At the end of the year when we’re looking back on records that dropped I’m amazed at how much I’ve listened to. And I’ve barely scratched the surface. I used to think that I covered a pretty large swath of music, but in the end it was just a small peak into the year’s music releases. I guess that’s why this is just MY view. In the end I’m not listening to music to rack up views and reads, so I’m not covering popular releases. Just what I like. And really, even just what I’ve liked and would recommend is a hell of a lot of albums. There’s just no way I’m going to cover it all. I don’t want to.
That’s what leads to the old burn out. I do this because I love music and love talking about music. I love sharing my thoughts on what I’m passionate about. So I suppose that’s why I feel compelled to talk about albums that while maybe didn’t make a numbered list, are still amazing albums and I feel are worthy of your ears.
And so this sub-list is born.
So without further adieu, here’s some more albums I love and think you might love, too.
Justin Sweatt : North Electric Texas
“North Texas Electric” is a residual hauntology of ambient slowcore explorations of long drives in rural Denton County.“
Justin Sweatt, a musician that no matter where he may travel or even live for a time carries the endless skies and laid out horizons of his home state of Texas no matter where he goes. He’s now known as much for his ethereal, ambient works under his own name as he is for his dark electro work as Xander Harris. North Electric Texas is his most personal work to date, giving us the aural equivalent of a sunset drive on a cooling Texas evening. A feeling of calm nostalgia and longing melancholy emanate from Sweatt’s excellent North Electric Texas.
Wilco : Hot Sun Cool Shroud
I’m not chomping at the bit like I used to with Wilco. They’re still an amazing band, and one of my biggest influences/inspirations as an artist for sure. Jeff Tweedy is the great musical Midwest poet and low key nice guy that I’ve looked up to as an artist and humanist since the mid-90s. But to my ears the music just doesn’t resonate like it did when the band was scrappier and, well, smaller. This is most definitely an “old man waves fist at clouds” moment here. Wilco are still in my mind one of the best bands to come out of the last 30 years. Hot Sun Cool Shroud is a tight, scrappy EP with some pretty amazing songs on it. Not so filled out, leaving room to breathe and grow in your head over time. I can hear echoes of that tight, scrappy band in these tracks(much like the Star Wars album and the Sukierae solo record), and it felt pretty damn good.
Dehd : Poetry
Another amazing album from the Chicago trio Dehd, Poetry is an upbeat record filled with songs that are built to scream along to at the top of your lungs in your car. Jangly indie rock with anthemic tracks like “Dog Days” and “So Good”, and the throaty, soulful howl of Emily Kempf distinguishs Dehd from so many other bands out there attempting something similar. Their late-80s/early-90s college rock sound is a nostalgia trip worth taking every time.
SOMAFREE INSTITUTE : Exit Signal
Seattle electronic trio SOMAFREE INSTITUTE dropped a sleek, futuristic heavy synth record worth getting lost in with Exit Signal. The band which consists of Andrew Crawshaw, Justin Thomas Kleine, and Tim Call create sci fi vibes mixed with the prog/synth expanse of bands like Zombi, Tangerine Dream, and fellow SFI Recordings artists Delta IV. Exit Signal is the culmination of years worth of honing their sound into a tight shot of dystopian electronic music that is perfect for contemplating a bleak future, or plotting how to stop that future from happening. Prog-flavored heavy synth of the highest order.
Joel Ross : nublues
One of the most exciting artists in the new wave of jazz composers is vibraphonist Joel Ross. I feel he’s brought a thoughtfulness and intellectualism to jazz that I haven’t heard in a long time. He’s in that category of musicians like Makaya McCraven and Jeff Parker; artists that are bringing something unique and original to the world of modern jazz, while still very connected to the DNA of gamechangers that came out of the world of bop, post-bop, and improvisation. nublues is an album of blues and ballads, with three extraordinary covers, two Coltrane tracks and a Monk track. His cover of “Equinox” is nothing short of brilliant. I can’t recommend this album enough.
The Hologram People : Isola Dei Morti Viventi
This was a super fun and funky Giallo throwback album. Jonathan Parkes and Dom Keen left no Italio stone unturned. An imagined soundtrack of the highest order, it plays like a lost score to a lost Fulci/Bava/Argento-style Italian horror flick. They hit on Goblin, Frizzi, and Rizzati vibes, with a special nod to Rizzati’s funky disco-leaning library records. The attention to detail is awe-inspiring, and the songs pull you into that world.
Okay, tune in Monday for my top 15 favorite albums of the year. Until then, have a great weekend.
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