Towa Tei
1. Towa Tei | AH!! (Machbeat)
The creative genius who mixed DEEE-LITE’s uniquely groovy sound has steadily released a solo album every couple years or so since the late ’90s. This most recent production is one of my favorites in a long time. Longtime fans can trace some of Towa Tei’s repurposed signature samples from all the way back in World Clique and Future Listening! days. It’s bouncy and fun, and tracks like “TYPICAL!” and “Happyend” just make me smile.
2. Deerhoof | Noble and Godlike in Ruin (Joyful Noise Recordings)
What the world needs now is more Deerhoof. Ever reminding us of our better nature and humanity via intricate, harmonious fretwork and liberated drums, this album is exactly what I needed this year. Satomi Matsuzaki plainly lays out the moral dilemmas of our time and compels us to avoid the complacency trap. The closer, “Immigrant Songs,” was released as a single in the springtime of our ICE raids, telling the story of our interdependence, pushing us beyond rhetoric to see the people behind the headlines.
3. Ty Segall | Possession (Drag City)
Ty has a lot of voices. In this particular iteration, he shows up on the rock and roll side of things, with a blend of acoustic and electric guitar and some solid ’70s burnout vibes. It’s mellow compared to the heavy rippers of Fuzz and buzzier than the jangly Freedom Band work. It feels like grilling in evening daylight at a summertime campsite or cruise control on a road trip. Crank the heat and point a fan at your face with “Alive” to cure the winter blues.
4. Little Simz | Lotus (Little Simz)
This is the sound of a person who has been through some stuff and grown wiser for it. Lotus is a little bitter with a timeless story of being overworked, betrayed, ripped off, and lonesome, with a consolation prize of self-confidence and power. It presents these jaded and guarded feelings from unique perspectives, with a beautiful range of voices, with appearances from Yukimi (Little Dragon), Michael Kiwanuka, and Nigerian singer Obongjayar. Of course, the rhymes are slick fire. Spin “Lion” when you need a pep talk.
5. Lukas Nelson | American Romance (Ace Records)
In his first album since Promise of the Real went on hiatus, Lukas Nelson has some real-talk life lessons to share. It’s an early midlife reckoning on relationships and careers, where the “wisdom” of elders starts to show its cracks and Nelson now has some of this own to impart. It’s catchy as all get out—“Ain’t Done” is one earworm among many. It’s a tinge saccharine at times, but the clarity of his voice on those perfectly-crafted melodies is undeniably endearing. “All God Did” encompasses all this with the furrowed brow of outlaw country he inherited from his father.
6. Osees | ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST (Deathgod Corp Records)
John Dwyer barks and I listen. The pounding drums and screeching guitars continue in the current configuration of two drummers and a keyboardist. The whole sound is an impeccably timed frenetic mess of crunchy guitar and crisp cymbals. “FIGHT SIMULATOR” brings all the elements together—Dwyer’s “signing” together with his froggy croak, drums ticking off like a crazed metronome, and some smashing keyboard discord.
7. El Michels Affair | 24 Hour Sports (Big Crown Records)
You can always count on Leon Michels to spin a compelling groove and draw in the coolest collaborators. This album delivers on both counts. “Say Goodbye” is the song you need to steel yourself against the haters. The appearance of Shintaro Sakamoto on “Indifference” got a squeal of pleasant surprise on my first listen. Clairo and Norah Jones also found a home here in Michels’ drowsy, laid-back style.
8. Sudan Archives | The BPM (Stones Throw Records)
This album is a party, and as the title suggests, it’s all about the beats—beats to make you move. It’s got a touch of strings, nodding to Britney Parks’ roots as a violinist. It’s got old school drum & bass. It’s got house lounge grooves. It’s got ’90s dance rhythms with background vocals. While NSFW, “MS. PAC MAN” is a blast to sing along with. Every time I listen, I get “MY TYPE” on replay in my head for the rest of the day. This album is addictive.
9. Bonginator | Retrodeath (Testimony Records)
A little levity, a little social commentary, and few well-placed weed references are tied together with action movie nostalgia in this gem of synth-metal unity. Dialogue excerpts from classic films such as Robocop and the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film provide delightful introductions to songs like “All Cops are Biomechs” and “Pizza Time,” featuring the foremost pizza thrash band, Belushi Speed Ball. I cannot get enough of the synthwave-into-double-bass combos.
10. Juana Molina | DOGA (Sonamos)
We waited eight years for a new album, and it felt like an eternity by today’s standards. Well worth it. Molina’s collage style applies to her album artwork as well as her sound—overlays of vocal mumblings and musings, strings fading in here and there, odd beeps and bloops. While the lyrical gymnastics will escape a non-Spanish speaker (“siestas ahí” is a play on words) the sound is enough to let us feel her thought process unfold, like overhearing someone talking to themselves. The resulting delicate and contemplative mood are perfect to get lost in when feeling creative.
11. Honorable Mention: Neko Case | Neon Grey Midnight Green (Anti-)
I know Neko Case is going to be on a lot of Top 10 lists this year, but I have to include it here, too, because this album is exquisite. Case is a poet and composer, painting a scenery of feelings in ways you had never considered but immediately understand. Her prose is haunting, and her harmonies are surprising. I can’t decide which I love more, “Winchester Mansion of Sound” or “Louise.” The whole album is gorgeous. | Courtney Dowdall
