Sunday, July 10, 2016

Top 40 Albums of the first half of 2016


As we leave behind the first half of 2016, it's a good time to stop for a breather and have another listen to the albums that stood out for us among the many new releases of the year so far.


The 40 albums that follow are those we have played the most over the past six months or, for the newer ones, those we think we'll be listening to a lot in the near future. It's also worth noting that there is no ranking order in this list; there will be plenty of time to think about that in December's final reckoning. However the order of presentation is not totally random, so near the top you'll find those albums that impressed us the most in the first half of 2016 and which are most likely to feature among our top selections at the end of the year.


The three covers we have chosen to feature before unveiling our list say all we are going to say at this point about which albums we think are the best candidates for the title "Best album of 2016 so far". Of course there were plenty of other excellent releases to consider but here are the 40 long-players that did it for us:

Top 40 Albums of January - June 2016

  • Adore life - SAVAGES
  • Teens of denial - CAR SEAT HEADREST
  • Is the is are - DIIV
  • Human performance - PARQUET COURTS
  • The hope six demolition project - PJ HARVEY
  • The glowing man - SWANS
  • IV - BLACK MOUNTAIN
  • City sun eater in the river of light - WOODS
  • Plaza - QUILT
  • Not to disappear - DAUGHTER
  • A moon shaped pool - RADIOHEAD
  • Blackstar - DAVID BOWIE
  • A man alive - THAO & THE GET DOWN STAY
  • United crushers - POLIÇA
  • Distance inbetween - THE CORAL
  • Next thing - FRANKIE COSMOS
  • Paradise - WHITE LUNG
  • Patch the sky - BOB MOULD
  • Emotional mugger - TY SEGALL
  • Jet plane and oxbow - SHEARWATER
  • Painting with - ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
  • Ash & ice - THE KILLS
  • Chaosmosis - PRIMAL SCREAM
  • The waiting room - TINDERSTICKS
  • New view - ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER
  • Strangers - MARISSA NADLER
  • Funs cool - THE PRETTIOTS
  • Mass Gothic - MASS GOTHIC
  • Human ceremony - SUNFLOWER BEAN
  • Everything you've come to expect - THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS
  • Life of pause - WILD NOTHING
  • SVIIB - SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS
  • Hold/Still - SUUNS
  • Stiff - WHITE DENIM
  • Kin - THE DUKE SPIRIT
  • Pool - PORCHES
  • Tell me if you like to - SPRING KING
  • Sun Kil Moon / Jesu - SUN KIL MOON / JESU
  • Pussy's dead - AUTOLUX
  • X-communicate - KRISTIN KONTROL


Sunday, July 03, 2016

New Releases: June 2016

Round-up of the most interesting albums, singles and EPs released in June 2016:

Albums

The Glowing Man
SWANS - The Glowing Man
THE KILLS - Ash & Ice
PSYCHIC ILLS - Inner Journey Out
STEVE GUNN - Eyes on the Lines
MINOR VICTORIES - Minor Victories
BLOOD ORANGE - Freetown Sound
CAT'S EYES - Treasure House
SPRING KING - Tell Me If You Like To
DEERHOOF - The Magic
MOURN - Ha Ha He
WYE OAK - Tween
MITSKI - Puberty 2
CASE / LANG / VEIRS - Case / Lang / Veirs
LERA LYNN - Resistor
BAND OF HORSES - Why Are You OK
OLD FIRE - Songs From The Haunted South
FEAR OF MEN - Fall Forever
PURO INSTINCT - Autodrama
LET'S EAT GRANDMA - I, Gemini
SHOW ME THE BODY - Body War
USELESS EATERS - Relaxing Death
SPRAY PAINT - Feel The Clamps
WOMPS - Our Fertile Forever
MOON CITY BOYS - I Need More
GUSTAVE TIGER - Chaste and Mystic Tribadry
WHITNEY - Light Upon the Lake
LADYHAWKE - Wild Things
XENO AND OAKLANDER - Topiary
TEGAN AND SARA - Love You to Death
GARBAGE - Strange Little Birds
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - The Getaway
DJ SHADOW - The Mountain Will Fall
NITE JEWEL - Liquid Cool
ALEXIS TAYLOR - Piano
PETER, BJORN AND JOHN - Breakin' Point

Singles & EPs

Bath White
50 FOOT WAVE - Bath White EP
PJ HARVEY - The Community of Hope
FACTORY FLOOR - Dial Me In
THE STROKES - Future Present Past EP
SPEEDY ORTIZ - Foiled Again EP
FALSE ADVERTISING - Give It Your Worst
CLOSE LOBSTERS - Desire and Signs EP
SUPER FURRY ANIMALS - Bing Bong
WARMDUSCHER AND MEAT RAFFLE - The Sweet Smell of Florida / The Bird Song
BABY IN VAIN - For the Kids EP
PRETTY VICIOUS - Cave Song EP
TINY RUINS - Dream Wave
MAN OF MOON - Medicine
DARKSTAR / GWILYM GOLD - Rope / Folk
DAVID J WITH FEDERALE AND FRIENDS - The Day That David Bowie Died