Well it has been another brilliant year for music… in fact, as you will see below, I have hardly been able to keep up with the many fantastic releases that have come out in 2022… there was simply not time for me to write about them all this year, but I hope that it have found some good alternative ways to describe some of them…

As usual these albums are only my Essential releases of the year, but I hope that you find something new to listen to here and enjoy exploring this list, and thank you for checking it out!

Albums in no particular order:

Kumoyo Island by Kikagaku Moyo (Guruguru Brain)

“Kikagaku Moyo go out with the sort of soporific dream sequence that actually, when I reflect on it, is just the perfect way to leave… in a way that evokes a hazy dusk with mist hanging over a calm sea as the sun opaquely disappears over the indeterminable horizon… it is like a wonderfully peaceful trip that is long enough to say our fond farewell to a band that has truly made an impact over the last decade… They may be disappearing from the scene… but they have left behind this sonic island for us to visit at anytime, and it will certainly become one of my destinations of choice.”

For the full review, click here.

Flowers Rot, Bring Me Stones by Moundabout (Rocket Recordings)

“‘Dick Dalys Dance’, a twelve minute work which in many ways subverts what has gone before it… a dance of the dead which could be straight out of Gnod R&D… a fragmented and skeletal piece which is at the same time dank and spacious… perhaps suggesting the final death throes as this increasingly absorbing piece draws you further in… and in the process makes me re-assess the relationship between modern experimental music and liminality… After that the beautiful meandering of ‘Cold River’ brings you back to the world of the living… although it also gives you a sense of being on the ‘other side’… and, actually, I am happy with that ambivalence because, either way, this album is such a deep and ultimately satisfying experience it hardly matters where it lays you down.”

For the full review, click here.

Districts, Roads, Open Spaces by Warrington Runcorn Development Plan (Castles in Space)

“This is perhaps the tension that is found within this album: that sense of isolation married with the need to exist and create something which is warmer and more liveable… in ‘The Key to a New Home of Your Own’, for instance, there is so much going on (even in the title) with different layers of electronics co-existing within the track… each giving off a different vibe, but somehow creating a coherent whole at the same time. This is what I really like about all these albums, but I think it is starkest in this third one… a real sense of disjuncture which can be challenging… but ultimately a desire to communicate these issues to the listener.”

For the full review, click here.

Edena Gardens by Edena Gardens (El Paraiso)

“In fact I have rarely found a record that is so difficult to write about while listening to it because it is just so chilled, so measured… but it is also very much an album within the El Paraiso sound because those guitar tones are so familiar to me. It has that ‘in house’ distinctiveness… and maybe that is why I find it so relaxing and comforting… because it takes the far more outgoing ‘regular’ sound that these musicians work with and seems to scale it down to some sort of jazz stoner minimalism. Yet there is a complexity within that… there’s darkness, but also a sunny disposition… that beautiful late evening/ Autumn sun that can lead to reflective moods, but can also make one feel melancholic for the day/ season gone by. There’s drones and electronic washes that give some ambience to the proceedings, but also a level of percussion that would often anchor something more upbeat and aggressive. I guess what I am trying to say is that there are contradictions within this set if you wanted to deconstruct it, but I would urge you not to, because this is definitely an album that invites you to go with its flow… and another example of what is proving to be a stellar year for El Paraiso releases.‘

For the full review, click here.

Kungens Män Live At The Psychedelic Network Festival 2015 (Adansonia)/ Kungens Ljud und Bild by Kungens Män (Kungens Ljud und Bild/ Centripetal)

I was lucky enough to go to the Psychedelic Network Festival in Würzburg in 2022, and can report that it is a really cool event. I was happy to pick up this live album from Kungens Män at the same time. All I can say that’s it’s a brilliant combination of performance, mixing and production… and the usual excellent pressing from Adansonia.

“It is a wonderfully chilled and liberating way to finish yet another Kungens Män album which has more than fulfilled it’s minimum purpose of taking me somewhere else… from there it is in some sense about degrees… and this one takes me deep than many… it is an album of four distinct tracks, each of which have their own vibe going on… there’s chaos and there is order… there soft and chilled out relaxation… and there is in your face heavy riffing… there is the young and the older… perhaps mature would be the wrong word… but who wants to be that. In short this is another cracking set that will have you all over the place… and feeling all the better for it.”

For the full review, click here.

I Will Not Be Sad In This World/ Moon Shines At Night by Djivan Gasparyan (All Saints)

Incredible re-issues from All Saints. These two albums by Armenian duduk player Djivan Gasparyan are nothing short of stunning. They hit really deep inside your soul with the sort of uplifting melancholia that is almost indescribable. I could probably write several long pieces on how each of these records make be feel and cannot say enough how much you need to click on the link below and listen to them.

Only Children/ The People’s Forest by Mount Maxwell (Hotham Sound/ Cardinal Fuzz/ Feeding Tube)

“This is definitely some of the best new (to me) music that I have heard this year… over the two albums that I have mentioned here we see a quirkiness that never becomes boring or repetitive… a narrative which is there but allows you to insert your own story… a sound which is both experimental and accessible… but most of all an atmosphere which really just invites you in to Tolagson/ Mount Maxwell’s own world… one that is both welcoming and flexible… one where you can just zone out and be…”

For the full review, click here.

Liquid Throne of Simplicity by Širom (Glitterbeat/ tak:til)

“So while the band’s description their music as ‘imaginary folk’ is as good as any; really this music is beyond terminology because of the way it is auto-composed and played… emerging from a sort of collective band consciousness… a depth that can be felt through a close and personal listen which I find both absorbing and emotive.”

For the full review, click here.

Aura by Hatis Noit (Erased Tapes)

“…we are taken on an absolutely stunning sonic inner journey which takes us to some out of the way place which, for me, recalibrates the parameters of what accessible music can be, and breaking down the limitations of what it can achieve. And, to this extent, I feel that it is a truly psychedelic work which really reaches those numinal pathways that take us away from the everyday mundane into something far more rewarding and memorable.”

For the full review, click here.

My Story, The Buraku Story (An Original Soundtrack) by MONO (Temporary Residence)

“I have spent many hours listening to this on headphone drifting away into myself and through other worlds and possibilities to the extent that just hearing many of the motifs within them triggers something meaningful and helpful inside of me.”

For the full review, click here.

Deus Arrakis by Klaus Schulze (SPV) 

“‘Deus Arrakis’ is a powerful and elegiac release which hits you firmly in your heart and soul… it speaks to you but also lets you drift off into your own personal firmament. Along with the Mono soundtrack, it is the music that has most helped my mental health over the last few month with its crystal clear sound and a sonic empathy which is just wonderful.”

For the full review, click here.

Khedmat Be Khalq by Naujawanan Baidar (Radio Khiyaban)

A cassette-only release at the moment (with vinyl apparently in the long production pipeline). This is simply stunning, and possibly even better than there already excellent Volumes 1 & 2, which also got a much needed re-press in 2022. In fact check out all the Radio Khiyaban releases.

Tellus by Action & Tension & Space (Rune Grammofon)

“This, then, is an album which takes you to all sorts of different musical places, some of which are certainly off my usual beaten track… I really like the improvised eclecticism of it, and I has certainly encouraged me to explore the collective’s back catalogue… if you like to feel a range of emotions, yet also be challenged, then you are going to enjoy this… you don’t need to strap yourself in for a rough ride… so loosen up and feel the action, tension and space!”

For the full review, click here.

The Traveler by Ambassador Hazy (Cardinal Fuzz)

“‘The Traveler’… has that wonderful easiness to it, and for me is lo-fi in all the right ways. It is the sort of music that I could imagine myself making if I had an enormous amount of talent to put something together… and maybe that is why I feel such affinity to it… because I sort of feels ’home made’ in all the right ways… through its passion, authenticity, endearment and easy but effective simplicity… it’s stripped down of everything but its emotions…”

To read the full review, click here.

The Virtue of Temperance by Rude Skøtt Osborn Trio (El Paraiso)

“As a duo, Rude and Skøtt released two of my favourite albums in 2020, ‘The Discipline of Assent’ and ‘The Dichotomy of Control’, and as you can see from my reviews of the (click on the album’s name), both hit me really well. Now comes ’The Virtue of Temperance’, and the duo have become a trio with the addition of Tamar Osborn on alto sax and flute, taking what is already a stellar collaboration to another level. Here is a collection of ten tracks which are not only superbly played and arranged, but reach a degree of emotion which is just wonderful to behold.”

To read the full review, click here.

Black Mill Tapes/ Let’s Emerge by Pye Corner Audio (Lapsus/ Sonic Cathedral)

Ok, so there’s a bit of cheating going on here. The Black Mills Tapes box set was released in 2020, but I only finally bought a copy in 2022… and, well, it has been one of my most consistently played things ever since… and Pye Corner Audio (aka Martin Jenkins) has been my find of 2022. His most recent release, ‘Let’s Emerge’ also legitimately gets on this list… but I really wanted to highlight that his complete back catalogue is worth your time should you be so inclined.

Open the Gates by Irreversible Entanglements (International Anthem)

From the Pitchfork review:

“On Open the Gates, Irreversible Entanglements delve into new terrain, adding electronic instrumentation and lengthening their free jazz workouts. Synthesizers appear sparingly, but contribute to weaving tense and expansive atmospheres, further deepening the emotional breadth of their music. At times, post-apocalyptic synths appear as sudden tectonic shifts, capturing the anxiety of the moment, while opening new possibilities for the future. “Water Meditation” channels the foreboding energy of a brewing thunderstorm. Sprawling for twenty minutes, it is a collision of sound that shakes with propulsive drums, Ayewa’s shouts, and clamorous horns. While the lyrics are often cryptic, they contribute a demanding presence to this barrage, summoning you to the band’s vital call.”

International Treasure by Utopia Strong (Rocket Recordings)

“…you get the sense that this is no ’difficult second album’ perhaps because the original seemed to arrive so organically out of Klaus Torabi and Steve Davis’s DJ sets… and they continue to produce recorded music from the distillation of improvisations… giving each track a nice combination of the loose and the structured… it’s like each one is somehow reverse engineered into its current state.”

To read the full review, click here.

Fortune Goodies by Minami Deutsch (Guruguru Brain)

A first album in four years sees a superb return to form from this excellent band. Lots of cracking motorik-driven moments as you would expect, but also plenty of unexpected bits in between. Just click on the link below to see what I mean.

Songs of Horaman by Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian (Radio Khiyaban/ Centripetal Force/ Cardinal Fuzz/ Ramble)

“Having now listened to this album quite a few times through I can understand why those involved wanted to put it out… because it is a simple yet also complex record which is beautifully played with huge emotion… aspects that transpose themselves onto the listener… in turn transporting them to realms that are both challenging and delightful… it is just very very special!‘

To read the full review, click here.

Distances by Elkhorn (Feeding Tube)

“What we have here is a set which those who enjoy previous Elkhorn releases with undoubtedly dig… but perhaps broadening out their appeal to those whose preference is for something a little on the rockier side… the overall result seems to be an album which is as deep and psychedelic, just in a slightly different way.”

For the full review, click here.

The Portrait You Painted by Alison Cotton (Rocket Recordings)

“Wow. Although I had listening to this a couple of times before sitting down to write about it, it is only when I got inside the subject matter that I really appreciated what Cotton was doing here… it strikes me that in many ways this is folk music in its purest sense… summoning the ghosts of the past and bringing them alive once more. For me this is a tour de force of empathic story telling through music and, only occasionally, lyrics… it stirs up the past in a way that makes you think about the protagonists afresh… something which I very much appreciate as I look out of my window as view the grassed-over slag heaps of the old Orgreave Coking Works.”

For the full review, click here.

The Flow Across Borders/ Remix Album by Dohnavùr (Castles in Space)

“One of the best decisions that I have made over the last couple of years is to become a member of the Castles in Space Subscription Library, something which gets me a lot of really wonderful and interesting music both digitally and on vinyl… with the sort of packaging and extras that just scream “we are passionate about music”. Castles in Space put out a bewildering amount of great sounds on their regular label too, one of the recent highlights being the Scottish duo Dohnavùr, Ali O’May and Frazer Brown, who produce the sort of high quality electronica which I find to be irresistible. It’s difficult for me to encapsulate it in such a short piece but to my ears it is sort of an ambient dance music which makes me feel at the same time reflective and enthusiastic… I really like it’s complex and often fast moving sonics, and how you can explore different streams of sound within the overall piece… perhaps better it you give it a listen here…”

For the full review click here.

The Golden Pond by Upupayama (Centripetal Force/ Cardinal Fuzz)

“This is another absolutely marvellous collection of songs from Upupayāma… as suggested above, its strength lies in its eclecticism, not only throughout the album, but within tracks as well… but, and here’s the point, it all hangs together very well creating a sort of looser alternative reality where you can let your mind expand and become more malleable as you are taken from scene to scene and invited to create your own narratives… which, no doubt, will be different on each occasion.‘

For the full review, click here.

In These Times by Makaya McCraven (International Anthem)

From the Pitchfork review:

“You can read the title of In These Times in a few ways: as a gesture at the uncertainty of our era, an acknowledgement of the music’s resolutely contemporary nature, or a sly joke about its dizzying array of time signatures. Deliberately or not, it also reads like metacommentary on the broadening of McCraven’s music since In the Moment, the album that gave many listeners their first exposure to his blend of composition and improv. In 2015, he was capturing moments; in 2022, he is speaking to the times.‘

The Unfolding by Hannah Peel and Paraorchestra (Real World)

“After having marvelled at the ‘Orkney: Symphony of the Magnetic North’, together with Her homagé to Delia Derbyshire, I was extremely keen to see what Hannah Peel would be upto next… and this collaboration does not disappoint. Recorded during and around the pandemic lockdowns this is an amazing album is another which just gets right under your skin… the word of the day with these albums seems to be ‘elegiac’, and so it is again here (maybe that’s just the sort of music that I’m listening to at the moment)… with a suite of tracks which are as beguiling as they are compelling.“

For the full review, click here.

Recordings From The Åland Islands by Marta Sofia Honer and Jeremiah Chiu (International Anthem)

This has been one of my ‘lying on my bed and drift off to far away lands’ albums this year. An absolutely superb collection of ambient yet powerful tracks which both challenging and escapist.

Aicha by Maalem Mahmoud Gania (Hive Mind)

From the album’s Bandcamp page:

“Aicha was previously released on cassette in Morocco only in the late 1990’s. Maalem Mahmoud Gania was a particularly prolific artist recording for many labels in Morocco and many details about the recording of this particular album or the people involved are destined to remain a mystery. However, we do know the album was recorded in the Gania’s home town of Essaouira with only a small and intimate group of supporting musicians. The resulting album, after the dizzying intensity of the opening song, offers more relaxed, laid back interpretations of the Gnawa ritual repertoire, and a deeper, more gentle sound than our previous Gania release, Colours of the Night. The album shines a light on Mahmoud’s virtuoso guimbri playing and mastery of Gnawa songcraft, and is a standout amongst his many cassette releases.”

The Return Of The Rivers by United Bible Studies (Cruel Nature)

From the Cruel Nature Bandcamp page:

‘David Colohan formed free-flowing folk-drone-jazz-noise outfit United Bible Studies in 2000 while studying at the University of Dublin. Since then the group have worked with a shifting cast of collaborators that Colohan estimates at more than two hundred. Amassing a considerable discography, this album sees Colohan team up with Dom Cooper (Owl Service), Matt Leivers (Awkward Formats) and Gayle Brogan on two 20 minute compelling and hauntingly beautiful minimalist pastoral compositions.“

Something’s Gotta Give by John Denver Airport Conspiracy (Cardinal Fuzz, Fuzzed Up and Astromoon, Direct from the Band)

“… the John Denver Airport Conspiracy are a band who really feel like a lot of fun, and I imagine they are great live. Their heady mix of trippy sounds, 60s jangle and sun drenched melodies just put me in the right frame of mind in the same way as that first morning coffee on a sunny morning does… just stick the record on the turntable (or ask Alexa if you must) and imagine that you are staring out over the ocean and dream your best dreams.”

For the full review, click here.

Magma by Black Flower (sdban)

From the Album’s Bandcamp page:

“Driving rhythms and Eastern influenced melodies serve as a rich source of pleasure that, like magma, become real and solid when finding its way to the surface. It’s the perfect metaphor for this album’s creational process. The pulsating, trance-inducing ‘Deep Dive Down’ continues the joyous process while singer-songwriter Meskerem Mees (winner of The Montreux Jazz Talent Award 2021) adds, her clear-as-spring-water vocals to the celestial ‘Morning in the Jungle’.”

Morbidity Triumphant by Autopsy (Peaceville)

Completely on point album from Autopsy… it’s at the same time typical of the band’s decades-long output while at the same time bringing something fresh to the mix… maybe it’s because I hadn’t heard from them in some time, but I just dig this release so much.

The Mighty Roar by Armoured Flu Unit (Grow Your Own)

Fantastic classic anarchy-punk with a modern edge from the ‘get both mad and even’ school of music… if you need to exfoliate your mind from the shot of contemporary society you could do a lot worse than listening to this…

Jaiyede Sessions Vol.1 by London Odense Ensemble (El Paraiso)

“This is one of those albums that I could write reams and reams on such is the incredible musicianship, the brilliant arrangement (including the use of effects boxes in the mix) and the sort of atmosphere that some how encompasses the great musicians mentioned above, but also very much has it’s own unique feel, but really go and have a listen.‘

For the full review click here.

Blissful Repetitions by FREE/ SLOPE (Polytechnic Youth)

“What I particularly like about it is that is seems to be both lo-fi and quite complex and layered at the same time… but most of all I like the easy rhythms which mean that you get exactly what the album title suggests… ‘Blissful Repetitions’. Overall it’s just a brilliant album to zone out to and be in the moment with.‘

For the full review, click here.

Light/ Flux by Mythic Sunship (Tee Pee)
”There is something incredibly clean and open about this album, the guitar work throughout is absolutely masterful with riff after riff boring onto your brain… I found myself constantly and deeply engaging with it in a way that only happens with the best music I listen to… and maybe that’s what sets it apart… it both rocks its socks off and is hugely engaging throughout. As regular readers know I like much of my music to be deep and engaging… which often means it is challenging and maybe even confrontational… this is the oppose, it goes with my grain and I love it!”

For the full review click here.

Feed The Machine by Binker and Moses (Gearbox)

“I know that it’s a bit too early to be sounding the ’Album of the Year’ klaxon, but it is about the same time of year that I did so for the Floating Points/ Pharoah Sanders/ LSO record last year, and that held firm… and I am certainly feeling the way I did/ do about this one… it is an album that feels like it was put together with such fluidity and raw creativity that I cannot help but think that it will stand out in years to come as something of a game changer… all I can say at the moment is to repeat what I said earlier… that this feels like the album I have been waiting for for some time… and that is very special!”

For the full review, click here.

Success by Oneida (Joyful Noise)

Brilliant return from Oneida, as their Bandcamp page says:

“Sometimes even the longest journey ends close to where you started. Previously, Oneida pushed further into abstract sounds, recording compositions that couldn’t have been more different than the hammering anthems of their past. They return with ‘Success’, their most guitar-centric, rock album in decades.‘

Hanazono by Satomimagae (Guruguru Brain)

“This is a a beautiful album of intimacy and fragility in which Santominagae’s voice dominates, but is subtly complimented by guitar and drones which provide the backdrop for a voice of fine porcelain… not adored by any gaudy decoration but pure and elegant. This is an album that really grabs your soul and doesn’t let go from start to finish… to repeat myself, it is simply beautiful.”

For the full review, click here.

Pink Dolphins by Anteloper (International Anthem)

From the Pitchfork review:

“The album’s title comes from the pink river dolphins of the Amazon, partly in tribute to branch’s Colombian heritage but also simply for what she calls their “aquadelic” vibe. (The cover image, which branch painted, resembles a lost Basquiat design for a 1980s Trapper Keeper.) The phrase captures the music much more succinctly than my best attempt, which involved Miles Davis and Anna Meredith making a dance record after microdosing together at SeaWorld. Anteloper is a great name and all, but LSD Soundsystem was right there.‘

RIP Jamie Branch!

Who Remembers Light by More Klementines (Feeding Tube/ Twin Lakes)

“From what I can see this is the third release from the band, on their own Twin Lakes Records label, the first, eponymous outing being in 2018. Comprising two long-form tracks this acts as a great introduction to a trio who just seem to be channelling all sorts of amazing music through the sort of naturalistic lens that I just find a huge amount of empathy with… I really like the way that they alight on an idea and just run with it for a while without in any way needing to dwell on it… this sense of letting go for me shows a confidence in improv that is impressively there from the start… meaning that there are far too many highlights than I can really go into here…”

For the full review, click here.

Ghosted by Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling & Andreas Werlin (Drag City)

From the Pitchfork review:

“Ghosted is different; it trades their propensity for cutting loose with a newfound interest in dialing back and zooming in. These tracks are plenty muscular, but there’s no bulge, no bloat. They’re as sculpted as the six-pack on a plastic superhero costume.”

Warping All By Yourself by Wet Tuna (Three Lobed)

A real eclectic high point from Wet Tuna, as their Bandcamp puts it:

“The kinetic, psychedelic, and downright fun “Warping All By Yourself” serves as further proof that the most visionary, truly original American art continues to be made on the margins.”

Wet Leg by Wet Leg (Domino)

“All in all then this is a terrifically fun and entertaining record which I know is one I am going to come back to again and again (‘Chaise Longue’ is probably my most listened to track of the last 6 months)… not my usual music by any means but it cheers me up no end.”

For the full review, click here.

Tremor by Human Hand (Cardinal Fuzz/ Feeding Tube)

This is an absolutely superb release from Joe Hollick (Wolf People), Karl Eden (tRANSELEMENt) and Jonathan Dickin (MUMS, Honey Spider, Bleak). A brilliantly eclectic album recorded in the North West of England in lightning fast time. I didn’t get round to writing a full piece on this but it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Dream Sequence by Cosmic Eye (Regal Zonophone/ Roundtable)

Brilliant re-issue of this 1972 recording which is described on the label’s Bandcamp page as follows:

“A highly innovative conceptual studio project consisting of two side-long jazz ragas (Dream Sequences) influenced by themes first explored during his 1960s session work in the Bollywood film industry under the musical directors Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The results yielding a hypnotic, psychedelic jazz excursion. Featuring a host of renowned UK jazz and Indian classical musicians, Cosmic Eye is a singular recording from a fervently rich period of British modern jazz which rivals other significant Lansdowne albums including Dusk Fire by the Rendell-Carr Quintet and Neil Ardley’s Greek Variations. Finally this phenomenal jazz recording sees a legitimate reissue.”

Comprehensive sleeve notes also tell the amazing story behind how the album came to be recorded.

Bajacillators by Bitchin’ Bajas (Drag City)

Another absolutely epic release from the former ‘Cave’ men. If you know, you know… if you don’t I encourage you to click below and find out… make time and space to just take it all in!

Ghosts by Haress (Wrong Speed)

I only really got into this towards the end of the year, and really can beat what’s on the album’s own Bandcamp page:

“Ghosts is an incredible piece of work and posits Haress on their own when it comes to developing new approaches to traditional musical forms.  The music contains many moments of immediate joy – the relative pop of House’s vocals on White Over, the wild horns of I Think I Think, the rush of warmth as Time To Drink morphs into focus. But it also stretches the sound Haress have carefully developed almost to breaking point with sections of music that feel like somebody – something – else is steering the ship.”

Left To Rot by Erupt (Cool Death/ Static Shock)

It’s fucking heavy, it’s fucking loud and it’s fucking fast man… have a listen!

After The Fall by Videodrones (El Paraiso)

“We tend to fetishise progress… to this that everything is better these days… however, the fact the vinyl has become resurgent over the last decade, not least because of excellent labels like El Paraiso, tells us that not all progress is universally applauded. I say this because I want to make clear that while I absolutely adore this new album from Videodrones, I do not think it eclipses their previous releases. Yes, in many ways, it is a development of their sound… but is just different… a reflection of different (if related) phenomena. As such I will still avidly listen to the previous three outings from the duo… but, and this is a key thing for me, I will put this album on when I am in the mood for something different from them… and that, for me, is a good thing!”

For the full review, click here.

Root 7 by Blood Quartet (Feeding Tube/ Cardinal Fuzz/ Foehn)

Brilliant back-end of the year release which I’m still fully digesting, but as the press release for the record says:

“An outstanding musical treat that starts from the instrumental base of the modern jazz quartet and takes it to the territory of experimentation and electronics. Blood Quartet sound more luminous and rhythmic than ever, diving into uncharted terrain. This results in an exceptional range of genres that play with the form between the classic and the contemporary, and that extend the creative spectrum of the band towards new styles, such as krautrock and North African music.”

This is rapidly becoming a big favourite for me!

Sensoria 認識 by Dhidalah (Guruguru Brain)

“I mean… what an album. It is one of those that you just want to put on again straight away (and funnily enough I said exactly the same about ’Threshold’ too) what a band Dhidalah are.. fuzzy yet somehow also fresh… a band who just as you think are dropping into the rules of a genre just totally jump out of them without compromising their sound in the slightest… but most of all leave you feeling totally spent… but also totally satisfied and happy…“

For the full review, click here.

Sün by Sons of Zöku (Copper Feast)

Absolutely ace release from Australia’s Sons of Zöku. It’s a wonderfully laid back summer album which can also warm you up in winter. Lots of lovely sitar and Eastern/ 60s west coast vibes. If you’re in the mood to cuddle some music, this should be on your playlist!

Ponderous Fug by Thee UFO (Fuzzed Up and Astromoon/ Gelatinous)

“This, then is an album that you initially start listening to thinking it’s one thing, while gradually being dragged into its world… which is that first thing, but other things too… in other words it is a multi-dimensional work which, for me, sets itself above a lot of the bands who putatively might compare themselves to Thee UFO… it’s a proper trip… and I encourage you to buy the ticket.”

For the full review, click here.

Black Batik I, II by :nepaal (Tonzonen/ The Acid Test/ Little Cloud)

I nearly missed this one, despite loads of people I know sharing it. That in itself is an indication of what a mad year it has been for releases… but although late to the party these two albums my just have snuck in as my ‘jams of the year’… a brilliant collection of music that just sends you out there… and just keeps going… superb!

-o0o-

Hey, 

Thanks very much for reading my blog, I really appreciate this. I write it as a labour of love to help me enjoy music, and to give something back to the many talented people who put out these incredible sounds.

To make it as enjoyable as possible for others I do pay extra so there are, for instance, no ads on these pages; but it would be great if the blog could pay for itself.

So, if you’ve really enjoyed your visit here and have found some music that you think is amazing, why not buy me a coffee (I write in independent cafés a lot) by clicking either below, or the “make a donation” button on the sidebar or footer depending on your device.

Cheers…

Follow The Fragmented Flâneur on Facebook, Instagram (@fragmentedflaneur), Twitter (@fragmentflaneur) and bandcamp