Once again, Emacs has kept careful track of what I’ve been listening to this year, so I can scientifically give a list of what’s the best albums this year. And by amazing coincidence, the world’s very best album is by a Norwegian band and I’m Norwegian, but I’m sure that’s totally coincidental and fair.
 | Lost Girls | Menneskekollektivet |
Lost Girls - Losing Something  | ||
%2C+UNISIL) | SOPHIE | BIPP (Autechre Mx), UNISIL |
SOPHIE - BIPP (Autechre Mx) (Official Stream)  | ||
 | The Notwist | Vertigo Days |
The Notwist: Al Sur (feat. Juana Molina)  | ||
 | Aksak Maboul | Redrawn Figures 1 |
Eyelids and Phosphenes (Aksak Maboul Reconstruction)  | ||
 | Insides | Soft Bonds |
The Softest Bonds Resist Resistance  | ||
 | Leslie Winer | When I Hit You, You’ll Feel It |
Leslie Winer - In 1 Ear  | ||
 | Xeno & Oaklander | Vi-deo |
Xeno & Oaklander - "Gain" (Official Audio)  | ||
 | Alasdair Roberts og Völvur | The Old Fabled River |
The Tender Hour  | ||
 | Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion | Let The Soil Play Its Simple Part |
Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion - To the Sky (Live)  | ||
 | David Allred | Smells Like Everyone’s Watching |
David Allred - Smells Like Everyone's Watching (full album)  | ||
 | Herbert | Musca |
Herbert feat. Mel Uye Parker - Hypnotised  | ||
 | Irreversible Entanglements | Open The Gates |
Irreversible Entanglements - "Open The Gates" | Music Video  | ||
 | Mia Doi Todd | Ten Views of Music Life |
Wainiha Valley (Julia Holter & Tashi Wada Remix)  | ||
 | Snapped Ankles | Forest of Your Problems |
Snapped Ankles - The Evidence (Official Video)  | ||
 | Alice Coltrane | Kirtan Turiya Sings |
Alice Coltrane - Kirtan: Turiya Sings (Visualizer)  | ||
That David Allred album up there has my favourite lyric. It goes like
You said “wow you must be fun at parties”
And I said “That’s not true”
I feel seen.
But I bought a lot of older stuff, too. Here’s the objectively best older albums, and coincidentally the winner is another Norwegian. It cannot be!
 | Espen Reinertsen | Nattsyntese |
Betenkningstid med trommesolo  | ||
 | Gary Panter | Precambrian Bath |
Gary Panter – Precambrian Bath  | ||
 | Mimi Goese and Ben Neill | Life You Are |
Cuckoo (Official Video) Mimi Goese and Ben Neill  | ||
 | Laura Jean | I’m A Rabbit, I’m A Fox |
Laura Jean - I'm a Rabbit, I'm A Fox (with Strings)  | ||
 | Bertine Zetlitz | Beautiful So Far |
Beautiful so Far  | ||
 | SOPHIE | OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES |
 | ||
 | Espen Reinertsen | Forgaflingspop |
Tilpasninger Hos Prestekrage  | ||
 | Hexting | Post Post Rock Rock |
Video Waves 1803: Hexting - Post Post Rock Rock  | ||
 | Shopping | Consumer Complaints |
Shopping - Long Way Home  | ||
 | Various | Mutant Disco Volume 2 |
I Know What Boys Like - The Waitresses (HQ Audio)  | ||
) | Arthur Russell | Sketches For World Of Echo (June 25 1984 Live At Ei) |
Arthur Russell - Tone Bone Kone  | ||
That’s it.