Albums of my years, 2009-2024
These were made for The Portland Mercury, Letters With Mixtapes, and myself.
Best of 2024
1) The Innocence Mission- Midwinter Swimmers (Bella Union)
2) Teenage Tom Petties- Self-Titled (Safe Suburban Home/Repeating Cloud)
3) Cindy Lee- Diamond Jubilee (Realistik Studios)
4) La Luz- News of the Universe (Sub Pop)
5) Brittany Howard- What Now (Island)
6) Value Added- Tell Us Like We Are (Harriet)
7) Fastbacks- For WHAT Reason! (No Threes)
8) The Reds, Pinks & Purples- The World Doesn't Need Another Band (Self-Released)
9) Northwoods Improvisers- Kuhtuhlpa (Copy This Cassette!)
10) Dr. Pete Larson and his Cytotoxic Nyatiti Band- Michigan Traditional Music (Dagoretti)
Best of 2023
1) Yo La Tengo- This Stupid World (Matador)
2) Fever Ray - Radical Romantics (Rabid/Mute)
3) Kelela- Raven (Warp)
4) Gia Margaret- Romantic Piano (Jagjaguwar)
5) Corespondents- Corespondents (Self-Released)
6) Two White Cranes- Self Build (Lost Map)
7) Mega Bog- End of Everything (Mexican Summer)
Best of 2022
1. Cat’s Miaow- Songs ‘94-’98 (World of Echo)
2. Kate Ferencz- You Will Love Again (Self-Released)
3. Taylor Swift- Midnights (Republic)
4. Friendship- Love the Stranger (Merge)
5. Time Pieces- Boundary Problems (Porchlight)
Best of 2021
1. Idle Ray- Idle Ray (Life Like Tapes)
2. Advance Base- Wall of Tears & Other Songs I Didn’t Write (Orindal)
3. Midwife- Luminol (The Flenser)
4. Pleasure Systems- Visiting the Well (Orchid Tapes)
5. Karima Walker- Dreaming the Waking Body (Orindal)
6. Dry Cleaning- New Long Leg (4AD)
7. Oh, Yes- Crooked Wine Smile (Relief Map)
8. Fog Lake- Tragedy Reel (Orchid Tapes)
Best of 2020
1. Babytooth- Thataway EP (Bud Tapes)
2. Frances Quinlan- Likewise (Saddle Creek)
3. Waxahatchee- Saint Cloud (Merge)
4. Adrianne Lenker- Songs (4AD)
5. Destroyer- Have We Met (Merge)
6. The Mountain Goats- Songs for Pierre Chuvin (Merge)
7. Idle Ray- Demo EP (Self-Released)
8. Y La Bamba- Los Gritos (Self-Released)
9. The Innocence Mission- See You Tomorrow (Thérèse/Bella Union)
10. Radisson Blue- Assemblage EP (Self-Released)
Best of 2019
1. Purple Mountains- Purple Mountains (Drag City)
2. Mount Eerie & Julie Doiron- Lost Wisdom, Pt. 2 (P. W. Elverum & Sun)
3. Sacred Paws- Run Around the Sun (Merge)
4. Big Thief- Two Hands (4AD)
5. Y La Bamba- Mujeres (Tender Loving Empire)
6. Friendship- Dreamin’ (Orindal)
7. Erin Durant- Islands (Keeled Scales)
Best of 2018
1. Fred Thomas- Aftering (Polvinyl)
2. Black Belt Eagle Scout- Mother of My Children (Saddle Creek)
3. Advance Base- Animal Companionship (Orindal)
4. Kate Ferencz- What Was the World (Cold Rhymes)
5. Stephen Steinbrink- Utopia Teased (Melodic)
Best of 2017
1. Kelela- Take Me Apart (Warp)
2. Jessica Dennison + Jones- Self-Titled (Party Damage)
3. Midwife- Like Author, Like Daughter (Whited Sepulchre)
4. Michael Nau- Some Twist (Suicide Squeeze)
5. Fred Thomas- Changer (Polvinyl)
6. Allison Crutchfield- Tourist in This Town (Merge)
Best of 2016
1. Mal Devisa- Kidd (Self-Released)
2. Frankie Cosmos- Next Thing (Bayonet)
3. Michael Nau- Mowing (Suicide Squeeze)
4. Sister Grotto- You Don’t Have to Be a House to Be Haunted (Self-Released)
5. Mutual Benefit- Skip a Sinking Stone (Mom + Pop)
6. Noname- Telefone (Self-Released)
Best of 2015
1. Kate Ferencz- Dying Alone (Single Girl Married Girl)
2. Advance Base- Nephew in the Wild (Orindal)
3. Willis Earl Beal- Noctunes (Tender Loving Empire)
4. Richard Album- Saturday Night Album (Athletic)
5. Aunts- Good Mourning Moon (Self-Released)
6. Two White Cranes- Radisson Blue (Stitch-Stitch/Odd Box/Happy Happy Birthday to Me)
7. Quarterbacks- Self-Titled (Team Love/Double Double Whammy)
8. Golden Hour- Don’t Be Cute (Self-Released)
9. Mommy Long Legs- Assholes EP (Youth Riot)
10. Natural Magic- Self-Titled (Boomarm Nation)
Best of 2014
1. EMA- The Future’s Void (City Slang/Matador)
2. Stephen Steinbrink- Arranged Waves (Holy Page/Melodic)
3. Nicholas Krgovich- On Sunset/On Cahuenga (Orindal)
4. Blowout- We All Float Down Here (Lauren)
5. Silver Shadows- Self-Titled EP (Gilgongo)
6. Allison Crutchfield- Lean In To It (Stupid Bag Co/Kingfisher Bluez)
7. Two White Cranes- Self-Titled (Stitch-Stitch)
8. Mirah- Changing Light (K)
Best of 2013
1. Mutual Benefit- Love’s Crushing Diamond (Other Music)
2. Kelela- Cut 4 Me (Self-Released)
3. Corespondents- Land of the Low People (Self-Released)
4. RIVKA- Faded (Hoko Sounds)
5. Autre Ne Veut- Anxiety (Software/Mexican Summer)
6. Beyoncé- Self-Titled (Parkwood/Columbia)
7. James Blake- Overgrown (Atlas)
Best of 2012
1. Arlt & Thomas Bonvalet- Self-Titled (Almost Musique)
2. Dirty Three- Toward the Low Sun (Drag City/Bella Union)
3. Lau Nau- Valohiukkanen (Fonal)
Best of 2011
1. Barren Nieces- Lascivious Occupations (Le Horror)
2. Jordan O’Jordan- Drawn Onward (Electricity and Lust)
3. EMA- Past Life Martyred Saint (Souterrain Transmissions)
4. Shabazz Palaces- Black Up (Sub Pop)
5. Mega Bog- Freaky Dawn (Wizards of the Ghost)
6. Lapalux- Many Faces Out of Focus (Pictures Music)
Best of 2010
1. Joanna Newsom- Have One on Me (Drag City)
2. CocoRosie- Grey Oceans (Sub Pop)
3. The Books- The Way Out (Temporary Residence)
4. Eleanor Murray- Oh Thunder (Bicycle)
5. Cock and Swan- Unrecognize (Dandelion Gold)
6. Corespondents- Ur (Self-Released)
7. Xiu Xiu- Dear God I Hate Myself (Kill Rock Stars)
8. Innocence Mission- My Room in the Trees (Badman)
9. Ô Paon- Courses (Ô Paon Records)
10. S.L.F.M.- Affaire (Self-Released)
Best of 2009
1. Christina Antipa- The Royal We (Self-Released)
2. Polka Dot Dot Dot- Syzygy (Bicycle)
3. Tiny Vipers- Life on Earth (Sub Pop)
4. DJ Dogwater- Amy Winehouse Memorial Mixtape (Self-Released)
5. Gunmothers Head- Her Husband Didn’t (Ick Ick)
6. Corespondents- Do Not Doublestack Do Not Doublestack (Self-Released)
7. Lactacious- Strong and Wrong (Self-Released)
8. Arrington de Dionyso- Malaikat Dan Singa (K)
9. Tara Jane O'Neill- A Ways Away (K)
10. Karl Blau- 96 (Kelp)