RAWK ALBUM OF THE FIRST THIRD OF 2021
I'll add some of mine, since you invited it
Yasmin Williams - Urban DriftwoodMeditative acoustic instrumentals from virtuosic guitarist Yasmin Williams, a beautiful listen on a Sunday, or by a river, or in a park or in that lovely evening light (when it's not fucking hailing it down)
Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds - Swing From The Sean Delear EPReally in it for the side-long penultimate track 'He Walked In', a kind of sleazy noir masterpiece story song that slinks with horns and twangs along for 14 gorgeous minutes.
Bill Mackay & Nathan Bowles - KeysBanjo-led instrumentals from up in some mountains somewhere, probably
Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview On Phenomenal NatureLovely thoughtful folkish tunes from ex-member of David Berman's Purple Mountains touring band-that-sadly-never-got-to-tour
Chuck Johnson - The Cinder GrovePedal steel guitarist follows his brilliant 'Balsams' album with another LP of glowing slide guitar instrumentals
Fred Neil - 38 MacDougalNever enough released in the man's lifetime, so this rough recording from the Greenwich Village years is a treasure
Jim Ghedi - In The Furrows of Common PlaceTalented Yorkshire folk guitarist gets a bit more vocal on this one - though my favourite is the towering strings of 'Mytholm'
MF Tomlinson - Strange TimeAcid-folk lockdown album, lovely listen, feels like it has moss on it.
Mia Doi Todd - Music LifeTitle track features Jeff Parker, a brilliant treatise on the perils fo being a musician. Been a fan since her LP 'Cosmic Ocean Ship' maybe 10 years ago, and glad to hear her sounding as good as ever on this new one.
Nashville Ambient Ensemble - CeruleanErm, I listen to a lot of ambient pedal steel guitar music. This is a good example. Drift off to this on the reg.
New Bums - Last Time I Saw GraceStill processing this one but enjoyed what I've heard.
Also:
New Chemical Brothers single was great.
Lots of brilliant compilations, my favourite still being 'Silk Road: Journey of the Armenian Diaspora 1971-1982', a disco-funk gem. Also worth a listen: 'How the River Ganges Flows: Sublime Masterpieces of Indian Violin, 1933-1952', 'Heisei No Oto: Japanese Left-field Pop from the CD Age, 1989-1996', and Neil Young's 'Archives Vol.2' which hits the Doom Trilogy and therefore my favourite period in NY history.
Many great reissues - Willie Dunn's Native Canadian Indian/Scottish folk 'Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies' being a big winner. Also the debut LP from Beachwood Sparks gets a second disc of rarities that for me far outstrips the original album.
Having said that, reckon I've listened to Fela Kuti more than anyone else this year as the dude is eternal groove personified. None more righteous.
Also rediscovered Kevin Ayers' 'Bananamour', a real beauty.