Here is my annual rundown of things I managed to give more than a cursory listen to in this year of legal disasters, tentative traveling, and economic tensions. As always, this is NOT meant as my “Best of” list or anything other than an experiment in exhibitionism and voyeurism. I do it because I enjoy reading about what others are listening to and so I’d like to reciprocate. One thing I’ve noticed about my list this year is that it includes mostly old friends with very little exploration of new artists. I did more pure exploration on the classical side this year and left popular music as my comforting coping mechanism. There were many happy and welcome returns to action after extended absences, including new music from Pink Floyd, Alex Lifeson (Envy of None), Midnight Oil, Tangerine Dream, Porcupine Tree, and The Mars Volta. There were also some interesting technological breakthroughs on the reissue side. “Animals” sounds incredible, and the work that Giles Martin did to split apart the voices and instruments on the original 4-track master of “Revolver” left me gobsmacked.
As always, YMMV.
Here’s to actually implementing some long needed climate legislation.
Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum.
In alphabetical order.
Single
Hammock - I'm a Sensory Explosion
Mogwai - Boltfor
Pink Floyd - Hey Hey Rise Up
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Roger Waters - Comfortably Numb (2022)
Thom Yorke - 5.17/That's How Horses Are
reissue
Pink Floyd - Animals (2018 Mix)
The Beatles - Revolver
ep
Balmorhea - Solanales
Primus - Conspiranoid
album
Andreas Vollenweider - Slow Flow/Dancer
Barbra Streisand - Live at the Bon Soir (1962)
Belle and Sebastian - A Bit of Previous
Broken Bells - Into the Blue
Chicago - Born for This Moment
Colin Hay - Now and the Evermore
Dropkick Murphys - This Machine Still Kills Fascists
Enrico Rava & Fred Hersch - The Song Is You
Envy of None - Envy of None
Gogol Bordello - Solidaritine
Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxymore
Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
Lissie - Carving Canyons
Lumenette - All Around My Head
Matmos - Regards/Ukłony dla Bogusław Schaeffer
Midnight Oil - Resist
Muse - Will of the People
Pixies - Doggerel
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation
Tangerine Dream - Raum
The Dream Syndicate - Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions
The Manhattan Transfer - Fifty
The Mars Volta - The Mars Volta
The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention
Willie Nelson - A Beautiful Time
Willos' & Massimo Giuntini - From Now On
Yann Tiersen - 11 5 18 2 5 18