There's a lot that I didn't sit with long enough and will likely grow in my estimation, but that's the way time goes. There are a bunch I didn't even get to hear, but as it is I heard a lot.
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1. MARY TIMONY – UNTAME THE TIGER. My most listened to of the year. I love her guitar playing, never overdoing it, and her production is perfect AND she has Dave Mattacks drumming on a bunch of tracks. You can hear some Fairport influence, and a little prog. Turns out she is a Tull, Strawbs and King Crimson fan. Now I'm gonna have to go back and see if the Helium LPs betray that influence.
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2. TRISTWCH Y FENWOD – TRISTWCH Y FENWOD. Welsh, pagan chants, like Dead Can Dance singing over the beat of “All Tomorrows Parties”.
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3. BETH GIBBONS – LIVES OUTGROWN. Leaning more into the folk sound of the LP she did with Rustin Man. Once again she is working with another Talk Talk member, drummer Lee Harris, and some of that atmosphere carries over.
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4. REDD KROSS – REDD KROSS. Double power pop onslaught! Maybe their best LP. A book and documentary followed, but I haven't gone down that rabbit hole, yet.
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5. KUGELSCHREIBER – CHEERLEADERS. Raincoats meet the Roches, maybe. Whole lotta angular fun, and moments of real beauty.
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6. PETER PERRETT – THE CLEANSING. The Only Ones never got enough love, aside from Another Girl, Another Planet. His solo stuff has been great, and this exploration of age and mortality might be his highpoint, so far.
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7. AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS – CARTOON DARKNESS. Didn't grab me like their last. OMG more subtlety and chord changes, but it's a grower.
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8. THE BEVIS FROND – FOCUS ON NATURE. The third double LP on this list, and this is the only one that drags, a little, but a like a good sprawl. The addition of Nick Saloman's daughter, on harmonies, adds a lot. Extended pysch guitar freakouts mixed with some shorter, punky stuff. Touring the U.S. in the late Winter.
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9. ONEIDA – EXPENSIVE AIR. Not as great as their amazing 2022 LP, Success, but still a banger, though I think it reawakened my dormant tinnitus.
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10. PYPY – SACRED TIMES. ESG/SLITS, more guitar, more guitar, more… Next ten just gonna list without explanation. Y'all have computers, so look 'em up if curious. Besides, I can only make so many musical comparisons before I fall asleep. And I swore I would stop using the word "angular."
11. KIM DEAL – NOBODY LOVES YOU MORE
12. MDOU MOCTAR – FUNERAL FOR JUSTICE
13. MERIL WUBSLIN – FAIRE CA
14. WUSSY – CINCINNATI OHIO
15. SEALIONWOMAN – NOTHING WILL GROW IN THE SOIL
16. AK'CHAMMEL – RAWSKULLED
17. SMOKE BELLOW – STRUCTURALLY SOUND
18. ORCHESTRE TOUT PUISSANT MARCEL DUCHAMP – VENTRE UNIQUE
19. HARRY GORSKI – BROWN – DURT DRONE AFTER DREAMBOAT – Who digs bagpipe based experimental music, hands up!!!
20. ALISON COTTON – ENGELCHEN
Also – rans, some because of the time getting away from me thing:
OH, BOLAND – WESTERN LEISURE
EINSTRUZENDE NEUBAUTEN – RAMPEN
THE BUG CLUB – ON THE INTRICATE INNER WORKINGS OF THE SYSTEM
ROSALI – BITE DOWN
WE MARCH! – THE DIRTY CURLY SELECTIONS
MOUNTAIN MOVERS – WALKING AFTER DARK
GOAT GIRL – BELOW THE WASTE
LANDLESS – LUIREACH
SOMA – BURNING IS LEARNING
PORRIDGE RADIO – CLOUDS IN THE SKY WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR ME
THE COURETTES – THE SOUL OF…
VERITY DEN – S/T
WHY BOTHER? – HEY, AT LEAST YOU'RE NOT ME
LES BREASTFEEDERS – LA VILLE ENGLOUTIE
WEEGEE – PRIMITIVE THRILL
MOVIE MOVIE – IN 4 – D
SHOVEL DANCE COLLECTIVE – SHOVEL DANCE
GOBLIN BAND – SLACK YOUR HORSE
KIM GORDON – THE COLLECTIVE
MOHAMMAD SYFKHAN – I AM KURDISH
SAHRA HALGAN – HIDDO DHAWR
AMY RIGBY – HANG IN THERE WITH ME
FASTBACKS – FOR WHAT REASON!
HYPER GAL – AFTER IMAGE
SENORAS Y BEDELES – SI A TODO
EGON – ADVENTURES BEFORE THE BODY
KEELEY FORSYTHE – THE HOLLOW
TARA JANE O'NEILL – THE COOL CLOUD OF OKAYNESS
D'EN HAUT – S/T
TULUM SHIMMERING – LOTUS BLOSSOMS
WEST OF ROAN – QUEEN OF EYES
SHACKELTON AND 6 ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE – JINXED BY BEING
FROM THE VAULTS:
SONIC YOUTH – WALLA HAVE EARS
ALAN VEGA – INSURRECTION
BROADCAST – SPELL BLANKET
ALICE COLTRANE – LIVE AT CARNAGIE HALL
MARK LANEGAN – BUBBLEGUM
JOHN CALE PARIS 1919
GIGS:
DROMEDARY FESTIVAL – SCRAWL/POEM ROCKET/ THALIA ZEDEK/ ANTIETAM. DREAM SYNDICATE. YO LA TENGO WITH MARK RIBOT, SWAMP DOGG AND LOVE CHILD. LANKUM/JOHN PARTICK FLYNN. GUIDED BY VOICES. MICHAEL HURLEY/IDA. TARA JANE O'NEILL/IDA.KIM GORDON. NEKO CASE. RHETT MILLER. GODDESS PARTY. JONATHAN RICHMAN. PJ HARVEY.
MOVIES:
A REAL PAIN
SWEET EAST
THE FEELING THAT THE TIME FOR DOING SOMETHING HAS PASSED
DO NOT EXPECT TO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD
A DIFFERENT MAN
LAST SUMMER
LA CHIMERA
ANORA
JANET PLANET
I SAW THE TV GLOW…
Ok, my eyes are crossed and I gotta do laundry, or take a nap. I'll flip a coin. As always, I forgot stuff I'll head slap about later.