Best Albums of 2018... So Far!

dknk posted:

French Rooster posted:

winkyincanada posted:

TOBYJUG posted:

Bert Schurink posted:

TOBYJUG posted:

What’s this ?

https://youtu.be/HZvpIEvltUA

Oh that is truly awful. To my ears, at least.

+1.  i have heard it so many times.  No interest at all.

Ok, I just had to find out for myself, never heard of her.  But come on people, a little dramatic aren't we? Not that horrific... Not maybe my thing, but really?

I actually quite like it and find it a rather refreshing and interesting combination of rhythms. Great mix of funk, blues and Jazz fusion.

Thanks for posting TJ. 

Tony2011 posted:

dknk posted:

French Rooster posted:

winkyincanada posted:

TOBYJUG posted:

Bert Schurink posted:

TOBYJUG posted:

What’s this ?

https://youtu.be/HZvpIEvltUA

Oh that is truly awful. To my ears, at least.

+1.  i have heard it so many times.  No interest at all.

Ok, I just had to find out for myself, never heard of her.  But come on people, a little dramatic aren't we? Not that horrific... Not maybe my thing, but really?

I actually quite like it and find it a rather refreshing and interesting combination of rhythms. Great mix of funk, blues and Jazz fusion.

Thanks for posting TJ. 

I found the cover promised so much more than the music delivered. But that is often the case these days...

AndyP19 posted:

Tony2011 posted:

dknk posted:

French Rooster posted:

winkyincanada posted:

TOBYJUG posted:

Bert Schurink posted:

TOBYJUG posted:

What’s this ?

https://youtu.be/HZvpIEvltUA

Oh that is truly awful. To my ears, at least.

+1.  i have heard it so many times.  No interest at all.

Ok, I just had to find out for myself, never heard of her.  But come on people, a little dramatic aren't we? Not that horrific... Not maybe my thing, but really?

I actually quite like it and find it a rather refreshing and interesting combination of rhythms. Great mix of funk, blues and Jazz fusion.

Thanks for posting TJ. 

I found the cover promised so much more than the music delivered. But that is often the case these days...

I know what you mean. I bought Fifty Shades of Grey, thinking it was a book on Raphaelites. Oh, Boy!

Chris Carter. Chemistry Lessons. Volume one.

This year’s list will be in four parts, lazily clumped into loose categories (the fourth one was a true bucket of miscellany. As usual, Youtube where available, likewise Bandcamp links (though may be found cheaper elsewhere). Tough year to choose (a hundred or so candidates left sulking on the shelves including The Decemberists!).

Rock* & Pop

*very loosely defined

Alco Frisbas - Le Bateleur

Great discovery out of nowhere – Hatfield/National Heath style Canterbury sound from France. Their first album is just as good as this.

Bandcamp

Androcell - Mystic Spaces

Psy-dub mix from America, quite Shpongle/OTT like

Bandcamp

Cavern Of Anti-Matter - Hormone Lemonade

Latest from post-Stereolab (though I heard they may be getting together again) Tim Gane’s group. Not quite as motorik as their previous albums.

Bandcamp

Dr. Trippy - Bhang!

More Psy-dub, this time with a greater emphasis on the dub and Indian influences

Bandcamp

Eels - The Deconstruction

E in (almost) cheerful mood – he even sings a lullaby – and the strongest collection of tunes for quite a while.

Kikagaku Moyo - Masana Temples

This is a much softer album than previously and the psychedelia is toned down, so it took a little adjusting to. But it’s a real grower and probably my favourite of theirs.

Bandcamp

Kosmischer Läufer - Volume Four

Neu/Kraftwerk/La Dusseldorf style motorik that once again purports to be lost East German state sponsored music from the 70s (its modern and Scottish). Great fun as always.

Bandcamp

Loma – Loma

A melding of Shearwater and Cross Record sounding like neither. A subtle mixture of styles and interesting textures. It’s all rather lovely and laid back but the middle section reminds me in spirit of late Talk Talk.

Bandcamp

Melody's Echo Chamber - Bon Voyage

Bright, breezy French pop music. Irresistible.

Bandcamp

Space Debris - Mountain Ultimate

German heavy rock of the old school, Instrumental with plenty of heavy guitar and swirling keys.

Bandcamp

Sonar - Vortex (feat. David Torn)

Steering a course somewhere between Prog, Math Rock and Jazz, recommended especially for Fripp fans.

Bandcamp

The Fernweh - The Fernweh

More breezy pop, this time from Liverpool. I think this lot will be big.

Part two (Jazz) to follow, when I've had a little lie-down...

Jazz

N.B. Jazz aficionados - I only really like Jazz from In A SIlent Way onwards i.e. music that approaches Jazz from a rock or similar direction, so take any recommendations with that in mind  

Nik Bärtsch's Ronin – Awase

For me a perfect example of Rock meeting Jazz and creating something that’s at home in both genres (see also Sonar)

Oddgeir Berg Trio - Before Dawn

Very EST in style. Excellent tunes. A fine Bert Schurink recommendation.

GoGo Penguin - A Humdrum Star

I’ve been with this lot from the start and their blend of Jazz with Breakbeat still surprises me (in that I like it a lot!)

Lemmings Suicide Myth - Lemmings Suicide Myth

Piano and drummer, pretty much following in the footsteps of Jacques Loussier’s short series of Pulsion albums from the late 70s/early 80s and therefore has terrific rhythmic drive. This is their third album, which confusingly has the same title as their first (and which is equally good). Pennies on Bandcamp. Bargains, both (the middle album has singing on it which I’m not a fan of).

Many thanks again to Bert for bringing this lot to my attention.

Bandcamp

Aaron Parks - Little Big

Like most of the Aaron Parks I’ve heard this treads the fine line between the lyrical and the edgy and manages the balancing act very well.

UI

Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Live In London

Not much to be said here. They created a sound of their own which many have copied, but they’re at their best here.

Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth

Was in two minds whether to include this. As per The Epic this is rather a sprawling affair and I have to confess I’m not a big fan of the odd vocal tracks. But the rest is superb and draws you right into the groove.

Mansur Brown – Shiroi

Guitarist who is on many other albums (most notably Yussef Kamaal). The best way I can describe this is if you imagine The Durutti Column playing a mixture of light funk and jazz. That probably doesn't make it sound as appealing as I find it!

Bandcamp

Next up (tomorrow probably): Electronic and Odds n' Ends

That EST Live in London is a brilliant album, one of huge contrasts. 

Nick as always you lead the way.  Outstanding picks.

The Hubro Music label has expanded my musical appreciation this year - http://hubromusic.com/news/ 

A wonderful source for Weirdo/Avant/Folk/Tronica. Some examples below...

Building Instrument - Building Instrument (2014)

Frode Haltli - Avant Folk (2018)

Hilde Marie Holden - Lazuli (2018) 

Sigbjorn Apeland - Glossolalia (2011)

Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour

I liked this one very much.

Nick has laid a great foundation, so let me also put some albums down in the coming days. This is Led Zeppelin 2 , and I mean that with full respect..., a more mature album then their first album which was already quite mature...

This one was very welcome for me this year. It’s perhaps on an objective scale not the best of the best, but having access to something new and sounding like this, it’s for me a treasure...

Good mainly-jazz listings from the ever reliable Richard Williams, here

Bert Schurink posted:

This one was very welcome for me this year. It’s perhaps on an objective scale not the best of the best, but having access to something new and sounding like this, it’s for me a treasure...

 

I totally agree with this nomination, Bert, but do find it mildly amusing that music recorded 54 years ago should be listed among the best of this year’s releases. 

Electronic

The Rosen Corporation - Pale Fire

This is music inspired by the soundworld of Blade Runner 2049 (many of their albums are infused with the spirit of the Blade Runner movies) without plagiarism.

Bandcamp

Pollard/Daniel/Booth – Eight

A return from a lengthy hiatus, this is good old-fashioned Berlin School with pounding sequences, guitar solos and lashings of mellotron. There’s a mountain of this stuff out there but this is at the highest level.

Bandcamp

Free System Projekt - Five Suns

More Berlin School, this time Dutch. This is a double CD, so with just five tracks you get lengthy swathes of sequencer-based stuff alternating with spacey atmospheric interludes. Makes for great walking music.

Bandcamp

The Heartwood Institute - Secret Rites

This is a one man band who makes Hauntological music. For the uninitiated, this usually involves rather wonky electronica mixed with samples – in this case The Heartwood Institute’s fascination with witches. Which makes it the sort of soundtrack to a Hammer film. Well sort of.

Bandcamp

Bridge To Imla - One January Evening

Yet another Berlin School album and another double, mostly live. Again very much in the style of Tangerine Dream.

Bandcamp

Brian Eno - Music For Installations

Six discs’ worth of ambient(ish) music. Does exactly what you’d think and perfect for a sleepy afternoon.

Part Four to come (you'll be thrilled to hear it's quite short)

Last one...

Who Knows What?

Masayoshi Fujita - Book Of Life

This could have been in the Jazz section (his previous album, Stories, definitely would have been), or a lonely entry under Modern Classical. Or something – either way it’s very Erased Tapes. Masayoshi Fujita is a vibraphone player and here he’s mostly accompanied by a small string ensemble and it’s a quiet, pastoral, relaxing listen

Bandcamp

Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore - Ghost Forests

Meg (vocalist/guitarist/drummer with Espers, Heron Oblivion and Solo) and long time friend and player of monster harp and laptop Mary in a gently, gently off-kilter folk album. It’s simply lovely.

Bandcamp

DF Tram - Serenitay Infinitay

American DJ teams up with Youth (Martin Glover) in late night electronica-with-sampling chill very much in the mode of The Irresistible Force.

Bandcamp

Hampshire & Foat – Nightshade

Nominally a jazz record it’s intended to mimic a 1960s Library recording which it does perfectly. Yes, I know, that’s a hard sell. Well, I like it (all their stuff, particularly Galaxies Like Grains Of Sand which is more properly jazz-rock).

Bandcamp

Vic Mars - The Hospice

Oh dear. This is getting harder. It’s the soundtrack to a BBC 6Music production with a slightly melancholic and creepy atmosphere whist still being melodic. To me the music perfectly matches the cover.

Bandcamp

Gwenifer Raymond - You Never Were Much Of A Dancer

I’ve raved before about her – she’s an American Primitive folk/blues guitarist/banjo player from Wales via Brighton and a Doctorate in Astro-physics. Her technique is astonishing, but the main thing is her tunes and invention. She’s on a level with John Fahey and Jack Rose. This has been a regular play for me up against a lot of stiff competition. The video below is her plucking the seven bells out of a banjo.

Bandcamp

Prog (again)

Sorry. A metadata error meant this skipped my first pass search, so this should have been under the Rock section.

All Traps On Earth – A Drop  Of Light

Formed out of the remnants of the magnificent Swedish symphonic prog outfit Änglagård, this is dark stuff, mostly instrumental, with a style related to earlyish King Crimson and Yes (from around Tales From Topographic Oceans). So, over a thundering bass you get keys (great waves of mellotron!), sax, some trumpet and flute, all to rhythms that vary all over the place (and are rarely 4/4).

Fairly needless to say it’s a grower, but rewards with hidden depths on each listen.

Bandcamp

Well done Nick great presentation. Hampshire and Foat has been one my best finds this year - love all their stuff.

But I do think Bandcamp are a bit pricey on some of this stuff. I hate to say it but check out Sonar and Alco Frisbass on Qobuz...or maybe you shouldn't!

This one also definitely belongs on the list in my eyes. Driving, energetic music...

He has already delivered quite some special albums, but this one definitely adds to the mix...

Haven't heard Mahler like this before, what a space and drive...

Amazing artist, constantly at the front-end of new jazz....

AndyP19 posted:

Well done Nick great presentation. Hampshire and Foat has been one my best finds this year - love all their stuff.

But I do think Bandcamp are a bit pricey on some of this stuff. I hate to say it but check out Sonar and Alco Frisbass on Qobuz...or maybe you shouldn't!

 

Cheers Andy. I do shop around and use Qobuz when cheaper - I bought both the Alco Frisbass albums off Bandcamp because I had a gift voucher.

Have you tried the Greg Foat Group albums? Dark Is The Sun and Girl And Robot With Flowers are my favourites. The latter reminds me of Valentyne Suite in parts.

Nick, pricing is blooming nightmare at the moment I was just about to pull the trigger on Maisha's album There is a Place thinking it was a bargain on Bandcamp for £5 which is £6 with tax then just by chance I checked Boomkat and there it was in flac for £4.50. It was £6.39 in Qobuz. Then after the buy I saw it on 7digital where they had the 16bit and bizarrely the 24bit priced the same at £6.49. Overall small margins, I agree, but with the amount I spend on music each week it all adds up.

Yes Hampshire and Foat led me to the door of Greg Foat and agree Girl & Robot with Flowers is an outsatnding album. Well all his stuff is brilliant.

Thanks so much for the Fernweh recommendation. Funny I'm a big fan of all the stuff on Skeleton Records - The Coral offshoots and the Skelly brothers - ah the penny has just dropped why it is called Skeleton records!

Bert Schurink posted:

Haven't heard Mahler like this before, what a space and drive...

 

the recording, the air around it and the clarity are really outstanding...read an interview of the recording engineer- he uses Audio Note tube amps and speakers for monitoring. Currentzis as well uses AN at home,,,,

Maybe not one of the best, but certainly one that raised a smile..