AnEarful

Discover Music With AnEarful is back with one last episode! Monthly Listening: December 2025 celebrates one concert, nine recent releases, and my Top 25. Feat. @andPlayduo, The Crossing, Quatuor Mémoire, Ensemble Dal Niente, @Essvus, @laikasongs, etc.! open.spotify.com/episode/3IsSAF…

Catching up with over 100(!) reviews from January to March. Plus: Birthday Girl, Victoryland, PVA, Tessa Rose Jackson, Shackleton, Grife, Twisted Teens, Art School Girlfriend, Historian, New German Cinema, Lifeguard, and Special Friend. anearful.substack.com/p/2026-first-q…

VT rockers Robber Robber kick a new level of ass on album 2. Also: Hiding Places, Sophia Yau-Weeks, Harriet Tubman & Georgia Ann Muldrow, Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE & SURF GANG, Luke Reynolds/Joey Waronker/Zac Rae, Davor Vincze, and A Place To Bury Strangers. anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for-f…

@paranoiacs I tried hard with this album. There are some great guitars on it, but Verlaine’s voice became a deal-breaker. I sold my copy and just kept the Johnny Jewel single.

From the anxiously amoral opener “See No Evil” to the cosmic-stoner guitar-showcase of the title track, Television’s ‘Marquee Moon’ is the LP which smuggles the Grateful Dead into punk rock before Pavement had the chance. The speed kids dig it and the major heads too. A miracle.

Jane Church - Calimocho Molotov! (Greenway, 2019) “…Matt Stevenson, the chief songwriter and singer in Jane Church, is a master of his craft, expertly constructing one wistful and memorable tune after another.” My #18 album of 2019. He’s been MIA ever since! #5debutalbums1519

Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (Darkroom/Interscope, 2019) I almost ignored Eilish, but discovered “a protean talent who has put together a batch of electronic and hip hop-inflected pop songs for the ages.” Got my 🎯 exclusive, too! #5DebutAlbums1519

Anna St. Louis - If Only There Was A River (Woodsist, 2018) “…somehow manages to sound both completely contemporary and as if she’s been with us forever. Exquisitely sensitive production and stunning songwriting make this one for the ages.” My #15 of 2018! #5DebutAlbums1519

@femaleuncle New album is very good, too, especially Butterfly!

I guess I’m just gonna have to get on here everyday and be a snail mail defender have you guys heard this song oh my fucking god

Andy Jenkins - Sweet Bunch (Spacebomb, 2018) “Jenkins’s slightly rueful yet wise persona finds apt expression in his Nilsson-esque voice and all the elements add up to an addictive delight.” Or so I said when naming this #6 of 2018! #5DebutAlbums1519

Sampha - Process (Young Turks, 2017) “…reveals an old soul with all the old-fashioned strengths in his songwriting, piano playing, and deeply felt singing. His production talents serve each song perfectly…” Still holds up to my original rave review! #5DebutAlbums1519

Charlotte Dos Santos - Cleo (Fresh Selects, 2017) Whether reinventing a 700-year-old song, perfecting modern R&B, or reviving the cha cha, CDS stuns on every track of this debut. Having heard Watching You on Sofie Royer’s SOS Tape, I was ready but not prepared! #5DebutAlbums0519

@TheExtremeMusi1 @GAltringham Stephen Foster kind of invented the role of the modern songwriter as we know it today. Even Dylan, who’s covered Hard Times, would likely agree.

Who is the most legendary songwriter of all time???

Jamie XX - In Color (Young Turks, 2015) This album is so good, it convinced me I liked Young Thug and Popcaan for a minute there. Pure fun and a sense of wonder infuse every track, with clever samples and creative rhythms. Too bad he’s never come close again!#5DebutAlbums1519

@GenTXer2 The Tom Scholz grin is a dead giveaway!

Can you identify this 70s band? 🤔 (if not, I don't think we can be friends)

Phil Cook - Southland Mission (Thirty Tigers, 2015) I’ve see this referred to as both a debut and sophomore album…what say you, @RichardS7370? Either way, it’s so damned good! I saw the album release show, and it was total joy. #5DebutAlbums1519

@NotRealMusic Top of my class since 2020: Bonny Light Horseman - s/t Wet Leg - s/t Omar Ahmad - Inheritance Or Best Offer - Center

What is the BEST debut album of the decade??

A richly immersive collaborative album from Ben Seretan and John Thayer gives us this week’s A Song For Friday. Also: Paul McCartney, King Tuff, MEMORIALS, Snail Mail, Hempress Sativa/Paolo Baldini DubFiles, Irreversible Entanglements, and more! anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for-f…

Novelty Daughter - Semigoddess (Stereocure, 2016) Happy tenth anniversary to this utterly original and jaw-droppingly gorgeous blend of sigh-inducing vocals and cutting-edge electronics. One of the 100 best albums of the 2010s! #5debutalbums1519

Willkommen zurück, @Fruit_Bats! Great song, and the video is hilarious and smart. Don't trash The Landfill -listen immediately! New album on @mergerecords coming June 12, 2026. youtu.be/OPN0hUmAuYo?si…

Aero Flynn - S/T (Ooh La La, 2015) Gorgeous production, and an involving listen, even if it doesn’t completely fly free of its Bon Iver and Radiohead influences. Maybe I should listen to album two from 2020 (whoops!) to see if Josh Scott ever did! #5debutalbums1519

@E_flat_Minor @RichardS7370 Wowww...it's worse (better!) than I thought! 🤣😭

@AnEarful @RichardS7370 50 of those were missing from my list of 36 😂

@RichardS7370 has revealed a Cambrian explosion of debut albums between 2015 and 2019. Check out 52 contenders for #5debutalbums1519 - and I'm probably missing a few! open.spotify.com/playlist/1E8jL…