02 DONALD FAGEN - Sunken Condos
03 MARLENE KUNTZ - Canzoni Per Un Figlio
04 Kalevala - There And Back Again
05 Offlaga Disco Pax - Gioco Di Società
06 Elio E Le Storie Tese - Enlarge Your Penis, Live 2012
07 Bastian Contrario & Diverba - Al-kemi Split, Vol. 1
08 Udachi - Oo-Daa-Chee Remix EP
09 Deproducers - Planetario
10 Il Teatro Degli Orrori - Il Mondo Nuovo
11 The Beach Boys - That's Why God Made The Radio
12 Diaframma - Niente Di Serio
13 SMS - Da Qui A Domani
14 Pet Shop Boys - Elysium
15 Paul Buchanan - Mid Air
This year I've been catching up, listening to a lot of music from Cuba and the Ivory Coast where there are truly exciting scenes, and a lot of funk, soul and disco I had yet to hear.
But there have been quite some good fresh releases too. Las Karne Murta reached their creative peak with an absolute masterpiece, good old Donald Fagen came back with an excellent album which is even better than the last Steely Dan album. Marlene Kuntz have made a wonderful compilation with new versions of their classics, Kalevala and Offlaga Disco Pax both confirmed their talents with great albums.
Elio E Le Storie Tese released a good live album, even if it doesn't do full justice to the truly amazing experience of seeing them in concert, could have been even better. Bastian Contrario and Diverba are two really well promising bands from Italy and have released a split debut album. Udachi came back with more excellent fidget house. Deproducers is a very interesting super-project including Gianni Maroccolo (Litfiba, CSI, Marlene Kuntz), Max Casacci (Subsonica), Riccardo Sinigallia (Tiromancino) and Vittorio Cosma (PFM). Il Teatro Degli Orrori has become one of the most important alternative bands in Italy, and rightly so.
The Beach Boys made an unsuspectingly good return, Brian Wilson showed he can still write a tune at 70! Diaframma released a good but slightly disappointing album (the previous one was their best in ages) while former singer Miro Sassolini released a really beautiful album with his new project SMS. Quite disappointing returns from the Pet Shop Boys (especially since the previous Yes was excellent) and Paul Buchanan (we just expected more from The Blue Nile singer).
2013 looks to have a promising start with the return of the original Litfiba line up and a compilation of New Order's outtakes from the last album.
Merry Christmas and a happy 2013, a year in which I'll try to rock at 40, and if Brian Wilson can still do it at 70...
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