6. Two Ribbons ~ Let’s Eat Grandma
No matter my mood or what I was doing Two Ribbons turned the fun meter up every time I played it.
5. Hellfire ~ black midi
Listening to Hellfire is like watching a deeply uncomfortable movie. I feel attacked by what I am hearing. I almost want it to stop…but I don’t.
4. CAPRISONGS ~ FKA twigs
CAPRISONGS feels so casual, the whole tone is she just wanted to toss something together for her friends. But that has to be false right? Nobody assembles music with this much skill without breaking a sweat. Right?
3. Las Ruinas ~ Rico Nasty
When people started debating which was the Song of the Summer the whole conversation felt absurd. Why did I need to pick a Song of the Summer when Rico Nasty had put fifteen on a single album?
2. CHAOS NOW* ~ Jean Dawson
I’ve been pondering how to describe Jean Dawson. Yong musicians who blend older genres into a new sound are not rare, but Jean Dawson still seems to be doing something unique. There is an off-balance wobbly nature to his music, it comes at you in unpredictable ways. After a long time, I finally realized that the act he most reminded me of was David Bowie.
1. Ants From Up There ~ Black Country, New Road
More than any album of the last few years Ants From Up There feels like it deserves to have the listener sit down and focus. It is a musical journey describing the melancholy side of male longing, perhaps bordering on obsession. And all of it is built with the horns and violins that always delight me.