Cabane - Grande Est La Maison (Cabane Records)
A delicate but ornate and touching suite of dreamlike folk music, richly adorned with arrangements from Sean O'Hagan and featuring vocal contributions from Will Oldham and Kate Stables. It's particularly interesting to hear Oldham in this context.
Caitlin Pasko - Greenhouse (Whatever's Clever)
A minimal, but striking and intimate song cycle focused on Pasko's haunting vocals and piano and synthesiser.
Caleb Dolister - Daily Thumbprint Collection 3: The Wandering (Orenda)
An imaginative, vivid and thrilling instrumental set from the drummer and composer. The Wandering unites rock and jazz, cinematic compositions and excoriating exposition, all based around some very heavy grooves.
Califone - Echo Mine (Jealous Butcher)
Although not marketed as a new Califone album per se, this score to a Robyn Williams dance project has enough melodic, song based material to stand alone (Romans and Snow Angel), and also focuses effectively on the depth of Califone's arrangements - particularly with percussion and rhythm. They remain one of the most under-valued of bands.
Call Super - Every Mouth Teeth Missing (Incienso)
More head music than club music - this is an electronic album of ruffled textures and quizzical interjections.
Caribou - Suddenly (City Slang)
Sun-kissed and serene dream pop subject to occasional bouts of unexpected turbulence.
Carla Bley - Life Goes On (ECM)
A stately, melodic and economical work from Bley's trio with Andy Sheppard and Steve Swallow.
Carlos Nino & Miguel Atwood-Ferguson - Chicago Waves (International Anthem)
The occasional audience cough betrays that this is a live recording - but one that features more layering and detail that one might expect from a duo performance. It also has a reflective quality that has been remarkably comforting this year.
Cassowary - Cassowary (Fat Possum)
Another of the year's finest debuts, this jazz, gospel and R&B inflected synthesis succeeds in being both pristine and riveting.
Cath Roberts & Dee Byrne - DISEMBARK! (Luminous)
An excellent duo saxophone set (with Roberts on baritone and Byrne on alto) that explores not only the depth and range of the instrument, but also the possibilities within a duo setting. This is also improvised music with a sense of fun and play.
Catherine Anne Davies and Bernard Butler - In Memory Of My Feelings (Needle Mythology)
A wide ranging collaboration between the guitarist and producer and the singer, songwriter and novelist (who usually records under the name The Anchoress). There are rock-ish tracks that allow for something close to the signature Suede guitar sound to cut through - but also more atmospheric mood pieces and moments of grandiosity too.
Cclcng - Niagara Falls (Quantum Natives)
Connor Kirby-Long released an enduring and brilliant album called 'Handwriting' under the alias of Khonnor in 2004. He released an assortment of singles and EPs under various names before disappearing for some time. Now returning, having really been through the wringer in his life, this new project is very different (more electronic, more unsettling, turbulent and unpredictable) but no less scintillating. There are also some other collections of his newer music on Bandcamp.
Chicago Underground Quartet - Good Days (Monofonus Press/Astral Spirits)
Chicago continues to be one of the most significant musical cities in the world, and the jazz-ish scene that surrounds Tortoise produced some of the most inspired and memorable music of the year (see also albums from Jeff Parker and Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra). Nineteen years since the previous CUQ recording (Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor continued to work as a duo), we apparently have Chris Schlarb of Psychic Temple to thank for this album's genesis. It's a freewheeling and joyous work, with vibrant exploration alongside refracted funk and more textural approaches.
Childish Gambino - 3.15.20 (Sony)
A rather confounding and disorientating album, in spite of its production to appear as a coherent and continuous suite - and yet isn't this exactly what Donald Glover's music has always been about?
Chouk Bwa & The Angstromers - Vodou Ale (Bongo Joe)
A wondrous collaboration between Haitian six piece Chouk Bwa and a Belgian production duo. The meeting of electronics and musical traditions feels very sympathetic and, at times, symbiotic.
Chris Abrahams - Appearance (Room40)
Chris Abrahams' solo piano work continues to be more languid and peaceful than the greater intensity of The Necks - getting lost within it is tremendously satisfying.
Chris Stapleton - Starting Over (Sound/Universal)
A gritty, honest and powerful country set, veering between tender songwriting and more biting, bluesy electric material.
Chris Forsyth with Garcia Peoples - Peoples Motel Band (Bandcamp)
A very welcome live recording of this incendiary, stirring collaboration, with plenty of stretching out on the epic take on Dreaming In The Non-Dream.
Chris Forsyth, Dave Harrington, Ryan Jewell, Spencer Zahn - First Flight (Algortithm Free)
A transcendent improvised set from this dream team of an ensemble, exploring a range of textures and righteous grooves. Harrington's absorbing sonics work really well with Forsyth's expansive gestures.
Chris Montague - Warmer Than Blood (Whirlwind Recordings)
Although featuring both guitarist Montague and pianist/keyboardist Kit Downes (alongside the excellent electric bassist Ruth Goller), Montague's work here is very different from Troyka. This is thoughtful and evocative music, with a focus on texture, sound and unpredictable melodic lines.
Christian Lee Hutson - Beginners (Anti)
Wistful, reflective, often confessional song-storytelling in the Sufjan Stevens mould.
Christina Vantzou - Multi Natural (Edicoes CN)
Inventive and innovative contemporary composition. The nine pieces have distinct sound worlds and atmospheres but this also coheres as a complete work.
Cindy Lee - What's Tonight To Eternity (W. 25th/Superior Viaduct)
Haunted and haunting soundscapes and a powerful exploration of gender identity.
Circles Around The Sun - Circles Around The Sun (Royal Potato Family)
A very fine and meticulously produced album, but also a bittersweet and sad listen, as this will be the final Circles Around The Sun recording to feature the outstanding guitarist Neal Casal. What a loss. The disco flavour to a handful of these tracks is interesting.
Cleo Sol - Rose In The Dark (Forever Living Originals)
Wondrous, resplendent neo-soul, spectacularly arranged,
clipping. - Visions Of Bodies Being Burned (Sub Pop)
That dark title is no joke. This is one of the year's most ominous and disconcerting works, combining horror movie references, rapid wordplay and squalling noise.
Cordoba - Specter (Amalgam)
Lush, widescreen jazz/funk fusion.
Corey Mwamba - {-} (Bandcamp)
Solo vibraphone set from the fluent, inspired improviser and presenter of BBC Radio 3's excellent Freeness programme.
Coriky - Coriky (Dischord)
Excellent new band from Fugazi's Ian Mackaye and and Joe Lally, alongside the imaginative drummer Amy Farina, whose unusual kit orchestrations elevate and drive this music.
Cornershop - England Is A Garden (Ample Play)
A national treasure.
Cory Smythe - Accelerate Every Voice (Pyroclastic)
I reviewed this for musicOMH here
Country Westerns - Country Westerns (Fat Possum)
Blistering, no-nonsense raw garage rock in the mould of The Replacements.
Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers (Fat Possum)
Wonderful and enriching songs, delivered with a delightful attention to sonic detail and vocal tone (sometimes reminiscent of Jenny Lewis).
Crazy Doberman - Illusory Expansion (1873119)
This is the first Crazy Doberman record I've heard, and there already appear to be three more, so I've got some catching up to do. A core of players supporting by a changing roster of auxilliary musicians, the Indiana based ensemble produce Bitches Brew-inspired psychedelic improv.