Y’all thought you were done with me, eh? Well, Recommended Albums stops for no one! Had to run through quick to pull up a few LPs from December that I missed, but overall a good selection of seven albums to pull you back to December 2021, when it felt like we were on a never-ending roller coaster drop into hell. Heck yeah! Check out the picks below, ranging from legendary Americana, to modern Catalan folk song, to ultra groovy beats.

Boldy James & The Alchemist – Super Tecmo Bo [ALC]
Another great collab between Detroit rapper Boldy James and producer The Alchemist. A lot more  mellower and introspective, with slower, lavish soul samples and downtempo bars.

DJ Harrison – Tales from the Old Dominion [Stones Throw]
Richmond, VA-based beatmaker and groovemeister. Classic Stones Throw beat tape jams that also include a Pink Siifu feature. Lavish and soulful all the way through.

EERA – Speak [Just Dust]
Darker, guitar-focused rock with pop sensibilities and good sense of heavy rhythms. Her 2017 album is super overlooked, and this one is pretty in line with that.

Jeff Parker – Forfolks [International Anthem]
Masterful guitarist continues to do his thing: making tender, exploratory ambient-like jazz. Also main member of Tortoise, which also features another version of their great song “Jetty” at the end.

Michael Hurley – The Time of the Foxgloves [No Quarter]
Legendary figure in American country and folk music, who’s putting this album out at 80 years old. Full of soul, heart and wisdom. Songs that make your whole body happy and at ease. If I were to pick a favorite from December, it would be this album.

Sky H1 – Azure [AD 93]
Floating merges of ambient, techno, IDM and more. An ethereal bouquet of electronic sounds and motifs. Both weightless and pounding in the same breath.

Tarta Relena – Fiat Lux [La Castanya / The Indian Runners]
Mostly acapella incantations of Northern Spanish / Catalan folk songs with tasteful deployment of heavy electronics to bring past traditions into a modern context. Gorgeous melodies, harmonies and fusions of voice.