Pic credit: Bill Donohoe JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT Enmore Theatre, March 25 Jason Isbell and his band come to us under false pretences, sold as one thing but delivering something else. Not that it’s their fault (not that I’m actually complaining either) as it’s probably fairer to say they’ve been taken as something they are not by people – awards folks; those who fix labels to shelves in record stores; reviewers; listeners – who struggle with explaining what’s going on here

You have to feel for Jason Isbell. It would be so much easier being mediocre. Especially consistently mediocre. Here’s the problem for Isbell, a man with a career well into its second decade, who found acclaim with 2013’s Southeastern and topped it with 2015’s Something More Than Free. Acclaim which extended as far as being recognised by the cloth-eared Grammys so people who don’t trawl the Americana/alt.country byways were made aware of him. When your last two albums have be

Some of these albums floored me with their perfection (Patty Griffin), stunned me with their power (Fuck The Fitzroy Doom Scene) or left me babbling at the brilliance (Kamasi Washington), others continued to foist the words future legend on me (Laura Marling), got me close to tears (Sufjan Stevens), made me think about my own choices (Bjork and Jason Isbell) or sucked me into a weird, dark place (Badbadnotgood & Ghostface Killah). My 20 best albums of the year got me/kept me

Total Control – Typical System Jenny Lewis – The Voyager Jason Isbell – Southeastern Lucinda Williams – Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone Chromeo – White Women Laura Jean – Laura Jean HTRK – Psychic 9-5 Club Buried In Verona – Faceless Joelistics – Blue Volume Wild Beasts – Present Tense Eno+Hyde – High Life #1 Dads – About Face FKA twigs – LP 1 Leonard Cohen – Popular Problems Chet Faker – Built On Glass Peep Tempel – Tales Caribou – Our Love The Acid – Liminal Courtney B