It's time for another #Shfl monthly newsletter and when you've got @natepatrin.bsky.social, @darkforcesswing.bsky.social, Chris Catchpole and @haroldheath.bsky.social with the bigger pieces and folks like @kodakghostpoem.bsky.social and @idiotwitchamelia.bsky.social with reviews, it's all good.
Albums of the year pt.3: Other Bangers 🙂🎧❤️
Albums of the year pt.2: Jazz 🙂🎧❤️
Albums of the year pt.1: House & techno 🙂🎧❤️
Harold's-Festive-Albums-Giga-Thread!
Another year of listening to lots of new music & trying to decide if I like it enough to write about it, although 2025 was different in that reviewers are now required to establish if the music we’re listening to is machine-generated, which has been great, obvs.
If you've made it to the end of Harold's-Festive-Albums-Giga-Thread-2025 then congratulations, you must REALLY like music 😊
There's SO MUCH NEW MUSIC ALL THE TIME, it can all be a bit much sometimes, but as ever, it's always worth digging to find the gems; hope you find something you like here ❤️🎵
Fatback Band, Millie Jackson, Joe Simon et al get quality updates from Kenny Dope, Cosmodelica, DJ Spinna, Opolopo, Joe Clausell & more
City pop, UK techno, tropicalia, film soundtracks, IDM, deep house and more on this classy Balearic selection
Immersive, pirate radio style, guest appearance-rich album of heavyweight reggae, dub and soul cross pollinations
Another superlative selection of enigmatic supa-tight-alt-disco-hybrid-afrobeat-R’n’B-futurist-funk.
A collection of pretty, drifty, dreamy, cinematic, kind of jazzy, semi-lounge, partly-retro instrumentals, very nice indeed
Cutting edge, deep, affecting music often built from seemingly slim elements; expert Emo electronica excellence
Gem-filled collection of 70s soul, disco, boogie and dancefloor gospel
Killer after killer, smoking smouldering deep contemporary Balearica of the highest quality
9 tracks and the whole album doesn’t make it above 22 minutes: super-concentrated, double distilled high end electro-pop full of samples that make people of my age smile
Beguiling, bittersweet soul-flavoured Lovers rock and tropical pop from UK chanteuse Hollie Cook
Sublime collection of Lovers Rock, soul, afrobeats and R’n’B from storytelling vocalist Yazmin Lacey
Gorgeous, delicate, gently glowing Matthew Herbert Momoko Gill collab, hints of dub, folk, jazz and echos of the dancefloor contained in a set of soothing and tender songs
From delicate, meditative and immersive to intense, soaring and fiery devotional jazzing
Nostalgic, lush, cinematic, retro-flavoured Italio Jazz
Techno jazz fusion improv album from Jeff Mills and friends that’s way better than it sounds
Killer comp of dancefloor jazz, contemporary jazz, funky jazz, spiritual jazz, every track a delight
Sumptuous album of Jazz, Latin, tropicalia, future-bossa: Brazilian soul via London
A selection of smooth, slick, intricate, house, jazz and downtempo Ron Trent jams from the last ten years
