St. Vincent's MassEducation is bloody brilliant. Masseduction was already great but these stripped down piano versions of the same songs bring to the fore even more the raw talent and strength of Annie Clark's songwriting, giving her voice more room to shine.
Ambrose Akinmusire's Origami Harvest is fantastic inventive jazz - w/string quartet and feature a fellow Bay Area native, rapper Victor Vazquez — aka Kool A.D. of Das Racist
Welcome metal fan. Those haven’t been mentioned. In that genre, this year, I’ve liked: 1. Messa - Feast for Water 2. Thy Catafalque - Geometria 3. Can Barrd - Nature Stays Silent 4. Untamed Lands - Between the Winds 5. Sojourner - The Shadowed Road Forgot my favorite Panopticon. Been meaning to check out the Drudkh album, too. Since you like that Visigoth, you may like the new album by Wytch Hazel called II: Sojourn.
I haven't heard any of the albums you mentioned so I'll definitely check them out. Thanks for the recommendations!
New Laura Gibson next week, Goners, from what I've heard and read, I suspect this is gonna be a very, very good one ... Laura Gibson - Goners - Soundblab - Soundblab
On the one hand, I'm not sure if her Dave Matthews-ish vocal phrasing is my cup of tea--but on the other, the song itself and the arrangement are so gorgeous that I still enjoyed the track as a whole!
I totally agree. I haven't heard his new album, but it's in the mail. He is a distinctive, mature talent.
She's put out a string of pretty nice records now, guess the vocals are a little quirky sometimes, but the way she plays with the lyrics is kind of enchanting on that song, looking forward to a full listen.
Igor Levit Life Sparked by the tragic death of a close friend in an accident, Igor Levit’s piano playing reflects upon an experience of loss encompassing grief, despair, resignation and solace. He concentrates on works whose gloomy grandeur and melancholy beauty have occupied him for years. Each of them pays tribute to the virtuoso possibilities of the piano. Poetic moments of contemplative silence blend with life-affirming and extremely sensual music with a direct physical fascination.
Thanks for the heads up. I saw her open for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah early last year and was mesmerized. Listened to the two singles and pre-ordered.
I haven't been memorized in ... well, I forget how long, but she can be beguiling. Would love to catch a show sometime.
A great album. Not normally a fan of vocalists in jazz, but this works so well. Akinmusire’s on a roll, last 3 albums are all superb.
The new Neneh Cherry album „Broken Politics” is sooo beautfiul, I’m really stunned. Produced by Kieran Hebden from Four Tet and what a great job he did here... Listening to it third time in a row right now
A highly unusual black metal album due to its all acoustic instrumentation. This may appeal to fans of traditional folk, hard rock, and other non-metal genres. Nature themes are strong with this one - Thrawsunblat’s Great Brunswick Forest.
I love that album too, so stoked to see 'em live soon. Definitely a contender for AOTY for me. Equally great is ORB's new album 'The Space Between'
i'm going to stream this and, if I like it, I'll buy it. I like her other stuff but, since I rarely listen to radio, it's theonly way for me to preview music I like.
This was mentioned earlier, but buried in a bunch of other titles, without a sample posted, so it's worth mentioning again-- T. Hardy Morris - Dude, the Obscure
