21. Patois Counselors - The Optimal Seat
Genre: Post-Punk / No Wave
Put On A Playlist With: Pere Ubu, The Pop Group, Swell Maps
Led by the charismatic yet brittle Bo White, Patois Counselors have a way of flaring from dystopian malaise into full fist pumping certainty, and their strung out poetic contemplations coupled with a persistent fixation on irregular but hypnotic grooves sets them apart. They’re particularly nice when the strangeness cuts loose completely on ‘Iteration du Jour’ whilst ‘Give Me Voltage’ screams classic Fall with an extra dose of wooziness, but I’m sure my readers will all find their own favorite tracks after a few spins.
20. Teramaze – I Wonder
Genre: Progressive Metal
Put On A Playlist With: Threshold, Queensryche, Karnivool, The Butterfly Effect
Hook-laden proggy metal from Australia that’s performed, produced and sung by one guy for the most part – Dean Wells, a very talented bloke. His guitar work and vocals are clear winners even in a genre that’s so inundated with good players and singers that doesn’t play outside the lines all that much these days. But who cares if he doesn’t reinvent the wheel – the glorious ‘Sleeping Man’ is so catchy that it justifies the whole album’s existence right there. And that’s a lot coming from me considering how good this entire record is, especially the 8-minute melodeath tinged epic ‘A Deep State Of Awake’ and the Covid-19 themed ‘This Is Not A Drill’.
19. George Clanton & Nick Hexum – self-titled
Genre: Vaporwave, Shoegaze, Alternative Rawk
Put On A Playlist With: 311, Ariel Pink, Clarence Clarity, Shmu
What happens when vaporwave’s David Bowie collaborates with Nick Hexum, frontman of unjustly (?) hated 90’s has-beens 311? Pure goddamn genius, that’s what. Just turn this album on and watch a parallel universe Summer 2020 come alive where everything was chill AF and no pandemic making everyone’s life miserable existed. It’s the Adult Swim soundtrack you’ve always wanted but never knew you needed.
Last edited by Anteater; 11-25-2020 at 09:54 PM.
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