Your best albums of the year so far

[Buzzer]

I think it's been a really great year for music. Lots and lots of new stuff coming out all the time and plenty of youngsters prepared to take risks with their art.

Here's my list of the best albums so far, starting with the nearly rans (in no particular order):

Bon Iver- Blood Bank EP
Yeasayer - Old Blood
Tracey Thorn - Love and its opposite
The School - Loveless Unbeliever
Sade - Soldier of Love
Rudi Zygadio - Great Western Laymen
Peggy Sue - Fossils and other Phantoms
Pavement: Best of
Flaming Lips: Dark Side of The Moon
Four Tet - There's Love in You
Goldfrapp - Headfirst
Gonjasufi - A sufi and a Killer
Hot Chip - One Life Stand
Husky Rescue - Ship of Light
Jonsi - Go
Leila Adu - Dark Joan
Massive Attack - Heligoland
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
Unicorn - Chew Lips
Chris Joss - Monomaniacs Vol 1
Crookers - Tons of Friends
Cypress Hill - Rise Up
Damien Jurado - Saint Bartlett
Dan Le Sac v Scroobius Pip - The Logic of Chance
Delphic - Acolyte
Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue (re-released from 1976 and I'd not heard it before!)
Dreadzone - Eye on the Horizon
Ellen Allien - Watergate vol 5
Fall - Your Future Our Clutter
Bomb the Bass - Back to Light
Nick Cave/ Warren Ellis - The Road



And my top 10 (in some semblance of a preference):

10 - Olafar Arnalds - And they have escaped the weight of darkness

Icelandic pianist surpasses his earlier work with some exquisite pieces

9. Gil Scott Heron - I'm New Here

A welcome return for the poet/musician/political activist. I really liked how personal and open he was in this very short album. A lot of catching up but well worth it

8. Holly Miranda - THe Magician's Private Life

Debut album from a New Yorker who has a lot of confidence and some great tunes

7. Hafdis Huld - Synchronised Swimmers

*sigh* I won't have a word said against her. Carries on from her first album but that was perfect and so was this. Will be released in the UK this month but can be bought directly from her record company now.

6. Joanna Newsom - Have one on me

A big risk with this 3 cd collection but a lot more sohpisticated album from JN and her voice has grown up a lot too (partly due to an illness)

5. Laura Marling - I speak because I can

As important now as Kirsty MacColl was 30 odd years ago. Laura's lyrics are as strong as her music. A great album.

4. Stornoway - Beachcombers Windowsill

I'm blown away by this. Lovely harmonies, melodies . Drift away to this - I did! Trust me, it will grow and grow on you

3. Morcheeba - Blood Like Lemonade

Only been out a few days and I've played it a dozen times. This harks right back to their ealry stuff and has Skye singing with them again. Just exquisite.

2. Codeine Velvet Club

Fratelli spin-off project that has a lovely retro feel to it in parts. Great great album and my fave album cover

1. JJ - No 3
Gothenburg produced Little Dragon, Air France and now JJ. Another really short album but some lovely haunting songs. Dream Pop at its best.



Biggest disappointment this year was the Vampire Weekend album. Just too much like Gracelands and each song merging into another. Such a shame as I loved thier first album.

Wouls also add Plastic Beach by Gorillaz. Sorry but I just don't get it. It's got Mark E Smith, it's got Little Dragon, everybody else raves about it but it just doesn't click. Sorry Herr Tubthumper!


So - what about the rest of you?

 

[Buzzer]

Would also add 2 albums that slipped through the net from 2009 and I only got to hear this year.

Major Lazer - Guns don't kill people...... - great great party album. I challenge you not to bop to this

Polly Scattergood by Polly Scattergood - Essex born singer with a bittersweet taste in lyrics and some annoyingly catchy songs.

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

Impressive post!

I am so out of touch with new music. Where do you hear it all and find out about it?

Have only got Dan la Sac vs Scroobius Pip out of that list, although I much preferred their first album. Can't remember what it is called?! Edit. Remember it's Angles

 

[tedebear]

Just reminds me how much of my old life I have lost now we have a small dude...


sorry carry on...

 

[Buzzer]

Mailings from Resident, Rounder, Rough Trade together with Mojo Magazine and spending half my free time in record shops. I also tend to buy new stuff quite randomly.

I listen to music on the commute up and back from London and also whilst working. I don't watch a lot of telly!

 

[Smithy]

I have mainly bought albums that came out before this year recently but have really liked the following:

Beach House - Teen Dream
The Black Keys - Brothers
Caribou - Swim
Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do
Liars - Sisterworld
Mono - Holy Ground

 

[beardy gull]

Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
John Grant (ex-Czars with backing by Midlake) - Queen of Denmark
Steve Mason (ex-Beta Band) - Boys Outside

 

[The Modfather]

Just reminds me how much of my old life I have lost now we have a small dude...

Exactly what i was thinking.

For what its worth Paul Weller's - Wake up the nation is possibly his best album since 1980's Sound Affects.

So gets my vote for album of the year so far.

 

[sam86]

Hot Chip - One Life Stand

 

[Buzzer]

I've heard really good things about that John Grant album and am a big fan of the Czars. A great interview with him recently about his cocaine addiction and how dysfunctional the band was. Really eye-opening.

I'll give Paul Weller a go but I must confess that I stopped listening to him in the late 90s as I felt he was just getting lazy and formulaic. I got the feeling he was going through the motions when I saw him live too.

 

[Lewes' best seagull]

Foals total life forever

 

[Lewes' best seagull]

Agree about Contra, I liked it at first but they are all pretty samey. The only one to stand the test of time is Diplomat's son.

Plastic beach was ok, a good collaboration but I don't think it had the cutting edge choruses that the first 2 albums had.

 

[Mr Banana]

The Crystal Castles album is f***ing sweet, Pap Smear probably beats any tune of last year and won't be beaten this year

[YT]RTRVnjUa6Gw[/YT]

 

[charlieoatway]

Great List. I would add a few I have enjoyed so far:

Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
Steve Mason – Boys Outside
The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night
The Black Keys - Brothers
Caribou - Swim
Field Music – Measure
The Soft Pack – The Soft Pack
Holy f*** – Latin
White Rabbits – It's Frightening
Otouto – Pip
Sleigh Bells – Treats

Enjoying a few other bands on the cusp of getting albums out, Warpaint, The Like, Dom, Harlem, Zola Jesus, peter comes from neverland, Woom.

 

[WhingForPresident]

The Crystal Castles album is f***ing sweet, Pap Smear probably beats any tune of last year and won't be beaten this year

[YT]RTRVnjUa6Gw[/YT]

Amazing album. Baptism is clearly the best tune on the album though. That bassline on Year of Silence is dirty as a Bangkok ladyboys ring.

Delphic's album was pretty good, along with Two Door Cinema Club. But the album of the year WILL be The Boxer by Kele Okereke, out on the 21st. Mark my words.

 

[Wilko]

Another vote for Crystal Castles too.

Lee- What was that album like you picked up in Lithuania?

 

[Buzzer]

Alina Orlova - laukinis suo dingo

It's actually very nice. Sounds a lot like Regina Spektor.

 

[Don Tmatter]

'Defamation of Strickland Banks' for me, have only heard Dreadzone's, Gorillaz's & Weller's out of others mentioned here though.
Looking forward to hearing Black Keys's and We Are Scientists's.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

I've really enjoy the albums by the following artists:

The Worlds Tallest Man
Joanna Newsom
f*** Buttons
Hot Chip
Animal Collective (EP)
Four Tet
Titus Andronicus
Errors
Fang Island
Gonjasufi
The Morning Benders
The National
Crystal Castles

And some of Bozza's list as well, which is a great summary so far.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Alina Orlova - laukinis suo dingo


It's actually very nice. Sounds a lot like Regina Spektor.

I need to listen to this. I love Regina more than anything.