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Don't worry, this isn't another poll, just thought I'd open a thread for us to comment on new releases and list our favourites as the year goes on, so no rush to reply.

The first Friday of a full working week of the year has brought the first serious flurry of albums, including the first full-length I've enjoyed: The Archer by Alexandra Saviour. She's worked with Alex Turner before and you can hear The Last Shadow Puppets in the retro grooves but she mainly comes off like a more rootsy and upbeat Lana Del Rey or a more tender Mattiel.

Paradise EP by Paul Bergmann's a find as well- Americana that occasionally breaks out into spells of tuneful feedback. I'll be giving The Big Moon a go, then it's Algiers' album out next Friday!

First album I've heard this year has been Floral Tattoo - You Can Never Have a Long Enough Head Start. Very disappointed, I thought the production was appalling.

No. Through this topic I kindly request musicians, producers, studio's and everyone else involved not to release any new music this year. In fact, don't release anything this decade. I am trying to keep up with everything - everything! - that has been made up to this point. It is too much.

Rob wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:25 am No. Through this topic I kindly request musicians, producers, studio's and everyone else involved not to release any new music this year. In fact, don't release anything this decade. I am trying to keep up with everything - everything! - that has been made up to this point. It is too much.

Very well. Among other epochal music scheduled for this year, Laura Marling was set to release her first album in three years. But alas! the Universe has complied with your request, wiped the masters of all upcoming albums and subjected us all to nothing but hold music until you've consumed the totality of hitherto recorded sound. I hope you're pleased with yourself

mileswide wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2020 2:12 pm I hope you're pleased with yourself

Yes, I am. Thanks for understanding.

I've only heard one album from this year, Georgia's Seeking Thrills.

It's a good album, but not a great album. It's pretty dancey, which you probably know if you're familiar with her genuinely great 2019 breakout single "About Work the Dancefloor". The rest of the album isn't quite up to the level of that song, and even though Seeking Thrills is only 50 minutes or so, the album could've easily been improved by culling some of the weaker tracks. Keep songs like "About Work the Dancefloor" and "Never Let You Go" and cut "Started Out" and "24 Hours".

But seeing as this is the only album I've heard from this year, and therefore the decade, I guess Seeking Thrills is my default Album of the Decade, a lofty position that albums like Revolver, and OK Computer, and Sound of Silver all share. Congratulations, Georgia, though it probably won't last.

6.5/10

To those who enjoyed The Comet Is Coming's album last year, I recommend Life on Other Planets by Moon Hooch, released last Friday.

Similar jazz-electronic fusion but dancier with a less dense production, more prominent drums and even fewer vocals, their earlier albums are just as consistently thrilling too (their self-titled debut's arguably their best).

Alexandra Savior's The Archer is pretty good. She sounds like a mix of a lot of current female artists. Imagine if Lana Del Rey had some variety in her songs and actually got out of second gear tempo-wise.

Now listening to my first new album of 2020 and a likely high-placing contender in my EOY, the leak of Soccer Mommy's Color Theory. The single "yellow is the color of her eyes" was my number one song of 2019 and all of the other tracks have impressed me so far. A talent far above her years.

Like others before me, I thought the Georgia album was good but not great. I much preferred the Alexandra Savior album and agree with comments made about it.

However, I have heard another four albums, all of which I rate higher than either of those, namely those by Algiers, AJJ, Kiwi Jr. and my favourite, Bill Fay. The song 'Time's Going Somewhere' from the latter is my favourite song of the year so far.

TheLastEnemy wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 3:34 pm However, I have heard another four albums, all of which I rate higher than either of those, namely those by Algiers, AJJ, Kiwi Jr. and my favourite, Bill Fay. The song 'Time's Going Somewhere' from the latter is my favourite song of the year so far.

I need another listen to the Bill Fay album. Haven't yet connected with the Algiers album either, finding the production quite murky but Void is just as pleasingly confrontational as Can the Sub_Bass Speak (which easily would've been in my EOY songs if I'd heard it last year).

Eminem's new music over the past, uh, 15 or so years has been largely uncompelling, but I'm actually really liking his new song "Darkness". May actually check out the full album.

Let's see. So far, here are the 2020 albums I listened to in full :

070 Shake - Modus Vivendi (5/10) : half decent alternative R&B, but this autotune must really go.
Mats Gustafsson - Worn. Kissed. (1/10) : I mean, WTH is this ?
Funky DL - Life after Dennison (6/10) : Yet another release (the 64th !) from the English jazz-hip-hopper. Classic, but pleasant enough
Pinegrove - Marigold (8/10) : very good indie rock, on the alternative country side. Lovely voice, especially on the first track.
Selena Gomez - Rare (5/10) : A couple of good songs, but largely uninspired

Rob wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:25 am No. Through this topic I kindly request musicians, producers, studio's and everyone else involved not to release any new music this year. In fact, don't release anything this decade. I am trying to keep up with everything - everything! - that has been made up to this point. It is too much.

This is how I'm feeling right now, too, Rob. It's not that I'm content to stop listening to new music but I feel overwhelmed trying to catch up on what I've missed from the last 129 years of recorded music.

Eminem's recent run of albums has made his earlier stuff unenjoyable for me as well because i just associate his voice with garbage now. It's actually quite remarkable how, even though it is a fair bit better than the previous two, the new one will most likely stay as my least favorite album of 2020 (unless we get another Doug Walker level abomination)

Here are some albums this year which i’ve enjoyed so far -

Alien Nosejob - Suddenly Everything Is Twice As Loud
This album is an exercise in fuzz tones and primitive rock ‘n’ roll structures, and has great songs all over. If you want raw energy, than this is the place to go. I definitely enjoyed this album.

Halsey - Manic
Halsey blends electro-pop, country and rock to create what is the year’s first great pop album, and a musically and lyrically captivating one as well. Although it may seem like we’ve heard enough pop albums about a relationship gone wrong, Halsey reinvents that theme in her own right, and in a way she never has on her previous projects.

Mixed Matches - II
I’ve been a fan of Mixed Matches for a while - Late was one of my favorite albums of 2019, and this follow-up is no sophomore slump, once again showcasing Mixed Matches’ adventurous fusion of pop-trap and hip hop elements. This is dream pop for a new generation.

Jeff Parker - Suite For Max Brown
If Manic is 2020’s first great pop album, than Suite For Max Brown is 2020’s first great jazz album. The instrumentation is tight and sophisticated, and retains a smooth and electric feel throughout. If Wes Montgomery ever had a jam session with Flying Lotus and The Comet Is Coming, it would’ve sounded like this.

I’m only able to keep up because I have a job I can listen to music during.

The first 2020 album I added to my big new album rotation is Algiers. I forget the name of the album at the moment.

Destroyer - Have We Met 6.8

Edit: I was supposed to save this as a draft but whatever.

I've heard a few more albums from this year...

Destroyer- Have We Met:

After the mildly disappointing Ken, Destroyer have released what's probably their best album since Kaputt. Have We Met takes all the best elements of Destroyer's lounge lizard sophisti-pop and condenses it into a neat little ten song package. Great stuff.

Jeff Parker- Suite for Max Brown:

A good enough release. I like the jazzy portions of the album, but the more ambient portions leave me a little cold. I still appreciate the technical proficiency on display here, even if the album doesn't totally connect with me like it does with some people.

Against All Logic- Illusions of Shameless Abundance (EP):

Nicolas Jaar's music had always been something I respected more than actually enjoyed, but that totally changed with his release 2012-2017 under the moniker Against All Logic. That album was dancey, groovy, and fun, and it ended up as my 2018 EOY. So it's a real disappointment that his new EP under the name is so mediocre. Against All Logic ditches the grooves that made songs like "I Never Dream" and "Cityfade" such treats in favor of sub-Arca level dissonance. If I wanted to listen to an Arca record, I'd listen to an Arca record. Very concerned about how his new LP (dropping next week) will sound. Oh well.

It's been five years since Sufjan Stevens' last "real" album, so naturally he is releasing one on March 27. Apparently it's going to be a new age record. I'm looking forward to it either way.

A great discovery for me has been Lost Kingz by Tha God Fahim. It’s been in my regular rotation for a few days now, and it’s probably my favorite rap album of the year so far.

A quick list of the seven new releases I've heard this year, all of which I've enjoyed:

1. Soccer Mommy - Color Theory
2. Destroyer - Have We Met
3. Grimes - Miss Anthropocene
4. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
5. Dan Deacon - Mystic Familiar
6. Destroyer - Suddenly
7. Wire - Mind Hive

Listyguy wrote: ↑Sun Feb 09, 2020 3:21 am It's been five years since Sufjan Stevens' last "real" album, so naturally he is releasing one on March 27. Apparently it's going to be a new age record. I'm looking forward to it either way.

That's awesome news! How strange is it that his last four albums have been at exactly five year intervals?

My discoveries so far:
1. Moon Horch - Life On Other Planets
2. Algiers - There Is No Year
3. Bill Fay - Countless Branches
4. Ailen Nosejob - Suddenly Everything Is Twice As Loud
5. Jeff Parker - Suite For Max Brown
6. A Girl Called Eddy - Been Around

Jirin wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2020 4:57 pm My discoveries so far:
1. Moon Horch - Life On Other Planets
4. Ailen Nosejob - Suddenly Everything Is Twice As Loud

Yes Jirin! Both in my 2020 top 10 too (LOOP's also my #1)

I never listened to the leaks of Miss Anthropocene, but I did listen to it this morning. My initial reaction is that while it's not at the same level as Art Angels, it's pretty good, and I could like to a 30 minute version of "IDORU" and still love it.

The new Grimes album is blowing my mind. With Miss Anthropocene, she shows once again that she is one of music's premier innovators. I'm really loving "So Heavy I Fell Through The Earth" and "Violence" right now.

I was turned off by Miss Anthropocene on first listen. My main issue is with the production: it's so loud and compressed that it reminds me of early-00s heavy rock music, and at times this makes the songs sound muddled and overwhelms the songwriting. It seems like she was so focused on creating a unique sound that she lost focus on what makes her music enjoyable, though there are some highlights (Violence, which made my 2019 SOTY list and has an even better version appear here, and IDORU, which has a killer outro). I'm not surprised I felt this way given about half the album came out as singles well in advance of release, including We Appreciate Power (which btw I think is Grimes' worst-ever single) all the way back in 2018!

The album does seem like it has a chance to improve with repeat listens, but not a great first impression.

Miss Anthropocene is the first instant top five contender of the year so far. Possibly Visions level.

Is she really dating Elon Musk? The Onion did a joke about her discovering blueprints for a robot upgrade of herself.

Jirin wrote: ↑Sat Feb 22, 2020 2:24 am
Is she really dating Elon Musk?

Apparently she's not just dating Musk, she's also pregnant with his child.

I swear, we live in the simulation.

Essential
Grimes | Miss Anthropocene

Excellent
Tame Impala | The Slow Rush
Poppy | I Disagree

Great
Destroyer | Have We Met
Halsey | Manic

Good
Various Artists | The Turning (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Decent
ACTIONЯƎꟼ⅃AY | Mind.EXE

Mediocre
La Roux | Supervision
Kesha | High Road
Russ | Shake the Snow Globe
Justin Bieber | Changes

The new Gemini Eye album is fantastic.

This is an exciting day of releases after a somewhat sleepy start to the year:

- New albums by Caribou and Soccer Mommy
- New EP by Christine & The Queens
- New singles by Jessie Ware, Kelly Lee Owens, and Lady Gaga

Christine & The Queens EP sounds great on first listen.

Jackson wrote: ↑Fri Feb 28, 2020 3:58 pm This is an exciting day of releases after a somewhat sleepy start to the year:

- New albums by Caribou and Soccer Mommy
- New EP by Christine & The Queens
- New singles by Jessie Ware, Kelly Lee Owens, and Lady Gaga

Christine & The Queens EP sounds great on first listen.

And apparently Disclosure also dropped an EP today too.

It's the end of February, here's what I've heard from this year...

Very Good Tier:

1. Destroyer- Have We Met
2. Tame Impala- The Slow Rush
3. Makaya McCraven- We're New Again: a Reimagining by Makaya McCraven
4. A.A.L (Against All Logic)- 2017 - 2019

Good Tier:

5. Soccer Mommy- Color Theory
6. Grimes- Miss Anthropocene
7. Dan Deacon- Mystic Familiar

Decent Tier:

8. Caribou- Suddenly
9. Jeff Parker- Suite for Max Brown
10. Georgia- Seeking Thrills

Poor Tier:

11. A.A.L (Against All Logic)- Illusions of Shameless Abundance (EP)

My tier system works something like this...

1. Excellent
2. Great
3. Very Good
4. Good
5. Decent
6. Poor
7. Bad

It's the end of February, so here's my favorite 20 albums of the year (up to now).
Note: I haven't had a chance to listen to everything I want to listen to (will I ever?). I may add some earlier releases and I may change the placements.

1. Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra - If You Listen Carefully the Music Is Yours
2. Dmitrij Golovanov & Jan Maksimowicz - Beyond

3. Ekmeles - A Howl, That Was Also a Prayer
4. Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman
5. Lil Darkie - THIS DOES NOT EXIST
6. Calibro 35 - MOMENTUM
7. Keeley Forsyth - Debris
8. Katie Gately - Loom
9. The Sorcerers - In Search of the Lost City of the Monkey God
10. Wire - Mind Hive
11. Beatrice Dillon - Workaround

12. Jeff Parker - Suite for Max Brown
13. Makaya McCraven - We're New Again: A Re-Imagining
14. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush

15. Antilopen Gang - Abbruch Abbruch
16. Bohren & der Club of Gore - Patchouli Blue
17. Mac Miller - Circles
18. BAMBARA - Stray
19. Pinegrove - Marigold
20. Robert Haigh - Black Sarabande

So a BTS album has an 83 on Metacritic. That's certainly something I wasn't expecting this year, but oh well On the other hand, is the album really that good? I haven't heard it yet.

There’s a new Magnetic Fields album coming out called Quickies. 28 short songs. The song I heard off it has a female singer which is a good sign the album brings back the vocal variety of 69LS.

Albums that have impressed me the most:

Bill Fay- Countless Branches
Gemini Eye- Murdered Arc Remains
Mac Miller- Circles
Against All Logic- 2012-2017
Cornershop- England is a Garden

The first two singles from the new Yves Tumor album sound incredible. This definitely seems like an "event album" in the making.

Every Bad by Porridge Radio is the first album of this year to really stand out for me.

However, all those are also quite good :
Pantha du Prince - Conference of Trees
Caribou - Suddenly
Grimes - Miss Anthropocene
Makaya McCraven - We're New Again, a reimagining

The girlfriend also really liked The Common Task by Horse Lords but it's more in her "experimental noisy jazzy" music alley than mine.

A bit disappointed by Dan Deacon and dogleg on first listen, but I'll probably give both at least one more spin. They're not bad, just below my expectations.

Not really on board for the new King Krule.
On the fence about the new Four Tet, it has its moment (as usual, it's Four Tet) but might be a bit too disjointed.

The new HMLTD album West of Eden is the weird pop injection I needed. If you're looking for a post-punk and pop fusion album, look no further. Maybe it compromises with mainstream pop too much (the singer occasionally sounds like Brendan Urie or Patrick Stump), but there are so many great ideas crammed in here ("Satan, Luella and I") that I can't deny it.

My top 10 of the year so far.
1. U.S. Girls – Heavy Light
Going in just a slightly different musical direction than In a Poem Unlimited, it's of a similar quality, if not better.
2. Beach Bunny – Honeymoon
My favorite ear candy of the year so far. Some of the sweetest hooks you'll hear. Trifilio doesn't reinvent the wheel, just makes it sound awesome.
3. Cornershop – England Is a Garden
They haven't sounded this good since 1997.
4. Tennis – Swimmer
Sorta creepy couple make indie pop so smooth it goes down like butter. Arguably their best album
5. Drive-By Truckers – The Unraveling
Not one of their classics, but still pretty damn good. Would have liked a couple more Cooley songs, though.
6. Soccer Mommy – Color Theory
Consistently good album, but I think Clean had slightly higher peaks.
7. Alexandra Savior – The Archer
As I mentioned above, sort of an amalgam of many female artists of the day, a little like Lana Del Ray with different temp songs.
8. Algiers – There Is No Year
An exciting mix of different styles and some righteous indignation.
9. Nadia Reid – Out of My Province
Sold singer-songwriter fare.
10. Riz Ahmed – The Long Goodbye
The male M.I.A? Not exactly, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and it's pretty good.

Others I've heard but didn't make the cut, more or less in descending order:
Green Day, Halsey, James Hunter Six, Moon Hooch, Bill Fay, Pinegrove, Grimes, Stephen Malkmus, Eminem, Porridge Radio, Caribou, Code Orange (the only album of the bunch I truly dislike)

On Grimes: Remember when she used to write actual songs with real melodies? It was five years ago on an album called Art Angles. This time out, she's largely just layering lots of sounds and making moods instead of songs. Too many synthesizer noises and Casio beats. Not that there isn't some beauty in the sounds, and some good individual songs. "Delete Forever" stands out to me, which I have a feeling isn't the case for most of the album's fans. Wish I liked it more, but I'll just be going back to 2015.

The Weeknd - After Hours 9.0
Grimes - Miss Anthropocene 8.3
Tame Impala - The Slow Rush 7.2
Caribou - Suddenly 6.9
Destroyer - Have We Met 6.8
Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony 6.8
Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake 6.5
Beatrice Dillon - Workaround 5.7

The Weeknd album grew on me.

PlasticRam wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 6:31 pm The Weeknd album grew on me.

Hasn't it just come out?

Essential
Grimes | Miss Anthropocene
The Weeknd | After Hours
070 Shake | Modus Vivendi

Excellent
Soccer Mommy | Color Theory
Tame Impala | The Slow Rush
Christine and the Queens | La vita nuova EP
Poppy | I Disagree
Lil Uzi Vert | Eternal Atake

Great
Caribou | Suddenly
Destroyer | Have We Met
Code Orange | Underneath
Halsey | Manic
Disclosure | Ecstasy EP
Megan thee Stallion | Suga EP

Good
Phantogram | Ceremony
King Krule | Man Alive!
Various Artists | The Turning (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Decent
Arca | @@@@@
COIN | Dreamland
i_o | Rootkit EP
ACTIONЯƎꟼ⅃AY | Mind.EXE

Mediocre
U.S. Girls | Heavy Light
La Roux | Supervision
Kesha | High Road
Russ | Shake the Snow Globe
Justin Bieber | Changes

mileswide wrote: ↑Sat Mar 21, 2020 12:38 am

PlasticRam wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 6:31 pm The Weeknd album grew on me.

Hasn't it just come out?

I mean after first listen it was like 8.0 and second listen I rated it 9.0.

PlasticRam wrote: ↑Sat Mar 21, 2020 8:35 am I mean after first listen it was like 8.0 and second listen I rated it 9.0.

I wish my plants grew at that rate! I know what you mean though and I can see you don't give out 9s as easily as I do, so I'll give the album a go

Well, it finally happened: my first 5/5 of the year, Porridge Radio's Every Bad.