10-6
10) Regina Spektor -
Remember Us to Life
2016 was the year I fell in love with Russian singer-songwriter sensation Regina Spektor. From her quirky lyrics to her beautiful voice, she never fails to impress throughout her very diverse catalogue of releases. On her newest record
Remember Us to Life Regina pens some of the best songs of the year with tracks like
Small Bill$ and
Older and Taller. The combination of lovely melodies and intricate piano work make this an essential listen for any music fan.
9) Entropia -
Ufonaut
Blackgaze has seemingly become the "hipster metal genre" over the last few years. Fortunately for those of us black metal fans that enjoy both the raw traditional Norwegian styling and the newly christened 'hipster' approach, Entropia gave us this gem. Ufonaut sees the dynamic Polish group combine elements of psychedelic black metal, sludge metal, progressive metal, and so much more over the span of just 40 minutes. It feels beautiful in it's delivery, while still so cacophonous and dissonant. A truly remarkable addition to what was a great year for black metal.
8) Swain -
The Long Dark Blue
This release totally came out of nowhere and ended up crawling it's way higher and higher up my list. I think it's worth mentioning that I've never been much of a grunge fan, and because of that I went into the album not expecting all that much excitement. While the grunge elements are undeniable and there are a few moments of straight up Nirvana worship on this thing, the album also hosts a ton of other influences and creates a sound of it's own. From the hardcore punk roots shown on tracks like Punk Rock Messed You Up, to the very Creep-like Never Clean My Room, the Dutch 4-piece Swain manage to weave together one of 2016's most compelling punk albums.
7) Preoccupations -
Preoccupations
Viet Cong reinvented themselves in 2016, changing their stage name to Preoccupations due to reasons that aren't all that worth discussing. Despite the name change however, they remained very true to their brooding, depressing post-punk sound. If you weren't a fan of the debut, this one probably won't win you over. If you enjoyed what they presented on their first album though, this album is exactly what you should have been hoping for as a follow-up. Just one listen to the opening track Anxiety or a dive into the 11 minute cut Memory will assure you of that.
6) Oathbreaker -
Rheia
On their newest full-length album Rheia, Belgium based black metal outfit Oathbreaker push their crust punk influence to the side as they truly give way to a much more atmospheric blackgaze approach. There are just as many moments of clean vocals, acoustic guitar, and beautiful passages as there is black metal chaos. While Oathbreaker failed to push any higher than #6 this year, this album certainly would have been a contender for #1 on any other occasion. Not only should any fan of atmo-black and/or blackgaze check this out, but I would also recommend to anyone looking to get into extreme metal. This is far from the heaviest black metal album you'll hear this year, and because the production stays closer to the tidy side of things than the colder raw style you'd normally associate with the genre, it makes for a rather easy listen.