ON ROTATION

Lots of great music. Not enough time to write about it all...but here's what's on rotation for me right now. 

The Vryll Society, Course Of The Satellite

   Song: A Perfect Rhythm

Death Cab For Cutie, Thank You For Today 

   Song: Gold Rush

Tunng, Songs You Make at Night

   Song: ABOP

ON ROTATION

Lots of great music. Not enough time to write about it all...but here's what's on rotation for me right now. 

Lori McKenna, The Tree

   Song: People Get Old

John Prine, Tree Of Forgiveness

   Song: Knockin' On Your Screen Door

Kevin Galloway, Don't It Feel 
Good To Smile 

   Song: Don't It Feel Good To Smile

ON ROTATION

Rayland Baxter, Wide Awake 

   Song: 79 Shiny Revolvers

Snuff Redux, Denim American

   Song: The French Press

Jessica's Brother, Jessica's Brother

   Song: Humdinger

TOP ABLUMS OF 2017

Tough year. It weighed heavily on me. I often found myself overwhelmed by my thoughts, feelings, concerns, and frustrations for the state of our country and the world at this truly polarizing time. Thank goodness for family, friends, community, and music!

The role that music plays in my life is a significant one. No more so then in times like these. And this year, in-particular, my musical tastes, interests, and needs bounced between two extremes. One extreme was music that could totally help me escape to my happy place. The other was music that spotlighted those things that weighed heavily on me. 

My list of favorite albums reflects these extremes, which is why it is twice the length of the past few years. So with 12 months of listening and more albums than I can count, here are my favorite 20 albums of 2017. 

1. LCD Soundsystem, American Dream

   

2. Hurray For The Riff Raff, The Navigator

 

3. Little Cub, Still Life

    

4. Susanne Sundfør, Music For People In Trouble 

    

5. Ulver, The Assassination of Julius Caesar

   

    

6. Trampolene, Swansea To Hornsey

   

7. Wolf Parade, Cry Cry Cry

    

8. Pumarosa, The Witch 

    

9. Everything Everything, A Fever Dream 

    

10. Dori Freeman, Letters Never Read

    

TOP ABLUMS OF 2016

What a year for music. From Kendrick Lamar to Beyonce. From The Avalanches to Glass Animals. From Radiohead to Bon Iver. Month after month, I was overwhelmed with the sheer number of great albums that were released. And yet, none of these or so many albums were my favorites of 2016. So what did make my list? Those albums that not only really grabbed me from moment one, but those that I was drawn back to throughout the year. Each one is something special. And, I will go out on a limb and say that together, they may represent the strongest collection of albums that I compiled in a single year in a very long time. Enjoy.

Michael Kiwanuka, Love & Hate

Max Jury, Max Jury

The Amazing, Ambulance

   

David Bowie, Blackstar

Song: Lazarus

Airbag, Disconnected

Villagers, Where Have You Been All My Life

   

 <

Marillion, F.E.A.R.

 

The Dear Hunter, Act V: Hymns With The Devil In Confessional

   

Brent Cobb, Shine On Rainy Day

 

Kate Tempest, Let Them Eat Chaos

The Radio Dept., Running Out Of Love

   

 

TOP ALBUMS OF 2015

2015 was an exceptional year for new music and my Favorite's list could have been significantly longer. The albums in this collection rose to the top for me and most closely reflects my musical interests throughout the year. 

1. Olafur Arnolds & Alice Sara Ott, The Chopin Project

2. Barna Howard, Quite A Feelin' 

  

3. The Milk Carton Kids, Monterey

4. Destroyer, Poison Season

5. Natalie Merchant, Paradise Is There 

  

6. New Order, Music Complete

7. The Charlatans, Modern Nature

   

8. Oddissee, The Good Fight

9. Andrew Combs, All These Dreams

10. Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit