While it is officially winter; the year is not officially over and yet here i am, adding to the 100,000th ‘best of’ list… Obviously this list is not comprehensive, as i haven’t heard the hundreds of records that were released this year. There were also albums i could have listed, but while i enjoyed the songs i heard have not heard the whole album. Either that, or i haven’t heard any songs at all, or had no idea an album was released this year. Some examples would be:

-Milton Nascemiento &Esparanza Spaulding
-LL Cool J
-Folk Implosion
-Dale Crover
-Fever 333
-Kim Deal
-Samara Joy
-Godspeed You! Black Emporer
-Amyl & The Sniffers
-Hiatus Koiyote
-J. Robbins

And more…

With that, here is a list of some albums i really enjoyed this year. They are not in any particular order. i am sure there are a few i have heard and enjoyed, and missed on this list.

-The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis- The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis (Impulse!)

-Shellac – To All Trains (Touch And Go)

-The Jesus Lizard- Rack (Ipecac)

-Shabaka- Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace (Impulse!)

-Hurray for the Riff Raff- The Past Is Still Alive (Nonesuch)

-Melvins- Tarantula Heart (Ipecac)

-Melt Banana- 3+5 (A-Zap)

-The Cure- Songs Of A Lost World (Fiction/Polydor)

-Chat Pile- Cool World (The Flenser)

-Ministry- Hopiumforthemasses (Nuclear Blast)

-Kamasi Washington- Fearless Movement (Young)

-The Warning- Keep Me Fed (Lava/Republic)

-Morgan Wade- Obsessed (Ladylike/Sony)

-X- Smoke & Fiction (Fat Possum)


i made a record this year as well; however, that is up to you to decide whether or not you like it. If you’d like to listen to it, it is here.

i hope the music you’ve listened to this year, where it’s your favorite bands or a new discovery, has been comforting and inspiring during these trying times.