MY TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2018
todays bird
we're not kids anymore.
Cosmic Funnies

@theartofmadeline
Keni
Sweet Seals For You, Always
Today's Document
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if i look back, i am lost
Show & Tell
AnasAbdin
styofa doing anything

titsay

⁂
Claire Keane
wallacepolsom
tumblr dot com

blake kathryn
Jules of Nature
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸

seen from Greece
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@soundonawire
MY TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2018
MY TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2017
Another year, another top ten. The music wheel does not stop spinning and keeps bringing us life-changing and mind-blowing experiences year after year.
For me, 2017 stood out with a bunch of excellent r’n’b albums that I had been waiting for a really long time. Many of which you will find in this top then. This year also gave us a string of memorable debuts and many long-awaited returns. You will find a few of those in here as well.
But, most importantly, it has been a very exciting year in music both online and offline, so without further ado, here are the ten things that made me excited the most.
10. Slowdive - Slowdive
To be completely honest, the first time I heard about Slowdive was only a few years ago when the band reunited after nearly two decades. It was quite big news on everybody's lips, and I, quite frankly, felt embarrassed that I had never heard the music of what seemed to be one of the legends of shoegaze. So when their first album in 22 years dropped this year, I was quick to jump on it, because anything that resembles Cocteau Twins (my favourite band of all time) has to be good, right? I was definitely not left disappointed and was quite impressed by how well and fresh it sounded whilst also sticking to the best trends of 90s shoegaze and dream pop. It’s a very atmospheric record that feels like sinking into the softest couch that you don’t want to get off of and has therefore earned a spot in my top ten.
MY TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2016
This year has been a total Crappy McCrap. Especially for the music industry. After losing so many influential musicians, I even started counting all of the ‘oldies’, who could go next. Elton John? Sting? Madonna?
Musically, this year has been quite an odd ride as well. After listening to around 230 albums, I found that there were only very few that could keep my interest up from the first song till the very last note. Usually, by the end of the year I have a long list of beloved albums and a massive struggle to cut it down to only ten, but this year I found myself barely being able to fill up the ten spots. Not because most of the records this year were bad, but simply because many of them had very strong highs and very low (or just boring) lows. They lacked cohesiveness and purpose. A strong voice throughout every single track. Or maybe I’m just getting old and grumpy. So the ten albums picked out here are the ones that I found artistically whole and captivating throughout.
P.S. I left out David Bowie on purpose, because that’s a whole different category that doesn’t fit into any lists.
10. Låpsley - Long Way Home
Låpsley possesses a certain sensibility of 90’s r’n’b and bedroom electronica that I just can’t resist. Long Way Home is her anticipated debut full-length after a couple successful EPs, and although it’s not the strongest debut out there, it is a really sweet record that you can easily put on repeat and enjoy its simple, yet intricate textures.
MY TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2015
Don’t get me wrong, but this was a pretty odd year in music – Justin Bieber all of a sudden became cool, Guns N’ Roses announced their reunion, and Adele’s face morphed into a ubiquitous thing that you couldn’t seem to escape no matter how much you tried to. Odd things aside, it was quite a good year with hip-hop avenging last year’s shortcomings, a new wave of post-punk revival, and many long-awaited albums from Björk to Grimes finally released. It is never easy cutting down to only ten out of so many good records, but here are the albums I’ve enjoyed the most in 2015.
10. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell
After two Christmas compilations and an odd experimental album Sufjan Stevens finally has returned to what he does best – gorgeous intimate melodies and heartbreaking stories. Although it took him ten years, it was worth the wait because Carrie & Lowell is stunningly beautiful, filled with raw honesty and hope amidst desperation. Furthermore, this album proves once again that pain creates the best music - sucks for the artist, but a true win for the listeners.
MY TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2014
If you talked to my fellow melomaniacs at Intro.lv, they’d say that I hated everything this year. Though partially right, it is still far from the truth, as this year delivered some of the most magnificent debuts of the decade and many really strong sophomore albums. I will admit the longlist for this year’s top 10 has indeed been shorter than previous years, but the ones at the top are the true crème de la crème. Turn up the volume and enjoy!
10. Tomas Barfod - Love Me
This is the first year I’ve lived in Copenhagen from January 1st till, well, January 1st. A year of being head over heels, living out my wildest dreams, and busting my ass off. What good would it all be, if I didn’t discover some new Danish music along the way? Though he’s been around for a while, my first encounter with Barfod happened only this year with the release of his second solo album Love Me and the chance of seeing him live. Somehow these 11 songs really grew on me and they're just not willing to let go. After all, they did make me feel right at home when biking through the streets of Copenhagen.
My Top 10 Albums of 2013
It seems that this was the year when rusty and not so rusty musicians suddenly decided to crawl their way out of the caves back into the spotlight. From the likes of My Bloody Valentine, who awoke after a 22 year long sleep, the prince of pop Justin Timberlake, who hadn’t released a new album since 2006, and many, many more, it really did sound promising. Until those releases actually came out… 2013 might just be the most bizarre year in music, but amidst all that nonsense there were those ten that especially brightened my days and made me believe that all hope is not lost. Yet.
10. Rhye – Woman
After hearing Rhye’s debut single Open I acted like a stubborn donkey and wouldn’t give in into the hype and admirations of the music heads around me. I was just so sure that it was nothing special, but their debut album really caught me by surprise. Tightly gripped by the sensual trumpets and saxes, that for some strange reason have become one of my favourite things in music lately, and Milosh’s incredibly feminine vocals (be aware, it's a man!), I was compelled by Woman in an instant. An exquisite listen for a warm summer evening.
Setlist / DJ Duo Fire Walk With Me @Bar I Love You 27.06.2013.
Setlist / DJ duo Suburbian Summer @Bar I Love You 06.06.2013.
Paldies visiem, kas atnāca un priecājās par uzliktajām dziesmām. Tagad vasara ir kārtīgi ieskandināta! Lūk, 90 dziesmas, kas mums palīdzēja to izdarīt:
Swedish Music Hour (Part 2) @Radio Show Plastiliins/24.05.2013. Radio Naba 93,1 FM
Kā jau solīts, piedāvāju noklausīties arī otru Plastilīna raidījumu par zviedru mūziku. Ar šo Skandināvijas mūzikas sērija ir noslēgusies. Paldies visiem, kas klausījās un "Plastilīna" meitenēm Alīnai Apinei un Ievai Vītolai par uzaicināšanu! P.S. Ja esat palaiduši garām, pirmā daļa ir pieejama te: http://soundonawire.tumblr.com/post/51793267431/swedish-music-hour-part-1-radio-show As promised, here's the recording of the second part of the two-part radio show about Swedish music. This concludes the Scandinavian music series on the radio show Plastilīns. I would like to thank everyone for listening and the lovely hosts Alīna Apine and Ieva Vītola for having me! P.S. In case you missed it, here's the first part of the show: http://soundonawire.tumblr.com/post/51793267431/swedish-music-hour-part-1-radio-show
Track listing:
1. Kleerup feat. Lykke Li – Until We Bleed 2. Air France – No Excuses 3. I’m from Barcelona – We’re from Barcelona 4. Peter Bjorn and John – Young Folks 5. Claes Strängberg - Bergamo 6. Vera Vinter feat. Markus Mustonen - Överallt 7. The Ark – It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane 8. Eskobar – Love Strikes 9. Kent – Kräm (Så nära får ingen gå) 10. The Knife – A Tooth for an Eye 11. Skatan – Control 12. Lonely Dear – Distant lights
DJ duo Suburbian Summer @Bar I Love You 06.06.2013. at 8 PM
Swedish Music Hour (Part 1) @Radio Show Plastiliins/17.05.2013. Radio Naba 93,1 FM
Radio Naba raidījuma Plastilīns Skandināvijas mūzikas cikla pēdējā pieturvieta - Zviedrija. Tā kā zviedriem mūzikas ir pārpārēm, nolēmām, ka tai ir vērts veltīt divus raidījumus. Zemāk varat noklausīties pirmo daļu, kā arī palasīt par izvēlētajām dziesmām un māksliniekiem. P.S. Otrā daļa jau drīzumā.
Sweden - the last stop of the Radio Naba show's Plastilīns series on Scandinavian music. Because Swedes have so many cool musicians to offer we decided that Sweden deserved two hours devoted to it's music. Follow the link below to listen to the first show and to read more about the artists and the songs I picked. P.S. Part 2 will be available soon as well.
http://official.fm/tracks/bpSV
1. Iamamiwhoami – Play
Iamamiwhoami ir Džonnas Lī (Jonna Lee) multimediālais elektroniskās mūzikas projekts. Tajā darbojas arī viņas ilggadējais producents Klāss Bjorklunds (Claes Björklund) un video producēšanas komanda – Robins Kempe-Bergmans (Robin Kempe-Bergman), Agustins Morē (Agustín Moreaux) un Džons Strands (John Strandh). Kopā viņi veido elektronisku, ambientu mūziku, kuru pavada diezgan spocīgi videoklipi. Tieši ar šiem vienota naratīva videoklipiem viņiem izdevās piesaistīt lielu uzmanību un atpazīstamību. Play ir atrodama viņu 2012. gada debijas albumā kin.
Iamamaiwhoami is Jonna Lee’s electronic music/multimedia project with her long-time producer Claes Björklund and a video production team consisting of Robin Kempe-Bergman, Agustín Moreaux and John Strandh. Together they make electronic ambient music that is accompanied by a series of spooky videos. These video series with a continuous narrative is exactly what attracted people’s attention and created a buzz. Play is taken from their 2012 debut album kin.
Finnish Music Hour @Radio Show Plastiliins/12.04.2013. Radio Naba 93,1 FM (AUDIO)
Kā jau īstu somu garā, raidījums par Somijas mūziku nāca pie mums lēni jo lēni, taču beidzot ir klāt. Klausieties, vertējiet, baudiet!
In true Finnish fashion we had to wait for the recording of the Finnish music hour at the radio show Plastilīns for quite a long time but we finally got it so listen and enjoy! https://soundcloud.com/jana_udovenko/finnish-music-hour-radio-show Track listing: 1. NEØV – Mellow 2. Cats on Fire – Higher Grounds 3. Stockers! – Times Before 4. Aivovuoto – Raaka keikka kolme 5. Siinai – Anthem 1 & 2 6. Villa Nah - Running On 7. Husky Rescue - Sunrider 8. French Films - When People Like You Filled the Heavens
Setlist / DJ duo Fire Walk With Me @Bar I Love You 16.05.2013.
DJ duo Fire Walk With Me @Bar I Love You 16.05.2013. at 8 PM
How to Dress Well @Palladium Riga 08.05.2013.
Setlist / DJ duo Suburbian Summer @Bar I Love You 25.04.2013.
Lielais paldies visiem, kas atnāca kaut uz brīdi pabaudīt Priekšpilsētas Vasaru! Tiem, kas nebija, tā skanēja šādi:
DJ Duo Suburbian Summer @Bar I Love You 25.04.2013. at 8 PM