#22

:wink:

4 Likes
#23

Iā€™m going to really struggle to come up with a five. No clear winner but loads that are pretty level, to include:

Protomartyr
Waxahatchee
Denzel Curry/Kenny Beats
Phoebe Bridgers
Clint Mansell
Autechre
Nick Cave
BC Camplight
Fiona Apple

Going to hold off for a bit, partly to wait for The Avalanches record (the singles have been superb) and partly to give myself more time with Saultā€™s Black isā€¦which I was ludicrously late to but suspect might be the best album of the year (canā€™t 100% make my mind up about it at the moment)

By this stage I usually have one, or possibly up to three albums that I think are clear classics and way ahead of everything else. Hasnā€™t really worked like that for me this year but maybe it would if Iā€™d been listening to the Sault album since it came out.

#24

I need to listen to the Kali Uchis album some more before decidingā€¦

1 Like
#26

Iā€™ve got a clear top 3 all equal first, then a bunch so competing for slots 4 and 5.

The top three:
Shackleton & Waclaw Zimpel - Primal Forms
Soft Pink Truth - Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase
DJ Python - Mas Amble

And the rest competing for 4/5:
Crack Cloud
Deftones
Jacob Nico
Sevdaliza
Nicolas Jaar
AAL
Autechre
Craven Vaults
Mood Taeg
Sunbane (probably excluded because I wrote it)
Sarmism
Field Lines Cartographer
Daniel Avery

3 Likes
#27

Very interesting to see people saying it has been a dire year. I think it has been a very strong year without maybe many exceptional albums. I keep a running list throughout the year of albums I have liked and it is currently at 190 (that is separate from my jazz list). Of those 190 there are albums Iā€™ve really liked sitting as low down as number 60. Lockdown has meant Iā€™ve had much more time to listen than before.

The next few weeks will be spent relistening to the top batch, plus any that crop up on lists that I missed, and getting them into some order. Given the quality in there I am looking forward to it a lot.

6 Likes
#28

I think itā€™s been a good year. Will be picking from: (bolded are my favourites currently)

Adrienne Lenker - Songs

Caribou - Suddenly

Daniel Avery - Love + Light

The Beths - jump rope gazers

Deftones - ohms

Dogleg - melee

Electric soft parade - stages

Four tet - sixteen oceans

Hamilton Leithauser - the loves of your life

Jeff Parker - suite for Max Brown

Kelly lee Owens - inner song

Laura Marling - song for our daughter

Makaya McCraven - weā€™re new again

Matt berninger - serpentine prison

Owen pallet - island

Phoebe bridgers - punisher

The strokes - the new abnormal

Sufjan Stevens - the ascension

Sufjan Stevens and Lowell brams - aporia

touchƩ amore - Lament

1 Like
#30

Lots of good music this year but I donā€™t think thereā€™s been any 10/10ā€™s

In terms of genres though I think itā€™s been a good year for Hip-Hop: Open Mike Eagle, Armand Hammer, RTJ, Ka, Freddie Gibbs and Aesop Rock

Heavy music isnā€™t particularly one of my favourite sounds usually but thereā€™s been loads of good stuff there too: Envy, Deftones, Kvelertak, Pigsx7, Pallbearer, Metz and Dogleg

I think my number one choice is a three way battle between Armand Hammer, Protomartyr and Crack Cloud

1 Like
#31

That Ariana Grande album was only a couple tracks shy of reaching mine. Underrated.

1 Like
#32

Forgot about Soft Pink Truth might have to rethink the bottom 5 of my list.

Might have bought the gold vinyl on bandcamp due to this.

1 Like
#33

Iā€™ll do some catching up over the next few weeks, but itā€™s going to be tough to beat Waxahatchee. Really helped me get through a terrible year, especially that first lockdown. Still listen to it all the time and it hasnā€™t lost itā€™s shine at all.

It really has been a great year though. Iā€™ve been completely obsessed with Adrienne Lenker the past few weeks, but before that I have obsessed over both Sault records, Nubya Garcia, DJ Python, Charli XCX, Protomartyrā€¦ loads more.

Would also agree itā€™s been an amazing year for hip-hop - Armand Hammerā€™s last two albums have been in my top 5 of the year and I think this one might be their best yet. have also loved Boldy James, Benny the Butcher, Freddie Gibbs, Navy Blue.

1 Like
#34

Pretty great year imo, considering there was a global pandemic. Still a couple of things Iā€™m looking forward to in December (most notably @Dawnwalker ), but yeah itā€™s been quite solid.

Biggest disappointment - Sufjanā€™s album being a ā€˜bitā€™ overlong and repetitive.

2 Likes
#35

Top 10 are looking like/ maybe

Exhalants

LOATHE

Huntsmen

Paradise Lost

Bow Church

RTJ

Phoxjaw

Kelly Lee Owens

Bound

Panzerfaust

Itā€™s been a very good year for heavy music :smiley:

3 Likes
#36

Did you dig Ohms?

#37

I did, itā€™s the first Deftones album that Iā€™ve really gotten into since White Pony.

2 Likes
#38

Disappointments:

Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song
Jessy Lanza - All The Time

2 Likes
#39

Totally agree with this sadly.

#40

Wo, thought the Jessy Lanza this year was miles better than the last one

1 Like
#41

Intrigued by that because for me Oh No is a clear refinement of the ideas on Pull My Hair Back, and is as good if not better. This one just felt a little underbaked.

#42

almost certainly in my top 10

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#43

another one for the ā€œgood year, lots of enjoyable albums, not masterpiecesā€ train. Doing my monthly top 5s has been really good to give me a base to work from for AOTY, but got to make sure I donā€™t forget the things lower down those months which have got wayyy better with time

Fontaines have a real shot at winning it for me, which I wouldnā€™t have believed after their first album

2 Likes