First off, a gentle reminder that our excellent new issue of Uncut is in the shops now, featuring Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic on Nirvana, plus Sly Stone, Paul McCartney, Amy Winehouse, Altın Gün, Grateful Dead, The Jam, Will Sergeant, Rodney Crowell, Sparks, Rodrigo Amarante and more. Full details about the new Uncut are here, in case you missed them.

• ORDER NOW: The August 2021 issue of Uncut

As is tradition abound now, I tried to round up my favourite albums from so far; specifically releases from January until the end of June. I’ve listed them here in (roughly) order of release – just to be painfully clear, this is very much my personal choice and is in no way representative of the Uncut writers in general.

UPDATE! Okay, a quick couple of amendments. Firstly, I’ve removed one of the duplicate entries for The Coral and also added two albums I can’t believe I forgot to include: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis’ Carnage (thanks for the spot, Robert Franks) and also Field Works’ Cedars.

Follow me on Twitter @MichaelBonner

1. Black Country, New Road – For The First Time (Ninja Tune)
2. The Weather Station – Ignorance (Fat Possum)
3. Ryan Dugre – Three Rivers (11A)
4. Altın Gün – Yol (Giltterbeat)
5. Sunburned Hand Of The Man – Pick A Day To Die (Three Lobed)
6. Ryley Walker + Kikagaku Moyo – Deep Friend Grandeur (Husky Pants)
7. Cory Hanson – Pale Horse Rider (Drag City)
8. Teenage Fanclub – Endless Arcade (PeMa)
9. SUSS – Promise (Northern Spy)
10. Israel Nash – Topaz (Loose)
11. Jane Weaver – Flock (Fire)
12. Julien Baker – Little Oblivions (Matador)
13. Natalie Bergman – Mercy (Third Man)
14. Tindersticks – Distractions (City Slang)
15. Lael Neale – Acquainted With Night (Sub Pop)
16. Besnard Lakes – Besnard Lakes Are The Last Of The Great Thunderstorm Warnings (Full Time Hobby)
17. Elori Saxl – The Blue Of Distance (Western Vinyl)
18. Chuck Johnson – The Cinder Grove (VDSQ)
19. Bobby Lee – Origin Myths (Natural Histories Records)
20. Mason Lindahl – Kissing Rosy In The Rain (Tompkins Square)
21. Valerie June – The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers (Fantasy)
22. Renée Reed – Renée Reed (Keeled Scales)
23. Hiss Golden Messenger – Quietly Blowing It (Merge)
24. Janet Simpson – Safe Distance (Cornelius Chapel Records)
25. Julius Eastman – Femenine performed by ensemble 0 (Sub Rosa)
26. Marianne Faithfull with Warren Ellis – She Walks In Beauty (BMG)
27. Dinosaur Jr – Sweep It Into Space (Jagjaguwar)
28. Rhiannon Giddens – They’re Calling Me Home (Nonesuch)
29. Jakob Bro, Arve Henriksen, Jorge Rossy – Uma Elmo (ECM)
30. Satomimagae – Hanazono (RVNG Intl/Guruguru Brain)
31. Ballaké Sissoko – Djouru (Nø Førmat!)
32. Whitney K – Maryland (Maple Death Records)
33. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & the London Symphony Orchestra – Promises (Luaka Bop)
34. Four Tet – Parallel (Text)
35. Pino Palladino & Blake Mills – Notes With Attachments (New Deal / Impulse!)
36. Dean McPhee – Witch’s Ladder (Hood Faire/Cargo)
37. The Coral – Coral Island (Run On Records/Modern Sky UK)
38. Angel Bat Dawid & The Brotherhood – Live (International Anthem)
39. Matt Sweeney & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Superwolves (Domino)
40. Rose City Band – Earth Trip (Thrill Jockey)
41. Ryley Walker – Course In Fable (Husky Pants)
42. Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band – Rare Dreams: Solar Live 2.27.18 (Cafe Oto)
43. Natural Information Society With Evan Parker – Descension (Out Of Our Constrictions (Aguirre Records)
44. Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble – NOW (International Anthem)
45. Sarah Louise – Earth Bow (Earth Bow)
46. Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime (Matador)
47. Lucy Dacus – Home Video (Matador)
48. Lamchop – Showtunes (City Slang)
49. Joana Serrat – Hardcore From The Heart (Loose)
50. Andrew Tuttle & Padang Food Tigers – A Cassowary Apart (Bedroom Suck Records)
51. BLK JKS – Abantu/Before Humans (Glitterbest)
52. Daniel Bachman – Axacan (Three Lobed)
53. Six Organs Of Admittance – The Veiled Sea (Three Lobed)
54. Marisa Anderson/William Tyler – Lost Futures (Thrill Jockey)
55. Dorothea Paas – Anything Can’t Happen (Telephone Explosion)
56. Shabason, Krgovich & Harris – Florence (idée fixe)
57. David Grubbs & Ryley Walker – Fight Of Flight Simulator (Takuroku)
58. Chuck Johnson – Alpenglow (Bandcamp)
59. Faye Webster – I Know I’m Funny ha ha (Secretly Canadian)
60. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Carnage (Goliath)
61. Melt – Blank Gloss (Kompakt)
62. Brooklyn Raga Massive – Quarantine Dreams (Bandcamp)
63. Arooj Aftab – Vulture Prince (New Amsterdam Records)
64. Amaro Freitas – Sankofa (Far Out)
65. Birds Of Maya – Valdez (Drag City)
66. Marina Allen – Candlepower (Fire)
67. Sault – Nine (Forever Living Originals)
68. Field Works – Cedars (Temporary Residence)