This album was definitely rushed to capitalize on the Spice Girls’ fame, so you wouldn’t be faulted for perceiving it as Spice the Sequel. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Deluxe Edition), Nov. 25
For a 2002 album, Yoshimi definitely deserved its spot on critics’ year-end lists, but next to The Soft Bulletin, it didn’t quite satisfy the same itch.
Sigur Rós, () (Deluxe Edition), Nov. 25
I’m getting this deluxe edition because I’m a fan of the band, but I don’t really like this album.
Shiina Ringo, Hyakuyaku no Cho, Nov. 30
We’ve already had a tribute album, so let’s see what a remix album yields.
Impossible Princess was never released in the US, but at least you can stream it now. For its 25th anniversary, the album gets a vinyl reissue. I’m hoping it’s not going to be as difficult to acquire as Fever vinyl reissues.
Death Cab for Cutie, The Photo Album (Deluxe Edition), Oct. 28
Death Cab for Cutie already released this deluxe edition digitally, and the vinyl edition is essentially the only physical version of this reissue. As a compact disc devotee, I’m disappointed, but if the enclosed download code gives me access to the Bandcamp FLAC files, I can get over it.
Duran Duran, Hammersmith Live ’82, Nov. 25 Marshall Crenshaw, Marshall Crenshaw (Deluxe Edition), Nov. 25 The Dead Milkmen, Metaphysical Graffiti, Nov. 25
For the past few years, Record Store Day Black Friday hasn’t been as financially ruinous as the main spring event, but this year, I’ll be braving the crowds for Duran Duran, Marshall Crenshaw and the Dead Milkmen.
Information Society, Peace and Love (Anniversary Edition), Dec. 2
I remember learning about the release date of this album back in 1992 and thought there would be a big push to promote it. Then I forgot about it. Evidently, so did Tommy Boy. It’s a rather underrated album.
Soundtrack, BLEACH, Dec. 14
Yes, I subscribed to Hulu just to catch BLEACH: Thousand Year Blood War. And yeah, the moment this title was announced, I put in a pre-order.
I’m old enough now that I can no longer be mistaken for someone remotely connected to the zeitgeist. A phrase I would often employ was, “I know of them, but I’ve not heard from them.” These days, the first part of that phrase is a stretch.
That said, I’m surprised by the number of R&B titles that have crept into my playlist rotation. I’m still a rockist at heart, but rock is loosening its grip on my attention.
Sturgill Simpson, Sound & Fury: How was Sturgill Simpson ever going to top A Sailor’s Guide to Earth? He didn’t. He veered so drastically in a different direction that the albums can’t be compared. None of his albums can be compared to each other.
Torche, Admission: Torche can be found under the metal section of most music stores, but when I play their albums, I hear post-rock.
Weezer, Weezer (Teal Album): It’s a karaoke album, but a painstakingly created one.
Jeremy Denk, c.1300-c.2000: It’s a tall order to compile eight centuries of music into a single program.
John Luther Adams, Become Desert: It was also stirring to hear this piece live.
Cocco, Star Shank: We hear hints of clouds covering the sunniness of Cocco’s later work.
BBMAK, Powerstation: I will not lie — I’ve anticipating this album for most of the year, and I do not care who knows.
Shiina Ringo, Sandokushi: This album is a glorious mess.
Solange, When I Get Home: Similar to Sound and Fury, this album is confounding and fascinating at the same time. There’s nothing on here that matches the tunefulness of A Seat at the Table, and it would be too disruptive to the album’s flow if there were.
Jamila Woods, Legacy! Legacy!: “Basquiat” was playing on the in-store system at Sonic Boom, and it pretty much clinched my decision to get this album.
Shiina Ringo, Newton no Ringo ~Hajimete no Best Han~
Oh, it’s just a compilation with a bunch of bonus tracks. Surely, it just rehashes what we’ve heard over the last 20 years? Not so fast. A number of early tracks have been remixed in a way that actually brings new character to what Shiina calls her youthful works. As for the new songs? Well, if you’re not a fan of the most recent albums, these tracks aren’t going to dissuade you.
Michael Kiwanuka, KIWANUKA
I picked up Michael Kiwanuka’s debut album from the thrift store and was immediately impressed. I sought out his second album and didn’t warm up to it as much. That planted some hesitancy on picking up this latest album, which turned out to be unfounded. This album takes Kiwanuka in a new direction.
LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
I really dig the “Drunk Girls” video, but I can’t say I remember much about This Is Happening. The band’s debut, Sound of Silver, is often touted as their best work, so I gave it a chance when I spotted it in the thrift shop. Conventional wisdom turns out to be correct.
Leila Josefowicz, Solos
I picked this album up because of the Ysaÿe Sonata No. 3 for solo violin. It’s a monstrous piece.
Yvonne Elliman, Rising Sun
Yvonne Elliman will be known as a disco singer, but after her run as Mary Magdalene in the original cast of Jesus Christ Superstar, she tried her hand at a more conventional folk-rock sound. As with Love Me, Rising Sun demonstrates how underrated Elliman is.
Peter Moon Band, Cane Fire!
Back in college, I tried to explore Hawaiian music, but my rockist bias against the genre would be difficult to overcome. Still, I picked up Cane Fire! on the recommendation of people more versed in the genre than I was, and … I was still too much of a snob to give it fair shake. Three decades have tempered that snobbery, and it turns out Cane Fire! really stands out.
I gave this album a cursory preview when it first appeared in mid-2018, but I didn’t follow up till now. Shires’ husband, Jason Isbell, sang the album’s praises, and he’s right — To the Sunset is ambitious.
John Luther Adams, Become Desert
I went to the Saturday world premiere of this work in 2018, so it was pretty much guaranteed a spot on this list.
Frida, Something’s Going On
This album would be akin to Janet Jackson’s Control in the way Frida distances herself from ABBA.
Shiina Ringo, Sandokushi
No, this album won’t dislodge Shiina’s first three albums off the pedestal, but it’s her most diverse since Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana, and Shiina on an off-day is still many leagues interesting than most artists at their apex.
Soundtrack, Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu Ka?
My experience with anime can be divided in two: before “Do You Remember Love?” and after “Do You Remember Love?” I will always treasure Robotech for introducing me to Japanese animation, but that show really did butcher the source material.
Madonna, Madame X
The singles preceding Madame X‘s release did not do the album justice. It’s a far more ambitious work than the singles let on.
Re-Flex, The Politics of Dancing
The Politics of Dancing is a reliably 80s synth album, but that title track is an unshakable earworm. Cherry Red in the UK is giving it an expanded reissue in July 2019.
Roger Daltery, Under a Raging Moon
This album is steeped in the ’80s, which is probably why it appeals to me so much.
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