William Tyler: Soundtrack to First Cow
7/10: Cute and quaint.
Jeff Parker: Suite for Max Brown
7/10: A jazz guitarist plays almost all of the instruments and delivers an interesting self-collaborative project.
Moor Jewelry: True Opera
7/10: An absolute barn burner of a noise-rock album.
Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud
7/10: Good folk record. My only minor complaint is that occasionally the vocals hit a jarring register and the songs can get formulaic. The guitars sound amazing on this one and the production is excellent.
Bek Phoenix: Park Variations
7/10: Guitar improvisations recorded on a simple mic in Geneva’s parks during the pandemic.
Sam Amidon: Self Titled
7/10: Quant singer-songwriter record that reminds me of "Little Wings."
Roomful of Teeth & Wally Gunn: The Ascendant
7/10: Odd, haunting contemporary choral music that put me in a trance.
Lee Han: Piwa Pi
7/10: Easy to get lost in this Korean organ improvisational record.
The Gilberts: One
7/10 Three siblings sit on the floor and record, in one take, with one mic, a quaint and beautiful folk record.
Dan Deacon: Mystic Familiar
7/10: Deacon is his best when he gets out of the way. There are some real moments of transcendence on this record that I love, where time slows down.
Rina Sawayama: Sawayama
7/10: Hear me, there are moments of pop genius and bliss all over this record. But, a few duds and woke nonsense in the track list brought this album down several pegs. Forward-thinking producer Clarence Clarity is the one to thank for the sounds on this one that blow my mind.
Stormzy: Heavy is the Head
7/10: What a great hip hop record. It goes HARD, but is also quite thoughtful, raw, vulnerable, and melodic. The last tune leaves a bad impression, though, and drops the record down a notch or two.
Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia
7/10: A ton of pop perfection all over this one. Really fun.
Clifton Hicks: Banjo Heritage
7/10: Music for Archaic Handmade Banjos that made my heart glad.
Chris Stapleton: Starting Over
7/10: Chris comes through with some simple, honest, punchy tunes here. And the man can wail and sing with the best out there.
Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
7/10 - I have long admired Fiona’s sheer bravery on her records, and this one is no exception. Some of these tunes need more thought and fine-tuning, which would have made this record a near masterpiece.
Slauson Malone: Vergangenheitsbewältigung (Crater Speak)
7/10 - Esoteric, empty, spacious, slightly paranoid, calming at the same time
Code Orange: Underneath
8/10: An excellent metal record with hints at the nu-metal of the early 2000s that hit that nostalgic nerve.
Contours: Balafon Sketches
8/10 Percussion and Traditional Instruments Meet Synthesizers and Software
Brian Eno and Roger Eno: Mixing Colours
8/10
Horse Lords: The Common Task
8/10: Angular, surprising instrumental rock.
Christian Lee Hutson: Beginners
8/10
The Flaming Lips: American Head
8/10: An excellent, beautiful, trippy meditation on family and drug use.
The Corner Room: Remember and Proclaim
8/10: Wonderful collection of Scripture songs for kids and parents.
Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways
8/10 Hearing a fresh set of new tunes from Dylan was a treat. “I’ve made up my mind to give myself to you” was a big highlight for me.
Haim: Women in Music Pt. III
8/10: The ladies gives us a simply fantastic pop album.
Gillian Welch: Boots. No. 2: The Lost Songs, Vol 1
8/10: Welch/Rawlings harmonies and simple songs continue to give me a taste of heaven.
Mac Miller: Circles
8/10: This posthumous record is Mac Miller’s best. The simple and lovely production matched with his intimate vocals make this album make this record hit in a very sad way since his passing.
Run the Jewels: RTJ4
8/10: Another hard hitting rap album from two of the modern greats.
Floral: Self Titled
8/10: This one ran me right over. Some quirky and heavy hitting math rock.
Adrianne Lenker: songs
8/10: Intimate, vulnerable and bordering on frightening singer-songwriter record. The songwriting is so well done and the vocal performances unsettling and beautiful.
Darling West: We’ll Never Know Unless We Try
8/10 Nordic Americana that’s made for a beach-side drive. Nice melodies, nice production, nice guitar lines, verging on too nice.
Aaron Parks: Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man
8/10: Some Trance Jazz from a Brooklyn jazz pianist and his boys.
The Strokes: The New Abnormal
8/10: What a great modern rock record. The boys keep up their swagger with introspection and a batch of great songs.
Sufjan Stevens: The Ascension
8/10:
Gorillaz: Song Machine, Season 1
8/10: Gorillaz at their best with a ton of fun guests. Nearly every tune is a hit.
Laura Marling: Song for our Daughter
9/10: A potent, heartbreaking record from Laura.
Lianne La Havas: Self Titled
9/10 - A near flawless record!
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Dame Sarah Connolly, Robert Dean Smith
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra / Vladimir Jurowski
9/10: Austion composer Gustav Mahler, written between 1908 and 1909. Six songs for two singers and orchestra. Bernstein said this was Mahler’s greatest symphony.
Leo Takami: Felis Cactus and Silence
9/10: A meditative and beautiful avant-garde Jazz record with Japanese guitar work.
Ichiko Aoba: Windswept Adam
9/10: Gorgeous Japanese singer/songwriter record.
Phoebe Bridgers: Punisher
9:10: What can I say? I think this record is pretty amazing and heartbreaking.
Kitgut Quartet: Tis too Late to be Wise
9/10: A look into the origins of the string quartet. What a recording.
Bonny Light Horseman
9/10: A cover-record of hundreds-years-old folk tunes that is nearly flawless.
Natalia Lafourcade: Un Canto por Mexico, Vol. 1
9/10: A brilliant Mexicana record. Natalia’s voice is soulful, versatile, and powerful over some incredible production, musicianship, and harmonies.
Fleet Foxes: Shore
9/10: The boys keep pushing and I keep listening. Robin Pecknold is a treasure.
The Koreatown Oddity: Little Dominiques Nosebleed
9/10 An honest, narrative-driven rap album that had exciting and creative production, thoughtful bars, and a meaningful concept.
Andreas Hammerschmidt: Ach Jesus stirbt
9/10: A lush, fun, gorgeous presentation of vocal music from the 17th century German composer.
Blu and Exile: Miles
9/10: This. Is. Hip Hop. This record floored me and still does. If you aren’t into hip-hop in general, at least give this record a try. Great storytelling, flawless rapping, with smart, lush, gorgeous production.
Richard Nance and the Pacific Lutheran Choir of the West
There will Come Soft Rains
Choral Works by Eriks Esenvalds
9/10: Impeccable!
JACK Quartet: John Luther Adams, Lines Made by Walking
9/10: Contemporary Soundscapes for String Quartet. Nearly moved me to tears several times. Recommended listening while on a long walk.
Clipping: Visions of Bodies Being Burned
9/10: The rap trio delivers their unique brand of horror-core hip hop. Incredible rapping and storytelling, concepts, and insane production.
Johannes Pramsohler, Gulrim Choi & Philippe Grisvard
Hellendaal: “Cambridge” Sonatas
10/10