So, yeah… I buy a lot of music every year and little if any of it will ever be mistaken for that of the typical audiophile genres: jazz, female vocals, classical, or whatever. No, the music I buy tends to fall way outside what is heard at audio shows or seen in various audiophile magazines… just not what the vast majority of audiophiles listen to, or might even consider worth listening to… well except perhaps Michael Lavorgna who publishes Twittering Machines (HERE) and John Darko who publishes Darko Audio (HERE). Perhaps why I love these guys and appreciate their musical recommendations.
With all that said, well perhaps not so much all that being said, here are 25 releases that ended up making an impression on me as they all saw a fair amount of playing time in our system in 2018—and will likely continue to get even more time in the coming years. These titles range from electronic, to drone, to alternative rock, to noise, to ambient, to what the hell is this? I should add a caution here; these are not for the causal listener... some will tax a system with extended bass and their dense complexity of stuff to drill through aurally, whereas others are more subtle and stark requiring a very low noise floor to appreciate their beauty. Most will result in you thinking I have no taste in music or what the hell is this shit? All of these can be found via a Google search leading you to Bandcamp, Boomkat, Amazon, or YouTube allowing you to give them a listen or to even make a purchase (Click the HERE for links to one of those sites... you are welcome.). Many are available on LP, CD, or digital file (wav, flac, etc.). Enjoy.
Optix, Boris Divider HERE
Age of, Oneohtrix Point Never HERE
After the Flash Flood, Prairie HERE
Any Day, The Sea and Cake HERE
Blaze Away, Morcheeba HERE
Faces of Earth (Hominid Sounds), Melting Hand HERE
Chemistry Lessons Volume 1, Chris Carter HERE
Double Negative, Low HERE
Empire, Markus Guentner HERE
Hunting Season is Open, Hypnodrone Ensemble HERE
Dead Magic, Anna von Hausswolff HERE
Isbryter, thisquietarmy HERE
Polybrass, Elektro Guzzi HERE
Thought Gang, Thought Gang HERE
As Light Return, The Telescopes HERE
Pissing Stars, Efrim Manuel Menuck HERE
Remnant, Lorn HERE
Persona, Rival Consoles HERE
The Endless Sea, Terminal Sound System HERE
Somewhere Else, Profligate HERE
The Room Inside the World, Ought HERE
Have Fun, Smerz HERE
Cocoa Sugar, Young Fathers HERE
Abnormal Monitoring of Inner Voices, OSME HERE
Live on the Road: Koko, UNKLE HERE