First playlist of the new year here, then, with a bunch of new arrivals to make 2017 a bit more manageable. Still can’t recommend enough the amazing Hurray For The Riff Raff album, but quick notes about some of the most notable additions this week: Julia Holter’s kind of live album, with lovely and spare rearrangements of some of her best songs; an album at last from Sheer Mag, albeit a singles comp; Matthew Barlow’s “Sound Meditations”, a new New Age gem that I was alerted to via some end of 2016 round-ups (check it out on Bandcamp; it’s a very limited edition cassette otherwise); and, best of all, a fantastic Elliott Smith song that’s surfaced for the 20th anniversary upgrade of Either/Or. By coincidence, I’ve been playing that album at home a lot these past few weeks. Looking forward to writing about it again.

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1 Various Artists – The Hired Hands: A Tribute To Bruce Langhorne (Scissor Tail/Bandcamp)

2 William Basinski – A Shadow In Time (Temporary Residence)

3 Blanck Mass – World Eater (Sacred Bones)

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4 Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Navigator (ATO)

5 Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita – Transparent Water (World Village/Harmonia Mundi)

6 Son Volt – Note Of Blue (Thirty Tigers)

7 Julia Holter – In The Same Room (Domino)

8 Matthew Barlow – Sound Meditations (Bandcamp)

9 Various Artists – Outro Tempo: Electronic and Contemporary Music From Brazil, 1978-1992 (Light In The Attic)

10 Jesus & Mary Chain – Amputation (ADA/Warner)

11 Various Artists – Stick In The Wheel Present From Here: English Folk Field Recordings (From Here)

12 Elliott Smith – I Figured You Out (Kill Rock Stars)

13 Brian Eno – Reflection (Warp)

14 Sheer Mag – Compilation LP (Static Shock)

15 Laura Marling – Semper Femina (More Alarming/Kobalt)

16 Les Amazones d’Afrique – République Amazone (Real World)

17 Grails – Chalice Hymnal (Temporary Residence)

18 Michael Chapman – 50 (Paradise Of Bachelors)

19 The Shins – Heartworms (Aural Apothecary/Columbia)

20 Sleaford Mods – English Tapas (Rough Trade)

21 High Plains – Cinderland (Kranky)