2023 :: Favorite Music

December 18, 2023 by Brent Thomas in Artist Spotlight, Best of, New Music, Various Artists, Year End List, Jazz

Welcome to the 2023 Holiday at the Sea year-end music list. There was a lot of great music in 2023, but I’ve narrowed it down to my favorite top 50, presented here in alphabetical order. I hope you see some of your favorites and find something new. I’d love to hear your thoughts. What has been your favorite music of 2023?

the 2023 Holiday at the Sea year-end music list:

Afro Futuristic Dreams by Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids // BC // FB // Amzn //
A Trip To Bolgatanga by African Head Charge // BC // FB // Insta //Amzn //
Tony Allen JID018 by Tony Allen, Adrian Younge, & Ali Shaheed Muhammad (Jazz Is Dead) // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
New Blue Sun by André 3000 // site // Amzn //
My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross by Anohni & The Johnsons // site // BC // Insta // Amzn //

Love In Exile by Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily // site // Amzn //
Black Duck by Black Duck // BC // Amzn //
Sun Arcs by Blue Lake // BC // Amzn //
Sahel by Bombino // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You by Bonnie “Prince” Billy // BC // Amzn //

Dimanche à Bamako by Bounaly // BC // Amzn //
the Record by boygenius // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) by jaimie branch // site // BC // Amzn //
Nocturnal Country by Sammy Brue // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Villagers by Califone // site // BC // FB // Amzn //

Chitinous Mandible by Chitinous Mandible // site // BC // Insta // Amzn //
Hostile Environment by Creation Rebel // BC // Amzn //
Shadow Kingdom by Bob Dylan // site // FB // Amzn //
& the Charm by Avalon Emerson // site // BC // Insta // Amzn //
Some Kinda Love Performing The Music Of the Velvet Underground by the Feelies // site // BC // Amzn //

A River Running To Your Heart by Fruit Bats // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Let the Moon Be a Planet by Steve Gunn & David Moore // BC // Amzn //
Philanthropy by Hauschka // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Days In The Desert by High Pulp // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Oh Me Oh My by Lonnie Holley // site // BC // FB // Amzn //

James and the Giants by James and the Giants // BC // Amzn //
Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey // site // FB // Amzn //
New Future City Radio by Damon Locks & Rob Mazurek // BC // Amzn //
No Fixed Point In Space by Modern Nature // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
the Age of Pleasure by Janelle Monae // site // BC // FB // Amzn //

Since Time Is Gravity by Natural Information Society // site // BC // Amzn //
Travel by the Necks // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Jump On It by Bill Orcutt // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Switched-On by Pachyman // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
After the Magic by 파란노을 (Parannoul) // BC // Insta // Amzn //

The Times by Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Drag On Girard by Purling Hiss // BC // FB // Amzn //
the Window by Ratboys // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Garden Party by Rose City Band // site // BC // Insta // Amzn //
Live at Third Man Records by Rich Ruth // BC // Insta // Amzn //

Robed In Rareness by Shabazz Palaces // BC // FB // Amzn //
Everything Is Alive by Slowdive // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Javelin by Sufjan Stevens // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Music Is Victory Over Time by Sunwatchers // BC // FB // Amzn //
Secret Stratosphere by William Tyler And The Impossible Truth // BC // FB // Amzn //

Rat Saw God by Wednesday // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Zango by Witch // BC // Amzn //
Perennial by Woods // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
This Stupid World by Yo La Tengo // site // BC // FB // Amzn //
Heaven Is a Junkyard by Youth Lagoon // site // BC // Insta // Amzn //

2020 Year-End Music Round-Up Wrap-Up Extravaganza

December 21, 2020 by Brent Thomas in Year End List, Music, Best of

No one could have predicted a year like 2020. The live music industry is on life support. Bandcamp came through just about better than anyone else to support music. And there was a ton of great music released this year.

Per the norm, I do not rank albums. Music is not a competition and my taste is not your taste. So, after lots of thought and list-shuffling and winnowing, these are the 75 albums that really stood out for me. My original list was quite a bit longer (and you can always keep up in real-time by following the Yearly Bookkeeping page), so I can tell you that this list provides a great overview of my music listening for this crazy year.

Here are my favorite 75 albums of 2020.

The Visual List:

03 Time is A Gift Which We Share All The Time.jpg

17 I Just Wasn't Made For These Set Times.jpg

62 Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase_.jpg

The Alphabet List:

Live at Tubby's by 75 Dollar Bill Little Big Band
Shaman! by Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids
Time is A Gift Which We Share All The Time by Afriquoi
Rejoice by Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela
Live by Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood
Fu Chronicles by Antibalas
Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple
Roy Ayers JID002 by Roy Ayers, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Ex-Voto by Jamie Barnes
Please Advise by Beauty Pill
Crash Test Kid by Sammy Brue
Long In The Tooth by the Budos Band
Regresa by Buscabulla
Shadow Talk by Café Racer
Echo Mine by Califone
Gold Record by Bill Callahan
Have We Met by Destroyer
I Just Wasn't Made For These Set Times by Dire Wolves (Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band)
Rough and Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan
Afternoon Tea at Six by Eishan Ensemble
Acoustic Storm Sessions by Elkhorn
Kahil El’Zabar’s Spirit Groove by Kahil El'Zabar & David Murray
Wake Up! by Hazel English
Shore by Fleet Foxes
A Hero’s Death by Fontaines D.C.
Peoples Motel Band by Chris Forsyth and Garcia Peoples
SOURCE by Nubya Garcia
Nightcap at Wits' End by Garcia Peoples
Big Dark Bright Futures by Growing Concerns Poetry Collective
Women In Music Pt. III by Haim
Infinity Of Now by the Heliocentrics
National Freedom by Lonnie Holley
Muerto, Carcel o Rocanroll by Huntingtons
Beginners by Christian Lee Hutson
Reuinions by Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit
Babani Koné by Babani Koné
Mutation by Les Freres Smith
2020 by Magik Markers
Eno Axis by H.C. McEntire
Joshua Massad & Dylan Aycock by Joshua Massad & Dylan Aycock
Microphones in 2020 by the Microphones
Circles by Mac Miller
Dimensional Stardust by Rob Mazurek/Exploding Star Orchestra
Annual by Modern Nature
Getting Into Knives by the Mountain Goats
Staunch Honey by David Nance
Three by the Necks
Rob Noyes & Sam Moss by Rob Noyes & Sam Moss
We No Be Machine by Onipa
Jams From The Sun by Oregon Space Trail of Jazz
High Upon The Mountain by Pacific Range
Suite For Max Brown by Jeff Parker
Summerlong by Rose City Band
RTJ4 by Run The Jewels
Landwerk demos by Nathan Salsburg
Acoustic by Oumou Sangaré
Untitled (Black Is) by Sault
We Are Sent Here By History by Shabaka and the Ancestors
The Don of Diamond Dreams by Shabazz Palaces
Ocean Bridges by Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic & Damu the Fudgemunk
Companion Rises by Six Organs of Admittance
Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? by The Soft Pink Truth
Optimisme by Songhoy Blues
Swirling by Sun Ra Arkestra
Oh Yeah? by Sunwatchers
Wooden Flower by Tambourinen
Folklore by Taylor Swift
Nomad by Tengger
Sun Racket by Throwing Muses
Siftorde by Tidiane Thiam
New Vanitas by William Tyler
The Great Mountain by Waterless Hills
Eau’d To A Fake Bookie Volume 3 by Wet Tuna
Strange to Explain by Woods
Homegrown by Neil Young

Browse Volume 01 of my 2020 favorites playlist
Browse Volume 02 of my 2020 favorites playlist
Browse Volume 03 of my 2020 favorites playlist
Browse Volume 04 of my 2020 favorites playlist
Browse Volume 05 of my 2020 favorites playlist

Holiday At The Sea's Favorite 2020 Music Mix (Volume 04)

December 21, 2020 by Brent Thomas in Artist Spotlight, Best of, Free Music, Mix, Music, Music Mix, Playlist, Reflection, Review, Year End List

Volume 04 of some of Holiday at the Sea’s favorite 2020 music. I chose 75 albums this year and the playlists total 74 songs since “Microphones in 2020 by the Microphones” is 45 minutes long and I didn’t want to include the whole album as part of a mix.

Anyways, enjoy!