Time for some pointless music lists. Oh dear how much great music has already been released during the year. I tried to do a quick a mid-year list of the music that has mattered to me during the 1st of half of the year, but it proved to be a difficult task. These lists turned out to be rather long, but still could have easily been twice as long. Not to mention all the stuff I either forgot or haven’t even heard yet. For example I just bought the new John Prine yesterday and haven’t even really listened to it before. So this list happened a bit too soon for that one. There’s lots of other ones too. So little time, so much wonderful music. Anyway, here are some albums, EPs and songs that I’ve fallen in love with during the first half of the year. One reissue as well. Don’t think I’ve even bought other ones, but hey it’s such a magnificent one that it deserves its own category. These are in alphabetical order, except the first one in each category is the one that I love the most at the moment. Anyway, it’s finally time to stop these silly ramblings and it’s time to let the music of Lauren O’Connell lead the way to my favourite music of 2018 so far.
ALBUMS – INTERNATIONAL
Lauren O’Connell – Details
American Aquarium – Things Change (New West)
Andrew Bryant – Ain’t It Like The Cosmos (Last Chance)
Buffalo Gospel – On The First Bell
Caleb Caudle – Crushed Coins (Cornelius Chapel)
Clint Michigan – Centuries (Kiam)
Courtney Marie Andrews – May Your Kindness Remain (Mama Bird / Fat Possum / Loose)
Damien Jurado – The Horizon Just Laughed (Secretly Canadian)
Daniel Markham – Hyperspeed
Erin Rae – Putting On Airs (Single Lock)
H.C. McEntire – Lionheart (Merge)
Haley Heynderickx – I Need To Start A Garden (Mama Bird)
Harrison Whitford – Afraid of Everything
Jennifer Castle – Angels of Death (Paradise of Bachelors / Idée Fixe)
John Calvin Abney – Coyote (Black Mesa)
Matt Dorrien – In The Key Of Grey (Mama Bird)
Michael Feuerstack – Natural Weather (Forward Music)
Neko Case – Hell On (ANTI-)
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers – Years (Bloodshot)
Sloan – 12 (Yep Roc)
Will Stewart – County Seat (Cornelius Chapel)
Bonus picks are the two Daniel Romano albums Human Touch & Nerveless that were only available in January, but both are awesome. Especially Human Touch.
ALBUMS – FINLAND
Jukka Nousiainen – Ei enää kylmää eikä pimeää (Jukan Musiikki)
Litku Klemetti – Taika tapahtuu (Luova)
The New Tigers – Do Xao (Soliti)
Topi Saha – Lopunajan rakastavaiset (Warner)
Tuomas Palonen – Tuomas Palonen (Palatsi)
EPS
Ian Noe – Off This Mountaintop (Ok, actually December 2017, but I love it)
Evan Cheadle – Chasing Shadows
Sera Cahoone – Flora String Sessions
William Matheny – Moon Over Kenova
REISSUES
Pat Ament – Songs By Pat Ament (Grapefruit)
SONGS – INTERNATIONAL
Matt Dorrien – I Can’t Remember and/or All I Wanted To Say
Andrew Bryant – Night Wants the Moon
Anna Tivel – Dust and Magic
Austin Lucas – Immortal Americans
Buckley – Bakersfield
Courtney Marie Andrews – May Your Kindness Remain and/or Took You Up
Damien Jurado – Over Rainbows and Rainier
Daniel Markham – Velvet Elvis
Dogwood Tales – Spiritless Machine
Erin Rae – Wild Blue Wind
Goodnight, Texas – Laramie
H.C. McEntire – When You Come For Me
Haley Heynderickx – Untitled God Song
Jeremy Squires – Gift
John Calvin Abney – Always Enough
Lauren O’Connell – Superimposed (or all first four songs or Out of Focus or Build Yourself)
Lucy Dacus – Night Shift
Michael Feuerstack – Jerome & I and/or Love Is All Around
Nap Eyes – Sage
Olympic Symphonium – Careful
Randolph’s Leap – Television
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers – Parting Words
The Village Ordinary – Partly Cloudy
SONGS – FINLAND
Topi Saha – Valo tulee alhaalta
Iron Country Sisters – Go Slow
Kuumat siivet – Itke hänet pois
Lac Belot – D’n’A
Penniless – The Great Marquis
You’ll find these songs (except a few that aren’t on Spotify) on that 2018 playlist that is located in the top left corner of the menu bar. There are lots of more songs too that could be easily be on this list.
