Top Natural Drum

Waiting Game

memoryland enhanced

Ballad Of A Tryhard

Marci

Entertainment

Weather Alive

Quitters

Cherry

Boat Songs

Being Funny In A Foreign Language

Flood

Heartmind

Niineta

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

Too Small to be a Plain

Blue Rev

Pomeranian Spinster

Sewn Back Together

I Walked With You A Ways

Together

Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling 'em Up

She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin Doubles) [Gary Stewart]

Bewitched!

Big Time

All The Good Times

Never Stop Texting Me

stairs

Daughter

Sunlight crying

Sometimes, Forever

LABYRINTHITIS

Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread

Broken Hearts Club

Faster Than I Can Take

Dancing With You

The Spur

Nymph

Firefly

Empty Seats

foam

popping out

God Save The Animals

No Bitterness

triceratops90

2022 Music Year End Favs

Colder Streams

Live at the Phoenix Concert Theatre, 2003

Reset

Go On

Capsule reviews of each item on the list!Beth Orton -&nbsp;Weather Alive- A poetic and understated later career record from the "folktronica" singersongwriter. Tom Skinner (Sons of Kemet, The Smile) plays god-tier drums throughout and multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily adds tasteful contributions across these 8 lovely compositions. There is definitely some Spirit of Eden/Laughing Stock&nbsp;era&nbsp;Talk Talk energy in the mix here, which is rarely a bad thing. "Fractals" is groovable as all get out, and "Forever Young" is&nbsp;trip hop adjacent in a way that had me reaching for my Massive Attack LPs.Shygirl -&nbsp;Nymph- A dense 32-minute production masterclass showcasing the different sides of Blane Muise. "Firefly" -&gt; "Heaven" is one of the most beautiful stretches on a record this year. "Nike" reminds me of Lil Mama's "Lipgloss." The accordion on "Poison" is a clear "Stereo Love" homage. Overall, smartly referential without being schlocky, and sensual and assertive in a subtly powerful way, too.The Sadies -&nbsp;Colder Streams- RIP Dallas Good. First hearing album opener "Stop and Start" from this LP was an achingly bittersweet experience this year, as I became instantly aware of how -&nbsp;with the passing of Dallas Good -&nbsp;an institution of Canadian independent rock had been forever changed. The Sadies were a constant in folk festival lineups and tour announcement news items&nbsp;while growing up on the Canadian prairies and delving into independent music in the 2000s/2010s. Consummate road dogs, they dutifully played lesser Canadian markets (like my hometown of Regina, SK) reguarly, while&nbsp;aesthetically they pursued their singular mix of psych/folk/Spaghetti Western/surf/rock/punk/?!?!? to its own ends, unmoved by the different flavour of the week genre trends (anyone else remember PBR&amp;B or Seapunk?) that captivated fickler minds of the indie blogsphere like mine over the same period. They were far too good to be taken for granted, which I suspect I may have at different times. Setting aside my own regrets,&nbsp;Colder Streams&nbsp;is an incredible final gesture from the band's Dallas Era.I also highly recommend this episode (<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="http://vishkhanna.com/2022/07/19/ep-703-the-sadies/">http://vishkhanna.com/2022/07/19/ep-703-the-sadies/</a>) of Vish Khanna's&nbsp;Kreative Kontrol&nbsp;from back in July 2022 where he discusses the new LP with the remaining members of the band and how they are attempting to navigate its future together.Stella Donnelly -&nbsp;Flood- Stella's 2019&nbsp;Beware of the Dogs&nbsp;was one of my favourite singer-songwriter releases of that year. Her literate songcraft instantly drew me in in ways both witheringly hilarious ("Old Man," "Tricks")&nbsp;and heartbreaking ("Boys Will Be Boys," "Beware of the Dogs").&nbsp;Flood&nbsp;features more of this signature whipsmart writing, while expanding Donnelly's instrumental palette to include songs written primarily on the piano. "Flood" and "Cold" are two of the finest adult pop songs released this year, while a track like "Medals" adds an unexpectedly loungier&nbsp;element to her sound.&nbsp;Alex G -&nbsp;God Save the Animals- Another singular release from one of the most idiosyncratic contemporary American songwriters. Who knew that an LP that ostensibly was heavily influenced by Gillian Welch would have a hyperpop-adjacent song where Alex's pitch-shifted addict protagonist sings "I have to put the cocaine in the vaccine / Walk out of the doctor with immunity / Life of revelation catching up with me / Go to bed at midnight, waking up at three" and it would sound heavenly? Only in the surreal world of Alex G's ouevre - one which he's prolifically built across ~8(!)&nbsp;albums over the past decade - does this begin to make the slightest bit of sense...Panda Bear &amp; Sonic Boom -&nbsp;Reset- Hands down the best project that Noah Lennox has been involved with since&nbsp;Merriweather Post Pavilion. Tightly constructed, loop-based songs that blur the line between sampled and non-sampled/added sonics in fascinating ways. The run from "In My Body" -&gt; "Danger" is some of the most sublime music of 2022.Cass McCombs -&nbsp;Heartmind- The last few LPs from American singer-songwriter Cass McCombs have been sprawling, shaggy affairs, so it was exciting to note before release that&nbsp;Heartmind&nbsp;would be clocking in&nbsp;at a comparatively tight 42 minutes. Still, however, so much ground is covered on this release: from note-perfect 80s power-pop homage ("Karaoke") to deep/free ensemble instrumental playing (the title track). Thematically, this album seems to be about 2 broad ideas: the power of music, and grief for what we may give up in pursuit of our passions and ideals (like music) in this life. "A Blue, Blue Band" is a funny, lovely homage to touring music making, while "Belong To Heaven" memorializes friends lost along the way. Cass remains one of our most inspiring working songwriters, I think, in large part due to his opennness to collaboration in his work. In doing so, he avoids being pigeonholed in any sense of genre, and continuously renews his own practice as a writer and musician. (Shahzad Ismaily produced 5 tracks on this LP, too.)Alvvays -&nbsp;Blue Rev- What an absurd level up from this band in a way that I didn't expect! I had listened to all of the pre-release singles, but just wasn't ready for how well everything would work together on the album proper. Super producer Shawn Everett (originally from Bragg Creek, AB!) worked with the band on this LP, getting them to record live off the floor, and the results are incredible. The guitar lines in "After the Earthquake" are probably going to be rattling around in my head for the better part of the next year, and the New Order-y synth delight of "Velveteen" bangs hard. Oh, to be&nbsp;15 years old again and to be suddenly introduced to some&nbsp;canonically amazing guitar music through a beautiful LP like this!Broken Social Scene -&nbsp;Live at the Phoenix Concert Theatre, 2003- A triumphant hometown live set of classic&nbsp;YFIIP&nbsp;era BSS featuring the excellent unreleased track "Jimmy and the Photocall." Pretty unreal, too, to hear them casually bust out (then unreleased) material from 2005's self-titled like "7/4 (Shoreline)," the fast version of "Major Label Debut," and a 15 minute(!) closing "It's All Gonna Break."DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ -&nbsp;Bewitched!- The DJSTTD Extended Universe (DJSTTDEU) is sprawling and intertextual in ways that can often feel a bit overwhelming or impenetrable to a new listener. That said, I was pleased to bask in&nbsp;Bewitched!'s world upon release in late August, losing my mind at how ecstatically gorgeous tune followed ecstatically gorgeous tune with seemingly no apparent end in view. Like Panda Bear &amp; Sonic Boom's&nbsp;Reset, the line between sampled and "organic" instrumentation is completely and purposefully muddled on DJSTTD releases, causing you to wonder if you're actually living in some kind of afterlife celestial jukebox&nbsp;(enabled - it must be said -&nbsp;by flagrant but inspired disregard for any notion of intellectual property)&nbsp;where the top line in&nbsp;some forgotten CCM pop song from 1997 is actually the greatest piece of pop songwriting ever maybe, especially when overlaid with (now unexpectedly profound?!) dialogue from a garbage made-for-TV drama from 2002?!?!? The closest comparison to DJSTTD, I think, has to be The Avalanches, and their kind of maximalist plunderphonic worldbuilding, but the source material here is decidedly different and&nbsp;more coded "feminine."Real Lies -&nbsp;Lad AshAnticipating:- The 1975 -&nbsp;Being Funny in a Foreign Language- Enumclaw -&nbsp;Save the Baby- Palm - Nicks and Grazes-&nbsp;Taylor Swift -&nbsp;Midnights-&nbsp;Junior Boys -&nbsp;Waiting Game-&nbsp;Horse Lords -&nbsp;Comradely Objects- Phoenix - Alpha Zulu

Some music that I've enjoyed since my last list this year (in no particular order)!

2022 Music 3/4 of the Year Music Favs!

ANTIDAWN EP

NEW LOVE

home

!?secretbox?!

Plonk

Plonk IX (Feat. SIR E.U)

Capsule reviews of each item on the list!Angel Olsen -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://angelolsen.bandcamp.com/album/big-time">Big Time</a>- During my first listen to this one on the highway I wept during "Dream Thing"-&gt;"Ghost On" at the sheer beauty of what I was hearing. This LP features immaculate co-production work from Jonathan Wilson, and it is super refreshing to hear a non-Father John Misty voice over his musical flourishes. Together, Olsen and Wilson absolutely nail that countrypolitan, Emmylou Harris'&nbsp;Wrecking Ball&nbsp;sweet spot for me. The accompanying <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urC7dcimES0&amp;ab_channel=AngelOlsen">film</a> on YouTube is also a great companion to the world that this record builds.Wednesday -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://wednesdayband.bandcamp.com/album/mowing-the-leaves-instead-of-piling-em-up">Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling 'em Up</a>- An expertly curated, perfectly executed covers record, which is a thing that needs to be done more. (Weezer, please take note! lol). This record has introduced me to like 4 or 5 other "new to me" records that I've loved, and what more can you ask from a release than that it lead you to other cool stuff that you might enjoy like <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytuExM_zxb0">solo Greg Sage LPs</a>?MJ Lenderman -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://mjlenderman.bandcamp.com/album/boat-songs">Boat Songs</a>- Brilliant indie-rock/singer-songwriter record that - in its unshowy literateness and oddball humour - carries the torch for previous musicians in a distinctly American vernacular:&nbsp;David Berman, Mark Linkous, Jason Molina, etc. Probably every week since I discovered this record, I've had the opening lyric to "You Have Bought Yourself A Boat" blare through my head at some point and laughed to myself.Destroyer -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://destroyer.bandcamp.com/album/labyrinthitis">LABYRINTHITIS</a>- A thrilling late-career record from Dan Bejar, who is&nbsp;a national treasure at this point. Hearing the quasi-spoken word meltdown part of "June" is definitely already a quintessential musical experience of 2022 for me. "A moment alone please / A moment alone please / A moment alone please / With this, with this / With this rhapsody." Also, the opener ("It's In Your Heart Now") has to be one of the most affecting songs in Bejar's entire catalogue based on vibe alone.Raum -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://grouper.bandcamp.com/album/daughter">Daughter</a>- An understated LP from Liz Harris and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma memorializing the late filmmaker Paul Clipson. Definitely created to be taken in as a whole work. Incredible integration of field recordings in with live instrumentation throughout.Huerco S. -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://huercosplonk.bandcamp.com/album/plonk">Plonk</a>- Super&nbsp;interesting release from Brian Leeds and a runner up to Claire Rousay &amp; More Eaze for best LP title of the year. Certainly the most onomatopoeic&nbsp;title of 2022 relative to the sonic content. Challenging at times, though it cohered for me once I heard SIR E.U over "Plonk IX" later in the album, which is a super far out, sick track on this delightfully futurist record.Christian Lee Hutson -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://christianleehutson.bandcamp.com/album/quitters">Quitters</a>- CLH, a "songwriter's songwriter" in the truest sense, returns with a great sophomore record. I enjoy the poppier direction he went in on "Rubberneckers." "State Bird" rips and has an incredible opening lyric. "Blank Check" and "Triple Axel" are heartbreakingly beautiful. "Black Cat" sounds like it's a forgotten song from the&nbsp;XO&nbsp;or&nbsp;Figure 8&nbsp;sessions.Big Thief -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://bigthief.bandcamp.com/album/dragon-new-warm-mountain-i-believe-in-you">Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You</a>- A sprawling, multi-genre 80 minute double LP that manages to be effortlessly compelling and repeatedly breathtaking. Some of the different things that I hear across DNWMIBIY's runtime:&nbsp;John Prine's ghost ("Spud Infinity"), faint echoes of Dave Matthews Band ("Little Things"), Gillian Welch &amp; David Rawlings ("Dried Roses," "12,000 Lines"),The&nbsp;Charm of the Highway Strip&nbsp;era The Magnetic Fields ("Wake Me Up to Drive"), classic early 70s Dead ("Red Moon"), solo Lennon ("Love, Love, Love"), Elliott Smith's "Angeles" fingerpicking ("The Only Place"), chill lo-fi beats to study to ("Heavy Bend"),&nbsp;and Cocteau Twins ("Flower of Blood"), amongst many others.Burial -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://burial.bandcamp.com/album/antidawn-ep">ANTIDAWN EP</a>- 2022 started off intriguingly with this polarizing, largely beatless album-length (non-album) entry in the Burial catalogue. I think this one is going to stand the test of time, though, with a song like "Shadow Paradise" being one of the most beautiful entries in his oeuvre.Claire Rousay &amp; More Eaze -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://orangemilkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/never-stop-texting-me">Never Stop Texting Me</a>- The best album title of the year. Love the pop-punk guitar in "iphone2" and the harpsichord in "art." A carefree, fun-loving LP that, in its seemingly low-stakes presentation, obscures the amount of craft on display in combining disparate sonics and aesthetics by two masterful producers.Two Shell -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://twoshell.bandcamp.com/album/home-3">home</a>Two Shell - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://twoshell.bandcamp.com/album/secretbox">!?secretbox?!</a>- By far the most thrilling, immediate music I've heard this year has been Two Shell's "home"/"no reply" single and the music they shared as part of their mystery Bandcamp release, !?secretbox?!. My first time hearing "home" reminded me, immediately, of the thrill of hearing early SOPHIE singles (RIP) like "BIPP" and "LEMONADE" in terms of the sheer inventiveness of the sound design on offer.TOPS -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://tops.bandcamp.com/album/empty-seats">Empty Seats EP</a>- One of Canada's best live bands releases a stellar new&nbsp;EP in time for the spring/summer. I loved the new direction they struck out in on "Perfected Steps," in particular, on this in writing a longer, more multi-part track with different sections of hooks. David Carriere is one of the most underrated guitar players alive in terms of the economy and melodicism of his playing.OMBIIGIZI -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://ombiigizi.bandcamp.com/album/sewn-back-together">Sewn Back Together</a>- A beautiful collaborative record from Zoon's Daniel Monkman and Status/Non-Status' Adam Sturgeon. "Cherry Coke" and "Zaagitoon" are 2 of the most moving songs of the year, while "Residential Military" and "Birch Bark Paper Trails" are 2 of the most provocative rockers.Jane Inc. -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://janeinc.bandcamp.com/album/faster-than-i-can-take">Faster Than I Can Take</a>- An infectious disco/dance pop record by Carlyn Bezic featuring beautiful background vocals by Dorothea Paas, creator of one of my favourite 2021 LPs (<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://dorotheapaas.bandcamp.com/album/anything-cant-happen">Anything Can't Happen</a>). Harder driving&nbsp;dance vibes ("2120") commingle with loungier fare ("Picture of the Future").Duster -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://dusternumero.bandcamp.com/album/together">Together</a>- Basically, every Duster release can be accurately described as "guitar tone porn," and this one delivers in spades from the opening notes of "New Directions" through the end of (the hilariously named/self-aware?!?!)&nbsp;"Sad Boys." Love the use of the drum machine on "Sleepyhead."&nbsp;The Weeknd -&nbsp;Dawn FM&nbsp;(not on Bandcamp)- Conceptually, Abel Tesfaye basically stole the idea for this ~album as radio station~ from the 2020 Oneohtrix Point Never LP&nbsp;(Magic Oneohtrix Point Never)﻿. Daniel Lopatin must have been alright with that, though, given that he produces a few tracks on this. Honestly, the concept is dumb, the Jim Carey interludes (lol) are totally inane, but it's still&nbsp;great somehow. "Gasoline" and "Don't Break My Heart" have been mainstays on my skiing/running playlists since January. Also loved hearing <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.whosampled.com/sample/907254/The-Weeknd-Out-of-Time-Tomoko-Aran-Midnight-Pretenders/">the gorgeous&nbsp;sample</a> of Tomoko Aran's "Midnight Pretenders" on "Out of Time."Anticipating:- Soccer Mommy -&nbsp;Sometimes, Forever- Joan Shelley -&nbsp;The Spur- Marci -&nbsp;Marci- Stella Donnelly -&nbsp;Flood- (Sandy) Alex G -&nbsp;God Save the Animals- SZA - ?

Some music that I've enjoyed so far this year (in no particular order)!

2022 Music Mid-Year Favs!

Yellow River Blue

Melaleuca

ITLP09 - Pool

Fourth

Dead Rock

Club Soda ft. Dan Bodan

An Overview on Phenomenal Nature

The Ramble

Limitless Frame

Shelter

memoryland

Life is Perfecto

Icons

The Accident

yes/and

4 New Hit Songs

Strawberry

a softer focus

peak chroma

Anything Can't Happen

The Heart Pumps Kool-Aid

Wilds

Jaywalker

Sensational

Busy

Shade

A Beginner's Mind

Modern Fiction

Nothing Blues

BLACK METAL 2

MUGU

Eau De Bonjourno

1. Dean Blunt -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://roughtraderecords.bandcamp.com/album/black-metal-2">Black Metal 2</a>&nbsp;(Rough Trade)A completely singular LP from one of our most vital contemporary artists ... who would also absolutely and rightfully take the piss out of me -&nbsp;perched behind a MacBook, sipping a coffee - deciding to write a phrase like that about his music. The tracks with Joanne Robertson on this thing are stunning, and everything sounds phenomenal, building towards the euphoric "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Le1myp8Bpo&amp;ab_channel=RoughTradeRecords">the rot</a>," which, upon first listen, partially reminded me of the inspired majesty of the first&nbsp;Black Metal's beautiful, Big Star-sampling opener&nbsp;"<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT7atti5GS8&amp;ab_channel=lifesacrocodile">LUSH</a>.""I told her relax ...&nbsp;You might as well relax ... 'Cause the fear is going down, down, down"2. Cassandra Jenkins -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://cassandrajenkins.bandcamp.com/album/an-overview-on-phenomenal-nature">An Overview on Phenomenal Nature</a>&nbsp;(Ba Da Bing!)Every once in a while, a record comes along - usually in the "singer-songwriter" space, which is where I tend to typically get the most fatigued by many artists' propensity to settle for the most hackneyed, low-effort, pandering, stultifying, shockingly-unimaginative music - and reminds me of what is truly possible when someone actually ~goes for it~ and&nbsp;writes honestly and beautifully about their life. This is what Jenkins does on this LP across a suite of songs often about grief and over soundscapes - in several instances reminiscent of Destroyer's&nbsp;Kaputt&nbsp;-&nbsp;each so distinct and considered that they quickly become little worlds that you want to take refuge in. "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://cassandrajenkins.bandcamp.com/track/ambiguous-norway">Ambiguous Norway</a>" spoke directly to my experience as a mourning individual this year with its powerful lines, "You're gone, you're everywhere."3. Grouper -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://grouper.bandcamp.com/album/shade">Shade</a>&nbsp;(Kranky)I really did not expect another acoustic guitar, "folk" album from Liz, especially after the enjoyably-austere&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://grouper.bandcamp.com/album/after-its-own-death-walking-in-a-spiral-towards-the-house">Nivhek LP in 2019</a>, so this record arrived as a complete balm, perfectly suited to the fall's cooler temperatures and ever-shorter days. I can't even comprehend being able to write a song as delicate as "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://grouper.bandcamp.com/track/promise">Promise</a>." I was also baffled - and&nbsp;frankly slightly a bit disturbed - to see a <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZNwBoVxhrw&amp;ab_channel=0">version</a> of "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://grouper.bandcamp.com/track/the-way-her-hair-falls">The way her hair falls</a>" uploaded to YouTube "(without the mistakes)"! Who&nbsp;are&nbsp;you sickos?!?! Lol go back to your Joe Satriani albums now plz!!!4. Skee Mask -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://iliantape.bandcamp.com/album/itlp09-pool">Pool</a>&nbsp;(Ilian Tape)I think that my affection for this record was cemented when I was excitedly flying on a Friday night to see my partner, absolutely blasted on in-flight WestJet coffee, scarfing down a complimentary pretzel pack to try to sate myself, and losing my damn mind to "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://iliantape.bandcamp.com/track/testo-bc-mashup">Testo BC Mashup</a>" blaring directly into my skull through Airpods. Definitely a peak aesthetic experience of 2021 for me.5. CFCF -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://cfcf.bandcamp.com/album/memoryland">memoryland</a>&nbsp;(BGM Solutions)The idea of "world building" gets bandied around a lot these days -&nbsp;often meaninglessly and/or cringe-inducingly by people who probably also invest in&nbsp;crypto and/or buy NFTs of ~extremely dope ass looking apes smoking weed~ -&nbsp;but I think it can be appropriately used to describe Mike Silver's work on this immaculate turn-of-the-millennium, CD-era electronica period homage. I mean just <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/CFCFmusic/status/1378418315723411457">look</a> at the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWHX14DXV9c&amp;ab_channel=CFCF">dedication</a>. Also, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/CFCFmusic/status/1381465019905417221">lol</a>. "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://cfcf.bandcamp.com/track/suburbilude">Suburbilude</a>" -&gt; "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://cfcf.bandcamp.com/track/punksong">Punksong</a>" has to be the best-named transition of two tracks on an LP this year.6. Mustafa -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mMYObAwlb1ZumsspxXtXb0hAYiOV138Ro">When Smoke Rises</a>&nbsp;(Regent Park Songs) (not on Bandcamp)I discovered this album later than I probably should have, after the wave of initial press in May and the subsequent&nbsp;Polaris nomination. Having spent more time with this over the last few weeks, and with apologies to Cadence Weapon,&nbsp;I think this definitely should've won Polaris. The breadth of thought and emotion across this short collection of meticulously-refined material is staggering. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_%26_Lowell">Carrie &amp; Lowell&nbsp;</a>is an obvious reference point here, but it's transposed to a different context where suffering and loss are made more brutally banal&nbsp;by systemic violence.&nbsp;Mustafa's <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/MustafaThePoet/status/1307702329219715075">conscious engagement</a> with the "folk" mode is also subtly transgressive here, as he writes from personal experience candidly yet often gently about life in Toronto's Regent Park neighbourhood, gang violence, guns, his own revenge fantasies, the premature death of friends, whether they will be forgiven in the afterlife, etc ... instead of trains, rambing, carrying loads, brothers, and little gals﻿. This&nbsp;at a time when residual Boomercore conceptions of folk music in this country lead to younger generations of artists doing a kind of tedious&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.discogs.com/master/1206942-Colter-Wall-Imaginary-Appalachia">settler-colonial cosplay</a> of <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKjxRa2XN_8&amp;ab_channel=BradenGates">deracinated</a> and <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puK9T0WVLgE&amp;ab_channel=JoeNolan">exhausted</a>&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9FzVhw8_bY&amp;ab_channel=TheDeadSouth">tropes</a>&nbsp;in order&nbsp;to ... get that sweet, sweet, oil company-sponsored&nbsp;folk fest money? Lol.&nbsp;Has&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.penguineggs.ab.ca/">Penguin Eggs</a>&nbsp;reviewed&nbsp;When Smoke Rises? I ask because it's the most compelling "folk" album of the year by any real metric.7. Erika de Casier -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://erikadecasier.bandcamp.com/album/sensational">Sensational</a>&nbsp;(4AD)EdC returns following her classic smash debut, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://erikadecasier.bandcamp.com/album/essentials">Essentials</a>,&nbsp;and crushes it! First off, the "Busy" video - err "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lqmfv4PtKk&amp;ab_channel=ErikadeCasier">Official Slideshow</a>"! -&nbsp;is a work of high art, reveling as it does in the song's parodic treatment of the&nbsp;speaker rise-n-grinding and #successposting their way across a late capitalist hellscape where labour never abates ... while also managing to be a total scorcher of a track. Then "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJcYFziwNac&amp;ab_channel=ErikadeCasier">Someone to Chill With</a>" and "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_4nRJxmDTE&amp;ab_channel=ErikadeCasier-Topic">Better Than That</a>" are undoubtedly two of the best pop songs of the year. A phenomenal record that I can't wait to bust out when&nbsp;muggy summer temps roll around again. Those humid guitar lines on "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K58xo8lfRJc&amp;ab_channel=ErikadeCasier-Topic">Secretly</a>" sound optimal in 30-degree days, spoken from experience.8. PinkPantheress -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kh9CfbToSbMhmJvdlNIm7cxAinBkqvPyQ">to hell with it</a>&nbsp;(Parlophone) (not on Bandcamp)Caveat: I don't really remember the titles of these tracks super well because I usually just put the whole thing on while running and lose my mind to this&nbsp;18:36 of pure fire. "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArOoKCZNJmU&amp;ab_channel=Pinkpantheress">Nineteen</a>" is heart-breaking. "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHcu8UKllmg&amp;ab_channel=Pinkpantheress">All my friends know</a>" is a full-on radio bop that I want to hear everywhere. &nbsp;I had been waiting for the revival of UK garage/D'n'B/jungle and PinkPantheress' emergence this year was incredible to trace. Maybe the kids (and TikTok) are alright?!?!9. DJ Sprinkles -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="http://www.comatonse.com/releases/c029.html">Gayest Tits &amp; Greyest Shits: 1998-2017 12-inches &amp; One-offs</a>&nbsp;(Comatonse Recordings) (not on Bandcamp)Terre Thaemlitz casually dropped this blockbuster, two-and-a-half-hour&nbsp;collection this year on her own label and I loved immersing myself in it along with Patrick Nation's <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVPNCncoSdU&amp;t=1s&amp;ab_channel=ResidentAdvisor">career-spanning&nbsp;documentary</a>&nbsp;released freely on YouTube by&nbsp;Resident Advisor.&nbsp;"Meditation on Wage Labor and the Death of the Album (Sprinkles’ Unpaid Overtime)" is the best track name of the year. Terre is such a crucial <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="http://www.comatonse.com/writings/index.html">voice</a> in the contemporary media ecosystem and one of my absolute favourite grumps. We need more grumps. And yeah this whole collection absolutely smokes!10. Dorothea Paas -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://dorotheapaas.bandcamp.com/album/anything-cant-happen">Anything Can't Happen</a>&nbsp;(Telephone Explosion Records)This LP completely floored me when I first discovered it back in the summer and was one of those "dear god this is why music EXISTS" type of moments for me. I think I had ordered it mid-way through listening to the title track on Bandcamp. Just a killer group of "personnel" playing on this album, too,&nbsp;backing up Dorothea's idiosyncratic tunes, which, at times, remind me of ... a math-rock Joni Mitchell?!?! ~1:42-&gt;the end of "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frTp2Vh_nO0&amp;ab_channel=DorotheaPaas-Topic">Closer to Mine</a>" is some of my favourite music of the year.Honourable mention:Ducks Ltd. -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://ducksltdband.bandcamp.com/album/modern-fiction">Modern Fiction</a>&nbsp;(Carpark/Royal Mountain Records)Bernice -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://bernice.bandcamp.com/album/eau-de-bonjourno">Eau De Bonjourno</a>&nbsp;(Telephone Explosion Records)Eli Keszler -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://elikeszler.bandcamp.com/album/icons">Icons</a>&nbsp;(LuckyMe)Ulla -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://motionward.bandcamp.com/album/ulla-limitless-frame">Limitless Frame</a>&nbsp;(Motion Ward)Claire Rousay &amp; Dani Toral -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://clairerousay.bandcamp.com/album/a-softer-focus">a softer focus</a>&nbsp;(American Dreams Records)Andy Shauf -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://andyshauf.bandcamp.com/album/wilds">Wilds</a>&nbsp;(Arts &amp; Crafts/ANTI)DOSS -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://doss.bandcamp.com/album/4-new-hit-songs">4 New Hit Songs</a>&nbsp;(LuckyMe)Yu Su -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://yusu.bandcamp.com/album/yellow-river-blue">Yellow River Blue</a>&nbsp;(Music From Memory)yes/and -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://yesandmusic.bandcamp.com/album/yes-and">yes/and</a>&nbsp;(Driftless Recordings)Sufjan Stevens &amp; Angelo De Augustine -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://music.sufjan.com/album/a-beginners-mind">A Beginner's Mind</a>&nbsp;(Asthmatic Kitty)---__--___ -&nbsp;﻿<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://mondoj.bandcamp.com/album/the-heart-pumps-kool-aid">The Heart Pumps Kool​-​Aid</a>&nbsp;(Orange Milk)Nick Malkin -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://mondoj.bandcamp.com/album/nothing-blues">Nothing Blues</a>&nbsp;(Mondoj)Car Culture -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://lightheadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dead-rock">Dead Rock</a>&nbsp;(Lighthead Records)Jack Ingram,&nbsp;Miranda Lambert, &amp;&nbsp;Jon Randall&nbsp;-&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l0gLH5GmQyCX8zGcqCMhIHBXBd5BIMLRs">The Marfa Tapes</a>&nbsp;(RCA)&nbsp;(not on Bandcamp)

2021 Music Year End Favs

basement, etc...

A Color of the Sky

The Right Thing Is Hard To Do

I Know I'm Funny haha

Other stuff not on Bandcamp:- DJ Sprinkles -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="http://www.comatonse.com/releases/c029.html">Gayest Tits &amp; Greyest Shits: 1998-2017 12-inches &amp; One-offs</a>- CFCF -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u7KwNbkLTI&amp;ab_channel=SHIFTRADIO">Shift Radio | 28.05.21 (mix)</a>- Vince Staples -&nbsp;﻿<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m0n7-Sp5WGgwmOaf0UY5Y9rKm_0N4PIm8">Vince Staples</a>Other things I'm looking forward to this year:- Kanye West -&nbsp;DONDA&nbsp;(🤞)- Deafheaven -&nbsp;Infinite Granite- Sufjan Stevens &amp; Angelo De Augustine -&nbsp;A Beginner's Mind- Grouper -&nbsp;Shade-&nbsp;Cindy Lee -&nbsp;Diamond Jubilee&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="http://www.comatonse.com/releases/c029.html"></a>﻿

More favourite music stuff from the second quarter of 2021!

2021 Music Second Quarter Favs!

Year Of the Orc EP

Course In Fable

Puppy

Flowered Knife Shadows

Select Works . vol II

Look

Yet another pandemic year of taking shelter in music! There has been some incredible, life-affirming stuff released already. (The Cassandra Jenkins LP&nbsp;absolutely floored me and is probably an AOTY frontrunner for me, though I've had to ease off on it recently because I was running it into the ground.)Other stuff not on Bandcamp:- Jazmine Sullivan - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mguRShgy0EDUKnaUUpSAj7WuwgIzuwuAo">Heaux Tales</a><a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mguRShgy0EDUKnaUUpSAj7WuwgIzuwuAo"></a>- Morgan Wallen - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mIgqhVWTPzZ1aXFFLHxHAoU5epTX2QW_Q">Dangerous: The Double Album</a>- Lana Del Rey - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kmSQB4so6iQEAbj__V6UgE_kOUkZlKIvc">Chemtrails over the Country Club</a>- Oneohtrix Point Never -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtgpZggi6Sk">BBC&nbsp;Radio 1 Essential&nbsp;Mix 2021-03-20</a>Other things I'm looking forward to this year:- Erika De Casier -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://erikadecasier.bandcamp.com/album/sensational" title="">Sensational</a>- Jorja Smith -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://exclaim.ca/music/article/jorja_smith_returns_with_be_right_back">Be Right Back</a>&nbsp;- Colleen - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://colleencolleen.bandcamp.com/album/the-tunnel-and-the-clearing">The Tunnel and the Clearing</a>- Cadence Weapon -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://cadenceweapon.bandcamp.com/album/parallel-world">Parallel World</a><a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://colleencolleen.bandcamp.com/album/the-tunnel-and-the-clearing"></a>- Backxwash -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://exclaim.ca/music/article/backxwash_i_lie_here_buried_clipping_black_dresses_sad13_code_orange">I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses</a><a></a>﻿

Favourite music stuff from the first quarter of 2021!

2021 Music First Quarter Favs!

The Common Task

pain mop girl 2020

Live at Le Guess Who? 2018

The Ascension

Sketches For World Of Echo: June 25 1984 Live At Ei

Sundry Rock Song Stock

Pantayo

Monarch Season

Karma & Desire

Turin (feat. Aura T-09)

Roped In

Decision Time

Shades

Fluids of Emotion [IT 44]

Fluids of Emotion

Clam Day

2017 - 2019

Cenizas

Vanish

Pure X

Angels of Love

mydata

darkness

Made In Heaven

Suite for Max Brown

A Typical Night in the Pit

- Arthur Russell -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://arthurrussell.bandcamp.com/album/sketches-for-world-of-echo-june-25-1984-live-at-ei">Sketches For World Of Echo: June 25 1984 Live At Ei</a>&nbsp;(Audika)- Pure X -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://purexband.bandcamp.com/album/pure-x">Pure X</a>&nbsp;(Fire Talk)- Good Sad Happy Bad -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://textilerecords.bandcamp.com/album/shades">Shades</a>&nbsp;(Textile)- Against All Logic -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://against-all-logic.bandcamp.com/album/2017-2019">2017-2019</a>&nbsp;(Other People)- Eris Drew -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://erisdrew.bandcamp.com/album/fluids-of-emotion-it-44">Fluids of Emotion</a>&nbsp;(Interdimensional Transmissions)- India Jordan - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://indiajordan.bandcamp.com/album/for-you">For You</a> (Local Action)- default genders - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://magicalpessimism.bandcamp.com/album/pain-mop-girl-2020">pain mop girl 2020</a> (self-released)- Cecile Believe - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://cecilebelieve.bandcamp.com/album/made-in-heaven">Made in Heaven</a> (self-released)- Jeff Parker - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/suite-for-max-brown">Suite for Max Brown</a> (International Anthem)- Pantayo -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://pantayo.bandcamp.com/album/pantayo">Pantayo</a>&nbsp;(Telephone Explosion)- Nick Malkin -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://sodagong.bandcamp.com/album/a-typical-night-in-the-pit">A Typical Night in the Pit</a>&nbsp;(Soda Gong)- Beverly Glenn-Copeland - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://beverlyglenn-copeland.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-le-guess-who-2018">Live at Le Guess Who? 2018</a> (Transgressive)- Katie Dey - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://katiedey.bandcamp.com/album/mydata">mydata</a> (Run for Cover)- Nicolas Jaar - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://nicolasjaar.bandcamp.com/album/cenizas">Cenizas</a> (Other People)- Horse Lords -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://horselords.bandcamp.com/album/the-common-task">The Common Task</a>&nbsp;(Northern Spy)- Sufjan Stevens - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://music.sufjan.com/album/the-ascension">The Ascension</a> (Asthmatic Kitty)- North Americans -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://northamericanszone.bandcamp.com/album/roped-in-2">Roped In</a>&nbsp;(Third Man)- Jennifer Castle -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://jennifercastle.bandcamp.com/album/monarch-season">Monarch Season</a>&nbsp;(Paradise of Bachelors/Idée Fixe)- Yves Jarvis - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://yvesjarvis.bandcamp.com/album/sundry-rock-song-stock">Sundry Rock Song Stock</a> (Flemish Eye/ANTI)- Charles Webster -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://charleswebster.bandcamp.com/album/decision-time">Decision Time</a>&nbsp;(Dimensions Recordings)- OTTO -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://plzmakeitruins.bandcamp.com/album/clam-day">Clam Day</a>&nbsp;(PLZ Make It Ruins)- Actress -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://actress.bandcamp.com/album/karma-desire">Karma &amp; Desire</a>&nbsp;(Ninja Tune)- Blake Mills - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mea0LTTgIF6IkzuMToCsX4EgDKCn5OYGY">Mutable Set</a> (New Deal)*- Sam Hunt -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nTengbF5JQFG5km6ngziIO8NbujC6wuLg">SOUTHSIDE</a>&nbsp;(MCA Nashville)*- Dijon -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n7fSf3H-wykXUDRejiqd7ABERpx5qbmw0">How Do You Feel About Getting Married?</a>&nbsp;EP (Dark Green/R&amp;R Digital/Warner)*- Kara-Lis Coverdale -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lALc4Vn-KRJPaehefYSr-RxGklWBkyAP0">Grafts</a>&nbsp;(Expanded Reissue) (Boomkat Editions)*- The Blue Nile -&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/15Q9T2KKEjHsdWDgj1B5SP?si=QHkhm3keSqKNwkzHosPRdw">High</a>&nbsp;(Deluxe Remaster) (Confetti)*<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lALc4Vn-KRJPaehefYSr-RxGklWBkyAP0"></a>*not on Bandcamp, so I used an alternate source as link!

2020 Music Year End Favs Addendum (Honourable Mention)

Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry

Fires In Heaven

Starfall

The Neon Skyline

Try Again

Tumbling Towards a Wall

leaves and wish

What's Tonight To Eternity

One Second To Toe The Line

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never

The Whether Channel

Because of a Flower

Suite pour l'invisible

Cantus, Descant

Stations II

Beginners

1. Ana Roxanne - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://anaroxanne.bandcamp.com/album/because-of-a-flower-2">Because of a Flower</a> (Kranky)An absolute wonder of a record that goes in so many different directions across its ~40&nbsp;min runtime yet remains tonally coherent and completely enthralling. "Suite pour l'invisible" and "Camille" were instantly two of my favourite singles of this year and the rest of the record more than lives up to them by fleshing out the imaginative world that exists between them.
2. Cindy Lee - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://cindylee.bandcamp.com/album/whats-tonight-to-eternity">What's Tonight to Eternity</a> (W.25TH/Superior Viaduct) / <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.geocities.ws/ccqsk/">Cat O'Nine Tails</a> (CCQSK Records (self-released))Pat Flegel is the most talented working musician in the country and this project needs far greater recognition. The amazing thing is Pat works at such a quick clip that I'm already psyched for their next release (Diamond Jubilee tentatively coming February 2021!). (NB: Cat O'Nine Tails is only available for purchase through <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="http://www.geocities.ws/ccqsk/">Pat's incredible GeoCities website</a>!)
3. Speaker Music - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://speakermusic.bandcamp.com/album/black-nationalist-sonic-weaponry">Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry</a> (Planet Mu)This was flash released in June amidst the pain and righteous outrage of this summer. A harrowing but necessary listen. DeForrest Brown, Jr. also has a book coming out in May 2021 (<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://primaryinformation.org/product/assembling-a-black-counter-culture/">Assembling a Black Counter Culture from Primary Information</a>) that I'm anticipating a lot.
4. A. G. Cook - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://agcook.bandcamp.com/album/7g-2">7G</a> (PC Music)This record has a total of four reviews across albumoftheyear.org/Wikipedia and it isn't even listed on Metacritic! I honestly don't think people have even come close to reckoning with how insanely ambitious this release was, not to mention that Cook followed it all up by announcing his eighth record(!) of the year (<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://agcook.bandcamp.com/album/apple">Apple</a>) that came out a little over a month after this set. Just an obscene flex! Disc two ("A. G. Guitar") is worth the price of admission alone, though every disc has at least two or three ridiculously enjoyable moments. It's funny to think back on the years when this dude had like a handful of singles to his name on Soundcloud and all of this material must have just been building up across like two-hundred different hard drives lol.
5. Oneohtrix Point Never - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://oneohtrixpointnever.bandcamp.com/album/magic-oneohtrix-point-never">Magic Oneohtrix Point Never</a> (Warp)A finely crafted, deeply, DEEPLY sad - especially its final third - quarantine-birthed album. Retrospective in ways that I wasn't expecting Dan to go in. Feels more handmade and small-scale than the conceptual overload and collaborative play of <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://oneohtrixpointnever.bandcamp.com/album/age-of">Age Of</a>. Some moments feel like <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://oneohtrixpointnever.bandcamp.com/album/replica">Replica</a>, some feel like <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Person%27s_Eccojams_Vol._1">Chuck Person</a>, some feel like they could've only been arrived at by Dan having traced the unique path that he has over the past decade in electronic music.
6. Andy Shauf - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://andyshauf.bandcamp.com/album/the-neon-skyline">The Neon Skyline</a> (Arts &amp; Crafts/ANTI) / Christian Lee Hutson - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://christianleehutson.bandcamp.com/album/beginners">Beginners</a> (ANTI)
I'm cheating a bit and doubling up with these two, but I've listened to and thought about them together a tonne this year. Both released on ANTI, both incredibly economical at ~35 mins. An Elliott Smith influence to both that manifests in different ways. Long live The Songwriter's Songwriter! Also, maybe The Songwriter's Songwriter is the only songwriter we should permit anymore, just sayin'...
7. The Phantasy - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYqYPNFBjRg">Ibiza</a> / <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyXp6V-I2js">Ibiza Pt. II</a> (The Phantasy (self-released))Prince of Denmark/DJ Metatron/Traumprinz/Dr. Sun/Golden Baby/Prime Minister of Doom/DJ Healer returns under (yet another?) new moniker with two platters of absolutely gorgeous chunes. It sucks majorly that he couldn't put the edit of "My Weekend" with The Weeknd's actual vocals on the official Ibiza Pt. II LP, so make sure you grab a version of it with those because it slays! (NB: These records were technically only available from Traumprinz's <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://allpossibleworlds.de/?v=3a52f3c22ed6">All Possible Worlds site</a><a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYqYPNFBjRg"></a>, but rips of&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYqYPNFBjRg">each</a>&nbsp;<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyXp6V-I2js">record</a> are on YouTube).🎶 This is the way we dance, dance, dance ... This is the way we feel inside, inside, inside ... This is the way we groove, we groove, we feel our soul ... Only you can feel where I'm coming from, from, from ... This is the way we are, we are, we feel our music ... This is the way we love to get down, get down, get down, get down ...&nbsp;It doesn't matter who you are, who you be, what you do, who are you ... You dance, you dance, you dance, you dance&nbsp;... Dance, dance, dance, dance ... It's all I want to be ... Dance, dance, dance, dance ... Dance ... Dance ... Just dance ... Just dance ... Just dance ... Just dance ... Dance ... Just dance&nbsp;🎶
8. Sarah Davachi - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://sarahdavachi.bandcamp.com/album/cantus-descant">Cantus, Descant</a> (Late Music) / Ulla - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://ullastraus.bandcamp.com/album/tumbling-towards-a-wall">Tumbling Towards a Wall </a>(Experiences Ltd)
I'm cheating again by doubling these up, but I do often play them together, so that is my brittle justification for doing so!Sarah Davachi: Another unbelievable release to get lost in from Davachi in what is now a long string of them. I really enjoy her forays into singing on this record ("Play the Ghost," "Canyon Walls") and the way that she treats her voice on those tracks in particular. Also the way that "The Pelican" turns from major to minor breaks my heart every single time.
Ulla: This record came out on 16 January 2020, which now feels like half of a lifetime ago. I have returned to it often throughout the year, though, while reading, writing, cooking, walking around the city, etc. In retrospect, this album feels like a prescient gift that somehow knew what I didn't foresee - which was that 2020's remaining months were going to be unimaginably challenging and painful in ways both personal and global - and anticipated that by offering a sonic cocoon to retreat into whenever needed.
9. The 1975 - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lGgAKSKiAp1df3seyJhGzfXaoHVX5QjbU">Notes on a Conditional Form</a> (Dirty Hit/Polydor)Sprawling, unwieldy, genre-agnostic, pretentious, confessional, nostalgic, maddening, sexy, funny. The most vital working "band" that confusingly rarely, if ever, wants to be one. While spinning&nbsp;NoaCF, I've often wished that I could inhabit the consciousness of a 15-year-old listener tracing all the wildly divergent genre lineages that come together in this beautiful mess of an album for the first time. Also, it's 80:29 in length as a throwback to Peak CD, which, knowing Matty, has to be intentional lol. (NB: Not available on Bandcamp, so <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fwEG8XK1uU&amp;list=OLAK5uy_lGgAKSKiAp1df3seyJhGzfXaoHVX5QjbU&amp;ab_channel=The1975">here's</a> the YouTube playlist for it).&nbsp;
10. SALEM - <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://s4lem.bandcamp.com/album/fires-in-heaven">Fires in Heaven</a> (SALEM (self-released))🎶 It's not much of a life you’re living 🎶Free Johnboy &lt;3.2020 Music Year End Favs Addendum (Honourable Mention) <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://buymusic.club/list/triceratops90-2020-music-year-end-favs-addendum-honourable-mention">here</a>!

Fourteen records hamfistedly forced into the Procrustean bed of the ten album year end list format.

2020 Music Year End Favs