AARON BRYANS
1. Clouded – This Wild Life
Leaving pop-punk behind, California duo, This Wild Life, showed the strength and versatility of the acoustic genre, applying hauntingly beautiful vocals with soothing and outstandingly arranged instrumentals in their debut album, Clouded.
2. Ed Sheeran – X
3. Taylor Swift – 1989
4. Amity Affliction – Let The Ocean Take Me
5. Chet Faker – Built On Glass
6. Slipknot – The Gray Chapter
7. Rise Against – The Black Market
8. Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways
9. Angus & Julia Stone – Angus & Julia Stone
10. Anberlin – Lowborn
BOB GORDON
1. Jack White – Lazaretto
This guy gets me right where I live. Every time.
2. Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal
3. TV On The Radio – Seeds
4. Future Islands – Singles
5. Timothy Nelson & The Infidels – Terror Terror, Hide It Hide It
6. Bruce Springsteen – High Hopes
7.Paul Kelly – Merri Sessions
8. Neneh Cherry – Blank Project
9. Felicity Groom – Hungry Sky
10. Iceage – Plowing Into The Field Of Love
ALFRED GORMAN
1. The Orwells – Disgraceland
This is just one of those albums I immediately fell in love with. There’s the riffs, frontman Mario Cuomo’s Morrison-esque baritone and bravado, the adolescent enthusiasm, lyrics and raw garage rock energy. These kids from Illinois may have just graduated high school, but a new rock band hasn’t excited me this much since The Strokes debut, and while this is The Orwells’ sophomore effort, it’s their major label debut and sounds accordingly bigger. Then there’s that Letterman performance which is up there with Future Islands’.
2. Beck – Morning Phase
3. Aphex Twin – Syro
4. The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream
5. The Acid – Liminal
6. Sharon Van Etten – Are We There
7. Caribou – Our Love
8. Beardyman – Distractions
9. Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots
10. Future Islands – Singles
ALEX GRIFFIN
1. Peter Escott – The Long O
Young Marble Giants play The Sorrows Of Young Werther as told by someone in his 30s. Incredible.
2. Platypus Freaks – EP
3. Fennesz – Becs
4. Tralala Blip – Aussie Dream
5. Fatima Al Quadiri – Asiatisch
6. Ian Crause – TheSong Of Phaethon
7. Blanche Blanche Blanche – Hints To Pilgrims
8. Dean Blunt – Black Metal
9. Bill Baird – Diamond Eyepatch
10. Total Control – Typical System
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
1. Chumped – Teenage Retirement
If Mac McCaughan went all doe-eyed over Anna Waronka instead of Laura Ballance (we may not have Merge Records), but it is likely that they would have created a band that sounds exactly like Chumped. The Brooklyn pop-punkers have delivered a debut that has the right amount of crunch on their guitars and hooks that won’t quit. Teenage Retirement is without a doubt the greatest album written about ‘moving out of your mom’s basement but not losing what was awesome about living in your mom’s basement’.
2. Mathew Ryan – Boxers
3. Taylor Swift – 1989
4. Bonnie Prince Billy – Singers Grave A Sea Of Tongues
5. Rob Snarski – Wounded Bird
6. Stevie Nicks – 24 Karat Gold
7. Shovels & Rope – Swimmin’ TIme
8. Jenny Lewis – The Voyager
9. Connections – Into Sixes
10. Bored Nothing – Some Songs
TRAVIS JOHNSON
1. Timothy Nelson & The Infidels – Terror Terror, Hide It, Hide It
Top notch production values and choices that take full advantage of the possibilities of the studio clearly demarcate the Infidels’ recorded sound from their live work. The excellent songwriting, however, remains intact. This should, by all rights, be a breakout.
2. The Church – Further/Deeper
3. The Love Junkies – Blowing On The Devil’s Strumpet
4. Moana – A Mouthful Of Birds
5. Various – Awesome Mix vol. 1
6. Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
7. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Hot Wax
8. St Vincent – St Vincent
9. Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal
10. Usurper Of Modern Medicine – Omniliberation
PENNY LANE
1. Angus & Julia Stone – Angus & Julia Stone
I’ve got a major girl crush on Julia, and I’m not afraid to say it. Angus doesn’t do too badly either, and when they both get together, it’s simply magical. After a lengthy hiatus the duo surprised fans with their deeper, darker self-titled album earlier this year, and I just can’t get enough of it.
2. Steve Aoki – Neon Future
3. Alison Wonderland – Calm Down EP
4. Odesza – In Return
5. Tame Impala – Live Versions
6. Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence
7. Knife Party – Abandon Ship
8. Chet Faker – Built On Glass
9. Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away
10. Timothy Nelson & The Infidels – Terror Terror, Hide It Hide It
1. Aphex Twin – Syro
The first album from Richard D James since 2001’s Drukqs fortunately lived up to all the pre-release hype. The warped beats, acid squelches and melodic twists are immediately recognisable and forever captivating, making Syro an instant classic.
2. The Bug – Angels & Devils
3. Objekt – Flatland
4. Deadbeat & Paul St Hilaire – The Infinity Dub Sessions
5. Gesloten Cirkel – Submit X
6. Hercules & Love Affair – The Feast of the Broken Heart
7. Lone – Reality Testing
8. Dean Blunt – Black Metal
9. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks – Wig Out At Jagbags
10. Flying Lotus – You’re Dead
SHANE PINNEGAR
1. Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey – Going Back Home
In all honesty any of my top four albums could have taken out the #1 spot, but the sheer raw vitality of Wilko Johnson’s guitar work on this reworking of his old Dr Feelgood tracks puts most of his peers and following generations to shame. Not bad for a guy the doctors said would be dead a year or two ago, without question. Who vocalist Daltrey puts the icing on the cake by revisiting his ‘Maximum R&B’ days with a powerhouse performance, making this an album of beguiling simplicity that evokes the very essence of rock’n’roll.
2. James Williamson – Re-Licked
3. California Breed – California Breed
4. Robert Plant – Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar
5. Rival Sons – Great Western Valkyrie
6. Black Stone Cherry – Magic Mountain
7. Blues Pills – Blues Pills
8. Beck – Morning Phase
9. Riot Horse – This Is Who We Are
10. Ace Frehley – Space Invader
ARI YEUNG
1. Calibre – Shelflife 3
Enigmatic drum and bass producer Calibre nailed it yet again with the release of the third album in his Shelflife series. Featuring 12 unreleased tracks from his collection of originals, this album is a pure treat to the ears. The signature Calibre sound of clean rolling drums, organic and atmospheric piano, strings and pads, along with that familiar rich, warm bass has made this quiet achiever succeed with yet another stellar album without any social media presence or constant touring. Highly recommended!
2. Technimatic – Desire Path
3. Ulterior Motive – The Fourth Wall
4. hybrid minds – Mountains (Remixed)
5. Critical Music (various) – Underground Sonics
6. Lenzman – Looking At The Stars
7. Mefjus – Emulation
8. State of Mind – Eat The Rich
9. Metalheadz (various) – Platinum Breakz 4
10. The Invaderz – New Found Dialect
GENERAL JUSTICE
1. Chronixx – Dread And Terrible
He’s only 20 years-old but Chronixx and his band, Zinc Fence Redemption, have taken the world by storm and singlehandedly changed the direction of a whole genre of music. It’s a great debut album, all-killa-no-filla and contains seven great tunes and three dub mixes. This is an album that will still be talked about in years to come, so do yourself a favour and buy it.
2. Etana – I Rise
3. Bugle – Anointed
4. Luciano – Zion Awake
5. Sizzla – Messiah
6. Gregory Porter – Liquid Spirit
7. Wilco Johnson & Roger Daltrey – Going Back Home
8. Pretty Things – Live @ 100 Club
9. High Learys- Here Comes The High Learys
10. Blue King Brown – Born Free
