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#47 https://target.scene7.com/is/image/T...=520&fmt=pjpeg Meat Wave The Incessant Sometimes you just have to go full on in with a band. Meat Wave may not be the most original or complex band out there but they do what they do well and I'll always have space in my life for a dirty three piece garage punk band. They're from Chicago. They're angsty. They're angry because it's always f*cking cold. It shows in their music. They're short EP Brother first introduced me to them. I love that EP. It's quick and just full of energy. Makes me nostalgic of shows I used to attend in High School in this place called The Meat Locker. Place looks like this... https://i.imgur.com/lUrjdlu.jpg?1 Every time I hear Meat Wave, I think of The Meat Locker. That's two types of meats baby. I realize this. It just so happens to be that way though. Two meat things. I digress... The Incessant isn't their best album. I'm partial to the EP I've mentioned and their last album Delusion Moon but that doesn't mean they don't get a place on my f*cking list. Songs like Glass Teeth and the super short but f*cking awesome Mask are what this band is about. Bursts of energy and fuzzy distorted guitar with simple but rhythmic drumming. They have some slower songs which almost sound like a Pile track but they're from Boston and these guys are from F*CKING CHICAGO. F*CK IT'S COLD. |
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#46 https://i.imgur.com/pveFAbw.jpg?1 Wolves in the Throne Room Thrice Woven Like hip hop, I'm fickle on metal, black metal in particular. A good metal album has to hit certain senors in order for it to be memorable to me. There has to be good songwriting. You can't just have pure aggression and noise. The guitar work has to be intricate and pronounced. The drumming has to be complex and exploring. F*ckin' banging out blast beats for forty minutes is such a turn off for me. Finally, the vocals have to do something that ever other metal band doesn't do or at least does it in a unique and grabbing way. Lots of credentials right? They aren't hardened rules I guess but they certainly help increase the chance I like a metal album. Black metal has always been a bit elusive for me. I REALLY like Sunbather by Deafheaven but dislike everything else they've done. The other albums made me understand why a lot of people who are into black metal dislike Deafheaven. You can hear in their latest album them trying way too hard. Sunbather just sounded natural to me I guess. Wolves in the Throne Room however is not like Deafheaven. They the real deal. Sh*t, they're from Sweden after all. I enjoy the imagery in the spoken word segments like on the track The Old Ones are With Us. It help sets the mood. I kind of need that mood with albums like this to really get into it and enjoy it. Blast beats? Yeah, there's some double pedals going on but they don't take over the show and are used when needed. Vocals actually sound very subtle in parts instead of being overbearingly present. I usually like black metal bands that incorporate some sort of dark folk but without it being the centerpiece to their sound. Really, I guess I just like this alum because it does a bunch of different things. It's part of the reason why I like technical and experimental metal. I need different stuff going on or else it gets monotonous and I get bored. Never got bored with this album. It's fresh and very engaging in parts like in the track Angrboda. Album ends with a bang too. Add this one to the very short list of black metal albums that I really enjoy. |
#45 https://i.imgur.com/g9HeQkE.jpg?1 Billy Woods Known Unknowns So here's the part where Frown will ask me a bunch of questions. #45!? Seriously? Did you put Damn before this? Can I murder you if you did? What other hip hop albums are on this list if this is #45? Frown, let me start by saying f*ck you. Those questions that you never actually asked me are stupid and you are stupid. Let the list play out and you'll see what happens. I put Billy Woods at #45 because of a couple reasons. First off, let me just say that there are only four hip hop albums ahead of this so Top 5 is a very good spot for Billy Woods. This year just wasn't a big hip hop year for me unlike years past. Sh*t, if the album played out like the first five tracks of this album it would have been my favorite hip hop album of the year and maybe even top five overall. The first third of this album f*cking KICKS. Opens with a bang and rolls right through Wonderful which is just a perfect combo of Aesop Rock, Homeboy Sandman, and Billy Woods. It's my second favorite track on the album and one of my favorite tracks of the year. I wish so much that the album progressed like these first tracks. I'm not going to use the word boring. I won't. I'm just going to say that my enjoyment started to level off and slowly let off steam starting with Groundhog Day. I really wasn't into the backing vocals and the slow flow happening. Blockhead's production on this record is something else and he always seems to carry a less than favored track further because of his beats. The middle drags a bit for me lyrically but it still is something that I'll go back to because of Blockhead. He was a great addition on this newest Woods record. My favorite record on this album is probably the most unique compared to the rest of the tracks and that's Strawman. Really reminds me of late 90's hip hop/pop almost as if the melody was written by P.Diddy or somebody. I love the horns and the flow mixed with the beat just resonated with me. This track starts the strong finish. Honestly, this album doesn't deserve #45. It deserves more. It plays like top ten album for me even though I felt the middle lagged a bit compared to the front and back. Definitely a very solid album though that may be his bet since History Will Absolve Me. Frown? Thoughts? |
**** yeah, Meat Wave. It ain't revolutionary, but it's quick, dirty, and loud.
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I actually think that the middle is the album's strongest part lol, especially the run from Superpredator to Tupac Jackets. Washington Redskins stands out to me especially as it's really rich and ambiguous lyrically; having heard the new Armand Hammer it makes me wonder whether he initially had that track in mind for Rome. Strawman is indeed a great track, but I don't like it's inclusion on this record, it's very out of place in a lot of ways. I do actually rank a couple of non-DAMN hip hop albums above this one though, so I won't get upset with you unless, well you know. You know damn well.
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But yeah, different strokes on the middle of the album I guess. I really need to spend a whole session just listening to and reading the lyrics because I feel like I'm missing the whole point of hip hop sometimes. I need to learn to listen to the lyrics and the music at the same time and be able to process both.
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I took a big ol' break from this because of a sh*t ton of work, seeing family and friends, and of course, Christmas. I'll get back on this today and should be able to pump out a few albums each day.
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#44 https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a4074457554_16.jpg Grimace Federation Auroville Another band that is proving that the only good thing to come out of Philadelphia is music and It's Always Sunny. These guys have a sound that rivals such bands as Maserati and The Mercury Program with enough differences to make their sound stand out. There are plenty of exmples of this kind of band being stale and derivative but enjoyed this record through til the end. Really great drumming on this from Chris Wood who I'm going to be keeping an eye out for. Really enjoyed his fills on the track Danger Sequence. Band has enough electronic instrumentation in it such as on the track Drome to almost remind of a band like The Album Leaf. Has way more energy though. Whole album has this nice blend of electronic, math rock, post rock, and almost IDM rhythms. They also were featured on Aesop Rock's single "Rings" so they're garnering attention it seems. |
#43 http://dis.resized.images.s3.amazona...40/104888.jpeg Floating Points Reflections - Mohave Desert Newest record by Sam Shepard who goes by the moniker, Floating Points. He impressed me two years ago with the release Elaenia. This record is a sort of concept album in which everything has a very open desert vastness feel to it. The opening track Mohave Desert sets things up perfectly. It kind of puts you in the desert at night hanging out peacefully with the animals and then the middle of the second track, Silurian Blue kicks in and all of a sudden this peaceful and serene sound opens up and you can really hear the psych influence in Shepards music. It's a cool record. I love stuff that blends a lot of different music and you get that on this record. Electronic interludes that shift into driving percussion such as in Kelso Dunes. It's a short album. It's less than 30 minutes, but it does a lot in that span. Perfect for a short night drive or something rad to listen to before bed. I'm hoping for the next record to be a bit longer but I enjoyed the sh*t out of this. |
#42 https://i.imgur.com/ppRyc5q.jpg?1 Elder Reflections of a Floating World Ahh, sludge. Sludge is something that really needs to do something either VERY special to wow me or just be incredibly tight and consistent throughout an entire album. This isn't special. It is just REALLY REALLY tight and consistent throughout the entire hour long length. It felt like a breeze. Lots of really great guitar work on this record. The end of the opening track, Sanctuary, ends with some of the coolest feeling guitar riffs on almost any record this year. They just rip through you. The vocals on this don't get overbearing. I usually dislike sludge and stoner metal vocals but these fit really well. You're also getting a lot of heavy metal vibes on this. The track Blind almost sounds like a Black Sabbath deep cut. Ends really dirty and I love it. There will be a number of rock albums to grace this list but I really do think this is probably the smoothest and tightest of them all. They just keep the pace for the entirety of the album and it's something that really impressed me. Perhaps it'd be a lot higher if I was more into stoner rock, but I'm not, so it isn't. |
Gotta hand it to ya Exo, this is shaping up to be a grand list. Never really liked Oddisee before but The Iceberg is pretty tight. That album Auroville is nice too: groovy in a vaguely kraut-ish sort of way, but I hear the math-rock elements.
I'm still wrapping up my Honorable Mentions on my own thread, but I'll be watching this. :D |
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# 41 https://cdn2.thelineofbestfit.com/im...al_Spirits.png James Holden and the Animal Spirits The Animal Spirits This one squeaked on to the list at the very last minute. If I gave this album a few more listens there is no doubt in my mind it would be seated MUCH MUCH higher on this list but here it sits. It's incredibly complex and layered. An electronic album that packs way more in terms of a musical arsenal than contemporary electronic albums today. You'll notice a theme in a lot of my album choices which is that I like a variety of sounds in an album. This has MANY. Electronic, jazz electro, lush psychedelics, krautrock, and what can only be described as spiritual vaporwave. Tracks like Each Moment Like The First just have this wonderful back beat to go along with all this sound coming at you. Just a driving bassline that intensifies as the song progresses. He takes these simple beats and just turns them into wild compositions. I'm writing this right now wondering why I have it so low. It really is just a FANTASTIC album. I don't want to f*ck up the list any more than I did but I have a feeling after more listens this will be in my top 10. |
#40 http://www.brooklynvegan.com/files/2...1&s=0&a=t&q=89 Mutoid Man War Moans If anybody has paid attention to my music taste over the years, one thing you'l see frequently absent from discussion and Heavy Metal or in the case of this album, Stoner/Sludge Metal. I've enjoyed a few tracks here and there from bands like High On Fire or Converge but albums just have never grasped my attention and held it longer for a few tracks. Mutoid Man however have always kind of struck a chord with me. Their earlier work is much dirtier and seems to have this kind of reckless "flying off the rails" feel to it. They hooked me enough to remember their name and routinely revisit. Plus, I generally like bands off Sargent House records. Their new album War Moans is definitely different from their previous work. It's more polished and the production is cleaner. The aspect that drew me in to the band is a bit absent here. So why is it on the list? It's a fun record man. It's almost like they're a different band but they still managed to grab my attention with things I just never really highlighted for myself on their previous work. The guitar work and drums on this record are great. It made me revisit the previous albums and realize how I overlooked them. The track Date With the Devil has some really cool guitar work sprinkled throughout and it finishes just really strong with almost an early Mastodon like riff sequence. The vocals could be a lot better and it's really the main reason why I didn't like this album more than I did. The last track however, Bandages, is probably my favorite track on the album. Vocals fit the song writing very well and the guitar work again was pretty stellar. Once in a blue moon a riff-heavy heavy metal album will catch my ear. This is one of the few. Bats should like this. |
#39 https://exclaim.ca/images/exeye.jpg Ex Eye Ex Eye We are ten down. The next tier has started. Frownland gets the credit of telling me about this. Everybody's favorite gigantic sax player Colin Stetson leads this band which also features Zs's Greg Fox on drums, Shahzad Ismaily on bass and synth who has played with Secret Chiefs 3, and unknown to me Toby Summerfield on guitar. A WHO'S WHO OF PEOPLE FROWNLAND MASTURBATES TO AND WHO I THINK ARE JUST AWESOME. So Colin is basically as big a superstar a modern saxophonist can get nowadays. The dude is turning out great work on his own or is part of some really cool projects, including this one. While never really coming off like a dude who "should" be in a metal band, Colin Stetson has always had this sort of aura about him that I always felt needed some noise and brutality behind it. I feel like he should hook up with my boys in Kayo Dot because I think that team would destroy minds. Until then we have this album. It's a f*cking whirlwind. Blast beats over crazy circular breathing sax blasts give this album a very unique sound and something that can be dissected for a while. Very technical while also stopping once in a while to breathe. This thing has a lot of things to digest. It builds soundscape walls of free improvisational jazz sludge and has it come crashing down at times where I want to f*cking scream or punch something. These are good metal album traits. It's funny because Colin is the lead on this thing. You have this cacophony of noise led by a crazy man on a bari sax. That's f*cking rad. This whole album is rad. Highlights include the opening buildup to chaos in Anaitis Hymnal; The Arkose Disc and the pretty much every single second of Opposition/Perihelion; the Coil. This will not be the last we see of Colin Stetson on this list. |
Great broth but could seriously use some noodles tbh.
Also Stetson gets no glory from me on his new solo record. Sad! |
#38 https://i.imgur.com/kA3ndnK.jpg?1 Chelsea Wolfe Hiss Spun This actually took me three listens to fully appreciate. I've been a fan of hers for a while. I've seen her live. Abyss from two years ago was one of my favorite releases of the year. This however on the first listen just didn't grab me. It didn't grab me until about the middle of the third listen during the track Static Hum where I realized she is doing so much more on this record than on her last. It made me think of her live performance where you just had this real blanket of dread covering you at all time. She's been building to this full on doom sound and it hit me during that track and, well, now it's on my list. It took a while but I'm glad she's here. I think my first exposure to her was her album "Ἀποκάλυψις" which was almost lo fi dirty gothy garage tunes. Her last two albums have just fully gone dark and brooding. She's like a creature waiting in the forest now. It's dark, you can't see her at first, but she's there, and she's f*cking powerful. The albums second track 16 Psyche is like a huge loud sludgy nightmare of a song and I love it. The songwriting leaves a lot to be desired which is why this isn't higher up but the atmosphere she creates on this brings me back to when I saw her and how I loved every minute of it. Am I goth now? Part of me is I guess. Anyway, rad rad record. |
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I wish it was more noodly.
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Colin needs to share the noodles.
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#37 https://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/ar...sDeathSong.jpg The Black Angels Death Song Let's get back into this. I'd like to actually finish it. So I've never really been into this band. I have strong opinions on this new "neo-psych" scene that has popped up with such bands as Tame Impala and Sunflower Bean. Boring bands. Boring bands with boring similar sounding songs. This isn't one of those albums. The bands earlier work may be lumped in with these bands I find boring but this album is not. The first track Currency has some serious bite to it. Lots of crunch fuzz that reminds me a lot of desert rock bands like early QOTSA or Kyuss. The album goes through ups and downs as far as mood. You have some real meaningful song writing going on in here which is something that I don't really pick up a lot. The vocals on each track have this sort of longing distance to them as if the lead singer, Christian Bland, is singing from another plane. Sounds like David Eugene Edwards from 16 Horsepower too which only adds to my enjoyment. That American gothic sound is neato. Lot of really great hooks on here too. Most tracks have an additional heaviness going on in the background. Sounds great in the car driving through the forest with the windows down. I've done it. I do those things. Clean guitar work and dirty bass. Love it. Album even has a song that I'm sure they wrote for people to f*ck to. Grab as much (as you can). Yeah, that's a f*ck song alright. Best track on the album though has to be Estimate. Slow droning percussion with really ghosty and addicting vocal hooks. I would love to stay here in this town... It's kind of seductive. Yeah. That's catchy stuff right there. I'll link the track below because it's solid. Awesome album that I need to revisit in the fall because this sound like something that would sound great with a cold breezy autumn backdrop. |
#36 [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/2fJcyqD.jpg?1[/IMG] Skinshape Life & Love There's something about this somewhat simple sounding album that makes me feel nice. Maybe it's the fact that my friends really liked it when I randomly stumbled across it while we were all hanging out in California and we would pla it when we went for rides along the coastline. Those were great days. Gorgeous weather with plenty to look at and the smell of the Pacific in my nostrils. This isn't a perfect album. However it has enough tracks to really be solid which is why I included it on this list. The opening, Take My Time, and the third track, Don't Call My Name, really show what I like about this thing. Laid back instrumentals with some reverb-y vocals from a dude that has a nice lush voice. Sometimes I feel like there's a mid twenties year old girl from SoCal that lives inside me that like convertible drives on the beach. That person likes this album a lot. I've also been into reggae a lot lately. This isn't a reggae album but it's something that people into reggae would really enjoy. We've been putting a lot of random reggae records on at the record shop and it's starting to affect my taste a bit. Is Exo turning into a Cali kid? No. Way too snobby new york kid for that to actually happen but there's some stupid blonde haired surf bum in my soul that loves music like this when it doesn't sound overly redundant and mass manufactured. This thing has a simple idea but does it without sounding like every band in San Diego playing on top of a roof. |
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