I started running out of things to say just as the SARS-CoV2 spread in the US, and when the lockdown happened, I threw myself into recording a pair of cover albums. I wasn’t buying much music, nor listening to anyone other than myself. By the time I finished making the albums, stores were opening up, and my music buying eventually resumed.
But I still don’t have much to say.
That doesn’t mean I’ve run out of opinions. So here are my favorites of the year so far.
New releases
Sam Sparro, Boombox Eternal
Timo Andres / Brad Mehldau / Jeremy Denk / Randy Newman, I Still Play
Perfume Genius, Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
Jason Isbell and 400 Unit, Reunions
The Streets, None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive
Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
… And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, X: The Godless Void and Other Stories
The amount of acclaim surrounding this album made me think it might overcome my general ambivalence about Fiona Apple. And yes, I like it. Is it the weirdest album I’ve ever heard? Not by a long shot. But any artist aiming to make their own Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana is fine by me.
Les Rythmes Digitales, Darkdancer
At the time of its release, Darkdancer drew comparisons to’80s music. I didn’t hear it, but in retrospect, I still had a lot to learn about the decade up in which I grew. I gave up this album when cash got tight, but I welcomed it back with a purchase at the thrift shop.
Post Malone, Hollywood’s Burning
I picked up this album from Goodwill for $2. I see the youth mentioning him a lot, so I wanted to find out why. I found myself liking it more than I expected.
Nakamori Akina, AKINA BOX, 1982-1989
I downloaded this boxed set from the Evil Sharing Networks months back, but the pandemic gave me time to take a deep enough dive that I dropped a non-trivial amount of cash to own it outright. I used birthday money.
![[Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/WayneShorterSpeakNoEvil325044_f.jpg)
![[Sam Sparro - Boombox Eternal]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SamSparroBoomboxEternal-300x300.jpg)
![[Les Rythmes Digitales - Darkdancer]](https://musicwhore.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/LesRythmesDigitalesDarkda234652_f-300x300.jpeg)