YTD recordings listened to: 529
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 307
Not good music: 182
Honorable Mentions: 14
Buys: 9
Possibles: Chris McGregor, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Dave Arner Trio, Bill Horist, MAKU Soundsystem, Zomby, Retox, About Group, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Bone Dance, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Debruit, Slidhr, The Whammies, The Chewers, Alexander Hawkins, Toxic Holocaust, Equal Stones, Comeback Kid, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Lenguas Largas, The Coral, Spacesuits, T.O.M.B., Fofoulah, Lozen, Erase Errata, Mohamed Abozekry, Dawn Richard, Leo Welch, Mastery, Leviathan, Xibalba, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Ellen Jewell, Akitsa, Chico Trujillo, Richard Thompson, Evan Caminiti
@@@ Abandoned Delta: Abandoned Delta (Self-released?, 2015) Some roots music that straddles folk, bluegrass, alt-country, and baroque indie. For example, the first tune sports a bluegrass shuffle and a horn line — so it’s that sort of unexpected mash which I respect. There are two singers in this outfit (thus far) and the focus of the tunes sweet melancholia with a refreshing lack of hipster irony. The singer sounds a whole bunch like the singer in They Might Be Giants. Check ’em out.
@@@ Turbowolf: Two Hands (Spinefarm, 2015). Some heavy music from a British act that I saw on the Beats highlights page. After a strummed intro they get into an uptempo quasi-thrash section. You will get your daily dosage of big guitar riff, a good singer that is part classic metal/part grungy, and a drummer that straddles mainstream FM heavy music with dashes of thrash. It’s a little dirtier than your radio ready heavy music, but this is not your full on melted, nasty metal. This singer is most definitely the kind of dude that will rock some leather pants onstage.
@@@ Slightly Stoopid: Meanwhile…back at the Lab (Slightly Stoopid, 2015). Some newly manufactured dub reggae this is inspired by the classics. A modern drum sound but a super tasty/catchy bass player that will gladly drill a hole in your head, with congas, big fat bubbling organ clouds, swankly guitar and some active horn lines. At least on this first tune. The second tune, This Version sports a singer who brings a laid-back but very rhythmic flow to the proceedings. He’s a bit more ska/dancehall than a classic reggae singer. Oh, they’re starting to stretch and dub out the tracks here. Points off for the white boy Sublime reggae power ballad as the third tune. I will be hauling out the Lee Perry vinyl at this point. I got to this record via the new adds at WRIR in Virginia.
The Cross Pollinator 