Albums Of The Year 2018
I'm not going to say too much for this list. I kind of want it to speak for itself. These are all great albums with something exciting to offer. I will say this year has been the same as the last few years. Lot of garbage and crap being recognized and a lot of wonderful amazing things being ignored. We live in a new golden age of consumerism and vapid trash so it makes sense the shit would be glorified and talented are marginalized. Well what can you do? Oh I know! Give THESE albums some support and your ears and mind will thank you! It's been a great 2018 bringing you all these new sounds and I look forward to doing it next year as well! Thank you for your patronage and from all of us here at Mr. Taylor's Musical Database Of Wonder, we thank you!
For the year end playlist I will be adding only the first songs from each album since with each of these albums that's where your journey should begin!
1. Daughters-You Won't Get What You Want
The audio equivalent of a horror movie done by a master of horror. These guys returned after an 8 year absence to deliver one of the greatest albums of the last decade. This album is dark, it's ugly and it's aggressive. It's definitely one of the finest noise rock/industrial influenced albums I have ever heard. There is not a wasted note on this. The production is flawless and perfectly complements the music within. Take a listen if you dare!
Sounds Like: The Jesus Lizard, Swans(but good), Nine Inch Nails(but good), Pissed Jeans, Your Nightmares(not a band).
2. Robert Sotelo-Botanical
One of the quirkier albums on this list. The songs are fairly simple and recall things like Robert Wyatt and Max Tundra. The songs seem to be about common things we interact with everyday. It's hard to put into words why I like this album but there is an underlying honesty that seems to radiate from it every time I listen to it. For that and it's simplistic catchiness is why I returned almost every day for the past few months. I hope you will too.
Sounds Like: Max Tundra, They Might Be Giants, Robert Wyatt, Ween(Especially in the drum machines).
3. Tirzah-Devotion
Simply put, this is perfect R&B and a masterpiece the genre has been waiting years for. This album is the perfect distillation of the genre. It's short. It's simple. Almost all the vocals are first takes. The music was all written by Mica Levi(Micachu) who I have been a huge fan of for years. She stepped outside her typical wheelhouse to produce and write for this album and new genre and the results were stunning.
Sounds Like: Micachu. Lily Allen, Tricky's Maxinquaye, Martina Topley Bird, Sade(but good).
4. Ezra Furman-Transangelic Exodus
His darkest and weirdest album yet. It's a concept album about a world in which humans can opt into a surgery where you can literally become an angel. It's a metaphor for gender identity and it's effect on society. The Best Indie Rock of the year and a true testament to what can be done when you try hard and knock down your own roadblocks and put your multiple ideas on tape no matter how freaky that can be!
Sounds Like: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Violent Femmes, Modest Mouse, Talking Heads, Arcade Fire(early stuff).
5. Panda Bear-A Day With The Homies
This is the second best Panda Bear solo release(the first would be Person Pitch). By stripping down his songwriting and almost giving it some hip hop influence he has created some of his immediate music. This is by far the danciest Panda Bear has ever been. Everything on this seems to be designed to get you moving. This is the best thing from any member of Animal Collective in years. The only bad thing about this album has nothing to do with music. You can only listen to it on vinyl. Which I respect but I'm dying to listen to this in the car.
Sounds Like: Animal Collective, Mantronix(minus rapping), The Beach Boys, Sonic Boom
6. Superorganism-Self Titled
One of the most innovative albums of the year. Definitely the most innovative pop album of the year. This one was sugary sweet but deceptively weird in a lot of interesting ways. This almost sounds like what would happen if there ever was a project between Lana Del Rey and Animal Collective. It's extremely listenable but done so on a myriad of odd instruments and with wacky electronics.
Sounds Like: Animal Collective, Deerhoof, Enon, Lana Del Rey(voice only), The Mowgli's(but good), Ponytail, Guerilla Toss, The Avalanches
They released their weirdest album yet. This thing has so many weird twists and turns. This time out it's really hard to actually call this Hip Hop. MC Ride is still there but for the most part, outside of a couple of songs, his voice is mostly used like another sample/instrument to be woven in and out of the mix. They hired a DJ by the name of DJ Swamp to handle scratching which gives parts of the album an old school Hip Hop kind of feel. This album, like all their other albums, spits in the face of convention and spits in the face of "normal" Hip Hop, making this thing another special album in a long line of special albums from them.
Sounds Like: Death Grips, Danny Brown, Black Dice, John Oswald, DMX, Hella.
11. Sectioned-Annihilated
The nastiest, most brutal metal album I heard all year. It sounds as if a metal band were being thrown continuously down a flight of stairs. From the first note to the last this is easily the most intense thing to listen to on this list. Most definitely not for the faint of heart.
Sounds Like: Meshuggah, Frontierer, After The Burial, Cloudkicker, Veil Of Maya.
12. Idles-Joy As An Act Of Resistance
Once again these guys knock it out of the park. Through extreme negativity they send out a very positive message. Or is it the other way around? Joy delivered in an angry way. They scream for equality in your face. It sounds pissed off but in actuality it's extremely uplifting. These guys have a message for you and they are going to shake you down and yell at you to get it across. This is punk rock lecturing of the highest order.
Sounds Like: Mclusky, The Jesus Lizard, Killdozer, Slint, Girl Band, The Fall
13. Jean Grae & Quelle Chris-Everything's Fine
The best Hip Hop album of the year? You betcha(Death Grips was definitely more than just Hip Hop). This one is absolutely hilarious. It's a send up of all the overblown bullshit people supposedly care about. They lampoon everyone who crosses their path, from the state of hip hop and racism to what's "expected" from them in the wonderfully shitty music industry. With guest appearances from Damon Che, Nick Offerman and Hannibal Buress one might think this is a joke, but I get the feeling that this shit's as serious as a heart attack.
Sounds Like: Jean Grae, Quelle Chris(duh), Madlib, Madvillain, MF Doom, Funkadelic, Edan
14. Sarah Shook And The Disarmers-Years
My favorite Alt-Country album of the year. Her voice has a welcoming quality to it that isn't so easy to come by these days. The music is country with a punk attitude and we are all the better for it.
Sounds Like: Margo Price, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Tanya Tucker, Lindi Ortega, Colter Wall
15. The Voidz-Virtue
Great return from Julian Casablancas and company. Vast improvement over the muddiness of the last album. He got a little weirder and a lot poppier since the last time out and it's a huge improvement. One of the most inventive Rock albums of the year. If you loved the Strokes but wanted them to be a little weirder and "out there" than this is for you. This is the closest you will get to early Strokes stuff and we can all be thankful for that!
Sounds Like: The Strokes, Ariel Pink, John Maus, Vaporwave
16. Gazelle Twin-Pastoral
Super creepy. Extremely politically aware. This was the Anti-Brexit album England needed. Doubt many heard though. By subverting old English musical stereotypes(flute, old English Traditional Folk) and throwing it at a wall with dark industrial influenced electronic soundscapes she ends up creating the audio equivalent of a dystopian nightmare.
Sounds Like: Bjork, The Knife, Ellen Allien, Wolf Eyes, Marie Davidson, Mu, Baroque Classical, Fairport Convention
17. The Garden-Mirror Might Steal Your Charm
Well at this point I might just have to call myself a fanboy of these guys. Once again they push the envelope of common decency and promote a world onto us that is truly insular. There are inside jokes I think I get(im probably wrong). There's weird little tough love inspirational lyrics(which I love). Just all around weirdness. They also embrace Hip Hop in a way that's both completely disrespectful yet totally legitimate at the same time.
Sounds Like: Ween, Danny Brown, Dick Dale, Sublime
18. The Armed-Only Love
This one is a tough nut to crack and due to the nature of the recording and songwriting reveals itself over time in multiple waves. On first listen this sounds like a straight up metal album but then you realize the songs are written in an almost Indie Rock style. Then you start to notice the buried melodies. This is almost like if ...And You Know Us By The Trail Of Dead wrote a metal album. Or maybe it's just metal that's extremely indebted to Post-Rock. Either way this thing is dense and to me it's the actual full realization of the "Blackgaze" or "Shoegazer Metal" other bands tried to pioneer. This band has done it the best and this album is a wonderful kaleidoscopic blending of the two world of Indie Rock and Metal.
Sounds Like: Trail Of Dead, Black Metal, Death Metal, My Bloody Valentine
19. Wheeler Walker Jr-WWIII
Filthy beyond all belief. This will make anyone blush. This time around he "has a family". Not sure if it's based in real life but for this album he is writing from the point of view of a new dad. This gives the album both a sweet quality and an even more disgusting perverted quality all at the same time. For those unfamiliar this guy is a stand up comedian who dons a shitkicker new country nashville persona. The music is superbly played by a wealth of excellent professional country session players. The catch is the lyrics are beyond NC-17. This is the most NSFW album on this list, but if you put it on in the background your parents will love it, until they pay attention.
Sounds Like: Johnny Paycheck, Ween(country album only), David Allan Coe, Dierks Bentley, Blake Shelton
20. Tropical Fuck Storm-A Laughing Death In Meat Space
This is the best album of the year out of Austrailia. This has members of The Drones and a couple other Austrailian bands I hadn't heard of. This is the album Nick Cave wished he could make right now. It's dark post punk at it's best and should not be missed.
Sounds Like: Nick Cave, The Jesus Lizard, The Drones, The Fall, Mclusky
21. JPEGMafia-Veteran
Kind of like if Death Grips and more experimental Hip Hop in general embraced elements of pop rap(trap) and came out the other side super pissed off. This guy has a vision and he knows what he's doing and he doesn't give one shit if you are on board or not, he's coming to get you anyways.
SL: Eminem, Elle Delu, Cupcakke, Danny Brown, Death Grips
22. Guerilla Toss-Twisted Crystal
I have always wanted to like this band. All the correct elements were there. Insane instrumentation. Vocalist who harkens back to the singers in Ponytail and Deerhoof. So they are like a modern update on things I have loved in the Indie scene in the past. But for some reason, I could never fully connect to their past releases. This album is totally different. They strike the perfect balance between Pop and Experimentation. It's almost like if Black Dice and Deerhoof teamed up with some behind the scenes modern pop producers. Now don't get mistaken. It's equal parts Pop and messed up. So don't think you are getting some weird Taylor Swift album. This is still truly weird stuff. Think B52s walking through a park with Deerhoof on acid.
Sounds Like: Courtney Barnett, B52s, Deerhoof, Ponytail, Enon.
23. Audiobooks-Now! In A Minute
The weirdest Pop album on this list. Unlike the Guerilla Toss album right above, this is actual Pop. It's just fucked up Pop. But the songwriting is very Pop. Almost like if Marina & The Diamonds got real weird. She still sings like a Pop singer it's just all messed up. The synths on this album are masterful and vintage. They are bold and prop up most of the songs. At times this sounds a lot like Yeah Yeah Yeahs but more twisted.
Sounds Like: Marina & The Diamonds, Lily Allen, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
24. Lindi Ortega-Liberty
A dark dusty Americana album with one of the best female vocalists in the game. From my understanding she was pretty fed up with the music industry(we all should be) and she took a break for a bit. Then after removing herself for a bit she teamed up with the incredible instrumental duo of Steelism(they were on my list last year). This added instrumental perfection really pushes this set of songs really high up in her already great discography. Everything is kind of creepy. It all sounds like something that would soundtrack a desert set Western. Very cinematic and over the top in a lot of ways.
Sounds Like: Neko Case, Sarah Shook, Dolly Parton, Margo Price
25. Suss-Ghost Box
How did the greatest Ambient album of the year happen to be an all instrumental country album. This is Ambient Country at it's finest. Put this on and you are instantly transported to a warm desert night in America's Southwest. It's perfect for setting a contemplative mood. Close your eyes and trip out to the high desert sounds of Suss. You don't even have to travel to Joshua Tree to do it!
Sounds Like: William Tyler, Calexico, The KLF(Chill Out only).
26. Confidence Man-Confident Music For Confident People
Ridiculously over the top hedonistic dance pop. Normally I kind of hate this kind of music but the production is wonderfully vivid and punchy. The lyrics are at times hilarious send ups of vapid idiots who focus on club culture. This is the album that gets the kids dancing while shitting on them doing so. It's cynical pop that is at times both intelligent and stupid. You can dance to it but don't let them catch you doing it or you will get made fun of.
Sounds Like: Shamir, LMFAO, Donna Summer, Michael Jackson, Daft Punk.
27. Marie Davidson-Working Class Woman
Easily one of the weirdest vocal electronic album since we got those pair of Mu albums back in the mid 2000s. This is hard hitting dark Techno mixed with weird as hell mostly spoken word. The spoken word is run through tons of effects and cut up in cool ways so it never gets pretentious and boring. Humor plays a big part in this as well. It's also a bit critical of the way things are done. Highly recommended if you like the weirder side of Techno.
Sounds Like: Postal Service, Star Tours, MU, Le Tigre, Autechre, Mouse On Mars. Ellen Allien
28. The Hirs Collective-Friends Lovers Favorites(SRA/Get Better)
Extremely brutal. Extremely political. Hyper focus on Gender politics. The HIRS collective really kick the shit out of you to get their message across. The message is stop fucking with people. Stop fucking with their right to be whatever they want to be. This band will go for your throat if you don't stop your closed minded bullshit. Be afraid, be very afraid.
Sounds Like: The Locust, Orchid
29. Low-Double Negative
To be honest, before this album, I was ready to write these guys off. There music hadn't been interesting since the early 2000s. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't this. This album sounds like a completely different Low. Gone is the typical Slowcore setup of bass/drums/guitar/vocals and in it's place is a spacious electronic glitch noise symphonic masterpiece. This album is extremely loud and distorted but it's never ugly. The dual male/female vocals really lift this album to the heavens. Everything is awash in beautiful distortion and clipped electronics and this backdrop helped Low release their most modern and relevant album to date. I hope they take more risks like this in the future. This one really paid off.
Sounds Like: Air, Shamir, Grizzly Bear, James Blake
30. St. Lenox-10 Fables Of Young Ambition And Passionate Love(Anyway)
One of the most unique singers going right now. He sounds like a male female Soul singer. Or something like Elizabeth Cotten. Actually that is a really great way to frame his voice. He is a male singer singing his heart out but in the vein of old female Blues singers. So once you settle in with the voice that's when the hyper literate and extremely relatable lyrics hit you over the head. He is writing some of the best lyrics in all of music right now. He deserves much more notice than he gets(even though he pops up on a TON of end of the year lists). He is a very cult figure that deserves so much more. If you like this you definitely need to check out his previous two albums as they are deserving of this exact praise as well.
Sounds Like: Nina Simone, Elizabeth Cotten, Elliott Smith
31. Eminem-Kamikaze
It was nice to see Eminem come back reenergized and pissed off. You can really tell that when he is pissed he is at his best. This album is a direct attack on critics who shit on his past two albums. Granted those albums were a bit tamer than his early stuff but that's what artists do. They sometimes try new things and change things up. The critical world wasn't having any of it and they tried to destroy him. Well, it didn't work and in fact gave us a huge highlight of his career. This album hates the industry. It should. The industry is a vile disgusting cesspool of nepotism and egos. He also takes potshots at a lot of horrid mumble rap. It pisses him off. These kids don't acknowledge their forbearers and it drives him nuts(rightfully so). A lot of critics hated on this album as well. They looked at it's negativity and in this horrible era of Posivibes bullshit they ironically used their own negativity to try and bury this album too. The fans spoke. Put this album at #1 for a few weeks and told the critics to stick it. This is a great album from Em and I hope he stays angry and shits on a few more idiots the next time around. We need the cynicism!
Sounds Like: Old school Eminem
32. Go Kart Mozart-Mozart Estate Present Go-Kart Mozart in "Mozart's Mini-Mart"
The dorkiest album on this list by a long shot. I honestly can't tell if this is one big joke or if it's just totally serious. It doesn't really matter when the music inside is so good. This is pop for pop's sake. This is bubblegum to an irritating degree. But I like to champion extremes and this is very extreme.
Sounds Like: Pavement, The Faint, Mentos Commercials, Monty Python, The Kinks, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
33. Leikeli47-Acrylic
This sounds a lot like Cardi B. I hate Cardi B. Well then why would you like this? Well, for one, the lyrics are 10,000 times better. Way more clever and not obsessed with bling and fame and all the other vapid shit. From what I understand she makes most if not all of her own beats. So in my book that automatically makes her more credible than Cardi. To me I get the same feeling from this album as I got from Danny Brown's "XXX". It sounds like beginning of something new and fresh. Someone who can take this already stale style and inject something new into it. Not only does she do Cardi and Nikki's style better than them she even has time to make full on Soul tracks that look back at the Girl Group scene of the 50s and 60s. Now that says something!
Sounds Like: MIA, Cardi B, Cupcakke, Lil Kim, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Rhianna.
34. Caroline Rose-Loner
Awesomely concise. Very consistent. Extremely catchy synth influenced Indie Pop/Rock. If this album doesn't get your toe tappin there is seriously something wrong with you. This album flys right by with great melody after great melody. The lyrics are often times hilarious or dead serious. If you like female fronted Indie Rock then this is the first stop for you on this musical tour.
Sounds Like: Lana Del Rey, Fiona Apple , Feist, Elle King, Le Tigre
35. Swamp Dogg-Love, Loss And Autotune
A very weird album indeed. Take an old and still very much kicking 76 year old Funk and Soul musician. Cover him in Autotune and then let him rip. It's one of the most bizarre sound combinations in a while. I know Bon Iver helped with this one and it's the best thing he has ever been involved with. This album will make you laugh, cry and get down! There is always some interesting form of experimentation around every corner. It gives a very often stale genre a nice kick in the pants by thinking outside the box. Not only do we have one of the best Funk/Soul albums of the year we also get Swamp Dogg's and Bon Iver's finest achievements thus far.
Sounds Like: Curtis Mayfield, Anna Meredith, Bon Iver, Kanye West, Daft Punk, Sam Cooke, Frank Ocean.
36. Insecure Men-Self Titled
An extremely weird fusion of all things that shouldn't be. A couple guys from Fat White Family and Sean Lennon holed up and made this bizarre fusion of Britpop, Indie Rock and all kinds of vintage Exotica music to basically create super drugged out Exotica Indie Rock. This is brand new shit by way of completely outdated(yet amazing) sounds. They definitely take some cues from Les Baxter, Martin Denny and Brian Wilson when constructing their songs. I couldn't have seen this one coming from this camp of musicians but I'm sure as hell glad it did! Highly enjoyable, but don't let those soothing sounds fool you, the lyrics on some of these songs can sure be creepy and brutal. ENJOY!
Sounds Like: Blur, Les Baxter, Martin Denny, Beck, Alfred Alpaka, The Kinks, David Bowie, T.Rex, Ariel Pink, Ween, Arthur Lyman.
37. Goat Girl-Self Titled
Out of a sea of horribly boring female fronted indie rock bands comes this rising phoenix of anti mediocrity. They add so much to the common indie rock sound it's not even funny. I would actually say they are more influenced by Post Punk and the experimentation that went into that genre in the late 70s-early 80s than they are to someone like Pavement. They succeed greatly because of this. Also the lyrics are some of the most pointed nasty lyrics that attack shitty creepy men to come out in a while. This lyrical approach also elevates them above their peers to a great degree. If you like your indie rock with a lot of variation and a little bit of nastiness than this is your shit.
Sounds Like: Savages, Courtney Barnett, Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Raincoats, Slits
38. Orquestra Akokan-Self Titled
I never thought I would say this. This is the best Mambo album of the year. What is Mambo? It is a Cuban style of music that came out of Big Band Jazz. It takes influence from all traditional Cuban and Latin rhythms and attaches them to the aforementioned Big Band sound to create a kind of amazing party Jazz that is very singular in it's sound. Also of note, this is to date my favorite thing the label Daptone has put out. This album is perfect. No note is wasted and the playing is expert level. If you like Jazz or Latin influenced music you can't sleep on this!
Sounds Like: George Gershwin, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Desi Arnaz, Tito Puente, Esquivel, Lou Bega, Exuma
39. Sunwatchers-II
Amazing Free Jazz influenced hard rock group that takes a page out of the Comets On Fire songbook. They basically jam to infinity on this. It's a standard rock setup with a saxophone added to the mix. This is blisteringly loud Krautrock influenced stuff. If you happen to be familiar with any kind of rock and roll solo freak out, well this is the band equivalent of that moment in all your favorite rock songs. Stretch that moment to 6-10 minutes songs and there you have it. Not for the faint of heart but you just might get sucked in and memorized by, their kick ass grooves.
Sounds Like: Sleater Kinney(guitars only), Ariel Pink, Comets On Fire, M Ward
40. Dizayga-Anthrocide: Exit By Accented Figures
A lot of critics hated this and I could not see why. This is the frontman for the band Stabscotch who took our #2 spot last year. This is more of the same and might even be more intense. It's a lot of yelling and extremely emotive vocals over insane noisy and experimental soundscapes. Lots of brutal drumming and lots of harsh noise tones. If you like experimental and noise music at all you have to check this out!
Sounds Like: Stabscotch, Whitehouse, Wolf Eyes, Slint
41. Odetta Hartman-Old Rockhounds Never Die
Extremely inventive pairing of old timey country with electronic and experimental flourishes. She has a voice that's a cross between Cocorosie and Joanna Newsom. The songs are both muscular and light at the same time. I think there is some kind of concept weaving it's way through this album. Each song usually has some kind of awesome train sound effect or something akin to mining for gold. All in all it has a really weird old prospector vibe going on. I love when country musicians push themselves and wind up with something extremely inventive and interesting on the other end.
Sounds Like: Guts Club, Cocorosie, Josephine Baker, Joanna Newsom, Jenny Lewis, Regina Spektor, Patsy Cline, Rilo Kiley, Best Coast.
42. Ohmme-Parts
Take one part Close Harmony styled singing. One part angular Indie Rock in the vein of Deerhoof. Make the recording super clean and extremely melodic. Add one part off kilter experimentation. Mix them together with all different styles of Indie Rock both modern and past and you have a winning formula and you have this album.
Sounds Like: Doo Wop, Feist, Deerhoof, Tilly And The Wall, Tune Yards, Melanie, Garbage. Maria Taylor, Courtney Barnett, Arctic Monkeys, Bjork, Florence and The Machine.
43. Father John Misty-God's Favorite Customer
He returns to form after a very lackluster album(Pure Comedy). He returns to the simplistic yet addictingly melodic songs of his other 2 albums. The humor and wit is back into his writing with a sense of empathy that was lacking in his other releases. Gone is the overblown pompous ego and in it's place is a return to his funny self-mocking ego of previous albums. This is the opposite of "Pure Comedy" and the album succeeds greatly from this fact.
Sounds Like: Tom Petty, Jonathan Rice, Elton John, Nilsson, John Lennon, Randy Newman, Elliott Smith, Travelling Wilburys
44. Courtney Barnett-Tell Me How You Really Feel
Some people are probably going to complain that the somber slower songs outnumber the fast catchy ones. I thought I would be in the same camp. I'm not, this is her most mature outing yet. The slow songs have an emotional resonance that was hiding under the surface on her earlier material. The faster songs are even catchier and this might be her most focused album so far.
Sounds Like: Guts Club, Modest Mouse, Yo La Tengo, Courtney Love, Pavement, Sleater Kinney, The Breeders, Liz Phair, Angel Olsen.
45. Ceramic Dog-YRU Still Here?
Super political? Check. Super angry? Check. Some of the best political punk rock to come out in years? Absolutely! This is not to be missed if you are pissed off about the current state of affairs. Is this coming from the mind of an anarchistic 20 something? Nope. It's coming from a music veteran(played guitar on all the great Tom Waits Island years albums) in his 60s.
Sounds Like: Minutemen, Black Flag, The Locust, Dr John, Tom Waits, The Doors, Black Lips, Political Protesting.
46. Arctic Monkeys-Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino
What we said back in May: "Definitely the best thing this band has done. They have shed any kind of power pop leanings and indie rock tropes in favor of weirdo lounge crooner music. A huge step up and in the right direction for this band". It still stands and then some. This was an extremely smart move from a band who have been moving up and up with each new release. In a weird way this was a logical progression that no one could have predicted.
Sounds Like: David Bowie, Scott Walker, Lounge Music, Frank Sinatra, Lana Del Rey, White Stripes.
Fantastically psychedelic outing from these two bizarre Hip Hop outsiders. This album isn't even all that weird. I mean it is but it could have been a whole lot weirder given the pedigree of these two. It's so nice to see Edan come back and just really kick ass with his sampling and psychedelic production. Homeboy Sandman absolutely kills it in the MC department. He is a perfect match to rap over this craziness. This is old school Hip Hop done right.
Sounds Like: Danny Brown, Outkast, Proof, J Zone, Blackalicious, Mos Def.
Quite simply the best Jazz album of the year. Period. Mindblowingly inventive for what these days has been a pretty stale genre. Extremely rhythmic and hypnotic in it's construction. The recording is immaculate and not a single not is wasted. Also employs quite a bit of experimentation which is also something lacking in most Jazz these days.
Sounds Like: Miles Davis, School Marching Bands, Fela Kuti.
For the year end playlist I will be adding only the first songs from each album since with each of these albums that's where your journey should begin!
1. Daughters-You Won't Get What You Want
The audio equivalent of a horror movie done by a master of horror. These guys returned after an 8 year absence to deliver one of the greatest albums of the last decade. This album is dark, it's ugly and it's aggressive. It's definitely one of the finest noise rock/industrial influenced albums I have ever heard. There is not a wasted note on this. The production is flawless and perfectly complements the music within. Take a listen if you dare!
Sounds Like: The Jesus Lizard, Swans(but good), Nine Inch Nails(but good), Pissed Jeans, Your Nightmares(not a band).
2. Robert Sotelo-Botanical
One of the quirkier albums on this list. The songs are fairly simple and recall things like Robert Wyatt and Max Tundra. The songs seem to be about common things we interact with everyday. It's hard to put into words why I like this album but there is an underlying honesty that seems to radiate from it every time I listen to it. For that and it's simplistic catchiness is why I returned almost every day for the past few months. I hope you will too.
Sounds Like: Max Tundra, They Might Be Giants, Robert Wyatt, Ween(Especially in the drum machines).
3. Tirzah-Devotion
Simply put, this is perfect R&B and a masterpiece the genre has been waiting years for. This album is the perfect distillation of the genre. It's short. It's simple. Almost all the vocals are first takes. The music was all written by Mica Levi(Micachu) who I have been a huge fan of for years. She stepped outside her typical wheelhouse to produce and write for this album and new genre and the results were stunning.
Sounds Like: Micachu. Lily Allen, Tricky's Maxinquaye, Martina Topley Bird, Sade(but good).
4. Ezra Furman-Transangelic Exodus
His darkest and weirdest album yet. It's a concept album about a world in which humans can opt into a surgery where you can literally become an angel. It's a metaphor for gender identity and it's effect on society. The Best Indie Rock of the year and a true testament to what can be done when you try hard and knock down your own roadblocks and put your multiple ideas on tape no matter how freaky that can be!
Sounds Like: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Violent Femmes, Modest Mouse, Talking Heads, Arcade Fire(early stuff).
5. Panda Bear-A Day With The Homies
This is the second best Panda Bear solo release(the first would be Person Pitch). By stripping down his songwriting and almost giving it some hip hop influence he has created some of his immediate music. This is by far the danciest Panda Bear has ever been. Everything on this seems to be designed to get you moving. This is the best thing from any member of Animal Collective in years. The only bad thing about this album has nothing to do with music. You can only listen to it on vinyl. Which I respect but I'm dying to listen to this in the car.
Sounds Like: Animal Collective, Mantronix(minus rapping), The Beach Boys, Sonic Boom
6. Superorganism-Self Titled
One of the most innovative albums of the year. Definitely the most innovative pop album of the year. This one was sugary sweet but deceptively weird in a lot of interesting ways. This almost sounds like what would happen if there ever was a project between Lana Del Rey and Animal Collective. It's extremely listenable but done so on a myriad of odd instruments and with wacky electronics.
Sounds Like: Animal Collective, Deerhoof, Enon, Lana Del Rey(voice only), The Mowgli's(but good), Ponytail, Guerilla Toss, The Avalanches
7. Kyle Craft-Full Circle Nightmare
It's his second album and he kills it once again with another perfect slice of swampy kick ass Americana. If he keeps this up he will definitely become heir apparent to Tom Petty's now vacant throne.
Sounds Like: Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, New Orleans(the city), The best bar band you have ever heard, The Rolling Stones, The Deadly Snakes.
It's his second album and he kills it once again with another perfect slice of swampy kick ass Americana. If he keeps this up he will definitely become heir apparent to Tom Petty's now vacant throne.
Sounds Like: Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, New Orleans(the city), The best bar band you have ever heard, The Rolling Stones, The Deadly Snakes.
8. Cupcakke-Ephorize
For those who want a little more out of their Nikki Minaj's and Cardi B's. This is strong raunchy female rap done right. This is some brutal shit and her flow is infinitely better than all of her contemporaries. This shit is not to be missed if you are a fan of Hip Hop. She does the overdone trap beats right.
Sounds Like: Lil Kim, Missy Elliott, Nikki Minaj, Trina
For those who want a little more out of their Nikki Minaj's and Cardi B's. This is strong raunchy female rap done right. This is some brutal shit and her flow is infinitely better than all of her contemporaries. This shit is not to be missed if you are a fan of Hip Hop. She does the overdone trap beats right.
Sounds Like: Lil Kim, Missy Elliott, Nikki Minaj, Trina
9. Warmduscher-Whale City
The scuzziest rock album of the year comes out of England and birthed from some of the great minds that brought you Fat White Family and one of our other albums of the year Insecure Men. This album has The Fall's influence all over it. They are just as listenable and with the same amount of bite. The difference is these guys can get weirdly tender. Just check out the song 1000 Whispers. It's basically an old 50s Soul song sandwitched in between layers and layers of scummy biker dirt rock.
Sounds Like: The Fall, Wire, Nick Cave, Mark Lanegan, Queens Of The Stone Age, Masters Of Reality, Curtis Mayfield(music only).
10. Death Grips-Year Of The SnitchThe scuzziest rock album of the year comes out of England and birthed from some of the great minds that brought you Fat White Family and one of our other albums of the year Insecure Men. This album has The Fall's influence all over it. They are just as listenable and with the same amount of bite. The difference is these guys can get weirdly tender. Just check out the song 1000 Whispers. It's basically an old 50s Soul song sandwitched in between layers and layers of scummy biker dirt rock.
Sounds Like: The Fall, Wire, Nick Cave, Mark Lanegan, Queens Of The Stone Age, Masters Of Reality, Curtis Mayfield(music only).
They released their weirdest album yet. This thing has so many weird twists and turns. This time out it's really hard to actually call this Hip Hop. MC Ride is still there but for the most part, outside of a couple of songs, his voice is mostly used like another sample/instrument to be woven in and out of the mix. They hired a DJ by the name of DJ Swamp to handle scratching which gives parts of the album an old school Hip Hop kind of feel. This album, like all their other albums, spits in the face of convention and spits in the face of "normal" Hip Hop, making this thing another special album in a long line of special albums from them.
Sounds Like: Death Grips, Danny Brown, Black Dice, John Oswald, DMX, Hella.
11. Sectioned-Annihilated
The nastiest, most brutal metal album I heard all year. It sounds as if a metal band were being thrown continuously down a flight of stairs. From the first note to the last this is easily the most intense thing to listen to on this list. Most definitely not for the faint of heart.
Sounds Like: Meshuggah, Frontierer, After The Burial, Cloudkicker, Veil Of Maya.
12. Idles-Joy As An Act Of Resistance
Once again these guys knock it out of the park. Through extreme negativity they send out a very positive message. Or is it the other way around? Joy delivered in an angry way. They scream for equality in your face. It sounds pissed off but in actuality it's extremely uplifting. These guys have a message for you and they are going to shake you down and yell at you to get it across. This is punk rock lecturing of the highest order.
Sounds Like: Mclusky, The Jesus Lizard, Killdozer, Slint, Girl Band, The Fall
13. Jean Grae & Quelle Chris-Everything's Fine
The best Hip Hop album of the year? You betcha(Death Grips was definitely more than just Hip Hop). This one is absolutely hilarious. It's a send up of all the overblown bullshit people supposedly care about. They lampoon everyone who crosses their path, from the state of hip hop and racism to what's "expected" from them in the wonderfully shitty music industry. With guest appearances from Damon Che, Nick Offerman and Hannibal Buress one might think this is a joke, but I get the feeling that this shit's as serious as a heart attack.
Sounds Like: Jean Grae, Quelle Chris(duh), Madlib, Madvillain, MF Doom, Funkadelic, Edan
14. Sarah Shook And The Disarmers-Years
My favorite Alt-Country album of the year. Her voice has a welcoming quality to it that isn't so easy to come by these days. The music is country with a punk attitude and we are all the better for it.
Sounds Like: Margo Price, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Tanya Tucker, Lindi Ortega, Colter Wall
15. The Voidz-Virtue
Great return from Julian Casablancas and company. Vast improvement over the muddiness of the last album. He got a little weirder and a lot poppier since the last time out and it's a huge improvement. One of the most inventive Rock albums of the year. If you loved the Strokes but wanted them to be a little weirder and "out there" than this is for you. This is the closest you will get to early Strokes stuff and we can all be thankful for that!
Sounds Like: The Strokes, Ariel Pink, John Maus, Vaporwave
16. Gazelle Twin-Pastoral
Super creepy. Extremely politically aware. This was the Anti-Brexit album England needed. Doubt many heard though. By subverting old English musical stereotypes(flute, old English Traditional Folk) and throwing it at a wall with dark industrial influenced electronic soundscapes she ends up creating the audio equivalent of a dystopian nightmare.
Sounds Like: Bjork, The Knife, Ellen Allien, Wolf Eyes, Marie Davidson, Mu, Baroque Classical, Fairport Convention
17. The Garden-Mirror Might Steal Your Charm
Well at this point I might just have to call myself a fanboy of these guys. Once again they push the envelope of common decency and promote a world onto us that is truly insular. There are inside jokes I think I get(im probably wrong). There's weird little tough love inspirational lyrics(which I love). Just all around weirdness. They also embrace Hip Hop in a way that's both completely disrespectful yet totally legitimate at the same time.
Sounds Like: Ween, Danny Brown, Dick Dale, Sublime
18. The Armed-Only Love
This one is a tough nut to crack and due to the nature of the recording and songwriting reveals itself over time in multiple waves. On first listen this sounds like a straight up metal album but then you realize the songs are written in an almost Indie Rock style. Then you start to notice the buried melodies. This is almost like if ...And You Know Us By The Trail Of Dead wrote a metal album. Or maybe it's just metal that's extremely indebted to Post-Rock. Either way this thing is dense and to me it's the actual full realization of the "Blackgaze" or "Shoegazer Metal" other bands tried to pioneer. This band has done it the best and this album is a wonderful kaleidoscopic blending of the two world of Indie Rock and Metal.
Sounds Like: Trail Of Dead, Black Metal, Death Metal, My Bloody Valentine
19. Wheeler Walker Jr-WWIII
Filthy beyond all belief. This will make anyone blush. This time around he "has a family". Not sure if it's based in real life but for this album he is writing from the point of view of a new dad. This gives the album both a sweet quality and an even more disgusting perverted quality all at the same time. For those unfamiliar this guy is a stand up comedian who dons a shitkicker new country nashville persona. The music is superbly played by a wealth of excellent professional country session players. The catch is the lyrics are beyond NC-17. This is the most NSFW album on this list, but if you put it on in the background your parents will love it, until they pay attention.
Sounds Like: Johnny Paycheck, Ween(country album only), David Allan Coe, Dierks Bentley, Blake Shelton
20. Tropical Fuck Storm-A Laughing Death In Meat Space
This is the best album of the year out of Austrailia. This has members of The Drones and a couple other Austrailian bands I hadn't heard of. This is the album Nick Cave wished he could make right now. It's dark post punk at it's best and should not be missed.
Sounds Like: Nick Cave, The Jesus Lizard, The Drones, The Fall, Mclusky
21. JPEGMafia-Veteran
Kind of like if Death Grips and more experimental Hip Hop in general embraced elements of pop rap(trap) and came out the other side super pissed off. This guy has a vision and he knows what he's doing and he doesn't give one shit if you are on board or not, he's coming to get you anyways.
SL: Eminem, Elle Delu, Cupcakke, Danny Brown, Death Grips
22. Guerilla Toss-Twisted Crystal
I have always wanted to like this band. All the correct elements were there. Insane instrumentation. Vocalist who harkens back to the singers in Ponytail and Deerhoof. So they are like a modern update on things I have loved in the Indie scene in the past. But for some reason, I could never fully connect to their past releases. This album is totally different. They strike the perfect balance between Pop and Experimentation. It's almost like if Black Dice and Deerhoof teamed up with some behind the scenes modern pop producers. Now don't get mistaken. It's equal parts Pop and messed up. So don't think you are getting some weird Taylor Swift album. This is still truly weird stuff. Think B52s walking through a park with Deerhoof on acid.
Sounds Like: Courtney Barnett, B52s, Deerhoof, Ponytail, Enon.
23. Audiobooks-Now! In A Minute
The weirdest Pop album on this list. Unlike the Guerilla Toss album right above, this is actual Pop. It's just fucked up Pop. But the songwriting is very Pop. Almost like if Marina & The Diamonds got real weird. She still sings like a Pop singer it's just all messed up. The synths on this album are masterful and vintage. They are bold and prop up most of the songs. At times this sounds a lot like Yeah Yeah Yeahs but more twisted.
Sounds Like: Marina & The Diamonds, Lily Allen, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
24. Lindi Ortega-Liberty
A dark dusty Americana album with one of the best female vocalists in the game. From my understanding she was pretty fed up with the music industry(we all should be) and she took a break for a bit. Then after removing herself for a bit she teamed up with the incredible instrumental duo of Steelism(they were on my list last year). This added instrumental perfection really pushes this set of songs really high up in her already great discography. Everything is kind of creepy. It all sounds like something that would soundtrack a desert set Western. Very cinematic and over the top in a lot of ways.
Sounds Like: Neko Case, Sarah Shook, Dolly Parton, Margo Price
25. Suss-Ghost Box
How did the greatest Ambient album of the year happen to be an all instrumental country album. This is Ambient Country at it's finest. Put this on and you are instantly transported to a warm desert night in America's Southwest. It's perfect for setting a contemplative mood. Close your eyes and trip out to the high desert sounds of Suss. You don't even have to travel to Joshua Tree to do it!
Sounds Like: William Tyler, Calexico, The KLF(Chill Out only).
26. Confidence Man-Confident Music For Confident People
Ridiculously over the top hedonistic dance pop. Normally I kind of hate this kind of music but the production is wonderfully vivid and punchy. The lyrics are at times hilarious send ups of vapid idiots who focus on club culture. This is the album that gets the kids dancing while shitting on them doing so. It's cynical pop that is at times both intelligent and stupid. You can dance to it but don't let them catch you doing it or you will get made fun of.
Sounds Like: Shamir, LMFAO, Donna Summer, Michael Jackson, Daft Punk.
27. Marie Davidson-Working Class Woman
Easily one of the weirdest vocal electronic album since we got those pair of Mu albums back in the mid 2000s. This is hard hitting dark Techno mixed with weird as hell mostly spoken word. The spoken word is run through tons of effects and cut up in cool ways so it never gets pretentious and boring. Humor plays a big part in this as well. It's also a bit critical of the way things are done. Highly recommended if you like the weirder side of Techno.
Sounds Like: Postal Service, Star Tours, MU, Le Tigre, Autechre, Mouse On Mars. Ellen Allien
28. The Hirs Collective-Friends Lovers Favorites(SRA/Get Better)
Extremely brutal. Extremely political. Hyper focus on Gender politics. The HIRS collective really kick the shit out of you to get their message across. The message is stop fucking with people. Stop fucking with their right to be whatever they want to be. This band will go for your throat if you don't stop your closed minded bullshit. Be afraid, be very afraid.
Sounds Like: The Locust, Orchid
29. Low-Double Negative
To be honest, before this album, I was ready to write these guys off. There music hadn't been interesting since the early 2000s. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't this. This album sounds like a completely different Low. Gone is the typical Slowcore setup of bass/drums/guitar/vocals and in it's place is a spacious electronic glitch noise symphonic masterpiece. This album is extremely loud and distorted but it's never ugly. The dual male/female vocals really lift this album to the heavens. Everything is awash in beautiful distortion and clipped electronics and this backdrop helped Low release their most modern and relevant album to date. I hope they take more risks like this in the future. This one really paid off.
Sounds Like: Air, Shamir, Grizzly Bear, James Blake
30. St. Lenox-10 Fables Of Young Ambition And Passionate Love(Anyway)
One of the most unique singers going right now. He sounds like a male female Soul singer. Or something like Elizabeth Cotten. Actually that is a really great way to frame his voice. He is a male singer singing his heart out but in the vein of old female Blues singers. So once you settle in with the voice that's when the hyper literate and extremely relatable lyrics hit you over the head. He is writing some of the best lyrics in all of music right now. He deserves much more notice than he gets(even though he pops up on a TON of end of the year lists). He is a very cult figure that deserves so much more. If you like this you definitely need to check out his previous two albums as they are deserving of this exact praise as well.
Sounds Like: Nina Simone, Elizabeth Cotten, Elliott Smith
31. Eminem-Kamikaze
It was nice to see Eminem come back reenergized and pissed off. You can really tell that when he is pissed he is at his best. This album is a direct attack on critics who shit on his past two albums. Granted those albums were a bit tamer than his early stuff but that's what artists do. They sometimes try new things and change things up. The critical world wasn't having any of it and they tried to destroy him. Well, it didn't work and in fact gave us a huge highlight of his career. This album hates the industry. It should. The industry is a vile disgusting cesspool of nepotism and egos. He also takes potshots at a lot of horrid mumble rap. It pisses him off. These kids don't acknowledge their forbearers and it drives him nuts(rightfully so). A lot of critics hated on this album as well. They looked at it's negativity and in this horrible era of Posivibes bullshit they ironically used their own negativity to try and bury this album too. The fans spoke. Put this album at #1 for a few weeks and told the critics to stick it. This is a great album from Em and I hope he stays angry and shits on a few more idiots the next time around. We need the cynicism!
Sounds Like: Old school Eminem
32. Go Kart Mozart-Mozart Estate Present Go-Kart Mozart in "Mozart's Mini-Mart"
The dorkiest album on this list by a long shot. I honestly can't tell if this is one big joke or if it's just totally serious. It doesn't really matter when the music inside is so good. This is pop for pop's sake. This is bubblegum to an irritating degree. But I like to champion extremes and this is very extreme.
Sounds Like: Pavement, The Faint, Mentos Commercials, Monty Python, The Kinks, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
33. Leikeli47-Acrylic
This sounds a lot like Cardi B. I hate Cardi B. Well then why would you like this? Well, for one, the lyrics are 10,000 times better. Way more clever and not obsessed with bling and fame and all the other vapid shit. From what I understand she makes most if not all of her own beats. So in my book that automatically makes her more credible than Cardi. To me I get the same feeling from this album as I got from Danny Brown's "XXX". It sounds like beginning of something new and fresh. Someone who can take this already stale style and inject something new into it. Not only does she do Cardi and Nikki's style better than them she even has time to make full on Soul tracks that look back at the Girl Group scene of the 50s and 60s. Now that says something!
Sounds Like: MIA, Cardi B, Cupcakke, Lil Kim, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Rhianna.
34. Caroline Rose-Loner
Awesomely concise. Very consistent. Extremely catchy synth influenced Indie Pop/Rock. If this album doesn't get your toe tappin there is seriously something wrong with you. This album flys right by with great melody after great melody. The lyrics are often times hilarious or dead serious. If you like female fronted Indie Rock then this is the first stop for you on this musical tour.
Sounds Like: Lana Del Rey, Fiona Apple , Feist, Elle King, Le Tigre
35. Swamp Dogg-Love, Loss And Autotune
A very weird album indeed. Take an old and still very much kicking 76 year old Funk and Soul musician. Cover him in Autotune and then let him rip. It's one of the most bizarre sound combinations in a while. I know Bon Iver helped with this one and it's the best thing he has ever been involved with. This album will make you laugh, cry and get down! There is always some interesting form of experimentation around every corner. It gives a very often stale genre a nice kick in the pants by thinking outside the box. Not only do we have one of the best Funk/Soul albums of the year we also get Swamp Dogg's and Bon Iver's finest achievements thus far.
Sounds Like: Curtis Mayfield, Anna Meredith, Bon Iver, Kanye West, Daft Punk, Sam Cooke, Frank Ocean.
36. Insecure Men-Self Titled
An extremely weird fusion of all things that shouldn't be. A couple guys from Fat White Family and Sean Lennon holed up and made this bizarre fusion of Britpop, Indie Rock and all kinds of vintage Exotica music to basically create super drugged out Exotica Indie Rock. This is brand new shit by way of completely outdated(yet amazing) sounds. They definitely take some cues from Les Baxter, Martin Denny and Brian Wilson when constructing their songs. I couldn't have seen this one coming from this camp of musicians but I'm sure as hell glad it did! Highly enjoyable, but don't let those soothing sounds fool you, the lyrics on some of these songs can sure be creepy and brutal. ENJOY!
Sounds Like: Blur, Les Baxter, Martin Denny, Beck, Alfred Alpaka, The Kinks, David Bowie, T.Rex, Ariel Pink, Ween, Arthur Lyman.
37. Goat Girl-Self Titled
Out of a sea of horribly boring female fronted indie rock bands comes this rising phoenix of anti mediocrity. They add so much to the common indie rock sound it's not even funny. I would actually say they are more influenced by Post Punk and the experimentation that went into that genre in the late 70s-early 80s than they are to someone like Pavement. They succeed greatly because of this. Also the lyrics are some of the most pointed nasty lyrics that attack shitty creepy men to come out in a while. This lyrical approach also elevates them above their peers to a great degree. If you like your indie rock with a lot of variation and a little bit of nastiness than this is your shit.
Sounds Like: Savages, Courtney Barnett, Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Raincoats, Slits
38. Orquestra Akokan-Self Titled
I never thought I would say this. This is the best Mambo album of the year. What is Mambo? It is a Cuban style of music that came out of Big Band Jazz. It takes influence from all traditional Cuban and Latin rhythms and attaches them to the aforementioned Big Band sound to create a kind of amazing party Jazz that is very singular in it's sound. Also of note, this is to date my favorite thing the label Daptone has put out. This album is perfect. No note is wasted and the playing is expert level. If you like Jazz or Latin influenced music you can't sleep on this!
Sounds Like: George Gershwin, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Desi Arnaz, Tito Puente, Esquivel, Lou Bega, Exuma
39. Sunwatchers-II
Amazing Free Jazz influenced hard rock group that takes a page out of the Comets On Fire songbook. They basically jam to infinity on this. It's a standard rock setup with a saxophone added to the mix. This is blisteringly loud Krautrock influenced stuff. If you happen to be familiar with any kind of rock and roll solo freak out, well this is the band equivalent of that moment in all your favorite rock songs. Stretch that moment to 6-10 minutes songs and there you have it. Not for the faint of heart but you just might get sucked in and memorized by, their kick ass grooves.
Sounds Like: Sleater Kinney(guitars only), Ariel Pink, Comets On Fire, M Ward
40. Dizayga-Anthrocide: Exit By Accented Figures
A lot of critics hated this and I could not see why. This is the frontman for the band Stabscotch who took our #2 spot last year. This is more of the same and might even be more intense. It's a lot of yelling and extremely emotive vocals over insane noisy and experimental soundscapes. Lots of brutal drumming and lots of harsh noise tones. If you like experimental and noise music at all you have to check this out!
Sounds Like: Stabscotch, Whitehouse, Wolf Eyes, Slint
41. Odetta Hartman-Old Rockhounds Never Die
Extremely inventive pairing of old timey country with electronic and experimental flourishes. She has a voice that's a cross between Cocorosie and Joanna Newsom. The songs are both muscular and light at the same time. I think there is some kind of concept weaving it's way through this album. Each song usually has some kind of awesome train sound effect or something akin to mining for gold. All in all it has a really weird old prospector vibe going on. I love when country musicians push themselves and wind up with something extremely inventive and interesting on the other end.
Sounds Like: Guts Club, Cocorosie, Josephine Baker, Joanna Newsom, Jenny Lewis, Regina Spektor, Patsy Cline, Rilo Kiley, Best Coast.
42. Ohmme-Parts
Take one part Close Harmony styled singing. One part angular Indie Rock in the vein of Deerhoof. Make the recording super clean and extremely melodic. Add one part off kilter experimentation. Mix them together with all different styles of Indie Rock both modern and past and you have a winning formula and you have this album.
Sounds Like: Doo Wop, Feist, Deerhoof, Tilly And The Wall, Tune Yards, Melanie, Garbage. Maria Taylor, Courtney Barnett, Arctic Monkeys, Bjork, Florence and The Machine.
43. Father John Misty-God's Favorite Customer
He returns to form after a very lackluster album(Pure Comedy). He returns to the simplistic yet addictingly melodic songs of his other 2 albums. The humor and wit is back into his writing with a sense of empathy that was lacking in his other releases. Gone is the overblown pompous ego and in it's place is a return to his funny self-mocking ego of previous albums. This is the opposite of "Pure Comedy" and the album succeeds greatly from this fact.
Sounds Like: Tom Petty, Jonathan Rice, Elton John, Nilsson, John Lennon, Randy Newman, Elliott Smith, Travelling Wilburys
44. Courtney Barnett-Tell Me How You Really Feel
Some people are probably going to complain that the somber slower songs outnumber the fast catchy ones. I thought I would be in the same camp. I'm not, this is her most mature outing yet. The slow songs have an emotional resonance that was hiding under the surface on her earlier material. The faster songs are even catchier and this might be her most focused album so far.
Sounds Like: Guts Club, Modest Mouse, Yo La Tengo, Courtney Love, Pavement, Sleater Kinney, The Breeders, Liz Phair, Angel Olsen.
45. Ceramic Dog-YRU Still Here?
Super political? Check. Super angry? Check. Some of the best political punk rock to come out in years? Absolutely! This is not to be missed if you are pissed off about the current state of affairs. Is this coming from the mind of an anarchistic 20 something? Nope. It's coming from a music veteran(played guitar on all the great Tom Waits Island years albums) in his 60s.
Sounds Like: Minutemen, Black Flag, The Locust, Dr John, Tom Waits, The Doors, Black Lips, Political Protesting.
46. Arctic Monkeys-Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino
What we said back in May: "Definitely the best thing this band has done. They have shed any kind of power pop leanings and indie rock tropes in favor of weirdo lounge crooner music. A huge step up and in the right direction for this band". It still stands and then some. This was an extremely smart move from a band who have been moving up and up with each new release. In a weird way this was a logical progression that no one could have predicted.
Sounds Like: David Bowie, Scott Walker, Lounge Music, Frank Sinatra, Lana Del Rey, White Stripes.
47. Dumb-Seeing Green
To me this was band took notes from the Parquet Courts songwriting handbook but added little influences here and there mostly from bands like Wire and XTC. The songs were so strong on this and came in such short little infectious bursts that it overtook what I see as a main influencer and became so much more as a result. This is indie punk of the highest order.
Sounds Like: Ramones, Violent Femmes, Parquet Courts, Surf Rock, Minutemen, Modest Mouse, Pavement.
48. Edan & Homeboy SandmanTo me this was band took notes from the Parquet Courts songwriting handbook but added little influences here and there mostly from bands like Wire and XTC. The songs were so strong on this and came in such short little infectious bursts that it overtook what I see as a main influencer and became so much more as a result. This is indie punk of the highest order.
Sounds Like: Ramones, Violent Femmes, Parquet Courts, Surf Rock, Minutemen, Modest Mouse, Pavement.
Fantastically psychedelic outing from these two bizarre Hip Hop outsiders. This album isn't even all that weird. I mean it is but it could have been a whole lot weirder given the pedigree of these two. It's so nice to see Edan come back and just really kick ass with his sampling and psychedelic production. Homeboy Sandman absolutely kills it in the MC department. He is a perfect match to rap over this craziness. This is old school Hip Hop done right.
Sounds Like: Danny Brown, Outkast, Proof, J Zone, Blackalicious, Mos Def.
49. Nadah El Shazly-Ahwar
A fantastically weird album that moves back and forth between traditional Egyptian influenced traditional music and very out there experimentation. There is a lot to unpack with this one. 6 lengthy tracks that twist and turn and add new surprises with each turn. This one was very hard to categorize.
Sounds Like: Selda, Negativland, Swet Shop Boys, Laurie Anderson
50. Sons Of Kemet-Your Queen Is A ReptileA fantastically weird album that moves back and forth between traditional Egyptian influenced traditional music and very out there experimentation. There is a lot to unpack with this one. 6 lengthy tracks that twist and turn and add new surprises with each turn. This one was very hard to categorize.
Sounds Like: Selda, Negativland, Swet Shop Boys, Laurie Anderson
Quite simply the best Jazz album of the year. Period. Mindblowingly inventive for what these days has been a pretty stale genre. Extremely rhythmic and hypnotic in it's construction. The recording is immaculate and not a single not is wasted. Also employs quite a bit of experimentation which is also something lacking in most Jazz these days.
Sounds Like: Miles Davis, School Marching Bands, Fela Kuti.
Comments
Post a Comment