I've stopped making top ten lists a long time ago, if for no other reason than the older I get the more disconnected I am from what's going on and it seems like the number of releases in a given year just keeps skyrocketing. But, I can definitely mention ten albums I've picked up, played to death and enjoyed this year in no particular order...

Hollie Cook: Twice (Paul Cook's daughter released this modern smooth reggae/lovers rock blend, think if Sade made a reggae album)
Plaid: Reachy Prints (90s veterans back with another laid back album of catchy idm or whatever you wanna call it)
Leonard Cohen: Popular Problems (for me one of the greatest stories of later in life artists who just keep going, his last two albums have both been home runs for me)
Chuck Prophet: Night Surfer (former front man of 80s roots group Green on Red with another really solid album. If you heard and liked Temple Beautiful a couple years ago, you'll probably like this one too)
David Andree + Josh Mason: Call, Response (processed field recording and electronics made for an excellent ambient listen)
Shabazz Palaces: ‎Lese Majesty (my favorite Hip Hop album of the year from a group with Ishmael Butler, formerly of Digable Planets, laid back and cutting edge, more about the sound of the thing than the words)
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib: Pinata (when I wanted hip hop more about someone spitting fire that still had some more than solid beats underneath, Madlib always delivers for me and Gibbs MCs with aplomb)
Off!: Wasted Years (another blast of old school hardcore by the Keith Morris fronted punk rock juggernaut)
Beck: Morning Phase (this one was slow to get my attention but kept growing the more I listened)
Scuba Death: Nitrogen Narcosis (Ricardo Donoso's alter ego with a claustrophobic bubbling mix of electronic beats and synths)

I also really liked stuff by Pye Corner Audio/Not Waving, Shivers, Panabrite, Donato Dozzy, Ital, German Army, Pale Rider, Bing & Ruth, Run the Jewels, Aphex Twin and plenty more.

Oddities I really enjoyed...
Craig Leon: Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 1: Nommos / Visiting (re-recordings of two lost albums of synth meanderings held together by some solid rhythmic underpinnings dedicated to a fictional alien race by a guy who produced Blondie and the Ramones among others back in the day)
Jozef Van Wissem & SQÜRL: Only Lovers Left Alive Soundtrack (intriguing soundtrack to the Jim Jarmusch vampire flick, highlighted by a stunning cover of Funnel of Love by SQÜRL fronted by Madeline Follin of Cults)
Motion Sickness of Time Travel: Ballades (floating synth drone, released as one hour long piece each moth all year long with a final 6 cassette boxed set collecting them all)

Really loved cassettes by Kyle Landstra, DETERRITORY, SEEKERSINTERNATIONAL and others as well as a few reissues of obscure Robert Turman records and a compilation from I Am Enfant terrible records. And I’m sure I’ll read this later and realize I left off something I was way into this year.

Another shout out to a local artist that spoke to something important this year, so here's to Tef Poe talking about Ferguson, War Cry...

Hands up.

The older I get the more disconnected my list is from "what's cool", but I won't stop making it. Rust never sleeps.
Quirky list you've got there... I think in the past there's been more overlap with what I choose. I cringe now when I hear Beck's voice, few have fallen so far for me. Very, very interested in the Motion Sickness projects, thanks for pointing it out.

Oh I'll keep making lists, I just stopped believing in some sort of "best" rankings, especially when I never get around to hearing so much of what seems to make other best lists. For example I have heard precious little of what I've seen on most of these lists so far. So I just call it a list of stuff I listened to. And this list will likely continue to meander.

I didn't like the Beck much at all at first, but it grew on me. I stuck a song on a mix tape and whenever it would roll around I found myself being glad to hear it and eventually revisited the album and have really enjoyed it since. But I do have to be in the right mood. Solid hangover album for me.

And yeah, that Motion Sickness project is really cool. If you like them, have you checked out Quiet Evenings? Motion Sickness is Rachel Evans and Quiet Evenings is her with her husband Grant (who also puts out some fine solo stuff) collaborating. They put out a really good album called Impressions last year.


https://quietevenings.bandcamp.com/album/impressions

Chuck Prophet, Cohen, OFF! will all make my list. Loved Prophet especially. I feel you on not having the energy to decide which one ranks 4th and which one 7th anymore. Everything else you listed I haven't heard, so thanks for some things to check out.

Loved the Craig Leon reissue. I didn't make it all the way through the Motion Sickness project for some reason, I should go back and listen to the parts I missed.

Well, there is a lot to get through on those Ballades releases, 12 hours of music isn't a quick listen. I've listened to the whole thing, but I absolutely haven't listened carefully enough to know for example, which month I like best or anything. Mostly I just toss in a cassette at random and hit play. And that Craig Leon if I had to pick is absolutely one of my favorites of the year. Great stuff on that. The original versions are out of my price range so I doubt I'll ever be able to compare this version to the original, but I'm OK with that.

And it's weird, but I liked Green on Red OK, but they were pretty hit and miss for me. Their No Free Lunch EP is a long time favorite of mine, but mostly I found them a bit ho-hum overall. I think overall I like the Chuck Prophet solo stuff better, and these last couple albums are real growers for me as well, keep getting better with every listen.

I haven't heard any newer Plaid material in a long time, maybe not since the Tekkonkinkreet soundtrack, which was pretty good. I may need to check this one out.

I like the Flying Lotus and Freddie Gibbs/Madlib albums a lot. I also enjoyed the Craig Leon reissue, and I didn't realize it was a re-recording.

I haven't listened to her Ballades series because it's just too daunting, but I like the album Alpha Piscium that she put out last year. It's good, pleasant stuff, but I don't need a whole lot of it.

According to the label, one was re-recorded exactly and the other remastered.



I need to listen to more Plaid really. I have heard them a bit here and there over the years but I don't know their catalog well at all and just happened to start listening to the new one and really liked it.

Also, totally forgot to mention Ben Frost: A U R O R A which was pretty great.

This will be in my top 5 - the simplest, minimal droning soundscapes. Iceland with a population of like 200 people produced 10 of my top 50 this year. Icelandic ambient, Icelandic black metal, Icelandic post-rock, Icelandic reggae... l

Yeah that album's one of my favorites of the year, too.

I thought he was Australian or something.

Ya know been listening to the new Tricky, Adrian Thaws, a lot over the weekend after leaving it alone for a while after picking it up just because I got distracted with other things, but I was really digging it. So add that one to the list.

that freddie gibbs/madlib album is really great.

Apparently Austrialian born, Iceland-based. http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_40 ... llrovi.com

They just announced he is playing here in a few months. May need to check his stuff out and see if it'd be worth going to.

Also, the Function/Vatican Shadow record was really damn good and I still go back to.

Inexplicably I missed everything Vatican Shadow and Pye Corner Audio did last year. Need to hear all those.