Year end madness continues with the mega list of my favorite international albums of the year. I’ll use similar kind of method as I did last year. So this list will have some kind of not-that-serious ranked top 10 and outside of that the order will be completely random. I’m fully aware that music is love and not a competition, but I also listen an insane amount of music and therefore these lists will be really long. That’s why I think it might be helpful to give readers some kind of vague ranking of the releases I’ve loved the most. For example, everyone might not be into listening to all 100 albums that I will select.

I’m of course just one man with a subjective taste. These are my own favorite releases and I’m not even trying to make an objective best of the year list. It’s just a list of albums that I love. Also my apologies for everyone who didn’t make the cut. I started making this by going through year’s worth of new music weekly posts and felt like was I being hard and only included albums that I really liked. The end result and the first draft had 197 albums. So even though 100 must seem likely a ridiculously large number, it was extremely difficult to cut it down to a 100. Anyway, enough of this pointless rambling and on to the list. It will all roll down during the next days or week. Hard to give exact time frame. I’ll go as fast as I can and won’t write much. There will be a Tidal, Spotify, Apple Music playlist after the final part, if you are into such things.

Part Seven
Part Six
Part Five
Part Four
Part Three
Part Two

Kirty – We Are All On Fire (Postwar Records)

First some car smashing together with Toronto-based songwriter Kirty. All the singles are pure gold and the full thing doesn’t fall far behind that description.

Mitch Dillon’s Compulsive Ramblers – Mitch Dillon’s Compulsive Ramblers (Ragged Gum Records)

A giant leap to Australia for the wonderful self-titled debut from Mitch Dillon’s Compulsive Ramblers. 90s alt-country vibes with early Wilco coming to mind here and there. Damn good stuff.

The Reds, Pinks and Purples – Uncommon Weather (Tough Love / Slumberland)

Next stop San Francisco and some jangly pop magic from Glenn Donaldson aka The Reds Pinks and Purples. One of the pop records that seem to be on everyone’s favorite list and rightfully so.

Mt. Misery – Once Home, No Longer (Prefect Records)

Hartlepool, UK wants to join this indie pop party. I fell in love with Mt. Misery approximately a split second after I start listening to this album last summer. If you grew up listening to TFC and Sarah Records and so forth, you are going to love this one.

Michael Cormier – More Light!! (Dear Life Records / OOF Records)

Moving to Maine, but maybe not falling that far from the indie pop spectrum. Going more into the folk territory though with some experimental sounds too. Besides co-running one of the finest indie labels Dear Life Records, Michael Cormier is also a mighty fine solo artist. More Light!! has been a big riser for me and I love it more with each listen. A couple of months ago it probably wouldn’t have made the cut, but now it would have been included even on a much shorter list.

Astral Swans – Astral Swans

Back on the Canadian soil for some experimental psych-folk brilliance from Calgary-based Matthew Swann aka Astral Swans. The hero of almost everyone, Julie Doiron lends a helping hand or well voice for several songs.

Julie Doiron – I Thought Of You (You’ve Changed Records)

Next almost too logical step is to go to Montreal, Quebec to meet up with Julie Doiron and her fabulous new album. A late release date, so I’m still in the process of introducing my heart to these songs. Perhaps with more time, this could have even entered into top ten discussion. Already easy to say that it has to be on this list.

Steve Sloane – Chewing the Shadow / Time is a Threat

Staying in Canada for more big personal favorites. Singer-songwriter Steve Sloane isn’t that well-known though, but his poignant songs matter a great deal to me. He actually put out two records this year and these beauties can share this place together because I can’t decide which one is better. Both have so many moving moments.

Jeremy Squires – Unravel (Blackbird Record Label)

Moving across the border to the US, but sticking with long time personal favorites. Prolific North Carolinian singer-songwriter Jeremy Squires releases a hauntingly beautiful albums pretty much every year and this one is not an exception.

Harrison Whitford – Afraid of Nothing (Screwdriver Records)

One more devastingly beautiful one from LA-based Harrison Whitford. Besides being a guitarist for Phoebe Bridgers, Harrison is also a mighty good songwriter. A few years back he knocked me out with a stunning debut album Afraid of Everything and now it was time for a gorgeous follow-up. This one’s a bit more evolved and rich, but thankfully without losing that fragile down-to-earth beauty of the debut.

Tim Easton – You Don’t Really Know Me (Black Mesa Records)

Time to chance the pace a little and go to more roots, blues, soul journey for the last few entries in this part of the year end saga. Kicking things off in the usual place Nashville with a great new Tim Easton album.

Queen Esther – Gild the Black Lily

Traveling on to New York for this next one. And what a special country blues treasure this album from singer-songwriter Queen Esther really is. I’m especially fond of her own original songs like The Whiskey Wouldn’t Let Me Pray

Kashena Sampson – Time Machine (New Moon Records

A few years ago, Nashville-based roots songwriter Kashena Sampson stormed into my world with a phenomenal debut single Wild Heart. I’ve been a fan ever since and this second full-length is again mighty good.

Yola – Stand For Myself (Easy Eye Sound)

This new Yola album maybe isn’t stylewise totally my cup of tea, but I’m not gonna let such a minor detail stop me from loving this wholeheartedly. She is still amazing.

Durand Jones & The Indications – Private Space (Dead Oceans)

And last but not least some soulful brilliance from the fabulous Durand Jones & The Indications. This entry and the forthcoming playlist will have a lot sad stuff, so I wanted to end this with something hopeful. Don’t you ever doubt that Love Will Work It Out.

I’m kicking of the year end routine with my favorite EPs of the year. I’ll use similar kind of method as I did last year. So these list will have some kind of not-that-serious ranked top 10 and outside of that the order will be completely random and drawn out of a hat. I’m fully aware that music is love and not a competition, but I also listen an insane amount of music and therefore these lists will be really long. That’s why I think it might be helpful to give readers some kind of vague ranking of the releases I’ve loved the most. For example, everyone might not be into listening to all 100 albums that I will select. Anyway, here are my favorite EPs of the year. Hopefully I didn’t forget something important. I often do. I did notice that I messed up with forgetting to listen to the brand new Hinton Bower Jones EP before today. Based on first listen, it should be here but after one single listen it might be a bit too early to say it’s one of my favorites of the year. I also thought long about including Mercy Bell and Flora Hibberd. Both 7 songs and around 25 minutes. I left them for the album list in the end. Both would be top 3 here, if they were on this list.

Oh and if you are into playlists, you’ll find Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music links below the list.

Why Dogs Why – Dress Well Enough (#veryjazzed)

Beau Jennings & The Tigers – Feel the Sun (Black Mesa Records)

Jess Jocoy – Brighter Eyes

David Myhr – And Now This (Lojinx)

Sarah King – The Hour

Leche Malo – I Wouldn’t Forgive Me Either It’s Just I Have To

Jeffrey Silverstein – Torii Gates (Arrowhawk Records)

Katie Spencer – Hurt In Your Heart (KRS Music)

Tiffany Williams – I’ll Be Back Soon

Porlolo – No Praise, No Blame

Emmett Morris – A Better World’s To Come (Gunn St Music)

Cecilia James – Different Ground (Cowgirl Boot Girl Records)

Adam Lee – The Wilderness Years

Miko Marks – Race Records (Redtone Records)

Nick Delffs – Childhood Pastimes (Mama Bird Recording Co)

Trey Burnart Hall – Song I Can’t Sing Vol 1 (Vocal Rest Records)

Mr. Alec Bowman_Clarke – A Place Like Home (Corduroy Punk)

The Landovers – Labor Dazed

Renee Reed – J’ai reve (Keeled Scales)

Alexis May – Killing Pain, Memories & Time

10. Ryan Necci & The Buffalo Gospel – Ghost Songs

And let’s begin the top 10 with Ryan Necci & The Buffalo Gospel. I could easily make a case of this being both #1 and not on the list at all. #1 because I absolutely love these songs. Not on the list at all, because the songs aren’t exactly new and Ghost Songs just gathers together some classic Buffalo Gospel tunes. Nevertheless I wanted to include it, because the songs are fabulous and probably still criminally unknown.

9. Gabi Hartmann – Always Seem to Get Things Wrong (27/29)

Gabi Hartmann released the magnificent title track a couple of years ago and finally followed it up with other great songs. Beautiful stuff.

8. Erin Enderlin – Barroom Mirrors (Black Crow Productions)

Next up is the new EP from the true master of the classic sad country ballad. Erin Enderlin is a such a wonderful country songwriter.

7. Brigid Mae Power – Burning Your Light (Fire Records)

Cover records rarely make the album list, because there’s always so much original music available. I can make some exceptions on the less crowded EP list. This is such a a spectacular cover EP from Brigid Mae Power. This Songs:Ohia cover for example. Oh my. I love everything about it.

6. Canandaigua – Slight Return (Baja Dracula)

Here this starts to get difficult, because I could flip the last six in any kind of order and be equally pleased with the result. That’s why this ranking stuff is pointless and shouldn’t be taken very seriously. We’ll start with Raul Zahir De Leon’s powerful solo project Canandaigua. We could all learn a lot just by listening to this.

5. Dan Wriggins – Mr. Chill (Orindal Records)

Dan Wriggins from Friendship doing some solo magic. I have returned to this throughout the year. So great from first note to last.

4. MJ Lenderman – Knockin’ (Dear Life Records)

Another totally new one for me. Never heard of MJ Lenderman before the day this came out. However, I instantly loved this the minute I heard it and probably started spamming all my various social media feeds about the greatness of this. TLC Cage Match. Damn what a song.

3. Cassidy Snider & The Wranglers – Losing Lovers (Vocal Rest Records)

The last minute entry to this, because this just came out little over a week ago. Of course I had heard the gorgeous advance singles, so it didn’t came out of nowhere. Extremely impressive debut from blues-folk singer-songwriter Cassidy Snider.

2. Sylvie – Sylvie (Terrible Records)

I kept on changing the order of the first two several times. It was pretty much a coin toss between Clara and Sylvie. Anyway, I absolutely adore this new project from Ben Schwab, Marina Allen and Sam Burton. What a timeless beauty.

1. Clara Mann – Consolations (Sad Club Records)

And the EP of the year award goes to Bristol, UK. The final song of this EP was my big song crush of 2020 and the full EP from folk songwriter Clara Mann turned out to be equally amazing. Consolations is a treasure.

Playlist on Tidal

Playlist on Apple Music

Just a quick pointless mid-year list of things I’ve loved during the first half of the year. Things might change a lot before the eoty lists, because there’s plenty I haven’t listened enough at this point. For example from last friday, there’s only a few here. I’m sure Hiss or Dacus could easily make the cut, but I haven’t even had the time to listen to the whole records yet. There’s no order in any of these lists. The covers and text is actually in different order, so that already shows how much the order mattered to me. There’s already been a lot to love this year and I already had about 70 international albums on the first draft, but forced myself to cut it down to 30. I’ll make the (even more) ridiculously long list in December, if the blog is still alive at that point. There’s some playlists at the bottom, if you are into such things.