Cool. I liked the Biters EP from back in 2010. I will look into this one.

Agreed. For the record I really like this thing he has going on right now. I was talking to a friend about this EP the other day and he likened it to the days when people used to dance to Skinny Puppy and KMFDM, something that I missed out on by about ten years so have little frame of reference, but I think I can understand his point. It seems like a very logical progression of the type of noise that Yellow Swans did--yet somehow it feels new and unexpected. I am interested in seeing how far he takes it.

lovin' these:
French Films - White Orchid . . . no surprise there
Postiljonen - a collection of songs from an unreleased album as of yet, but will be a go to in the long hot summer days,
Hollis Brown - Ride on the Train

liking these:
Bed Wettin' Bad Boys - Ready for Boredom
Gemma Ray - Down baby Down
The Virgins - Shake Gently
Bleached - Ride your Heart
Charles Bradley - Victim of Love
Generationals - Heza

lots of stuff I have not had the time with:
Psychic Friend
Still Corners
Black Angels
Psychic Ills
Palma Violets
Ace Reporter
IO Echo

and others

Really good year so far:

Jama Ko - Bassekou Kouyate (best African pop in a long time... electrified Ukele covering tropicale dance riddums)
Woman - Rhye (what Sade should sound like if she stopped shooting dope)
Tannnenbaum - Kevin Drumm (double CD on one long drone)
Brick Mask - B/B/S (Aidan Baker) (ambient jam banding)
Lars Danielson - Libretto (kool jazz)
Axai- Autechre (industrial studies)
For Now I am Winter - Ólafur Arnalds (tundra and dance)

Could be good, but need to listen more:
Welcome Oblivion - How to Destroy Angels
We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors....Foxygen (makes me dizzy with the influences)
The Next day - Bowie (was prepared to hate this, but I think it make be really good)

Way, way better than I expected:
Chelsea Night Moving -Thurston Moore (dissonance can be your friend)
The Invisible Way - Low (easy listening made easy)
Honky Tonk - Son Volt (driving through Bakersfield on the way to the Sierras)
MBV - (I miss getting loaded)


From last year that either didn't listen enough or just kicked in later:

Assemble Head
Alt-J
Spiritualized (finally saw them live - got it at last)

Disappointing:

Yo La Tengo
Toro y Moi

1. Justin Timberlake - 20/20 Experience
Lived up to my expectations. I could listen to this all day.

2. Lapalux - Nostalchic
Warped mix of R&B and house jams from Flying Lotus's label

3. A$Ap Rocky - Long.Live.A$AP
Solid hip-hop album with some really interesting production and fantastic guest spots. Enjoyed his mixtape, but I like the official album even more.

Just as good as anything in the Top-3...

Rhye - Woman

Also worth noting...

Maxmillion Dunbar - House of Woo
Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety
Flume - Flume
DJ Koze - Amygdala

Night Marchers (I still love the Hot Snakes 20 times more)
Foxygen...thus far (I always start interested. Then it becomes background music on the second side while I'm doing thangs).

Anyone who put down $45 for that mbv album full of "loveless" outtakes got fucking fleeced.

I haven't listened to a great deal this year but It's slowly starting to take shape. The Townes Van Zandt sessions/demos is of course wonderful and a cut above.

Other favourites...

Counter Intuits - S/t

This is Ron House (TJSA, Great Plains, Psandwich) teaming up with Jared Philips (Times New Viking). Oddball lo-fi that i love.

Sweet Talk - Pickup Lines

Kinda Cheap Trick/Thin Lizzy hybrid. Occasional Exploding Hearts moments.



Jacco Gardner - Cabinet of Curiosities

Mellow 60's psych, baroque poppy.



Cuntz - Aloha

Mikey Young, punk rock, scratch acid.



--------------------------------------------------------
Like what I've heard from Milk Music, the new White Fence, Charles Lloyd & Jason Moran and Dick Diver.

1. Futurebirds - Baba Yaga
2. The Virgins - Strike Gently

...everything else

Strong year. Favorites so far:

Phosphorescent
French Films
Foxygen
Yo La Tengo
Frightened Rabbit
Futurebirds
Kurt Vile
Dick Diver
The Ocean Blue
Popstrangers

Really liking the Futurebirds after a few listens on Spotify. I need to go ahead and get the album.

Listening to that French Films album and it's quite good. Reminds me of the Vaccines at times, whom I was obsessed with back in 2011.

The Men, Low Culture and Yo La Tengo would probably be my top 3 at this point. I haven't given a ton of repeated listens to any album this year though.

Futurebirds, Mikal Cronin, Deerhunter, Thee Oh Sees, Red Jacket Mine, Sweet Talk, and Warm Soda are also ones I've enjoyed this year. I was pleasantly surprised by the new Ours album, but that's more of a nostalgic band for me.I still need to listen to the Night Marchers and the National. The new Josh Ritter was a bit of a disappointment on first listen.

I've only picked up 4 albums this year and only listened to 3 of them so far.

Chelsea Light Moving 'Chelsea Light Moving'
Has grown on me after an initial period of thinking that there was too much wanky self indulgence going on.

Kurt Vile 'Walkin on a Pretty Daze'
Second time I've been hoodwinked by hype into buying into this dopey yawn. Infinitesimally less exciting than watching dust settle on a mantelpiece at your grandparents house.

Steve Mason - Monkey Minds In The Devil's Time
Over long at 20, yes 20, tracks. On first few listens comes across as a sort of 21st century acoustic 'Dark Side of the Moon'. Not sure what way to go to this at the moment and need more exposure but I've ruled out 'completely awful'.

Mudhoney - Vanishing Point
Not heard it yet, will crank this shit out today.

Will probably pick up Robyn Hitchcock - Love From London this week.

Plenty of really great releases this year guys!

Top 3

1. Atoms For Peace - AMOK
2. Classixx - Hanging Gardens
3. No Joy - Wait to Pleasure

Others interesting bits...

Beach Fossils - Clash the Truth
Broadcast - Berberian Sound Studio
DJ Koze - Amygdala
Function - Incubation
Girls Names - The New Life
The Haxan Cloak - Excavation
Suede - Bloodsports
Minilogue - Blomma
My Bloody Valentine - mbv
OMD - English Electric
Pan American - Cloud Room, Glass Room
Segue - Pacifica
Svarte Greiner - Black Tie
Thee Oh Sees - Floating Coffin
Umberto - Confrontations

Metal...


Verminous - The Unholy Communion
Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance
Enforcer - Death By Fire
Lantern - Below
Necrocurse - Grip of the Dead

Dale

That Enforcer record does rule!!

Probably in my top 10 so far

Speaking of metal, I like the Portal album a whole lot.

KEN Mode is pretty good, too.

I looked up Verminous...

yeah dude, i love it so much!

Drinky, here is the Verminous album. Incredible album.



https://mega.co.nz/#!KYBDnBRb!bK9O3XNAt ... PP1NQUW5Vs

Cool, thanks. I'll check it out.

Kurt Vile is the most I've liked an artist in a little while and his new album while not a huge departure is better in a subtle way that assures me I'll be listening to him for the rest of my life.

i need to check out that classixx album again.

dale, have you heard that band Nails?

holy shit that rules. searching for it now. thanks for the heads up.