Father John Misty: our writers do rather like a slut-droppin’ preacher-man
Another year. Another list. Yay. Good? Bad? Worst you’ve ever seen? Surely not.
Click on an album name for the full review, why not. Or press buttons and make things play.
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1. Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear
What we said:
“Josh Tillman has slowly turned into one of the most talented songwriters of our age.”
2. Sleater-Kinney – No Cities To Love
What we said:
“This record plays like a triumphant middle finger salute, coolly showing everyone how its done… and writing the first line on a thousand ‘album of the year’ lists before January’s even out.”
3. Sufjan Stevens – Carrie and Lowell
What we said:
“An introspective, deeply thoughtful album but it deftly avoids self-indulgence. It feels like a healing process, not just for its creator, but for its audience too.”
What we said:
“Newsom’s greatest strength is her ability to transport her listeners into a unique sonic world that only she is capable of creating.”
What we said:
“This is an album in which to find solace, healing, empathy and understanding. Björk is a great artist – but she’s also a human being.”
6. Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool
What we said:
“Despite expectation of the album putting pressure on the band to deliver, they have done so tenfold. It’s as good a debut as you could hope to hear, a fresh injection of pure brilliance and beauty to a genre that is creaking under the weight of mediocrity and a lack of adventurous inventiveness.”
7. Julia Holter – Have You In My Wilderness
What we said:
“This may well be Holter’s most accessible album to date, but it’s this very approachability that renders it all the more intriguing, drawing you in with open arms. Stately and serene, it’s a wilderness that begs to be inhabited for some time, a country you’ll be reluctant to leave.”
What we said:
“That the band neither rushed into recording significant new material, nor spent too much time on recording once they reached that place, was wise. The Magic Whip succeeds splendidly in coming across as a comeback album that hasn’t been overthought, flashing a nonchalant dare to any prospective Oasis reunion project.”
What we said:
“While it might be preferable to discuss ’80s-inflected pop as canny as this without mentioning the indomitable Taylor Swift, 1989 is the elephant in the room here, and it’s wearing legwarmers. But Emotion succeeds on its own terms, arguably remaining truer to the spirit of the era, not to mention Jepsen’s stated aim of taking the time to craft an album rather than rushing to cash in on a YouTube sensation.”
What we said:
“That they are still here, making consistently excellent albums 20 years into their career, is a major triumph.”
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11. Ezra Furman – Perpetual Motion People
12. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly
13. Susanne Sundfør – Ten Love Songs
14. Lubomyr Melnyk – Rivers And Streams
15. The Charlatans – Modern Nature
16. Everything Everything – Get To Heaven
18. Young Fathers – White Men Are Black Men Too
19. Benjamin Clementine – At Least For Now
20. Mbongwana Star – From Kinshasa
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21. John Grant – Grey Tickles, Black Pressure
24. Girl Band – Holding Hands With Jamie
25. Faith No More – Sol Invictus
26. The Libertines – Anthems For Doomed Youth
28. East India Youth – Culture Of Volume
29. New Order – Music Complete
30. Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Just Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
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32. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
33. Roots Manuva – Bleeds
34. The Maccabees – Marks To Prove It
36. Car Seat Headrest – Teens Of Style
40. The Spook School – Try To Be Hopeful
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41. Beach House – Depression Cherry
43. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress
44. Kurt Vile – b’lieve I’m goin’ down
45. Wrekmeister Harmonies – Night Of Your Ascension
46. Atari Teenage Riot – Reset
47. Eska – Eska
48. Titus Andronicus – The Most Lamentable Tragedy
50. Laura Marling – Short Movie
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These people are responsible for voting things into this list, so take it up with them:
Alan Ashton-Smith, Andy Baber, Bekki Bemrose, Helen Clarke, Neil Dowden, Ben Hogwood, Michael Hubbard, Steven Johnson, Tim Lee, Graeme Marsh, Rob Mesure, Christopher Monk, John Murphy, Daniel Paton, Max Raymond, Sam Shepherd, Chris White
Father John Misty MP3s or CDs
Father John Misty on Spotify
