40 11 Great Albums You May Have Missed

A few issues back, SPIN Magazine asked its regular contributors (including me) to help build a list of 40 albums of the past 40 years that you likely missed. I contributed several. Here’s my offerings, with links to more in-depth coverage as available. – bk

A Camp – Colonia (2009)
A side project from the Cardigans’ Nina Persson, combining the detached ultracool of Nico and the melodrama of cabaret.

The Orange Peels – 2020 (2009)
The nexus in which AM Gold and power pop meet, sophisticated pop that’s tuneful in the extreme, drawing upon diverse influences while never falling into the power-pop trap of aping their idols. Review of 2020 here.

DC Fontana – La Contessa (2011)
A punchy album that swings, retro but with enough modern sheen to make it more than a stylistic excursion. Hints of slinky-cool acts like Air and Zero 7 mix smoothly with a hip soul vibe. Fuzz guitars and combo organs blend surprisingly well with beefy horn charts and jazzy electric-piano figures. Hints of Morricone, Herb Alpert and John Barry abound, but the music always rocks. Review of La Contessa here.

The dB’s – Falling off the Sky (2012)
This older, wiser version of the dBs draws on each member’s life experiences to craft what is arguably the group’s finest release. As wordsmiths, Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey seemed at the top of their game during the dB’s original run. This brilliant album proves otherwise. Review of Falling off the Sky here.

Sloan – Commonwealth (2014)
The Canadian power poppers’ most ambitious work yet–a four-sided LP in which each member crafts a side-long suite that works as a very good mini-album of its own. Review of Commonwealth here.

JD McPherson – Let the Good Times Roll (2015)
In which the wild and reckless feel of early rock and roll is brought forth largely intact into the 21st century, informing the music with a knowledge and understanding of all the hard rock that came in the wake of those early pioneers. Review of Let the Good Times Roll here.

Mike Mills – Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra (2016)
This ambitious outing from the R.E.M. bassist finds him pairing with the violinist Robert McDuffie and playing a lengthy multi-suite piece that features guitar-bass-drums and a powerful string section. Review of Mills’ Concerto here.

The Comet Is Coming – Hyper-dimensional Expansion Beam (2022)
The melodically accessible music on this London threesome’s third album is a heady mixture indeed, drawing upon hip-hop and electronic textures for both its foundation and its well-placed musical adornments. At its core: a potent soul-jazz, free-jazz blend. Review of Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam here.

Tchotchke – Tchotchke (2023)
This trio of young women makes energetic, super-catchy music with a knowing attitude. “Come On, Sean” has a sophisticated, art-pop character that might call to mind Jellyfish or even “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.” Tchotchke feature here.

Trees Speak – Timefold (2024)
In which an Arizona duo draws inspiration from krautrock (most notably Tangerine Dream and Neu!) and ‘60s film soundtracks. Hypnotic trance that takes listeners on a journey. Review of Timefold here.

Sykofant – Sykofant (2024)
A Norwegian quartet nodding to everything from spaghetti-Western soundtracks to Rush to Led Zeppelin and doing so with originality, muscle, chops, and (believe it or not) humor. Sykofant feature here; the band’s debut album also gets an entire chapter in my latest book, What’s the Big Idea: 30 Great Concept Albums.

My colleagues offered up a bunch of other great titles; I encourage you to peruse the entire list, found here.