When you listen to as much music as I do — not to mention as many different genres — making best-of lists is a nightmare. I mean, how do you decide whether the new Black Keys album is better than the Black Midi or the Black Mountain? Or judge the relative merits of Danko Jones, Durand Jones, Norah Jones and Jim Jones? It’s like comparing apples and oranges — along with lemons, pumpkins, eggplant and asparagus. So, rather than put us all through the misery, I just put together this massive list of all the best titles I heard in the first six months of the year, excluding reissues, compilations and box sets. It’s got 158 titles in it, so no, I didn’t create links for them all: If you want to read a specific review, please use the search box at the top of the page. But I did include links to some of the previous monthly roundups at the bottom for those who like to have everything in one place. Enjoy.
The Long List
American Football | American Football (LP3)
Amyl & The Sniffers | Amyl & The Sniffers
Asomvel | World Shaker
Avicii | Tim
Bad Religion | Age of Unreason
Balthazar | Fever
Sara Bareilles | Amidst The Chaos
Beast Coast | Escape From New York
The Beasts | Still Here
Beat Circus | These Wicked Things
Better Oblivion Community Center | Better Oblivion Community Center
Biffy Clyro | Balance, Not Symmetry Soundtrack
Ryan Bingham | American Love Song
Jade Bird | Jade Bird
The Black Keys | ‘Let’s Rock’
Black Midi | Schlagenheim
Black Mountain | Destroyer
James Blake | Assume Form
The Blue Butter Pot | Let Them Talk
Broken Social Scene | Let’s Try the After Vol. 2
The Budos Band | V
Le Butcherettes | bi/MENTAL
JJ Cale | Stay Around
Chai | Punk
Tanika Charles | The Gumption
Charly Bliss | Young Enough
The Chemical Brothers | No Geography
Gary Clark Jr. | This Land
Claypool Lennon Delirium | South of Reality
Clinic | Wheeltappers & Shunters
Combo Chimbita | Ahomale
The Comet is Coming | Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
Co. Townes | Van Zandt
Jim Cuddy | Countrywide Soul
Miley Cyrus | She is Coming
Daddy Long Legs | Lowdown Ways
Deerhunter | Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?
Deflore & Jaz Coleman | Party in the Chaos
Luther Dickinson & Sisters of the Strawberry Moon | Solstice
Doll Skin | Love is Dead And We Killed Her
The Dream Syndicate | These Times
Karly Driftwood | Too Mean to Die
Drivin N Cryin | Live the Love Beautiful
Eagles of Death Metal | Boots Electric Performing The Best Songs We Never Wrote
Justin Townes Earle | The Saint of Lost Causes
Steve Earle & The Dukes | Guy
Billie Eilish | When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Robert Ellis | Texas Piano Man
Emil Bulls | Mixtape
Perry Farrell | Kind Heaven
Fat White Family | Serfs Up!
FIDLAR | Almost Free
Filthy Friends | Emerald Valley
Craig Finn | I Need a New War
Flaming Lips | King’s Mouth: Music and Songs
The Flesh Eaters | I Used To Be Pretty
Flying Luttenbachers | Shattered Dimension
Fontaines D.C. | Dogrel
The Get Up Kids | Problems
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib | Bandana
Guided by Voices | Warp and Woof
Guided By Voices | Zeppelin Over China
Gum Takes Tooth | Arrow
Steve Gunn | The Unseen In Between
Glen Hansard | This Wild Willing
Guitar Wolf | LOVE&JETT
Juliana Hatfield | Weird
Hearing Things | Here’s Hearing Things
The Heavy | Sons
Hot Lunch | Seconds
Imperial Wax | Gastwerk Saboteurs
Institute | Readjusting the Locks
The Jackets | Queen of The Pill
Danko Jones | A Rock Supreme
Durand Jones & The Indications | American Love Call
Norah Jones | Begin Again
Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind | CollectiV
Rickie Lee Jones | Kicks
Muito Kaballa | Everything is Broke
Will Kimbrough | I Like it Down Here
The Kokomo Kings | Fighting Fire With Gasoline
Lambchop | This (Is What I Wanted To Tell You)
Lee Harvey Osmond | Mohawk
Left Lane Cruiser | Shake and Bake
Jenny Lewis | On the Line
Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul | Summer of Sorcery
Lizzo | Cuz I Love You
Nils Lofgren | Blue With Lou
Long Ryders | Psychedelic Country Soul
Madonna | Madame X
Stephen Malkmus | Groove Denied
Wynton Marsalis | Bolden: Original Soundtrack
Jimbo Mathus | Incinerator
Mattiel | Satis Factory
Cass McCombs | Tip of the Sphere
Chuck Mead | Close to Home
Meat Puppets | Dusty Notes
The Mekons | Deserted
Buddy & Julie Miller | Breakdown On 20th Ave. South
The Minus 5 | Stroke Manor
Bob Mould | Sunshine Rock
Mounties | Heavy Meta
Georgia Anne Muldrow | Vweto II
The National | I Am Easy to Find
Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real | Turn Off The News (Build a Garden)
Willie Nelson | Ride Me Back Home
Niggght | Violent Delicacy
Northern Pikes | Forest of Love
Karen O & Danger Mouse | Lux Prima
The O’Jays | The Last Word
J.S. Ondara | Tales of America
Orville Peck | Pony
Mike Posner | A Real Good Kid
Sarah Potenza | Road to Rome
Prince | Originals
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets | And Now For the Whatchamacallit
PUP | Morbid Stuff
Queen Zee | Queen Zee
The Raconteurs | Help Us Stranger
Chris Robinson Brotherhood | Servants of the Sun
Maddie Ross | Never Have I Ever
Royal Trux | White Stuff
Luther Russell | Medium Cool
Hunt Sales Memorial | Get Your Shit Together
Sasami | Sasami
Scattered Clouds | Take Away Your Summer
Sebadoh | Act Surprised
The Sh-Booms | The Blurred Odyssey
Shotgun Sawyer | Bury the Hatchet
Slowthai | Nothing Great About Britain
Todd Snider | Cash Cabin Sessions Vol. 3
Solange | When I Get Home
Son Volt | Union
Soundwalk Collective With Patti Smith | The Peyote Dance
Spiral Stairs | We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized
Bruce Springsteen | Western Stars
Chris Stamey & The ModRec Orchestra | New Songs For The 20th Century
Mavis Staples | We Get By
Strand of Oaks | Eraserland
Stray Cats | 40
Tedeschi Trucks Band | Signs
Kate Tempest | The Book of Traps and Lessons
Titus Andronicus | An Obelisk
U.K. Subs | Subversions II
Vampire Weekend | Father of the Bride
Sharon Van Etten | Remind Me Tomorrow
Jimmie Vaughan | Baby, Please Come Home
Adia Victoria | Silences
Weezer | Weezer (The Black Album)
Weezer | Weezer (The Teal Album)
Leo “Bud” Welch | The Angels in Heaven Done Signed My Name
John Paul White | The Hurting Kind
Whitehorse | The Northern South Vol. 2
The Wildhearts | Renaissance Men
Hawksley Workman | Median Age Wasteland
Wu-Tang Clan | Of Mics and Men (Music From The Showtime Documentary Series)
Yak | Pursuit of Momentary Happiness
Thom Yorke | Anima
