It’s that time of the year folks!
Usual format - please nominate your albums of the year. You can nominate several but please pick your overall favourite. New music ( or new recordings of classical pieces ) only so no re-releases or re-masterings or any other means of making you buy the same music over and over again.
For those of you who think that it’s too early to start this - feel free to come back at 2355 on 31st December and post your favourite.
On January 1st, I will pour myself a pint of medium sweet oloroso and count up all the votes for every album nominated. The ten albums with the most votes will be turned into a poll that members can vote for so that we can crown an overall winner (although I have a horrible feeling that I can predict this year’s winning album from a well known ageing guitar twiddler).
Remember - this is all about having a bit of fun and, most importantly, sharing new music that you have discovered this year.
These are my top ten new albums of the year ( in no particular order):
This was an easy winner for me. The man is utterly brilliant and keeps on getting better. After a few albums of, completely understandably, introspective music, he has returned to his bigger sound. He has developed on his themes of loss and mortality but there is hope, and even joy, woven in. People who think music can only sound good if it has the production values of the Alan Parson’s Project’s ‘The Eye In The Sky’ didn’t like it () but this just blew me away. The icing on the cake was his tour in November - the best live show I have ever seen.
Now get those digits working and vote for your favourite!
Lady Blackbird - Slang Spirituals [my top pick]
Nick Cave - Wild God
Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
The Zawose Queens - Maisha
Mulatu Astatke and Hoodna Orchestra - Tension
Not a great year for me. Lots of well-liked artists producing patchy albums or tepid retreads. For me Gruff Rhys, Gillian Welch, Nick Cave, The The, Michael Kiwanuka and Arooj Aftab all fall into that category. Like some of their output but this years offerings were unambitious retreads.
My own list includes
Ruth Theodore - I Am I Am.
Hurray For The Riff Raff - The Past Is Still Alive.
Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood.
Eliza Carthy and Ben Seal - Through That Sound (My Secret Was Made Known).
Nilufer Yanya - My Method Actor.
Frank Chickens - Ninja Legends: 1983 to 1989.
Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer,
MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks.
Bonny Light Horseman - Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free.
Lizzie No - Halfsies.
Kelly Lee Owens - Dreamstate.
The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again.
Dawn Landes - The Liberated Woman’s Songbook.
Only the first five have had repeated plays and come anywhere near being an album of the year for me. Enjoyed the other eight but all are patchy, promising or whatever.
These are my favourite releases, in no particular order, for this year:
The Cure - Songs of a Lost World
Nilufer Yanya - My Method Actor
Bonny Light Horseman - Keep Me on Your Mind / See You Free
Rosali - Bite Down
Jake Xerxes Fussell - When I’m Called
Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God
Max Richter - In A Landscape
Mount Kimbie - The Sunset Violent
Joana Serrat - Big Wave
Wunderhorse - Midas
Bess Atwell - Light Sleeper
I’m finding it difficult to decide on my album of the year out of that lot, but I think I’ll plump for Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
) but this just blew me away. The icing on the cake was his tour in November - the best live show I have ever seen.
