Another year has somehow passed - and I’ve probably been introduced to more music this year than in any other previous one, which rather bucks the trend for people to listen to less as they get older! That said, it is hard to find quality, focused listening time now, and most of my listening is done on my fairly lengthy commute to and from work. I have managed to narrow down well over 700 albums on the long list to 150 on the final list. As usual, these are very roughly in ascending order and that order becomes less arbitrary the higher up you get. I’m pleased that this list once again offers fair representation of my music taste across the board, from the mainstream to the margins. I’m also pleased that doing the list as late as humanly possible has allowed me to include plenty of releases from November and even December. There is great material everywhere and it doesn’t always respect industry schedules, particularly when there is limited marketing budget behind it. A few trends and examples that stick out:
- A number of (successfully) very long albums (this includes my final album of the year choice, Underworld, Cindy Lee, [Ahmed], Wendy Eisenberg, Bonny Light Horseman, Elephant9 with Terje Rypdal, Jeff Parker ETA IVtet)
- International Anthem possibly having their most impressive year to date
- The tragic loss of Ka being underscored by one of his finest albums, likely to be his last barring anything remaining in the vault.
- Saint Etienne sneaking out one of their most coherent and beguiling albums right at the end of the year when no one was looking.
- Two film scores from Eiko Ishibashi and Daniel Blumberg that also work brilliantly as listening experiences in their own right.
- Bill Orcutt sort of making a Christmas album
- The High Llamas returning with a work of maverick pop genius (and a bank balance busting set of vinyl reissues) just as I realise the extent to which I now like them. They belong alongside Prefab Sprout and Sleater-Kinney in the list of ‘bands it took me too long to get’.
- I’m not interested in the concept of ‘return to form’, but I was particularly glad to see Mercury Rev’s genuinely most interesting work post-Deserter’s Songs, Jason Lytle making his best album under the Grandaddy moniker since The Sophtware Slump, Stephen Malkmus finding a compelling post-Pavement vehicle in The Hard Quartet, Pearl Jam making a consistently thrilling mainstream rock album once again (and one I’ve listened to more than any other this year), and a genuine surprise from LL Cool J.
- Reminders of the power of great songwriting from Rosali, Oisin Leech, Adrienne Lenker, Iron & Wine, Beth Gibbons, Spencer Segalov, Michael Head and MJ Lenderman
- Seafarers finishing a wonderful trilogy of albums with what might be their best work yet. I think the various band members will now be focusing on other projects for a while, but I hope this won’t be the last we hear from this magnificent ensemble operating at the borders of pop song craft and jazz.
- Underworld continuing their resplendent late career phase and perhaps even finally getting due recognition for it in review coverage.
- Some genuinely excellent pop music. Taylor may have been the one to single handedly sustain the UK economy, but Charli xcx made the better record. Clairo also made a really sophisticated pop record too, even if she’s perhaps not marketed to the same audience.
- Improvisers moving into electronic composition with tremendous results (Gerald Cleaver, Alex Roth with Supersigil).
- A phenomenal set of specially commissioned long works by the Longform Editions label, the best of which were from Daniel Bachman, Eli Winter and Water Damage. There were a number of other excellent single track long works outside this project too with The Necks returning to the form, [Ahmed], Nate Wooley and Rafael Toral.
- An inevitable mention for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band who don’t appear in this list (the Road Diary soundtrack is not a completely satisfying representation of the tour for me) but simply to acknowledge that recordings of the Cardiff, Wembley and Asbury Park live shows have been on high rotation too.
- House Band being a rare gift of a jam band and one where comparisons with Can made some musical sense, although they very much bring their own vibe too.
- A tremendous album of the year from a group finding fascinating ways of writing and recording together and creating a real sense of beauty and longing in their unclassifiable and very contemporary music. One of the great positive musical forces to have emerged from lockdowns, I really hope they continue as a working ensemble (I’ll save the revelation as to what this record is for those prepared to scroll through the list!).
Thanks again to anyone who recommended music to me throughout the year. Onwards to 2025 - it was the future once!
150) The Folk Implosion - Walk Thru Me (Joyful Noise Recordings)
149) The Hard Quartet - The Hard Quartet (Matador)
148) Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. Nathan Salsburg & Tyler Trotter - Hear The Children Sing & The Evidence (No Quarter)
147) Mercury Rev - Born Horses (Bella Union)
146) Fred Moten, Gerald Cleaver, Brandon Lopez - the blacksmiths, the flowers (Reading Group)
145) Dean McPhee - Astral Gold (Bass Ritual)
144) Total Blue - Total Blue (Music From Memory)
143) Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us (Columbia)
142) Papa M - Ballads of Harry Houdini (Drag City)
141) Julia Holter - Something In The Room She Moves (RVNG Intl)
140) Nate Scheible - And Valleys Or (Outside Time)
139) Nicole Mitchell & Ballake Sissako - Bamako*Chicago Sound System (FPE)
138) Clairo - Charm (Clairo)
137) Mount Eerie - Night Palace (P.W. Elverum & Sun)
136) Nala Sinephro - Endlessness (Warp)
135) Fennesz - Mosaic (Touch)
134) Christopher Hoffman - Vision Is The Identity (Christopher Hoffman)
133) Charli xcx - Brat (Atlantic)
132) John Hollenbeck & NDR Big Band - Coloring Hockets (NDR/Flexatonic)
131) Nathan Bowles Trio - Are Possible (Drag City)
130) Cassie Kinoshi’s Seed - Gratitude (International Anthem)
129) ShrapKnel & Controller 7 - Nobody Planning To Leave (Backwoodz Studioz)
128) Dougie Bowne - The Stars Are Indispensable (Tzadik)
127) Moor Mother - The Great Bailout (ANTI-)
126) Cornelius - Ethereal Essence (Like Ltd/Warner Music Japan)
125) Mark Lockheart - Smiling (Edition)
124) LL Cool J - The Force (LL Cool J Inc.)
123) Borderlands Trio - Rewilder (Intakt)
122) Frank London - Brass Conspiracy (Tzadik)
121) David Nance & Mowed Sound - David Nance & Mowed Sound (Third Man)
120) Jim Strong - My Enemies Are Mine To Keep (Horn of Plenty)
119) Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band - Loophole (Modern Sky UK)
118) Bill Frisell - Orchestras (Blue Note)
117) Caxtrinho - Queda Livre (QTV)
116) Jim White & Marisa Anderson - Swallowtail (Thrill Jockey)
115) Eiko Ishibashi - Evil Does Not Exist (Drag City)
114) Elaine Mitchener - Solo Throat (Otoruku)
113) Peter Evans - Extra (We Jazz)
112) John Surman - Words Unspoken (ECM)
111) Grandaddy - Blu Wav (Dangerbird)
110) Gregoire Maret & Romain Collin - Ennio (ACT)
109) Daniel Blumberg - The Brutalist (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
108) SML - Small Medium Large (International Anthem)
107) Orchestra Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp - Ventre Unique (Les Disques Bongo Joe)
106) Alice Zawadzki/Fred Thomas/Misha Mullov-Abbado - Za Gorami (ECM)
105) Pat Thomas - The Solar Model of Ibn Al-Shatir (Otoruku)
104) Moin - You Never End (AD 93)
103) Masayoshi Fujita - Migratory (Erased Tapes)
102) Jack White - No Name (Third Man)
101) Anastasia Coope - Darning Woman (Jagjaguwar)
100) Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly - MESTIZX (International Anthem)
99) Richard Thompson - Ship To Shore (New West)
98) Tomin - A Willed and Conscious Balance (International Anthem)
97) Supersigil - Spectres (Aion)
96) Ruth Goller - Skyllumina (International Anthem)
95) Raphael Roginski - Zaltys (Unsound)
94) Jessica Pratt - Here In The Pitch (City Slang)
93) Wadada Leo Smith & Amine Claudine Myers - Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (Red Hook)
92) Shane Parish - Repertoire (Palilalia)
91) Sunny Five - Candid (Intakt)
90) Tindersticks - Soft Tissue (Lucky Dog/City Slang)
89) William Parker/Cooper Moore/Hamid Drake - Heart Trio (AUM Fidelity)
88) Arooj Aftab - Night Reign (Verve)
87) Eric Chenaux Trio - Delights of my Life (Constellation/Murailles Music)
86) The Messthetics with James Brandon Lewis - The Messthetics with James Brandon Lewis (Impulse!)
85) Tomeka Reid Quartet - 3+3 (Cuneiform)
84) Milan W. - Leave Another Day (Stroom)
83) Beings - There Is A Garden (No Quarter)
82) BASIC - This Is BASIC (No Quarter)
81) Dan Weiss - Even Odds (Cygnus)
80) Sylvie Courvoisier - To Be Other-Wise (Intakt)
79) Spencer Segalov & Great Paintings - I’m A Lighthouse, You’re At Sea (Country Mile)
78) Nate Wooley - Moths (Editions Verde)
76=) The Smile - Wall Of Eyes (XL)
76=) The Smile - Cutouts (XL)
75) claire rousay - Sentiment (Thrill Jockey)
74) Shabason, Krgovich & Sage - Shabason, Krgovich & Sage (Idee Fixe)
73) Aaron Parks’ Little Big - Little Big III (Blue Note)
72) Kris Davis Trio - Run The Gauntlet (Pyroclastic)
71) Melos Kalpa - Melos Kalpa (Hands In The Dark)
70) Tyshawn Sorey Trio - The Susceptible Now (Pi)
69) Mdou Moctar - Funeral For Justice (Matador)
68) Kim Gordon - The Collective (Matador)
67) Iron & Wine - Light Verse (Sub Pop)
66) more eaze - lacuna & parlor (Mondoj)
65) Eli Winter - Ghost Notes (Longform Editions)
64) Still House Plants - if I don’t make it I love you (Bison)
63) Rafael Toral - Spectral Evolution (Moikai)
62) Joan Shelley - Mood Ring (EP) (No Quarter)
61) Ava Mendoza - The Circular Train (Palilalia)
60) Monolake - Studio (imbalance)
59) Fievel Is Glauque - Rong Weicknes (Fat Possum)
58) MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks (ANTI-)
57) Anna Butterss - Mighty Vertebrate (International Anthem)
56) Pat Keen - I Saw A Bug (Pat Keen)
55) Wendy Eisenberg - Viewfinder (American Dreams)
54) Ghost Dubs - Damaged (Pressure)
53) Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown (Domino)
52) Klein - marked (Parkwuud)
50=) Shovel Dance Collective - The Shovel Dance (American Dreams)
50=) Jacken Elswyth - At Fargrounds (Wrong Speed)
59) Elephant9 with Terje Rypdal - Catching Fire (Rune Grammofon)
48) Four Tet - Three (Text)
47) Adrienne Lenker - Bright Future (4AD)
46) E l u c i d - Revelator (Fat Possum)
45) Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin - Ghosted II (Drag City)
44) Fred Frith - Fifty (Week-End)
43) Chuck Johnson - Sun Glories (Western Vinyl)
41=) Elkhorn - Other Worlds (Forced Exposure/Cardinal Fuzz in the UK)
41=) Elkhorn - The Red Valley (VHF)
40) Oisin Leech - Cold Sea (Outside Music)
39) The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World (Lost Music/Polydor/UMO)
38) Jeff Parker ETA IVtet - The Way Out Of Easy (International Anthem)
37) Fergus McCreadie - Stream (Edition)
36) Patricia Brennan Septet - Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic)
35) Mourning [A] BLKstar - Ancient//Future (Don Giovanni)
34) Alan Braufman - Infinite Love Infinite Tears (Valley of Search)
33) Ches Smith - Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic)
32) Ka - The Thief Next To Jesus (Iron Works)
31) Shinichi Atobe - Discipline (DDS)
30) Bill Orcutt - How To Rescue Things (Palilalia)
39) Myriam Gendron - Mayday (Chivi Chivi)
28) Loidis - One Day (Incienso)
27) Alec Goldfarb - Fire Lapping At The Creek (Alec Goldfarb)
26) Underworld - Strawberry Hotel (Underworld/Virgin Music)
25) Jake Xerxes Fussell - When I’m Called (Fat Possum)
24) John Zorn - New Masada Quartet Vol. 3 (Live) (Tzadik)
22=) Water Damage - Reel LE (Longform Editions)
22=) Water Damage - In E (12XU)
21) Daniel Bachman - Quaker Run Wildfire (Longform Editions)
20) Miles Okazaki - Miniature America (Cygnus)
19) Mary Halvorson - Cloudward (Nonesuch)
18) The Necks - Bleed (Northern Spy)
17) Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee (Superior Viaduct)
16) Saint Etienne - The Night (Saint Etienne Ltd/PIAS)
15) The High Llamas - Hey Panda (Drag City)
14) Dave Harrington - Skull Dream (Maximum Overdub)
12=) Skee Mask - Resort (Ilian Tape)
12=) Skee Mask - ISS010P (Ilian Tape)
11) Rosali - Bite Down (Merge)
10) Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - Woodland (Acony)
9) Seafarers - Another State (Bethnal)
8) Chihei Hatakayama & Shun Ishikawa - Magnificent Little Dudes Vols 1 & 2 (Gearbox)
7) Bonny Light Horseman - Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free (Jagjaguwar)
6) Pearl Jam - Dark Matter (Monkeywrench/Republic/BMG)
5) Gerald Cleaver - The Process (Positive Elevation)
3=) [Ahmed] - Wood Blues (Astral Spirits)
3=) [Ahmed] - Giant Beauty (Fonstret)
2) House Band - Aventurine (Ground Scores)
1) Fuubutsushi - Meridians (Cached Media)