What good / great albums have been released this year?

off the top of my head - the streets, boards of canada, antipop consortium, aim, electric wizard.

Don't know what your tastes are Nick but I bought a 'new' Derek Bailey release called 'Old Sights, New Sounds' 2CD set on Incus.

Originally released in a jap label in '78 but given a UK release for the first time. His guitar playing is totally amazing and if you haven't heard Derek Improvising on a guitar before then i'd recommend it.

Also bought a reissue of Sonny Sharrock's Monkey Pckie-boo. I'd recommend it just on the strenght of Linda Sharrock's 'vocals'.

I've bought abt 50 albums (i think), though not many that have been released this year (though I'm sure the quality of releases is as good this year as any other).

The three things out this year that I've listened to most have been Boards Of Canada, Explosions In The Sky and now Doves. I'm tempted by Trail Of Dead and Aim, and I'm waiting with baited breath for Idlewild, DJ Shadow and Primal Scream...

X-Press 2-Muzikizum?

Aside from my love of "Lazy" it's a fine album. It's all totally different to "Lazy" aswell in case that had put you off. There's an old skool sort of feel. Long driving thumping tracks, just really fun house music.

I second the Streets, I've only had it a day and I love it.

I was about to say the Chemical Brothers-Come With Us, and I do like it, but aside from Denmark being an absolute work of genius and a few other nice tracks it's not really the kind of standard you'd expect from Tom and Ed.

I liked Futurism also, but having just got American Gigolo mixed by Tiga I'd have to say that's a little better, considerably more dancefloor too.

The Streets, MRI's All That Glitters and Michael Mayer's mix-cd Immer all rock my world. Plus I've just gotten my hands on Tweet's Southern Hummingbird and it sounds great (it doesn't quite live up to Sterling's accompanying article, but what could?).

Yeah this doesn't seem like much but as I recall it was this time last year that I suddenly started buying heaps of new releases.

Looking forward to picking up Afuken, Closer Musik, 2 Many DJs, Anti-Pop Consortium, Pay As U Go's mix-cd (if I can find it)...

To get the conversation rolling, I have just updated my tracking the best albums of 2002 list for the first 4 months of the year: 1. A Small Good Thing - Slim Westerns Vol II (Leaf)
2. Aardvarck - Find the Cow (Delsin)
3. Aarktica - Or You Could Just Go Through Your Whole Life And Be Happy Anyway..(Bliss Out)
4. Abfahrt Hinwil - Links Berge Rechts Seen (Toytronic)
5. AC Acoustics - O (Cooking Vinyl) 6. The Accidental Heroes - The Stars Of Destination (Infrared) 7. Acid Mothers Temple - Absolutely Freak Out (Static Resonance) UK Release 2002 8. Aesop Rock - Daylight (Def Jux) 9. AGF - Head Slash Bauch (Orthlorng Musork)
10. Sven Andersson - Hem Ljuva Hem (Longhaul)
11. And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Sources Tags and Codes (Interscope)
12. Antibalas - Talkatif (Ninja Tune)
13. Anti Pop Consortium - Arrhythmia (Warp)
14. Apex Theory - Topsy Turvy (Dreamworks)
15. Apoptygma Berzerk - Harmonizer (Hard:drive)
16. Arpanet - Wireless Internet (Source)
17. Aqua Bassino - Beats n Bobs (F Communications)
18. Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors (VME, formerly Voices Of Wonder/ also End Records) US Import
19. Craig Armstrong - As If to Nothing (Melankolic)
20. Ashbury - A Dream Indoors (Landscape)
21. Attention Industies Meets Patricia Oakley - Pattern Of L (Heimelektro Ulm)
22. Ativin - Interiors (Secretly Canadian)
23. Audra - Going to the Theatre (Projekt)
24. Bed - The Netwon Plum (Ici D'Ailleurs) UK Release 2002
25. Beige (AKA Oliver Braun) - En Konigreich Fur Eine Handgranate (Nonplace)
26. The Black Dog - Unsavoury Products (Hydrogen Dukebox)
27. Black Tape for a Blue Girl - The Scavenger Bride (Projekt)
28. Black Sun Ensemble - Hymn of the Master (Camera Obscura)
29. Blowpipe - Sphere (Robot Recordings)
30. Boards of Canada - Geogaddi (Warp)
31. Bola - Fyuti (Skam)
32. Bourbonese Qualk - On Uncertainty (Korm Plastics)
33. Tim Bowness (No Man) & Phil Chilvers - California Norfolk (Burning Shed)
34. Frank Bretschneider / Taylor Deupree - Balance (Mille Plateaux)
35. Brick Layer Cake - Whatchamacallit (Touch & Go)
36. Burnt by the Sun - Soundtracks to the Personal Revolution (Relapse)
37. The Cancer Conspiracy - The Audio Medium (Big Wheel Recreation)
38. Capitol K - Island Row (XL) New Version
39. Cerberus Shoal - Mister Boy Dog (Temporary Residence)
40. The Chemical Brothers - Come With Us (Virgin)
41. Chicago Underground Duo - Axis and Alignment (Thrill Jockey)
42. Clinic - Walking With Thee (Domino)
43. Closer Musik - After Love (Kompakt)
44. Coloma - Silverware (Ware)
45. Coldharbourstores - More Than the Other (Rocket Girl)
46. Edwyn Collins - Doctor Syntax (Setanta)
47. Cornelius - Point (Matador)
48. Crispy Ambulance - Scissorgun (Darla)
49. Crossover - Fantasmo (International Deejay Gigolos)
50. Custom Blue - All Follow Everyone (Island)
51. Cut Rate Box - Dataseed (Accession) UK Release 2002
52. Cybernet Systems - Robot Movement (Battle Trax)
53. Dabrye - One Three (Ghostly International)
54. Jack Dangers - Variaciones Espectrales (Bella Union)
55. Greg Davis - Arbor (Carpark)
56. December Wolves - Blasterpiece Theatre (Wicked World)
57. Death Cab for Cutie - The Photo Album (Fierce Panda) UK Release 2002
58. Decal - 404 Not Found (Planet mu)
59. December - The Lament Configuration (Earache)
60. Dianogah - Millions of Brazilians (Southern)
61. Dimension 5 - Alien Artform (Delsin)
62. Disco Operating - You Don't Have To Be Mad To Love (RSI)
63. Do Make Say Think - & Yet & Yet (Constellation)
64. Tanya Donelly - Beauty Sleep (4ad)
65. Doves - The Last Broadcast (Heavenly)
66. Drexciya - Harnessed The Storm (Tresor)
67. Dynamo - Aussen Vor (Din)
68. Ear Kompany - We Can Program You (Earko)
69. Ectogram - Tall Things Falling (Ankstmusik)
70. Electric Wizard - Let Us Pray (Rise Above)
71. Alec Empire - Intelligence and Sacrifice (Digital Hardcore)
72. Ephel Duath - Rephormula (Earache Records)
73. EU - Tuner (Pause 2)
74. FC Kahuna - Machine Says Yes (City Rockers)
75. Fila Brazillia - Jump Leads (23 Records)
76. The Fire Show - Above The Volcano Of Flowers (Perishable) UK Release 2002
77. Fly Pan Am - Ceux Qui Inventent N'ont Jamais Vecu (Constellation)
78. John Foxx & Louis Gordon - The Pleasure of Electricity (Metamatic)
79. Freescha - Slower Than Church Music (Shingle Street)
80. Fred Frith - Accidental (Music For Dance) (ReR)
81. From Autumn To Ashes - Too Bad You're Beautiful (Ferret) UK Release 2002
82. Fuxa - Supercharged (Rocket Girl)
83. Geez n Gosh - Nobody Knows... (Mille Plateaux)
84. Global Goon - Vatican Nitez (Rephlex)
85. Headman - In Rough (Gomma)
86. The Heads - Trollo Ampio (Sweet Nothing)
87. Maximilian Hecker - Infinite Love Songs (Kitty Yo)
88. Tim Hecker - Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again (Alien 8) UK Release 2002
89. Johannes Heil - Heilstyle (Kanzleramt)
90. Herrmann & Kleine - Our Noise (Morr Music)
91. Oliver Ho - Universal (Meta)
92. Hocico - Signos de Aberracion (Out of Line)
93. Icon of Coil - The Soul Is In The Software (Tatra)
94. Inertia - Advanced Revelation (Cryonica)
95. Infant - Growing up (Neo Ouija)
96. Isobella - A 24 Syllable Haiku (Clairecords) UK Release 2002
97. Ivory Frequency - Plug-In (Dependent)
98. Milton Jackson - The Bionic Boy (Glasgow Underground)
99. Philip Jeck - Stoke (Touch)
100. July Skies - Dreaming Of Spires (Rocket Girl)
101. Kepler - Missionless Days (Resonant)
102. Christian Kleine - Valis (Morr Music)
103. Knut - Challenger (Hydra Head)
104. Thomas Koner - Daikan (Mille Plateaux)
105. L.Stinkbug - The Allure Of Roadside Curios (Starlight Furniture)
106. Laub - Filesharing (Kitty Yo)
107. Larsen - Rever (Young God)
108. Limp - Orion (Morr Music)
109. Llips - Dos Partes (U-Cover) UK Release 2002
110. Los Planetos Del Agua - Too Many Bricks And Not Enough Sea (Antenna)
111. Lowtec - Secret Corner (Source)
112. Loveliescrushing - Glissceule (Sonic Syrup) US Release - Import only
113. Main - Tau (Kraak)
114. Timo Maas - Loud (Perfecto)
115. Markant - Vice Versa (Markant)
116. Mesh - Who Watches Over Me? (Home Records)
117. Metamatics - From Death to Passwords Where You're A Paper Aeroplane (Hydrogen Dukebox)
118. Microphones - Glow Part 2 (K) UK Release 2002
119. Mono - Under The Pipal Tree (Tzadik)
120. Monolight - Free Music (Rune Grammofon)
121. Morika - Plee (Mille Plateaux)
122. Mum & Dad - Mum & Dad (Twisted Nerve)
123. The Necks - Hanging Gardens (Recommended)
124. Neutral - Motion of (Hymen) Import
125. New Flesh - Understanding (Big Dada)
126. 90 Day Men - To Everybody (Southern Records)
127. The Notwist - Neon Golden (City Slang)
128. Nurse with Wound - Man with the Woman Face (United Dairies)
129. Oxbow - Evil Heat (Neurot)
130. Pan American - The River Made No Sound (Kranky)
131. Phantom Ghost - Phantom Ghost (Ladomat)
132. Phonem - Ilisu (Morr Music)
133. Poison the Well - Tear From The Red (Trustkill)
134. Prophets of Sound - Circus (Ink)
135. Red Harvest - Sick Transit Gloria Mundi (Nocturnal Art Productions)
136. Donna Regina - Northern Classic (Karaoke Kalk)
137. Req - Sketchbook (Warp)
138. Steve Roach - Streams & Currents (Projekt)
139. Salvatore - Fresh (Racing Junior)
140. Sand - Still Born Alive (Satellite)
141. Sandoz - Afrocentris (Intone)
142. Sandoz - Sandoz In Dub: Chant To Jah (Soul Jazz)
143. Savoy Grand - Burn the Furniture (Glitterhouse)
144. Sensual Physics - Offene Schleifen (Source)
145. Shalabi Effect - The Trial of St-Orange (Alien8)
146. ShelleyDevoto - Buzzkunst (Cooking Vinyl)
147. The Shroud - In the Garden (Neue Aesthetik)
148. Simple Minds - Cry (Eagle)
149. Six by Seven - The Way I Feel Today (Mantra)
150. Skanfrom - Hand-Picked Fragments (Suction)
151. Luke Slater - Alright on Top (Mute)
152. Small Rocks - Carbondating (Hot Air)
153. Smash TV - Electrified (Bpitch)
154. Smith & Mighty - Life Is (Studio K7)
155. Snd - Tender Love (Mille Plateaux)
156. Somatic Responses - Augmented Lines (Hymen)
157. Soul Center - Soul Center 3 (Novamute)
158. Soul Designer - Walking On A Little Cloud (F Communications)
159. Source of Tide - Blueprints (Candlelight)
160. Spunk - Filtered Through Friends (Rune Grammofon)
161. Stakka & Skynet - Clockwork (Under Fire Records) / CD Released at last!
162. Static - Eject Your Mind (City Centre Offices)
163. The Streets - Original Pirate Material (Locked On/679)
164. Summoning - Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame (Napalm) UK Release 2002
165. Sunno))) - Flight of the Behemoth (Southern Lord)
166. Surface Of Eceon - King Beneath The Mountain (Strange Attractors Audio House)
167. Swirl People - Hi Mom, Lets Dance (Solemusic)
168. Nobukazu Takemura - Sign (Thrill Jockey)
169. Telepopmusik - Genetic World (Chrysalis)
170. Thuja - Ghost Plants (Emperor Jones)
171. Tiamat - Judas Christ (Century Media)
172. Ron Trent - Musical Reflections (R2 Records)
173. 2 By Bukowski - Tech Thrash (Poeta Negra)
174. Vibracathedral Orchestra - Dabbling with Gravity and Who you Are (VHF)
175. VNV Nation - Futureperfect (Dependent records)
176. Weatherman - Curious Liquid (Just Music)
177. Charles Webster - Born on the 4th July (Peacefrog)
178. When - The Lobster Boys (Jester Records) UK Release 2002
179. Benjamin Wild - With Compliments (Forced Tracks)
180. Jah Wobble & Temple of Sound - Shout at the Devil (30 Hertz)
181. Xinlisupreme - Tomorrow Never Comes (Fat Cat)
182. Xiu Xiu - Knife Play (Rue Christine)
183. X-Press2 - Muzikizum (Skint)
184. Yagya - Rhythm Of Snow (Force Inc)
185. Richard Youngs - May (Jagjaguwar)

i want to buy that american gigolo thing, but i don't know much about it really. boc and the streets have their moments, global goons was disappointing (first 2 tracks are nice). martian, is the cerberus shoal one a load of hippy toss or have they gone back to being good?

What's Telepopmuziks album like? There's a pretty funky single doing the rounds in Dublin.

Also FC Kahuna, Glitterball is fun but it sounds so like the Chemical Brothers to me. Good to see Decal in there, IRISH ARTIST IN GOOD MUSIC SHOCKER! Just goes to show how far ahead of the indie scene the electronic scene in Dublin is. I guess it all comes back to the fact that Irish DJs actually talk to their non Irish counterparts and realise that being as good as fucking Paddy Murphy or whoever the local guy is just isn't good enough.

Gareth, a reminder the concept of the tracking list is not I have purchased and listened to these albums list, but an ongoing list to keep track of the best albums of the year - to better understand the big picture/ context of the changing music landscape.

I try to listen as many artists as possible through mp3 downloads, web radio, selective radio listening, CD samplers and CDs etc. If I had an endless supply of money I would buy all that make the tracking list.

I have not listened to the Cerberus Shoal album.

The new Big Tymers record, Hood Rich, is excellent. It's really not very Cash Money-sounding (very little of the superquick clickety beats and Casio riffing) but very interesting, good lyrics (Big Tymers always have the best rhymes--it's all Mannie Fresh) and THE SINGLE OF THE YEAR, "Stilly Fly." I love the hell out of this song. I like the whole album a lot too but I'm still getting used to it, it just came out Tuesday.

Tim, check the No Fi/Stevie Nixed folder for 2Many DJs. Not a grate record, I have to say, but fun nonetheless. What I have liked this year: Tweet, Sugababes, Streets,... Vibracathedral Orchestra, Recloose, Akufen and Jazzanova I still have to check out. But apparently it's all classique.

I would also say that the new Múm album 'Finally We Are No One' (on Fat Cat) is probably the most gorgeous thing I've heard this year.

Actually Nathalie I've been listening to the 2 Many DJs album from that very source (thanks!), but I like it enough that I want to buy it - I don't have a cd burner and this is the sort of thing I want to listen to when I'm travelling to and from work/uni etc.

I'd kill for a CD burner, I've so many nice MP3s lately and I want to be able to listen to them outside of my biscuit tin computer speakers. Currently, Green Velvet-Answering Machine X Press 2 remix, Phoenix-I can try, Minimal Funk-Definition of house are playing repeat. The Green Velvet one is great. I! DON'T! NEED! THIS! SHIT!

A fair amount of what Nath said I'll echo (the new Vibracathedral on VHF is quite wonderful). Babasonicos' Jessico remains my album of the year so far, but what I've heard of the Akufen is promising. I have a sneaking suspicion the new Voltaire album is hilariously great, though.

Xiu Xiu - Knife Play
The new Elvis

Maybe Wilco & SND.

Martian, the Max Hecker and Surface of Eceon were out last year, although they might be 2002 UK releases. Likewise for Explosions in the Sky. And Fuxa has a new album? Anybody hear it?

I thought these were good: Streets, Notwist, Do Make Say Think, Recloose, Cornelius, Aarktica, Azure Ray, Boards of Canada, Luna, Saloon, Six By Seven, Dynamo, Global Goon (I might have been disappointed if I had ever heard them before), Christian Kleine, and just this weekend Burning Brides, Elk City, Jim & Jennie & The Pinetops. Checking out Vibracathedral Orchestra next.

Mustn't forget Would-Be-Goods and Trail of Dead.

no one is allowed to call anything good till they have listened to all of martian's list!!

i like ORIGINAL PIRATE MATERIAL and WHEN I WAS CRUEL and THEY DON'T KNOW: erm was SURVIVOR last year?

The new Dave Douglas is quite good, indie rock 'covers' and all.

I am very much looking forward to the new DEAD MAN RAY (rec. by sTEvE alBINi).

JING CHI by Robben Ford, Jimmy Haslip and Vinnie Colaiuta

my favorites are:

richard youngs- may songs:ohia- didn't it rain julie doiron- heart and crime walkmen- Everyone who... wilco- yankee hotel foxtrot

among others

martian you are out of control. that is too many records :-)

I think the only album I've go that was released this year is Sonrier by the Vacaciones, I like it!

"2 Many DJs" by Soulwax and "European Punks" by Scott 4 and Magic Car. And that's it. It's been a fucking abysmal year for music.

I really haven't picked up many new ones eeder, but MRI 'All That Glitters' is delicious, as is 'Geogaddi.' Julio, you might be interested in the new 2XCD Lol Coxhill comp on Emanem - it's a lot of fun. I'm really looking forward to hearing the Streets album now... The Vibracatherdral Orchestra album is really good, an album whose title I forget by Drekka I like... more later possibly.

My fave and most played albums in order of appearance:

'Alice in the Underworld' ~ Scarlet's Well
'Electronic 01'
'American Gigolo' (no need to buy 'Futurism')
'Original Pirate Material' ~ The Streets
'The End Of The Way It's Always Been' ~ Jack

It's been a fucking abysmal year for music. >BR>A good excuse to buy more records! (Listening to Akufen who totally destroy yer opinion.)

milky wimpshake's 'lovers, not fighters' is great. been a better year for eps with the new plaid, clientele, hefner, ballboy, trembling blue stars and figurine's 'discard' ep

I like Luna - "Romantica" and the Cranes - "Future Songs" (released in America this year, does that count?) Why? because they are two new albums from great bands, and they both seem to be getting better with these releases.

More nominations for "Didn't It Rain" by Songs: Ohia, and for "Knife Play" by Xiu Xiu. I agree with DJ Martian about the Aarktica record for Darla's Blissed Out series, it's good, but I disagree with Cerberus Shoal. egh.

Jazzanova - In Between
Koop - Waltz for Koop, not sure if this already came out late 2001
DJ Tiga - American Gigolo, although it's an original 2001 release ;-)
Herbert - Secondhand Sounds
Swayzak - Groovetechnology V1.3
Deetron - In the mix (on Music Man)
3 mix-cd's, one remix compilation album & two proper records as highlights so far: where are the good unmixed compilations gone to this year?

req, anti-pop consortium, kid 606, wilco, pop group reissue

My favorites so far:
Trail of Dead- Source Tags and Codes
The Notwist- Neon Golden
Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

I was looking forward to these, but was disappointed:
Boards of Canada- Geogaddi
Clinic- Walking With Thee

Looking forward to these:Mum- Finally We Are No One
Sonic Youth- Murray Street
DJ Shadow- Private Press
David Bowie- Heathen
The Breeders- Title TK
Autechre ep
New Sigur Ros and Low if they're released this year. Also want to get the Shalabi Effect cd.

Aardvarck - Find the Cow
Akufen - My Way
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Drexciya - Harnessed the Storm
Farben - Textstar (more of a reissue but worth mentioning)
Larsen - Rever
Charles Manier - Bang Bang Lover EP
Michael Mayer - Immer
MRI - All That Glitters
Pan American - The River Made No Sound
Recloose - Cardiology
Yagya - The Rhythm of Snow

Desert Hearts' "Let's Get Worse" is my LP of the year so far.

I quite like the Laub and Notwist albums.

The new Pan American is really boring, ya'll.

The Coldharbourstores and Saloon albums are great too.

I'll second Clarke's nominations of Vibracathedral Orchestra and Drekka and add Susie Ibarra's Songbird Suite (jazz that is more concerned with texture and composition than improvisation, which is pretty rare); Steffen Basho Junghans' Waters in Azure, a record of ringing, minimalistic solo acoustic guitar compositions inspired in part by raga; and Silva/Jordan/Parker's Emancipation Suite #1, bombastic and joyous free improv that features Alan Silva playing orchestra hits from a decades-old synth.

For reissues, I'll take the Globe Unity Orchestra's 67-70, which features an army of European improvisers playing an imaginative and loud score by Alexander Von Schlippenbach.

Clarification: probably there's plenty of jazz records that are more concerned with composition and texture than improvisation, but I don't hear them much from the circle of free jazz people Ibarra is usually associated with... I'm sure there are others, but some Ellery Eskelin is the only stuff that immediately springs to mind.

Howdy.

I haven't bought too many albums this year (well, FROM this year, anyway), but my standout thusfar is Quivver's installment in the Transport series - deep house, occasionally breakbeaty, generally solid, good stuff.

Of course, both Hybrid and Weezer apparently have albums slated for the summer, and Sasha's album is always a threat to drop. And Amazon lists the White Stripes White Blood Cells as 2002, so maybe that counts :)

Anyway. I'll listen to damn near anything as long as it sounds good, so I shall peruse this thread with Great Interest. Er, others too :)

James Cobo

I think Amazon lists White Blood Cells as 2002 because the record (and the band) changed labels (from Sympathy... to V2) and the V2 version of White Blood Cells came out this year - in a sense it's a reissue (this applies for standard reissues as well - Amazon lists the Gary Wilson record as coming out this year).

I think all my favourites have been mentioned by somebody. I would say 2002 is above-average so far, albeit mainly thanks to a bunch of fantastic compilations and mix CDs.

The Streets, Cornelius and So Solid's "Fuck It" mix would probably be my Top 3.

Ronan - you asked about Télépopmusik. I liked it a lot more than I was expecting to. If you want a description: it's quite varied. Who does the vocals very much determines the 'genre' employed – the music alternates between vocoder-driven electropop, hip hop lite and the ambient end of IDM. The latter accompanies bluesy vocals from Angela McCluskey, and these tracks are sometimes filtered to make them sound even more like an old Billie Holiday 78. Interspersed between some songs are experimental interludes using concrète sounds and cryptic spoken word excerpts. On paper it shouldn’t work, but somehow it all gels (clever sequencing of the tracks helps). It’s all very soothing, occasionally soporific perhaps, but a striking LP nonetheless.

Based solely on Tim's plugging, I got the MRI CD at the weekend. Only listened to it once so far tho'.

Up to now just one and it has not even been menitoned yet. Lambchop's "Is a Woman". Calm, simple and beautiful. Boards of Canada were disappointing for me too. The Notwist was all right but not more. What I heard of the new Wilco and Tom Waits "Alice" sounded very good. I guess I have to get those.

Made my early list last week:

Trail of Dead -- Source Tags & Codes 90 Day Men -- To Everybody Wilco -- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Hella -- Hold Your Horse Is Secret Machines -- September 000 Blood Brothers -- March on Electric Children Flaming Lips -- Yoshii Battles the Pink Robots

j-live - 'all of the above' is great. As will be 'fantastic damage' from el-p. but you didna ax about speculative lists...

Too early to say just how GRATE the new Tom Waits records are, though they certainly sound very nice, and of a Frank's Wild Years/Raindogs-vintage style. Not too much has REALLY grabbed me so far this year, though there have been pleasant little interludes along the way (most recent being the powerpop goodness of Tuuli). I am looking forward to more albums coming out later in the year: Flaming Lips, Weezer (which will 0wnZ0r all you powerpopheads in ONE WEEK COUNTEM SEVEN (er, EIGHT) DAYS), maybe David Sylvian, the new Wire EP, Barry Adamson...

I'll go out on a limb and say that neither of the Tom Waits albums are very good. Alicehas sappy ballads that sound like Disney hack work, and Blood Money has gruff pirate "Singapore" re-treads. His band does sound good nevertheless.

I'm looking forward to hearing the new Tom Waits and Eminem and DJ Shadow, among others. So far my faves are the Soulwax, the Chemical Brothers, CD1 of the new Alec Empire, and Timo Maas (I won this from the Independent on Sunday!).

Rovo's "Tonic 2001" (Tzadik) is my top pick for the year to date.

Visionary misery: Original Pirate Material

East End boombox: American Gigolo

Sarf London boombox: Fuck It

History books: The Best Bootlegs In The World Ever

Rekindled history: Early; New Sounds, Old Styles; Outback

Improved history: Don't Stand Me Down; Deceit

Beyond history: Innocence And Despair

Not yet history: Geogaddi

Sensual lubricant: Handcream For A Generation

Rekindled future: Freedom Of The City 2001 - Large Groups

Outback is by whom, Marcello?

Whoops! Outback is a reissue of a 1971 session by Mike Osborne (misspelt as "Osbourne" on the sleeve), some say the greatest alto player ever to come out of Britain. Two long eruptions with a quintet featuring Harry Beckett (trumpet), Chris McGregor (piano), Harry Miller (bass) and Louis Moholo (drums). Absolutely stunning.

And his work for Ogun Records in the '70s desperately requires CD reissue - the two trio albums (Border Crossing and All Night Long, again with Miller and Moholo on rhythm), the Tandem duo album with Stan Tracey on piano, and the SOS sax trio-meets-electronica album with John Surman and Alan Skidmore. Some of the most intense music you'll ever hear.

apart from my own lp on delsin :), I really love "twilight" and "in the air" by the handsome family, and also "the optimist lp" by turin brakes (last year)