Vote for your favourite five albums. Make your selections clear please as it makes tallying up the scores easier. If you list a whole bunch of albums without making your selections clear I’ll take the first five mentioned as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. No joint positions please. Sorry to be a pedant.
Your album of the month will get five points, 2nd placed album four points, 3rd placed album three points, 4th placed album two points and 5th one point. If you name only one album I’ll give that five points. If you name two albums I’ll score them with five and four points etc. You get the message.
My choices:
Hana Vu - Romanticism
Dehd - Poetry
Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
Always a lot of great recommendations from you guys about albums that I’ve missed or overlooked. Not sure what’s out tomorrow. I’ll see what you guys are listening to.
Please forgive any shameless bumps of this thread during the week. I’ll keep this thread open until Sunday 9th June and so you’ll have over a week to listen to tomorrow’s releases if there’s anything out before choosing.
Vote now!! (Or later in the week) but make your choices clear please.
Pedro De Dios & Antonio Fernandez - Cantes Malditos
Jan Jelinek - Social Engineering
The Lovely Eggs - Eggsistentialism
Adeem the Artist - Anniversary
Bab L’ Bluz - Swaken
Crumbs - You’re Just Jealous
Transmission Towers - Transmission One
Ibibio Sound Machine - Pull The Rope
B Dolan - The Wound Is Not the Body
Mammoth Penguins - Here
Blushing - Sugarcoat
Laura J Martin - Prepared
Not seeing a lot out tomorrow that I’m very excited by, but that’s probably mainly because it’s half term and I haven’t been paying close attention.
Dropped off with new stuff this month a bit. But in the running are…
Karate Boogaloo - Hold Your Horses
The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All We Know
Mammoth Penguins - Here
Hana Vu - Romanticism
Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch
Mdou Moctar - Funeral for Justice
American Culture - Hey Brother, It’s Been a While
Ok Buddy - Strays (EP)
twikipedia - for the rest of your life
Clementine Was Right - Tell Yourself You’re Going Home
Knocked Loose - You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Draag - Actually, the quiet is nice (EP)
Excuse Me Who Are You? - Double Bind
One Step Closer - All You Embrace
So Totally - Double Your Relaxation
Apples With Moya - A Heave of Lightness on the Ground
Crumbs - You’re Just Jealous
Lightheaded - Combustible Gems
Memorial - Redsetter
La Luz - News of the Universe
Afterlands - We Are The Animals in the Night
Polkadot - … To Be Crushed
Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
Beak - >>>>
Arab Strap - Im totally fine with it👍 dont give a fuck anymore👍
Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
Blockhead - Luminous Rubble
Blushing - Sugarcoat
Cowtown - Fear Of
How To Dress Well - I Am Toward You
Jasmine Myra - Rising
Plenty of others to catch up on, particularly Thou, Arooj Aftab, B. Dolan and Bat for Lashes.
Another magic month, could have agonised over this for weeks, but just gonna put it to bed now instead & start thinking about my half year list (most of my faves now didn’t even make AOTM, as I’ve been constantly catching up!)
1: Priori - This but More
2: Jawnino - 40
3: Mach-Hommy - #richaxxhaitian
4: Dijit - Wisswass
5: Musclecars - Sugar Honey Iced Tea!
Summary
Priori is kinda low-key techno, kinda like if The Orb formed in 2020 or something. Doesn’t make a big show of itself, but is a proper world of its own. Essential headphone music. Been looking forward to Jawnino since about 2019, and was initially a bit disappointed (It’s Cold Out is still the best thing he’s done) but the production is extraordinary, and actually it reveals itself as you spend time with it. It’s not a statement, but that suits his style, and I think it might end up being really underrated. Mach-Hommy is what he is now, but this is probably the record where he covers the most ground, but he takes those newer directions and makes them suit him. He’s an extraordinary rapper, and it’s amazing how this remains totally him. Dijit is crackers. Abrasive at turns, beautiful at others. Great vocalists. Short - it whips by - but still feels like a statement. Kinda late 90’s, kinda really now. And Musclecars is the opposite, it totally luxuriates in its sound - been a lovely early summer listen - but then catches you off guard with some real depth. Think it’ll be considered a great record in years to come.
No room for Jessica Pratt, which feels like an error already (but I’m sure she’ll get plenty of votes), H TO O, Arooj Aftab (which I’ll be obsessed with in a month), the brilliant brilliant new Chief Keef, Joy Guidry (big rec FFO Angel Bat Dawid), Anastasia Coope, LB Dub Corp (who’s Paul St Hilaire colab I’m currently battering), the really strong Vince Staples…. It’s ludicrous. How do you all keep up?
Still a lot to catch up on but since they haven’t been mentioned yet, people really need to listen to the Obey Cobra and il sogno del marinaio albums, they’re towering over everything else.
Roots Architects is peerless instrumental reggae, bringing together some of the most storied JA players. It’s brilliant, going to be in the running for my album of the year. Slate is gothy post-punk from Cardiff, emphasis firmly on the goth, with maybe a little bit of Suede in there as well. It’s also super refreshing to have a band of this ilk whose frontman sings instead of talks. The Gatecreeper record feels like it could be the one that blows them up, heavy death metal but with just enough of a touch of melody to draw the fainthearted in. Scott Lavene is an idiosyncratic singer songwriter I discovered supporting the Hold Steady. He’s funny and rueful, with a really sharp observational eye. And finally, Fergus McCreadie’s Storm is just a really nice jazz album. I haven’t listened to much new jazz of late, mostly going down a rabbit hole of Japanese “death jazz*” from the 00s and 10s, but this one caught my ear and stayed there.
Genuinely really love it. It’s pretty low key, but there’s actually loads going on. Easy to listen to just in the background, but also sounds amazing on headphones.
Another good month - have enjoyed new music in 2024 so far A LOT…
The Lovely Eggs - Eggsploitation
Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
Arab Strap - I’m Totally Fine With It Don’t Give A Fuck Anymore
Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
Beak - >>>>
Only slight disappointment of the month was Bat For Lashes - after returning bang into form with Lost Girls, the new one feels like a step backwards again. Didn’t dislike it, but had expected to like it much more.
Great to have The Lovely Eggs back - a more thoughtful melancholy set of songs by their standards but still a lot of fun. Billie Eilish remains one of the greatest talents of recent years. Arab Strap continue to grow old disgracefully. My four and five - both nice albums, but you both know what we really really want…
My absolute favourite of May is by a band a friend of mine looks after, they’re called Lylo and their record is called Thoughts of Never.
Got a blue nile vibe to it and the vocals are great. Have been absolutely rinsing of late.