30 Echoes: Further Recommended Listening
by Joshua Pickard
The lists have all been compiled, and music has been ranked and filed and catalogued. The end is near โwell, the end of the year at least. And so, I find myself poring over certain albums that Iโve visited over the past 12 months, records that deserved far more attention than they received or that I was able to provide, ones worthy of inclusion as we work our way through the last days of the year. Many of these albums found a spot in my personal Best-Of lists but werenโt included in BPMโs AOTY or SOTY lists this year.
As always, this year provided a bounty of riches, artists who blurred the lines between genres, or erased them entirely, challenging us to immerse ourselves in their abundant depths. From the gentle 60โs pop expressiveness of The Lemon Twigs to Bruiser and Bicycleโs dense art-rock orchestrations and Tinasheโs R&B-pop augmentations, this year has seen some truly innovative approaches to familiar sounds.
Itโs difficult to gauge forward movement for any given artist โ or genre for that matter — when what constitutes โforward movementโ has become so inexplicably vague and mysterious. Yo La Tengo released their best album in a decade by reappraising their entire discography while Ron Sexsmith continued to mine popโs fertile valleys. And we finally heard Janet Weiss back behind the drums in Quasi for the first time in a decade, offering an album steeped in indie rockโs volatile history.
Carly Rae Jepsen continued to develop her own unique pop perspectives, with her โB-side albumโ The Loveliest Time highlighting her ability to mold meticulous melodies into something versatile and engaging. Others like Toronto hip-hop outfit NODUO and experimental artist Kali Malone pushed themselves in an attempt to redefine their work and find new avenues of creative expression.
In the end, we bring as much or as little as we choose into these musical worlds, all our baggage and hangups and affections, hoping to find some semblance of meaning in their rhythmic landscapes. What will we find? What did we find? What does it mean? Iโm not sure I have those answers yet, but I know that Iโll be spending much more time wandering through these albums in search of whatever elusive insights I can glean.
I would suggest that you take time to experience and enjoy these records. Remember to indulge in their curiosities. And be kind to one another.
1. The Lemon Twigs โ Everything Harmony [Captured Tracks]
Recommended Song: โWhen Winter Comes Aroundโ
2. Red Velvet โ Chill Kill โ The 3rd Album [SM / Kakao]
Recommended Song: โChill Killโ
3. Spirit Possession โ Of the Signโฆ [Profound Lore]
Recommended Song: โInhale the Hovering Keysโ
4. Xiu Xiu โ Ignore Grief [Polyvinyl]
Recommended Song: โMaybae Baebyโ
5. Ron Sexsmith โ The Vivian Line [Cooking Vinyl]
Recommended Song: โDiamond Waveโ
6. Lonnie Holley โ Oh Me Oh My [Jagjaguwar]
Recommended Song: โMount Meigsโ
7. Lucinda Chua โ YIAN [4AD]
Recommended Song: โAn Oceanโ
8. Sprain โ The Lamb as Effigy or Three Hundred and Fifty XOXOXOS for a Spark Union With My Darling Divine [The Flenser]
Recommended Song: โGod, or Whatever You Call Itโ
9. Bell Witch – Futureโs Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate [Profound Lore]
Recommended Song: โThe Clandestine Gateโ
10. Shottie โ Stigmatic [Self-Released]
Recommended Song: โDream Shakeโ
11. Bruiser and Bicycle โ Holy Red Wagon [Topshelf]
Recommended Song: โLunette Fields Speakโ
12. NODUO โ NODUO [NOGOD]
Recommended Song: โLight Industryโ
13. Joanne Robertson โ Blue Car [AD 93]
Recommended Song: โRiver Shockโ
14. Hellsent & Batsauce โ Jimi Floss [Icy Palm Records]
Recommended Song: โThrough the Mudโ
15. Quasi โ Breaking the Balls of History [Sub Pop]
Recommended Song: โLast Long Laughโ
16. Tirzah โ Trip9love [Domino]
Recommended Song: โNo Limitโ
17. D2x โ Hotel 1105 [Self-Released]
Recommended Song: โThe Lightโ
18. Natural Information Society โ Since Time is Gravity [Eremite]
Recommended Song: โMoontide Chorusโ
19. Saloli โ Canyon [Kranky]
Recommended Song: โSunriseโ
20. Golden Hours โ Golden Hours [Fuzz Club]
Recommended Song: โDead Onโ
21. Yours are the Only Ears โ We Know the Sky [Lame-O]
Recommended Song: โBad Habitโ
22. Tinashe – BB/ANG3L [Nice Life]
Recommended Song: โTreasonโ
23. Bonnie Prince Billy โ Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You [Drag City]
Recommended Song: โRise and Rule (She was Born in Honolulu)โ
24. Tim Hecker โ No Highs [Kranky]
Recommended Song: โMonotonyโ
25. Loraine James โ Gentle Confrontation [Hyperdub]
Recommended Song: โLet U Goโ
26. Maria BC โ Spike Field [Sacred Bones]
Recommended Song: โTiedโ
27. Carly Rae Jepsen โ The Loveliest Time [604 / Schoolboy / Interscope]
Recommended Song: โPsychedelic Switchโ
28. Califone โ Villagers [Jealous Butcher]
Recommended Song: โComedyโ
29. Orbiting Human Circus and Music Tapes โ Quartet Plus Two [Merge]
Recommended Song: โItโs So Peaceful in the Countryโ
30. Kali Malone โ Does Spring Hide Its Joy [Ideologic Organ]
Recommended Song: โDoes Spring Hide Its Joy v1.2โ
