#what about a river kate and jack trio

[raggedydocs]

Wow for someone who said she wasn’t going to overhype today’s reveal, I just realised how much I’ve always wanted to see Jack and River on screen together and how iconic that partnership would be ffs.

[doubleattitude]

24/SEVEN Dance Convention, Knoxville, TN: RESULTS

High Scores by Age:

Sidekick Solo

1st: Mazie Kemp-’Pure Imagination’

2nd: Molly Stiefel-’If My Friends Could See Me Now’

3rd: Aleena Vazquez-’My Boyfriend’s Back’

4th: Harper Duncan-’I Dreamed a Dream’

Mini Solo

1st: Kate Jarboe-’Hit the Road Jack’

2nd: Skylar Wong-’Unspeakable Joy’

3rd: Dakota Casteel-’Marina Gasolina’

3rd: Emma Cathcart-’Ooh Child’

3rd: Zoe Swope-’S’Wonderful’

3rd:Allie Plott-’The Path’

4th: Sarah Shoup-’Cold Hearted Snake’

5th: Blakely Barton-’Amazing Mayzie’

5th: Savannah Renshaw-’Rainbow’

6th: Aurora Brady-’Hit the Road Jack’

6th: Claire Hansen-’Marathon In Roses’

6th: Ellie Guillaume-’Once Upon Another Time’

6th: Scarlet Murphy-’The Ghost of You’

7th: Nicole Yordanova-’Miss Spectacular’

8th: Maelee James-’Respect’

9th: Caroline Reece-’Coastline’

9th: Tya Tyler-’Hollow’

9th: Payten Childress-’Wildflower’

10th: Lydia McCurry-’All That Jazz’

Junior Solo

1st: Aaliyah Dixon-’Icon’

2nd: Kylie Kaminsky-’Beneath the Surface’

3rd: Haydyn Jackson-’Dex’

4th: Haven Greene-’Diamond’s Are A Girl’s Best Friend’

4th: Leila Winker-’Takt’

5th: Campbell Clark-’Blah Blah Cha Cha Cha’

5th: Kayley Salyer-’Come Healing’

5th: Eva Jimmerson-’Condor Pasa’

5th: Grace Woodbury-’I Feel Pretty’

5th: Stella Benevicz-’Warrior’

6th: Natalie Soza-’Desire’

6th: Kaylin Gabosch-’Locomotion’

7th: Caroline Powell-’How Rare’

7th: Kathryn Roth-’Send in the Clowns’

7th: Braelynn Schaffer-’Stairway to Heaven’

7th: Madilyn Lanman-’Sweet Child O’ Mine’

8th: Taylin Hancock-’Doomed’

8th: Tatum Fischer-’Fabulous’

8th: Vivi Rae Richardson-’I Miss Her’

8th Alexandra Zuccaro-’Stronger’

9th: Anna Hughes-’Second Chance’

10th: Mariah Williams-’Lost Without You’

Teen Solo

1st: Hayley Wilson-’Leaving Song’

2nd: Blanche Arnold-’How to Be Your Own Person’

3rd: Tatiana Hagee-’Harvest Moon’

3rd: Olivia Taylor-’Weightless’

4th: Isabella Pinkston-’Sprig of Thyme’

4th: Ava Cassidy-’Witness’

5th: Jenna Jarboe-’Don’t Let Me Go’

5th: Ella Howell-’Nothing’

5th: Nariah Mullins-’This Place Was A Shelter’

6th: Joely Stupeck-’The Parting Glass’

6th: Johanna Jessen-’The Party’s Over’

7th: Stella Morris-’Embrace’

7th: Olivia Kohler-’Is That Alright’

7th: Kenley Campbell-’Smile’

7th: Liza Grace Cole-’Time’

8th: Hannah Webb-’Holy Water’

8th: Tabbi Courts-’Porcelain’

8th: Hannah Jones-’Snow’

9th: Siena Rick-’Fortune Teller’

9th: Wells McEntyre-’Like Water’

9th: Allie Douglas-’The Bird’

9th: ?

10th: Brooke Phillips-’I’d Hoped to Settle This’

10th: Gabrielle Bradley-’Just A Girl’

10th: Jessica Alexander-’Some Unholy War’

10th: Emily Haas-’You Are So Beautiful’

Senior Solo

1st: Jaylin Sanders-’Elements’

2nd: Braylan Enscoe-’Fur Elise’

3rd: Brooke Cheek-’The Beginning and The End’

4th: Alexandra Jinglov-’Action Reaction’

5th: Destiny Patterson-’What Good Am I’

6th: Makayla D’Ambrosio-’Consider This’

7th: Allie Hazelwood-’Moon River’

7th: Kendall Smith-’Saint Honesty’

8th: Caitlyn Knowles-’Broken Ballerina’

9th: Alexis Reese-’My Way’

9th: Anna Kriofske-’What Am I To You’

10th: Destiny Fields-’Destiny Fields’

Mini Duo/Trio

1st: ‘Dance With Me Tonight’-Revolution Dance

2nd: ‘High Enough’-Music City All Stars

3rd: ‘Brave’-Tri-Cities Dance Company

Junior Duo/Trio

1st: ‘Silly Boy’-Revolution Dance

2nd: ‘You Will Be Found’-The Dance Centre

3rd: ‘Shake Shake’-Oak Ridge Academy of Dance

Teen Duo/Trio

1st: ‘Wash’-Indy Dance Academy

2nd: ‘Love Triangle’-Dance Elite

2nd: ‘Black and Gold’-Indy Dance Academy

2nd: ‘And the Chaos Within Me Found Balance’-Indy Dance Academy

3rd: ‘Shake It Out’-Elizabeth Williams School of Dance

Senior Duo/Trio

1st: ‘Who Are You’-In Motion Dance Center

2nd: ‘The Eye’-The Difference Dance Company

3rd: 'Still Have You’-The North Augusta School of Dance

Sidekick Group

1st: ‘Not About Angels’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Mini Group

1st: ‘Lord of the Flies’-Acro Arts Company

Junior Group

1st: ‘Son of a Preacherman’-Revolution Dance

2nd: ‘Dream’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

3rd: ‘Luda’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Teen Group

1st: ‘Voices of Doubt’-Just Off Broadway

2nd: ‘Me & My Girls’-The North Augusta School of Dance

3rd: ‘Blood’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Senior Group

1st: ‘Girl Gang’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

2nd: ‘98′-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

3rd: ‘Fall In Line’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Sidekick Line

1st: ‘Doctor Doctor’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

2nd: ‘Takin It Back’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Junior Line

1st: ‘How Bout Dat’-Laura’s School of Dance

Teen Line

1st: ‘Heaven I Know’-Laura’s School of Dance

2nd: ‘Rich Girl’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

3rd: ‘Like That’-The North Augusta School of Dance

Junior Extended Line

1st: ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’-Laura’s School of Dance

Teen Extended Line

1st: ‘Together’-Oak Ridge Academy of Dance

Senior Extended Line

1st: ‘Born For This’-Oak Ridge Academy of Dance

High Score by Performance Division:

Sidekick Lyrical

‘Not About Angels’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Sidekick Jazz

‘Doctor Doctor’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Sidekick Hip-Hop

‘Takin It Back’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Mini Contemporary

‘Lord of the Flies’-Acro Arts Company

Junior Tap

‘Me Without You’-Oak Ridge Academy of Dance

Junior Lyrical

‘Dream’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Junior Jazz

‘Son of a Preacherman’-Revolution Dance

Junior Hip-Hop

‘How Bout Dat’-Laura’s School of Dance

Junior Contemporary

‘Ink Blots’-Dance Elite

Junior Musical Theatre

‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’-Laura’s School of Dance

Teen Jazz

‘Rich Girl’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Teen Lyrical

‘Black Out’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Teen Hip-Hop

‘Me & My Girls’-The North Augusta School of Dance

Teen Tap

‘Bites the Dust’-The North Augusta School of Dance

Teen Contemporary

‘Voices of Doubt’-Just Off Broadway

Senior Hip-Hop

‘Girl Gang’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Senior Lyrical

‘Believe’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Senior Contemporary

‘Fall In Line’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Senior Tap

‘Born For This’-Oak Ridge Academy of Dance

11 O’Clock Awards:

Sidekick

‘Not About Angels’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Mini

‘Lord of the Flies’-Acro Arts Company

Junior

‘How Bout Dat’-Laura’s School of Dance

‘Ink Blots’-Dance Elite

‘Son of a Preacherman’-Revolution Dance

‘Feel It Still’-Laura’s School of Dance

Teen

‘Voices of Doubt’-Just Off Broadway 

‘Free Room’-Tri-Cities Dance Company

‘Me & My Girls’-The North Augusta School of Dance

‘Rich Girl’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

‘Heaven I Know’-Laura’s School of Dance

Senior

‘Born For This’-Oak Ridge Academy of Dance

‘Girl Gang’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

Studio Showcase Award:

‘Girl Gang’-Brooke Bailey Dance Addiction

[iamebonybones]

Huge Delight Speaking With The Guardian’s 

Brilliant Nadja Sayej About The Upcoming New 

Album

Written by - Nadja Sayej

With a blonde afro and a London accent, Ebony Bones is a visionary artist who works across genres and disparate sounds. What sets her apart is that she writes, composes, produces and releases her own punk-inflected, alternative soundtracks, many of which are graced with dark pop undertones. Studying alongside Amy Winehouse Bones has been enlisted by Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander Wang to score campaigns and runway shows, and is also noted for her collaborations with Yoko Ono. With a forthcoming third album featuringThe Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra, Bones is a self-produced artist and one of a few women in the male-dominated production world. Making her one of the most prominent female producers and redefining voices in the music industry today.

Bones was born to an immigrant father from the Caribbean who ran a vinyl stall in Brixton Market in London, and her mother, a fashion agent for top fashion designers, including Moschino. She studied at London’s Sylvia Young Theatre School alongside classmate and friend Amy Winehouse. At 12-years-old, Bones was discovered by Oscar-winning actor Sir Mark Rylance, then the artistic director of the Shakespeare Globe Theatre, and enlisted for his production of Macbeth as the First Witch.

At 15-years-old, she starred as a rebellious teenager in the British TV show Family Affairs. Starring alongside Idris Elba, she stole the spotlight as the feisty young character - Yasmin Green. She garnered nominations for British Soap Awards as one of the longest-running actors on the show, which was syndicated globally, staring from 1998 to 2005.

Becoming friends with punk legend and drummer Rat Scabies, from 70s punk band The Damned, Bones began writing songs alongside Scabies in 2005, who gave the artist her eponymous stage name and taught her a DIY punk ethic and “trial and error” approach to making music. “It’s perfection comes from its imperfection,” said Bones. “In an age where human flaws are erased from music, the imperfect can be very striking.”

In 2008, Bones uploaded an anonymous demo to MySpace. The Orwellian-themed anthem “We Know All About U,” was premiered by BBC Radio 1 Dj Zane Lowe, as ‘Hottest Record in The World,’  garnering millions of radio plays and raving reviews, becoming the BBC’s most played record by an unsigned artist.

In 2009, Bones released her debut album Bone of My Bones to critical acclaim. With tracks like ‘W.A.R.R.I.O.R’, ‘Guess We’ll Always Have NY’ and ‘The Muzik’, the album was used for runway shows and campaigns by Yves Saint Laurent, EA Sports FIFA and various Citroën car commercials including the controversial commercial featuring John Lennon.

Photographed by legendary photographer Jean Baptiste Mondino for New York Times T Magazine, her concerts were heralded by the publication as a “riotous jungle-punk stage act”. Bones goes above and beyond with a high-watt stage presence, bringing a whirl of energy to the stage with her fashion antics. Known for her multiple costume changes, she can often be spotted donning designer pieces by Iris van Herpen and Manish Arora

Her music, however, isn’t the traditional punk trio. Pushing boundaries as one of the first and few female music producers to work alongside orchestras, there is a real cinematic feel to her work. Traveling the world collaborating with symphony orchestras from India and China she asks classical musicians to step outside their comfort zone to perform her unconventional compositions.

“It’s about changing people’s perspectives. By breaking down existing genre boundaries, my approach to music including collaborations with The Mumbai Symphony and The Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra, reimagines orchestral music while challenging the prevailing mainstream mentality, that classical music is an art form that can only be performed by, for and about white males such as Beethoven” said Bones.

“I’m always pushing myself into unknown territory, I enjoy the challenge of stepping outside my circumference and learning from other cultures. There’s always a huge risk of recording alongside musicians you’ve never met, and don’t even speak the same language. Will it work? will you be able to communicate? In many ways it could be a recipe for disaster but these are all the elements that drive me as a creator. Music is the galvanizing force that brings people together.”

In 2013, her sophomore album “Behold, A Pale Horse” was released on her label 1984 Records. Premiered by NPR, who described Bones as “a major player for years to come,” the apocalyptic inspired album was recorded in India at YRF Studios aswell as Miloco Studios, London and featured tracks alongside The Mumbai Symphony Orchestra, and The New London Children’s Choir on a playful cover of The Smiths' ‘What Difference Does It Make’.

With its stringed percussion and harmonious chants, Behold, A Pale Horse is said to have “jagging guitars, jungle-inspired drums, and fierce vocals that seem to taunt as they go,” according to SPIN Magazine. The Independent praised the album as “a beguiling blend of chants, afrobeat, and the darker end of post-punk,” the self produced album also featured contributions from Liquid Liquid’s Sal P for the remix of ‘Bread & Circus’. The video, directed by Al Pacino’s daughter Julie Pacino and Jennifer DeLia, was premiered by Jay-Z via his lifestyle website Life & Times, heralding Bones as a “producer with a wide variety of influences, inspiring others through that journey."

In 2015 Bones released Milk & Honey, Pt. 1, her debut EP, which included the catchy disco-punk track ‘Oh Promised Land’. The song was used by Ray-Ban for their summer campaign which also featured Bones. She then headlined ‘Pop-Kultur’ festival to a sold out audience at Berlin’s legendary Berghain venue, that same year. Speaking to The New York Times about music production, Bones explained “It was an ambitious thing; I saw a deficit of female producers, and it’s still that way,” she said, noting that every non-classical Grammy Award for Producer of the Year had gone to a man.

Catching the attention of Yoko Ono with her avant-garde approach, Bones was enlisted by the art legend to re-work her song ‘No Bed For Beatle John’, for Ono’s ‘Yes, I’m A Witch Too’, her first album in nine years. Released in February 2016, it was heralded by The Guardian as “a brilliant track produced by Ebony Bones that pairs Ono’s eerie falsetto with majestic horns.” Featuring artwork by designer Karl Lagerfeld, the song was originally recorded by John Lennon in 1969. 

                                             *   *   *

As a self-produced artist, Bones is one of a few women in the male-dominated production world, making her one of the most prominent female producers in a burgeoning feminist movement within the music industry today. Given that less than 5% of solo music producers are women, Bones alongside Grimes, Linda Perry and Tokimonsta were the few producers featured by HBO/VICE for their 2017 special. Her production is as important as the music itself, and her skills are informed by self-produced musicians like Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, Linda Perry and Lauryn Hill. “Gender and ethnic diversity are markers for many of the key things that make music and art vital and resilient,” says Bones. “However, with the frighteningly low proportion of female music producers, there is currently only one dominant voice that determines what we all hear, and what music gets made.”

Her highly anticipated forthcoming album Nephilim, released July 20th sees Bones continue to push her musical ingenuity. She makes her directorial debut with the breathtaking new video of ‘Nephilim’ released May 4th, which may possibly be her most stunning visual yet. Featuring collaborations with The Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra, Bones took time away from touring to write and produce the new album, recorded in Beijing, New York and London. Collaborating alongside the orchestra at Beijing’s Tweak Tone Labs Studio, the album explores several themes including censorship; the conspicuous kind in China vs the more insidious kind in the west; as well as the emergence of nationalism in the world, post-Brexit and post-Trump.  

Unafraid to break down existing genre boundaries, the songs on Nephilim have an otherworldly, futuristic sound. She demonstrates an electronic avant-garde prowess, with experimental jazz, a sophisticated symphonic sense, teamed alongside afrofuturist overtones. There is a real cinematic feel to Bones' productions, displayed on orchestral tracks like 'Nephilim' and instrumental passages like 'Truth or Treason' that serve almost as a soundtrack for a film.

Bones reached out to the orchestra following her collaborations with Yoko Ono and The Mumbai Symphony Orchestra on Behold A Pale Horse. “China boasts some of the worlds best classical musicians and it was an honor to collaborate with them. I sent the Beijing Philharmonic the scores I had composed, and they were excited for the collaboration,” said Bones, who was invited to perform at the World Exposition in Shanghai 2010, which saw over 73 million visitors.

“Many people asked about recordings in Beijing and censorship in China, and while I didn’t directly experience any, it got me thinking about all the ways in which censorship manifests itself in our culture,” says the artist. “It takes on covert forms, like who gets to speak and who doesn't get to speak, and all the ways we silence the voices of people we don't want to hear” said Bones. “Beginning with the theme of religious censorship, I made ‘Nephilim’ conscious of the fact that these were not subjects females usually write about.”

The manifesto-like lyrics in the punk-inflected track ‘No Black In The Union Jack’ begins with an audio clip of British Member of Parliament Enoch Powell’s notorious ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech attacking immigration in 1968. “This hate speech was so vile, it has never been broadcast in full,” said Bones. “It is one of the most incendiary racist speeches of modern Britain and this year marks it’s 50th anniversary.”

The new album also explores the emergence of nationalism in the world post-Brexit and Trump. “Xenophobia aswell as fear of immigrants and foreigners was strongly associated with support for leaving the EU; post-Trump and Brexit have created a hostile environment for immigrants, fanned by nationalist bile and scapegoating as displayed throughout these songs.”  

Bones expanded on the larger issue of censorship “While writing the album, I began thinking about how women have been erased historically and all the ways we silence the voices of people we don't want to hear,” she said. “While I have accomplished a level of success in my art, I am not ignorant to the fact that for the majority of women, and especially women of colour, invisibility, not being seen or heard is a through-line for most of our careers.”

The album was engineered by Grammy Award-winning masterer, Mandy Parnell of Black Saloon who also engineered Behold A Pale Horse. Bones enlisted a host of musicians for the album, including a horn section featuring saxophone legend, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown collaborator - Lonnie Youngblood. Among the new 11 tracks on the album, there is a stunning cover, of the Junior Murvin/The Clash classic ‘Police & Thieves,’ which is performed by The Bones Youth Choir.

Speaking truth to power, the afrofuturistic anthem ‘Kids of Coltan’ touches upon the subjects of neo-colonialism and human rights violations. “The song is about the culture of complicity, as I began thinking of the young child laborers who make our smartphones and electronic devices,” said Bones. “Modern day communication is built on coltan mining, by young children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. From picking cotton to picking coltan, I realised this is today’s modern slave trade, of which we are all complicit.”

From ‘Kids Of Coltan’ and ‘Police & Thieves’ to ‘I See, I Say’ and ‘What Difference Does It Make’, children are a constant theme in Bones’ work. “A child's innocence allows for greater perception. Kids tend to be good at expressing their creativity, but then as adults people tend to lose this as they grow older, it’s something we have to protect and nurture.”

The giant themes and futuristic sounds of Nephilim are a reference to Bones’ own avant-garde approach, and as science fiction author Philip K. Dick once said, “Artists have the capacity to accidentally predict the future, it’s in their essence as creators.” Bones proves to be a step ahead.

New single ‘Nephilim’ featuring The Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra is out digitally May 4th

Written by Nadja Sayej

Photo Credits:

Photo by: Antonello Trio

Hair: Ernesto Montenovo

Styling: Ramona Tabita

Make-up:  Elena Pivetta

[quarantineroulette]

Minor Disappointments’ Least Disappointing Releases of 2018

Preamble: I had a bit of a low (not Low, although that would’ve been preferable) period in 2018 that went on for several months. I didn’t really listen to music during that time, and so I missed out on a lot of things. I’m kind of too scatterbrained from holiday hysteria to really take in anything new. So these lists probably don’t designate “the best”, but they’re decent documents of what I wasn’t too distracted or down to take serious notice of.

Secondly, my own band released an album this year, and that occupied a large amount of time normally reserved for listening to other bands. I won’t rank it because I don’t want to be that conceited...but if you want to check it out for yourself, the highlights for me are “For the Rest to Rest”; “Open Up the Ways”; “Screen Test”; and “Suspend Disbelief”. One of my favorite reviews of it described our sound as being a “unique blend of post-punk, brit-pop, indie, and a little post-rock too.” and said we’re “one of the smartest bands to come out of Brooklyn in a very long time.” This is both why people should listen to it and also why they might not.

Thirdly, one of the things I listened to the most this year was Protomartyr’s Consolation EP, but I’m refraining from listing it as it’s not a full-length. That said, I think it’s as good as nearly anything I’ve heard this year, Protomartyr are the best and both of their live sets I caught were my favorite gigs of 2018. TLDR: Protomartyr = good. Most other things on this list = equally good but not Protomartyr. Let’s get started shall we?

10 Songs That Were Good: 

10) Neko Case & Mark Lanegan - Cures of the I-5 Corridor. How has a Neko Case / Mark Lanegan duet not existed until 2018?? No matter the year, something this gorgeous and heartbreaking is always worthy of making the cut.

9) Lana Del Rey - Mariners Apartment Complex . I remember Spencer Krug tweeting something kind of snarky about “Venice Bitch” a few months back, then deleting it, and damn well he should’ve because both that and “Mariners Apartment Complex” are blinders. “Venice” may be the most low-key epic ever, but the way “Mariners” takes hints of Leonard Cohen and Lee Hazlewood / Nancy Sinatra and places them in a pop context is perhaps even more admirable. It’s truly inspiring to hear mainstream music this nuanced.

8) Parquet Courts - Tenderness . I love the jaunty piano, and how Andrew Savage’s vocal take is simultaneously forceful and lax. But most of all I love how all its elements converge to create a sense of hard-won optimism.

7) Iceage - Thieves Like Us . Iceage do a swamp cabaret song and I just can’t love it enough.  

6) MGMT - Me and Michael . Yes, it’s ridiculously ‘80s, but you would have to be a very dour person to not smile whenever that opening synth riff kicks in.

5) Shame - One Rizla . Riff of the year. Hands down.

4) Bodega - Jack in Titanic . One of the great things about 2018 was witnessing Bodega’s success. To me, they’ve always been one of the few up-and-coming indie bands with the  charisma to be actual stars, and it’s been a joy seeing the rest of the world take note of this. From the moment I heard “Jack in Titanic”, I just knew it was destined to show up on a BBC Radio 6 A-or-B list at some point in the near future (and it did!). And yeah, they’re my good friends, but even if they were strangers I’d appreciate the smartness, melodic hooks, and sexiness all the same:

3) Preoccupations - Disarray . Click on that link because the song is really good, but be warned -- the vocal melody is never, ever going to leave you.

2) Protomartyr - Wheel of Fortune . This song has everything: a nerve-wracking stop and start guitar part, an at-once badass and terrifying refrain, Kelly Deal, and the exact sense of urgency that’s needed right now. Powerful, timely, and a rare example of a song that puts its guest star to highly effective use.

1) Janelle Monae - Make Me Feel . This song combines about five different Prince songs but Janelle Monae’s personality is so strong that the end result is something wholly her own. And if the song weren’t a blast on its own, the technicolor video is almost lethally fun: 

10 Albums That I Loved A Lot: 

10) Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino . I really loved this album but I’m ranking it as 10 just because it’s the Arctic Monkeys and I can’t believe I enjoyed anything they’ve produced *this* much -- especially a lounge album about a casino on the moon. I find Alex Turner overrated as a lyricist and cosplaying a Bad Seed isn’t endearing to me, but he obviously loves Scott Walker a lot so I guess he gets some sort of pass.

9) Moonface - This One’s of the Dancer and This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet . The only reason this isn’t ranked higher is because I haven’t been able to give it the attention it deserves. This is a concept album where some songs are sung from the pov of the Minotaur and others from Spencer Krug, and both these creatures are enigmatic are too enigmatic to be given mere surface reads. This all said, I’ve listened enough to glean that, as always, Spencer’s lyrics are awe-inspiring, the marimba is implemented well, the alternate version of “Heartbreaking Bravery” is excellent, and comparing and contrasting its themes with those found on Wolf Parade’s 2017 release Cry Cry Cry is a fun past time if you’re me or seven other people. Looking forward to delving deeper in 2019.

8) Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer . To be honest, I *was* a little disappointed in this. It’s not as cinematic or stylistically adventurous as Monae’s previous full-lengths, but I think Monae herself is extremely talented and I wish she was a much bigger star. Furthermore, when considered against the drek of the general pop landscape, this is still a bold, unpredictable, and intelligent pop record from a true enigma.

7) Luke Haines - I Sometimes Dream of Glue . Like “Kubla Khan” if it had been written after huffing a river full of glue, but instead of Xanadu it’s an English village full of miniature people having a orgy:

6) Parquet Courts - Wide Awake! . No other song better captures the frustrations and anxieties of living in NY in 2018 than “Almost Had to Start a Fight / In and Out of Patience”, and for that alone this album would make the year-end cut. But it also happens to be brilliant start to finish, with the two closing statements, in the form of “Death Will Bring Change” and “Tenderness” respectively, being among PC’s best.

5) Low - Double Negative .  Mimi Parker’s voice emerging from a sonic cocoon on “Fly” is one of the most gripping moments of Low’s fantastic career. This album challenged me the most in 2018, but it’s also one I frequently returned to, determined to crack its code.

4) Preoccupations - New Material . I suppose some would dismiss this as too trad. post-punk, but holy hell - these trad. post-punk songs have got some hooks! And there isn’t quite another singer like Matt Flegel, who somehow manages to channel Bowie and Mark Lanegan at the same time. I’ve listened to this so much that New Material already feels like a well-loved classic.

3) Gazelle Twin - Pastoral . I would argue that Pastoral is the closest anyone’s come to making something comparable to PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake. An electro-pagan examination of Britain’s heritage and history (and the whole Brexit thing) that manages to feel thorough despite only being 37 minutes long, Pastoral moves beyond being just “a record” and becomes something closer to contemporary art. Elizabeth Bernholz’s vocals, whether warped or unconstrained by processing, are remarkable throughout. A mash-up of folk traditions and modern beats that somehow works shockingly well:

2) Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance . Boyfriend / bandmate James and I have discussed this album more than any other this year, and it’s been a pleasure hearing his love for it and forming my own appreciation of it in the process. What sealed it for me was James’ description of “Idles” as pagan, and how the band’s use of repetition and simple melodies (as well as their bacchanalian stage presence) created an air of ritualism. In their primalness, they even remind me of The Birthday Party - a “woke” Birthday Party, but a Birthday Party all the same. My favorite musical moment of the year may very well be Joe Talbot’s first shout of “UNITY!” in “Danny Nedelko”, primordial, raw, unpretentious, and completely punk. We *need* these guys right now:

1) Suede - The Blue Hour . There is a joke in the TV show 30 Rock in which Jack Donaghy -- Alec Baldwin’s network head character -- says he attended Harvard Business School, where he was voted “Most”. The Blue Hour could be considered “Most” -- it’s meant to be taken as one piece, it’s insanely grandiose and, like its predecessor Night Thoughts, listening to it makes everything in my life seem 18 times more dramatic and tragic. I don’t know how, but this bizarre mashup of Kate Bush, Jacques Brel, Pink Floyd, Scott Walk, Gregorian chanting, classic Suede, spell books and (of course) David Bowie somehow seems bizarrely in step with 2018. Seeing as this top three consists of albums that are arguably “pagan”, and folk horror’s representation in popular 2018 films like Hereditary, The Blue Hour feels accidentally on trend. It’s crazy to think that a band whose first release happened 25 years ago could still be relevant in 2018, but Suede somehow are so please give these dads a hand and then listen to The Blue Hour’s glorious closing trio of songs a lot, because boy are they “Most”.