Damn–50 solid records already and we ain’t half finished? I’d say that’s a solid rebuke to the sourpusses who are ever pronouncing our music a corpse. And I’d go a mite further and say the list also incorporates a rebuke to those knicker-twisted souls who are wondering when our music is gonna take on, you know, the thing–several of the slabs listed below do so and how, without spoiling their sounds (politics can do that, you know). Take a dive into something below that’s mysterious, I invite you.

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1. Tracy Thorn: Record
2. Nona Hendryx and Gary Lucas: The World of Captain Beefheart
3. Jinx Lennon: Grow a Pair
4. Joe McPhee: Imaginary Numbers
5. Chloe x Halle: The Kids are Alright
6. Quelle Chris & Jean Grae: Everything’s Fine
7. Berry: Everything, Compromised
8. CupcaKe: Ephorize
9. Mary Gauthier and Songwriting with Soldier: Rifles and Rosary Beads
10. Sons of Kemet: Your Queen is a Reptile
11. John Prine: The Tree of Forgiveness
12. JPEGMAFIA: Veteran
13. Superchunk: What A Time to Be Alive
14. Evan Parker, Barry Guy, and Paul Lytton: Music for David Mossman
15. Rapsody: Laila’s Wisdom
16. Young Fathers: Cocoa Sugar
17. Sly & Robbie and Nils Petter Molvaer: Nordub
18. Orquesta Akokan: Orquesta Akokan
19. Jonghyun: Poet / Artist
20. Halu Mergia: Lalu Balu
21. Jeffrey Lewis: Works by Tuli Kupferberg
22. Various Artists/Sahel Sounds: Field Recordings
23. Toni Braxton: Sex & Cigarettes
24. Car Seat Headrest: Twin Fantasy
25. Various Artists: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun…and Rights!!!
26. No Age: Snares Like a Haircut
27. Meshell Ndegeocello: Ventriloquism
28. Cardi B: Invasion of Privacy
29. Dana Murray: Negro Manifesto
30. Shopping: The Official Body
31. Ebo Taylor: Yen Ara
32. Kris Davis and Craig Taborn: Octopus
33. Tal National: Tantabara
34. Shame: Songs of Praise
35. Hot Snakes: Jericho Sirens
36. David Murray (featuring Saul Williams): Blues for Memo
37. Rich Krueger: Life Ain’t That Long
38. Alice Bag: Blue Print
39. Bettye LaVette: Things Have Changed
40. MAST: Thelonious Sphere Monk
41. Tallawit Timbouctou: Takamba WhatsApp 2018
42. Amy Rigby: The Old Guys
43. Kendrick Lamar, et al: Black Panther—Music from and Inspired by the Film
44. Apolo: Live in Stockholm
45. Princess Nokia: A Girl Cried Red
46. Superorganism: Superorganism
47. Yo La Tengo: There’s a Riot Goin’ On
48. Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet: Landfall
49. Ceramic Dog: YRU Still Here?
50. Ibibio Sound Machine: Eyio

OLD MUSIC NICELY REPACKAGED

1. Sonny Rollins: Way Out West (Deluxe Reissue)
2. Neil Young: Roxy—Tonight’s the Night
3. Gary Stewart: “Baby I Need Your Loving” / “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yester-Day”
4. The Revelators: In which the Revelators perform live renditions of selections from the Billy Childish songbook
5. Against All Logic: 2012-2017
6. Entourage: Ceremony of Dreams—Studio Sessions & Outtakes 1972-1977
7. Camarao: The Imaginary Soundtrack to a Brazilian Western Movie

A Playlist of the Top 30 or So

Oh…and fuck Kanye West.