[mrjonathanr]

Underground genres influencing the mainstream wasn't really what I meant, I was trying to describe something more amorphous where music is about more than music, where it defines or is associated with a particular moment in culture.

I do not think it is the same now. In a society defined by consumerism our sense of who we truly are is defined through the purchase of consumer goods (or services). There are no longer any records to buy (except for those who define themseves by their niche interest in vinyl), so naturally a record is no longer an important cultural or societal moment, even if it is a Beyonce record.

TL;DR Albums don't matter anymore. There is streaming.

I like the idea of jwi and Andy M as some sort of fusion of Roland Barthes and Paul Gambacinni.

[andy moles]

I don't know enough about Paul Gambaccini to understand this reference, but I don't think I like it.

[andy moles]

In reply to Teestub, you're probably right that Oasis/Britpop is a shit example, though not quite as bad as nu metal 

I'm finding it difficult to define what I mean, which means perhaps I'm talking bollocks?

Maybe underground punching mainstream is part of it but not enough in itself to seem like a 'big moment'. The recent example that does jump to mind is Stormzy at Glastonbury, a charismatic black artist who's outspoken on contemporary race issues headlining the most iconic festival?

[teestub]

In reply to Teestub, you're probably right that Oasis/Britpop is a shit example, though not quite as bad as nu metal 

Ha it’s easy to forget but nu metal took over the world for a couple of years, it was everywhere, and probably more of a global event than britpop anyway. This is not to comment on the quality of the music, but it was a ‘cultural moment’ 😄

I do agree with the broader point that streaming has changed listening practices, when I was younger pre iPods, I’d often end up listening to the radio on long drives, even if a lot of it was objectionable as it was easier than changing CDs, so I was aware of what was popular etc.  Can’t remember the last time I listened to the radio now.

There was an interesting article in the guardian a little while ago about streaming listening habits which doesn’t really gel with my own experience but I think it made some good points about making conscious choices https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2022/sep/27/theres-endless-choice-but-youre-not-listening-fans-quitting-spotify-to-save-their-love-of-music

[battery]

The comments up the thread about 'moments' instantly brought to mind the recent Taylor Swift album release which certainly caused a huge buzz pre release and was obviously well received given the top 10 in the charts was tracks from that album.

Stormzy at Glastonbury was the other 'moment' that sprung to mind - grime having a mainstream platform like that was pretty huge, along with the Superbowl half time show. Black youth culture being placed front and centre at worldwide events like this reflects much more of a cultural event with wider ripples through society than something like Brit pop in my view.

Interestingly as soon as Stormzy began to go mainstream his popularity with young people dropped, as it did with Dave and Bugzy Malone.

Drill and Grime are hugely popular with young people. But it is very local, they often talk about local areas, streets and beefs, the videos are filmed on local streets and feature postcodes. To me artists are going to reach a point where they either change their content to appeal to a broader market and alienate those core fans or they limit their success. So, locally their are huge moments (Bugzy Malone at Manchester international Festival) but they might not have such a broad cultural appeal.

[SA Chris]

https://www.nme.com/big-reads/the-50-best-albums-of-2022-3363070

more of the same.

38. The Smile – ‘A Light For Attracting Attention’ - went unnoticed - just listening, sounds like one of the better (but not best) Radiohead albums.

[andy moles]

sounds like one of the better (but not best) Radiohead albums.

I'd agree with that analysis.

No offence to the other members of Radiohead, but it turns out an album made by Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood sounds exactly like Radiohead.

[andy moles]

Best album cover of 2022?

[Andy W]

Out of context I’d say it’s extremely misogynistic.

[Johnny Brown]

I can't really even imagine enjoying looking at that. Of those lists I like the Warpaint cover. Call me boring...

[andy moles]

Out of context I’d say it’s extremely misogynistic.

Context: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/arca-kick-album-art-video-frederik-heyman/

Arca identifies as a non-binary trans woman, I guess it's supposed to be provocative rather than misogynistic.

I mean it's horrible to look at, but it's quite striking.

[Mike Highbury]

Out of context I’d say it’s extremely misogynistic.

Arca identifies as a non-binary trans woman, I guess it's supposed to be provocative rather than misogynistic.

I mean it's horrible to look at, but it's quite striking.

So a bloke who has sex with women?

[edshakey]

So a bloke who has sex with women?

Nope, she's a woman who, from a quick look at Wikipedia, has dated men. So potentially wrong on two counts.

Hopefully this thread doesn't get derailed by casual transphobia, whatever the intentions were.

https://www.nme.com/big-reads/the-50-best-albums-of-2022-3363070

Surprised to see artic monkeys at number one. I didn't follow closely but I thought their new album was not met with universal acclaim? Although I suppose that's not what this list is trying to measure.

[SA Chris]

It's NME. Arctic Monkeys could release an album of Alex Turner reciting a phone directory accompanied by a toddler on a Casiotone keyboard and it would be hailed as genius.

I really like a few tracks, but there is a lot of filler.

[teestub]

So a bloke who has sex with women?

Nope, she's a woman who, from a quick look at Wikipedia, has dated men. So potentially wrong on two counts.

Hopefully this thread doesn't get derailed by casual transphobia, whatever the intentions were.

Here here 

[andy moles]

My bad, I shouldn't have posted that without context about the artist and her music, which is sometimes equally confrontational.

[spidermonkey09]

It's NME. Arctic Monkeys could release an album of Alex Turner reciting a phone directory accompanied by a toddler on a Casiotone keyboard and it would be hailed as genius.

I really like a few tracks, but there is a lot of filler.

I really rate it. Much prefer it to Tranquility Base and am glad they aren't still trying to play the same stuff they played when they were 17. I think a lot of people want another AM, which is my favourite album as well, but I do respect their complete commitment to making the music they want to.

[SA Chris]

Maybe need to give it more time. From the first few tracks in I hoped it would be more like his Last Shadow Puppets stuff, so maybe it's my expectations.

[jwi]

Here are past year's recommendations:
New music 2021
New music 2020
New music 2019
2018 New (and some old) Music
Best new music 2017
Best new music 2016
Best of 2015 music thread
Best of 2014 new music (a bit early)
Albums, music, songs of 2013..

It is already yule, and I guess that for the rest of the year only holiday nonsense will be released. So I will write my own list now.

Main principle: the artist and songs I recommend must be on my yearly list of most streamed songs on spotify, or played so often on youtube that their algos pushes it all the time.

(To be perfectly honest, according to Spotify, I mostly listened to Gabriel Fauré this year. Especially his vocal and choir music. This is probably not interesting to anyone)

I am not sure how to do with stuff that is released towards the end of the year? The new album by Stormzy seems brilliant so far? SZA's as well, but it has a million songs-some of them a bit samey. Sometimes songs grow with time, sometimes they fade... My guess is that I will like Stormzy's album quite a bit in retrospect, but who knows.

Best piano/chill beats to study to

I have listened to a fairly reasonable amount of Vikingur Olafsson recordings over the last few years. It is mostly his Bach interpretations that are close to my heart. His album "From afar" contains a lot of classic piano repertoire with some lesser known pieces and some new arrangements played in the dry nordic style my teachers tried to impart on me (“less pedal, less rubato if you please”). The songs are chosen in order to impress György Kurtág. The gimmick is that it is a two-disc set with the same pieces played twice, first on a grand piano, then on an upright. I am a piano-geek but even I could not care less about the difference. So any of these two discs would have been sufficient.

Best new jazz/Album of the year/Unchill beats
DOMi & JD Beck: NOT TiGHT




Keys! With drums! Anyone who vaguely follow the LA music scene from near or afar knows about these two wonder-kids. (Well DOMi is a grown woman by now I suppose). Here they play some of their own idiosyncratic stuff. DOMi is a product of the best music education Paris has to offer and JD Beck learned the drums from youtube. They found each other when Beck was in his mid-teens, DOMi a few years older, and have since been pretty much inseparable.

The album is a bit of mess, with lots of vocals (because of being signed with Anderson PAAK, I guess) and way too many guest artists (Herbie Hancock, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Snoop Dogg, Anderson Paak and Mac Demarco). It is great though. But maybe not as great as their live performances of silly stuff:



Also check out their tiny desk concert for a good introduction to their vibe.

Best Tiny Desk concert. Existentialism-as-a-genre-of-disco from Brussels.



There's a lot of brilliant pop-music being made in Belgium (Damso, Angel, etc...). All of them are of course influenced by the great Jacques Brel and are forced by the weight of his legacy to write good lyrics. The current maestro is Stromae.

His album that was released this year after six years of silence following a burn-out depression and whatnot. Appart from Santé, L'enfer and Mon Amour there were not really any songs that stuck with me. Stromae is a great live artist and his band is amazing, and has many great songs so this is good. Very good. Turn on the subs, the lyrics are good. Like really good.

Other mentions: La Zarra (French variety from Canada),

Kendrick Lamar, etc.

[spidermonkey09]

Maybe need to give it more time. From the first few tracks in I hoped it would be more like his Last Shadow Puppets stuff, so maybe it's my expectations.

I thought it was much more Shadow Puppety than early Arctics-y interestingly. I think Tranquility Base and The Car are quite comparable to that type of literature which seems really dense until it clicks in your brain and then you read it totally differently. Something like Milan Kundera or Ondaatje perhaps?

[SA Chris]

That's too high brow for me!

My favourite new discovery has been this



lovely summer jazz vibe, no idea how to pronounce the name though. No album release yet.

[jwi]

Nice! Dutch?

[steveri]

Algorithm tells me it's been Yard Act, Hamish Hawk, Self Esteem, Half Man Half Biscuit this year. Honourable mention Wind-Up Birds, Olafur Arnalds. Emmeline is doing it for me right now: https://open.spotify.com/album/74myk5fWmWOrb1sUYjb6h0

[largeruk]

lovely summer jazz vibe, no idea how to pronounce the name though. No album release yet.

That prompted me to re-find this from earlier this year. 2 legends of the Ibiza scene (one Spanish, one American), a Belgian chanteuse and a Danish guitarist bring the Donna Summer-tinged chill vibes.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=rSm9ocTSrVs

Edit: can someone enlighten me how to show videos in a post rather than just a hyperlink. Cheers.

[teestub]

I think if you stick the www in there you should get a vid embedded