HCTF's annual list of the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come. As per usual many genres are represented. Here Comes The Flood covers a lot of ground and it shows in this eclectic, final tally.
Today: final countdown from number 5 to 1.
Please shop at your local record store. Most of the stores have a pretty good website where you can order your stuff. It might even be cheaper than the big ones on the 'net. The folks who work there know their stuff and can recommend artists you might like.
Buy directly from the artist, attend live shows and stop by the merch table. And be sure to tell your friends about that great new act you discovered. Word-of-mouth can't be beat as the prime source to discover new music.
5 Rafael Anton Irisarri: FAÇADISMS
Dreams and drones from an avant-garde musician who traversed the globe to finish his album.
It took musician and mastering engineer Rafael Anton Irisarri three years to finish his FAÇADISMS album, recording bits and pieces as he traversed the globe. Making stops in Berlin, Boston, Brussels, Nairobi, New York, and Oxford, his vision of a collection of drones about putting on a false image in order to look better came together. Has the American Dream become a nightmare? Do the poor have to live with the reality that the people in power can get away with telling them that is now time to "Control Your Soul's Desire for Freedom?"
4 William William Rodgers: Pond Life
Making a case for enjoying the little things by way of folk music, with scathing and humorous lyrics.
An ode to the countryside where life does not flash you by, but where you have an opportunity to stare into the distance, wondering what is that makes a particular animal tick. It is a landscape where he can get away with murder (Turning the Plough), the next best thing to paradise (Eden) and a safe spot for floating in the water without a care in the world (In the Swim).
3 Ward White: Here Come The Dowsers
Hurrah for Hollywood? Sharp-witted songsmith begs to differ.
White's mix of art rock and crooner-infused arrangements are tailor-made to point out the cracks in the glitter-and-gold facade. Don't forget that the famous Hollywood sign is just there for the tourists. (...) Here Come The Dowsers takes the scalpel to the inner workings of the system. He draws blood, but he is always at the ready to cover up the wounds with stylish bandages and stitches.
2 Naïm Amor: Stories
Letting the instruments do the talking can speak louder than actual words.
Blissful and wistful. Amor appears to searching for something that has gone missing in his personal life and by doing so he created a record that should be enjoyed as a whole. The moods change ever so slightly and there might be some sort of Hollywood ending in the cards, but the ambiguity is far more interesting than a straightforward predictable narrative that would ruin it all.
1 Gabriel Vicéns: Mural
Less-is-more risk taking without a safety net. Neo-classical finery at its finest.
He plays a game of hide and seek with his audience, that will likely induce quite a bit of head-scratching, before giving way to being in awe for his bravado. Vicéns always seems to be one of two steps ahead as he urges his musicians to step on the tightrope and follow him to the other end, where - after a short stop on a platform - the next challenge is already waiting.
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