Happy New Year!
It’s that time again where we look ahead to the audible delights that might give us a quick peck on the cheek, a full-blown snog or have us running screaming from the singles bar in 2010. It’s also time to look back, to remember with fondness new-found relationships forged in 2019, some of which might have become a permanent fixture, their toothbrush placed tantalisingly next to yours in the metaphorical bathroom of musical heaven.
Or something.
Anyway, below are a whole load of lists from folk who clearly have too much time on their hands, presented in alphabetical order. Whatever Leo says, there is no right answer, just a whole host of great releases to listen to. To that end, we’ve added links so that you can do just that. Go on, feel free to gorge on the wonderful sounds – it might even lead to wedding bells.
The fact that a massive 87 albums have been suggested by the twelve contributors underlines that 2019 was another great year for music at the progressive end of the spectrum, from both big names and more underground artists. I doubt there is anyone who has heard them all, not all are going to be to everyone’s taste, but the fact that they have been created at all and have managed to resonate with an audience – however small – is important.
Happy listening and hopefully discovery, and here’s to a wonderful collection of new albums to hear in 2020!
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen
[Website | Facebook]
YouTube Link
Elephant9 – Psychedelic Backfire
[Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Patrick Grant – FIELDS AMAZE and other sTRANGE music
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Isildurs Bane & Peter Hammill – In Amazonia
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Jordsjø – Nattfiolen
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Motorpsycho – The Crucible
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Opeth – In Cauda Venenum
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Xavi Reija – The Sound of the Earth
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Telepath – Mental Mutations
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Tronosonic Experience – II: The Big Blow
[Facebook | Soundcloud | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Grice – One Thousand Birds
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Far Meadow – Foreign Land
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Emerald Dawn – Nocturne
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Rosalie Cunningham – Rosalie Cunningham
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
We Are Kin – Bruised Sky
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
Tom Slatter – Demon
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Big Big Train – Grand Tour
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Gift – Antenna
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Room – Caught by the Machine
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
This Winter Machine – A Tower of Clocks
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Elder – The Gold & Silver Sessions
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Opeth – In Cauda Venenum
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Motorpsycho – The Crucible
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Monkey3 – Sphere
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp]
YouTube Link
Grotto – Lantern of Gius
[Facebook | Bandcamp]
YouTube Link
Elephant9 – Psychedelic Backfire
[Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow, Bobby Previte
– You Don’t Know the Life
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp]
YouTube Link
The Ivory Elephant – Stoneface
[Facebook | Bandcamp]
YouTube Link
Gong – The Universe Also Collapses
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Swan Valley Heights – The Heavy Seed
[Website | Facebook]
YouTube Link
Damanek – In Flight
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
Marek Arnold and Manuel Schmidt – Zeiten
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
ART – Asylum
[Website | Facebook]
YouTube Link
T – Solipsystemology
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Thank You Scientist – Terraformer
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Freedom to Glide – Seed
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Lebowski – Galactica
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp]
YouTube Link
Chasing the Monsoon – Chasing the Monsoon
[Website | Facebook | Instagram | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Seven Steps to the Green Door – The?Lie
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Electric Asturias – Trinity
[Facebook]
YouTube Link
District 97 – Screens
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
IZZ – Don’t Panic
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Divine Comedy – Office Politics
[Website | Facebook]
YouTube Link
Dream Theater – Distance Over Time
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Bent Knee – You Know What They Mean
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Cheeto’s Magazine – Amazingous
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Magic Pie – Fragments of the 5th Element
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
IQ – Resistance
[Website | Facebook | Instagram | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Flying Colors – Third Degree
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
AVA – Waves
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Blackheart Orchetra – Mesmeranto
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Neil Campbell – Last Year’s News
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
concrete concrete – Drifter
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Dandelion Charm – Maybe Dreamers
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review (coming soon)]
YouTube Link
Esthema – IV
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Antoine Fafard – Borromean Odyssey
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Organic Noises – Organic Noises
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Sonar with David Torn – Tranceportation (Volume 1)
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Thank You Scientist – Terraformer
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Afenginn – Klingra
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Thieves’ Kitchen – Genius Loci
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
Lost Crowns – Every Night Something Happens
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Leprous – Pitfalls
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
A Formal Horse – Here Comes a Man from
the Council with a Flamethrower
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp]
Charlie Cawood – Blurring Into Motion
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Magma – Zëss
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Opeth – In Cauda Venenum
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Emmett Elvin – The End of Music
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Bob Lazar Story – Vanquisher
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Bryan Beller – Scenes from the Flood
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Big Big Train – Grand Tour
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Flower Kings – Waiting for Miracles
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Opeth – In Cauda Venenum
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Flying Colors – Third Degree
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
United Progressive Fraternity
– Planetary Overload, Part 1: Loss
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
IQ – Resistance
[Website | Facebook | Instagram | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Kaprekar’s Constant – Depth of Field
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
District 97 – Screens
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Isildurs Bane & Peter Hammill – In Amazonia
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Lost Crowns – Every Night Something Happens
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Hedvig Mollestad Trio – Smells Funny
[Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Eclectic Maybe Band
– Reflection in a Mœbius Ring Mirror
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
North Sea Radio Orchestra – Folly Bololey
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Flying Lotus – Flamagra
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Elephant9 – Psychedelic Backfire
[Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Charlie Cawood – Blurring Into Motion
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Emmett Elvin – The End of Music
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
A Formal Horse – Here Comes a Man from
the Council with a Flamethrower
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp]
Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka
[Website | Facebook]
YouTube Link
Kaprekar’s Constant – Depth of Field
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Tony Patterson & Doug Melbourne – The Divide
[Website | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Franck Carducci – The Answer
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Bjørn Riis – A Storm is Coming
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Cosmograf – Mind Over Depth
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
This Winter Machine – A Tower of Clocks
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Rise – Strangers
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Leprous – Pitfalls
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
How Far to Hitchin – Black Bead Eye
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
Lee Abraham – Comatose
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
no-man – Love You to Bits
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Tim Bowness – Flowers at the Scene
[Website | Facebook | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Sofia Talvik – Paws of a Bear
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp]
YouTube Link
Rise – Strangers
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
The Kentish Spires – Sprezzatura
[Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Kaprekar’s Constant – Depth of Field
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
Broken Parachute – Living Dangerously
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | TPA Review]
YouTube Link
She Makes War – and Peace
[Website | Facebook | Bandcamp]
Emily Breeze – Rituals
[Facebook | Bandcamp]
YouTube Link
Anytown – Year by Year
[Facebook | Bandcamp]
YouTube Link