What a nice reply, yes I know, I was only mucking around. Will go and look to see if I can find something that fits the criteria.
ATB
Tim
2 Likes
Albums I have enjoyed this year.
Wilco - Cousin
The Third Mind - Third Mind 2
Tara Clerking Trio - The Turning Ground
Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds
OMD - The Bauhaus Staircase
Wax Machine - The Sky Unfurls, The Dance goes on
Sun Dial - Messages From The Mothership
Sweet Baboo - The Wreckage
Smoke Fairies - Carried in Sound
Israel Nash - Ozarker
Black Helium - Um
My favourite though and therefore my nomination is
Emma Rawicz - Chroma.
8 Likes
I saw Sweet Baboo at The End of the Road festival and he was great. From a long line of brilliant Welsh psych pop/folk
1 Like
Yes I saw him supporting Teenage Fanclub in Birmingham.
After the gig I had a quick chat at the merch stall and asked him to sign my vinyl.
It was one of those wow really good unexpected things.
1 Like
Simple
For me
Peter Gabriel - I/O
4 Likes
I even bought the cd, don’t know if it’s my album of the new but I do like it.
More I listen to it the better it gets
I can’t work out which version I like.
Good call - I saw Mr Baboo a few years ago playing bass for Cate Le Bon.
2 Likes
I know - I really like both versions and I think it will get down to what mood one is in at any given point of time when listening
Maybe bright side during day and dark side in evening 
just to put it simply
I’ve just been listening to both sides, I sit down and play each version side by side.
Yep but it’s really really good , very impressive
I bought the CD also and Nick at Redeye said he had gone off Gabriel since So album way back
He is also right into this one he loves it
Oh dear I might be making 6 purchases today - a number on my radar but Tara Clerking Trio and Wax Machine may require a complete catalogue haul particularly Wax Machine. @Premmyboy outstanding list - thank you.
1 Like
Well that was easy, just arrived today.
Tim
3 Likes
Iggy Pop | Every Loser – punk godfather’s convincing return to shirtless rocking
After jazz crooning, poetry and electronic experimentation, 75-year-old Pop goes back to his roots on his 19th solo album
Belle and Sebastian | Late Developers
On the quick follow-up to last year’s A Bit of Previous , the Glasgow indie-pop band’s on-the-fly energy and head-in-the-clouds musings collide in memorable and surprising ways.
Dhafer Youssef | Street of Minarets
“Street of Minarets” is a must for jazz, world music lovers, and music lovers in general, as this is a classic in the making. A perfect connecting album between Ethno jazz and Western Fusion. In 20 years this album will be in the ranks of top albums like “Bitches Brew”, “Giant Steps”, “Pilgrimage” and “Maiden Voyage”
KELELA | “Raven”
Raven understands its place in the pantheon of Black art, how the vitality of dance courses through Ernie Barnes’s The Sugar Shack and Funkadelic’s One Nation Under a Groove and You Got Served. It joins the line of Black futurist art and electronic music, from Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, and Sun Ra to Janelle Monáe, Solange, and Beyoncé.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre | The Future Is Your Past
Since 1990 Newcombe and a revolving door of musicians have released 19 albums of psych, folk, prog, indie, Krautrock whilst hitting the road as and when they can. Their 20th album is now upon us and it’s one of the finest things Anton Newcombe has ever released.
Boygenius | The Record
Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus devote their debut record to their singular bond. Each amplifies the other’s songwriting, enriches the detail, and heightens the emotion.
Jessie Ware | That! Feels Good!
Jessie Ware’s sumptuous fifth album is classic disco revival done right.
DURAND JONES | WAIT TIL I GET OVER
It’s a fabulous record that recalls masterful works by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Bill Withers. Braiding stirring songwriting prowess, sparkling production, and beautiful vocals, Jones has created one of the most assured and brightest debut albums in quite some time.
Sparks | The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
The Mael brothers are riding high. Their 26th album strikes the ideal Sparksian balance of madcap melody, labyrinthine arrangement, and stinging social satire.
Mother Goose / Sonic Punter: New Dawn, Savant!
It’s a good thing Sonic Punter was founded three years ago and not thirty. It’s also a good thing that Mother Goose has managed to continue to play for thirty years, hiatus-free. Due to this, they are set to release a six song, split mini-LP.
Blur | The Ballad of Darren
But while The Ballad of Darren finds a classic Britpop stride that many have come to know and love, there’s a sense of melancholy swimming through each track. Now, Blur have less in common with their former rivals Oasis and more with latter day Arctic Monkeys; the orchestral lounge pop and moody tones of Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino and The Car are only a few degrees away from the contemplative indie found in The Ballad of Darren.
Brian Setzer | The Devil Always Collects
This is a record to listen to just for Setzer’s instrumentation alone. The fact that the songs are fun to listen to as well is a bonus much like a lot of early rock and roll was and still is fun to sonically experience. Brian Setzer is a keeper of the flame of the music that we all know and love and for that, we should all be grateful.
6 Likes
Very good pianist.
1 Like
1;
Compact Disc ; Stones In My Passway HERE
Studio Master; Stones In My Passway One to One Copy of the Studio Master File HERE
JazzFlits; ‘‘Carmen Gomes sings the blues straight from the heart, profoundly, with authenticity and heartfelt sincerity, eschewing any unnecessary embellishments.
…Her band has mastered this repertoire completely.
The slow tempos are beautifully exploited, with each musician contributing sparingly but with authority. In their renditions of Johnson’s pieces, you feel the clammy, sweaty air in the ominous dark shady clubs, where the blues was interspersed with drinking parties and fights……
Engineer Frans de Rond has captured the entire setting in a way that allows you to experience the superb interplay of these seasoned musicians. This is so well recorded that turning up the volume knob significantly only seems to make the music even more intense not louder…"
Hifi; "The intimacy of the vocals, the expression of the guitar, and the refined sounds of the double bass, the dynamics of the percussion, a phenomenal experience on a refined hi-fi set. Highly recommended’’**
2; 
Dream Box Studio Master HERE
Jazz News; ‘’ It’s hard to imagine a more satisfying, and better balanced, five minutes of music than the album opener. ." AllAbout Jazz;" Featuring nine “found tracks” for the quiet electric guitar, this collection showcases Metheny’s spontaneous creativity and unique musical vision. During a deep dive into his own musical archives, Metheny unearthed a folder on his laptop’s hard drive containing forgotten recordings that surprised even him. As a result, Dream Box takes a departure from his previous works, presenting a blend of compositions that captures the essence of Metheny’s artistic ingenuity."
3;
One to One Copy of the Studio Master File HERE
JazzFlits;“The connoisseur hears that the trio’s, thoroughly researched vibrant Gershwin tribute transcends limits. ‘We Got Rhythm,’ is a true celebration.“
Dave Kikoski; “this unique trio recording stands as a remarkable achievement. It’s a testament to their collective skill, creativity, and ability to capture the essence of jazz in a way that’s both timeless and fresh.”
RootsTime; “A fantastic virtuosic and sparkling album, transcending all clichés thanks to the qualities of this strong trio and their refreshing approach. “
4; 
Flac; The Omnichord Real Book HERE
''Spanning synthpop to electronic R&B, the singer and bassist’s expansive Blue Note debut is a genre-hopping class act." The Guardian
5 Likes
Difficult one for me this year. Lots of “enjoyable” stuff but that’s not necessarily the same as “album of the year” territory. These things ebb and flow so no doubt things will change once again but this year left me with few things I d come back to repeatedly and lots I thought was over-rated.
Amongst the over-rated there was much from artists I really like. The Anohni and Paul Simon albums sounded affected and repetitive. BC Camplight needs to learn something about dynamics. Durand Jones production was odd and there were many cases of albums with lovely/awful production but either not enough actual songs or too much waffling. Great individual songs but too much distracting from that.
That would include Natalie Merchant, Dexys, Margo Cilker, Angie McMahon, Jenny Lewis, Eddie Chacon, Feist, Grian Chatten, Blur, Gaz Coombes, Galen and Paul, Unthank and Smith etc. Stuff which had hugely enjoyable elements but not enough of them.
Then the stuff which didn’t click at all. For all the recommendations, I thought The Third End was a bunch of self-indulgent and not especially hypnotic solos with songs tacked on for effect. Same for Billy Valentine. The EBTG album didn’t seem to contain any songs at all. Ditto Roisin Murphy of whom I have loved everything until now. Slowdive left me cold years ago and nothing has changed. Christine and the Queens seem to have abandoned all that was great about their best to the point that in this family it was unlistenable. Loved the last Janelle. This was awful. Wanted to love Lankum but… no.
What’s left then? These for me. A reissue but a remix for once worth every penny.
Peej. Arguably minus truly memorable songs but what a unique mood.
A debut solo album at 68 and… it’s inconsistent but I keep coming back to it.
I’m no fan of CBR but this was extraordinary. I’m still not sure I like it but it’s absolutely out there and, again, I keep coming back to it
Already mentioned. Currently the best live act in Britain.
Patchy on first listen but even the apparently weaker songs really aren’t.
Seen a mention for this which I must second. Something special quietly happening here.
Carrie and Lowell on uppers. Remarkably consistent and just lovely from start to end.
Amazed there have been no mentions for this. A great record from start to end.
Quietly my album of the year. Not 100% consistent so there’s a couple of misses there arguably but this is what great pop should sound like and I love it.
7 Likes
Yikes, apologies. So you did.