Het is weer zover: de eerste helft van dit muziekjaar zit er weer op! Voor mij een zeer sterk jaar, waarbij sommige albums nog moeten groeien en een klein deel al meteen favoriet is. Tijd om de balans op te maken dus, zonder al een definitief oordeel te vellen of een volgorde aan te brengen.
Zie het als een lijst vol aanraders. Het lijkt overdreven veel, maar vergeet niet dat ik al tegen de 370 albums heb gerecenseerd.
Ik ben ook zeer benieuwd naar de hoogtepunten van jullie tot nu toe.
De lijst is ingedeeld in de paar topfavorieten (I), de vele kandidaten daar net onder (II) en de albums die ik nog vaker moet horen maar wel een diepe indruk hebben gemaakt (III):
I
Colin Stetson – Presents: Sorrow – A Reimagining Of Górecki’s 3rd Symphony (52HZ)
Sophia – As We Make Our Way (Unknown Harbours) (The Flower Shop)
Lárus Sigurðsson – We Are Told That We Shine (Volkoren)
Swans – The Glowing Man (Young God)
II
Rïcïnn – Lïan (Blood Music)
Francesco Lago – Mirrors Against The Sun (Urtovox/ T3 Records)
Refugees For Refugees – Amerli (Muziekpublique)
The Fire Harvest – Singing, Dancing, Drinking (Snowstar/ Subroutine)
Anohni – Hopelessness (Rough Trade)
Library Tapes – Escapism (Auetic)
Cult Of Luna/ Julie Christmas – Mariner (Indie Recordings)
Kenneth James Gibson – The Evening Falls (Kompakt)
Dag Rosenqvist – elephant (Dronarivm)
Marissa Nadler – Strangers (Bella Union)
Jambinai – A Hermitage (Bella Union)
Old Fire – Songs From The Haunted South (Kscope)
Queen Of The Meadow – Aligned With Juniper (Tiny Room Records)
Marta Mist – Scavengers (Time Released Sound)
Stranded Horse – Luxe (Talitres)
Clara Engel – Visitors Are Allowed One Kiss (Paradigms)
III
Tindersticks – The Waiting Room (Lucky Dog/ City Slang)
Silvert Høyem – Lioness (Hektor Grammofon)
Cross Record – Wabi-Sabi (Ba Da Bing!)
Gontard! – Repeupler (Ici D’Ailleurs)
Adrian Younge – Something About April II (Linear Labs)
Roly Porter – Third Law (Tri Angle)
Iris Penning – Spreken Met Suiker (Iris Penning)
Zëro – San Francisco (Ici D’Ailleurs)
Matt Elliott – The Calm Before (Ici D’Ailleurs)
Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto & Bryce Dessner – The Revenant (Milan)
Anneke van Giersbergen & Árstíðir – Verloren Verleden (Agua Recordings)
Western Skies Motel – Settlers (Lost Tribe Sound)
Ferhat Tunç – Kobani (Kirkelig Kulturversted)
Fovea Hex – The Salt Garden I (Janet/ Die Stadt/ Headphone Dust)
Fumaça Preta – Impuros Fanáticos (Soundway)
Maninkari – oroganolaficalogramme (ferme-l’oeil)
Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld – Nerissimo (Spècula)
Guo Gan / Emre Gültekin – Lune De Jade (Homerecords.be)
William Ryan Fritch – New Words For Old Wounds (Lost Tribe Sound)
James Blake – The Colour Of Anything (Polydor)
The Legendary Pink Dots – Pages Of Aquarius (Metropolis)
Ben Lukas Boysen – Spells (Erased Tapes)
Raime – Tooth (Blackest Ever Black)
Brian Eno – The Ship (Warp/ Opal)
Bat For Lashes – The Bride (Echo/ Parlophone)
Richard Moult – Sjóraust (Second Language)
Stefano Guzzetti – Leaf (Stella Recordings)
Françoiz Breut – Zoo (Le Pop Musik)
Tim Hecker – Love Streams (4ad)
Fatima Al Qadiri – Brute (Hyperdub)
Susanna – Triangle (Susanna Sonata)
Babyfather – BBF: Hosted by DJ Escrow (Hyperdub)
Lyenn – Slow Healer (Near Gale/V2)
Mark Pritchard – Under The Sun (Warp)
Christine Ott – Only Silence Remains (Gizeh)
Kanipchen-Fit – Unfit For These Times Forever (Makkum)
Ales Tsurko – Transliaciya (Preserved Sound)
Glacis – Love, If You Love Me, Lie Beside Me Now (Tavern Eightieth)
Brave Timbers – Hope (Little Crackd Rabbit)
Æmaeth – The Roman (Gizeh)
Lorenzo Masotto – Rule And Case (Preserved Sound)
Cello + Laptop – Transient Accidents (Fluid Audio)
David Bowie – Blackstar (Iso/ Sony)
Chihei Hatakeyama / Dirk Serries – The Storm Of Silence (Glacial Movements)
Jesu / Sun Kil Moon – Jesu / Sun Kil Moon (cd, Caldo Verde)
Savages – Adore Life (Matador)
Ian Fisher – Nero (Snowstar)
Pop. 1280 – Paradise (Sacred Bones)
Get Well Soon – Love (Caroline International)
Witchcraft – Nucleus (Nuclear Blast)
Ulan Bator – Abracadabra (Acid Cobra)
Thomas Köner – Tiento De La Luz (Denovali)
Nachtpost – Sporen (Nachtpost)
Mala Vita – So Far So Good (Global Roots Music)
thisGrey hates the sun – thisGrey hates the sun (Final Muzik)
Feine Trinkers Bei Pinkels Daheim – A Bug’s Life (Zoharum)
The Cult – Hidden City (Cooking Vinyl)
Sarah Neufeld – The Ridge (SN Music)
Big Hare – Hasyayoga (Blowpipe)
Eyemèr – Temporarily Colourblind (Zeal)
Hexvessel – When We Are Dead (Century Media/ Secret Trees)
Ocoeur – Reversed (n5MD)
Hammock – Everything And Nothing (Hammock Music)
Iamme / Cermaque – Gravitace (Indies Scope)
Joep Beving – Solipsism (I Are Giant)
Saroos – Tardis (Alien Transistor)
Babymetal – Metal Resistance (Amuse Inc.)
Matthew Collings – A Requiem For Edward Snowden (Denovali)
PJ Harvey – The Hope Six Demolition Project (Island)
Amute – Bending Time In Waves (Humpty Dumpty)
Tetherdown – First Flight (Trace/ Slowcraft)
Julianna Barwick – Will (Dead Oceans)
Emily Jane White – They Moved In Shadow All Together (Talitres)
DISCOHEN – Popular Positions (DISCOHEN)
Mahsa Vahdat – The Sun Will Rise (Kirkelig Kulturverksted)
Daniela Savoldi – Trasformazioni (Daniela Savoldi)
Morgen Wurde – Brach Auf (Time Released Sound)
Samaris – Black Lights (One Little Indian)
Leyla McCalla – A Day For The Hunter, A Day For The Prey (Jazz Village)
Asher Levitas – Lit Harness (Planet Mu)