Best albums of 2022 – Top 25

2022 was an amazing year for music lovers. We all managed to do what we prefer in life: going to gigs! I probably saw too many of them (cf. enclosed list) but I guess there was a subconscious decision behind all that. Fond memories indeed of the 21st June to 9th July period when I attended 12 concerts in 19 days… And 2022 was also very good in terms of releases and new records. I already mentioned this but every year has been great since the late 50’s actually if you are a curious music lover. I did a pre-selection of 47 records this year and had to do a few difficult choices to keep the 25 chosen ones as per below. The number one choice was a very easy one though…

#1 Kendrick Lamar – “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers”. Released in: May 2022. There is something exciting and also a sort of privilege when one feels witnessing the career of a great artist for real, i.e. not in encyclopaedias years or centuries after they released their masterpieces. This is a feeling people probably had while discovering Miles Davis, Led Zeppelin, Prince or again David Bowie when they were all in their prime years. I clearly had that feeling when attending Kendrick Lamar’s concert at the London O2 Arena in November so inventive, subtle and full of life his performance was. This album is an ambitious record and really requires a few listens but there is nobody right now competing with his creator. Plenty of guests (hello Portishead‘s Beth Gibbons), a bit of controversy on a few tracks, the best usage of piano not heard in a long time and a few very moving tracks make it the perfect recipe to be our RECORD OF THE YEAR!

 #2 Porcupine Tree – “Closure / Continuation”. Released in: June 2022. I must admit being a relatively new comer to this band although they have been there for around thirty years. I have been digging in their records thanks to the amazing solo career of their leader Steven Wilson and every new discovery has been an immense reward. There was therefore a lot of excitement to listen to this new release of theirs which was quite unexpected. This is the perfect record to start with and you will know very quickly if this band could be yours. I hope it will be so, especially if you are a Radiohead or Peter Gabriel fan to name just a couple of influences. As for Kendrick Lamar, I was delighted to attend their November gig at the Wembley Arena.

 #3 Nilüfer Yanya – “Painless”. Released in: March 2022. This young typical London woman released her second record this year and this is an even better one than her debut album. There is definitely a sense of more maturity while her guitar skills are extraordinary, making her music a perfect merge of indie rock and pop. I was lucky to see her three times this year first at Rough Trade East, then at my beloved End of the Road Festival and finally as opening act of Roxy Music at the London O2 Arena and she was excellent on stage in three very different environments.

 #4 Loyle Carner – “Hugo”. Released in: October 2022. Like Little Simz for instance, Loyle Carner has been one of these young favourite British artists of mine since I heard their first efforts a few years ago. His new album is more a grower than the previous ones but is eventually as good. The opening song (”Hate”) is an amazing number and my favourite of the year but the rest of the album is very solid, with probably an improvement in terms of musical skills. There is also something quite overwhelming in the voice of this young man which is difficult to explain but definitely there.

 #5 Elkyn – “Holy Spirit Social Club”. Released in: March 2022. You will not find this album in any other best of the year lists and this is a real shame because it is a hidden gem. Elkyn is the artist name of Joey Donnelly, a young Leeds, UK-based artist. His music is a real beautiful thing and not that far in terms of genre with what Nilüfer Yanya does, i.e. a kind of ambient pop with clear indie rock roots. I also found his voice to be in the same range as Grandaddy‘s Jason Lyttle, which is probably another reason why I listened so much to this record this year.

 #6 The Smile – “A Light For Attraction Attention”. Released in: May 2022. The Smile is a trio made out of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) and drummer extraordinaire Tom Skinner (Sons Of Kemet). Their debut is a fantastic beast in which Thom and Jonny have thousands of ideas per song and go from one instrument to another while Tom makes sure the groove and sense of structure remain throughout the entire album. I saw them twice in 2002 and they are a fascinating band to witness on stage. Well done gents!

 #7 Andrew Bird – “Inside Problems”. Released in: June 2022. As a huge fan of the Fargo TV series, I could not believe my eyes when realising Andrew Bird had a major acting role in 2020’s Season 4. But did it mean he was giving up whistling like a bird and playing beautifully the violin? The answer is fortunately no and to me, his new record was the best he released so far. I must confess being quite excited to see him live soon in London for the first time.

 #8 Wu-Lu – “Loggerhead”. Released in: July 2022. Wu-Lu is the avatar name of Londoner Miles Roman-Hopcraft. You will not find a more diverse record this year. One minute, you are in the middle of a real harcore song, the next one in a pure old school hip hop vibe and then in a indie rock number or a soul track. Diversity can sometimes be a painful thing but here, on the contrary, this is a great and diverse mix of beautiful influences. His End of the Road Festival concert was one of the best I have seen in 2022 so catch him and his band live if you can,

 #9 The Orielles – “Tableau”. Released in: October 2022. What a giant step made in 2022 from this young mixed English trio! They used to be very good but their music was quite close to expectations in the so-called indie rock genre. However, with this album, it looks they decided to compete with the greats. There are many long, inventive and fascinating tracks, reminding us of the best German bands of the 70’s but also many other interesting songs.

 #10 Modern Nature – “Island Of Noise”. Out in: January 2022. This record is probably the most relaxing one and the best to listen to if you want to escape for less than an hour from the madness we are facing in these troubled times. Music is a thing of beauty and we are very lucky to be able to live in civilisations allowing us to keep on listening freely to any kind of sounds and creativity. Let’s not take things for granted…You will find the next 15 best records below and trust me, they are as good. Enjoy…and happy to get your remarks and also your favourite albums of last year.

Ranking is for losers; here are the next 15!

• 11. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – “Endless Rooms”
• 12. Spoon – “Lucifer On The Sofa”
• 13. The Wave Pictures – “When The Purple Emperor Spreads His Wings”
• 14. Kurt Vile – “(watch my moves)”
• 15. Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band – “Dear Scott”
• 16. Cass McCombs – “Heartmind”
• 17. Little Simz – “No Thank You”
• 18. Beth Orton – “Weather Alive”
• 19. Tim Bernardes – “Mil Coisas Invisiveis”
• 20. Jack White – “Entering Heaven Alive”
• 21. Gwenno – “Tresor”
• 22. Bill Callahan – “Reality”
• 23. Danger Mouse & Black Thought – “Cheat Codes”
• 24. Stephan Eicher – “Ode”
• 25. Hedvig Mollestad & The Trondheim Jazz Orchestra – “Maternity Beat”

As every year, you may want to peruse the albumoftheyear.org website, which aggregates all lists from magazines, radio shows, stores, etc…but really this blog’s list is all you need (and its related playlist)!

October 2022 Album of the month: The Orielles – “Tableau”

Another very busy so no need to beat around the bush while we should celebrate an awesome new record.

Album of the month: The Orielles – “Tableau” – Pop Rock – This is the third album from The Orielles, a young band from Halifax, England and the least I could say is that I did not see it coming. Their first two records were good, and I also remember spending a nice moment when I saw them live at the 2018 edition of the End of the Road festival…but nothing of that sort. Their new record is one of the most inventive and diverse I had the pleasure to listen to this year, mixing traditional British pop-rock with plenty of other influences, one of them being obviously the repetitive music played by German bands in the 70’s (infamously also known as krautrock). This is also a very long record, so I am requesting you to excuse me as I am about to listen to it again…

Runner-up: Loyle Carner – “Hugo” – British Hip Hop – This is also the third album from one of our favourite recent artists and it is as good as the previous two. Loyle Carner has this amazing quality in telling us about his life but with humility, sensitivity and great musical skills.

Also recommended:

Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Return Of The Dream Canteen” – Pop Rock – Second 17-track album of the year (!) from a band who looks happier and enthusiastic as ever about playing music. It probably deserves a couple of extra listening but the first impressions I had were great.

Bill Callahan – “Reality“ – Pop Rock – Well, I am aware this is actually ‘Reality‘ in reverse but not sure how to find it on my keyboard… Anyway, this is a good title as Bill’s reality gets more abstract with each record, playing very long and beautiful numbers.

Dry Cleaning – “Stumpwork” – Pop Rock – As good as their debut album released last year!

Souad Massi – “Sequana” – Arabic Folk – A beautiful album from a female French Algerian singer who mixes traditional songs with a very inventive personal touch. And there is a Nine Inch Nails cover!

Arctic Monkeys – “The Car” – Pop Rock – A very cool and nearly soul record from a band not hesitating to evolve. I bet the next one will be very rock oriented….

U.F.A of the month!: Taylor Swift – “Midnights” – Boring Pop – Ok, this is not that bad and there are worse records. But this is very difficult for me to understand what the fuss this is about…

Lest we forget: album of the previous month – Beth Orton –”Weather Alive”

All October ’22 releases I listened to!

The best of the year so far; 10 months x 7 albums per month = 70 albums!

Best albums of 2019 – Top 25

A year when very good records by Wilco, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Bill Callahan, Aldous Harding, Neil Young, Bon Iver, Metronomy or again Elbow are not in my Top 25 must be quite something, right? Well, be your own judge by discovering the list below. Listen to them all and give feedback! What was your record of the year?

#1 Iggy Pop – “Free”. Released in: September 2019 – . It may not look very cool to choose one of my old heroes as album of the year but as every year, my main question was to find out which artist and record gave me the highest emotion. The answer was pretty clear as I found this album overwhelming either through the quality of the musical partners who helped Iggy this time or through his voice which sounds more amazing than ever. Having Iggy Pop at such a level of excellence for the second time in three years (after the gorgeous and completely different ‘Post Pop Depression‘ in 2016) is close to a miracle actually when one thinks about the quite poor albums he did in the previous ten years (hello bad French covers). I guess all the greats still got the sparkle when we are in need of a fire… I recently saw him live on the beautiful stage of the Barbican in London in what was supposed to be a jazz festival…but which ended with Iggy singing apocalyptic Stooges numbers as if he were in his twenties. The man is incredible and we are lucky to have him. RECORD OF THE YEAR!

  #2 Little Simz – “Grey Area”. Released in: March 2019. You will not find a more inventive urban album than Little Simz’s 2019 effort. In a year which confirmed the creativity of plenty of young British artists in different fields such as indie rock, jazz or again urban music in all its diversity, this young woman was above her colleagues. An extreme sense of melody could be found in this record while keeping a sense of adventure. I often told people that I found similarities with Prince in this record, not in terms of sounds but in attitude. To be discovered at any cost. For those Netflix aficionados, you may also have recognized her acting in ‘Top Boy’.

 #3 The Young Gods – “Data Mirage Tangram”. Released in: February 2019. Switzerland’s greatest ever band were back in 2019 with probably one of the best albums in a already extraordinary career. Their music is closer now to sound structures than real melodies and to what a sculptor could do while still keeping their industrial touch here and there. I must confess that every time I played this record, I immediately had a sense of well being so I hope you will feel the same!

 #4 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – “Ghosteen”. Released in: October 2019. I have been following Nick Cave since 1985 and I recently found home his 1990 book ‘And The Ass Saw The Angel‘ signed by the great man after meeting him in a bookstore in Covent Garden. I do report this anecdote just to mention I would never thought at the time that he would still be with us today and in such a prolific way. I was lucky to attend the Q&A night he did at the Barbican and I realised how hard-working he was…also there must be something of a genius mind as well. A very calm and moving record done with his usual Bad Seeds and in particular the great Warren Ellis.

 #5 Sharon Van Etten – “Remind Me Tomorrow”. Released in: January 2019. Similarly to Little Simz, Sharon Van Etten is a very talented woman as she also appeared in a great Netflix series (‘The OA’). The similarities stop there as her music is quite unique and not easy to categorize. To make it short, she comes originally from a songwriter-with-acoustic background but her music has evolved a lot in the past five years. This album is probably her most ambitious yet but also the easiest one to have access to with a bunch of fantastic songs and melodies.

 #6 black midi – “Schlagenheim”. Released in: June 2019. These young British lads come from one of the most prestigious music schools in the UK. However, rather than putting their extremely gifted skills in a specific kind of music, they went to the ‘let’s try and experiment as much as we can whilst keeping the structure of a song’. I know this is a lazy approach but to me they are the Public Image Ltd. of our times. Probably the best gig I have seen at the End of the Road Festival 2019 edition as well…

 #7 Big Thief – “Two Hands”. Released in: October 2019. 2019 was the year when I finally understood what Big Thief were about and the beauty & mystery of their music. To thank me for this, they released two awesome records (‘UFOF‘ and then ‘Two Hands‘). These two records could easily have been part of my best of but I chose ‘Two Hands‘ for the simple reason it contains the song of the year with ‘Not’. A bit like when Jimi Hendix played live The Beatles‘ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band‘ a couple of days after its release, The National covered ‘Not‘ on stage less than a week after the record was out.

 #8 Thom Yorke – “Anima”. Released in: June 2019. All the record with which Radiohead members are associated are of interest…but sometimes I must confess my interest was relative and not very long over time. Thom Yorke’s solo records have always been challenging and adventurous but with ‘Anima’, he found the magic formula, i.e. he used his usual weird electro sounds but this time not only for the sake of it. You will not find a more relaxed and simultaneously worrying music than on this record, reflecting the troubled times we live in…

 #9 Cass McCombs – “Tip of the Sphere”. Released in: February 2019. Cass McCombs is a regular fellow in this blog and one can easily recommend all his records. ‘Tip of the Sphere’ was above what he has been doing in the last ten years as one could feel a sense of urgency which had disappeared from his latest releases. Another great gig at the 2019 End of the Road Festival by the way.

 #10 Lana Del Rey – “Norman Fucking Rockwell!”. Out in: August 2019. ..and here she is, well positioned in our Top 10! I had difficulties to feel anything more than a polite listening to Lana Del Rey’s earliest records as to me they were lacking authenticity and emotion. To put it differently, I thought she was playing the David Lynch style without understanding the dark side behind it. However, I must recognize that each of her records has been better than the previous one and the latter is extraordinary, especially as far as the words are concerned. I may be cynical but to me this is perfect music for our times, i.e. we are doomed but let’s face it with a smile and nice melodies.

• 11. Strand of Oaks – “Eraserland”
• 12. Ride – “This is not a Safe Place”
• 13. Mikal Cronin – “Seeker”
• 14. Michael Kiwanuka – “Kiwanuka”
• 15. Nérija – “Blume”
• 16. Loyle Carner – “Not Waving, but Drowning”
• 17. Lloyd Cole – “Guesswork”
• 18. Drugdealer – “Raw Honey”
• 19. Steve Gunn – “The Unseen in Between”
• 20. Purple Mountains – “Purple Mountains”
• 21. Marika Hackman – “Any Human Friend”
• 22. Sunn O))) – “Life Metal”
• 23. FKA Twigs – “Magdalene”
• 24. Fontaines D.C. – “Dogrel”
• 25. The National – “I am Easy to Find”

Other voices’ (websites, magazines, records stores, etc…) Top 10.

You will find below a selection of other lists but there are so many of them that you may also want to go to the albumoftheyear.org website to get an aggregation of them all.

• Mojo (UK music mag): 1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Ghosteen 2. Bill Callahan Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest 3. Bruce Springsteen Western Stars 4. The Comet Is Coming Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery 5. Aldous Harding Designer 6. Fontaines D.C. Dogrel 7. Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell! 8. black midi Schlagenheim 9. Purple Mountains Purple Mountains 10. Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry Rainford
• Uncut (UK music mag): 1. Weyes Blood Titanic Rising 2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Ghosteen 3. Purple Mountains Purple Mountains 4. The Comet Is Coming Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery 5. Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell! 6. Joan Shelley Like the River Loves the Sea 7. Bruce Springsteen Western Stars 8. Bill Callahan Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest 9. Big Thief UFOF 10. Wilco Ode to Joy
• NME (UK website): 1. Billie Eilish When we all Fall Asleep, where do we Go? 2. Tyler, The Creator Igor 3. Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell! 4. Slowthai Nothing Great about Britain 5. Little Simz Grey Area 6. FKA Twigs Magdalene 7. Fontaines D.C. Dogrel 8. Michael Kiwanuka Kiwanuka 9. Weyes Blood Titanic Rising 10. Clairo Immunity
• Rough Trade (London, Nottingham, Bristol and Brooklyn stores): 1. Fontaines D.C. Dogrel 2. Weyes Blood Titanic Rising 3. Angel Olsen All Mirrors 4. Little Simz Grey Area 5. black midi Schlagenheim 6. Sleaford Mods Eton Alive 7. Cate Le Bon Reward 8. Vanishing Twin The Age of Immunology 9. Ex:Re Ex:Re 10. The Comet Is Coming Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
• Fopp (UK stores): 1. Sharon Van Etten Remind me Tomorrow 2. Bill Callahan Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest 3. FKA Twigs Magdalene 4. Big Thief Two Hands 5. Aldous Harding Designer 6. Joan Shelley Like the River Loves the Sea 7. black midi Schlagenheim 8. Angel Olsen All Mirrors 9. Bill Callahan Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest 10. Dave Psychodrama
• Greg Kot (Sound Opinions radio DJ #1): 1. Jamila Woods Legacy! Legacy! 2. Raphael Saadiq Jimmy Lee 3. Bill Callahan Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest 4. Michael Kiwanuka Kiwanuka 5. Sharon Van Etten Remind me Tomorrow 6. Billy Woods and Kenny Segal Hiding Places 7. Sturgill Simpson Sound & Fury 8. Kills Birds Kills Birds 9. Mugen Blakrok Anima Mysterium 10. Shana Cleveland Night of the Worm Moon
• Jim Derogatis (Sound Opinions radio DJ #2): 1. Lizzo Cuz I Love You 2. Sturgill Simpson Sound & Fury 3. Tacocat This Mess is a Place 4. Grlwood I Sold my Soul to the Devil when I was 12 5. Kills Birds Kills Birds 6. Ex Hex It’s Real 7. The Regrettes How do you Love? 8. Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell! 9. Sharon Van Etten Remind me Tomorrow 10. Michael Kiwanuka Kiwanuka
• Pitchfork (US music website): 1. Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell! 2. FKA Twigs Magdalene 3. Big Thief UFOF 4. Angel Olsen All Mirrors 5. Solange When I Get Home 6. Bad Bunny X 100PRE 7. Helado Negro This Is How You Smile 8. Fennesz Agora 9. Weyes Blood Titanic Rising 10. Purple Mountains Purple Mountains
• Paste (US music website): 1. Weyes Blood Titanic Rising 2. Angel Olsen All Mirrors 3. Sharon Van Etten Remind me Tomorrow 4. Big Thief Two Hands 5. FKA Twigs Magdalene 6. Britanny Howard Jaime 7. Carly Rae Jepsen Dedicated 8. Julia Jacklin Crushing 9. Lizzo Cuz I Love You 10. Faye Webster Atlanta Millionaires Club
• Les Inrocks (French mag): 1. Tyler, The Creator Igor 2. Weyes Blood Titanic Rising 3. Fat White Family Serfs Up! 4. James Blake Assume Form 5. Fontaines D.C. Dogrel 6. Philippe Katerine Confessions  7. Denzel Curry ZUU 8. Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell! 9. Alex Cameron Miami Memory 10. Hubert Lenoir Darlene
• The Guardian (UK daily newspaper) : 1. Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell! 2. Dave Psychodrama 3. Billie Eilish When we all Fall Asleep, where do we Go? 4. Sharon Van Etten Remind me Tomorrow 5. Tyler, The Creator Igor 6. Angel Olsen All Mirrors 7. FKA Twigs Magdalene 8. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Ghosteen 9. Slowthai Nothing Great About Britain 10. Weyes Blood Titanic Rising
• The Independent (UK website) : 1. Aldous Harding Designer 2. Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell! 3. Little Simz Grey Area 4. Bruce Springsteen Western Stars 5. Big Thief Two Hands 6. Tyler, The Creator Igor 7. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Ghosteen 8. James Blake Assume Form 9. Weyes Blood Titanic Rising 10. Dave Psychodrama
• Magic rpm (French bimonthly magazine) : 1. Weyes Blood Titanic Rising 2. Big Thief UFOF 3. Shannon Wright Providence 4. Aldous Harding Designer 5. Tyler, The Creator Igor 6. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Ghosteen 7. JPEGMafia All My Heroes Are Cornballs 8. Big Thief Two Hands 9. Bertrand Belin Persona 10. Altin Gün Gece
• Noise Magazine (French bimonthly magazine) : 1. Health Vol. 4:Slaves of Fear 2. Brutus Nest 3. Cave In Final Transmission 4. Tool Fear Inoculum 5. The Young Gods Data Mirage Tangram 6. Ventura Ad Matres 7. Cult Of Luna A Dawn to Fear 8. Lingua Ignota Caligula 9. Refused War Music 10. Boy Harsher Careful

Best albums of 2017 – Top 25.

Another year goes by and the more it goes, the less it seems to make sense … but not more or less than in the previous 3,000 years I guess. On these philosophical words, let’s focus on what this blog’s editor knows best, i.e. build nice end of the year lists!

Thanks to the nice suggestion of a friend, I started at the beginning of 2017 reviews of the best albums of the month. Quite a nice story and overall it meant that I listened to even more music thanks the intensive use of the streaming service I am subscribed to but also to regular visits to my local favourite stores, Rough Trade in particular. I tried to listen to all styles of music (folk, jazz, metal, pop, world, indie, soul, hip-hop,…) and hopefully without any prejudice. I can therefore proudly claim and make official that indeed big sellers such as Katie Perry, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus or again Sam Smith have all released completely boring, uninteresting or sometimes atrocious records. Not a question of snobbishness but these records are produced without any invention, emotion or soul. The below list is of course subjective but as every year is a mix of newcomers, mature bands, artist I discovered on stage or people who had an impact in 2017. I could have easily select 100 albums I can come back to on a regular basis but that was not the point.

Top 25 this year and without further due, let’s start with our Album of the Year which is a masterpiece! For the sake of clarity, you can click this year on two links: the first one will take you to the monthly review when this album went out and the second one to a potential live review if any.

#1 Father John Misty – “Pure Comedy”. Out in: April 2017 – Live review – What makes a record one’s album of the year. Beautiful music in the way Elton John could do in his peak in the 70’s with a touch of indie rock attitude? Angry and beautiful words against the state of the world ? Sensitive songs about the difficulty in being in love and making a relationship work ? Poetry ? Amazing presence on stage ? Probably all of this but to me what made it album of the year was the constant companionship and pure rough emotion I found in this album since it went out. Joshua Tillman is definitely increasing his game with every release. Stream it, buy it, read the words, catch him live; Father John Misty has made by far the RECORD OF THE YEAR!

 #2 Loyle Carner – “Yesterday’s Gone”. Out in: January 2017. This is the amazing debut album of the young London rapper Coyle Larner. His artist name is Loyle Carner as this is the way he used to pronounce his name when he was a kid due to dyslexia. He was also diagnosed as having behaviour trouble at that age but the young man found an escape in theatre and music. After the devastating death of his father in law, he went back to his music and released this very personal album full of great soul and jazz samples. Welcome to the club of great artists young man and keep on bringing a Man Utd Eric Cantona on stage.

 #3 Kendrick Lamar – “DAMN.” Out in: April 2017. Kendrick Lamar does not need this blog to be more famous or more critically appreciated as it looks the whole world loves him now.. and other artists too as he appeared this year on many other tracks (U2, Miguel or again N.E.R.D amongst many others). This is an extraordinary album again and the young man is definitely the current most talented artist. Every new album is an exciting event so let’s hope it will last for a few more extra years.

 #4 Moses Sumney– “Aromanticism”. Out in: September 2017. Live review. Those who are familiar with this blog may remember the emotion and positive shock I had whilst catching this young American artist live at End of the Road festival. His debut album is as amazing as he is on stage. He has the voice of an angel servicing very personal, melodic and original-sounding songs. If Bjork was a Black American young man in his 20’s, she would probably sound like him. To discover without further due.

 #5 Flyte – “The Loved Ones”. Out in: August 2017. A real grower that one as it was not in my August 2017 selection. This record made me young again as I discovered them after catching the cover of the record in a billboard in London (as used to be the case in ancient times). This young band from London made what I consider a classic in terms of melody and freshness of the sounds while respecting the grand tradition of great bands from the past such as Prefab Sprout, The Bluebells, Aztec Camera or again The Dream Academy. If such influences do not make you want to discover it, English pop rock bands must not be your taste!

 #6 Spoon – “Hot Thoughts”. Out in: March 2017. Live review. Another great LP by this truly exceptional band. The difficulty with bands like Spoon (or The National for instance) is that one is so used to quality with each release that one has to favour more glamorous things or new ones. Let’s not fall into this easy trap and celebrate one of the most inventive bands of our times. The more they go, the better they are it seems…

 #7 This Is The Kit- “Moonshine Freeze”. Out in: July 2017. Live review. This is the second time that Kate Sable’s band ends up in our best of the year ranking after 2015 excellent “Bashed Out”. Her music is also getting more mature and accomplished and her peers start to recognize such a talent. Folk music for those who do not like it.

 #8 Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – “Lotta Sea Love”. Out in: October 2017. This is typically the kind of collaboration which should have been interesting at best as very often two great artists playing together do not produce something amazing. This is totally untrue here between the young Australian singer and her male American counterpart. They built a friendship while meeting on tour, experienced a few songs and then ended making a proper LP. Very refreshing Velvet Underground-sounding music and nice words relating the troubles for those travelling a lot for their work (I guess not only musicians could relate to this!).

 #9 Joey Bada$$ – “All – Amerikkkan Bada$$”. Out in: April 2017. Firstly for those of you who follow with the same intensity as I did “Mr. Robot”, let me precise that this is indeed the same Joey who plays Leon in the series. Having said that, Joey Bada$$ is first and foremost a great MC. This is the third hip-hop album in this selection and although I have been listening to tens of them, nothing moves me more than rappers talking about the state of the world on great soul and jazz beats and samples. Am I really that old-school?

 #10 The National – “Sleep Well Beast”. Out in: September 2017. Live review. …and here they are in this selection as well. Not a surprise for regular readers of this blog as I guess they probably have been my favourite band of the current decade. Great album as usual but this time with a leap forward in terms of electronic sounds and songs structure. In other words, they keep on being more inventive while staying what they are. One of the greatest bands of our times.

 #11 Grizzly Bear – “Painted Ruins”. Out in: August 2017. Live review. Grizzly Bear have once more delivered the goods and this album is probably that where you will find the most beautiful voices of them all. This band keeps on going forward in their own very singular way and every new listen brings extra discoveries and entertainment. A great album to enter their world and potentially go backwards to their previous LP’s.

 #12 The War On Drugs – “A Deeper Understanding”. Out in: August 2017. His 2014 album “Lost In A Dream” was a masterpiece although for some reason it did not end in my end of the year list at the time; not sure why… I write “his” as the band is really the brainchild of Adam Granduciel. This new opus is as good as the previous one and the way to describe it best is to associate it with the early 80’s Bruce Springsteen records (“Born In The USA” or “Tunnel Of Love”) with an indie attitude. Play it on and you will dance to it!

 #13 U2 – “Songs Of Experience”. Out in: December 2017. A very recent release so once again quite difficult to judge as a record very often needs time to reveal if it is a good one, a classic…or a a fake! My gut feeling is that this is one of U2’s best and a few songs already sound like stadium classics. After the fantastic “Joshua Tree” tour this year, I am looking forward to catching them… backstage for their next tour!

 #14 The Xx – “I See You”. Out in: January 2017. This record is on the opposite side vs. the previous one in terms of date as it was released very early in January. I had already forgotten its beauty and I had to listen to it again to get it right. The song “On Hold” is particularly very moving for this blog’s writer ; the reason being probably the great use of a Hall & Oates sample…

 #15 LCD Soundsystem – “American Dream”.  Out in: September 2017. Live review. So it was not really the end of LCD Soundsystem when its leader James Murphy decided to end it all in 2011 at the Madison Square Garden… Well, I guess we should be delighted then as their comeback record is as good as their previous ones, keeping the New York Grooooove Thang sound. One of the best dance machine ever is back!

 #16 Slowdive -“Slowdive”. Out in: May 2017. Live review. Excellent shoegazing band comeback #1.

 #17 Ride – “Weather Diaries”. Out in: June 2017. Live review. Excellent shoe gazing band comeback #2.

 #18 Aimee Mann – “Mental Illness”. Out in: March 2017. Live review. One of the most beautiful and singular female voices.

 #19 St. Vincent – “Masseduction”. Out in: October 2017. Perfect and moving pop music from a young woman #1.

 #20 Lorde – “Melodrama”. Out in: June 2017. Perfect and moving pop music from a young woman #2.

 #21 Queens Of The Stone Age – “Villains”. Out in: August 2017. No Villains, only Heroes!    

 #22 Ghostpoet – “Dark Days + Canapés”. Out in: August 2017. Former call center British employee ; all roads lead to Rome!      

 #23 Benjamin Booker – “Witness”. Out in: June 2017. Blues Soul Punk Rock young master.      

 #24 The Afghan Whigs – “In Spades”. Out in: May 2017. Live review. Second excellent album since they reformed.

 #25 Thundercat – “Drunk”. Out in: February 2017. Soul and hip hop bass player gets solo.

So it looks the power of Anglo-Saxon music is over if you read a few magazines…but my selection is made out of artists and bands from the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland only. I guess this is what moves me the most. The more it goes, the more this selection is well balanced between men and women…although I must recognize that this is still dominated by male US rock.

Other voices’ (websites, magazines, records stores, etc…) Top 10.

You will find below a selection of other lists but there are so many of them that you may also want to go to the albumoftheyear.org website to get an aggregation of them all (© JG from Garidech). Kendrick Lamar being the definite winner it seems…

• Mojo (music mag): 1. LCD Soundsystem American Dream 2. Nadia Reid Preservation 3. Queens Of The Stone Age Villains 4. A Tribe Called Quest We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service 5. Jane Weaver Modern Kosmology 6. St. Vincent Masseduction 7. Kendrick Lamar DAMN 8. Hurray For The Riff Raff The Navigator 9. Sleaford Mods English Tapas 10. Aldous Harding Party
• Uncut (music mag): 1. LCD Soundsystem American Dream 2. The War On Drugs A Deeper Understanding 3. Kendrick Lamar DAMN 4. The Weather Station The Weather Station 5. Joan Shelley Joan Shelley 6. Richard Dawson Peasant 7. The National Sleep Well Beast 8. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile Lotta Sea Lice 9. St. Vincent Masseduction 10. Hurray For The Riff Raff The Navigator
• NME (not as great as it used to be…): 1. Lorde Melodrama 2. Wolfe Alice Visions Of A Life 3. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. 4. Father John Misty Pure Comedy 5. LCD Soundsytem American Dream 6. J Hus Common Sense 7. SZA CTRL 8. Lana Del Rey Lust For Life 9. Wiley The Godfather 10. Liam Gallagher As You Were
• Rough Trade (London, Nottingham, Bristol and Brooklyn stores): 1. Aldous Harding Post Party 2. Ryan Adams Prisoner 3. Bjork Utopia 4. Big Thief Capacity 5. Colter Wall Colter Wall 6. Cigarettes After Sex Cigarettes After Sex 7. The Big Moon Love In The 4th Dimension 8. Jane Weaver Modern Kosmology 9. Thundercat Drunk 10. Here Lies Man Here Lies Man
• Fopp (UK stores): 1. LCD Soundsystem American Dream 2. The Xx I See You 3. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile Lotta Sea Lice 4. Father John Misty Pure Comedy 5. Richard Dawson Peasant 6. Fleet Foxes Crack-Up 7. Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit The Nashville Sound 8. Tinariwen Elwan 9. The National Sleep Well Beast 10. Grizzly Bear Painted Ruins
• HMV (UK stores): 1. St. Vincent Masseduction 2. The War On Drugs A Deeper Understanding 3. The National Sleep Well Beast 4. Father John Misty Pure Comedy 5. Cigarettes After Sex Cigarettes After Sex 6. Alvvays Antisocialites 7. Aldous Harding Party 8. Jane Weaver Modern Kosmology 9. Slowdive Slowdive 10. The Horrors V
• Greg Kot (Sound Opinions radio DJ #1): 1. Run The Jewels Run The Jewels 3 2. Ted Leo The Hanged Man 3. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. 4. Sir the Baptist Saint Or Sinner 5. Downtown Boys Cost Of Living 6. Protomartyr Relatives In Descent 7. Vic Mensa The Autobiography 8. Mavis Staples If All I Was Was Black 9. Moses Sumney Aromanticism 10. Priests Nothing Feels Natural
• Jim Derogatis (Sound Opinions radio DJ #2): 1. The Regrettes Fell Your Feelings Fool! 2. Downtown Boys Cost Of Living 3. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. 4. Priests Nothing Feels Natural 5. Rips Rips 6. Aimee Mann Mental Illness 7. Vic Mensa The Autobiography 8. The Feelies In Between 9. Wire Silver/Lead 10. Courtney Barnett And Kurt Vile Lotta Sea Lice
• Pitchfork (music website): 1. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. 2. SZA Ctrl 3. King Krule The OOZ 4. Kelela Take Me Apart 5. Lorde Melodrama 6. Moses Sumney Aromanticism 7. Vince Staples Big Fish Theory 8. Tyler, The Creator Flower Boy 9. Fever Ray Plunge 10. Jlin Black Origami
• Paste (music website): 1. Jay Som Everybody Works 2. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. 3. Father John Misty Pure Comedy 4. Run The Jewels Run The Jewels 3 5. Courtney Barnett And Kurt Vile Lotta Sea Lice 6. Sheer Mag Need To Feel Your Love 7. Alvvays Antisocialites 8. LCD Soundsystem American Dream 9. Mount Eerie A Crow Looked At Me 10. Sampha Process
• Les Inrocks (French mag): 1. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. 2. King Krule The OOZ 3. LCD Soundsystem American Dream 4. Migos Culture 5. Alex Cameron Forced Witness 6. Juliette Armanet Petite Amie 7. Mac DeMarco This Old Dog 8. Orelsan La Fête Est Finie 9. Damso Ipséité 10. Cigarettes After Sex Cigarettes After Sex
• The Guardian (UK daily newspaper) : 1. St. Vincent Masseduction 2. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. 3. SZA Ctrl 4. Lorde Melodrama 5. Perfume Genius No Shape  6. LCD Soundsystem American Dream 7. The War On Drugs A Deeper Understanding 8. Thundercat Drunk 9. Kelela Take Me Apart 10. Richard Dawson Peasant
• The Independent (UK website) : 1. Loyle Carner Yesterday’s Gone 2. Lorde Melodrama 3. Rapsody Laila’s Wisdom 4. Perfume Genius No Shape 5. SZA Ctrl 6. Ghostpoet Dark Days + Canapes 7. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. 8. Syd Fin 9. Jessie Ware Glasshouse 10. Trampolene Swansea To Hornsey
• Magic rpm (French bimonthly magazine, back in 2017…but already over in 2018?) : 1. Grizzly Bear Painted Ruins 2. Aldous Harding Party 3. Midget! Ferme Tes Jolis Cieux 4. Slowdive Slowdive 5. Kadjha Bonet The Visitor 6. Charlotte Gainsbourg Rest 7. Flotation Toy Warning The Machine That Made Us 8. Kendrick Lamar DAMN. 9. Forever Pavot La Pantoufle 10. Big Thief Capacity
• Noise Magazine (French bimonthly magazine) : 1. Quicksand Interiors 2. Blut Aus Nord Deus Salutis Meae 3. Jessica93 Guilty Species 4. Slowdive Slowdive 5. Dead Cross Dead Cross 6. Algiers The Underside Of Power 7. Oxbow Thin Black Duke 8. Crystal Fairy Crystal Fairy 9. Sleaford Mods English Tapas 10. At The Drive-In In.ter a.lia

Record of the month – January 2017 – The XX “I See You”

Due to a global and very pushy demand, here is a new category to start the year with! The principle is simple: I will listen to as many new records as possible each month and give my beloved readers a few listening advises. There is obviously one caveat which is related to a timing issue as a record needs sometimes a bit of time to be digested but I guess this is part of the game. I thought January was a good month to initiate such posts as a) this is the start of a new year b) this is generally a slow month. Actually I was not really right on the second part as I listened to a total of…37 new records this month!

• Album of the month: The XX – “I See You” – Pop – The return of one of the most original British bands with their third album. After a few difficult times and a self-confidence crisis, these three school friends decided to go back to their original friendship to produce one of the most moving and original LP’s of the year. For fans of intelligent pop music and those who consider that Young Marble Giants or Everything But The Girl are both great influences.
• Runner-up: Michael Chapman – “50” – Rock – Excellent album from the folk guitar master veteran who sounds like a 20-year old guy. Steve Gunn and Kurt Vile guest on this album.
• Also recommended:
  • Piano Magic – “Closure” – Pop
  • Loyle Carner – “Yesterday’s Gone” – Hip Hop
  • Cloud Nothings– “Life Without Sound” – Rock
  • Mark Eitzel – “Hey Mr. Ferryman” – Rock
  • Chris Thile and Brad Mehldau – “Thile/Mehldau” – Jazz