New developments?
1) Dezron Douglas and Brandee Younger made their record on an iPad in their apartment while sheltering in place; that fact, and the gentleness of the recording have it shooting up my chart.

2) There’s some serious experimental noise coming out of Memphis–and that’s really no surprise.

3) Aesop Rock just gets better with age.

4) Could be the best improvisors in the world–the band Cortex among them–are from Norway.

5) My former student Jessica Kittle TOLD ME Kali Uchis was an artist of exploding potential.

6) AC/DC have made a strong record. Just when you thought they were done….

7) I was struck by a countryish song called “Black Like Me” I heard on a writer’s playlist three months ago and forgot to see who the artist was. So THAT’S Mickey Guyton! Very good to know!

8) The music writer Chuck Eddy is unafraid to tread confidently out on limbs. He recently did this on behalf of a group I hadn’t heard of called Hot Country Knights. The band name and album cover made me chuckle, and I sampled it purely for that reason, without asking Chuck about them. The songs? “Chuckle” isn’t a strong enough word. Hey…if you need some laughter in your life and you sometimes pine for ’90s country, you might wanna take a flyer yourself. Check out Chuck’s blog here.

9) If you know who Madlib and Karreim Riggins are, you will have to proceed directly to their “black classical music” collab project, Jahari Massamba Unit.

10) A couple historical dudes named Mingus and Hendrix are benefiting from very impressive excavations of legendary live performances they once delivered. You can benefit as well.

Living to Listen’s 100 Favorite New Releases of 2020, January 1 to November 30

(Items new to the list are bolded.)

1. Kahil El’Zabar: America, The Beautiful
2. Run The Jewels: RTJ 4
3. Gil Scott-Heron and Makaya McCraven: We’re New Again–A Reimagining
4. SAULT: Untitled (Black Is) 
5. 79rs Gang: Expect the Unexpected
6. Princess Nokia: Everything is Beautiful
7. Fire! Orchestra: Actions
8. Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger: Force Majeure
9. Serengeti & Kenny Segal: AJAI
10. Neptunian Maximalism: Éons (band name and album title of the year, based on music’s justification of same)
11. Marx Lomax II: The Last Concert—Ankh & The Tree of Life
12. Mark Lomax II: The 400 Years Suite
13. The Third Mind: The Third Mind
14. Jyoti: Mama You Can Bet!
15. Hamell on Trial: The Pandemic Songs
16. Boldy James & The Alchemist: The Price of Tea in China
17. Roisin Murphy: Roisin Machine
18. Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
19. Anna Högberg Attack: lena
20. Tee Grizzley: The Smartest
21. Aesop Rock: Spirit World Field Guide
22. The Good Ones: RWANDA, you should be loved
23. Kahil El’Zabar: Spirit Groove (featuring David Murray)
24. Bob Dylan: My Rough and Rowdy Ways
25. Ashley McBryde: Never Will
26. Zeal and Ardor: Wake of a Nation (EP)
27. Princess Nokia: Everything Sucks
28. Shabaka and The Ancestors: We Are Sent Here By History
29. Lido Pimienta: Miss Colombia
30. Bettye LaVette: Blackbirds
31. Mike & The Moonpies: Touch of You–The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart
32. Cornershop: England is a Garden
33. Elizabeth Cook: Aftermath
34. Body Count: Carnivore
35. Open Mike Eagle: Anime Trauma Divorce
36. James Brandon Lewis and Chad Taylor: Live in Willisau
37. Cortex: Legal Tender
38. Various Artists: Memphis Concrete Presents Sound in Geometry Series, Volume 1—On Triangles
39. James Brandon Lewis: Molecular
40. Charles McPherson: Jazz Dance Suites
41. Kali Uchis: Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)
42. SAULT: Untitled (Rise)
43. Various Artists: New Improvised Music from Buenos Aires
44. The Human Hearts: Day of the Tiles (EP)
45. Kesha: High Road
46. DJ-Kicks / Various Artists: Mr. Scruff
47. Little Simz: Drop 6 (EP)
48. K. Michelle: All Monsters are Human
49. Drakeo the Ruler & JoogSzn:Quit Rappin
50. Joel Ross: Who Are You?
51. KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl
52. Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Orchestra: Dimension Stardust
53. Bobby Rush: Rawer Than Raw
54. Hot Country Knights: The K is Silent
55. AC/DC: POWER UP
56. Thiago Nassif: Mente
57. Luke Stewart: Luke Stewart Exposure Quintet
58. Bette Smith: The Good, The Bad, and The Bette
59. Florian Arbenz & Greg Osby: Reflections of The Eternal Line
60. Irreversible Entanglements: Who Sent You
61. Carlos Nino and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson: Chicago Waves
62. Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids: Shaman!
63. City Girls: City on Lock
64. Moses Sumney: grae
65. Apollo Brown & Che Noir: As God Intended
66. Al Bilali Soudan: Tombouctou
67. JD Allen: Toys / Die Dreaming
68. No Age: Goons Be Gone
69. Steve Earle: Ghosts of West Virginia
70. Ammar 808: Global Control / Invisible Invasion
71. Jeff Parker: Suite for Max Brown
72. Junglepussy: Jp4
73. Alicia Keys: ALICIA
74. Grimes: Miss Anthropocene
75. Dehd: Flower of Devotion
76. Mickey Guyton: Bridges (EP)
77. The Ridiculous Trio: The Ridiculous Trio Plays The Stooges
78. Burna Boy: Twice as Tall
79. Conway the Machine: From a King to a God
80. Mr. Wrong: Create a Place
81. Various Artists: Eyes Shut, Ears Open–A Burning Ambulance Compilation
82. Moor Jewelry: True Opera (EP)
83. Teodross Avery: Harlem Stories – The Music of Thelonious Monk
84. Asher Gamedze: Dialectic Soul
85. Optic Sink: Optic Sink
86. Laraaji: Sun Piano
87. Tiwa Savage: Celia
88. Jinx Lennon: Border Schizo Fffolk Songs for the F****d
89. Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra: If You Listen Carefully, The Music is Yours
90. Beauty Pill: Sorry You’re Here (EP)
91. Steve Arrington: Down to the Lowest Terms—The Soul Sessions
92. Jahari Massamba Unit: Pardon My French
93. Swamp Dogg: Sorry You Couldn’t Make It
94. Julianna Barwick: Healing is a Miracle
95. Black Thought: Streams of Thought, Vol. 3—Cane and Abel
96. Speaker Music: Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry
97. Lori McKenna: The Balladeer
98. Old 97s: Twelfth
99. Theo Parrish: Wuddaji
100. Mars Williams: An Ayler Christmas, Volume 4

Reissues and Past Recordings Freshly Excavated

1. Various Artists: Daora–Underground Sounds of Urban Brasil
2. Wussy: Ghosts
3. Various Artists: Turn Me Loose, White Man
4. Thelonious Monk: Palo Alto
5. Charles Mingus: @ Bremen 1964 & 1975
6. Jimi Hendrix: Live in Maui
7. Hallelujah Chicken Run Band: Take One
8. Pylon: Pylon Box
9. Various Artists: Hanging Tree Guitars
10. Various Artists: Saint Etienne Present Songs for the Fountain Coffee Room
11. Milford Graves & Don Pullen: The Complete Yale Concert
12. King Ubu Orchestru: Concert at Town Hall – Binaurality Live 1989
13. Luiz Carlos Vinhas: O Som Psicodelico De L. C. V.
14. Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms 1970-1982
15. Junior Byles: Beat Down Babylon (Deluxe Reissue)
16. Various Artists: Soul Love—The Black Fire Records Story 1975-1993
17. Sun Ra: Unity—Live at Storyville NYC October 1977
18. Peter Stampfel and The Bottlecaps: Demo ‘84
19. Various Artists: La Locura de Machuca—1975-1980
20. Lee Scratch Perry with Seskain Molenga and Kalo Kawongolo: Roots from the Congo (reissue)
21. Victor Chukwu: Akalaka / The Power
22. Dennis Gonzalez: Forever the Falling Stars
23. The Heshoo Beshoo Group: Armitage Road
24. Various Artists: Strum and Thrum—The American Jangle Underground 1983-1987
25. Hiroshi Yoshimura: Green
26. Milton Nascimento: Maria Maria (reissue)
27. Jon Hassell: Vernal Equinox (reissue)
28. The Awakening: Hear, Sense, and Feel
29. Bessie Jones: Get in Union
30. Tony Allen: No Accommodation for Lagos
31. Black Unity Trio: Al-Fatihah
32. Various Artists: All Aboard! The CN Express—Rock Steady and Boss Reggae Sounds 1967-1968
33. The Pogues: BBC Sessions 1984-85
34. Ranil: Stay Safe and Sound!
35. Various Artists: Love Saves the Day—A History of American Dance Music Culture 1970-1979
36. TEST: TEST and Roy Campbell, Jr.
37. Joe McPhee: Black is The Color
38. Various Artists: Look Out! The San Diego Scene 1958-1973
39. Various Artists: Stone Crush—Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987
40. Walter Bishop Jr.: Coral Keys
41. Observer All Stars & King Tubby: Dubbing with the Observer (reissue)
42. Roky Erickson / 13^th Floor Elevators: You and Me and I (Live)
43. Bryan Ferry: Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 1974
44. Fela Kuti: Perambulator
45. No Trend: Too Many Humans/Teen Love (reissue)
46. Pharoah Sanders: Live in Paris 1975
47. Nina Simone: Fodder on My Wings
48. Yabby You & The Aggrovators: King Tubby’s Prophecies of Dub (reissue)
49. Various Artists: Léve Léve – Sao Tomé & Principe Sounds ‘70s-‘80s
50. Various Artists: Soul Jazz Records Presents Black Riot—Early Jungle, Rave, and Hardcore
51. Lee Scratch Perry: Play On, Mr. Music
52. Various Artists: Maghreb K7 Club–Synth Rai, Chaoui & Staifi (1985-1997)
53. Brother Theotis Taylor
54. Black Ark Players: Black Ark In Dub
55. Prince: Sign O’ The Times (Deluxe Edition)
56. The Replacements: Pleased to Meet Me (Deluxe Edition)