Not half bad

It came as a pleasant surprise to discover that not only had I actually heard some of the Quietus' Albums Of The Year So Far, but I'd reviewed five of them for Buzz: Bill Ryder-Jones' Iechyd Da, Kim Gordon's The Collective, Julia Holter's Something In The Room She Moves, William Doyle's Springs Eternal and Fat White Family's Forgiveness Is Yours. Add to that Metz's Up On Gravity Hill, Shellac's To All Trains, Alison Cotton's Engelchen and Nadine Shah's Filthy Underneath - all of which I'd happily also endorse - and it seems that maybe I've had my finger more on the pulse than normal over the first six months of 2024.

That said, the list was (inevitably) also a timely boot up the arse with respect to a few records that I really should have listened to. I've since rectified that, enjoying Mdou Moctar's Funeral For Justice, Big Brave's A Chaos Of Flowers and especially Arab Strap's i'm totally fine with it i don't give a fuck anymore, but still have Gnod's Spot Land, Jane Weaver's Love In Constant Spectacle and Beth Gibbons' Lives Outgrown to investigate.

Of course, a large part of the joy of lists like this is being turned on to things you wouldn't otherwise have heard of - and such is the calibre of Quietus writers that they do a sterling job of selling each and every album. Consider my interest piqued in the latest releases by all of the following: Arooj Aftab, Chelsea Wolfe, Ex-Easter Island Head, Lord Spikeheart, Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Cuntroaches, Rafael Toral, Kavus Torabi, Erika Angell, Persher and Still House Plants.

Some will turn their noses up at the more leftfield, esoteric picks among the selection, but there's still room for both Pet Shop Boys and Judas Priest - something that will no doubt have pleased Ian Wade, given that both acts get a chapter in his most enjoyable forthcoming book 1984: The Year Pop Went Queer.