It’s the time of the year when Advent of Code has gotten too elfing hard and I use what’s left of the year’s productive energy to publish my list of favorite albums.
I discovered a few new artists/groups this year, but an AI trained only on previous years’ lists could have correctly guessed half of these:
Ty Segall - Three Bells Another batch of perfectly baked psych pop/rock from a longtime favorite. I saw him play yet again at the Gothic Theatre back in May.
Osees - SORCS 80 Not only did they release an album without any guitars on it, they also simultaneously released a live version (complete with rooftop video) of it! I saw their show at the Ogden Theatre in the fall. They didn’t play a single track off this album, but gave the bouncing crowd a couple hours of everything else they’ve released over the past several years.
Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch The melody, reverb, and Pet Sounds style production on the opening track “Life Is” hooked me immediately. The album demands a rainy day and headphones in order to get properly acquainted. The styles vary throughout, but the introspective mood persists.
DIIV - Frog in Boiling Water Shoegazy sounds are having a bit of a resurgence (hi, Wisp). DIIV’s latest certainly fits the moment, but its tracks explore the full range of the genre with a bit of grunge thrown in.
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis - The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis Members of Fugazi plus some jazz musicians?! It’s as thoroughly satisfying as it sounds.
J.R.C.G. - Grim Iconic… (Sadistic Mantra) This band’s sound is so dense and primal. I added it to my streaming music library after hearing a track on All Songs Considered and then forgot about it for a few days. When I eventually gave the album a listen, I kept thinking about how thoughtful my past self was to leave this gift for me. 🥰 The only thing that diminished the joy of discovering this band was learning they had just played in Denver the night before. 🤦♂️
Khruangbin - A LA SALA This band is so dependable that someone in the group is usually able to guess who it is within the opening seconds of most songs. This is a good thing, like tacos at your favorite spot, maybe “a la salsa”.
Kendrick Lamar - GNX It is mandatory to have this surprise/late album drop in your best of list, so here it is. DAMN is still my favorite Kendrick album, but this one joins the short list.
Vince Staples - Dark Times The other Compton rapper on the list and one who’s been on a few of my favorite albums lists over the years. I appreciate the well-placed Eazy-E sample in “Radio”. I don’t generally like singing in my hip-hop, but Vince & Kendrick have been sneaking it in regularly enough to warm me up to it a little.
Stress Eater - Everybody Eats! When I thought the year’s new music was winding down, this Record Store Day release from Kool Keith & Czarface hit streaming services. INS is missing from this configuration, but it still fits nicely alongside other recent Czarface releases.
Here’s a playlist with a song from each of the above albums: