Missed out the vote last month but thought it was a really strong start to the year and have been regularly listening to those Deeerhunter, Tim Presley, Better Oblivion, Malibu Ken and William Tyler records throughout the past couple of weeks. Found February to be much quieter, release wise: mainly sticking to the five albums above. Should give that Jessica Pratt album a spin.
Gotta thank @PaintyCanNed for bringing the Traffik Island album to my attention - it’s a wonderful kinks-esque psych pop wonder! You’d also mentioned ORB ages ago and I finally got round to them - The Space Between is a frickin’ blast! Cheers man!
It’s amazing how good this month is and yet it doesn’t seem like any consensus picks are emerging. I think my list will end up with a couple on it that aren’t on anyone else’s lists at all
Just joking - I had only heard one single before picking up the album, so approached it pretty fresh as a whole. Love it - 40 minute blast of non-stop fun. First track I heard was The Ballad Of Remedy Nilsson and it reminded me of Army Of Lovers
Again just wanted to highlight the awesome range of this month - so far 3 of my 5 don’t feature on anyone else’s lists, and I’ve noticed that trend with several other lists too!
Spielbergs is the best anthemic indie rock album since idk … Japandroids debut? The run of Five on It to Familiar is basically peerless, and while it’s a little samey by the end I couldn’t care less.
Girlpool is so varied, great mix of indie rockers, ballads, some shoegaze and electronic experiments - surprised it’s been so slept on. FEELS is just good post-punk with some nice flourishes, Bellows is gorgeous and haunting (though all basically one mood) and And The Kids is another good slice of varied indie.
Honourable mentions to Savage Mansion (would be higher but the first song is the best which is always an issue) and Dave Harrington Group for some really cool textured instrumental lovely noisiness.
I saw And The Kids twice on a week’s holiday in NYC in 2015 (I think). Great live. Loved the record they were touring back then. I think one of the gigs that they played was as support to the main bloke out of Superchunk doing a solo set. (Mac something, I don’t know his name without Google-ing.)
Thanks for the heads up of that album. I haven’t heard their name mentioned in years.
V/A - Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990
Martin Frawley - Undone at 31
Max Gowan - Bygones
Traffik Island - Nature Strip
Bob Mould’s newie might even his best of this Merge era, which is saying a lot - all superb albums. The Japanese ambient compilation has led me on to lots of other excellent discoveries. Bottom 3 are fairly interchangeable, and Cass McCombs or James Yorkston could easily have made it in there. All albums I’m likely to return to. I also quite enjoyed SWMRS and Spielbergs.
