I’m listening to this as I type, QS. I’m digging it.
1 Like
Sign of the times, eh. I’ve never heard of 90% of the artists here.
Now where’s my Zimmer frame ?
1 Like
Where’s my Zimmerman?
1 Like
Bob would have got my vote on this thread - if the next Bootleg series issue had been released in time. Alas, maybe next year 
1 Like
Ha ha funny bugger
I kind of know what you mean old fella 
1 Like
I would also include Boygenius in my runner-ups. Can’t believe I forgot to include it in my previous post, the album and the 10" EP are both excellent. No doubt I have forgotten other albums.
3 Likes
I have seen Lankum ‘False Lankum’ in this thread and on various other year end lists.
Taken me a while. It isn’t an ‘easy’ listen but has rewarded my effort and I am really enjoying it now. Folk is in very good hands.
This quote from the Pitchfork review is a bit pretentious (that is Pitchfork for you) but I get their point They take songs that trace back to lost worlds and make them sound instead like a future built on the ruins of today.
Bruce
3 Likes
I was interested to see that in today’s Guardian their album of the year was Lankum: False Lankum.
1 Like
Also number three on Mojo magazine and number one on Uncut magazine’s year-end lists.
I have now set up a new thread with a poll so get voting!
If you give False Lankum a try don’t be put off by the first few minutes that are fairly unremarkable. What follows is anything but I think.
Bruce
7 Likes
Has the 2023 winner been chosen yet?
If so, which won?
It was Gabriel, I think…
2023 was a bit of a slack year for new music for me. This thread is great to catch up with all the albums I missed.
Thanks to all those that have contributed.
Gary
Angie McMahons Light, Dark, Light Again was my album of the year.
1 Like
Peter Gabriel was my favourite but in agreement with you farthings - cat , not much that really got me going
I bought a few vinyls but not new music - mainly from the 50’s and 60’s jazz oriented eg: Ella Fitzgerald “ the lost Berlin live tapes “ really good
1 Like
It was indeed Peter Gabriel. There was a separate thread ‘The Naim Forum Album of the Year - The Poll’ where it is all documented
2 Likes
another fine review of the album by Rushton Paul in Positive Feedback;
Blockquote [Carmen Gomes Inc., Stones in my Passageway. Sound Liaison 2023 (32bit DXD, DSD256)
Wonderfully fantastic! Carmen Gomes at her inimitable best performing highly personal interpretations of the songs of legendary blues singer Robert Johnson. Gomes is a master communicator. “Imagine Robert Johnson walking alone late at night in the 1930s United States of America, enroute to his sad demise in Greenwood, Mississippi. As he walks, he reflects upon his life, accompanied by the sounds of of the night and the echoes of his memories.” That is the excellent summary of the theme of this album. But it still fails to fully capture the magic of Gomes and her band as they pay homage to these songs in their contemporary reimagination honoring this music.
This album deserves recognition as one of the best vocal albums released in 2023.
Carmen Gomes Inc. previously paid tribute to blues great Robert Johnson on their excellent album Up Jumped The Devil, released in 2020 . With Stones in my Passageway, Gomes and her compatriots move to a further high level of music interpretation. As always, the highly communicative Gomes makes these songs come alive in a very personal way. Her phrasing, dynamics and inflection are simply remarkable. She sings directly, honestly, without unnecessary embellishment or vocal manipulation. Her sultry delivery of inspired interpretations of this music simply immerses one into the soundscape being created by the collaborative work of Gomes and her band members. And the work of her accompanying band members truly shines in this recording. The percussion work of drummer Bert Kamsteeg makes a strong contribution, often a central one, complementing the vocals of Gomes. Contributions from guitarist Folker Tettero and double-bassist Peter Bjørnild are equally strong. These four musicians are beautifully in sync with each other, consistently complementing and extending each other’s contributions to the music.
The recording quality is among the best recordings I’ve heard from Sound Liaison recording engineer Frans de Rond. And he’s made quite a few of my favorite recordings. But, when recording Carmen Gomes, Frans seems to rise to yet another level of masterful work capturing the sound of this band. Frans has been Carmen Gomes’ preferred recording engineer for 27 years for good reason! In this recording, Frans again applies his One Mic + recording technique to virtually immersive effect, but with some variation on the process, as described by Frans below in an extract from the enclosed booklet.
The album is 15 tracks of pure enjoyment—excellent contemporary blues that honors the traditions of the genre and the music of Robert Johnson. If you’re a blues fan, get this album. If you love female vocals, get this album. If you simply enjoy great music making, get this album. Did I say this enough? Get this album. You’ll love it.
1 Like
Listening to a track from the album and really enjoying it, will download a previous album for the trip into town and get on band camp later today.
Cheers, great recommendation, many thanks.
