Вторник 6 Янв 2009, 16:46

I'm usually very late with this, not to mention always finding that the 'new' things I've been listening to are a few years out of date… But never mind. Some great records last year, looking back, and here are the things I enjoyed most, in no particular order, but similar(ish) genres lumped together:

Fennesz- Black Sea
Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
Philip Jeck – Sand

James Blackshaw - Litany of Echoes
Spiers & Boden - Vagabond
Faustus - Faustus
Bellowhead – Matachin

Trevor Pinnock, European Brandenburg Ensemble - Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg
Peter Dijkstra, Nederlands Kamerkoor - JS Bach: 6 Motets
Osmo Vänskä, Minnesota Orchestra - Beethoven: Symphonies 2 & 7
Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent - Lassus: Cantiones sacrae
John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists - JS Bach: Cantatas Vol 03
Leif Segerstam, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra – Sibelius: Kullervo

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

All really very good albums indeed. Although glancing over the list, I really haven't got hold of enough electronic-y things this year and it's probably fortunate that most of the classical stuff I've acquired has been older stuff, otherwise the selection would be even more unbalanced! The 'shortlist' could have been longer too, as I've very much enjoyed the 3 Bach cantata records I've heard from Masaaki Suzuki this year, or more Bach cantatas from Sigiswald Kuijken, not to mention the Fleet Foxes (ended up not really warming to that one, mind you), The Bug with London Zoo (that, however, continues to grow on me - another couple of weeks and it'd probably make the list!) or that very nice album from the Tindersticks. Decisions, decisions…