2018 Half Time List

We're halfway through another year, so now is a good time to take stock of the worthwhile music releases from the first half of the year. With thanks to a few friends (particularly Alexander Shields and Michael Ewins) for suggestions and reminders. These are not ranked, but I've put my current preferred choices in bold text. The usual disclaimers apply - some albums will have gone up in my estimations by the end of the year and others will probably diminish somewhat. Also, this is a broad list and I certainly don't think everything here is a masterpiece. Particularly good year for film soundtracks, isn't it?

AAL (Against All Logic) - 2012-2017 (Other People) 
Aisha Devi - DNA Feelings (Houndstooth)
AKA Moon - Now (Outhere)
Alasdair Roberts, Amble Skuse and David McGuinness - What News? (Drag City) 
Alela Diane - Cusp (AllPoints) 
Alexis Taylor - Beautiful Thing (Domino)
Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Yonge - The Midnight Hour (Linear Labs)
Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto - Glass (NOTON)
Andy Sheppard Quartet - Romaria (ECM)
Anenon - Tongue (Friends Of Friends)
Angelique Kidjo - Remain In Light (Kravenworks) 
Anteloper - Kudu (International Anthem)
Anton Hunter - Article XI (Efpi) 
Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino (Domino) 
Arp - Zebra (Kemado)
Baloji - 137 Avenue Kaniama (Bella Union)
Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness (BCUC) - Emakhosini (Buda Musique)
Bell's Roar - We Carry Us (Sean Desiree)
Belly - Dove (Belly Touring)
Ben LaMar Gay - Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sun (International Anthem) 
Ben Vince - Assimilation (Where To Now?) 
Bill Frisell - Music IS (Okeh)
Binker and Moses - Alive In The East? (Gearbox)
Brad Mehldau Trio - Seymour Reads The Constitution! (Nonesuch)
Brigid Mae Power - The Two Worlds (Tompkins Square) 
Calexico - The Thread That Keeps Us (City Slang)
Cath and Phil Tyler - The Ox and the Ax (Thread Recordings) 
Colin Stetson - Hereditary OST (Milan)
Charles Lloyd & The Marvels - Vanished Gardens (Blue Note)
Christina Vantzou - No. 4 (Kranky) 
Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel (Marathon Artists)
Courtney Marie Andrews - May Your Kindness Remain (Loose)
Dan Weiss - Starebaby (Pi Recordings) 
Daniel Avery - Song For Alpha (Phantasy Sound)
Daniel Blumberg - Minus (Mute)
Dave Holland - Uncharted Territories (Dare 2) 
David Byrne - American Utopia (Nonesuch) 
Dedkind Cut - Tahoe (Kranky)
Dinosaur - Wonder Trail (Edition) 
Domenico Lancelloti - The Good Is A Big God (Luaka Bop)
Dylan Carlson - Conquistador (Sargent House)
Eleanor Friedberger - Rebound (Frenchkiss)
Elliot Galvin - The Influencing Machine (Edition)
Elysia Crampton - Elysia Crampton (Break World)
Enemy - Enemy (Edition)
Eric Chenaux - Slowly Paradise (Constellation)
Erik Friedlander - Throughbreds OST (Back Lot Music) 
Espen Eriksen Trio with Andy Sheppard - Perfectly Unhappy (Rune Grammofon)
Fatoumata Diawara - Fenfo (Republic of Music)
Field Music - Open Here (Memphis Industries) 
Gang Gang Dance - Kazuashita (4AD)  
GAS - Rausch (Kompakt) 
Gemini Sisters - Gemini Sisters (Psychic Troubles Tapes) 
Grouper - Grid Of Points (Kranky) 
Guided By Voices - How Do You Spell Heaven? (Guided By Voices, Inc)
Guided By Voices - Space Gun (Guided By Voices, Inc)
Gwenifer Raymond - You Were Never Much Of A Dancer (Tomkins Square)
H.C. McEntire - Lionheart (Merge) 
Haley Heynderickx - I Need To Start A Garden (Mama Bird)
Henri Texier - Sand Woman (Label Bleu)
Henry Lowther - Can't Believe, Won't Believe (Village Life) 
Henry Threadgill - Dirt...And More Dirt (Pi Recordings) 
Hieroglyphic Being - The Red Notes (Soul Jazz)
Hilary Woods - Colt (Sacred Bones) 
Hop Along - Bark Your Head Off, Dog (Saddle Creek) 
Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids - An Angel Fell (Strut)
Imarhan - Temet (City Slang)
Insecure Men - Insecure Men (Fat Possum)
Ivo Neame - Moksha (Edition)
Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer (WEA International)
Jennifer Castle - Angels of Death (Paradise of Bachelors)
Jim O'Rourke - Steamroom 40 (Steamroom) 
Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas 'Sound Prints' - Scandal (Greenleaf) 
John Prine - The Tree Of Forgiveness (Oh Boy) 
Jon Hassell - Listening To Pictures (Pentimento Volume One) (Ndeya) 
Jonathan Wilson - Rare Birds (Bella Union)
Jonny Greenwood - Phantom Thread OST (Nonesuch)
Jonny Greenwood - You Were Never Really Here OST (Invada/Lakeshore) 
Joshua Redman - Still Dreaming (Nonesuch)
Julian Arguelles' Tetra - Tonadas (Whirlwind) 
Julian Siegel Quartet - Vista (Whirlwind)
Kadhja Bonet - Childqueen (Fat Possum) 
Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth (Young Turks)
Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mondo (Night Time Stories)
Kit Downes - Obsidian (ECM)
Laura Veirs - The Lookout (Bella Union)
Lucrecia Dalt - Anticlines (RVNG)
LUMP - LUMP (Dead Oceans)
Lydian Collective - Adventure (Lydian)
Marisa Anderson - Cloud Corner (Thrill Jockey) 
Mark Pritchard - The Four Worlds (Warp)
Mary Halvorsen - Code Girl (Red Distribution) 
Mary Lattimore - Hundreds Of Days (Ghostly) 
Matthew Sweet - Tomorrow's Daughter (Honeycomb Hideout)
Mind Over Mirrors - Bellowing Sun (Paradise of Bachelors)
Mount Eerie - Now Only (1Gd)
Mouse On Mars - Dimensional People (Thrill Jockey)
Natalie Prass - The Future and the Past (ATO)
Neko Case - Hell-On (ANTI) 
Norma Waterson & Eliza Carthy - Anchor (Topic)
Olivia Chaney - Shelter (Nonesuch) 
Oneohtrix Point Never - Age Of (Warp)
Park Jiha - Communion (Tak:Til) 
Pete Lee - The Velvet Rage (Ubuntu)
Phil Cook - People Are My Drug (Psychic Hotline)
Philip Jeck - Arcade (Touch)
Red River Dialect - Broken Stay Open Sky (Paradise of Bachelors)
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs (Sub Pop)
Ry Cooder - The Prodigal Son (Caroline International) 
Ryan Porter - The Optimist (World Galaxy)
Ryley Walker - Deafman Glance (Dead Oceans) 
Sarah Davachi - Let Night Come On Bells End The Day (Forced Exposure)
Sarah Louise - Deeper Woods (Thrill Jockey)
Samba Toure - Wande (Glitterbeat)
Seabuckthorn - A House With Too Much Fire (876527)
serpentwithfeet - Soil (Secretly Canadian/Tri Angle)
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Black Times (Strut) 
Sidi Toure - Toubalbero (Thrill Jockey)
Sink Ya Teeth - Sink Ya Teeth (Hey Buffalo)
Sloth Racket - A Glorious Monster (Luminous)
Sonar with David Torn - Vortex (RareNoise) 
Sons Of Kemet - Your Queen Is A Reptile (Impulse)
SOPHIE - Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides (Transgressive)
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks - Sparkle Hard (Domino)
Steve Tibbetts - Life Of (ECM) 
The Body - I Have Fought Against It, But I Can't Any Longer (Thrill Jockey)
The Breeders - All Nerve (4AD)
The Nels Cline 4 - Currents, Constellations (Blue Note)
The Sea and Cake - Any Day (Thrill Jockey)
Thumbscrew - Ours/Theirs (Cuneiform)
Tori Freestone and Alcyona Mick - Criss Cross (Whirlwind)
Traveller  - Western Movies (Refuge Foundation for the Arts)
Tracyanne and Danny - Tracyanne & Danny (Merge)
Trembling Bells - Dungeness (Tin Angel)
Tune-Yards - I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life (4AD)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Sex and Food (Jagjaguwar)
Virginia Wing - Ecstatic Arrow (Fire Records)
Witch Prophet - The Golden Octave (88 Days Of Fortune)
Yo La Tengo - There's A Riot Going On (Matador) 
Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar (Ninja Tune) 

µ-Ziq - Challenge Me Foolish (Planet Mu)