Once again a surfeit of riches, music overflowing throughout each day, and as ever it is tough to pick out stand out winners. This time I have laid out my list of new album listening by my grading (out of five), then alphabetically. This gives a top 32, with seven albums achieving the full five stars. The Sonic Youth live recording was quite simply an almost perfect snapshot of one of the most innovative, maverick and influential bands at its gloriously twisted peak. PJ Harvey reinvented herself again, with an album that pushed her vocally and sang with a hard won maturity, while both Julie Byrne and the Hunteress/Laura Cannell collaboration reinforced the dominance of women as the makers of the most original, invigorating and challenging music for our times. ØXN offered a compelling mix of desolate folk and Scandi Noir, Tatsuro Murakami’s ‘An Imaginary Autumn’ perfectly caught the tone of the season and was my go-to album for the third quarter of the year, while Dobrinka Tabakova was a new composer to me whose music I found utterly captivating.
From the longer list of albums I gave 4.5 stars, all of which are worth several spins, there are a few honourable mentions. Firstly, Swans – I cannot let a Swans release go by without comment. It was the only album I bought on CD this year, and is distinct game of two halves, with Disc One slightly disappointing, being a touch too tame and predictable – worthy of four stars – while Disc Two is absolutely blindingly vintage Swans, with all the drone deep ire I could wish for. If Christine and the Queens score was based on their absolutely overwhelming Glastonbury performance, then they would be a five, but the recorded album just didn’t quite reach the heights of that live set. Sarah Davachi is always worth listening to, and with three albums out this year, there was a surfeit of delight, but nothing that quite hit the top spot, although this won’t stop me listening to them over and again. The Richter Ensemble’s pairing of Bach’s ‘The Art of Fugue’ with Webern’s complete published string quartets was utterly inspired – a wonderful conjunction that enriched my understanding of both composers.
Hopefully, there is something of everyone in this list – pick and choose at your pleasure and happy listening for 2024.
| 5 STAR ALBUMS Byrne, Julie – The Greater Wings Harvey, PJ – I Inside the Old Year Dying Hunteress/Laura Cannell – Destruction Horizon Murakami, Tatsuro – An Imaginary Autumn ØXN – CYRM Sonic Youth – Live in Brooklyn, Ny Tabakova, Dobrinka – Orpheus’ Comet, Cello Concerto 2, etc. 4.5 STAR ALBUMS Blonde Redhead – Sit Down for Dinner Boygenius – The Record Christine and the Queens – Paranoia, angels, true love Davachi, Sarah – Selected Works I Davachi, Sarah – Selected Works II Earth – Even Hell has its Heroes (Film Soundtrack) Foxx, John – Avenham Foxx, John – The Arcades Project KMRU – Dissolution Grip Kopatchinskaja, Patricia – Janáček, Brahms, Bartók Krimsky, Katrina – 1980 Manchester Collective – Neon Mandy, Indiana – I’ve seen a way Midwife, Vyva Melinkolya – Orbweaving Mitski – The Land is Inhospitable and so are we Noriko, Tujiko – Crépuscule I & II Oliveros, Pauline – The Well and the Gentle Rush, Dasha – Contemplating Sakamoto, Ryuichi – 12 Setting – Shone a Rainbow Light on Slowdive – Everything is alive Swans – The Beggar Thorvaldsdottir, Anna – Archora/Aiōn Tumor, Yves – Praise a Lord who chews but which does not consume (Or simply, hot between worlds) Webern/Bach – String Quartets/ The Art of Fugue (Richter Ensemble) 4 STAR ALBUMS Animal Collective – Isn’t it Now Barnett, Courtney – End of the Day Birdy – Portraits Bisengaliva, Galya – Polygon Blue Lake – Sun Arcs Body Type – Expired Candy Breeze, Emily – Rapture Burch, Bex – There is only love and fear Bush Tetras – They Live in My Head Cale, John – Mercy Davachi, Sarah – Long Gradus Erika – Anevite Void Feeling Figures – Migration Magic Feist – Multitudes Foo Fighters – But here we are Gorrilaz – Cracker Island Habel, Juni – Carvings Halo, Laurel – Atlas Herlop, Marina – Nekkuja Jlin – Perspective Khotin – Release Spirit Kourtesis, Sofia – Madres Ladytron – Time’s Arrow Ligeti Quartet/Meredith, Anna – Nuc Lost Girls – Selvutsletter Lowly – Keep up the good work McCormick, Mack – Playing for the man at the door Miller, Rainy/ Space Afrika – A Grisaille Wedding Modern Nature – No Fixed Point in Space mui zyu – Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century Omori, Hinako – Stillness, softness otay:onii – Dream Hacker Panda Bear, Sonic Boom, Sherwood, Adrian – Reset in Dub Polachek, Caroline – Desire, I Want To Turn Into You Public Image Ltd – End of World Ray, Lana del – Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd? Seaming To – Dust Gatherers Shibe, Sean – Profesión Sigur Rós – Átta Sonologyst – Short Wave Spectrum Sparks – The Girl is crying in her latte Speedy Ortiz – Rabbit Rabbit Spelling – SPELLING & the Mystery School Stereo Hypnosis – Vík Stern, Marnie – The Comeback Kid Swift, Taylor – 1989 (Taylor’s version) Tirzah – trip9love…??? Weave, The – The Weave Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World 3.5 STAR ALBUMS 100 Gecs – 10,000 Gecs Baumbusch, Brian – Chemistry for Gamelan and String Quartet Belle and Sebastian – Late Developers Birch, Gina – I play me bass loud Bousfield, Lauren – Salesforce Cherry Glazerr – I Don’t Want You Anymore Durutti Column, The – Time was GIGANTIC… When we were Kids (Remastered and Expanded) Fever Ray – Radical Romantics Gazelle Twin – Then you run Godcaster – Godcaster Graham, Núria – Cyclamen Hayter, Reverend Kristin Michael – Saved Holley, Lonnie – Oh Me Oh My Høyland, Ingri – Ode to Stone Husker Dü – Tonite Longhorn Jackson, Kara – Why does the earth give us people to love? Kariuki, Nyokabi – Feeling Body Lanza, Jessy – Love Hallucination Lisel – Patterns for Auto-tuned Voices and Delay Liv.e – Girl in the Half Pearl Madness – Theatre of the Absurd presents C’est la Vie Monae, Janelle – The Age of Pleasure NV Kate – WOW Orchestre National De Lyon; Szeps-Znaider, Nikolaj – Aux étoiles – French Symphonic Poems O’Rourke, Jim; Ishibashi, Eiko – Lifetime of a Flower Oxbow – Love’s Holiday Parannoul – After the Magic Pigs x 7 – Land of Sleeper Plain, Rozi – Prize Pop, Iggy – Every Loser Quasi – Breaking the Balls of History Quinnie – Flounder R Ring – War Poems, We Rested Ragana – Desolation’s Flower Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds Romy – Mid Air Rumsey, Andrew – Evensongs Speaker Music – Techxodus Stevens Sufjan – Javelin Strategy – Graffiti in Space Tare, Avery – 7s ten Holt, Simeon & Hall, Erik – Canto Ostinato Treanor, Rian & James, Ocen – Saccades Wednesday – Rat Saw God Yaeji – With a hammer Young, Lola – My mind wanders and sometimes leaves completely 3 STAR ALBUMS Cannell, Laura – Amplify the Purrrsitive Pangaea – Changing Channels Various – Synthetic Bird Music |
The Unsubtle Reviewer 