DoofusWainwright
DoofusWainwright
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Last Active 08-13-18 2:50 pm
Joined 04-05-15

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07.06.18 Silencio06.19.18 DoofusW reviewing account: end of an er
06.15.18 Doof's 2018 Half Way Jamboree06.13.18 The Last 100
06.08.18 Irish music recs for Doofy05.26.18 How I interpret user ratings
05.04.18 Doof's List of a Thousand 3.5 Ratings04.20.18 Doof's Top 100 Hot Weather Albums
03.28.18 Doof recent digs03.08.18 Doof's Short Song Selection
01.05.18 Experiencing Internet Reduction12.08.17 Doof's Albums of the Year 2017 ♦
12.02.17 Doof's Top Songs 2017 ♦11.29.17 Doof's Top 25 'New Artist' Discoveries
11.09.17 Doof's Worst of 201710.11.17 Rec Doof 2017
10.10.17 Largest 'full album' discogs on Sput?10.04.17 Doof's Top 50 Tom Petty Songs
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Doof's Albums of the Year 2017

This year was a bit different, I actively tried to up my music listening and exploration to find out just how much interesting music I could dig up...and a lot of my efforts were focused on 2017 releases. If you want to check my listening habits from the last five months...https://www.last.fm/user/Doof2016. Enjoy the list.
1Cigarettes After Sex
Cigarettes After Sex

[4.8]

This possesses a quality I find less and less in debut albums as time passes...this has the feel of a cult classic that's come out of nowhere. Though it doesn't resemble Portishead's 'Dummy' too closely in purely musical terms (well, they're both nocturnal listens), there's still something here that reminds me ever so slightly of that same sort of deal. Ten 4-5 minutes tunes that adhere closely to a consistent atmosphere; a track 2 that sounds the equivalent of 'Dummy's track 2 'Sour Times'; a track 7 in 'Opera House' that does the same job as 'Dummy's version ('Roads'). Maybe the quest nowadays is for wild diversity and eclecticism but I for one love that here's a band who found their style and crafted a near-perfect old fashioned ten song album in that one same winning style.

5/5 tracks: Each Time You Fall in Love, Apocalypse, Opera House
2The National
Sleep Well Beast

[4.7]

The biggest compliment I can pay The National is me saying this is only their fourth strongest effort in my opinion equates to me saying that 'In Rainbows' is my fourth favourite Radiohead release. Ok this may not be the 'Kid A' level of departure that was predicted, though it's still the most obvious 'studio album' or 'headphones listen' in the band's canon. A slight dip in the middle of the tracklist can't take away from the fact both the opening and closing quartets are two perfect runs of songs. The National march on, they may have started their career late, but they're clocking up those big hitters now.

5/5 tracks: The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness, Guilty Party, Sleep Well Beast

Full Review: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/74801/The-National-Sleep-Well-Beast/
3Destroyer
Ken

[4.7]

Bejar takes one step back and two steps forward as he resurrects the smooth stylings of 2011's 'Kaputt', only adding 'currently on trend' Tron synths and other various Gosling-in-'Drive' retro-isms to the brew. The good news is the track flow is back to 'smooth as butter' level after the sometimes jumpy transitions of 'Poison Season', and the instrumental backdrop successfully builds a nostalgia drenched cityscape to rival even 'Kaputt's-ville. The only negative I can come up with is it'd have been nice for Dan to include an epic mood piece in the style of 'The Laziest River' to really immerse the listener, but that's being picky, this is top grade Destroyer material and easily one of his best releases.

5/5 tracks: Sky's Grey, Saw You at the Hospital, A Light Travels Down the Catwalk
4The Dream Syndicate
How Did I Find Myself Here?

[4.7]

I guess you could say this is so good it’s ‘Painful’, it certainly has something of the ‘90s edition of Yo La Tengo about it, only with more of an ‘actual rock band’ swagger in there. Is this a throwback? Quite possibly. Does that in any way detract from my enjoyment of this guitar squalling onslaught? No. If you thought they don’t make ‘em like this anymore...well they do.

5/5 Tracks: Glide, 80 West, How Did I Find Myself Here?
5Kitty
Miami Garden Club

[4.7]

Surprise inclusion? I'm guessing very much so. Pop and Doof is a combination with a troubled history on Sputnik. How can this succeed where Lorde's more highly acclaimed 2017 effort failed? Well, they're fundamentally very different albums of course, but beyond that it's the combination of this successfully pulling off that mixtape feel (that can so easily feel scrappy/insubstantial) combined with the fact the instrumentals here feel like true weighty compositions in their own right. A pop album that doesn't rely on vocals for all its hooks? Rare indeed.

5/5 tracks: New Leaf, Running Away, Asari Love Song
6Ariel Pink
Dedicated to Bobby Jameson

[4.7]

I'm surprised that Ariel Pink has delivered what is in my opinion his most overall consistent album so far. From his interviews supporting this release it sounds like he's altogether less happy as a musician these days but whatever his current mood it hasn't sucked the life out of his new material. A little less 'zany' than usual but actually all the more engrossing for leaving some space for reflection.

5/5 tracks: Feels Like Heaven, Dedicated to Bobby Jameson, Time to Live

Full Review: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/74908/Ariel-Pink-Dedicated-to-Bobby-Jameson/
7Mark Eitzel
Hey Mr Ferryman

[4.6]

The most unexpected comeback of the year, the idea Eitzel would release something that resembled a full band effort that would sell more than a couple of thousand copies was something totally alien to me. A little coaxing from Bernard Butler and here we are; eleven strong songs boasting full backing vocals, guitar solos, the lot. The likes of '...Singer and Ham' and 'The Last Ten Years' approach career best form.

5/5 tracks: Nothing and Everything, In My Role as Professional Singer and Ham

Full Review: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/72802/Mark-Eitzel-Hey-Mr-Ferryman/
8Aimee Mann
Mental Illness

[4.6]

Aimee was a new artist to me, an old school soft rock/country folk singer/songwriter with a non fussy approach. An album of surface level pretty ditties eventually reveal a depressive underbelly that's quite disturbing and becomes increasingly addictive. Sadness doesn't come much sweeter.

5/5 tracks: Goose Snow Cone, Knock It Off
9Fleet Foxes
Crack-Up

[4.5]

I thought the hipster-approved indie folk patter of the Fleet Foxes had an impenetrable 4/5 Doof rating ceiling but hats off, this is a far more adventurous and atmosphere-centric release. Lots of layers to unravel here, this is probably the 2017 release that took the longest to sink in for me.

5/5 tracks: Third of May, On Another Ocean
10Flotation Toy Warning
The Machine That Made Us

[4.5]

Weird little cult act with a butt ugly bandname but don't let that put you off, this long awaited (by less than a hundred people) sophomore album hits a similar winning trippy multi-layered aesthetic to its delightful head swim of a predecessor. Cheered me up in the year I realised I now have nearly as much back hair as that steampunk woolly mammoth on the cover.

5/5 tracks: Everything That is Difficult Will Come to an End, I Quite Like it When He Sings

Full Review: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/74091/Flotation-Toy-Warning-The-Machine-That-Made-Us/
11The Tiger Lillies
Cold Night in Soho

[4.5]

Have this band really only been in my life less than a year? This, along with 'Either Or', were my introduction into the weird and wonderful world of the Lillies. A little more serious and, dare I say, mature, than some of their output - this one paints a perfect portrait of a place that no longer exists, a dangerous Soho populated with whores, pimps, drug pushers, alchys and assorted down and outs.

5/5 tracks: Let's Drink, Cold Night in Soho

Full Review: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/72845/The-Tiger-Lillies-Cold-Night-in-Soho/
12Everything Everything
A Fever Dream

[4.4]

How'd you follow up that surprise breakout hit? Never easy but I have to give it to EE, they just about pull it off here, even if 'A Fever Dream' can't quite trump its predecessor. Neither as musically manic, nor as in your face terrifying lyrically as 'Get to Heaven', this album accurately reflects that the world has changed in the last two years; terrorism is 'business as usual' and that air of apathy, political malaise and the casual fascist creep is skilfully evoked here. We’ve chosen to sleepwalk to our doom.

5/5 tracks: Put Me Together, A Fever Dream
13Mount Eerie
A Crow Looked At Me

[4.4]

You could argue such a personal album need not have been released at all, that the process of recording these songs could and should have been catharsis enough for Elverum, who could have then moved onto something else more conventionally appropriate for mass release. I can understand such an argument, but there's also a fascination in listening in on such a work...even if the album scores low in pure 'enjoyment' terms.

5/5 tracks: Ravens, Soria Maria
14Oxbow
Thin Black Duke

[4.3]

Order and chaos are harnessed in perfect unison on this marble-mouthed, darkly dramatic opus. Could so easily have wound up a total mess, instead it ends up sounding like one of the most meticulously crafted albums of 2017.

5/5 tracks: A Gentleman's Gentleman, The Upper
15T.Raumschmiere
Heimat

[4.2]

Favourite electronic release of the year, deeply atmospheric but far from plodding largely minimal techno with even the hint of a pop sensibility evident.

5/5 tracks: Stoli, Le Fux, Juli
16Micah P. Hinson
Micah P. Hinson Presents The Holy Strangers

[4.2]

Has a croaky voice that lands somewhere between Vic Chesnutt and M. Ward, this is the year’s greatest Americana release switching from understated folk numbers to more widescreen soundtrack-y instrumentals.

5/5 tracks: Oh Spaceman, The Last Song
17Michael Chapman
50

[4.2]

{SandwichBubble rec winner} yes it's a bit old man, a little bluesy and a lot husky...but thankfully that's where the comparisons with Chris Rea end. This is a trad folk rock album with expansive tendencies that also packs an impressive effortless feel, particularly in regards to the lyrics/vocals. The only slight weakness is every song here comes in at over 4:40 and give or take use the same basic ingredients, so concentration can dip from time to time.

5/5 Tracks: The Mallard, Navigation
18Slowdive
Slowdive

[4.2]

A more than solid return from a band who were never particular favourites of mine in their 'Souvlaki' shoegaze form (I actually preferred their skeletal Talk Talk'y '95 album 'Pygmalion'). This one brings back a few of the layers 'Pyg' took out but, and this is important, the suffocatingly dreamy 'none more 90s' wash of the debut/'Souvlaki' is also side-stepped for something a little more pristine and punchy. My second favourite Slowdive.

5/5 tracks: Don't Know Why, Sugar for the Pill, Go Get It
19Mac DeMarco
This Old Dog

[4.2]

DeMarco's music at its most relaxed and synth-laden, easy to underestimate this one, it actually contains some of his most effective song writing to date and is far more varied than you first realise.

5/5 tracks: On the Level, Moonlight on the River
20Future Islands
The Far Field

[4.2]

Highly professional and polished propulsive pop that's elevated by Herring's impassioned vocal delivery - just about everything you'd want from an indie pop record in 2017 is present and correct here.

5/5 tracks: Aladdin, Time On Her Side, Cave
21Sleaford Mods
English Tapas

[4.2]

Possibly the Mods strongest release since they officially became a 'band' (Jason was a solo artist prior to hooking up with Andrew Fearn). My love of this band was cemented when they came to play my hometown Kingston-Upon-Thames earlier in the year and I met up with living Sput legend Zak and his missus to catch their set. Williamson is the funniest social commentator out there in any capacity as far as I'm concerned right now.

5/5 tracks: Drayton Manored, B.H.S.
22Benjamin Clementine
I Tell A Fly

[4.1]

I was left cold by Clementine's debut which made him come across as very proficient and talented...but a bit of a stage school style bore. This is far more interesting...I'll rephrase. This is bonkers. Less chin stroke-y and more just plain old fun to listen to.

5/5 track: By the Ports of Europe
23Avey Tare
Eucalyptus

[4.1]

Always my favourite member of AnCo, with this trippy and adorably rambling effort he’s only gone and released the best Collective affiliated music since...ooh, at least since ‘Fall Be Kind’. As typically experimental as you’d expect but also agreeably loose and surprisingly intimate.

5/5 track: Ms. Secret
24Hans Chew
Open Sea

[4.0]

Geetar and gran’ piana duel it out on some cookin’ country rawk and blues jams that really swing. Chewie’s voice ain’t nothin to write home about but it serves.

5/5 tracks: Open Sea, Freely
25Our Ceasing Voice
Free Like Tonight

[4.0]

The perfect beauty and the beast combo of 2017, a mostly ultra delicate bed of post-rock/indie rock is haunted by some sort of a gravel throated Thomas Feiner/Scooter Ward (of Cold) hybrid. Just no one say Chad Kroeger. That would be unfair.

5/5 tracks: New York in the Rain, Monochrome
26Protomartyr
Relatives In Descent

[4.0]

Moody and magnificent post-punk that sounds genuinely cheesed off to boot, when the songs live up to the sound this is ‘Best of 2017’ level. Sadly the song writing dips in a couple of spots and that rubs off a tiny bit of gloss...but still easily one of the most arresting ‘rock’ releases of the year.

5/5 tracks: The Chuckler, Male Plague
27Kauan
Kaiho

[4.0]

‘Judgement’ era Anathema and ‘Hymn to the Immortal Wind’ period Mono sounds an interesting combo on paper - well I gotta say it works even better in practice. Takes a lot for a post-rock album to make an impression on Doof in 2017 but this did. Verrrr purdy.

5/5 tracks: Lapsenmuisto, Nainen
28Craig Finn
We All Want the Same Things

[4.0]

Finn thrives with fewer barroom rock tropes and an even greater emphasis on his detailed storytelling.

5/5 track: God in Chicago
29Hundred Waters
Communicating

[4.0]

A more consistent offering than 'The Moon Rang...' only there's still too big a gap between the stronger and weaker songs. The instrumental backing here is consistently impressive, but the vocals feel ever so slightly 'one note' by the end. Still, the strongest four tracks here are 'Best of 2017' quality.

5/5 Tracks: Particle, At Home in My Head, Parade, Blanket Me
30King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
Polygondwanaland

[4.0]

My favourite of the Gizzard albums I've tried, has more of a traditional feel to it and less obviously 'themed' compared to some of their others. A rare example where upping the prog elements in the mix actually made for a more focused sound.

5/5 tracks: Crumbling Castle, The Fourth Castle
31Andrew Hung
Realisationship

[4.0]

{Anatelier rec winner} apparently the deal breaker here for most are the vocals...strangely I can’t get enough of them. Technically they’re far from perfect, sure, but they fit the personality of the material here like a glove. The songs themselves are consistent, with a well judged mix of grit and gloss.

5/5 track: Open Your Eyes
32Godflesh
Post Self

[4.0]

Meaty album this, though it does sound 100% like a relic from the '90s - not necessarily a bad thing.

5/5 track: Pre Self
33Toby Driver
Madonnawhore

[4.0]

Driver gets medieval on yer ass, coming across like some kind of a wispy minstrel performing to a deserted throne room where the beautiful Queen, who once was the love of Toby's life, has long since succumbed to plague or whatnot. Cold. Empty. Haunting.

5/5 track: Avignon
34Father John Misty
Pure Comedy

[4.0]

The most hated hipster on the planet. Someone had to take up the mantle. Now just think, how many truly obnoxious hipsters are you aware of? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions? This man knows what he's doing. A masterclass.

5/5 track: Things it Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution
35Daniel Cavanagh
Monochrome

[4.0]

Cavanagh's first solo album proper is less polished and intense than recent nu-Anathema outings but comes up trumps in terms of both emotional resonance and compositional complexity. More like this please Danny.

5/5 tracks: The Exorcist, The Silent Flight of the Raven Winged Hours

Full Review: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/75101/Daniel-Cavanagh-Monochrome/
36Tyler, the Creator
Flower Boy

[3.9]

Strangely Tyler’s flow and delivery are the least standout thing on this release, he’s more of a steady Eddie in those departments. In every other facet however this album is unstoppable - song writing, production, lyrics, atmosphere, features...all spot on. The obvious hip hop album of the summer ends up the best hip hop album of 2017 overall.
37British Sea Power
Let the Dancers Inherit the Party

[3.9]

What at first comes across as a modern U2-esque bland-ish meat and potatoes indie rock album slowly reveals its quirks, ending up a perfect mix of feel good tracks and Elbow-y 'anthemic yet downbeat' numbers.
38Portico Quartet
Art in the Age of Automation

[3.9]

Jazz rhythms mesh with electronic instruments and a post-rock-meets-soundtrack sensibility to make for what I'm {gulp} going to term a 'sumptuous' listening experience. I don't think I've ever used that word before and I'm not convinced I want to use it ever again.
39Ryuichi Sakamoto
Async

[3.9]

A gently sad and reflective collection of mood pieces that appear to meditate on time and the human condition. The tracks weave together in such a way as to become far more than the sum of their parts, and the overall effect can be deeply moving if you invest enough of yourself in the experience.
40The Clientele
Music for the Age of Miracles

[3.9]

If not quite at the same level, this unassuming release has the same sort of magical ‘tiptoeing through the tulips at witching hour’ vibe as Mercury Rev’s enduring classic ‘Deserter’s Songs’. While this album registers low on stand out cuts, it makes up for this in consistency - both in quality and style. Measured. Classy.
41King Krule
The OOZ

[3.9]

Far too long, far too rambling...and yet, and yet. This has some real charm despite the obvious weakness that there’s really only so much of that distinct voice anyone can enjoy over a single listen. Still, ripe for making playlist selections and there are certainly 8 or so excellent cuts.
42The War on Drugs
A Deeper Understanding

[3.9]

However enjoyable the ride, repeat it often enough and eventually over familiarity sets in. This is skirting close to inessential such is the lack of anything particularly fresh in the mix. Still, for now, a winning formula and this is their (his?) smoothest jam yet. Now for something different?
43Bell Witch
Mirror Reaper

[3.8]

The first half packs its fair share of intrigue for sure, but its the second half that eventually reveals itself a 5/5 absolute atmospheric stunner.
44Mappe Of
A Northern Star, A Perfect Stone

[3.8]

{Twig rec winner} I'm always pleased when something so obviously pretty crashes my end of year list (last time it was the Ry X that gatecrashed my top 50). Owes a little to Justin Vernon of course but certainly has its own personality and manages to mix some pastoral tones with more modern touches well.
45Elder (USA-MA)
Reflections of a Floating World

[3.8]

At its best this album is simply unstoppable, album opener 'Sanctuary' in particular is a force of nature. The slight weaknesses here are the vocals, which are merely perfunctory, and the fact the album just keeps churning and churning, hitting the same exact sweet spot and wearing down the ol' pleasure receptors. Still, technically excellent and has enough highlights to satisfy.

5/5 track: Sanctuary
46KU
Ganja

[3.8]

Some well judged retro psych flavours mesh with world influenced percussion and a pop sensibility all this band's own, adding up to something pretty darn unique and hard to pin down. The sort of album you'll still discover new things from after twenty listens.

5/5 track: Spring Elevator
47Sun Kil Moon
Common As Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood

[3.8]

I've listened to this in full, in a single sitting, only the once. Life is short, so instead I tend to dip into this and play a few songs at a time only. At some point in the future I expect Kozelek to start writing songs about listening to these songs as the man's self cannibalism reaches its logical conclusion. Y'know, based on the strength of this, I'd probably dig.

5/5 track: God Bless Ohio
48Bicep
Bicep

[3.8]

An intoxicating 'cityscape of sound' feel to this cinematic ambient/house release.

5/5 track: Glue
49Alfa Mist
Antiphon

[3.8]

Mellow jazz (what I'm led to believe is commonly labelled 'nu jazz', eh) mixed with the occasional off the cuff spoken word interjection that gives this the feel of listening in to friends of friends chatting while you're spliffed out of your mind in the other corner of the room - in this case thankfully leading to contemplative high rather than a paranoid episode.
50Stormzy
Gang Signs and Prayer

[3.8]

Ooh, how very mainstream. Strrrrrromzy. The Doof doesn't judge, the Doof listens without prejudice. The man is probably a total meatball but there are eight or so tip top, hearth thumpin' tunes here - once you strip out the r&b detritus shite that's clogging up its arteries.

5/5 tracks: Cold, Lay Me Bare
51John Maus
Screen Memories

[3.8]

Very much business as usual for Maus, despite the long gap between this and his last release. Dense synthscapes whoosh and wheel around some typically strange song writing concepts. This year’s somewhat similar Ariel Pink album trumps this for variety and vocal personality, for my money at least.
52Kedr Livanskiy
Ariadna

[3.8]

More dense, retro synthy electronics matched to ethereal/disembodied Russian vox. I mean right now Russia needs all the good press it can get, so big up Kedr, you’re a doll. Think a slow motion rave, Boards of Canada fans should give this a spin.
53Gas
Narkopop

[3.8]

A welcome return from one of the kings of ambient, if you've dug the Gas aesthetic in any of its previous incarnations before then this will instantly satisfy. A little brighter this one, some of his previous work flirted with nightmarish soundscapes, the atmosphere here is positively heavenly by comparison.
54Amplifier
Trippin' with Dr. Faustus

[3.8]

Something wonderfully old school about these chaps, in fact they REALLY remind me of someone else...but for the life of me I can't quite work out who. Lucky for them, for as it stands now, they've won over my heart.
55Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest

[3.8]

I was never blown away by daddy's girl in the past but here she's settled on the perfect vehicle for her talents, a breathy pop fest that sees her cleverly merge french and english vocals to the point they almost blend into one and the same language.
56Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales
Room 29

[3.8]

Strange pairing, strange album. It works though, Jarvis has a great voice for this faintly humorous semi-sung narration and Chilly Gonzo brings just the perfect amount of kitsch to the party.

5/5 track: A Trick of the Light

Full Review: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/73285/Jarvis-Cocker-and-Chilly-Gonzales-Room-29/
57Your Old Droog
Packs

[3.8]

Nothing particularly cutting edge happening here, instead this is a solid hip hop album with some soulful flourishes that honestly could have been released any time on the last 20 years. Impressively consistent.
58UNKLE
The Road, Pt. 1

[3.7]

{dewinged rec} in a similar way to the 1998 debut if this album catches me in the right mood then it's a fun packed ramble and a juicy 4/5...if it catches me in the wrong mood then I find it all a bit disjointed and the dips in quality feel too pronounced resulting in more a low 3.5/5. Certainly the best songs here are some of the most impressive of the year and if nothing else everyone should at least try those out.

5/5 tracks: Looking for the Rain, Arms Length, Sonata
59Anathema
The Optimist

[3.7]

Another band who've been hitting the 'repeat' button in their career a few too many times of late. This isn't as much of a change as I would have liked personally but there's just enough going on here to distinguish it as at least a step in the right direction. There’s a nocturnal atmosphere in evidence, which is an (admittedly subtle) new flavour for the band, plus the album boasts some effective mood pieces in 'San Francisco', 'Close Your Eyes' and 'Wildfires' that provide some much welcome variety.
60Four Tet
New Energy

[3.7]

'New Energy'? This is actually quite 'low energy' but in a very pleasing way. One of the superior sleepytime jams of the year.
61Pumarosa
The Witch

[3.7]

Arty and atmospheric but also has a groove and remains catchy as hell - and yeah, the vocals are a little bit witchy.
62Big Thief
Capacity

[3.7]

Takes a while to build a head of steam in so far as the album only becomes a truly essential listen from 'Great White Shark' on. Still, that second half shows just how effective this band's brand of poetic indie folk can be.

5/5 track: Mary
63death's dynamic shroud.wmv
Heavy Black Heart

[3.7]

A typically scattershot but surprisingly catchy offering from the vaporwave (eh) Internet sensations. Certainly some of the most fun vocal sampling/manipulation of the year.

5/5 tracks: Tell Me Your Secret, My Turned-Off Phone
64Hazel English
Just Give In / Never Going Home

[3.7]

{Budgie rec winner} there's a reason this features a little higher than the new Yumi Zouma...this release adopts that bands original blueprint and nails that sound. I guess it's a sound I prefer to where Yumi Zouma have ended up. While this album wins few points for originality, this retro dream pop style proves a winning formula for our Hazel.
65Ulver
The Assassination of Julius Caesar

[3.7]

Ulver reach the final stage of their metamorphosis and transform into a beautiful...Depeche Mode. Some prime electro goth pop here...if you believe such a thing can exist.
66Cristobal and the Sea
Exitoca

[3.7]

Definitely some AnCo worship going on, especially from the two singers who provide vocal styles that are dead ringers for the trademark deliveries of Avey Tare and Panda Bear. The musical backing leans more towards world, latin, tropicalia and bossa nova influences though.
67Grizzly Bear
Painted Ruins

[3.7]

Has a warmer, more inviting sound than 'Shields'...but where are the songs? There just aren't enough distinctive moments here, it all blurs. Still, enjoyable enough, but a relative disappointment.
68Laura Marling
Semper Femina

[3.7]

Not too dissimilar to the Aimee Mann, thought not as depressive, this has a classic feel that harks back to the Joni Mitchell's of yesteryear. She also mixes up her vocal delivery to great effect in places.
69Jonwayne
Rap Album Two

[3.7]

Some worthy smoky old school vibes from the bearded bro I'm labelling the Hurley of hip hop.
70ESPRIT
200% Electronica

[3.7]

A little different to '100% Electronica', this is a more ambient affair perhaps lacking the pop crossover of the original - instead here George reinterprets and reimagines his debut through sampling much of his own work. Always more than pleasant...if a tiny bit inessential.
71Kelly Lee Owens
Kelly Lee Owens

[3.7]
72Timber Timbre
Sincerely, Future Pollution

[3.7]
73A/T/O/S
Outboxed

[3.7]
74Forest Swords
Compassion

[3.7]
75Fazerdaze
Morningside

[3.7]

5/5 track: Jennifer
76Shabazz Palaces
Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines

[3.6]
77Zavala
Fantasmas

[3.6]
78Yumi Zouma
Willowbank
79The Cameramen
Good Things Do Happen

[3.6]

5/5 track: Drunken Serenade
80Lapalux
Ruinism

[3.6]
81Susanne Sundfor
Music For People In Trouble

[3.6]
82Fever Ray
Plunge

[3.6]

5/5 tracks: To the Moon and Back, Mama’s Hand
83Daniele Luppi and Parquet Courts
Milano

[3.6]
84Broken Social Scene
Hug of Thunder

[3.6]
85Metz
Strange Peace

[3.6]

{UniqueUniverse rec winner} This seems an improvement on the preceding albums, maybe you can put that down to the Albini factor. They've hit on a great sound, even if the songs themselves are a little hit and miss.
86Sam Amidon
The Following Mountain

[3.6]
87Blanck Mass
World Eater

[3.6]
88Oneohtrix Point Never
Good Time (Soundtrack)

[3.6]
89Kendrick Lamar
DAMN.

[3.6]
90Jay Som
Everybody Works

[3.6]
91Peter Perrett
How the West Was Won

[3.6]
92Jens Lekman
Life Will See You Now

[3.6]
93Clap! Clap!
A Thousand Skies

[3.6]
94mathew lee cothran
Judas Hung Himself in America

[3.5]
95IT IT
Formal Odors

[3.5]
96Exquirla
Para Quienes Aún Viven

[3.5]

{Bgillesp rec winner} Spanish folk and post rock mesh with surprisingly powerful results, even if the approach can occasionally become overbearing.
97Zack Villere
Little World

[3.5]
98John Garcia
The Coyote Who Spoke in Tongues

[3.5]

5/5 track: Gardenia
99The Black Angels
Death Song

[3.5]

{UniqueUniverse rec winner} A meaty, if decidedly time warped, psych rock opus.
100Grandaddy
Last Place

Had to be last place

[3.5]

5/5 track: Songbird Son
101Circuit Des Yeux
Reaching For Indigo

Late entries:
- Circuit des Yeux / Reaching for Indigo : Top 40
- Tom Rogerson with Brian Eno / Finding Shore : Top 60
- Neil Cavanagh / City of the Sun, Valley of the Moon : Top 70
- Alex Cameron / Forced Witness : Top 70
- Swarms / Black Chapel Sun : Top 100
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