Music Tracking 2015

These are 2015 releases that I've taken note of, listed alphabetically by artist, with VA comps at the bottom. My grades, where available, are in brackets at the end of the line (stars in B+ range). Lines in blue indicate that I have a physical copy (albeit sometimes just a promo CDR); in green are records that I graded based on a Rhapsody stream or other such source. Most records have release dates and a brief generic note (usually taken from AMG).

Unheard records are prioritized 0-3 (graded records are 4-5). The priotization is based subjectively on personal interests, reviews I've noticed, reviewers I particularly respect, what I know about the artists, etc. Roughly speaking: 0 is something I have no reason to consider (default page omits 0); 1 has been noted as having some cred somewhere; 2 is something I have some specific reason to search out; 3 is something I'll listen to ASAP.

Option selectors:

Genre switches (selection not implemented yet):

Notes also include scores from review sources:

And after a semicolon:

  • RC: Robert Christgau's Expert Witness: letter grades, 1-2-3 * for HMs

New Releases

  • Susan Alcorn: Soledad (Relative Pitch) [04-07] - jazz
  • Babyface: Return of the Tender Lover (Def Jam) [12-04] - adult r&b
  • Baloni: Ripples (Clean Feed) - jazz
  • Bhi Bhiman: Rhythm & Reason (Boocoo Music) [05-19]
  • Dave Burrell/Garrison Fewell: New Earth (Creative Nation Music) - jazz
  • George Cables: In Good Company (HighNote) - jazz
  • Cyrus Chestnut: A Million Colors in Your Mind (High Note) [04-21] - piano jazz
  • Avishai Cohen Trio: From Darkness (Razdaz) [03-31] - jazz
  • Joseph Daley: Portraits: Wind, Thunder and Love (self-released) - jazz
  • Dead Neanderthals: Endless Voids (Alone) [09-18] - jazz
  • The Dead Weather: Dodge and Burn (Third Man) [09-25] - garage rock -- AV:75, CS:83, DS:80, MO:60, P:73, Pf:73, RS:70, S:80
  • Jack DeJohnette: Made in Chicago (ECM) [03-10] - jazz -- PM:80
  • Iris Dement: The Trackless Woods (Flariella) [08-07] - folk -- MT:C+
  • Den Sorte Skole: Indians & Cowboys (self-released)
  • DJ Richard: Grind (Dial) [09-04] - -- Pf:81
  • Scott DuBois: Winter Light (ACT) [11-06] - jazz
  • Duchess: Duchess (Anzic) [02-17] - jazz
  • Paul Dunmall/Tony Bianco: Homage to John Coltrane (Slam) [08-07] - jazz
  • Open Mike Eagle: A Special Episode Of (Mello Music Group) [02-03] - hip hop -- HD:80
  • Echoes of Swing: Dancing (ACT) - jazz
  • Dan Friel: Life (Thrill Jockey) [10-16] - -- Pf:78, PM:70, S:80
  • Fred Frith/Evan Parker: Hello, I Must Be Going (Victo) - jazz
  • Masayoshi Fujita: Apologues (Erased Tapes) [09-11] - -- Pf:82
  • Future: 56 Nights (Freebandz) [05-18] - hip hop -- RC:*
  • Charles Gayle Trio: Christ Everlasting (ForTune) - jazz
  • Dusko Goykovich: Latin Haze (Enja) - jazz
  • Guantanamo Baywatch: Darling . . . It's Too Late (Suicide Squeeze) [05-12]
  • Ted Hearne: The Source (New Amsterdam)
  • Mette Henriette: Mette Henriette (ECM) [11-20] - jazz
  • Hieroglyphic Being & JITU Ahn-Sahm-Buhl: We Are Not the First (RVNG Intl) [10-00] -
  • ICP Orchestra: Misha and So On (ICP) [10-01] - jazz
  • Keefe Jackson/Josh Berman/Jon Rune Strom/Tollef Ostvang: Southern Sun (Stone Floor) - jazz
  • Trevor Jackson: Format (The Vinyl Factory) [05-28] -
  • Ellen Jewell: Sundown Over Ghost Town (Signature Sounds) [05-26] - roots rock
  • Freedy Johnston: Neon Repairman (Singing Magnet) - -- RC:B+, MT:B+
  • Kelela: Hallucinogen (Warp, EP) [10-09]
  • Talib Kweli/9th Wonder: Indie 500 (It's a Wonderful World) [11-06] - east coast rap -- HD:80
  • Jo Lawry: Taking Pictures (PRA)
  • Le1f: Riot Boi (Terrible) [11-13] - left-field hip-hop
  • Darlene Love: Introducing Darlene Love (Columbia/Wicked Cool) [09-18] - rock & roll
  • The Mantles: All Odds End (Slumberland) [10-16] - alt/indie rock
  • Will Mason Ensemble: Beams of the Huge Night (Amsterdam)
  • Mates of State: You're Going to Make It (Barsuk, EP) [06-16]
  • Rob Mazurek/Exploding Star Orchestra: Galactic Parables Vol 1 (Cuneiform) [05-26] - jazz
  • MED/Blu/Madlib: Bad Neighbor (Bang Ya Head) [10-30] - underground rap -- HD:80
  • Migos: Yung Rich Nation (Quality Control) [07-31] - hip hop -- BB:70, CS:75, HD:70, S:70; RC:B+
  • Mini Mansions: The Great Pretenders (Capitol) [03-23] - -- DS:80
  • Roscoe Mitchell Quartet: Celebrating Fred Anderson (Nessa) [08-21] - jazz
  • Alicia Hall Moran: Heavy Blue (self-released) - jazz
  • Paal Nilssen-Love: Cut and Bleed (Ideal) - jazz
  • Larry Ochs: The Fictive Five (Tzadik) [10-00] - jazz
  • Kresten Osgood/Masabumi Kikuchi/Ben Street/Thomas Morgan: Kikuchi/Street/Morgan/Osgood (ILK Music) [05-25] - jazz
  • Owiny Sigoma Band: Nyanza (Brownswood) [09-25] -
  • William Parker: For Those Who Are Still (AUM Fidelity) [08-21] - jazz
  • William Parker Quartet: Live in Wroclove (ForTune) [08-17] - jazz
  • Petite Noir: La Vie Est Belle/Life Is Beautiful (Domino) [09-11] - -- Pf:77; MT:C
  • PK (Park Kultury): Get Lost (HSI) - -- RC:**
  • Polar Bear: Same as You (The Leaf Label) [03-31] - modern jazz
  • Jessica Pratt: On Your Own Love Again (Drag City) [01-27] - pop/rock -- BB:90, CS:75, DS:80, P:90, Pf:81, PM:70, RS:60
  • Prince: HITNRUN Phase One (NPG) [09-14] - -- Pf:45
  • Protomartyr: The Agent Intellect (Hardly Art) [10-09] - alt/indie rock
  • Public Enemy: Man Plans God Laughs (Cobraside) [07-24] - east coast rap -- RC:*
  • Pulverize the Sound: Pulverize the Sound (Relative Pitch) [05-19] - jazz
  • Matana Roberts: Always (Relative Pitch) [05-19] - jazz
  • Jim O'Rourke: Simple Songs (Drag City) [05-19] - chamber pop -- CS:75, P:80, Pf:86
  • Mark Rubin Jew of Oklahoma: Southern Discomfort (Rubinchik) [01-15] - -- RC:A-
  • Elliott Sharp: Sharp? Monk? Sharp! Monk! (Clean Feed) - jazz
  • Matthew Shipp Trio: To Duke (RogueArt) [01-23] - piano jazz
  • Matthew Shipp and Mat Walerian Duo: Live in Okuden (ESP-Disk) - jazz
  • Matthew Shipp Quartet: Our Lady of the Flowers (RogueArt) - jazz
  • Matthew Shipp Chamber Ensemble: The Gospel According to Matthew & Michael (Relative Pitch) [04-07] - jazz
  • Switchback: Switchback (Multikulti) - jazz
  • Tom Tallitsch: All Together Now (Posi-Tone) - jazz
  • Team Hegdal: Vol 3 (Particular) [06-02] - jazz
  • TI: Da Nic (King) [09-11] - hip hop -- HD:70, Pf:69, S:70; RC:***
  • Rolo Tomassi: Grievances (Holy Roar) [06-01] - mathcore -- DS:90
  • Ultimate Painting: Green Lanes (Trouble in Mind) [08-07] - alt/indie rock
  • Peter Van Huffel/Andreas Willers/Oliver Steidle: The Scrambling Ex (FMR) - jazz
  • Verbal Kent: Anesthesia (Mello Music Group) - -- Pf:60
  • Julia Wolfe: Anthracite Fields (Cantaloupe)
  • Wonder Girls: Reboot (JYP Entertainment) [08-03] - K-pop
  • Nate Wooley: Battle Pieces (Relative Pitch) [02-17] - jazz
  • Neil Young/Promise of the Real: The Monsanto Years (Reprise) [07-03] - rock -- P:92; RC:**, MT:C+
  • John Zorn: Simulacrum (Tzadik) - jazz
  • John Zorn: Inferno (Tzadik) [09-00] - jazz

Reissues, Etc.

  • AFX: Orphaned Deejay Selek: 2006-2008 (Warp) [08-21] - electro-techno
  • Beat Happening: Look Around (Domino) [11-20] - alt pop/rock
  • Detail: First Detail (1982, Rune Grammofon) [03-03] - jazz
  • Girl Band: The Early Years (Rough Trade) [04-21] - lo-fi
  • Last Exit: Iron Path (ESP) - jazz -- RC:A-
  • Mike Osborne: Dawn (Cuneiform) - jazz
  • Lino Capra Vaccina: Antico Adagio (1978, Die Schachtel) - -- Pf:79
  • The Velvet Underground: The Complete Matrix Tapes (Polydor) [11-20] - alt/indie rock
  • Joe Bussard Presents: The Year of Jubilo: 78 RPM Recordings of Songs From the Civil War (Dust-to-Digital) [10-16]
  • Fonotone Records (Dust-to-Digital) [10-16]

Priority Counts

  • Priority 2: 95
  • Priority 3: 0

Total: 95