Last few years I’ve found the compilation aoty lists really good for discovery; for whatever reason I just don’t generally find many good comps myself.
Having said that I do have a few gems from this year:
A Little Night Music: Aural Apparitions from the Geographic North
The Harry Smith B-Sides
Tokyo Dreaming
Not generally that into live albums but really loved Suzanne Ciani’s A Sonic Womb and Sarah Davachi’s Figures in Open Air.
Might pitch in with reissues etc if anyone else is ineterested in this stuff.
Some heavy hitters in the ambient realm off the wonderful Past Inside the Present label, released one of my favs of last year. Gorgeous atmospheric lush ambient.
If this were a full length of the same style and quality instead of three songs, it would be an early album of the decade contender. Heavy, dreamy, beautiful, cold blackgaze / post-rock / shoegaze (not sure what to call them) with clean vocals. The third song Blood Pact is one of the few best of the year.
Really into the new Deafheaven album which will surprise no one.
They were meant to tour this set this year, airing some of the tracks they’ve played less on previous tours. Obviously Covid put halt to that so they recorded it live in the studio. Really shows off why they’re one of the best live acts around at the moment in my humble opinion. Here’s to the next 10 years!
latest volume of a v good compilation series of new Irish music, featuring the likes of: Silverbacks, Junk Drawer, Paddy Hanna’s side project Autre Monde, a new side project by Dara from Girl Band (Fifty Years of Hair), Grave Goods who are made up members of PINS, September Girls and Girls Names, and lots of other good stuff.
Will probably come back to this thread as I remember more, but the first that come to mind are:
Compilations:
La Locura de Machuca - wild collection of Colombian dance music from the seventies.
Strum and Thrum - collection of obscure American indie bands from the eighties
Kaleidoscope- a Soul Jazz collection of current British jazz
Reissues:
I, Jonathan by Jonathan Richman
The XTC reissues especially Nonsuch and Skylarking
The Chris and Cosey reissues, especially Exotica