Not that this is on anybody's radar, but some really great (post) rock in opposition albums this year.
Chris Cutler, the drummer out of the Art Bears formed a sort continuity Art Bears project with German musicians Heiner Goebbels, Alfred Harth and Christoph Anders. Relatively short punchy songs with heavy improvisation, formed spontaneously on the spot. Saxophonist Harth is a fantastic musician and it's all very strange but it works. Structured songs but barely structured. The second and I think best album is out in 1984
Beauty and the Beast.
The first track on the second side
Under New Management is incredibly powerful IMO as is the cover of Chic/Robert Wyatt's (the song is Chic's but they're covering Wyatt's cover)
At Last I am Free closing the album.
And then there is Cutler's post Cassiber band News From Babel's first album
Work Resumed on the Tower. This time with all the songs being written by ex Henry Cow Oboist/Bassoonist Lyndsay Cooper. With harpist Zeena Parkins and vocalist Dagmar Krause completing the line up, this is rock music without guitars.
The first side is similar territory to the Art Bears and to be honest it's a bit inferior. But the second side they find their own voice and it's so good I'm crying about it. Three songs. The first with these amazing textures that no other band could produce, the second is this piece with such Brechtian irony and the third is this barnstorming call for socialism with Phil Minton joining on vocals. And I'm going to stick each one of them here.
And then there's Goebbels and Harth's
Frankfurt - Peking. Which is this noise/rock/synth/free jazz thing, but subtle and textured.
And then there is Alfred Harth's solo album
This Earth! With Paul Bley, Trilok Gurtu, Barre Phillips and Maggie Nicols.
Much safer territory than any of the other previous mentions. Jazz/cabaret song cycle.