Yay! It’s time for the The Quietus to give us its list of their 100 favourite albums of the year so far. As usual, there’s a smattering of widely praised records you’ll find on most current critics’ lists (Yves Tumor, Arca, J Hus, Run The Jewels) as well as some pretty mainstream catchy pop (Dua Lipa, Georgia, Charli XCX) among the 80 to 90 acts you’ve never heard of. Curious about these, you might investigate some of the descriptions, where you will find the words “drone”, “noise”, “cacophony” and “ concrète” a bit more frequently than in the old Smash Hits polls.
Number 13, Mestarin Kynsi by Oranssi Pazazu, we are told “sounds like a skipping Neurosis cd played at an uncomfortably high frequency”,
Number 44, Endless Wound by Black Curse, contains “dive bomb beats that sound like a horse being torn in half”.
Even better, Number 40, Jason Crumer’s eponymous album opens with “discomposing drones … that rumble away; it’s like waiting for results from an oncologist”. Very tempting!
But, just as we know what to expect in different varieties of restaurants, we already know the The Quietus is the go-to place for shining light into certain less-visited corners of the pop world. This, and the quality of writing is a service. From my initial toe-dipping, I think I may end up liking Nidia’s Não Fales Nela Que A Mentes a great deal and am intrigued by parts of several others.
Also, I had no idea Cavern Of Anti-Matter had released a movie soundtrack this year, or that Aidan Moffat had put out an album of atmospheric instrumentals under the name of Nyx Nótt. Another service!
Do you shun these wilful weirdos?
Or are you waist deep in the relentless ear torture of Club Quietus?
Maybe, like me, you enjoy taking a look and sampling whatever takes your fancy..?
Anything here you’d like to recommend to the massive?
https://thequietus.com/articles/28423-quietus-albums-of-the-year-so-far-2020
Heeeerrrrrre’s Squarepusher:
I read some of their articles which, as you say, are very well written. It can be an interesting place, and I was pleased to see them recommending Pigs7. However, I wouldn’t touch their recommended albums with a shitty stick, as it all seems a bit too “Nathan Barley” for me.
Well the Arbouretum album is good but that’s all I can guarantee. I’m sure the Nadine Shah is too, but I’m a bit Nadined out so may not wish to add to my collection. Most of the rest seem generated by the 50 monkeys with typewriters trope in terms of the names of bands and albums, with missing keys on most of the typewriters at that. The reviews are then written by the cream of advertising agency wordsmiths, capable of having you consider the worth of buying a discolourant for water.
I`ve heard of maybe a dozen of the artists but I only have one of the hundred albums and that`s Arbouretum`s and I back `retro` up in saying that it`s good. In fact it`s very good.
I did listen to some of the Lee Ranaldo & Raül Refree album being a fan of Lee Renaldo but it`s not for me.
I doubt I`ll have any of The Quietus final end of year 100 seeing as Arbouretum are number 80ish. I`m not bothered either.
For what it’s worth the Laura Cannell is stunning as is all her stuff.
I listen to a lot of new music, but I only have/have heard 5 of them and I have only heard of another half dozen or so of the other artists. If ever my hit rate was any higher I’d be quite suspicious that they’d been infiltrated,
I haven’t recorded an album and it’s in at number five.
⬆️ Arf!
Bit of a career gear change for Daniel Craig to come up with his little anticipated beat concrete album.
I’ll say it again: I was watching Coachella last year and “Idris Elba” was on the bill. I assumed it was some bunch of hipsters who liked the sound of the name until the Pacific Rim star popped up on stage, cans around his neck, to perform a full handsaloft DJ set..
You know when they say ” the devil has all the best tunes’? Clearly not. Satan – in with a blank at 100.
Ooh! I missed a good ‘un:
79 Memnon Sa – World Serpent
“Its doomy, droning soundscapes are ambient music for the daubing of large pentangles in red on chilly marble floors”.
I usually have a handfull of albums off their lists, but this time only two (and one of them only ordered but not yet arrived).
Even more strange; the list features three Swedish artists, and I haven’t heard of any of them before!
This thread is the ‘Deep State’ of the Afterword.
I have two out of the 100 – Arboretum and Nadine Shah and they are both very good.
I may consider Shabazz Palaces but doubt anything else
As a member of the Rough Trade club they did send me Pigs x 6 but the music was as awful as their name and I promptly sent it back.
Although I’m a big fan of Laura Cannell, Richard Skelton and Sarah Davachi, I haven’t snapped up their 2020 albums that have made the Quietus Hot 100.
So that means I’ve only got one – ONE – album that’s in the chart. Oh the SHAME of it.
That album is the Jeff Parker one at No.5.
It’s really good.
Quietus SHAME ? (tmftl).
That’s nothing. I regularly feel inadequate when I read on here most of your and Tiggers out of list lists.
I have read bits of the Quietus as I have chased down the writing of Taylor Parkes, but the wilful obscurity of the music they champion usually has me losing interest pretty quickly.
I also take issue with issuing a top 100 albums for a given year. Grow some balls and make it a top 5, or 10 at the most.
If Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat aren’t on the list then I’m not interested