Not sure there was a 9/10 album this month, but lots in the 7/10 region and think my top five are solid 8s. Really enjoying the Mia Doi Todd album - a global folk album from a singer with an exceptional voice.
Misc - Partager l’Ambulance
Mia Doi Todd - Music Life
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - CARNAGE
Camera - Prosthuman
Work Money Death - The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises
And the rest:
Mapstation - My Frequencies, When We
Calibre - Feeling Normal
Wau Wau Collectif - Yaral Sa Doom
Jim Jones & Harry Fraud - The Fraud Department
Altin Gun - Yol
Archie Shepp & Jason Moran - Let My People Go
Mogwai - As The Love Continues
slowthai - TYRON
Nana Yamato - Before Sunrise
Cristian Vogel - Rebirth of Wonky
Django Django - Glowing In The Dark
Pauline Anna Strom - Angel Tears in Sunlight
4 Mars - Super Somali Sounds from the Gulf of Tadjoura
1: Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview On Phenomenal Nature
2: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - Carnage
3: The Weather Station - Ignorance
4: Virginia Wing - Private Life
5: Slowthai - Tyron
Love Cassandra Jenkins, my runaway AOTY at this stage. It’s a beautiful record and feels a bit like a fresh approach to a standard ‘singer-songwriter’ record.
Nick Cave feels like a minor entry in his discography at the moment, but certainly the first half is stunning - just so full of life.
Weather Station has grown on me massively. Brilliant songwriting, it’s really sticking & improving with every listen.
Virginia Wing are new to me, and although it can be patchy, it’s pretty unique and really well done. I’d describe it as beautifully agitated.
Slowthai I was indecisive about going into it given the recent past, but it’s actually a terrific record. Production is pretty amazing, first half bangs, second half is disarmingly pretty but what I really love is the way it sits together so well.
Ghetts just misses out because the top & tail is exceptional, but it’s a saggy, guest heavy slog in the middle.
Black Country, New Road I like but don’t love (yet).
Mogwai is great, but I don’t know if I’ll return to it much.
And Pauline Anna Strom really blew me away and if I’d had a week longer might easily slip into the 5.
I could get behind that.
I’m not sure they should be called the Bad Seeds with Mick and Blixa.
It’s fairly noticeable how much of Nick’s work I like since they left.
1. Black Country, New Road - For the first time 2. The Weather Station - Ignorance 3. Christian Löffler - Parallels: Shellac Reworks 4. Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature 5. Julien Baker - Little Oblivions
And a few other tracks I’ve enjoyed from the month here: