album that gave every critic an opportunity to discuss how they feel about minimalism, long-held notes and pipe organs. And while all those are important aspects of the album for me as well, it definitely wouldn't be here without the brass. It has these very deliciously arranged compositions where each sound fits the whole thing like a puzzle, Kali's music feeling a like a rubik's cube getting solved. There's lots of interesting things on the album, such as some compositions getting performed multiple times with different instrumentations, and generally rotating pieces for voice, organs and brass. Needless to say it's a very contemplative record that's deceptively attention-grabbing, it will keep you interested, while also making you feel really cultured, like you have a pre-smartphone attention span.
The debut EP of already viral folk artist, seemingly doing something similar to Gorillaz - creating a whole fictional universe told trough music and illustrations, with band "The Lark" in the center. Most importantly to me, the sound is very interesting - at the core I would say it's like songs from a medieval Disney movie. They are very euro-folky, but I don't think they can be placed in any particular tradition. And something about these compositions certainly speaks "modern", more like Aurora or Richard Dawson than The Chieftains. The childlike singing also gives it a new dimension of charm that makes me wonder if this something they can maintain for years to come, or if its evolution will become a part of the act. In any case, it's a very exciting and artistically fulfilling album that's also very approachable and I can't wait for more.
The third album of a conservatoire-gratuated saxophonist. On one hand, I feel like it tests my ability to really appreciate jazz beyond superficial elements like lively brass, fun pianos and complicated drumming. On the other, damn that's some really lively brass, fun pianos and complicated drumming. "The Seer" feels like a song that you would use in a movie as demonstration of musicians being really talented and locked in, I can almost see the Blue Giant visuals accompanying it. On the other hand the artist's bio will point out how elements of classical and r&b shine through, perhaps on tracks like opening "Dawn" or the single "Set It Free" featuring Kokoroko's Richie singing. With all the critical appraisal the album got, I feel like its quality is very palpable, even if I can't exactly put my finger on why and how.
A neat little psychedelic album with an undercurrent of funk rock inspiration. Takes all the best from your Mars Voltas of the world, but delivers it in a more core rock style full of cool riffs and exciting hooks. Love some of the weird production choices like the repeated outro of "Feel Alright" being mixed like a record skip, or Kasabianesque mastering of "One Of These Days". I don't know much about this austrian trio yet, but I might become a believer soon.
This band is still a fairly recent discovery for me, so hard to say how much of their pop-soul sound is just fresh and exciting due to novelty, and how much would I appreciate this album otherwise. But as it stands, it's a very light and approachable listening experience, with songs that could just as well start a party or simply brighten the background. I could never tell that this is in fact, a grieving record, as frontwoman's fiancé has died in an accident shortly before their wedding, with the opening track "The Vow" originally being written by Shannon to sing at the ceremony. If anywhere, the grief is perhaps most felt at hypnotic "So Lucky", concerned "The Moon Is In The Wrong Place" and contrasting "Life Is Unfair" - although after reading through a couple of reviews, it seems that everyone finds it somewhere different. Which I think speaks to the depth of this album and how interesting it is, especially if you're willing to dig deeper.
Now here's an album that's slightly more difficult to explain. Sure, there is a base of "contemporary dark folk" in line with something like Lankum, but the production is much more experimental, with amped instruments and subtle distortions. But the compositions themselves contribute to that weird feeling even more, it's really hard to pinpoint the exact atmosphere that the album is aiming for. You have this simplistic, almost childish rhythms like on "The Cramp", and then the cabaret-y "Can't Stop", followed by balkan-y "What Can The Matter Be?". It's just a super interesting album full of ideas, that never feels like it takes a complete left turn, but you never know what to expect from the next track, even on consecutive listens since it's too dense to fully remember. Perhaps the one album on this list that I wish everyone would give a chance to experience for themselves since it's really incomparable to anything else I know.
There's something unmistakable to me about British rock musician's swagger. Classy and sardonic, worn out but not showing fatigue. Slightly off-kilter, but ultimately pulling the listener into their world. Although it's a fairly depressing world, full of self-hatred, broken hearts, and difficulty getting your thoughts together. But the music helps usher the listener into that world very gently, and Perret's singing gives us a very engaging tour of it that further helps dispel apathy. Most of the album is fairly in britpop tradition, but it also gets fairly bluesy at times, or even spacey on tracks like "Do Not Resuscitate" reminiscent of Spiritualized. It's a very particular listen that introduced me to an artist I'm now very interested in.
Sometimes all you want from life is a brass ensemble with some pretty organs doing a kind of first-wave-ska impression, with a slight bend towards modern jazz-funk. If you got anything out of this label word salad then you know whether this album is for you, but otherwise... There's really not a lot to say about it. It's calm but steady, it's gentle but powerful, it stays within generally same tempo and atmosphere for most of its runtime. I just really like the arrangements and the production, it's a very pleasant style that I don't get to be picky about, but I don't really feel the need to.
You don't realize how much you missed a strong storyteller in music until it's been a couple dry years, at which point encountering one is a bit of a shock to the system - right, you can make music like this, evocative and enrapturing. With instruments and singing that have a more prose-like than poetic accentuation and use of emotions. It creates very vivid characters and scenes with very little detail necessary, songs like "Texaco" or "Cannibal Within" in particular really pulling the listener into their dark, but painterly worlds. An engaging album like few others on this list.
The third album in the symphonic trilogy that introduced me to this artist, and acts as a bit of landmark for me in terms of navigating modern classical. Ola's sensibility just really speaks to me - the sense of storytelling through music, finding sublime harmony between instruments, letting virtuosy speak for itself where appropriate. The violins on "Overture" clearly delineate that we're going on a grand journey, the brass on "Reviver" reinforces itself in a very reassuring way, each track has something exciting and interesting going for it. A beautiful jazz-classical mixture with sensibility of rock.
A band I've consistently enjoyed since their debut in 2021, apparently placing in my rankings consecutively at #37, then #22 and now here. Much of this is owed to their overall style and sound rather than individual characteristics of each album - a very fundamentals-based post-rock, with focus on instruments and atmosphere-building prior to exploding into long crescendos. But always with something interesting going on, avoiding the usual genre trappings of being either too reserved or too indulgent. Stuff like following the wall of sound of "Eager Glacier" with the marching rhythm of "Ponders End" just feels super inspired and like they really know what they're doing in crafting this exquisite music.
Let me start by saying - the opener "Gentle" is an absolute must-listen, probably my favorite song of the year. It's such an interesting composition that starts very minimalistic, each sound purposeful, but ends very passionate and gently bombastic. Most of the album doesn't go as hard in either direction, but Naima's passionate singing and subdued accompaniment remain steady and full of expression. It really does a lot with little, back-to-back songs "Further Away" and "Takes One" exemplifying the range of emotions available within this fairly confined tonal space. Probably the most intimate listen on this list.
This is another album that I can only describe as "all I could ever ask for". Singer Marely Munroe has pipes, talent and skill to express herself in this soul style like no one else. The compositions perfectly support her performances. The music harkens back to motown greats and jazz-soul giants like Ella Fritzegald and Nina Simone. It's beautiful and emotional and energizing, and inspires participation on earworms such us "Like A Woman". And it's only her second album in what's shaping up to be a hall-of-fame-worthy career.
Fuck yeah. English folk straight from the center of London, Paul McCartney-approved if anecdotes of him hopping onto sessions with harmonica are to be believed. Not only is this one of the most interesting collection of celtic songs I've seen, especially for a band's first record. But every performance is by far my favorite rendition of that number, with incredible interpretations and incredible execution. The desperation on "Prickle Holly Bush", the intensity of "Black Nag" expressed through instruments, in a slightly similar fashion to Richard Dawson's "Hob", but much closer to what seems like the traditional sound. They just hit every note perfectly and immediately became one of my favorite traditional folk bands out there.
There was pretty much no way this EP doesn't make the list - CKOD is one of my favorite bands, I even wrote a small review of their biography on this blog. I got into their music about 15 years ago, shortly before they released their 5th record, and then disbanded not long after. I never expected to hear one again. And best thing is - it's like they never left. And not in the sense that this sounds exactly like where they stopped, but rather like the natural evolution they would've landed on had they remained active. A supremely unique sound that melds together hundreds of influences from alternative rock, indie pop and neo psychedelia, and finally forms this modern take on post-punk. With lyrics that are simultaneously very vulnerable, straightforward, vulgar, but also deceptively witty in their choice of words and imagery. Hard to convey for non-polish speakers, but there's this sense of bizarre melancholy, a comforting ugliness. The band is deeply cynical, but no longer desperate or despairing. They might've accepted the world for what it is, but that doesn't mean they've become placated or unbothered with the way things are. Maybe all they can do at this point is vent. And venting won't hit me quite as hard as them trying to make sense of the world and figuring out what to do in it. But man I wish my vents were half as engaging.
Another one I don't know what to say beyond "it's fantastic". Organ-oriented jazz soul trio that simultaneously soothes and excites me for non-stop 35 minutes of harmonious noodling, with just perfect sound, perfect textures, tempo and atmosphere. And there's even a slight hint of rock excitement towards the end of the record. But first and foremost there's this primal sense of joy from playing on an instrument that's infectious and inspiring. Another instant favorite.
Saharan desert rock has become a staple of my lists since discovering Mdou Moctar in 2021. Unfortunately I've struggled to keep up with developing vocabulary to appropriately appreciate each record individually, rather than saying "yep it's another one of these". At least Etran de L'Air gives me something interesting to talk about - despite this being only their third record, they are 30-year veterans who've cut their teeth playing at Nigerien weddings, but only recently garnered a worldwide following that landed them in an LA studio to record this album. "100% Sahara Guitar" pulls you in and doesn't let go, they really mastered creating awe-inspiring tapestries of sound made of guitar and singing, with very raw and intense drumming driving everything forward. Trance through repetition mastered near perfection.
Absolutely fascinating. In year of many great albums that made me fall in love - this one manages to stand out with its uniqueness and imaginativeness. Post-punk/art-punk hybrid that slots right into the current wave of British Isles' post-punk revival, with sound that explores every shade of grey and brown. You get your simple but pushing bass, electric guitar building the backing layer of sound, while the spotlight is on vocalist who sounds like he's holding back anger, delivering his wry but poignant lyrics. A tense and anxious album that sounds almost like a warning to the listener - with saxophone sometimes cutting through it with some much needed positive energy, but sometimes only amplifying the foreboding darkness. My favorite track is "Practise Whislt You Preach", with its witty turns of phrase, and incredibly engaging bridges that break into a catchy counter-melody that demonstrates the power of context with how it works on the underlying riff, complimenting and transforming the song. The music elevates the lyrics and lyrics elevate music, gently but decisively haunting the listener. Another end of the world party you simply must attend.
No comments:
Post a Comment