UKH

Tell me what you’ve liked, new music this year, and why.

Talisk. Great band live; their records are pretty good too.  Worth discovering if you haven't already.

T.

And the closing music to the TV series about Chernobyl was pretty good too. Vichnaya Pamyat by the Homin Lviv Municipal Choir.

T.

Nice, they sound great. I’ve not really kept up with folk since I heard Emily Portman and the Furrow Collective stuff.

I don’t quite understand the question. Does it have to be artists that had not released anything prior to 2019? 

Alice in Chains, completely missed them first time around.

Tool - Fear Inoculum. Also finally saw them live for the first time, was an amazing show.

New'ish' to me this year has been Flying Colors.  Prog metal excellence that isn't quite as up it's own arse as Dream Theater have been of late (although this year's distance over time is rather good).

Don't want to make you jealous,

But I was at this gig and I can be seen in the video between 1m 33 seconds and 1m 34 secs lol

youtube.com/watch?v=gMWZQTO9dXg&

1991....blimey...Facelift had just come out and I learned to detune the e string to play "we die young"

Tool - Fear Inoculum. Thirteen years in the making and it sounds like they've spent it practicing. I'll keep coming back to this album forever. Deserves to become a classic of classics but that doesn't really happen anymore does it? Difficult to describe in reference to anything other than itself. If you like Pink Floyd, King Crimson and classic or modern metal you should get lost in it.

Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel. Stripped down punk / indie ethic hiding really well crafted songs with razor sharp lyrics. Turn up Boys in the Better Land loud.

Little Simz - Grey Area. Bone dry super tight female MC recorded with all live instruments which just adds to the rawness and makes you appreciate her skills as a rapper and her lyricism.

Sault - 7. Almost mystery band (try googling them and see what you can find out) sharing, I believe, a producer with Little Simz above, which explains the stripped down immediate sound. Simple melodies sung by a sweet but strong female vocal, great accented funk beats and distorted bass. Check out Living in America, and Tip Toe for a flavour. Not a wasted track on the album either.

I'm sure there's more I can't think of right now, but they're the ones I keep coming back to.

I was looking back on my listening this year and it mostly seemed to be catching up on 2018, or even earlier. Or discovering acts from Japan, Africa etc..

A few things I did like that are more current - 

Richard Dawson -  youtube.com/watch?v=UGiQ_-Ktpvc&

- everyday angst of a very modern kind in a humorous and surprisingly uplifting form, complete with nod to Kate Bush in the rhythm. 

Erland Cooper's next instalment of his Orkney suite, Sule Skerry is gorgeously atmospheric:

youtube.com/watch?v=LQejep9NDeI&

Cate Le Bon's album was an interesting melange of folkiness and experiment - 

youtube.com/watch?v=n2Xsu1q3cAw&

One or two live shows - Erland Cooper's was great, and Bell Lungs was probably the strangest and most intriguing performer I saw:

youtube.com/watch?v=QDSpX8_0w7g&

Not for everyone but fascinating, a weird concoction of vocal and instrumental loops and delays with free impro. Modernist psych-folk, or something.

Venom Prison - Samsara

Dawn Ray'd - Behold Sedition Plainsong

Curse These Metal Hands - Curse These Metal Hands

Cult of Lunar - A Dawn To Fear

Cultdreams - Things That Hurt

Ithaca - the Language of Injury

Lost in the Riots - Bonds

Lorn - Drown the Traitor Within

Sectioned - Annihilated

Blood Command - Return of the Arsonist

and many more, been another good year.

So you were the original template for Wayne?

CB

PS: I AM jealous....

"So you were the original template for Wayne?"

pretty much, wannabe rock star with zero talent ....but very enthusiastic

Favourite albums released this year have been from ex:re and wand.

Sorry,  I meant just any new release this year.

Lot of metal heads on here!

is Sunn o))) even metal? I enjoyed Life Metal a lot - very immersive, trippy and powerful.

Another vote for Grey Area - Little Simz it really is a fantastic album, tight as hell rapping from Simz who has an amazing voice and flow, who paints vivid pictures with her voice.  The production is great as well, mostly from a guy called Inflo.

IGOR- Tyler, The Creator - Album of the year for me.  It's basically a concept album based around a character called Igor's relationship breakup. It's got a real massive range, at some points parts of this could be from some NY mid 90's slacker outfit, other times it's heavy as hell hip hop, sometime over the course of one track.    The production is deliberately raw and rough.  If you like music that's slightly left field then this is worth a look.

When I Get Home - Solange Another great album from the thinking man's Beyonce.  A bit different to her last album, more minimal production, some amazing grooves on there.  Her voice and vision amazing as always.

The new albums from Chance The Rapper and Skepta were both enjoyable, but were a little weaker than their predecessors so they're just getting a mention rather than the full praise of the others. 

Scottish 3 piece Cloth - (pronounced Cloot) debut album - Cloth 

Broken Chanter - Broken Chanter (label mates with Cloth) 

Ride - This is not a safe place

Thanks, I half-assumed that but then also wondered if you were open to "older stuff discovered for the first time this year". 

Anyway let's see. 

Polarlichter - Alice Hubble (twee "DIY" solo organic electronica with occasional vocal)
It's Real - Ex Hex (indie-alternative guitar rock by middle-aged women who can bloody play! Twin lead guitars and all that...)
Resister - She Drew the Gun (second album. Widely slagged off on UKC for being "bad sixth-form polemic" )
and a bit cheeky, sneaking in one from September 2018-
There is No Elsewhere - Haiku Salut. Fully instrumental electronica, again rather organic or "warm". 


I would probably include the new Angel Olsen and Anna Meredith but I haven't listened to them enough to form an opinion. 

I like the Alice Hubble, one for lovers of old synths there.

I've been listening to it most of today in the office!

I like the sound of Ex Hex.

Have you tried Black Midi; their Schlagenheim album is my favourite of the year so far. Quite math-y, lots of twists and turns, unusual vocals and drumming tighter than a gnats bumhole to hold it all together.

New to me. The Curious Hand by Seamus Fogarty. Heard Van Gogh's Ear on Radio 5 one afternoon. They obviously had listened to the words that carefully as they had to apologise for the bit of "industrial language".

Vaguely heard the name. I’ll have a listen tomorrow thanks 

Composed by the wonderful Hildur Gudnadottir

I forgot Black Midi!. Like Jazz musicians being asked to play rock if they'd had it explained to them but not heard it before. This is a compliment, I promise!

Black Midi is "not for me" it seems!

It's like a prog Lightning Bolt. Lightning Bolt were fun popping up again and again to do guerilla sets at All Tomorrow's Parties 2006 but I could never see myself listening to a studio recording. Oh finally some vocals on Black Midi, shouty Fugazi style maybe? It's simply not doing it for me but thanks for the recommendation and at least I gave it a go!

Only 2019 CD I've heard this year is Springsteen's Western Stars, which was a present. Individually I find every track but one to be lovely but whole album is too samey and one-paced for me.

Have you tried the genre black midi (after which I guess the band are named)?

youtube.com/watch?v=EBGQA51FAkI&