It's been a good year so far but not quite as exciting as the first half of last year. The top two is pretty firm, but the ranking of the rest is a bit uncertain.
1. Memoryhouse - Soft Hate
2. Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas - Mariner
3. Sulk - No Illusions
4. Horror My Friend - Stay In, Do Nothing
5. Yumi Zouma - Yoncalla
6. The Hotelier - Goodness
7. Fjørt - Kontakt
8. White Lung - Paradise
9. Rob Crow's Gloomy Place - You're Doomed. Be Nice.
10. School of Seven Bells - SVIIB
11. Borknagar - Winter Thrice
12. Pity Sex - White Hot Moon
13. Minor Victories - Minor Victories
14. Big Ups - Before a Million Universes
Also a nod to Turnover's "Humblest Pleasures" / "Change Irreversible" single, where the b-side outshines the a-side, and Major Leagues' Dream States EP, because "Someone Sometime" and "Leave" are incredible songs.
And some albums that are growing on me:
DIIV - Is the Is Are (some lovely songs but way too long an album)
Eagulls - Ullages (hard to live up to the debut and less distinctive in sound but still good)
Fallujah - Dreamless (prog metal I don't find utterly tedious?)
The Joy Formidable - Hitch (too long, and god that stupid out-take at the start of track 3 is really annoying)
Albums I need to listen to a bit more:
Architects - All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us
Deep Heat - Still Life
Hammock - Everything and Nothing
Ladyhawke - Wild Things
Mt Mountain - Cosmos Terros
Nothing - Tired of Tomorrow
Tiny Moving Parts - Celebrate
True Cross - Pure Divorce
Yndi Halda - Under Summer
Yuck - Stranger Things