2022 AOTY So Far

https://thenativemag.com/best-african-projects-2022-so-far/

have only heard about half of these, so there’s some exploring to do, but they’ve got my number one and two *almost* right

Dunno if this will even end up in play for my EOY favorites, but right now I'm really loving it. Did a search and she's been mentioned in our jazz threads for several years, but this is the first time I've ever noticed Cécile McLorin Salvant. What a good fuckin record!

https://cecilemclorinsalvant.bandcamp.com/album/ghost-song

Just heard the new Lucius today. Not sure whether it's AOY material, but I really dig it. I love their aesthetic.

Posted this in the indie thread but fans of the Big Thief should also check out the new Florist s/t. More intimate and so maybe reminds me more of The Glow, Pt II but will appeal to the same crowd, I think.

Yeah, loving the new Florist album

saw them play last night and it was really great. Emily is very charming on stage! the whole band ended up at the bar my friend and i went to afterwards and it was fun to sneak looks of them just having a grand ol' time together

A few current picks in absolutely no order:

Megan - Traumazine
Beyonce - Renaissance
Mr Mitch - WORK!
Soccer96 - Inner Worlds
Kylie Minogue - Infinite Disco
Real Lies - Lad Ash
Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul - Topical Dancer
Somi - Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba
Koffee - Gifted
Syd - Broken Hearts Club
Sault - Air
Immanuel Wilkins - The 7th Hand
Nduduzo Makhathini - In the Spirit of Ntu
Germán López - Alma
Miranda Lambert - Palomino
Burna Boy - Love, Damini
Viagra Boys - Cave World
PUBLIQuartet - What is American
Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers
Mu-Ziq - Magic Pony Ride
Cecile McLorin Salvant - Ghost Song
Julius Rodriguez - Let Sound Tell All
Sam Gendel - Superstore
Hollie Cook - Happy Hour

Nice forks. Is the Hollie Cook any kind of departure for her? I always like her stuff but it never quite transcends its roots for me

did anyone mention finally, new by they hate change? so good

― in places all over the world, real stuff be happening (voodoo chili), Saturday, June 18, 2022 12:34 PM (two months ago)

listened to half of this earlier and it was kind of amazing? I'm going to resist trying to sum it up until I hear more but it deserves more ILM attention for the production alone (essentially: jungle + Miami bass)

I keep meaning to do a list of albums & tracks but never feel like I'm caught up enough

hollie cook's new one is basically more of the same, but that's good enough for me

This is more like rolling favorites than AOTY and in no particular order, but:

Rema - Rave & Roses
Sofie Birch - Holotropica
Simon Hunt - the hiatus
OKI - Tonkori in the Moonlight (kind of cheating as this is a comp, but it's great: reggae-influenced Ainu folk)
Naima Bock - Giant Palm
Nilüfer Yanya - Painless
Loris S. Sarid - Seabed-Sunbath
Koffee - Gifted
Gwenno - Tresor
Daniel Villareal - Panamá 77
Axel Boman - LUZ/Quest for Fire
The Ano Nobo Quartet - The Strings of São Domingos
Anna Butterss - Activities
Moor Mother - Jazz Codes
Burna Boy - Love, Damini
Sessa - Estrela Acesa

EPs of note:
Skillibeng - Mr Universe
Lynn Avery & Cole Pulice - To Live & Die in Space & Time
Flo - The Lead
BNXN - Bad Since '97

I love these lists because I don't know 95% of these albums. I like waiting until the end of the year and scanning all these personal faves for the albums that pop up on multiple lists, to give me a good point of entry.

I forgot that there was another new giant Sam Gendel album.

I haven't been particularly on it, but here are some favorites so far:

De Grandi x DJ JM - Catherine Tracks EP
Le Dom - Caesura EP
La Roche - Liye Liye (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
Church Andrews & Matt Davies - AXIS
Daniel Rossen - You Belong There
Siete Catorce - Cruda
Tony Rolando - Breakin’ is a Memory
Caterina Barbieri - Spirit Exit
DOMi & JD Beck - NOT TiGHT

that sessa album is something special!

Sessa was all new to me, so I have to admit I think I like his previous one more out of the two (the original Os Afros Sambas being one of my all-time favorite albums), but yeah he's doing really cool stuff!

One album I couldn't decide on was the new Kokoroko. Both times I listened, I liked the start, started to find it kind of anodyne in the middle, and then liked it again at the end

i'll check out os afros sambas, thanks rob

Oh man that's classic, though you might only be able to find the inferior re-recording on streaming

thanks for the warning, i will try to hunt the original down

you want the 1966 one: https://www.discogs.com/master/256527-Baden-E-Vinicius-Os-Afro-Sambas

The Aluminum Group - s/t is hovering around my 2022 top spot. Def the most play, next to Marconi Union - Versions.

A few other contenders not mentioned so far -

Caroline Loveglow - Strawberry
Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band - Dear Scott
Momma - Household Name
beabadoobee - Beatopia
Band of Horses - Things are Great

Thought maybe Working Men's Club - Fear Fear would jump on this list, but its highlight "Circumference" >>>> rest of the album

Thought maybe Working Men's Club - Fear Fear would jump on this list, but its highlight "Circumference" >>>> rest of the album

this album hits a lot of my sweet spots, so yeah, it is totally on my list.

700 Bliss

Cut is probably my favourite xxp

Came here to mention the beabadoobee album - definitely a grower

Didn't realise there was a new Band of Horses album (or that it was any good)

I've certainly written off Band Of Horses ever since their first album. Assumed they just settled into this sort of boring mid level touring modern americana-ish rock band thing along with My Morning Jacket and Blitzen Trapper (the most disappointing of all... remember how weird and fun they were when Wild Mountain Nation came out? Alas)

new Band of Horses is quite good, imo ... not as good as their first two (or even three - I like the third, many people don't) but it's good.

Bridwell has more or less said "i let too many cooks in the kitchen on recent records, so for this one i tried to just recreate the early magic."

i think he got close.

though i wouldn't say it's "2022 AOTY So Far"-level good!

best album of the year 2022 so far that was released on 17 December 2021 is Kelvin Momo’s Ivy League. jazzy, soulful, lush, lush!, propulsive amapiano, 21 8-minute-on-average tracks of it, you do the math. fans of Larry Heard and Kabza De Small can start licking their fingers on a corner called jazz.

https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d00001e025760d5c3fa4aac1b32f4b5bd

try “Madlamini”, “Thomas” - for example

Im way behind but heres a quick list from me

1 Melt Yourself Down, Pray for Me, I Don't Fit In
2 Kikagaku Moyo, Kumoyo Island
3 Artifacts & Uranium, Pancosmology
4 AUA, The Damaged Organ
5 They Hate Change - Finally, New
6 Wovenhand, Silver Sash
7 Moor Mother, Jazz Codes
8 Vaqo, The Land of Kartvelians
9 Niechec, Unsubscribe
10 Rosalia, MOTOMAMI
11 Oneida, Success

Haven't heard a single one of those! Will have to get on it...

This MYD is cool! Bruising clever-dumb Britpop swagger thinly disguised as jazz

xp Its cool I dont think Ive listened to anything else here myself :/

(incl yr big ones--Stabscotch/VR SEX/deaths dynamic shroud/WGWGSA)

Lol, those are indeed my big four as it stands

For Real especially bringing that 1997 spy chic kickassery

Or...who knew that Kasabian but with jazz instruments would be so cool

Oumou Sangaré – Timbuktu
Mr. Fingers – Around the Sun pt.
Ari Lennox - Age/Sex/Location
Charlotte Adigéry/Bolis Pupul- Topical Dancer
Amanda Shires - Take It Like a Man

why have I still not listened to Timbuktu?

new additions since my last post:

They Hate Change - Finally, New
Beth Orton - Weather Alive
Makaya McCraven - In These Times
Ari Lennox - Age/Sex/Location
Rachika Nayar - Heaven Come Crashing
Asake - Mr. Money With The Vibe (not really AOTY but promising)

I’d say Asake is very much AOTY material.

perhaps. I meant that parenthetical to be more ambivalent: I thought it was brilliant on first listen, but that impression has faded a little since

myd album was ok i thought but pray for me is 10/10

but I'll give the whole record a relisten, might work better in the autumn

Thanks, Alfred. Wouldn't have checked out the Amanda Shires album otherwise.

A few of my favs that I haven't seen mentioned:

Tomberlin - i don't know who needs to hear this..
Two Shell - Home & Icons EPs
Sudan Archives - NBPQ

Beth Orton def deserves to be in the running.

I'm still hyped about that Yeule album. It may end up being my top pick. It's just everything I love about music in 2022.

I think the MYD might be the best dancepunk album but admittedly Ill be a little disappointed if its still my #1 of the year by Februaryq

several great albums this past week, all of which deserve serious consideration here:

Camron and ATrak - U Wasn't There
Alhaji Waziri Oshomah - Muslim Highlife of...
Vieux Farka Toure and Khruangbin - Ali
Makaya McCraven - In These Times
The Comet Is Coming - Hyper Dimensional Expansion Beam

I listened to that Comet is Coming; its def in my top 10 now for sure

death's dynamic shroud - Darklife is an instant contender.

I'll need a few more listens to fully absorb it (there is a LOT going on) but it's already resonating big time. Maximalist hyperprog feels like an apt descriptor.

Very into Cola (pka Ought)'s 'DeepnIj View' album

omar s and ron trent both need a mention here if no-one said them yet

Very into Cola (pka Ought)'s 'DeepnIj View' album

would hesitate to say that cola is "fka" as ought so much as it's the guitarist/singer and bassist from ought's new band, not a direct continuation. also deep in view is really great