Hey Frank -- First off, I really need to catch up with all that K-Pop; I've sort of been (probably superstitiously) avoiding youtube ever since I got a new laptop, in fear that too much youtubing is one reason my previous laptop got over-run by killer viruses. (I've switched to an allegedly safer browser, and I run virus searches obsessive-compulsively now, and have a no-ad-pop-up plug-in installed, but still.) Second, the Britney album hasn't really hit me. I like it okay, pretty much all of it, but after several listens I haven't fallen in love with any of it. I probably need to study more of what you and Metal Mike and others have said makes it so great, but I haven't had time. So it could conceivably rise on my list as the year proceeds. Or not.
That said, here are my 40 favorite albums of the year, as things stand right now. (List could even go a lot longer, actually, but after these, things get more and more marginal). Biggest surprise is that I've been listening to so much jazz -- Somewhere between 7 and 10 of the 40, but zero of the Top 5 (which probably means that there's still a glass ceiling in how much I can get out of jazz these days, though I surprisingly often seem to get something. Too bad I never figured out how to write about the stuff -- well, not counting jazz that has metal in it, anyway.)
1. Randy Montana – Randy Montana (Mercury) 2. Kultur Shock – Ministry Of Kultur (Kultur Shock) 3. Nazareth – Big Dogz (Eagle Rock Entertainment) 4. Cauldron – Burning Fortune (Earache) 5. Stealing Angels – Stealing Angels (Skyville) 6. Yaron Herman Trio – Follow The White Rabbit (ACT) 7. Thompson Square – Thompson Square (Stoney Creek) 8. The Dirtbombs – Party Store (In The Red) 9. Too Slim and the Tail Draggers – Shiver (Underworld) 10. Gutbucket – Flock (Cuneiform) 11. Carl Sims – Hell On My Hands (CDS) 12. Endangered Blood – Endangered Blood (Skirl) 13. Joe Fielder Trio – Sacred Chrome Orb (Yellowsound Label) 14. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo – Cotonou Club (Strut) 15. Dick Destiny – La Puta (Dick Destiny) 16. Chucha Santamaria Y Usted – Chucha Santamaria Y Usted (Young Cubs) 17. Dennis Coffey – Dennis Coffey (Strut) 18. Those Darlins – Screws Get Loose (Oh Wow Dang) 19. Donnie Ray – Who’s Rockin’ You? (Ecko) 20. Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures – Both/And (Meta) 21. Sarandon – Sarandon’s Age Of Reason (Slumberland) 22. Honey Ear Trio – Steampunk Serenade (Foxhaven) 23. The Uv Race – Homo (In The Red) 24. The Baseball Project – Vol. 2: High And Inside (Yep Roc) 25. Sunny Sweeney – Sunny Sweeney EP (Republic Nashville EP) 26. Big Freedia – Scion A/V Presents: Big Freedia (Scion A/V EP) 27. The Dunn Boys – Volume 1 (The Dunn Boys) 28. The Ex – Catch My Shoe (Ex) 29. Woods Of Ypres – Woods 4: The Green Album (Earache) 30. Designer Drugs – Hardcore/Softcore (Ultra Music) 31. Kode9 & The Spaceape – Black Sun (Hyperdub) 32. Marika Hughes – Afterlife Music Radio: 11 New Pieces For Solo Cello (DD) 33. Britney Spears – Femme Fatale (Jive) 34. MSG – Tasty! (Plus Loin Music) 35. Left Lane Cruiser – Junkyard Speed Ball (Alive) 36. Vijay Iyer / Prasanna / Nitin Mitta – Tirtha (ACT) 37. Kaboom Karavan – Barra Barra (Miasmah) 38. Tara Nevins – Wood And Stone (Sugar Hill) 39. (Various) – Blues Mix Volume Two: Old School Blues (Ecko) 40. Mary Mary – Something Big (Columbia)
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That said, here are my 40 favorite albums of the year, as things stand right now. (List could even go a lot longer, actually, but after these, things get more and more marginal). Biggest surprise is that I've been listening to so much jazz -- Somewhere between 7 and 10 of the 40, but zero of the Top 5 (which probably means that there's still a glass ceiling in how much I can get out of jazz these days, though I surprisingly often seem to get something. Too bad I never figured out how to write about the stuff -- well, not counting jazz that has metal in it, anyway.)
1. Randy Montana – Randy Montana (Mercury)
2. Kultur Shock – Ministry Of Kultur (Kultur Shock)
3. Nazareth – Big Dogz (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
4. Cauldron – Burning Fortune (Earache)
5. Stealing Angels – Stealing Angels (Skyville)
6. Yaron Herman Trio – Follow The White Rabbit (ACT)
7. Thompson Square – Thompson Square (Stoney Creek)
8. The Dirtbombs – Party Store (In The Red)
9. Too Slim and the Tail Draggers – Shiver (Underworld)
10. Gutbucket – Flock (Cuneiform)
11. Carl Sims – Hell On My Hands (CDS)
12. Endangered Blood – Endangered Blood (Skirl)
13. Joe Fielder Trio – Sacred Chrome Orb (Yellowsound Label)
14. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo – Cotonou Club (Strut)
15. Dick Destiny – La Puta (Dick Destiny)
16. Chucha Santamaria Y Usted – Chucha Santamaria Y Usted (Young Cubs)
17. Dennis Coffey – Dennis Coffey (Strut)
18. Those Darlins – Screws Get Loose (Oh Wow Dang)
19. Donnie Ray – Who’s Rockin’ You? (Ecko)
20. Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures – Both/And (Meta)
21. Sarandon – Sarandon’s Age Of Reason (Slumberland)
22. Honey Ear Trio – Steampunk Serenade (Foxhaven)
23. The Uv Race – Homo (In The Red)
24. The Baseball Project – Vol. 2: High And Inside (Yep Roc)
25. Sunny Sweeney – Sunny Sweeney EP (Republic Nashville EP)
26. Big Freedia – Scion A/V Presents: Big Freedia (Scion A/V EP)
27. The Dunn Boys – Volume 1 (The Dunn Boys)
28. The Ex – Catch My Shoe (Ex)
29. Woods Of Ypres – Woods 4: The Green Album (Earache)
30. Designer Drugs – Hardcore/Softcore (Ultra Music)
31. Kode9 & The Spaceape – Black Sun (Hyperdub)
32. Marika Hughes – Afterlife Music Radio: 11 New Pieces For Solo Cello (DD)
33. Britney Spears – Femme Fatale (Jive)
34. MSG – Tasty! (Plus Loin Music)
35. Left Lane Cruiser – Junkyard Speed Ball (Alive)
36. Vijay Iyer / Prasanna / Nitin Mitta – Tirtha (ACT)
37. Kaboom Karavan – Barra Barra (Miasmah)
38. Tara Nevins – Wood And Stone (Sugar Hill)
39. (Various) – Blues Mix Volume Two: Old School Blues (Ecko)
40. Mary Mary – Something Big (Columbia)