Like last year and the year before, here’s the list in no particular order:

• The Staves - All Now: The trio of sisters returned as a duo on their latest album. The melodies are still sweet and the songs are catchy.
• Japandroids - Fate & Alcohol: The duo return and it’s exactly what you expect: loud and fast. It’s their fourth and final album and I will miss them deeply.
• Passage du Desir - Johnny Blue Skies: Sturgill Simpson returns under a new name and his fusion of rock, country, and bluegrass does not disappoint.
• Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood: This alt-country gem is on a lot of end of year lists for good reason.

Favorite Find: Blade Runner soundtrack by Vangelis. I was floored when I received the weekly email newsletter from my local record store with this album in the restocks section. I had a different version in my wantlist on Discogs for years, and somehow missed this version, which seems to be fairly common. I rushed to Down in the Valley and picked it up right away.