Here is my annual rundown of things I managed to give more than a cursory listen to in this year of electronic etudes, Creole celebrations, and conspirator campaigning. 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 seems more experimental for several artists. There were many side projects that came to fruition. There were also many happy and welcome returns to action after extended absences, including new music from Depeche Mode, The National (two albums!), Yes, Queens of the Stone Age, Cornelius, Trevor Rabin, and The Polyphonic Spree. The were also new singles from The Beatles, Peter Garrett, The Smile, and U2.

As always, YMMV.

Next year is a biggie. Keep your voter’s registration updated.

F*ck Greg Abbott and the many Crazy Horses he drafts for.

• Aesop Rock / Integrated Tech Solutions

• Balmorhea / Pendant World

• Belle and Sebastian / Late Developers

• Ceramic Dog / Connection

• Cornelius / Dream in Dream

• Depeche Mode / Memento Mori

• Dropkick Murphys / Okemah Rising

• Explosions in the Sky / End

• Hammock / Love in the Void

• Heavy MakeUp / Heavy MakeUp

• Janelle Monáe / The Age of Pleasure

• Jean-Michel Jarre / OXYMOREWORKS

• M83 / Fantasy

• Matmos / Return to Archive

• Mort Garson / Journey to the Moon and Beyond

• Pat Metheny / Dream Box

• Pretenders / Relentless

• Queens of the Stone Age / In Times New Roman...

• Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie & Hamish Stuart / Red Continent

• Robert Rich / Travelers' Cloth

• Rodrigo y Gabriela / In Between Thoughts...A New World

• Shinyribs / Transit Damage

• SQÜRL / Silver Haze

• Stephen Marley / Old Soul

• Steven Wilson / The Harmony Codex

• The Baseball Project / Grand Salami Time!

• The Mars Volta / Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon

• The National / First Two Pages of Frankenstein

• The National / Laugh Track

• The Orb & David Gilmour / Metallic Spheres In Colour (Expanded)

• The Polyphonic Spree / Salvage Enterprise

• Trevor Rabin / Rio

• U2 / Songs of Surrender

• Vince Clarke / Songs of Silence

• Wynton Marsalis / Symphony No. 4 "The Jungle"

• Yes / Mirror To The Sky

Updated Thursday, December 21

A couple of releases that snuck past me:

• Madness / Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie

• The Damned / Darkadelic