Taken together, these 50 minutes flow by seamlessly, and whatever your environs (over the course of the year, I’ve cooked, jogged, studied and unpacked many bookshop deliveries to this), Dark Matter is a tremendous experience, full of life and craft. Obongjayar presides over the psychedelic ‘Dancing in the Dark’ like a brooding augur ‘2 Far Gone’ features gorgeous keys from Joe Armon-Jones, set over samples reminiscent of early-2010s Caribou and ‘Shades of You’ is a poppy treat at the heart of the album, elevated by the buoyant presence of soul singer Poppy Ajudha. The finished product is enjoyable and gripping on an instinctive level you don’t need a deep knowledge of the genre-juggling tricks and techniques on display here to appreciate the manifest pleasures and bravura qualities of this music, which are apparent from the first listen.Īrriving in a storm of cosmic keys and thundering tuba, Dark Matter exhibits Boyd’s taste for the theatrical, and when collaborators enter the fray, he gives them plenty of room to shine in the spotlight. A virtuoso drummer and beat scientist, Boyd successfully blends the heat of live jazz performances with precise, propulsive instrumentals. Moses Boyd’s first full-length solo album is a prismatic fusion of genres, primarily rooted in jazz but limitless in its reach in incorporating electronica, grime, Afrobeat and more into a coherent, exciting whole. Rather than exhaust us all, I’ll move swiftly onto my ten favourite albums of 2020 (at time of writing). As dearly as I love the full range of albums above, I don’t have the time or words to do justice to all of them without this countdown becoming interminable. I did spend some time writing a Top 25 list in greater detail, but ultimately decided to scrap it. * Also, huge love to Christine and the Queens’ La vita nuova EP, and the live albums from Joan Shelley and The War on Drugs, both magnificent capsules of much-needed joy. Ferreira)ġ5) Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (Gorillaz) To give this piece a little more depth and flavour, here’s a quick shout-out to some of the runner-ups:Ģ5) Alfredo (Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist)Ģ3) Love Lives Where Rules Die (Suzanne Vallie)Ģ2) The Mosaic of Transformation (Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith)Ģ0) Heaven to a Tortured Mind (Yves Tumor)ġ9) A Song For Our Daughter (Laura Marling)ġ7) Purple Moonlight Pages (R.A.P. Nevertheless, it’s always interesting (and valuable, in some ways, even if only to myself) to create a time capsule of how I’m feeling now (credit to Charli). Regrettably, I didn’t spend as much time with some as I did with others, and in due course, this list will undoubtedly shift and change. Suzanne Vallie (photo: Magdalena Wosinska)Įverything featured in the above collage is something I’ve taken a shine to in 2020. But before we leave 2020 behind, I’d like to champion a few of the musical projects that were life rafts to me this year. Hopefully a brighter time is on the way for most. Most simply, spread the word, recommend earnestly and help their work reach more listeners. Order albums or merch (for yourself or as a spontaneous gift to someone who might appreciate it – perhaps more than you’d suppose), contribute to crowdfunders, and buy directly from the artist wherever possible (though anything that isn’t fucking Am*zon is a good start). Thank the artists who helped you through 2020 in whatever way you are able. Of course, these works were not sent to our world from distant utopias, and the creatives and their associated teams behind these ventures need our support in kind. Personally, I needed some of these words and melodies more than I could ever articulate, and looking back on this miserable year, I feel endlessly grateful that I had such wonderful company in the form of many of these albums, singles and EPs. Their dispatches are now – for good or ill, by design or accident – irrevocably analogous with this year of seemingly neverending onslaughts. But an even greater debt of thanks is owed to the artists who released music in the throes of these past twelve months. Whether you were tumbling into black holes of free jazz or endlessly replaying ABBA Gold this year, I hope you found the solace and spirit you needed to make 2020 at least a little more bearable.Ī nod, then, to heroes of the past for bequeathing us these time-honoured balms. Music – in all its forms and multitudes – was perhaps the most instantaneous soul medicine to reach for, and thankfully, we have lifetimes of riches at our disposal to steer us through trying times. Many of us pushed through this year by leaning hard into the arts, finding comfort, adventure and means of coping within their dimensions.
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