Mid-decade review: Introducing the panel

Kicking off our mid-decade review by introducing the panel devising the longlists

It may seem surprising - as the passage of time increasingly is - but we are already halfway through the 2020s.

As a sucker for lists, particularly those defining a year or era of time, this realisation got me thinking about the 'bests' in music from the 2020s so far.

But rather than rattle this off just myself, I thought it would be fun to bring in other writers of music blogs and then launch a series of polls to finalise some of these 'bests'.

Next week, I will share the longlists for each of the following categories: album of the decade so far, artist of the decade, song of the decade, EP of the decade and moment of the decade.

Not only should this spark some debate, but from a personal perspective, I'm looking forward to becoming acquainted with great music from the decade so far which may have passed me by.

Following the launch of the polls and subsequent campaign, the endeavour will culminate in a special 'Album of the Decade' podcast, with the winners of the other four categories acknowledged before a trio of the judging panel run through the album shortlist from the voting. So, who are the judges?

Joining myself are...

Karl Blakesley. Karl has been writing about music in various forms for over 10 years now, and today can be found running his own website, New Music Central, as well as contributing articles to music publications such as Clash and Headstuff, as well as being one of the three presenters of 5-9's Album of the Month podcast. He is also the Music Editor for Nottingham culture magazine, LeftLion. You can follow him on socials for regular album and song recommendations, which pull from a wide variety of genres and cater for all tastes.

Matthew McLister. Matthew is a freelance writer and music fan based in Glasgow with a degree in History (University of Glasgow). Passionate about new guitar music and indie bands, he writes features for Clash, HeadStuff Media and other websites. During lockdown he launched the Blinded by the Floodlights indie website and has even produced his own podcast. By day, he works in Corporate Communications.

Adam Reeve. Adam is an editor/writer + other things-er for various places over many years. Currently for Dead Good Music - a music blog that pairs music and oranges together like you wouldn't believe.

Phil Taylor. Phil (aka Music Observer) lives in the East Midlands and spends a disproportionate amount of his time listening to music, attending gigs and wearing band T-shirts.

Phil is obsessed with music of all genres, with a leaning towards alt-pop, folk, indie rock and post-punk. He started his blog in 2021 as a way of sharing his feelings about good music; it quickly grew into a fully fledged venture with a focus on new releases as well as live reviews and interviews. He now writes for other publications including LeftLion, The Songbird, CLASH, DIY Neu Bulletin and Music in Leicester.

Danny Kilmartin. Danny is a Dublin-based music journalist writing for GoldenPlec, HeadStuff, Spectrum Culture and The Thin Air. His work champions underground scenes, cult classics, and experimental sounds, blending deep knowledge with a personal, contrarian voice. He also co-organizes The Works Festival with Springfield Creatives.

Kevin Alexander. Remember that kid who was always making mixtapes? That was Kevin. Later, he was the one burning CDs for everyone. Sharing playlists? Yep, that too. Today he is an indie music writer based in Madison Wisconsin, where he writes the On Repeat Records newsletter, and leads a thriving community of like-minded fans. He is also the Editor in Chief of The Riff, a digital-only publication.

When not spinning records, he can usually be found at the nearest rugby field cheering his son on.

This 'magnificent seven' will share their thoughts on the five categories and then it's over to you as the voting commences!

But before we get into it, I'll leave the final word of this introduction to the project to Kevin who, in his submission, summarised the joys of discovering and celebrating new music...

'A common refrain among music fans is that there's no such thing as good music anymore. I would argue that not only is that false, but that just the opposite is true. Part of that is generational; there has been a bit of "kids these days" coursing through the music discourse forever, and today is no different—only the generations have changed. That's the easy answer.

But I think there's something else in play—a much more massive long-term shift that's taken place: If anything, the proliferation of platforms and the dismantling of the gatekeeper industrial complex have made it easier than ever to not only get your music out there but also for suitors to find it.

That's the upside. The downside is that too many choices can be overwhelming, often leading to not picking anything at all. It's a shame, as the last few years have been a goldmine of new sounds for anyone willing to invest the minimum effort. Even just putting this together took longer than I'd anticipated and meant making a LOT tougher choices than I'd banked on. I'm still half-tempted to put these alphabetically or by release date.

That said, anyone saying there's nothing good coming out anymore should stop yelling at clouds and start embracing new methods of music discovery. You can teach an old dog new tricks, and I'm proof of it. Casey Kasem, magazines, and A & R reps first gave way to social media platforms like Spotify. The sands have again shifted, and the best places to find new music--whether from emerging artists or old favourites- are blogs, newsletters from indie writers, and Discord servers.

As a music fan and someone that covers the industry, this shift has been the biggest cultural moment. You can point to specific artists or genres having their day, but it all flows from here.

As Exhibit A for the defence, I'm sharing my picks for this project: my favourite LPs, EPs, and tracks from the last few years. Almost none of these came to me via what we'd consider traditional methods (radio, music magazines, etc.); instead, they were found on blogs, friends' playlists, and other writers recommending them to me.

There's never been a better time to find new—or new to you—music. You just have to know where to look.'

Amen!