My Top 18 Albums Of The Year

My Top 18 albums of the year, in no particular order.

Remain in Light by Angelique Kidjo

West African singer Angélique Kidjo’s full-album cover of Talking Heads’ 1980 classic Remain in Light.

Singularity by Jon Hopkins

Melancholic electronic: my favourite genre. Saw a great set at the Down The Rabbit Hole too.

Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film) by Thom Yorke

The film is great too!

Dionysus by Dead Can Dance

Looking forward to their concert in Utrecht next year.

The Deconstruction by Eels

His concert in Utrecht was okay too, though it could not top his show with a string quartet I saw in Groningen a long time ago.

Where Wildness Grows by Gengahr

Young, eager band I saw in the tiny Sugarfactory club in Amsterdam.

Cocoa Sugar by Young Fathers

The only act doing interesting stuff in contemporary hiphop.

Superorganism by Superorganism

My favourite new band! Saw them in the Sugarfactory too.

American Utopia by David Byrne

Best show of the year (and in my all-time top 5): David Byrne at Down The Rabbit Hole.

Con Todo El Mundo by Khruangbin

You’ve got to love this: “smooth, mainly instrumental music [..] heavily influenced by Thai rock and funk“.

If you like the XX ot Budos Band and any type of off-centre world music you’re going to love this.

Radio Highlife by Auntie Flo

Super-exciting hybrid of world and electronic music.

How To Solve Our Human Problems (Parts 1-3) by Belle & Sebastian

Nothing exciting and new but a resounding pleasure.

I Like Fun by They Might Be Giants

They have been going steady since the 1990s but this did feel like a comeback album to me, and I enjoyed their show at Paradiso.

The Long March by Le Trio Joubran

My favourite palestinian Ud Tri. Saw them in Amsterdam during the Ud Festival this year on the night this album was released.

Maghreb United by Ammar 808

This act might me open for me when I tour with my Aleppo Favela Soundsystem.

On by Altin Gün

Dutch artists inspired by 1970s Turkish psychedelic rock. Didn’t catch them live yet.

ANNO: Four Seasons by Anna Meredith & Antonio Vivaldi by Anna Meredith, Scottish Ensemble, Jonathan Morton

classic music re-mixed and re-interpreted.

MADAME by Alice on the roof

Album cover by Hellen van Meene!