Cherry Glazerr – Stuffed & Ready : not compelling, although not terrible…
Dale Watson – Call Me Lucky : ‘professionally authentic’
Deerhunter – Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? : lusciously compelling art/alt-rock aural anxiety
Friska Viljor – Broken : melancholy, open-hearted rockers; #sweden
John Garcia – John Garcia and the Band of Gold : funky, crunchy desert rock
Juliana Hatfield – Weird : nice-enough 90s JH rockers
Mark Deutrom – The Blue Bird : dark, sludgy, and somewhat prog-gy heavy rock
Swervedriver – Future Ruins : paint-by-numbers space-rock/gaze; #notterrible
Tiger Lillies, the – Devil’s Fairground : super-strange avant-pop/cabaret
93MillionMilesFromTheSun – Echo Delay Fuzz Reverb : pretty ho-hum psych-gaze
Aesop Rock And Tobacco – Malibu Ken : wacky lo-fi synth beats under wacky rap lyrics
Balthazar – Fever : sexy and smooth indie-rock/pop
Bethany Curve – Murder! : snooze-gaze
Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center : literate & heartfelt s/s; #portlandia #boringasfuck
Blood Red Shoes – Get Tragic : banging synth-driven ‘dark’ indie-pop/rock; #darngood
Bob Mould – Sunshine Rock : really good power-trio noise-pop/rock outing
Dandy Warhols, the – Why You So Crazy : eclectic psychedelic pop/rock; #mixedbag
De Staat – Bubble Gum : intriguing but chaotic rock-electro-dance-psych
End Of The Ocean, the – -aire : nice (enough) instrumental post-punk; #wellnamedalbum
Fidlar – Almost Free : baller skate-punk blasts
Flesh Eaters, the – I Used To Be Pretty : antogonistic, fun and raucous skronk/garage rockers; #dontcallitacomeback
Girlpool – What Chaos Is Imaginary : dull paint-by-numbers indie-pop/rock
Greensky Bluegrass – All for Money : modern mix of ‘bluegrass’/Americana and jam-band/heartland-rock; #probablyfunlive
Guided By Voices – Zeppelin Over China : over-stuffed double album, but continuing a great GbV run
Guster – Look Alive : A-for-effort-C-for-content
Indian Askin – Another Round : excitingly diverse and fun indie-rockers
Julian Lynch – Rat’s Spit : dizzying, lush, hypnotic and airy pop-rock; #airplane
Kid Koala – Music to Draw To: Io : lovely ambient+vox creative soundscapes; #airplane
Kongos – 1929, Pt. 1 : nice wide-screen alt-rock; #southafrica
Michael Franti And Spearhead – Stay Human Vol. II : uplifting and positive r&b-ish soul workouts
Mike Krol – Power Chords : crunching guitar-based power-pop/indie rock
Neil Hamburger – Still Dwelling : better than a Coldplay album…
Rainbow Danger Club – Treehouse Empire : nice Shanghai+Austin alt-rock; #keeptrying
Rat Boy – Internationally Unknown : middling punk+hip-hop(+ska)
Rival Sons – Feral Roots : solid barroom roots-y blues-rock
Rudimental – Toast to Our Differences : fun and dubby r&b/pop
Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow : big, swaggering electro/folk/indie-pop/rock; #greatlisten
Sneaks – Highway Hypnosis : post-punk/electro/hip-hop?; #interesting #notreallymything
Steve Gunn – The Unseen In Between : elegantly assembled and harmonious acoustic-driven s/s
Steve Mason – About the Light
Switchfoot – Native Tongue : solid middle-of-the-road (wannabe-)arena-ready alt-rockers; #forgetable
Tim Presley’s White Fence – I Have to Feed Larry’s Hawk : super-weirdo acoustic-indie-psych-folk-noise; #mostlydarnenjoyable
Toy – Happy in the Hollow : wide-ranging and mildly unhinged post-punk/synth/indie
Visual Eyes – Vibrations : occasionally great wide-ranging indie
Weezer – Weezer (Teal Album) : crowd-pleaser popular 80s covers
William Tyler – Goes West : absolutely gorgeous instrumental ‘Americana’
Attic Lights – Love In The Time Of Shark Attacks : nice harmonious indie-pop/rock
Be Forest – Knocturne : enveloping cinematic post-punk-gaze; #italia
Bright Light Social Hour, the – Jude Vol. I : solid, diverse near-radio-ready rock
Broods – Don’t Feed The Pop Monster : glossy (but not cold) alt-pop
Calva Louise – Rhinoceros : ripping indie-punk; #femvox
Cass McCombs – Tip of the Sphere : super interesting and intriguingly laconic s/s-rock with a classic rock groove
Deep Cut – Different Planet : great version of indie-rock/pop/gaze; #femvox
Deer Tick – Mayonnaise : interesting but not terribly memorable
Entrepreneurs, the – Noise & Romance : stylistically diverse noise-based pop/rockers
Grandchildren – Grandchildren : gently lilting pop-folk
Gum Takes Tooth – Arrow : wild beat-driven psych-electro/rock; #psychedelicorpsychotic
Health – Vol. 4: Slaves of Fear : bleakly paranoid dark-synth indie
Ian Brown – Ripples : interesting home-spun dub-inflected easy rock/pop; #stoneroses
International Teachers of Pop – International Teachers of Pop : smart, funny, and invigorating avant/synth/electro/art-pop
Jane Church – Calimocho Molotov! : delightfully jangly and retro-tinged indie/’Americana’/power-pop
Jessica Pratt – Quiet Signs : vox are a non-starter for me; #hardpass
Last Internationale, the – Soul on Fire : gritty, hard-hitting NYC blues-rock+R&B; #femvox
LCD Soundsystem – Electric Lady Sessions : (for completists only)
Le Butcherettes – Bi/Mental : provocative, visceral-meets-feral post-punk jamz
Lemonheads, the – Varshons 2 : #fuckevandando
Lotus Feed – Songs from the Silent Age : dark(-ish) post-punk/new-age
Mercury Rev – Bobbie Gentry’s the Delta Sweete Revisited : lovely homage
Moth & The Flame, the – Ruthless : clinically ‘un-fun’ pop/rock/sadness
Neov – Volant : emotive synth-pop/rock #Finland
Odd Nosdam – Flippies Rock Tape : I don’t know what it is, but damn do I like it
Oscillating Revenge of the Background Instruments, the – ORBI : awesome attack of the low notes
Paal Nilssen-Love – New Brazilian Funk : completely fucking insane jazz-funk weirdness
Paal Nilssen-Love – New Japanese Noise : bonkers free-jazzzzzzz
Pelicat – Pelicat : lovely, ear-friendly indie-pop/rock from #Norway
Rustin Man – Drift Code : moody and quirky art-rockers; #talktalk
Said the Whale – Cascadia : interesting but very uneven indie-rock; #overreaching
Small Talks – A Conversation Between Us : overly-serious gaze-pop; #zzzzzzzzz
Spielbergs – This is Not the End : punchy indie/’celebration’-rock; #Norway
Telescopes, the – Exploding Head Syndrome : minimalist distortion-heavy drone
Thunderbird Divine – Magnasonic : riff-laden psych/stoner/heavy-rock
Tightropes, the – On Fire! : aggressive and funky barroom blues via #Netherlands
Unloved – Heartbreak : lushly cinematic adventures in pop-rock-noise-ambient
White Lies – Five : synth-driven, gothic-y, post-punk melodramatic anthems; #mmmmeh
Xiu Xiu – Girl with Basket of Fruit : super-weird noise-pop/art-rock
Abjects – Never Give Up : good (albeit standard-issue) garage-rock/surf/punk; #femvox
Amanda Palmer – There Will Be No Intermission : direct and emotive; #notatallmything
Avril Lavigne – Head Above Water : well-produced radio-ready pop/rock — incredibly boring. #wantedtolikeit
Bayonne – Drastic Measures : interesting, tropically tinted electro pop; #Austin
Bellows – The Rose Gardener : bedroom synth; #notterrible
Bilderbuch – Vernissage My Heart : google translate says “a wild dance to heavy rock and quite funky spacepop”; #vienna
bis – Slight Disconnects : hooky and quirky DIY indie/electro/punk/+
Bryan Adams – Shine A Light : silly, light radio pop/rock
Cactus Blossoms, the – Easy Way : lovely, light, and listenable retro/contemporary country-brother harmonies; #everlybros
Charlie Faye & The Fayettes – The Whole Shebang : fun, light and retro girl-group swingers
Chocolate Watchband, the – This Is My Voice : loose and rambling garage/psych/blues; #goaheadandcallitacomeback
Coathangers, the – The Devil You Know : shouty, blunt and unadorned punk; #aceharmonies #veryfun
Crocodiles – Love Is Here : psychedelic jet-engine blasts rooted in echo and reverb; #delight
Delicate Steve – Till I Burn Up : great instrumental guitar rock, more melody than jam; #cyberpunksoundtrack
Derby Motoreta’s Burrito Kachimba – Derby Motoreta’s Burrito Kachimba : cinematic, widescreen heavy-psych; #spain #flamenco
Desperate Journalist – In Search of the Miraculous : silky goth-esque indie; #femvox #songstories
DJ Krush – Hip Hop Generation : fucking groovy
Drenge – Strange Creatures : darkly foreboding post-punk with the best wrapped in grungy garage-rock
Du Blonde – Lung Bread For Daddy : honest, scrappy glam/garage rockers
Durand Jones & The Indications – American Love Call : delicious 70s-STAX-esque soul burners; #greatgroupvox
Earps, the – Jackass Acres : fun, goofy, stupid honky-tonk/indie
Ethers – Ethers : shaggy, ragged, and over-trebled CHI indie-rock super-group; #funfunfun
Feels – Post Earth : ‘playfully shaggy’ post-punk lamenting about a broken world
Foals – Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Part 1 : arena-ready (!) shit-rock (!!)
Frankie and the Witch Fingers – ZAM : fun and raw freak-out psych-rock spazzzerzzz!
Galactic – Already Ready Already : NoLa-party-in-a-box funk-rock-soul jamz; #nojamminess
Gary Clark Jr. – This Land : fiery and diverse with some great high spots
Gemma Ray – Psychogeology : lush and welcoming indie-pop
Golden Daze – Simpatico : lovely, relaxing psych-folk-pop-rock
Half Japanese – Invincible : timelessly quirky art-rock; #weirdlyupbeat
Hayes Carll – What It Is : country/folk/rock plainspoken storytelling, interesting if brusque
Holiday Ghosts – West Bay Playroom : very playful and primitive 60’s-psych-garage sound!
Howe Gelb – Gathered : very nice drinking session b/g mellowness
Hozier – Wasteland, Baby! : confirming the ‘one-hit-wonder’ status; #thehitisnothere
I Was A King – Slow Century : lovely and bubbling indie/power-pop’ #norway
Julia Jacklin – Crushing : sensitive and emotive indie rockers; #upbeatisbest
Khana Bierbood – Strangers From The Far East : interesting Thai version of garage-surf
King Midas Sound – Solitude : bleak, stark, dark meditation on the end of a relationship; #airplane
Lambchop – This Is What I Wanted To Tell You : lush americana, ‘disarming but intimate confessional’
Long Ryders, the – Psychedelic Country Soul : very good and super-well-named album
M83 – Knife + Heart OST : synth-focused and emotive with a couple stand-alone high spots
Matthew Logan Vasquez – Light’n Up : s/s ballads, ho-hum; #soserious
Meat Puppets – Dusty Notes : excellent MP outing full of dusty country-rock with a punk edge
Methyl Ethel – Triage : idiosyncratic adventures in rhythm and melody, some quite good; #keepworking
Yawpers, the – Human Question : rollicking fun roots/classic-rock; #somuchsoul
Motorpsycho – The Crucible : heavy/rambling prog/classic-rock, shortest track nearly 9 mins; #norway
Nick Waterhouse – Nick Waterhouse : very pleasant but uninspired modern blue-eyed soul
Pkew Pkew Pkew – Optimal Lifestyles : fast blasts of party-punk
Pom Poko – Birthday : super quirky art-rock/pop; #bigfun #norway
Pond – Tasmania : lively, but overdone, mix of prog-pop-electro; #greatgrooves
Potty Mouth – SNAFU : clean and (almost) arena-ready pop(-punk); #tooclean?
Queen Zee – Queen Zee : in-your-face dgaf punkers; #surfinflected
R. Stevie Moore – Afterlife : genius-level pop ditties inventively spanning (aping?) the years
Reignwolf – Hear Me Out : brash classic-rock-inflected blues rockers
Reverberations, the – Changes : fun 60s-70s-esque psych-rock; #funswingingjangle
Royal Trux – White Stuff : endlessly subversive noise-rock packaged into cleanly digestible chaos; #sleazy
Ryan Bingham – American Love Song : solid rootsy rockers, equal parts dust and shine
Sleaford Mods – Eton Alive : superBrit pop/punk/politics; #livintheMarkElife
Smug Brothers – Attic Harvest : short bursts of lo-fi guitar rock; #soundsunfinished
Snapped Ankles – Stunning Luxury : chaotic and discordant electroclash – bottled Brit chaos
Solange – When I Get Home : iconaclastic and off-kilter mix of pop/r&b/hip-hop/jazz; #thoughtprovoking
Sonic Dawn, the – Eclipse : good vintage/retro psych-rock; #denmark
Spellling – Mazy Fly : interesting and very diverse r&b/pop/goth/synth/etc ; #terriblebandname
Stats – Other People’s Lives : quirky modern art-pop/rock/electro
Stephen Malkmus – Groove Denied : stumbling prog-infected synth/pop/rock/beats
Sun Kil Moon – I Also Want to Die in New Orleans : WHAT?
Sundara Karma – Ulfilas’ Alphabet : fascinatingly complex guitar-forward glam/art-rock/pop; #Bowievox #thoughtprovoking
Susto – Ever Since I Lost My Mind : sleek attempt at an arena-ready americana-indie crossover; #veneer
SWMRS – Berkeley’s On Fire : a bit ho-hum, but some interesting punk takes are here
Telekinesis – Effluxion : really fun and diverse indie/power-pop/rock
Weezer – Weezer [Black Album] : dumb band makes dumb album
Woahnows – Young and Cool : short, quirky and clever indie/punk/power-pop!!
Yak – Pursuit Of Momentary Happiness : raw and forceful garage+post-punk
Yola – Walk Through Fire : earthy, wholesome soul/country; #easyeye #easylistening
Young Gods, the – Data Mirage Tangram : churning motorik electro-rock blasts #swiss
Andrew Bird – My Finest Work Yet : gorgeously composed and executed modern pop/rock touching philosophy, science, and the human condition
Arre! Arre! – Tell Me All About Them : raw feminist punk; #Sweden
Avey Tare – Cows on Hourglass Pond : exactly between innovative and ordinary
Bad Suns – Mystic Truth : hollow, boring, vapid, and any other ‘lame’ descriptions
Beth Gibbons And Krzysztof Penderecki – Henryk Górecki Symphony No. 3 “Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs“ : haunting and gorgeous take on some famous sounds
Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go : super-original modern pop, awesomely crafted songs
Brant Bjork – Jacoozzi : fuckin’ groovy space-rock/desert-jamz insrumentals
Brian Jonestown Massacre, the – The Brian Jonestown Massacre : standard (and good) BJM psych jams
Chai – Punk : cutely kaleidoscopic ‘punk’/pop; #japanese
Chris Cohen – Chris Cohen : excellent both for it’s lyrical directness and psychedelic obsequity
Cinematic Orchestra, the – To Believe : lovely, mellow, and jazz-ish downtempo
Circa Waves – What’s It Like Over There : mostly lame-o indie-pop/rock
Clean Cut Kid – Painwave : diverse 70s-ish earworms in search of a comfortable sound
Comet Is Coming, the – Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery : heavy jazz with prog/rock/psych undertones
Crushed Stars – Go Dark, Canaveral : a gentle insomnia breaker of dream-pop/shoegaze
Death By Horse – Reality Hits Hard : aggressive and vitriolic punk/indie; #swedish
Dis Fig – Purge : dark, near-industrial, synth-pop/rock
Donna Grantis – Diamonds & Dynamite : adventurous jazz-rock-r&b instrumental guitar jamz; #princeprotege
Drums, the – Brutalism : sharp and direct indie/dance-pop; #notverycompelling
Edwyn Collins – Badbea : interesting Scottish ‘old-guy’ rock/pop; #imustbemissingsomething
Ex Hex – It’s Real : well-executed, melodic indie-rock/pop; #femvox
Garcia Peoples – Natural Facts : decent modern version of GDead
Grupo Fantasma – American Music Vol. VII
Hillbilly Moon Explosion, the – The Sparky Sessions : psycho-billy howling and strumming; #wellnamed #hishervox
Holy Moly And The Crackers – Take A Bite : exciting Brit folk/blues/indie-rock, great flow and energy
Idlewild – Interview Music : lots of well assembled, highly melodic, indie-pop/rock; #instantlyforgotten
Jenny Lewis – On the Line : very, very well executed country-rock/s-s; #gorgeousvoice
Jim Jones and the Righteous Mind – CollectiV : rough and tumble blues-rockers
Kakkmaddafakka – Diplomacy : bouncy indie-pop; #norway #morematurenotbetter
Karen O & Danger Mouse – Lux Prima : lush, sensual – occasionally good – disco/soul/rock
Kings Kaleidoscope – Zeal : if you must listen to ‘christian rock’ this prob counts as good
Lee Fields And The Expressions – It Rains Love : lively 70s-era soul/r&b love songs
Luther Dickinson & Sisters of the Strawberry Moon – Solstice : well played/sung acoustic folk; #dreadfullyboring
Martha – Love Keeps Kicking : fuzzy, hooky pop-punk
Mdou Moctar – Ilana: The Creator : awesome Saharan-desert blues-rock/psych; #Tuareg
Men and Mountains – …a Little Less Lost : crap indie/emo wip; #maybenexttime
Nilufer Yanya – Miss Universe : robust, intelligent and adventurous pop-rock-jazz-soul
Owel – Paris : big and lush post-rock/indie; #boretochore
Priests – The Seduction of Kansas : wanna-be-aggressive political/social post-punk
Proper Ornaments, the – 6 Lenins : nice mellow and pastoral indie-pop; #uninspired
Pup – Morbid Stuff : aggressive and snotty take on pop-punk
Ravens And Chimes – The Empty House : nicely executed and straightforward indie/power-pop
Ritual Howls – Rendered Armor : dark “cinematic blend of twangy industrial-rock” #baritone
Shady Bug – Lemon Lime : very fuzzy, and mostly scatterbrained, indie-rock melange; #keepatit
Shawn James – The Dark & The Light : great voice, milquetoast songs
Small Feet – With Psychic Powers : listing, lo-fi psych-folk-indie; #Sweden
Son Volt – Union : pointedly political lyrics paired with laconic Americana; #lovethevoice
Spiral Stairs – We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized : loose and fun ‘college rock” #horns?
Steve Adamyk Band – Paradise : direct and punchy power-pop/punk
Strumbellas, the – Rattlesnake : 100% beige
Tamaryn – Dreaming The Dark : dark, goth-y synth-pop
These New Puritans – Inside the Rose : dreary indie-pop, wants to be SO SERIOUS
Underground Youth, the – Montage Images Of Lust And Fear : darkly goth rock; #wellnamed
UNKLE – The Road: Part II – Lost Highway : fun and well-constructed multi-guest ‘mixtape’
Unlikely Friends – We Blast Last! A Love Letter to the Fabulous Bands of the Pacific Northwest
W. H. Lung – Incidental Music : quite compelling synth-pop with great rhythmic/motorik components; #abitlikeHookworms
Warm Human – Ghastly : bedroom synthpop
White Denim – Side Effects : 60s/70s rock run through psych and time-change filters
Wild Belle – Everybody One of a Kind : easy party-friendly funk-pop-rock
Wintersleep – In The Land Of : so boring I hardly recall hearing it…
Yawners – Just Calm Down : fun pop-punk with a garage edge, energetic and spirited; #Madrid
AJR – Neotheater : big, fat, chanted choruses with horns, beats, and diversity; #messageisonpoint
An Horse – Modern Air : lively but uneven indie rock; #poorlyconstructed
Anderson .Paak – Ventura : awesome classic soul, second half is FIRE
Band Of Skulls – Love Is All You Love : diverse rock sounds, all plastic-y and ho-hum…
Barrie – Happy to Be Here : sweetly bubbly synth/dream-pop; #femvox
Boogarins – Sombrou Dúvida : beautiful and lush, tropicalia-inflected, psych jams; #justenoughcrazy
Bubblegum Lemonade – Desperately Seeking Sunshine : (at times) awesome indie-pop/rock/power-pop; #Lazforever
Budos Band, the – V
Cage the Elephant – Social Cues : very well done, but extremely ‘beige’
Catfish and the Bottlemen – The Balance : dumb manufactured arena ‘rock’; #soboring
Cayucas – Real Life : sleek, bouncy and summery pop; #ticklesme
Charly Bliss – Young Enough : crisp modern pop-rock
Chemical Brothers, the – No Geography : pretty darn banging
Clinic – Wheeltappers and Shunters : psych/art-rock done expertly; #nottoomuchnottoolittle
Cosmonauts – Star 69 : very good LA psych-rock, self-described as “drug-punk”; #burger
Cranberries, the – In The End : perfectly serviceable angsty radio rock, with added sentiment; #RIPDolores
Creed Bratton – While the Young Punks Dance : gentle folky s/s
Daddy Long Legs – Lowdown Ways : swinging barroom roots/rockabilly
Damien Jurado – In the Shape of a Storm : quiet, raw, and introspective PNW s/s
Datura4 – Blessed Is the Boogie : gritty and goovy classic/blues-rock circa early 70s
Dream Syndicate, the – These Times : rock-solid alternative-rock
Dreamers – Launch Fly Land : almost-good indie-pop
Drugdealer – Raw Honey : 70s AM radio soft-rock, super-well executed
Eli Paperboy Reed – 99 Cent Dreams : very well done retro-soul; #blueeyedsoul
Empath – Active Listening: Night on Earth : “monster hooks blearing through a heavy bed of noise”; #femvox
Fat White Family – Serfs Up! : really excellent, politically aggressive, diverse rock songs; #waylesscrazy
Felice Brothers, the – Undress : solid, engaging, roots/folk rockers
Field Medic – Fade Into the Dawn : compelling country-folk/s-s via California
Filthy Friends – Emerald Valley : loose and fun garage/classic-rock supergroup
Flaming Lips, the – King’s Mouth (RSD 2019) : kooky story atop some gorgeous melodies; #lotsoffiller
Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel : really good post-punk, Irish slacker version
Foxygen – Seeing Other People : avant-pop/glam-rock that feels ‘mailed in’
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – End of Suffering : very ho-hum rockers, pretending unconvincingly to be QOTSA
Gang of Four – Happy Now : mostly just shit
Get Up Kids, the – Problems : pop-punk straight from the 90s
Gold – Why Aren’t You Laughing : dark goth/post-rock/metal/pop; #interesting
Golden Fleece, the – Mind Mirror : lovely retro-warm lysergic psych rock troubadours
Gong – The Universe Also Collapses : jazzy prog/psych adventures
Gooch Palms, the – III : awesomely fun party-starters spanning garage/pop-punk/indie
Grand Island – Young Hawk And I : broadly diverse indie rockers, some fun moments; #keepworking
Guided By Voices – Warp And Woof : GBV album #28, ad it’s a good one
Guitar Wolf – LOVE&JETT : loud, fast, aggressive and lo-fi Japanese garage punk
Hembree – House on Fire : monotonously high bpm radio-style pop-rock
Hælos – Any Random Kindness : interesting modern pop take on ‘come-down trip-hop’
Jamila Woods – Legacy! Legacy! : very, very excellent R&B, looking both forward and back; #maybenotmydemo
Jay-Jay Johanson – Kings Cross : delightfully chill “cinematic trip hop” jazz crooning; #sweden
Jeff Tweedy – Warmer (RSD 2019) : humble s/s folk
Jesse – Garageb& : modern, fun, kaleidoscopic blend of pop/hip-hop/rock/rap/…; #veryLA
Josh Ritter – Fever Breaks : rust-belt roots-rock belters
Kayak Jones – You Swear It’s Getting Better Every Day : ho-hum emo/pop-punk
Kelly Finnigan – The Tales People Tell : solidly boogie-butt soul/r&b; #monophonics
Kevin Morby – Oh My God : grandiose and (trying to be) deep soft-rock ‘concept album’ about faith; #tooserious
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Fishing for Fishies : fun boogie-rock; #abitmuch
L7 – Scatter The Rats : riff-heavy grunge in your face; #surfmetal
Labrinth, SIA & Diplo present – LSD : VERY ho-hum attempt at pop music
Leisure Society, the – Arrivals & Departures : charmingly straightforward folk/pop
Lizzo – Cuz I Love You : very. very compelling soul-pop-r&b
Local Natives – Violet Street : fairly boring beardo-hamony-folk/pop
Ludovico Einaudi – Seven Days Walking (Day 1)
Ludovico Einaudi – Seven Days Walking (Day 2)
Mac Demarco – Here Comes The Cowboy : very uneven indie/comedy/lo-fi/slacker-rock/…
Minus 5, the – Stroke Manor : Solid B for the tunes, A++++ for being alive!!!
Mountain Goats, the – In League with Dragons : lovely-sounding well-executed quirky(!!) s/s indie
Mystery Lights, the – Too Much Tension! : groovy great sounding 60s-sounding garage/pop/psych
Nick Murphy – Run Fast Sleep Naked : at-times-quite-interesting take on modern pop; #chetfaker
Night Beats – Perform The Sonics Boom (RSD 2019) : fun authentic covers
Night School – Disappear Here : sunny harmonies and sweet melodies wrapped in gauzy dream-pop; #femvox
Odd Nosdam – Mirrors : fantastic, instrumental avant-hip-hop with a great downbeat vibe
Otoboke Beaver – Itekoma Hits : Japanese hardcore punk-rock; #femvox #mercifullynotcute
Ouzo Bazooka – Transporter : middle-eastern inspired psych rock; #israel
Paws – Your Church on My Bonfire : following the “earnest Scotts” path: rock–>folk–>pop
Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres – Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres : haggard, shambolic indie-folk/rock; #justatinyhintofmagic
Pow! – Shift : short, awesome, brazen, rock/synth aural attack, with enough playfulness to listen-long-time
Resonars, the – No Exit : quirky power-pop/rock
Sad Planets – Akron, Ohio : mostly throwaway power-pop/classic-rock; #blackkeys
Sloan Peterson – Midnight Love, Vol. 2 : fun and well-done indie rock; #femvox
Sonny & The Sunsets – Hairdressers from Heaven : another interesting neo-psych/pop/indie gem; #agrower
Sparrow Steeple – Tin Top Sorcerer : super retro lo-fi Tolkien-esque 60s psych
Superchunk – Acoustic Foolish : fun (acoustic) re-recording of an old classic; #strings
Tacocat – This Mess Is A Place : super-fun pop-punk blasts!; #channelingLizPhair
Tallest Man On Earth, the – I Love You. It’s A Fever Dream : very earnest folk banality; #Sweden
Tank And The Bangas – Green Balloon : diverse and semi-crazy modern R&B; #veryuneven
Teen Daze – Bioluminescence : woozy blend of pop-dance-atmospheric sounds; #attimesgreat
Terminal Cheesecake – Le Sacre Du Lièvre : freakout doom-psych; #wegetityoudodrugs
Tim Bluhm – Sorta Surviving : nice collection of dust-bowl/Bakersfield country tunes
Tim Hecker – Anoyo : very interesting blending of analog and synthesized sounds into a compelling whole; #short #mildlydisturbing
Truth Club – Not an Exit : short pulses of loud-soft indie rock; #keepgoinglads
Ty Segall – First Taste : I don’t say it often, but this man is a fucking genius
Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride : jaunty indie-pop, moving ever closer to Paul Simon; #oppositeofagrower
Viagra Boys – Street Worms : post-punk/blues howlers, not taking itself too seriously;#datgroove #AKILLER #Sweden
Walker Lukens – Adult : great-sounding pop/rock/soul/funk; #spoon #blueeyedsoul
Wand – Laughing Matter : no longer psych-rock, now (mid-90s-)Radiohead-psych
Amazons, the – Future Dust : anonymous, pedestrian indie/stadium-rock
Apex Manor – Heartbreak City : fuzzed-out, noisy (think DinoJr), indie-rock; #exBrokenWest
Bad Books – III : s/s-style folk/pop; the safest record I’ve ever heard; #foryourgran
Bill Callahan – Shepard in a Sheepskin Vest : very lovely s/s-indie-folk-unique with real heart
Black Mountain – Destroyer : hard-rock psych – i guess? #nothanks
Bruce Springsteen – Western Stars : the one where Cowboy Bruce spins lush and cinematic yarns
Calexico + Iron & Wine – Years to Burn : fun collab that melds two styles into a whole; #calexicosolostillbetter
Chris Brokaw – End of the Night : #airplane
Dinosaur Pile-up – Celebrity Mansions : goofy/loose mashup of metal and pop-punk
Divine Comedy, the – Office Politics : excellent “adult-pop” with an ear to chamber-pop and an aesthetic toward ‘the working man’; #enjoyable
Dommengang – No Keys : groovy hard-psych
Doug Tuttle – Dream Road : gauzy, summery psychedelic-folk/rock with a mildly-stoned demeanor
Dressy Bessy – Fast Faster Disaster : killer indie-punk/rock/pop, clever as heck and compelling too
Dumb – Club Nites : fun post-punk blasts of wit, fuzz, and in-your-face smartass snarkiness
Eagles of Death Metal – EODM Present Boots Electric Performing the Best Songs We Never Wrote : super-cool groovin’ classics
Elder Shaker – Doing Ok : country/roots-inspired southern rock, from Spain
Foreign Diplomats – Monami : bright and earnest indie-pop; #montreal
Froth – Duress : the woozy psychedelic ‘gaze is good, the electro noise is not
Fruit Bats – Gold Past Life : very excellent and warm retro pop/rock; #supertramp
Glow, the – Am I : enjoyable hooky, lo-fi indie-rockers; #LVLUP
Gotobeds, the – Debt Begins at 30 : chaotic and noisy post-punk; #maximumguests
Guards – Modern Hymns : very good jaunty 70s inspired indie-pop/rock
Hatchie – Keepsake : nostalgic dream-pop (-gaze); #femvox #quitelovely #momentsofbrilliance
Head And The Heart, the – Living Mirage : having shed their Folk skin, they grab for the golden Pop ring, and miss…
Heavy, the – Sons : decent, soulful party-rock
High Dials, the – Primitive Feelings, Pt.1 : intriguing beat-forward indie-rock; #watchthisone
Hollerado – Retaliation Vacation : fun party-atmosphere Canadian indie rockers; #farewellrecord
Honeyblood – In Plain Sight : bombastic and fun genre-crossing indie-rock; #femvox
Jackets, the – Queen Of The Pill : confidently gritty garage/proto-punk; #kingkhan
Juju – Maps and Territory : very excellent adventures in psychedelic rock spiced with many genres
L’Eclair – Sauropoda : crazy Krautrock cosmic-funk jamz
Los Coast – Samsara : fun, funky, and diverse soul-rock bombers; #losessteam
Low Hum – Room to Breathe : eclectic neo-psych, ranging from rock burners to synth dream-fests
Ducktails – Watercolors : interesting (and at times lovely) synth-pop; a bit “Kenny G” at times
Lettuce – Elevate : funky, jazzy, jam-band-inspired 70s soul workout
Ludovico Einaudi – Seven Days Walking (Day 3)
Ludovico Einaudi – Seven Days Walking (Day 4)
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – Turn Off the News, Build a Garden : decent roots rock; #parentalboostormillstone
Mark Ronson – Late Night Feelings : Ronson’s magic relies on highly competent (and personable) collaborators to work well (e.g. Amy W./Bruno M). This album is very hit-and-miss in this regard…
Mavis Staples – We Get By : late-night redemption r&b/soul; #benharper
Palehound – Black Friday : subtle, delicate, personal and emotive indie rock/pop; #femvox
Perry Farrell – Kind Heaven : larger-than-life attempt at everything, mostly misses; #goodtrytho
Pinheads, the – Is This Rea : a fuzzy blast of guitar-heavy garage-rock
Pip Blom – Boat : very excellent and highly enjoyable indie-rock sprinkled with slinky fuzz
Pipe-Eye – InsideOutside : strange and psychedelic bedroom/indie-pop; #gizzrelated
Plague Vendor – By Night : cool aggressive indie rockers
Possum – Space Grade Assembly : nice eclectic psych-rock, with some fun jamz; #pickastyle
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – And Now for the Whatchamacallit : interesting psych-rock, sounds very ‘2010’s’ derivative (eg KG&TLW); #acouplerealbangers
Raconteurs, the – Help Us Stranger : strong, workman-like songs spanning styles but keeping the rawk spirit; #brendan>jack
Radiator Hospital – Sings ‘Music for Daydreaming’ : scrappy, jangly folk-rock, stripped-down bedroom-fi style; #promise
Remo Drive – Natural, Everyday Degradation :
Richard Hawley – Further : thoughtful, intelligent, guitar-forward indie-rock/pop
Royal Concept, the – The Man Without Qualities : glossy, summery arena/radio guitar pop
Sacred Paws – Run Around The Sun : upbeat and propulsive hook-filled guitar-pop/dance; #relentlessnotinagoodway
Sam Cohen – The Future’s Still Ringing In My Ears : excellently conceptualized, structured, and executed s-s/psych-pop/indie
Santana – Africa Speaks : undeniably Santana, this time from Africa
Sebadoh – Act Surprised : Classic Sebadoh – uneven, poorly paced, spiced with moments of genius
Shinyribs – Fog & Bling : funky, groovy swamp-rock; #ATX
Silversun Pickups – Widow’s Weeds : maybe try something other than tepid arena pop/rock next time, eh boys?
Stray Cats – 40 : that classic 80s Stray Cats sound (+a touch of surf)
Swimming Tapes – Morningside : summery, nostalgic Beach Boys -esque jangle pop; #scotland
Titus Andronicus – An Obelisk : solid “heartland rock-infused punk” #bobmouldproduced
Two Door Cinema Club – False Alarm : not-great indie-rock band makes not-great pop album, news at 11
Vanishing Twin – The Age Of Immunology : very well done psychedelic pop, glitchy, wobbly, and lively
Willie Nelson – Ride Me Back Home : lovely…
75 Dollar Bill – I Was Real : culturally diverse influences form a “swirl of mantric psychedelia”
Black Keys, the – “Let’s Rock” : stripped down rock-and-roll (even if it actually sounds like famous rockers pretending to go back to a garage)
Black Pumas – Black Pumas : roaring 70s soul/psychedelic R&B; #austinstrong
Bleached – Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough : pretty darn dull
Blood Orange – Angel’s Pulse : interesting pop ‘mixtape’, as usual both warm and isolating
Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis – Beautiful Lie : beautifully recorded and executed classic country
CFM – Soundtrack to an Empty Room : solid heavy garage-rock/punk; #moothart
Dollyrots, the – Daydream Explosion : sprightly bubblegum punk
Dope Lemon – Smooth Big Cat : magically sly, lysergic and hypnotic rock
Glitterer – Looking Through The Shades : sounds like
a just-formed rock band figuring some things out
Guy Forsyth & Jeska Bailey – Conspirators : fun and lively Americana/roots
Hollywood Vampires – Rise : fucking stupid hair-rock
Imperial Teen – Now We Are Timeless : super well-done pop with a bit of an experimental edge
Julia Nunes – Ughwow : sure, why not; #ukestuffwasablast
Kokoko! – Fongola : a wild but interesting ride; #congo
Kyle Craft – Showboat Honey : intriguing mid-tempo s/s rockers; #lovetheglam
Murder By Death – As You Wish Kickstarter Covers Vol 3 : a band’s gotta get paid…
Natalie Sweet – Oh By The Way It’s : a quick blast of perky power-pop/punk
Nicole Yun – Paper Suit : sunny and sweet indie/alt-rock
Penelope Isles – Until The Tide Creeps In : charming summery-with-an-edge guitar/indie-pop/gaze
Prince Daddy & the Hyena – Cosmic Thrill Seekers : shouty emo/punk album with a weird-o narrative (kinda); tooshouty
Purple Mountains – Purple Mountains : gorgeous instrumentals and catchy melodies, all overlaid by lyrics of depression, loneliness and existential crisis
Stanley Brinks and The Wave Pictures – Tequila Island : extremely quirky but fun indie-pop
Summer Cannibals – Can’t Tell Me No : biting and personal guitar rockers
Taffy – Deep Dark Creep Love : propulsive noise/dream-pop/gaze from Japan; #seealsoWeMeltChocolate
Thom Yorke – Anima : cold, glitchy, and paranoid electronic music; #notthattheresanythingwrongwiththat
Tijuana Panthers – Carpet Denim : grooving surf-inflected indie-rock
Trash Kit – Horizon : jumpy post-punk with a jazzy/free-form side
Tycho – Weather : atmospheric with a pop side; #easytolistento
We Melt Chocolate – We Melt Chocolate : noise/dream-pop/gaze from Italy; #seealsoTaffy
Angie McMahon – Salt : depressively serious, borderline sad-sack
Cherubs – Immaculada High : bonkers noise-rock, but very interesting; #ATX #olddudes
Dude York – Falling : good evolving indie-rock band continues to make good choices; #splitvoxagreatmove
Hunny – Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes : very Cali punk-pop
Kaiser Chiefs – Duck : nothing. #whenyouhavetoputoutarecordtostartyourtour
Lloyd Cole – Guesswork : synth-pop Lloyd is not best Lloyd
Ludovico Einaudi – Seven Days Walking (Day 5)
Of Monsters and Men – Fever Dream : fairly terrible arena-shit
Paranoid Style, the – A Goddamn Impossible Way of Life : excellent lyrics backed by mostly middling rock
Particle Kid – Window Rock : open-hearted freak folk-psych; #willieskid
Russian Circles – Blood Year : dark and menacing heavt-rock instrumentals
Shonen Knife – Sweet Candy Power : bubbly and fun power-pop/pogo-punk
Shotgun Jimmie – Transistor Sister 2 : thoroughly enjoyable indie-rock/power-pop fun!
Small Crush – Small Crush : fun/cute indie-pop/rock
Stereo Total – Ah! Quel Cinéma! : bonkers French-German garage-electro/rock
Surf Friends – Doing Your Thing : motorik and noisy indie rock; #newzealand
Thanks For Coming – No Problem : lo-fi bedroom indie with strong lyrics and plenty of humor; #femvox
UV-TV – Happy : fuzzy uptempo garage-rock; #janglepunk
Violent Femmes – Hotel Last Resort : fun but mostly uninspired addition to the cannon
Wild Billy Childish & CTMF – Last Punk Standing : riotous garage-punk/rock/surf/pop
Cherie Currie And Brie Darling – The Motivator : funenough
Feeder – Tallulah : largely pedestrian classic/arena/guitar-rock
Hold Steady, the – Thrashing Thru The Passion : very solid THS album, blending classic rock, catchy lyrics, and plan ol’ fun
Ian Ferguson – State of Gold : retro bedroom rock with a cool glam edge
Jay Som – Anak Ko : lovely and mature-beyond-age, a really fun bedroom-pop/rock album with meaty sweetness and surprising muscle
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Infest the Rats’ Nest : kinda like hippie metal? #maybetimetofocusboys
Ludovico Einaudi – Seven Days Walking (Day 6)
Major Stars – Roots of Confusion Seeds of Joy : wild guitar acrobatics abound!
Oh Sees – Face Stabber : quite the wild ride, touring psych-rock, prog, motorik polyrhythms, wild solos, and layered density
Oso Oso – Basking in the Glow : super-well-done radio-ready pop-punk(-lite)
Parlor Mob, the – Dark Hour : ho-hum arena/radio-rock
Pete Yorn – Caretakers : wonderful subtle-melancholy via “breezy west coast guitar rock”
Pontiac Streator & Ulla Straus – 11 Items : compelling and intriguing ambient adventures, full of rhythmic oddities
Purple Pilgrims – Perfumed Earth : understated, ethereal and evocative dream-pop with a great jazzy waltz feel
Regrettes, the – How Do You Love : really great ALBUM (maybe even a ‘concept album’? Super-fun garage-rock
Ride – This Is Not A Safe Place : a return to the golden-age shoegaze sound
Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won’t Hold : excellent rebirth with an updated sound; #dontcallitacomeback #annieclarkisagenius
Snoop Dogg – I Wanna Thank Me
tUnE-yArDs – Sorry To Bother You OST : weird
Versus – Ex Voto : solid-as-a-rock indie-pop/rock return!; #hishervox
Why? – AOKOHIO : Moments that remind me why I like Why? And some other moments too.
!!! – Wallop : art-rock/disco bangers, best taken via small bites
Adam Green – Engine Of Paradise : entertaining art-folk/indie with a troubadour style; #imafan
Barns Courtney – 404 : largely ho-hum indie/arena-rock; #tryhardrock
Beach Baby – Songs from the Limbo Lounge : super enjoyable indie rock; #slinkywhenitcounts
Black Watch, the – Magic Johnson : expansive yet controlled smart indie rock
Capsula – Bestiarium : really, really excellent garage-psych-glam; #argentinaviaspain
Ceremony – In the Spirit World Now : broadly post-punk version of 80s synth; #nothardcorenomore #surprisinglyfun
Cherry Pickles – Cherry Pickles Will Harden Your Nipples : awesomely fun sparse garage-rock 2 piece; #touchofsurf #lovethetitle
Chrissie Hynde with the Valve Bone Woe Ensemble – Valve Bone Woe : interestingly experimental arrangements paired with lithe, smoky vocals; #jazzcovers
City Calm Down – Television : adventurously dense and swinging indie-rock; #downunder
Delta Riggs, the – Modern Pressure : swaggering, catchy indie-rock; #uneven
Dunwells, the – Something in the Water : quite boring indie/folk
DZ Deathrays – Positive Rising Part 1 : punchy, high-energy, and dance-ish punk; #dynamic
Ezra Furman – Twelve Nudes : fiery (and super-compressed) open-heart rockers; #iguessitsshenow
Frankie Cosmos – Close It Quietly : lovely and immediate indie-rockers tinged with twee-ness
Futureheads, the – Powers : uber-British post-punk/pub rock
Here Lies Man – No Ground To Walk Upon : “Black Sabbath meets Afrobeat” sums it well, although it’s basically one song done 7 ways…
Iggy Pop – Free : crazily diverse and defying all expectation – also mostly ok
Infinity Shred – Forever, a Fast Life : elaborate ‘sci-fi metal’ instrumentals
Jason Lytle – Arthur King Presents Jason Lytle: NYLONANDJUNO : mesmerizing minimalist (sci-fi?) instrumentals; #acousticgitandsynth
Jesse Malin – Sunset Kids : very nice indie/americana; excellent execution and production
Jim Gaffigan – Quality Time
Lana Del Rey – NFR!: Norman Fucking Rockwell : (surprisingly) excellent ‘LA in the 70s’ soft-rock/singer-songwriter outing; #cursingispower
Lower Dens – The Competition : “thinking” dream-pop; eliminating the motorik beat means I’ll pass
Moving Panoramas – In Two : mostly-lovely dream-pop-gaze; #occasionalgenius
Night Cafe, the – 0151 : nice indie-pop; #nothingtogetoworkedupabout #somnambulant
Olivia Jean – Night Owl : fun immediacy of garage-pop/punk/surf/+, with clever instrumentation and good production
Oscar Lang – Bops etc : ho-hum bedroom pop; #boringbutwelldone
Pixies – Beneath the Eyrie : still miles away from their original quality, this is at least not terrible
Raphael Saadiq – Jimmy Lee : darkly somber concept R&B album
Robert Randolph & The Family Band – Brighter Days : blazing blues-rock/soul/gospel/r&b
S.L.P., the – The S.L.P : very eclectic
Sheer Mag – A Distant Call : thoroughly enjoyable, ripping punk/indie blasts; #femvox #shouty
Surfer Blood – Covers : amusing collection of covers
Tinariwen – Amadjar : enjoyable and expansive West African blues
Tool – Fear Inoculum : solid art-metal; #leavesmeflat
Tropical Fuck Storm – Braindrops : crazy art-rock, turning over every socio/political stone exposing the ugly sides
Whitney – Forever Turn Around : warm and restrained soft-rock odes #missesthe70sradioflair
Work Drugs – Fantasy File : smooth 70’s-ish saxophone-rock
65daysofstatic – replicr, 2019 : interesting instrumental environments, full with tension and release
A Giant Dog – Neon Bible
Alex Cameron – Miami Memory : a daring musical pop adventure, unfortunately let down by cloying/dumb concepts
Andrew Combs – Ideal Man : very nice wide-screen s/s intersecting americana/country/pop/psych
Belle and Sebastian – Days of the Bagnold Summer : that lovely and lilting Scottish pop… ;#dontsaytwee
Berries, the – Berryland : mellow and professional slacker/country-rock
Bethlehem Steel – Bethlehem Steel : indie/post-hardcore noises; #femvox #onenote
Billy Strings – Home : fun mix of acoustic bluegrass and electric experimentation rounded out with a jam band vibe
Brand New Heavies, the – TBNH
Brittany Howard – Jaime : over-serious and over-wrought, can’t we just have some fun?
Ceremony – Candy : very noisy noise-rock/pop, chaos levels high; #ceremonyeastcoast #prettygood
Charli XCX – Charli : my ‘old man crankiness’ has found a home in this absolutely idiotic album
David Kilgour and the Heavy Eights – Bobbie’s A Girl : quietly contemplative acoustic s/s; #nojangle #gorgeous
Ecstatic Vision – For the Masses : aggressive (and weird) space-rock heavy psych
Fitz And The Tantrums – All The Feels : big infectious arena-pop/rock
Fly Pan Am – C’est ça : complex noise-rock/ambient/-gaze
Frankie – Forget Your Head : delicate psych-pop/rock, nice debut; #femvox
Gender Roles – Prang : fast-paced lo-fi indie-rock/punk
Giant Sand – Recounting The Ballads Of Thin Line Men : great rerecording/rethinking of their ’86 album; #punkcountryrock
Greg Laswell – Covers II : quiet and sedate cover collection
Gruff Rhys – Pang! : very interesting folk-rock, lyrics in Welsh…
Hash Redactor – Drecksound : chaotically energetic Memphis garage-punk/post-rock; #goner
Hiss Golden Messenger – Terms of Surrender : emotive and soulful country/folk/rock/s-s
Husky Loops – I Can’t Even Speak English : crazy electro-clash/rock/rap/pop bangers from the UK
Keane – Cause And Effect : radio-ready and lush anodyne indie-pop; #akapablum
Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not. : the man can write a proper banger; #uneven
Life – A Picture Of Good Health : abrasively fun bursts of Brit punk; #workingclass
Ludovico Einaudi – Seven Days Walking (Day 7)
Lumineers, the – III : interesting ‘concept album’ wrapping thoughts on addiction in a warm bath of extremely beige music
M83 – DSVII : cinematic synth sounds; #soothing #boring
Moon Duo – Stars Are The Light : a masterclass in synth-driven psych, bubbling krautrock glimmering with spacey funk
New Mastersounds, the – Shake It : fun party-starter mix of R&B/soul/boogaloo
New Pornographers, the – In The Morse Code Of Brake Lights : delightful collab of soaring melodies and lush harmonies, plus Neko <3
North Mississippi Allstars – Up And Rolling : fun modern blues-rock with inspired vox guests
Pernice Brothers – Spread The Feeling : super-catchy country-folk-pop/alt-rock
Pine – Pine : buzzy indie/-gaze/dream-pop; #ungoogleable
Neil Young With Crazy Horse – Colorado : open-hearted, tender, and real country-rock from the MASTER
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen : amazing but very dark goth-art-rock from the MASTER
Nils Frahm – All Encores : wonderful and at times transcendent; #airplane
No Sugar – Rock’n’Roll Isn’t Boring, It’s You : fun, brash, party garage-rockers; #germany
Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, the – Full Moon Fever : very fun full album cover
Saba Lou – Novum Ovum : surprisingly lovely world-influenced psych/garage/retro-pop; #kingkhandaughter
Sam Fender – Hypersonic Missiles : a very polite and radio-ready (attempted) kick in the bollocks
Solid Bronze – The Fruit Basket : fun (but kinda frustrating) Funkadelic-esque 70s soul/funk/psych; #deanweenproduced
Starcrawler – Devour You : fiery, glammy, no-holds rockers, #femvox #fun
Sturgill Simpson – Sound & Fury : #unique but #unbalanced adventure in boogie/synth/country rock
Sufjan Stevens – The Decalogue : quite curious score for ballet; #allpiano
SugarTape – Chandeleidescope : solidly average ripping barroom blues
Surf Curse – Heaven Surrounds You : serviceable ‘beachy post-punk’
Temples – Hot Motion : quite fun (if overly safe) psych-pop/rock adventuring
Those Pretty Wrongs – Zed For Zulu : gorgeous throwback pop-rock; #bigstar4eva #harmonyfordays
Thurston Moore – Spirit Counsel : very long and meandering instrumental workouts; #embeddedgeniusifyoucanfindit
Trigger Hippy – Full Circle and Then Some : ‘infectious, hyphenate-roots/funk/blues/rock/jam sound’; #occasionallygreat
Twin Peaks – Lookout Low : very loose classic/indie-rock, more fun than it should be…;#needshooks #almostajamband
Uranium Club – The Cosmo Cleaners : odd spoken-over-instrumentals version of punk; #kingmissileesque
Vivian Girls – Memory : compelling rock/’gaze/punk beneath a wall-of-reverb-sounds
Weeks, the – Two Moons : nice indie rock
White Reaper – You Deserve Love : polished indie-pop/rock with a radio spring in its step
White Shape – Perfect Dark : a darkly psychedelic and moody collection; #notquitedoom
Wilco – Ode To Joy : simplified, direct and mostly acoustic. Best Wilco in a long time…
Young Guv – Guv II : a delightful indie-pop based melange
A.A. Bondy – Enderness : intriguing, mildly-haunted s-s fare; #notfunatall
Allah-Las – LAHS : effortlessly sunny indie-psych/pop; #underwhelming
Amon Tobin – Long Stories : delightfully weird ambient ghost towns
Amy O – Shell : intriguing indie-pop; #keepworking #growthstorymaybe
Angel Olsen – All Mirrors : orchestrally-driven indie/pop, a haunting goth-ish album. Also not something I would ever really listen to…
Aquarian Blood – A Love That Leads to War : fiery garage rockers attempt stripped-down folk; #hohum
Avett Brothers, the – Closer Than Together : B-O-R-I-N-G, everything interesting has been stripped away
Barrence Whitfield Soul Savage Arkestra, the – Songs from the Sun Ra Cosmos : freaky funk-rock fun
Battles – Juice B Crypts : labyrinthian rhythms forming a weird cyborg-pop; #tryingtoohard
Big Thief – Two Hands : just a big No from me, can’t get into it
Blackwater Holylight – Veils of Winter : very, very heavy psych rock; #sabbathesque #femvox
Bodega – Shiny New Model : very short and very excellent indie/art-rock/power-pop
Building, the – Petra : emotionally overwrought folk-inspired s/s
Chris Farren – Born Hot : jaunty oddball indie-pop
Cigarettes After Sex – Cry : “Sounds Like a Drawn-Out Yawn”; #oversharing
Comet Gain – Fireraisers Forever! : very good genre-bent indie with awesome hooks
Cursive – Get Fixed : very dynamic post-punk/hardcore, the best are the calmest
Dave Monks – On A Wave : simple, stripped-down indie-rock/pop; #enjoyable
DePedro – E’rase Una Vez : Spanish pop/rock; #greektome #calexico
Desert Sharks – Baby’s Gold Death Stadium : over-driven aural disillusionment; #onesongmanytimes #chixwithguitars #femvox
DIIV – Deceiver : clean and clear guitar-pop/rock, very nice
Elbow – Giants of All Sizes : a bit dour, but a superbly executed ‘adult’ pop/rock outing
Fastball – The Help Machine : super-beige adult-alt-rock
Feet – What’s Inside Is More Than Just Ham : quirky, idiosyncratic British indie-pop; #verycompelling #pointedlyweird
Golden Dawn Arkestra – Darkness Falls On The Edge Of Time : groovy and eccentric afrobeat-inspired cinematic soundscapes
Grace Potter – Daylight : ‘organic soul/rock with smokey vocals’; #onthenose
Guided By Voices – Sweating The Plague : hard rockin’ and thoroughly enjoyable
HalfNoise – Natural Disguise : fun and funky psych-pop/rock/disco adventure pulling from the 60’s-70’s
Hannah Williams & The Affirmations – 50 Foot Woman : classic soul and psych-funk
Hecks, the – My Star : interesting blend of post-punk noise and pop delight; #keepworking
Hope And Social – Happy Bread (And Cruel Hangovers) : quite fun party-starter, rock/funk/soul/pop/++
Hovvdy – Heavy Lifter : delicate and lovely indie-pop/rock/s-s; #ATXrepresent
Hussy, the – Looming : trashy thrash garage-punk; #movingon
Iguana Death Cult – Nude Casino : frenzied and angular psych/garage/punk/rock/…; #crooner
Illiterate Light – Illiterate Light : very nice, simply done, two-piece indie-rock #mildlypsychpop
Jimmy Eat World – Surviving : *pogo* zzzzzzzz *pogo*
Joseph Arthur – Come Back World : lovely oblique folk/pop/rock s-s
Kelley Stoltz – My Regime : very enjoyable, hook-filled pop/rock; #lotsof80s
Kim Gordon – No Home Record : noisy and chaotic rock turmoil surrounding pop delights, natch.
Mando Diao – Bang : thoroughly enjoyable ‘classic rock’
Mark Kozelek & Petra Haden – Joey Always Smiled : very interesting multi-collab oddity
Mark Lanegan Band – Somebody’s Knocking : old-reliable ML does it again with a great baritone-infested burner. This time featuring 80s ‘electronic soundscapes (e.g. New Order/Joy Division)
Mikal Cronin – Seeker : shambolic indie-rock ditties #very90s
Miniature Tigers – Vampires In The Daylight : very light indie-pop
Monochrome Set, the – Fabula Mendax : thoroughly enjoyable post-punk/rock tunes; #weirdinagoodway
10 000 Russos – Kompromat : hypnotic motorik drone-psych; #компромат
Allen Stone – Building Balance : old-school r&b married to modern pop
Beck – Hyperspace : enjoyable and thoroughly modern sounding, in the inimitable ‘Beck way’
Ben Lee – Quarter Century Classix : very fun personalized indie covers
Cate Le Bon & Bradford Cox – Myths 004 : inventive experiment in oddball pop
Cattle & Cane – Navigator : very boring adult pop
Chainsmokers, the – World War Joy : just so damn dumb…
Claypool Lennon Delirium, the – South of Reality : meandering psych/prog/art-rock; #sooooooindulgent
Dead Horse One – The West Is the Best : nice shoegaze+dream pop; #France
Deaf Radio – Modern Panic : occasionally-good QOTSA aping; #greece
Devonte Hynes – Queen And Slim (score)
DJ Shadow – Our Pathetic Age : very dense and sprawlingly idealistic
FKA Twigs – Magdalene : insanely experimental merging of pop-operatics-club beats-kitchen sink; #notsureidlistentothis #rememberARIA?
Half Moon Run – A Blemish in the Great Light : very, very well-executed stylistically diverse indie-pop; #montreal
Health&Beauty – Shame Engine / Blood Pleasure : gorgeous, sizzling-hot slow-burn country-psych-blues; #fancyguitarsounds
Jeffrey Lewis & the Voltage – Bad Wiring : fun, witty, and propulsive indie-rock/pop
John Zorn – The Hermetic Organ, Vol. 7; St. John the Divine
Josh Rouse – The Holiday Sounds of Josh Rouse
Juliana Hatfield – Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police : fun arrangements execute with heart
Matt Valentine – Preserves : atmospheric psychedelic freakouts – “a pool of demented funk, wild-eyed guitar freak-outs, and layered, druggy walls of confusion and bliss”
Mavericks, the – Play the Hits : fun collection of influencing hits; #whatavoice
Messer Chups – Mondo Harp : fun 60s-style surf guitar from Russia
Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka : amazingly fantastic psych-soul/r&b; #UK #dangermousewinsagain
New Politics – An Invitation to an Alternate Reality
Omni – Networker : wiry modern take on post-punk; #punintended #very70s
Phony – Songs You’ll Never Sing : bedroom indie melange/this-and-that; #emopowered
Sammi Lanzetta – Ceiling Mirror : punchy and terse guitar-rock; #femvox
Stargazer Lilies, the – Occabot : very interesting melodies buried in fuzzed-out, gauzy psych-gaze
Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders – Get the Money : fun, star-studded arena-rock tunez
Texxcoco – Side Effects of Proximity Pt.1 : thrilling garage/punk/surf/glam/+ via #Madrid
Tindersticks – No Treasure But Hope : interesting and VERY sedate
Toy – Songs of Consumption : kooky covers
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Watchmen Volume 1 OST : dark and mysterious, pairs so well with the show
Twang, the – If Confronted Just Go Mad : ‘adult’ indie rock; #boring #pablum
Tygers Of Pan Tang – Ritual : old-school 80s guitar-grinding metal
Mike and the Moonpies – Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold
Growlers, the – Natural Affair
Whirr – Feels Like You
-live-
Ryley Walker- Union Pool, Brooklyn NT 03-12
Wooden Shjips – Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn NY 05-22
Woods – Woodist Festival, Accord NY 09-28
Luna – Bowery Ballroom, NY NY 10-20
Fruit Bats & Vetiver – In Real Life (Live at Spacebomb Studios)
Sonic Youth – Veterans Wadsworth Theater, LA CA 05-28-98
Wedding Present, the – Marc Riley Sessions Volume 3
Blondie – Fan Mail (live)
Greta Van Fleet – Champagne And Caviar (live)
Sun Ra & His Arkestra – The Spirit of Jazz Cosmos Arkestra at WUHY, 1978
Ty Segall – Deforming Lobes
Elvis Presley – The International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, August 23, 1969
Aerosmith – Toys In The Attic Live (boot)
Grateful Dead – The Warfield, San Francisco CA Oct 9-10, 1980 (RSD 2019)
Kooks, the – Live At The Moth Club 05-09-2018 (RSD 2019)
Leonard Cohen – Angels At My Shoulder 1993 Live (RSD 2019)
Sonic Youth – Crawford Hall, Irvine, CA 11-03-90
Car Seat Headrest – Commit Yourself Completely (live)
Paul McCartney – Amoeba Gig (live)
Ben Folds – Live at MySpace
Sonic Youth – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield – March 5, 1993
White Stripes, the – Live in Mississippi [Final Show, 2007]
Pond – Sessions
David Byrne – American Utopia On Broadway
Flaming Lips, the – The Soft Bulletin Recorded Live At Red Rocks With The Colorado Symphony Orchestra
White Denim – In Person
-re-release/comps/mixes-
Ariel Pink – Worn Copy (remaster)
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – House Arrest (remaster)
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – The Doldrums (remaster)
Blue Cheer – The ’67 Demos
Devo – Turn Around B-Sides & More [1978-1984]
Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison [Legacy Edition]
Parliament – Up For The Down Stroke (reissue)
va – MOJO Presents: Swoons
va – The Rough Guide to Women of the World
Alex Chilton – From Memphis to New Orleans
va – Music Inspired by the Film Roma
Ezra Furman – Songs By Others (reissue)
Exbats, the – E Is for Exbats
R.E.M. – Document [25th Anniv Ed]
Rob – Rob [Funky Rob Way] (reissue)
Thom Yorke – Suspiria Unreleased Material
Secret Machines – Allaire Sessions: B-sides and Rarities
Aretha Franklin – Love All The Hurt Away (reissue)
Duster – Capsule Losing Contact [box]
Laurel Halo – DJ-Kicks
Star Band de Dakar – Psicodelia Afro-Cubana de Senegal [Anthology]
va – Soul Of A Nation 2 (Jazz Is The Teacher Funk Is The Preacher Afro-Centric Jazz, Street Funk And The Roots Of Rap In The Black Power Era 1969-75)
va – The Old Grey Whistle Test: Cherry Bombs
va – Tributes Or Not Tributes Vol 12
Son Lux – Remnants
13th Floor Elevators, the – The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators (RSD 2019)
Bar-Kays – The Definitive Collection
Bob Dylan – Blood On the Tracks; Original Test Pressing (RSD 2019)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – 4 Way Street [expanded ed] (RSD 2019)
Evergreen Blues – Comin’ On [reissue]
Frank Zappa – The Guitar World According To Frank Zappa (RSD 2019)
Jacobites – Robespierre’s Velvet Basement (RSD 2019)
Jeff Buckley – In Transition (RSD 2019)
Peter Gabriel – Rated PG (RSD 2019)
Pink Floyd – A Saucerful of Secrets [remastered] (RSD 2019)
PJ Harvey – All About Eve OST
Residents, the – B. S. (RSD 2019)
Residents. the – The W____ B___ Album (RSD 2019)
Stereolab – Mars Audiac Quintet [expanded ed]
Stereolab – Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements [expanded ed]
Todd Rundgren – The Complete U.S. Bearsville & Warner Bros. Singles (RSD 2019)
va – Brown Acid: The Eighth Trip
va – Deadpool Pinball Soundtrack
va – For The Throne (Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones)
va – Let It Beatlesque : another massive winner from PPC!!!!
va – Mojo Presents: Motor City Soul (15 Nuggets That Made Detroit Move)
va – MOJO Presents: The Best of 2018
va – Nigeria 70 – No Wahala: Highlife, Afro-Funk & Juju 1973-1987
va – On the Detroit Beat! Motor City Soul, UK Style 1963-67
va – Poppies Assorted Finery from the First Psychedelic Age
va – Shake Some Action 2.0 Vol 1
va – Shake Some Action 2.0 Vol 2
va – Shake Some Action 2.0 Vol 3
va – Shake Some Action 2.0 Vol 4
va – Shake Some Action 2.0 Vol 5
va – Shake Some Action 2.0 Vol 6
va – Shake Some Action 2.0 Vol 7
va – Shake Some Action 2.0 Vol 8
va – Tokyo Flashback: Psychedelic Speed Freaks
Klaus Schulze – Timbres Of Ice
We Are Scientists – Megaplex Rise Of The Lycans : terrible…
Damon And Naomi – In The 21st Century
Protomartyr – No Passion All Technique (reissue)
Fall, the – Live at the Witch Trials [Deluxe Edition]
Glen Campbell – The Legacy [1961-2017]
va – Brazil USA 70: Brazilian Music in the USA in the 1970s
va – Jon Savage’s 1968: The Year the World Burned
va – MOJO Presents: The New Thunder Revue
va – Self Discovery for Social Survival (OST)
va – MOJO Presents: Let’s Shake Hands: A Third Man Records Anthology
va – Tiny Changes: A Celebration Of Frightened Rabbit’s The Midnight Organ Fight
Charmaines, the – I Idolize You! Fraternity Recordings 1960-1964
Fall, the – Bend Sinister; The Domesday Pay-Off Triad-Plus
Iggy Pop – Zombie Birdhouse (reissue)
Nick Garrie – The Nightmare Of J.B. Stanislas (reissue)
101ers, the – 1976 EP (reissue)
Peggy Gou – DJ-Kicks
Metz – Automat
Khruangbin – Hasta El Cielo
Bill Ryder-Jones – Yawny Yawn
Everly Brothers, the – All I Have To Do Is Dream
Spoon – Everything Hits at Once: The Best of Spoon
va – MOJO Presents: Island Radicals
va – The Rough Guide to Mali Blues
King Khan Experience, the – Turkey Ride
Larry And His Flask – Everything Besides
Bird and the Bee, the – Interpreting the Masters, Volume 2 – A Tribute to Van Halen
Electric Cows, the – Wheatfield Fuzz
va – Columbia Groovy Songbirds
va – Fingertracks: Vol 1
Robert Pollard – Kid Marine (remaster)
Robert Pollard – Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department (remaster)
Chicago – Chicago Transit Authority [50th anniv]
Echo And The Bunnymen – The John Peel Sessions 1979-1983
Reverend And The Makers – Best Of
Screaming Females – Singles Too
Shawn Colvin – Steady On [30th anniv acoustic ed]
Ariel Pink – Odditties Sodomies Vol. 2
Ducktails – Hard Rock Cafe Chernobyl
va – And Now for Something Completely Crunchy
va – Country Music: A Film by Ken Burns OST [deluxe]
va – Esa Presents Amandla: Music to the People
va – Fania Goes Psychedelic
va – I Ju$t Wanna Make You Dance! (and Buy $tuff) Cartoon Bands and Other Ways To $ell Toys To Kids (1965-1975)
va – Kompakt: Total 19
va – Optimism/Reject: Punk and Post-Punk Meets D-I-Y Aesthetic
va – Pacific Northwest Fuzz Box
va – Pacific Northwest Stash Box
va – Uncut: Wilcovered
Roots, the – Things Fall Apart
Yummy Fur, the – Piggy Wings
Aretha Franklin – The Great American Songbook
Charles Bradley – Black Velvet (The Instrumentals)
David Bowie – Space Oddity (Tony Visconti 2019 Mix)
Kamaal Williams – DJ-Kicks
Marcia Ball – Hot Tamale Baby (reissue)
Mercury Rev – All Is Dream
Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York [25th anniv reissue]
Iron Maiden – The Studio Collection Remastered [16 CD]
Pop Group, the – Y [Definitive Edition]
Scott H. Biram – Sold Out To The Devil: A Collection of Gospel Cuts by the Rev. Scott H. Biram
va – Come On Up to the House: Women Sing Waits
va – Disco Not Disco: Leftfield Disco Classics from the New York Underground
va – Hanukkah+
va – Jon Savage’s 1969-1971_ Rock Dreams On 45
Robert Fripp/Brian Eno – Evening Star
-singles/EPs-
Thoughts – Beyond Belief EP
Black Rain – Computer Soul EP
Cinematic Orchestra, the – A Caged Bird-Imitations Of Life single
Habibi – Cardamom Garden EP
Nils Frahm – Encores 2 EP : soothing guitar ambience; #airplane
Santana – In Search of Mona Lisa EP
Sunflower Bean – King of the Dudes EP
Whitehorse – The Northern South vol. 2 EP
Pet Shop Boys – Agenda EP
Dude York – Happy In The Meantime EP
Frank Turner – Don’t Worry EP
Calling All Captains – Nothing Grows Here EP
Cayucas – Jessica WJ single
Flat Worms – Into the Iris EP
Hot Flash Heat Wave – Mood Ring EP
Jim O’Rourke & Not Waving – Side A-Side B EP
Mike Mains And The Branches – Around The Corner EP
Alek Lee – Our Party single
Broken Social Scene – Let’s Try The After Vol. 2 EP
Gurr – She Says EP
Island – When We’re Still EP
Kneebody – By Fire EP
Versus – Ex Nihilo EP
Thick – Thick EP
Physics House Band, the – Death Sequence EP
Run River North – Monsters Calling Home, Vol. 1 EP
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Wait And Return EP (RSD 2019)
Shovels And Rope – I’m Comin’ Out EP
Partner – Saturday the 14th EP : #follow
Pottery – No. 1 EP
Annie Lennox – Lepidoptera EP
Miley Cyrus – She Is Coming EP
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Black Star Dancing EP
Sufjan Stevens – Love Yourself / With My Whole Heart EP
Work Drugs – Belize EP
Blank Tapes, the – Super Bloom EP
Briston Maroney – Indiana EP
Los Straitjackets – Channel Surfing EP
Melvins/Flipper – Hot Fish EP
Andrew Bird – We Are Olympians EP
Olivier Libaux – The Lost EP
Peach Club – Post Modern Siren EP
Greasy Gills, the – The Spring Collection EP
Naked Giants – Green Fuzz EP
Surfer Blood – Hourly Haunts EP
Alex Cameron – Far From Born Again EP
Death Cab for Cutie – The Blue EP
Joy Again – Piano EP
Lumineers, the – Junior Sparks EP
Royal Trux – Pink Stuff 7”
Mudhoney – Morning in America EP
Nils Frahm – Encores 3 EP
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – This Is The Place EP
Prince Rama – Rage In Peace EP
Denm – Endless Summer EP
Comet Is Coming, the – The Afterlife EP
Squid – Town Centre EP
Wildhearts, the – Diagnosis EP
Amon Tobin – Fine Strips Of Violence EP
Foo Fighters – 01020225 EP
Foo Fighters – 01070725 EP
Black Stone Cherry – Black to Blues, Vol. 2 EP
Charly Bliss – Supermoon EP
Foo Fighters – 00050525 Live In Roswell EP
Foo Fighters – 00070725 Live At Studio 606 EP
Foo Fighters – 00111125 Live In London EP
Foo Fighters – 00950025 EP
Foo Fighters – 01050525 EP
Foo Fighters – 02050525 EP
Lucy Dacus – 2019 EP
Nellie McKay – Bagatelles EP
KVB, the – Submersion EP
ed
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