In no particular order:

Matthew Halsall, “An Ever Changing View” 

Halsall has been mining this particuar vein of spiritual jazz for many years but he struck gold on this one. The use of more Eastern percussion lends it a meditative air, creating a peaceful sanctuary in a year when it was sorely needed. 

Cattle Decapitation, “Terrasite”  

This provided a big part of my metal fix for the year. I don’t even know how you physically play this fast and tight, maybe Usain Bolt was subbing in on the double bass drum, but the result is unmatched precision ferocity. What separated the cows heads from their bodies? No idea, but the lyrics focus on environmental and vegan themes. Apparently. Who can tell? Special mention to Behemoth and the new one from thrash metal elder statesmen Napalm Death who played a ripper show in October.

Genesis Owusu – “Struggler”

Propulsive pop rap with clever lyrics, it’s a quantum leap from Genesis’ debut and well deserving of the accolades. Where so much Aussie rap is derivative of US or UK styles he strikes out with a style all his own. Slowthai’s excellent 2023 release covers similar territory but I put that down to parallel innovation not imitation.

Lil Yachty, “Let’s Start Here”  

I did not have Lil Yachty releasing a note-perfect Pink Floyd pastiche on my 2023 bingo card, but here we are. While the focus has been on Black Seminole the 10-minute opener (played and produced by the psych rock Heron Oblivion crew, well worth checking out in their own right), the album is a treasure chest of pop hooks and far-flung influences from disco to new wave to Pharrell Williams N.E.R.D era pop. More please.

The Hold Steady, “Price of Progress”

Craig Finn has been one of the best and smartest songwriters in rock for a good 15 years now, his blue collar narratives chronicalling the lives of a Midwestern precariat in a lineage from Woody Guthrie to Bob Seger to the Replacements. Unfortunately the band hasn’t always risen to those heights, but due to a personnel change and more expansive arrangements, the past two albums have been classics that sadly fall well short of the audience they deserve.

JPEG Mafia & Danny Brown, “Scaring the Hoes”

This album hurts my head. JPM’s berserk beats and production are the perfect canvas for Brown’s bonkers bars. It’s complete mayhem. But Danny Brown’s sex-obsessed, adderol-addled court jester act is best understood in the tradition of 19C poet Rimbaud’s “systematic derrangement of the senses” (no really, stay with me), the idea that intentionally overwhelming the senses allows us to break free from conventional ways of perceiving and experiencing the world. 

Susanne Sundfór, “Blomí” 

“Blomí” finds the Norwegian singer songwriter at the top of her game. The melodies and arrangements are as gorgeous as her voice, particularly the ballads, which are among the best of her career. If she weren’t so styllistically restrless she might have found a wider audience in the Anglosphere, but for me it’s a joy. A tribute to her recently departed Dad, there’s grief but also wistful reflection and the hard-won wisdom that comes from loss.

Ali Sethi & Nicholas Jaar – I really wish I had the cultural competence to say something intelligent about this. I’m a huge fan of Jaar’s introspective electronica, which has always had a very introspective, almost claustrophic quality. In this collab with the Indian singer/songwriter/producer Ali Sethi he opens up and stretches out while Sethi’s singing soars. Beautiful.

Tyshawn Sorey – So much modern jazz is now produced in that atmospheric but bloodless style pioneered in Europe by Manfred Eichmann’s ECM label or the more aggressively conservative American tradition policed by Winford Marsalis. The New York drummer and percussionist Tyshawn Sorey stands above it all. He is equally at home providing the rhythmic backbone to Vijay Iyer’s fairly straight trio work or is own experimental solo percussion compositions. On this we get the best of both worlds. A seemingly straight Wayne Shorter blues composition gets blown up and put back together in a way that’s totally surprising but true to its heritage. At times, the interplay between Sorey and bassist Matt Brewer is genuinely astonishing. (No videos from this album that I can find so I give you one of 2022’s highlights…)

Wet Leg – The debut wears its influences proudly, whether that’s the Breeders, Elastica or Blur. Having lived through the 90s the first time around I’m definitely not mad at that, but what lifts this above the indie revival is just how much fun they’re obviously having. The lyrics are perfectly dumb, the melodies invade your brain and live rent free. I’m smitten. (Yes, I know this came out in 2022 but I first heard it last year and what is time anyway.)