Are they in order, from 1 to 40? Perhaps 40 to 1? Yes, no… who cares. Anyway, 40 thoroughly good albums from the year that isn’t quite over (but let’s be fair, there’s nothing but X Factor afterbirth between now and the New Year).
- – -
Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place
Katy B – On a Mission
Kuedo – Severant
The Horrors – Skying
Polinski – Labyrinths
Ghostpoet – Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam
Com Truise – Galactic Melt
Björk – Biophilia
9th Wonder – The Wonder Years
True Widow – As High as the Highest Heavens…
Wild Beasts – Smother
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
Dark Dark Dark – Wild Go
Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact
A Winged Victory for the Sullen – A Winged Victory for the Sullen
FaltyDL – You Stand Uncertain
Mastodon – The Hunter
The Men – Leave Home
The Weeknd – House of Balloons
Other Lives – Tamer Animals
Three Trapped Tigers – Route One or Die
Modeselektor – Moneytown
Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
SBTRKT – SBTRKT
Braids – Native Speaker
Rustie – Glass Swords
Dels – Gob
Iceage – New Brigade
Childish Gambino – CAMP
Machinedrum – Room(s)
Martyn – Ghost People
Azari & III – Azari & III
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx – We’re New Here
Emika – Emika
Blanck Mass – Blanck Mass
Nils Frahm – Felt
Drake – Take Care
Kode9 & The Spaceape – Black Sun
Note: Esben and the Witch’s Violet Cries is disqualified from this list because they’re terrible, terrible people. Nah. But I do co-manage them. And that sort of nepotism just ain’t cool.
Tipping season, we’re in it. Any music scribe with a couple of column inches to rub together has, over the past couple of weeks, seen their inbox fill with ‘ones to watch’ messages from major labels, tiny indies, management companies and PR officers alike. For some reason, I get asked to contribute to a few of the more high-profile polls – I’ll let you guess which ones (at least one is completely transparent when it comes to who’s involved, so that won’t take long if you care enough to have a sniff). Apparently some people think I am a voice worth hearing when it comes to This Sort Of Thing. Well, I did nod the way of James Blake last time, so one outta three ain’t bad.
Anyway, here are some names to look for next year. I am not saying they’ll set the charts aflame; neither will they be selling out the o2 this side of Christmas 2013. Well, probably not. They’re just acts I like the sound of right now, acts that just might go some better in the next 12 months and take what can only be described as The Next Step. So long as none of them become The Next Steps, I think they’ll all be okay.
No order. No blurb. (Beyond the above, anyway, promise.) Just clips and links. Listen. Watch. Share? That’s some sort of ident for Radio 1 isn’t it? Bands and stuff…
Posted by mikediver 
