by Erik Rabasca
Monday, December 27, 2021
I purchased my first two albums with my own money in 1982. They were Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast” and Ozzy Osborne’s “Diary of a Madman”. I’m pretty sure my parents were frightened. They heard about Ozzy biting the head off of a bat and they were confident that Maiden were devil worshippers. I loved those albums probably because they were dangerous.
I remember the sound just blowing my pre-teen mind. After about the 40th listen at top volume on my little Sony cassette player, I started to dissect every instrument in every song. Then over repeated listens, I built each listen back up in various instrument combinations until I could hear it all at once. I’ve done this countless times with countless albums and still do it today.
There’s nothing like the experience of discovering an album, when that first note or opening sound freezes your being in the moment and transports you. Following are the albums I listened to this year that tapped my soul like the first two I purchased all those years ago. Enjoy this playlist to get a small taste of the treasures below.
Alice Phoebe Lou – Live at Funkhaus (2020), Glow (2021). Captivating, melodic mixing jazz sensitivities with indie punk attitude for quiet anthems. See HiT Picks #1 for a deep dive.
Made Kuti – For(e)ward (2021). Grandson of Fela Kuti evolves the art form of Afrobeat with exhilarating results.
Madison Cunningham – For The Sake of the Rhyme (‘19), Who Are You Now (‘19), 2020-21 singles. Clever, melodic, insightful and brilliant guitarist/singer-songwriting folk-rocker, a current day Joni Mitchell.
Ryley Walker – A Course In Fable (2021). Could be the first indie-prog songwriter. An incredibly musical (and prolific) artist.
Black Midi – Cavalcade (2021). Tons of musical twists and turns to have you anticipating what’s coming next in this rock album, leaving you wondering “how did they do that?”
Conny Frischauf – Die Drift (2021). Experimental electronic synth pop from Vienna.
This Is The Kit – Off Off On (2020). Still processing this one that has all the familiarity of a singer-songwriter but is so much more.
Roots Manuva/Wrongtom – Duppy Writer (2011). Could be the best dub rap album of this century.
Fiona Apple – Fetch The Bolt Cutters (2020). Been listening to this since it’s release. It’s a masterpiece from the first note to the last.
Chicano Batman – Freedom is Free (2017). Psych-soul-indie-rock that makes you feel yesterday is tomorrow right now.
Moor Mother – Brass (2020). Avant-experimental rap and spoken word via Philadelphia.
Mahavishnu Orchestra – The Inner Mounting Flame (1971). 50th Anniversary listen of brilliant rockin early fusion that makes you feel like you’re climbing peaks.
Rob Mazurek – Dimensional Stardust (2020). Trippiest jazz this side of the influence of Sun Ra.
John Coltrane – A Love Supreme: Live In Seattle (2021). Unearthed live 1965 holy grail rendition of the monumental ‘64 studio album; revelatory for super fans.
Erik Rabasca is the founder of the band Light Warriors and the record label, Highest Frequency Records. Follow @erikrabasca on Instagram for more on his shows and projects.
