A 2022 Top Ten Already? All. Ready. I Got 17 + 2.

One thing I do like about striving to root out excellent albums in the first month of a new year is the search forces me out of my comfort zones. True: I’m seldom uncomfortable in any particular musical zone if I can dig deep enough to find the right stuff; I’m hesitant about anything too bourgeois, to be frank, but even such artifacts can provide thrills. I’ve also been aided by having found myself on a few jazz labels’ mailing lists, so some items below aren’t yet out (soon, soon), but I’ve sampled them enough to get a kick out of ’em. Will any of these stick to the list? That’s always the question when it comes to the early months–last January I opened with a couple of classical albums by artists just disruptive enough for me to be attracted to their work, and one made it (big time) and the other faded (though I still like it). But I guarantee those top three will still be riding high.

Odds and ends:

*Tagaq’s album is a companion to her very unique and blazing memoir, Split Tooth. Read that.

*I was previously unfamiliar with Mark’s work. Pitchfork dug it and the album cover gave me Miguel vibes. I really enjoyed it end to end, and there’s something that tears slightly in her voice at just the right times that engage me in her singing and songs even more deeply.

*Since Greg Tate passed, I’ve revisited a bit of his writing, but I’ve also been alerted to pieces I didn’t know about–particularly about master poet Nikki Giovanni’s recordings. Tate’s writing always costs me money because he turns me on to music and books about which I know nothing or little; I am confident, had he lived to hear it, he would have loved saxophonist Jackson’s gospel album with Giovanni. I’m an atheist and I’ve already played it thrive. Coming soon.

*I ONLY tried to the von Hausswoolff because the album cover looked like Gustave Dore’s work. THEN I find myself unable to turn it off.

*I was totally uninformed about old directions in music from Guadeloupe. Based on the new directions, I probably better change that condition.

*Pete Malinverni might not seem my (or your) jam, but I’ll be damned if the West Side Story remake didn’t bubble my blood for Bernstein, and Malinverni’s foray below injected itself right into my satisfaction of that desire.

*Valid questions both: Do I really need another live Ayler record? Do I really need another live Neil record? Yes and yes. Ayler’s set was played before a Cleveland audience, and perhaps it inspires him to take several unexpected turns in musical variation, space, and tone–at least to my ear, and I’m an Aylerian. Neil’s acoustic at Carnegie, but it’s the surprise inclusions in the set list as well as stellar performances that have me contemplating a vinyl purchase (if that’s even possible). OK, on with it…

*The 75 Dollar Bill is easily my favorite album of the year. I forgot all about it somehow because I had not added it to my reference folder–probably because I was distracted by playing it over and over. It’s a covers album. Y’know, the usual suspects: Ono, Partch, Oliveros, Neg-Fi, Ron Padgett. Plus some outsiders like Dylan, Toussaint, and the MC5. They do ’em up.

New (and Upcoming) Releases That I’ve Heard And Really Like (Kinda in order, especially the first three):

75 Dollar Bill: Social Music at Troost, Volume 3–Other People’s Music (Black Editions Group) (left off my original post unaccountably!)

Tanya Tagaq: Tongues (Six Shooter)

Amber Mark: Three Dimensions Deep (PMR / Interscope)

Javon Jackson & Nikki Giovanni: The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni (Solid Jackson)

Morgan Wade: Reckless (Deluxe) (Ladylike)

Mark Lomax II: Prismatic Refractions, Volume I

Anna von Hausswoolff: Live at Montreaux Jazz Festival (Southern Lord)

Various Artists: Lespri Ka—New Directions in Gwoka Music from Guadeloupe (Time Capsule Sounds)

OGJB: Ode to O (TUM) (Note: Band name – O = Oliver Lake, G = Graham Haynes, J = Joe Fonda, B = Barry Altschul / Title – O = Ornette)

The Weeknd: Dawn FM (XO / Republic)

Andrew Cyrille, William Parker, and Enrico Rava: Two Blues for Cecil (TUM)

Luke Stewart’s Silt Trio: The Bottom (Cuneiform)

Chief Keef: 4Nem (Glo Gang / RBC)

Immanuel Wilkins: The 7^th Hand (Blue Note)

Earl Sweatshirt: Sick! (Tan Cressida / Warner)

Pete Malinverni: On the Town—Pete Malinverni Plays Leonard Bernstein (Planet Arts)

Martin Wind: Air (Laika)

Archival Digs:

Albert Ayler: La Cave Live 1966 (Ezz-Thetics)

Neil Young: Carnegie Hall 1970 (Reprise)

No-Save* November: The Best Recordings Released in 2021 (So Far), Which I’ve Drained My Wallet For Despite Using Multiple Streaming Platforms

Odd-servations:

R. A. P. Ferreira (formerly known as Milo) is having one helluva year. If as a rap aficionado you’re insistent on the freshest, most ticklish, and slammingest beats, move along. But if you dig word-slinging and surprising associations, you best get hip.
Bible and Tire Company’s Sacred Soul of South Carolina is the perfect gospel pairing with Musicmakers Foundation’s contemporary rural blues comp Hanging Tree Guitars (from 2020). Strictly speaking, if you have one and love it, you must do right and get the other. And the “soul” in the title is no exaggeration.
You may be tired of historical theory stirred into your toons. I am not. Keep pouring, luvs. If you’re like me and enjoy critical beatdowns, Mexstep, The Brkn Record, and the irrepressible Irreversible Entanglements each have the musical cocktail for you. And yes, the music is piquant to listen to if you’re not about the science. It does help, though.
South Memphis’ Lukah is one of the most stentorian MCs I’ve heard in a good long while, plus he has two strong records out this year. The new one (bolded, below) is the pick; its politics, flow, and sense of place are astounding, and his sexual philosophy seems to have advanced.
Best news is likely in the archaeological section. This may be a strange list upon which to find Marian Anderson, but, truly, as Duke opined, there’s only two kinds of music, good and bad, and the woman brilliantly blazed a trail. That’s a 15-disc box with both historic and important unreleased recordings, plus brilliant photos and notes, but, um…less than $80*? Also, Bobo Jenkins was a rocking, charming, and eccentric DIY blues guitarist whose career stretched from the ’50s into the late ’70s; if that sounds like your meat and taters, it’s on Third Man and it might have been RSD only, but…c’mon–if you want it, you can track it down. And as far as historical monuments in the rowdier aspects of the modern musical life of Brother Europe go, you can’t beat Corbett vs. Dempsey’s look at the formative days of the masterful and mischievous Instant Composers Pool and Guerilla Records’ top-notch and long-overdue reissue of The Plastic People of the Universe’s truly revolutionary original bootleg.

Next month, I’m gonna get tough with this list, shave it down, get serious about their listenability and durability, and and arrange it into categories of A, A-, B+, and B–since we all have loved grades so much our whole lives. I know you cannot wait. And, yes, I’m very serious about that Wild Up record.

BOLDED ITEMS are new to the list.

Archaeological Digs

Golden Musical Days – I’d Like to Share Them with You: Superior Slabs, January Through September 2021

Dawn of Chromatica album

Observations and Coat-Pulls:

The Ebony Hillbillies are an all-black string band from NYC that plays traditional, original, and surprising cover material (like “Sexual Healing”). Their several previous releases are all spirited and enjoyable, but their most recent release (at #12 below) is their very best. It’s technically at 2020 release, but it came out in November, I’m a fan, and I just found out about it. In terms of performance and material, they’ve never been sharper–and they always have an edge.

I am not the biggest fan of big ol’ pop releases, but Mickey Guyton’s FINALLY-released debut album (at #16)–it’s technically contemporary country, but it transcends that label–moved the hell out of my wife and me last Saturday night. “Black Like Me” won me over last year when I first heard it on Joe Levy’s “Uprising” playlist on Spotify, but the songs are consistently strong from top to bottom, I love the emotional flexibility of Guyton’s singing, and anyone who can induce me to love a song about relaxing with wine’s got something going for her (I just hear about that a lot because I run with a mostly-female teacher crowd).

Look out when old sage Pete Stampfel and (relatively) young sage Jeffrey Lewis join forces! At #13, they fit new, topical, and fairly hilarious lyrics to old tunes–but not always the usual old tunes you’d associate with Stampfel. It’s not just a novelty; the whole’s possibly better than the sum of its parts.

Swedish drummer/percussionist/composer Florian Arbenz is on a serious roll this year. If you foster an attraction for percussion-focused jazz, you owe to yourself to test-drive both of his Conversation albums; if you’re not sure what it means to foster such an attraction, take a chance it’ll happen to you and try them anyway. (Several folks make multiple appearances on this list: Arbenz, Stampfel, legendary and prolific bassist William Parker, and the late, great modern classical composer Julius Eastman.)

I am an unabashed fan of Little Simz, and I’ve been on tenterhooks waiting for her follow-up to the still-sounding-amazing Grey Area. I’ve checked out the singles as they’ve come out, as well as an early video or two. I told myself not to overreact. Once Sometimes I Might Be Introverted came out (it’s at #11), I played it twice and whispered to myself, “I’m not that impressed.” Well…I am that impressed.

There’s some cool stuff on that new Dylan bootleg load…but not enough, and there’s enough back there for it to be enough. It’s also not as meh as some would think who aren’t already familiar with the highlights (many are, and that’s part of the problem with the load).

I arrived very late at an appreciation for electronic dance music, but, thanks to JLin’s Black Origami, I did arrive. I cannot keep up with it–frankly, I depend on Pitchfork, which is depending on it a bit–to keep me superficially informed, and one may have noticed it appearing more frequently on ye olde list. I like what I like, with absolutely no rubric to press down upon it, and maybe that’s a good thing. #s 35, 54, and 104, I salute you happily and mindlessly!

This is strange, but I would enjoy Kasey Musgraves’ current and previous albums joined as a kind of double-record concept album more than I enjoy them separately. That’s the kind of gestaltist I yam.

ZYDECO LIVES at #39, and I suspect it will always, alongside Keith, Willie, and cockroaches.

Happy listening!

BOLDED ITEMS are new to the list. #s indicate archival music.

Archaeological Digs

Musical Gumbo Circa ’21: Best Mach II Pandemic Platters So Far

Plenty of cool new sounds to explore! I had to replace a few platters that just hadn’t stuck to my ears’ ribs and whittle off a few more waning wekkids to leave it at a HOT 100. Also, it finally occurred to me that the list’s expanded enough to break off the new releases of old stuff into their own list (see below). Buy some of this music instead of just streaming it, ok?

100 FRESH FOR 2021

BOLDED ITEMS are new to the list. #s indicate archival music.

Archaeological Digs from Days Gone By

Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multinational Crusade for Harmony 

JuJu: Live at 131 Prince Street 

Kiko Kids Jazz: Tanganyika Na Uhuru

Khaira Arby: Khaira Arby in New York 

Various Artists: A Stranger I May Be—Savoy Gospel 1954-1966

Plastic People of The Universe: Apokalyptickej pták

Roy Brooks: Understanding

Neil Young and Crazy Horse: Down in the Rust Bucket 

Screamers: Demo Hollywood 1977

Can: Live in Stuttgart 1975 

Hamiet Blueitt: Bearer of the Holy Flame 

Byard Lancaster: My Pure Joy 

Various Artists: Wallahi Le Zein!

Various Artists: The Smithsonian Anthology of Rap and Hip Hop

Charles Mingus: Mingus at Carnegie Hall #

Various Artists: Chicago / The Blues / Today, Volumes 1-3 #

The J Ann C Trio: At Tan-Tar -A

Hasaan Ibn Ali: Metaphysics—The Lost Atlantic Album 

Alice Coltrane: Kirtan–Turiya Sings

Mistreater: Hell’s Fire 

Blue Gene Tyranny: Degrees of Freedom Found

Various Artists: Alan Lomax’s American Patchwork 

Pure Hell: Noise Addiction

BurntSugarThe Arkestra Chamber: 20th AnniversaryMixtapes / Groiddest Schizznits, Volumes 1-3

Nermin Niazi: Disco Se Aagay 

Joe Strummer: Assembly 

Robert Miranda’s Home Music Ensemble: Live at The Bing #

Various Artists: Edo Funk Explosion, Volume 1 

Joseph Spence: Encore

Various Artists: Rare.wavs, Volume 1

SINGLES!

Dry Cleaning: “Bug Eggs”/”Tony Speaks!”

Steve Lehman:: “Cognition” (JLin remix)

Henry Threadgill: “Clear and Distinct” (Georgia Ann Muldrow remix)

Axxe: “Through the Night” / Rock Away the City”

“GIVE Me Just a Little More TIME!”: Mike Rayhill, 1962-2021

Mike Rayhill and I were both born in conservative Missouri towns in 1962, lived under the watchful eyes of fathers who expected the best, played high school sports seriously (he wrestled, I hooped), attended and graduated with the Class of 1980 from what was then Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri, loved rock and roll and Budweiser, and often got tripped up in self-doubt. We had significantly different views on Prince, golf, and pro wrestling, and Mike was an artist while I could only love the arts, but we only really fought once (a damn poker game!) and resonated as brothers always. He roundly approved of my chosen soul mate and proved a great friend to her, too.

Mike was on the far end of a successful career in printing, had found Angel, the love of his life, after a long search, proudly watched his son London bloom (under his close and wise gaze) into an outstanding scholar, athlete and human, graduate from high school, and excel as a college freshman, and through constant diligence and skillful frugality owned free and clear his own house, no easy task these days. The fruit of his meticulous labors had ripened for his enjoyment when pancreatic cancer snatched it away last week. His wife, son, and friends will carry his spirit forward, but never forget, folks, that life isn’t fucking fair.

I can tell you a million stories about Mike, but this is a moment that captures a side of the man I will deeply miss.

Mike and I became fast friends at first meeting (discovering our mutual appreciation for the Minutemen at a Washington Street party in Springfield), and later became roommates for a few years in the late 1980s. One day as I returned home, Mike met me with great urgency.

“DJ Philly Phil, you’ve got to tell me who does this song!”

Then, doing a little light-footed twist and accenting the rhythm with his hands–almost like he was conducting an orchestra (friends will recall this charming nuance of his)–he burst out in song:

“GIVE me just a little more TIME!”

Unfortunately, I had not then nor have I since heard every song ever recorded, and these were not the days of YouTube, streaming, OR the simple Internet, so I replied, “Well, that was wonderfully performed, but nope…I have no clue.”

Mike was not to be denied. He wanted to own the record. “Yes, you have heard it. It’s on oldies radio all the time! OK, now listen!”

He repeated his previous rendition with spot-on accuracy. “Now, did you hear how I sang the word ‘time’? The singer turns that word into a little cry at the end of the line! It’s great! He really needs a little more time! Now, listen!”

Again, he repeated his passionate orchestration, underlining the syllable in question with an upward wave of his hand.

“Mike, I got nuthin’.”

“I’m deeply disappointed in you, Philly Phil.”

He loved that song; talk about the passion, he might have said, because he was quietly about that (and he had R.E.M. on the brain). That dude could needle your ass painfully, but he had a tender heart.

I could have done some research, but those were busy days. Also, I don’t listen to the radio much, but soon after this episode, I finally heard the song. It was just as Mike sang, performed, and explained it: a plea, and like Mike’s feet had done in his demonstration, the music bounced. But the jock didn’t identify the damn song, so I was still holding air.

Fast-forward a couple years. I’m living in Columbia, Nicole and I are blasting some New Orleans rhythm and blues as is still our wont, and we’ve got one of Rhino Records’ three great NOLA volumes on the turntable. We have it turned up loud, and the needle hits The Showmen’s smilingly defiant rock and roll anthem, “It Will Stand.” Suddenly, listening to General Johnson sing “Don’t ya nickname it! / Fact, ya might as well claim it,” I flashed on the facts: that’s the guy! Then, I hit the books–General Johnson went on to lead The Chairmen of the Board, and–sure enough!–deliver “Give Me Just a Little More Time” with that plaintive panache.

I immediately called Mike. “I got it! I got it! Chairmen of the Board and General Johnson do ‘Give Me Just a Little More Time’! They have a greatest hits CD–“

“Sorry, DJ, I found the 45,” he interrupted. “You really let me down. I think you’re a little overrated, man! You’re no Casey Kasem, ya punk!” I laughed, but it did make me sad that I’d delayed his robust gratification and been ignorant of an obvious classic.

Last August, Mike was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. No, life is not fair, but in Mike’s case it really, really wasn’t. In January, as he was preparing for the inevitable, he asked me to help him find a home for his records, inviting me to keep anything I wanted. I brought his crates home, Hitt Records here in Columbia agreed to help us, and I began sorting them. Among his 45s, along with lots of Elvis and some demos of the first recordings of his band The JimBobs, was “Give Me Just a Little More Time.”

I kept that one.

That title is stabbing me as I write. It’s always going to remind me of Mike’s joy for music, his witty and contagious animation in acting out his enthusiasm for everything from pro wrestling to “The Beverly Hillbillies,” and his love for his friends family and life in general. That love, in his unique fashion, quietly caught the bordering-on-desperate urgency of Johnson’s vocals. As we all should catch it if we fully understand how fragile and ephemeral life is. Mike passed away yesterday morning in the arms of his wife Angel, who caught that wonderful urgency and knew exactly what it was worth.

“Life’s too short to make a mistake.
Let’s think of each other and hesitate!
Young and impatient we may be,
There’s no need to act foolishly.
If we part, our hearts won’t forget it–
Years from now we’ll surely regret it….”

Goodbye, my brother. We won’t forget you.

January 1 – February 10: Slim Pickings

Most record-grubbin’ folks I know are still catching up to 2020’s explosion–our cohort are still learning about the previous year’s bounty right now and likely will be til the Ides of March. In the past, I’ve usually been able to muster 10 new releases by the end of January to post as a list, but this year I was only halfway there by February’s dawning. Plus, I was flat worn out–not just from all those varied and vital slabs from the worst year in modern history, but from the worst year in modern history. Maybe we’ll look back (and the music will be able to help us do listen back) and be able to say, “We needed those tragedies, large and small, to finally motivate us to clean house”; I’m not holding my breath.

However, simply from really needed to do something to get my mind off of a layer cake of frustrations, I’ve cobbled together a Top 10 for 2021. Will any of these still be in my Top 100 on December 31? I’m less confident than ever, but could our world of musicians suffer from “striver’s fatigue”? We shall see. The simple presence of Messiaen in the list is a sign of struggle (one of my very favorite classic composers, and interpreted quite thrillingly by the group responsible–but come on!).

Power Up! Look Out! This Dance’s About Over!: 155 Rekkids That Have Given Me Pleasure This Year When I Really, Really Needed It!

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.)

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

Reissues and Past Recordings Freshly Excavated

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

Living to Listen’s Top Platters for 2020 (So Far): Hey, Instead of Watching Election Results, Dive into this List and Don’t Come Up Until You’ve at Least Sampled Them All!

Overeem’s Top 90 Fresh Fonograph Records of 2020

I was distracted by the past during October, having taken a DEEP-ASS dive into the dawning of disco (late-’73 to mid-’75) that revealed many joyous obscurities and reduced my tension and foreboding regarding this month. Many of my music-loving peers are flipping for Bruce Springsteen’s newest; I have only played the opening track, and stopped listening before it was over–it’s just the way I am, but his set-up has grown tiresome with me, even though the whole idea behind Letter to You seems designed for me, given the year I’ve been having. In addition, several hot new jazz records have dropped (by James Brandon Lewis–his second of the year–Angel Bat Dawid, Mary Halvorson, the Afrosynth production house, the fascinating Takuya Kuroda, and Kahil El’Zabar–his second of the year) that I haven’t given a fair amount of time to. But four newbies I’ll swear by (I may have over-self-started re: the Zeal and Ardor EP) pushed older records out of the Top 30, and revisited a few items that had paled a bit pushed them down the list as well. Those two massive reissue box sets are at the bottom of my old-stuff list mainly because they’re too damned expensive for the common man, given much of their contents have been available before, more cheaply–but they are still listenable front to back, something you can’t always say about such white elephants. If only the Prince box had included the Sign O’ The Times concert film…

Note: BOLDED ITEMS are new to the list.

Run The Jewels: RTJ 4
Gil Scott-Heron and Makaya McCraven: We’re New Again–A Reimagining
SAULT: Untitled (Black Is)
79rs Gang: Expect the Unexpected
Princess Nokia: Everything is Beautiful
Boldy James & The Alchemist: The Price of Tea in China
Fire! Orchestra: Actions
Body Count: Carnivore
Serengeti & Kenny Segal: AJAI
Neptunian Maximalism: Éons (band name and album title of the year, based on music’s justification of same)
Marx Lomax II: The Last Concert—Ankh & The Tree of Life
Mark Lomax II: The 400 Years Suite
The Third Mind: The Third Mind
Jyoti: Mama You Can Bet!
Hamell on Trial: The Pandemic Songs
Kahil El’Zabar: America, The Beautiful
Kahil El’Zabar: Spirit Groove (featuring David Murray)
Roisin Murphy: Roisin Machine
Open Mike Eagle: Anime Trauma Divorce
Anna Högberg Attack: lena
Tee Grizzley: The Smartest
The Good Ones: RWANDA, you should be loved
Various Artists: Hanging Tree Guitars
Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Shabaka and The Ancestors: We Are Sent Here By History
Bob Dylan: My Rough and Rowdy Ways
Ashley McBryde: Never Will
Charles McPherson: Jazz Dance Suites
SAULT: Untitled (Rise)
Zeal and Ardor: Wake of a Nation (EP)
Princess Nokia: Everything Sucks
Joel Ross: Who Are You?
Lido Pimienta: Miss Colombia
Bettye LaVette: Blackbirds
Mike & The Moonpies: Touch of You–The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart
James Brandon Lewis and Chad Taylor: Live in Willisau
James Brandon Lewis: Molecular
Various Artists: New Improvised Music from Buenos Aires
The Human Hearts: Day of the Tiles (EP)
Little Simz: Drop 6 (EP)
K. Michelle: All Monsters are Human
Drakeo the Ruler & JoogSzn:Quit Rappin
KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl
Bobby Rush: Rawer Than Raw
Thiago Nassif: Mente
Luke Stewart: Luke Stewart Exposure Quintet
Bette Smith: The Good, The Bad, and The Bette
Florian Arbenz & Greg Osby: Reflections of The Eternal Line
Irreversible Entanglements: Who Sent You
Kesha: High Road
Carlos Nino and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson: Chicago Waves
Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids: Shaman!
Cornershop: England is a Garden
Elizabeth Cook: Aftermath
City Girls: City on Lock
Moses Sumney: grae
Apollo Brown & Che Noir: As God Intended
Al Bilali Soudan: Tombouctou
JD Allen: Toys / Die Dreaming
No Age: Goons Be Gone
Steve Earle: Ghosts of West Virginia
Ammar 808: Global Control / Invisible Invasion
Jeff Parker: Suite for Max Brown
Junglepussy: Jp4
Alicia Keys: ALICIA
Grimes: Miss Anthropocene
Dehd: Flower of Devotion
The Ridiculous Trio: The Ridiculous Trio Plays The Stooges
Burna Boy: Twice as Tall
Conway the Machine: From a King to a God
Mr. Wrong: Create a Place
Various Artists: Eyes Shut, Ears Open–A Burning Ambulance Compilation
Moor Jewelry: True Opera (EP)
Teodross Avery: Harlem Stories – The Music of Thelonious Monk
Asher Gamedze: Dialectic Soul
Optic Sink: Optic Sink
Laraaji: Sun Piano
Tiwa Savage: Celia
Jinx Lennon: Border Schizo Fffolk Songs for the F****d
Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra: If You Listen Carefully, The Music is Yours
Beauty Pill: Sorry You’re Here (EP)
Steve Arrington: Down to the Lowest Terms—The Soul Sessions
Etuk Ubong: Africa Today
Swamp Dogg: Sorry You Couldn’t Make It
Julianna Barwick: Healing is a Miracle
Black Thought: Streams of Thought, Vol. 3—Cane and Abel
Speaker Music: Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry
Lori McKenna: The Balladeer
Old 97s: Twelfth
Theo Parrish: Wuddaji

Reissues and Past Recordings Freshly Excavated

Various Artists: Daora–Underground Sounds of Urban Brasil
Wussy: Ghosts
Various Artists: Turn Me Loose, White Man
Thelonious Monk: Palo Alto
Peter Stampfel and The Bottlecaps: Demo ‘84
Various Artists: Saint Etienne Present Songs for the Fountain Coffee Room
Milford Graves & Don Pullen: The Complete Yale Concert
King Ubu Orchestru: Concert at Town Hall – Binaurality Live 1989
Luiz Carlos Vinhas: O Som Psicodelico De L. C. V.
Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms 1970-1982
Junior Byles: Beat Down Babylon (Deluxe Reissue)
Various Artists: Soul Love—The Black Fire Records Story 1975-1993
Sun Ra: Unity—Live at Storyville NYC October 1977
Various Artists: La Locura de Machuca—1975-1980
Tony Allen: No Accommodation for Lagos
Various Artists: All Aboard! The CN Express—Rock Steady and Boss Reggae Sounds 1967-1968
The Pogues: BBC Sessions 1984-85
Ranil: Stay Safe and Sound!
Lee Scratch Perry with Seskain Molenga and Kalo Kawongolo: Roots from the Congo (reissue)
Dennis Gonzalez: Forever the Falling Stars
Hiroshi Yoshimura: Green
Milton Nascimento: Maria Maria (reissue)
Jon Hassell: Vernal Equinox (reissue)
The Awakening: Hear, Sense, and Feel
Bessie Jones: Get in Union
TEST: TEST and Roy Campbell, Jr.
Joe McPhee: Black is The Color
Various Artists: Stone Crush—Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987
Walter Bishop Jr.: Coral Keys
Observer All Stars & King Tubby: Dubbing with the Observer (reissue)
Roky Erickson / 13^th Floor Elevators: You and Me and I (Live)
Bryan Ferry: Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 1974
Fela Kuti: Perambulator
No Trend: Too Many Humans/Teen Love (reissue)
Pharoah Sanders: Live in Paris 1975
Nina Simone: Fodder on My Wings
Yabby You & The Aggrovators: King Tubby’s Prophecies of Dub (reissue)
Various Artists: Léve Léve – Sao Tomé & Principe Sounds ‘70s-‘80s
Various Artists: Soul Jazz Records Presents Black Riot—Early Jungle, Rave, and Hardcore
Lee Scratch Perry: Play On, Mr. Music
Various Artists: Maghreb K7 Club–Synth Rai, Chaoui & Staifi (1985-1997)
Brother Theotis Taylor
Black Ark Players: Black Ark In Dub
Prince: Sign O’ The Times (Deluxe Edition)
The Replacements: Pleased to Meet Me (Deluxe Edition)

Face-first Into the Fire: The Best Albums of 2020, 75% of the Way Across the Coals

I have found 80 albums of freshly recorded music (and 40 archival releases launched in 2020) to be substantial fuel to keep me moving forward through this mire. The bolded items (and those represented in the above slide show) are new to the list. Dig in, my curious friends.

Run The Jewels: RTJ 4
Gil Scott-Heron and Makaya McCraven: We’re New Again–A Reimagining
Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
SAULT: Untitled (Black Is)
79rs Gang: Expect the Unexpected
Princess Nokia: Everything is Beautiful
Boldy James & The Alchemist: The Price of Tea in China
Fire! Orchestra: Actions
Body Count: Carnivore
Tee Grizzley: The Smartest
Serengeti & Kenny Segal: AJAI
Neptunian Maximalism: Éons (band name and album title of the year, based on music’s justification of same)
Marx Lomax II: The Last Concert—Ankh & The Tree of Life
Mark Lomax II: The 400 Years Suite
The Third Mind: The Third Mind
Jyoti: Mama You Can Bet!
Hamell on Trial: The Pandemic Songs
Kahil El’Zabar: Spirit Groove (featuring David Murray)
Roisin Murphy: Roisin Machine
Drakeo the Ruler & JoogSzn:Quit Rappin
KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl
Anna Högberg Attack: lena
The Good Ones: RWANDA, you should be loved
Cornershop: England is a Garden
Shabaka and The Ancestors: We Are Sent Here By History
Bob Dylan: My Rough and Rowdy Ways
Bette Smith: The Good, The Bad, and The Bette
Charles McPherson: Jazz Dance Suites
Florian Arbenz & Greg Osby: Reflections of The Eternal Line
Irreversible Entanglements: Who Sent You
Kesha: High Road
SAULT: Untitled (Rise)
Bobby Rush: Rawer Than Raw
Thiago Nassif: Mente
Steve Earle: Ghosts of West Virginia
Princess Nokia: Everything Sucks
Lido Pimienta: Miss Colombia
Elizabeth Cook: Aftermath
City Girls: City on Lock
Bettye LaVette: Blackbirds
Mike & The Moonpies: Touch of You–The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart
James Brandon Lewis and Chad Taylor: Live in Willisau
Ammar 808: Global Control / Invisible Invasion
Various Artists: New Improvised Music from Buenos Aires
The Human Hearts: Day of the Tiles (EP)
Carlos Nino and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson: Chicago Waves
Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids: Shaman!
Moses Sumney: grae
Apollo Brown & Che Noir: As God Intended
Al Bilali Soudan: Tombouctou
JD Allen: Toys / Die Dreaming
No Age: Goons Be Gone
Jeff Parker: Suite for Max Brown
Alicia Keys: ALICIA
Grimes: Miss Anthropocene
Babe, Terror: Horizogon
Dehd: Flower of Devotion
The Ridiculous Trio: The Ridiculous Trio Plays The Stooges
Burna Boy: Twice as Tall
Conway the Machine: From a King to a God
Mr. Wrong: Create a Place
Little Simz: Drop 6 (EP)
Various Artists: Eyes Shut, Ears Open–A Burning Ambulance Compilation
Moor Jewelry: True Opera (EP)
Teodross Avery: Harlem Stories – The Music of Thelonious Monk
K. Michelle: All Monsters are Human
Asher Gamedze: Dialectic Soul
Laraaji: Sun Piano
Tiwa Savage: Celia
Jinx Lennon: Border Schizo Fffolk Songs for the F****d
Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra: If You Listen Carefully, The Music is Yours
Beauty Pill: Sorry You’re Here (EP)
Steve Arrington: Down to the Lowest Terms—The Soul Sessions
Etuk Ubong: Africa Today
Swamp Dogg: Sorry You Couldn’t Make It
Julianna Barwick: Healing is a Miracle
Speaker Music: Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry
Lori McKenna: The Balladeer
Public Enemy: What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?
Old 97s: Twelfth

Reissues and Past Recordings Freshly Excavated

Various Artists: Daora–Underground Sounds of Urban Brasil
Wussy: Ghosts
Dennis Gonzalez: Forever the Falling Stars
Various Artists: Turn Me Loose, White Man
Thelonious Monk: Palo Alto
Peter Stampfel and The Bottlecaps: Demo ‘84
Various Artists: Saint Etienne Present Songs for the Fountain Coffee Room
Milford Graves & Don Pullen: The Complete Yale Concert
King Ubu Orchestru: Concert at Town Hall – Binaurality Live 1989
Luiz Carlos Vinhas: O Som Psicodelico De L. C. V.
Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms 1970-1982
Junior Byles: Beat Down Babylon (Deluxe Reissue)
Various Artists: Soul Love—The Black Fire Records Story 1975-1993
Tony Allen: No Accommodation for Lagos
Various Artists: All Aboard! The CN Express—Rock Steady and Boss Reggae Sounds 1967-1968
Ranil: Stay Safe and Sound!
Lee Scratch Perry with Seskain Molenga and Kalo Kawongolo: Roots from the Congo (reissue)
Hiroshi Yoshimura: Green
Milton Nascimento: Maria Maria (reissue)
Jon Hassell: Vernal Equinox (reissue)
The Awakening: Hear, Sense, and Feel
Bessie Jones: Get in Union
TEST: TEST and Roy Campbell, Jr.
Joe McPhee: Black is The Color
Various Artists: Stone Crush—Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987
Walter Bishop Jr.: Coral Keys
Observer All Stars & King Tubby: Dubbing with the Observer (reissue)
Roky Erickson / 13^th Floor Elevators: You and Me and I (Live)
Bryan Ferry: Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 1974
Fela Kuti: Perambulator
No Trend: Too Many Humans/Teen Love (reissue)
Pharoah Sanders: Live in Paris 1975
Nina Simone: Fodder on My Wings
Yabby You & The Aggrovators: King Tubby’s Prophecies of Dub (reissue)
Various Artists: Léve Léve – Sao Tomé & Principe Sounds ‘70s-‘80s
Various Artists: Soul Jazz Records Presents Black Riot—Early Jungle, Rave, and Hardcore
Lee Scratch Perry: Play On, Mr. Music
Various Artists: Maghreb K7 Club–Synth Rai, Chaoui & Staifi (1985-1997)
Brother Theotis Taylor
Black Ark Players: Black Ark In Dub

2020’s 100 Most Super Slabs So Far, January 1 to August 31

Isn’t it fun to pick out new records simply by the fetching quality of their covers? Enjoy this mega-slideshow of fresh rekkids I checked out in August! My favorite 100 releases follow…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

(Bolded items are new to the lists)

New(er) Stuff

Run The Jewels: RTJ 4
Gil Scott-Heron and Makaya McCraven: We’re New Again–A Reimagining
Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
SAULT: Untitled (Black Is)
79rs Gang: Expect the Unexpected
Princess Nokia: Everything is Beautiful
Boldy James & The Alchemist: The Price of Tea in China
Fire! Orchestra: Actions
Body Count: Carnivore
Tee Grizzley: The Smartest
Serengeti & Kenny Segal: AJAI
Neptunian Maximalism: Éons (band name and album title of the year, based on music’s justification of same)
Marx Lomax II: The Last Concert—Ankh & The Tree of Life
Mark Lomax II: The 400 Years Suite
The Third Mind: The Third Mind
Jyoti: Mama You Can Bet!
Hamell on Trial: The Pandemic Songs
Kahil El’Zabar: Spirit Groove (featuring David Murray)
Drakeo the Ruler & JoogSzn:Quit Rappin
KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl
Anna Högberg Attack: lena
The Good Ones: RWANDA, you should be loved
Cornershop: England is a Garden
Shabaka and The Ancestors: We Are Sent Here By History
Bob Dylan: My Rough and Rowdy Ways
Charles McPherson: Jazz Dance Suites
Irreversible Entanglements: Who Sent You
Kesha: High Road
Bobby Rush: Rawer Than Raw
Thiago Nassif: Mente
Steve Earle: Ghosts of West Virginia
Princess Nokia: Everything Sucks
Lido Pimienta: Miss Colombia
City Girls: City on Lock
Bettye LaVette: Blackbirds
Mike & The Moonpies: Touch of You–The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart
James Brandon Lewis and Chad Taylor: Live in Willisau
Various Artists: New Improvised Music from Buenos Aires
Carlos Nino and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson: Chicago Waves
Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids: Shaman!
Moses Sumney: grae
Al Bilali Soudan: Tombouctou
JD Allen: Toys / Die Dreaming
Jeff Parker: Suite for Max Brown
Grimes: Miss Anthropocene
Dehd: Flower of Devotion
Burna Boy: Twice as Tall
Mr. Wrong: Create a Place
Little Simz: Drop 6 (EP)
Moor Jewelry: True Opera (EP)
Quin Kirchner: The Shadows and The Light
K. Michelle: All Monsters are Human
Asher Gamedze: Dialectic Soul
Laraaji: Sun Piano
Jinx Lennon: Border Schizo Fffolk Songs for the F****d
Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra: If You Listen Carefully, The Music is Yours
Beauty Pill: Sorry You’re Here
Etuk Ubong: Africa Today
Swamp Dogg: Sorry You Couldn’t Make It
Julianna Barwick: Healing is a Miracle
Conway the Machine & The Alchemist: LULU (EP)
Speaker Music: Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry
Lori McKenna: The Balladeer
Psychedelic Furs: Made of Rain
Old 97s: Twelfth

Reissues and Past Recordings Freshly Excavated

Wussy: Ghosts
Various Artists: Turn Me Loose, White Man
Thelonious Monk: Palo Alto
Milford Graves & Don Pullen: The Complete Yale Concert
King Ubu Orchestru: Concert at Town Hall – Binaurality Live 1989
Luiz Carlos Vinhas: O Som Psicodelico De L. C. V.
Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms 1970-1982
Junior Byles: Beat Down Babylon (Deluxe Reissue)
Various Artists: Soul Love—The Black Fire Records Story 1975-1993
Various Artists: All Aboard! The CN Express—Rock Steady and Boss Reggae Sounds 1967-1968
Ranil: Stay Safe and Sound!
Lee Scratch Perry with Seskain Molenga and Kalo Kawongolo: Roots from the Congo (reissue)
Hiroshi Yoshimura: Green
Milton Nascimento: Maria Maria (reissue)
Jon Hassell: Vernal Equinox (reissue)
The Awakening: Hear, Sense, and Feel
Bessie Jones: Get in Union
Joe McPhee: Black is The Color
Various Artists: Stone Crush—Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987
Walter Bishop Jr.: Coral Keys
Observer All Stars & King Tubby: Dubbing with the Observer (reissue)
Roky Erickson / 13^th Floor Elevators: You and Me and I (Live)
Bryan Ferry: Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 1974
Fela Kuti: Perambulator
No Trend: Too Many Humans/Teen Love (reissue)
Pharoah Sanders: Live in Paris 1975
Nina Simone: Fodder on My Wings
Yabby You & The Aggrovators: King Tubby’s Prophecies of Dub (reissue)
Various Artists: Léve Léve – Sao Tomé & Principe Sounds ‘70s-‘80s
Various Artists: Soul Jazz Records Presents Black Riot—Early Jungle, Rave, and Hardcore
Lee Scratch Perry: Play On, Mr. Music
Various Artists: Maghreb K7 Club–Synth Rai, Chaoui & Staifi (1985-1997)
Brother Theotis Taylor
Black Ark Players: Black Ark In Dub
Various Artists: Black Ark, Volume 2

Living To Listen

Compact music commentary about artifacts new and old: I enthuse, I don't accuse, but I do refuse–to review anything lukewarm or colder!

Category: Listening Diary

A 2022 Top Ten Already? All. Ready. I Got 17 + 2.

No-Save* November: The Best Recordings Released in 2021 (So Far), Which I’ve Drained My Wallet For Despite Using Multiple Streaming Platforms

Golden Musical Days – I’d Like to Share Them with You: Superior Slabs, January Through September 2021

Musical Gumbo Circa ’21: Best Mach II Pandemic Platters So Far

“GIVE Me Just a Little More TIME!”: Mike Rayhill, 1962-2021

January 1 – February 10: Slim Pickings

Power Up! Look Out! This Dance’s About Over!: 155 Rekkids That Have Given Me Pleasure This Year When I Really, Really Needed It!

Living to Listen’s Top Platters for 2020 (So Far): Hey, Instead of Watching Election Results, Dive into this List and Don’t Come Up Until You’ve at Least Sampled Them All!

Face-first Into the Fire: The Best Albums of 2020, 75% of the Way Across the Coals

2020’s 100 Most Super Slabs So Far, January 1 to August 31

Menu