Albums of the Year 2018

It seems incredible to think that we haven’t got long left of the 2010s, and next year, every music journo will be compiling their Albums of the Decade lists. Until then though, let’s take a look at what this year had in store for us. 2018 was bookended with the deaths of two Manchester musical legends Mark E. Smith of The Fall and the Buzzcocks‘ Pete Shelley, Kanye West descended into unforgivable amounts of buffoonery (and released the worst album of his career with Ye alongside the underwhelming Kids See Ghosts), stoner metal titans Sleep dropped their first album in 15 years, Arctic Monkeys finally released music after a 5 year wait to a somewhat mixed response, XXXTentacion was murdered, an avant-garde jazz album was nominated for a Mercury, The 1975 gave us Snapchat’s answer to OK Computer, Bristolian punks IDLES sold out huge venues in 5 minutes, ‘emo rap’ became a thing, and Childish Gambino delivered one of the most damning incitements of American culture in recent memory. So, now that’s all out the way, here are my picks for the best music releases of 2018:

Denzel Curry – TA13OO

I’m going to go right ahead and say this now; Ta13OO is the greatest trap rap album of all-time. Floridian rapper Denzel Curry is a highly ambitious performer and a modern hip hop innovator and here’s why: the beats are otherworldly, his rapping performance remains unsurpassed this year, and Ta13OO’s concept is executed phenomenally. The interaction between Denzel’s vocals and the beats is astonishing; he manoeuvres his raps through the multi-faceted tracks effortlessly, spanning from frenetic raps, to sung hooks, to coarse shouts, and eases back into the tongue-twisting vocals, winding and turning with each changing mood of the instrumentals. Presented here are bass-boosted trap tracks, gothic chillers, laid-back synth funk numbers, and heavy-as-hell industrial influenced bangers. The album also stands as a conceptual masterpiece, tackling subject matter including addiction, drug provoked mindlessness, near death experiences, US politics induced paranoia, and child abuse. Split into three clearly defined ‘acts’, the moroseness of Ta13OO increases steadily through its runtime. It may be a difficult listen for some, but this is the essential hip hop record of the year. Trap and mumble rap naysayers will be charmed by Denzel’s wordplay and technical ability on the mic, and Ta13OO’s ambitious scope and variation of sounds is something any music fan can appreciate. After the two-year wait following Imperial and the buzz generated from his EP 13, the wait was truly worth it. Ta13OO is my favourite album of the year, and I’m so stoked to see Denzel finally getting the attention and acclaim he deserves.

Beach House – 7

The Baltimore duo Beach House have been winning over indie fans for the past 12 years, and are often regarded as the front-runners of the dream pop revival sound. They’ve won approval from all corners of the globe with critically acclaimed releases such as Teen Dream and Bloom, however I’ve always found they fell into the ‘atmosphere over songwriting’ troupes which many similar groups take advantage of. 7 however, is their most substantial, heavy and ultimately memorable release to date. Aided by the production talents of Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3, Beach House load up on psychedelia to create dense, ethereal, and driving noise pop. Of course, the Cocteau Twins influence still runs throughout, but 7 is the biggest departure of Beach House’s signature sound to date. If you’ve never listened to these guys before, then this is the place to start. It’s been on repeat for me since it was released in mid-May.

Daniel Avery – Song for Alpha

A record which I’d been waiting impatiently for five years for, Daniel Avery’s Song for Alpha was a shock to the system upon listening to it for the first time. Daniel has changed his sound so much that it’s almost unrecognisable from his previous work. The tech-house bangers of Drone Logic are been replaced by intricate IDM and Warp Records influenced ambience; it’s like stepping into the 90s and listening to the early demos of Aphex Twin, Autechre and Plastikman. Avery creates resonant washes of sound with layers upon layers of electronic bleeps and riffs, echoing snares and underpinning bass thuds. Song for Alpha is simultaneously minimalistic and meditative. Its unnerving mood owes to its overall nocturnal sound; it’s the perfect soundtrack to accompany post-club introspection. The ear-ringing begins, the seemingly distant beats repeat in your imagination, the weariness sets in, and the club is departed. If Drone Logic was the party, then Song for Alpha is the product of a dazed post-club mind.

Death Grips – Year of the Snitch

Death Grips previous record Bottomless Pit is one of my favourite albums of the 2010s, and was my Album of the Year in 2016, so my anticipation for Year of the Snitch was absolutely huge. Last year’s Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber Megamix) hinted at the approach the group were going for with Year of the Snitch, and it’s their most manic and experimental release to date. The titular ‘Snitch’ is a reference to the key witness of the Charles Manson prosecution, Linda Kasabian, who Death Grips demarcate in ‘Linda’s In Custody’. It’s a throwback to the Manson themes in Exmilitary, specifically Charlie’s speech which opens ‘Beware’. Though the themes of nihilism and cult of personality appear throughout Year of the Snitch, MC Ride’s puzzling lyrics and the off-the-wall instrumental approach of the album ultimately signifies there is no unifying concept.

Opening with ‘Death Grips is Online’, the Sacramento three-piece employ traditional hip hop aspects (such as DJ scratching) to a forward propelling instrumental which recalls both 70s krautrock and synth-punkers Suicide. The dense electronic production paired with the golden-age hip hop influence immediately evokes the sound of the Bomb Squad and Public Enemy, though Death Grips conjure a much more frenzied approach here on Year of the Snitch by virtue of MC Ride’s inimitable shouts and Zach Hill’s overexcited drumming. ‘Flies’ cements the unpredictability of Death Grips, sounding completely unlike the previous track thanks to its influence from the experimental corners of the electronic world, namely wonky and glitch hop. This sound resurfaces in ‘Streaky’, the album highlight which applies simple hooks to fragmented electronica samples and industrial grooves. ‘Black Paint’ is a straightforward stoner rock affair, with pummelling riffs and rhythmical chants, complete with a head-nod inducing breakdown. It’s a true standout in Death Grips’ catalogue as it sounds so unalike previous material, yet it’s one of their catchiest and memorable. Though the latter half of the album tails off a bit, Year of the Snitch is a triumph none-the-less, and will go down as one of their greatest achievements.

Year of the Snitch manages to divert Death Grips’ sound into new territories, effectively deconstructing their core musical values and inverting them. They will be a group who will forever keep their fans guessing what’s going to be around the corner. By straying away from the aggro-rap which has become all the rage in contemporary hip hop and directing a newfound carnivalesque approach, Death Grips have effectively cemented their position as the musical influencers and innovators we always suspected them to be.

Iceage – Beyondless

A surprising return to form, Beyondless rivals New Brigade in terms of quality and consistency, but Beyondless is much more diverse and ambitious than their enjoyably chaotic and youthful debut. Having not really got the sound and style Iceage were going for in Plowing Into the Field with Love, I was impressed that the Danish post-punks had managed to amend their sound once again, keeping it interesting without resorting to the Nick Cave indulgences of Plowing.. ‘Showtime’ is a particular highlight, as vocalist Elias theatrically recounts an actor’s on-stage suicide to the march of the vaudeville waltz of his fellow band members. Basically, it’s the best song Tom Waits never wrote.

Nine Inch Nails – Bad Witch

Nine Inch Nails revisit their classic sound with this half-hour short record. A departure from the electronic inspired sound of Nails’ last few LPs, the aggression, the mechanical industrial rhythms, and the crunching guitars that we all love in Trent Reznor’s work return, alongside elements of experimental and noise rock, free jazz, and dark ambient. It’s reminiscent of the brooding, atmospheric jazz which soundtracked Twin Peaks, David Bowie’s Blackstar, and Bohren & der Club of Gore. This miniature album is a step in the right direction for Trent Reznor and his collaborators, and it feels like a taster for what’s to come. Who knows, he might even write a record which rivals the masterpiece The Downward Spiral.

Parquet Courts – Wide Awake!

Parquet Courts have hinted at brilliance before, but have never managed to write an excellent record from start-to-back. On Wide Awake! however, the Brooklyn indie rockers satisfyingly compose track after track of irresistibly catchy bangers. It’s fun, it’s dancey, it’s funky, and it’s ultimately very entertaining and memorable. Danger Mouse lends his production to Wide Awake!, and the results are astonishing; the rhythm section is brought to the forefront, with seismic basslines and rolling percussion now leading the music and propelling it forward. The sound on show here is of course influenced by The Fall and Pavement, but Parquet Courts have upped the new wave, dance punk and post-punk influence; think Television, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Gang of Four, Liquid Liquid, and Devo. Wide Awake! sees Parquet Courts finally accomplishing their full potential, and it serves as a must have album for those craving a slice of excellent guitar music.

Pusha T – DAYTONA

Yet another artist who’s managed to unlock their full potential this year, Pusha T has assuredly increased his fan base a significant amount with DAYTONA, a twenty-minute short record produced entirely by Kanye West. Not to steal the limelight away from Push, but this is the only record worth getting from Kanye’s productive yet ultimately disappointing streak this year. Here on DAYTONA however, Kanye delivers some of the best beats of his career such as the swaggering ‘Games We Play’ and the Clipse recalling gangsta rap of ‘If You Know You Know’. Pusha’s performance here is top-notch; every rhyme and lyric is calculated, his flow matches the beats seamlessly, and every bar is executed with precision. It’s the same length as an EP or prog guitar solo, so there’s no excuse to let DAYTONA’s twenty-minutes of brilliance pass you by.

Sleep – The Sciences

The Sciences is the biggest surprise of the year. Sleep fans have been eagerly awaiting new material since they reformed in 2009, and The Sciences is their first album since 2003’s stone cold classic Dopesmoker. Sure, they’d teased us with standalone singles like ‘The Clarity’ in 2014, but Sleep still left everyone wanting a significant slab of material. The Sciences is comparable to the group’s earlier work like Sleep’s Holy Mountain, yet with a few key differences such as Al Cisneros’ vocals which centre on recreating hypnotic, meditative chants. The production here is incredible, it’s as if those dirty Sabbath riffs we love in Sleep have been transformed into high-definition. It really enhances the cinematic scope and themes of science fiction, the Antarctic planes and mind altering substances. If you’re into Sleep or any riff-based stoner and doom metal, you will not be disappointed with The Sciences.

Sons of Kemet – Your Queen Is A Reptile

Sons of Kemet’s breakthrough album Your Queen Is A Reptile deserved to have won the Mercury Prize. It’s exciting to see the buzz around this album, as it’s a hugely unlikely success story. The London four-piece interestingly consist of two drummers, a tuba player, and a saxophonist. They have no double bass or bass player, no guitarist or keyboardist, and they play a mix of Afrobeat and avant-garde jazz with elements of dub, spoken word, and funk. There’s even a grime flair to sections of Your Queen Is A Reptile, especially in the tracks including vocals and rapping. The sound is unique; it’s like Fela Kuti is jamming with some of the greats of experimental jazz, albeit with a heavier low-end from the tuba. It would be impossible to write about Your Queen is A Reptile without explaining its concept. It’s a fiery outburst which takes aim at the tumultuous political climate of Britain and its capital, in particular aspects of the monarchy and republicanism, immigration, Windrush deportations and apartheid. Sons of Kemet state that the monarchy does not represent UK citizens, especially black immigrants and the past victims of the Commonwealth. The track titles (bar ‘My Queen Is Ada Eastman’, which references saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings’ grandmother) refer to significant and influential black women who are often whitewashed in the history books. Your Queen is A Reptile is one of the greatest albums this year has to offer, and I can’t wait to hear how they will follow this masterpiece.

Sufjan Stevens – Mystery of Love (EP)

Sufjan Stevens has slowly become one of my favourite songwriters of all-time. With albums as strong as Illinois and Carrie & Lowell, it’s easy to see why he has a cult following who endorse every new release of his. Sufjan may usually take five years between releasing studio albums, but he can be counted on to release singles, EPs, compilations, remixes, and even Christmas songs between waits. Mystery of Love is the first non-album Sufjan release I’ve enjoyed, since it’s simply three tracks which showcase his ear for striking, romantic melancholy. The tracks here all feature in Call Me By Your Name, with the first two being specifically penned for the film after Stevens turned down the role as narrator. ‘Futile Devices’ is a remix of the track from 2010’s The Age of Adz. Though Mystery of Love will leave you wanting more, its Stevens’ best work since the modern classic Carrie & Lowell.

Thom Yorke – Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film)

Horror may boast the most iconic soundtracks and compositions than any other film and TV genres out there. It’s become impossible to think of The Exorcist without thinking of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, the shower scene in Psycho without Bernard Hermmann’s staccato strings, or Twin Peaks without Angelo Badalamenti’s iconic lounge jazz score. Some directors such as John Carpenter even compose their own accompanying music to their films. The soundtrack to the original Suspiria is perhaps more famous than the giallo classic. Directed by slasher indulger Dario Argento and scored by progressive rockers Goblin, Suspiria became an underground classic and one of the most loved horror films of its era. The 2018 remake sees the Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino behind the camera this time, and instead of opting for the romantics of Sufjan, he enlists the help of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke. Suspiria is a varied affair which takes influence from ambient, psychedelia, krautrock, choral, and progressive electronic music which achieves what any good horror soundtrack aims to; creating suspense and instilling fear in the listener / viewer. Suspiria is highly engaging and eclectic, and it’s the best solo release Thom Yorke has offered so far.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Sex & Food and IC-01 Hanoi

Unknown Mortal Orchestra have been my favourite discovery of 2018. Well, rediscovery to be exact. Even though I’m a huge fan of psychedelic pop, when I first listened to them half a decade ago, they didn’t really do much for me. After seeing them at a festival and being impressed by their performance, showmanship and unique take on psychedelia, and later stumbling across their debut for the first time and really enjoying it, I revisited their catalogue. They soon became my most listened to act. This year, Ruban and co. gave us two albums, records which are hugely different from each other.

First up was Sex & Food, which although patchy, has some of the best songs they’ve ever written. There’s the Hendrix-esque ‘American Guilt’, the classic UMO sound of ‘Everybody Acts Crazy Nowadays’, and ‘Hunnybee’, my favourite song of this year. All of these songs should be staples of their live sets.

IC-01 Hanoi feels gives the impression of a group desiring to stray away from traditional songwriting tropes, and instead concentrating on music which is loose, improvisational, and jammy. It’s reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s earlier work, especially Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother, or A Saucerful of Secrets, with embellishments of experimental rock and jazz fusion. I was really surprised at the stark change in sound, and would love to hear the group experiment more with this untied mix of jazz and psychedelia.

Jonny Greenwood – Phantom Thread

It’s become impossible to separate Jonny Greenwood from filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson in the past decade or so. The Radiohead guitarist has been soundtracking his films ever since the highly revered There Will Be Blood in 2007, and has since scored the music for The Master and Inherent Vice. Anderson has also directed the Radiohead video for the incredible ‘Daydreaming’ and stripped down live recordings of ‘Present Tense’ and ‘The Numbers’. Though I’m not really a fan of the films I’ve seen from PTA, the music here was too compelling to not give Phantom Thread a watch. On his most ambitious score yet, Jonny leads a 60-piece orchestra, offering an extravagant backdrop to the occurrences in the period drama. Phantom Thread is a classical masterpiece inspired by minimalism, romantic, and baroque music. It works incredibly well as a stand-alone piece, though after watching the film following the first listen, the music becomes inseparable from the film as it enriches it substantially. The orchestration is lush, the melodies inspire emotion, and the whole record feels like you’re following the cinematic journey. Phantom Thread has inspired me to listen to more of Greenwood, classical music, film scores, and soundtracks.

Earl Sweatshirt – Some Rap Songs

Earl Sweatshirt is easily my favourite member of the musical collective Odd Future. With his monotone raps, impenetrable and cryptic lyrics, and left-field beats, Earl is the millennial’s answer to MF DOOM. Earl is an interesting figure in today’s music scene as he goes about releases his own way; he doesn’t play to current trends, he doesn’t seem to care about profiting, and he unflinchingly unloads his harrowing despair on the listener. His 2015 album I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside offered a snapshot into his depressive state, an unflinching testament to the detachment of mental illness. It wasn’t an easy listen, and it seemed like an active attempt to shun the mainstream and fans of his previous work. He furthered the sentiment of unconventionality with the single ‘Solace’, a stand-alone single where spoken word trailed to lo-fi minimalism. On his first album in three years, Some Rap Songs sees Earl once again snubbing the mainstream and opting for the unorthodox. Experimental to its core, Some Rap Songs revels in unconventional instrumentals, muttered bars, dusty beats, and abstract prose. It’s by no means a straightforward listen, and like its oft-compared weirdo-rap record Madvillainy, it demands repeated listens and improves upon each spin. The influences here range from boom bap and jazz rap, glitch hop, and avant-garde jazz, yet interestingly, its air of psychedelia leaves the biggest impression. Some Rap Songs sounds unhinged and atmospheric, and rivals Doris in terms of experimentation and quality.

Bongripper – Terminal

Bongripper have slowed down a bit in recent years; they were relatively prolific when they first formed, releasing an album every year or two. It’s been a four year wait since 2014’s disappointing Miserable, and prior to that, fans had to wait four years after Satan Worshipping Doom. Maybe it’s all the weed… The wait for Terminal however, was definitely worth it. Terminal is completely instrumental, yet it’s engaging from start to finish. The Chicago four-piece write some of the heaviest music put to record, an antagonistic combination of doom, sludge and stoner metal, with flourishes of post-metal soundscapes and dynamic variation to keep the repetitive riffs interesting. With only two tracks titled ‘Slow’ and ‘Death’, Terminal isn’t easy to digest, especially for newcomers of the genres mentioned above. If you’re a fan of the heaviest strains of doom however, you will be absolutely over the moon with this record. It’s their best since the slept on classic Satan Worshipping Doom, thanks to the perfect production and  Bongripper’s ability to tactically augment their characteristic sound with minor variations. Listen to this loud on a big pair of speakers and prepare to be overwhelmed by Terminal.

Honourable Mentions

Julia Holter – Aviary

Kurt Vile – Bottle It In

Against All Logic – 2012 – 2017

Deafheaven – Ordinary Corrupt Human Love

DJ Koze – knock knock

Egoless – Empire of Dirt (Single)

MGMT –Little Dark Age

Anna von Hausswolff – Dead Magic

Jon Hopkins – Singularity

Saba – Care For Me

Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Fetti

Lonker See – One Eye Sees Red

Melody’s Echo Chamber – Bon voyage

Christine and the Queens – Girlfriend (feat. Dam Funk) (Single)

André 3000 – Look Ma No Hands (Single)

Miss Red – K​.​O.

Tony Molina – Kill the Lights

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – King of Cowards

Leon Vynehall – Nothing Is Still

Childish Gambino –This Is America (Single)

IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance.

Mitski – Be the Cowboy

Mid-Air Thief –무너지기

Commodo – Dyrge EP

SOPHIE – OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES

Best Live Moments

The Flaming Lips ­at Bluedot Festival

The Chemical Brothers at Bluedot Festival

Wand at Brudenell Social Club

Open Mike Eagle at Headrow House and The Parish

Boris at Brudenell Social Club

Mercury Rev performing Deserter’s Songs at Brudenell Social Club

Mogwai at 02 Academy

Jon Hopkins at Headrow House

Ought at Brudenell Social Club

Joe Nice at Freedom Mills (Beneath the Surface)

Objekt at Headrow House (Inner City Electronic)

Parquet Courts at Church

Turnover at Brudenell (Gold Sounds)

Unkown Mortal Orchestra – World Island Festival

Hold the Relish (Rumble in the Jungle)

Peanut Butter Wolf at Belgrave Music Hall

Thee Oh Sees at 02 Academy

St. Vincent at 02 Academy

Iceage at Brudenell Social Club

Sons of Kemet at Belgrave Music Hall

Portico Quartet at Belgrave Music Hall

Dead Meadow at Headrow House

 

2017 Albums of the Year

2017 has been another odd year for music: LCD Soundsystem reunited, a million moments of teenage catharsis were ruined with allegations against Brand New’s Jesse Lacey, Brockhampton took the music world by storm, Radiohead headlined Glastonbury, Mastodon finally made a bad album, Tyler, The Creator finally made a good album, everyone hated that Arcade Fire record (which wasn’t actually that bad), Gorillaz returned to a muted response, Harry Styles became David Bowie reincarnate, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard proved they’re one of the most exciting bands on the planet by releasing a whopping four records.

Unlike lists from earlier years, there’s no ranking this time, merely a selection of my favourite albums and stand-alone singles from this year in no particular order.

Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.

The excitement around DAMN. was unreal. Surrounded by the hype from the success of To Pimp A Butterfly and the cryptic nature of its release (that second album in a week rumour seemed to be just hearsay after all), Kendrick Lamar had a lot of people questioning the direction he’d take on his fourth full-length.

After being disappointed by TPaB, Kendrick has won me back with DAMN.. It’s undeniably a more immediate record; the bangers such as ‘DNA.’ and ‘HUMBLE.’ have returned and its shorter length is welcomed. On ‘LUST.’, the beat provided by BADBADNOTGOOD bears similarities with Outkast (particularly the Stankonia era), ‘FEEL.’ showcases Kendrick at his most viscous in lyricism and flow whilst ‘FEAR.’ features a chill, West Coast style beat courtesy of The Alchemist. DAMN. does suffer from a few problems, such as in the confused ‘XXX’ where the instrumental seems like a mish-mash of various songs; just as you’re enjoying the beat reminiscent of Public Enemy, it flips to an OTT trap track with a ridiculous bassline which then reverts to a meeker beat. The track ‘Loyalty’ which features Rihanna is skippable, one of the few times a guest or production spot doesn’t work on the album. DAMN. was probably the most discussed album this year, and whilst many may feel it’s a step down from TPaB, I welcome the direction and hope Kendrick will start streamlining his ideas even more-so for his next release.

The Flaming Lips – Oczy Mlody

The Flaming Lips’ Oczy Mlody was the first album of the year I listened to, and despite the strong singles in the run up to the influential groups fifteenth studio effort, I was left feeling slightly disappointed. It’s subtle and ambitious, yet the elaborate ideas are often grating and fail to add up to anything memorable. The narrator’s section in ‘There Will Be Unicorns’ is an appropriate example of an idea that attempts to be theatrical yet ends up debasing a great song just as it nears its close. Seemingly, Wayne Coyne is experiencing a midlife crisis, leading The Flaming Lips into peculiar territories such as collaborating with Miley Cyrus (who features on ‘We A Famly’) and covering various classic albums such as The Stone Roses and The Dark Side Of The Moon in full and this confused direction is displayed throughout Oczy Mlody. So, if I found it that disappointing, then why am I featuring it in this list? Well, despite my reservations and criticisms for this album, I still found it interesting, excellently produced and positively bizarre in places. Tracks like ‘How??’ and ‘The Castle’ are incredible slices of psychedelic pop and are some of my favourite songs from the Lips. Perhaps if they had concentrated on executing their ideas with added competence, Oczy Mlody had the potential to reach the dizzying heights of excellence which their dream pop masterpiece The Soft Bulletin achieved.

Bedwetter – Volume 1: Flick Your Tongue Against Your Teeth and Describe the Present.

Travis Miller, the mastermind behind the Lil Ugly Mane project returns under the alias of Bedwetter with Volume 1: Flick Your Tongue Against Your Teeth and Describe the Present., the broadly titled follow-up to 2015’s Oblivion Access, a release which saw Ugly shedding the Memphis rap influence for a grittier, abrasive and more experimental sound. Flick Your Tongue Volume 1 continues in a similar vein to Oblivion Access, however Ugly sounds more anxious and paranoid than ever before, bestowing the record with a feel of menacing, icy claustrophobia. It is by no means an easy listen; those who aren’t acclimatised to experimental strains of hip hop may be put off by its depressing aura. The lyrics are incredibly personal and offer a glimpse into Miller’s emotional state and (lack of) mental wellbeing, and the manner of his delivery sounds twistingly convincing. The beats and instrumentals will grab your attention immediately thanks to their harsh atmosphere and uncompromisingly in-your-face rhythms; fans of Death Grips, El-P and Danny Brown’s Atrocity Exhibition will find more than enough to love with Volume 1.

 Ty Segall – Ty Segall

Returning to the psychedelic rock sound presented on Manipulator with added consistency, diversity and brevity, Ty Segall offers an incredibly enjoyable record here on his second self-titled LP. The 10-minute track ‘Warm Hands (Freedom Returned)’ sees Ty at his most ambitious, the T. Rex influence runs solidly throughout, and the folkier tracks are reminiscent of Neil Young at his most stripped down. With a sound that’s beefed up in the guitar and drum departments thanks to the production talents of Steve Albini, Ty Segall is a step up from the seemingly rushed Emotional Mugger thanks to its interesting interpretation of a variety of genres and the increased memorability of excellent tracks which include ‘Orange Color Queen’, ‘Take Care (To Comb Your Hair)’ and the opener ‘Break A Guitar’.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

With the ridiculous volume of material King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have put out this year, I’m just going to give a brief run down on each LP:

Flying Microtonal Banana – Flying Microtonal Banana sees the group experimenting with microtonal instruments, amounting to a sound comparable to a bizarre trip into the far-East. My favourite LP of the bunch (get it?!?!), FMB has the strongest and most striking tracks of their 2017 output.

Murder of the Universe – A mammoth psychedelic rock opera complete with spoken word poetry snippets separating each “act”. The band’s darkest album to date.

Sketches of Brunswick East (with Mild High Club) – Gizzard team up with LA psych-poppers Mild High Club for their first collaborative album, and it’s a funky, breezy and upbeat homage to Miles Davis’ classic Sketches of Spain. Sketches is a fun take on 70s jazz-rock, and fans of Frank Zappa and The Soft Machine will find more than enough to love with this LP.

Polygondwanaland – “We do not own this record. You do. Go forth, share, enjoy.” The concept of this albums release was incredibly cool. The band offered it up as a free download, but urged fans to create physical copies of the record on CD, LP and tape and distribute them with their friends and beyond. They even provided high resolution album and booklet art for the physical formats.

King Gizzard are by far one of the most exciting bands at the moment. If you haven’t checked these guys out, then delve in immediately and get lost in their weird and wonderful psychedelic utopia.

Remo Drive – Greatest Hits

Woah, it’s Remo Drive’s debut album and they decided to call it Greatest Hits? Super cool guys. Aside from that, this is an album which is simultaneously gritty and melodic; it’s packed full of excellently written hooks, lively riffs and heavy dynamic shifts, with the occasional micro-section within songs to keep you on your toes. Greatest Hits is equal parts indie rock, emo revival, power pop and post-hardcore, which makes it a must for fans of Jeff Rosenstock, PUP, Sorority Noise and Joyce Manor. Remo Drive show a lot of potential and I hope to include them on future lists.

Loyle Carner – Yesterday’s Gone

I first heard British MC Loyle Carner featured on Rejjie Snow’s excellent and massively underrated EP Rejovich on the track ‘1992’. A few years down the line, I hear ‘Ain’t Nothing Changed’ played on the radio and it near enough stopped me in my tracks. Firstly, the sample was the jazziest I’ve ever heard, even more-so than artists who championed the jazz rap genre (such as A Tribe Called Quest or Digable Planets) have utilised and secondly, hearing a British accent rap over a clearly US instrumental was odd, yet highly satisfying. The track eventually featured on Carner’s debut album, Yesterday’s Gone; a relaxed, emotive and reflective record indebted to J Dilla, Common, and newer rappers such as Isaiah Rashad. The obvious golden age hip hop influence may be off-putting to grime fans who prefer their MCs with a gritty flair which only the UK underground can provide, however Carner offers enough personality in both his flow and lyrics to display inventiveness. The theme of family is an important component of Yesterday’s Gone; his mother features in skits such as ‘Swear’, and Carner’s lyrics impart a great deal of insight into his education, upbringing and adolescence. Yesterday’s Gone is an impressive debut packed full of melancholic, jazz influenced beats and monotone diction reminiscent of Gang Star’s Guru. The qualms I have with Yesterday’s Gone are more personal ones; I would prefer he left out the overly-poppy hooks and the sung vocals as I’d prefer to hear more of the sparse beats, such as those heard in the brilliant ‘The Seamstress (Tooting Masala)’. Loyle Carner certainly has heaps of talent; he’s selling out venues, getting radio play and gaining a huge cult following, and with a record as reflective, nostalgic and refreshing as Yesterday’s Gone, it’s easy to see why.

Superorganism – It’s All Good / Nobody Cares (Single)

Superorganism are going to be huge, just you watch. These two singles are fantastic slices of upbeat psych-pop and they’ve really got me hoping for a full album early next year.

Wiley – Godfather

Could this be the last album from the ‘Godfather of grime’? There are some real stand-out moments here on Godfather but it can get a bit repetitive for its near hour-long runtime. Highlights include the opening bass-heavy track ‘Birds n Bars’, and ‘Pattern Up Properly’ which features a standout verse from Flowdan.

Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory

Big Fish Theory is undeniably influenced by Britain, as if Vince Staples has spent all his time since Summertime ‘06 listening to tracks from the glory days of UK garage and the sub-genres which grew out of it. Of course, it’s a hip hop album at heart, but the influence from electronic dance music is all-over the production here and it sounds unlike anything ever released in rap music. Whilst Drake and Kanye West have flirted with grime and the sounds of British club culture, Staples dives headfirst into it for almost every beat and bar of Big Fish Theory’s duration. As the title suggests, the record is an attempt to expand the horizons of hip hop in terms of the music which shapes its influence, but it’s also a declaration of intent for Staples’ to grow as an artist. One of 2017’s most interesting statements, Big Fish Theory is definitely worth a listen out of intrigue alone, though you’ll be left mulling over those fantastic beats for some time.

Your Old Droog – Packs

Packs is a solid hip hop record influenced by Nas and MF DOOM which features some first-rate guest spots from Danny Brown, Wiki, Heems and Edan. Not to be missed by those who love 90s hip hop.

Ho99o9 – United States of Horror

United States of Horror is a chaotic, constantly fluctuating, anarchic debut record from New Jersey punk-rap duo Ho99o9. I reviewed this record here if you fancy reading into this exciting group more.

Julie Byrne – Not Even Happiness

Julie Byrne’s debut solo album is a minimalistic and sparse take on the folk genre and it’s short, sweet, charming and never outstays its welcome. In a year of established singer-songwriters investigating untried sounds and moods of grief (Mount Eerie), piano rock (Father John Misty), and unflustered pop tones (Mac DeMarco), Not Even Happiness offers a familiar folk sound with great song-writing and guitar-playing to boot.

Boris – Dear

Dear is a massive return to form for the Japanese metal experimentalists Boris, whose recent output has often been greeted with a lukewarm reception. By returning to the sludge metal sound they became renowned for, the band are definitely back on track. Dear features mammoth riffs, heavy-as-hell drones and stunning psychedelic soundscapes, serving as a sample-platter of all their notorious characteristics. Those unfamiliar with this amazingly rewarding trio should check out this article I wrote to introduce newcomers to Boris.

Oh Sees – Orc

Another name change, another take on the (Thee) Oh Sees sound. More progressive elements and heavy riffs are strewn throughout this thoroughly entertaining LP. Long-time fans will not be disappointed.

Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell Live

Sufjan Steven’s Carrie & Lowell is one of the most beautiful, heartfelt and morose albums of recent memory. It’s a piece of work exploring parentage, grief, death, mental health and mortality, however Sufjan’s live arrangements here on Carrie & Lowell Live provide an immensely different take on the original record. Compared to the sparse indie folk of the 2015 LP, the live version sounds densely orchestrated and triumphant. Whilst I prefer the original, this live record is essential for any Sufjan fan and it makes me wish I was there in person to witness this tour. Oh well, maybe next time, I’ll only have to wait another five or six years for the next Sufjan album.

Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice

Kurt Vile is one of my favourite songwriters of this decade, but I became apprehensive after it was announced that he would be collaborating with Australian indie rock musician Courtney Barnett, whose album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit I found dull and uninspired. My disposition changed as soon as I heard ‘Over Everything’, the first single from the collaboration. Kurt and Courtney’s musical interplay is fascinating; they trade charming jokes and anecdotes, confer upon song-writing and tour life, and exchange guitar licks with nimble effortlessness. The chemistry in Lotta Sea Lice is obvious; it’s the product of the relaxed hang-out sessions shared by two friends with a mutual love of Fender Jaguars, folk rock, and Pavement. I love Lotta Sea Lice because it sounds unforced, relaxed and pleasant, it isn’t trying too hard to break new ground or be overwhelmingly ambitious. Lotta Sea Lice has certainly changed my opinion of Courtney, who often surpasses Kurt lyrically and vocally, thus inviting me to revisit her debut and earlier EPs. It surprised me how much I enjoyed this album, and I’ll be listening to it for months to come as it’s just so re-playable and entertaining.

Kamasi Washington – Harmony of Difference

Kamasi Washington blew up in 2015 in the most unlikely way possible. The US musician released The Epic, a highly ambitious triple album of avant-garde jazz with a running time of nearly three hours. Did I mention it was his debut release? He’s also lent his unique saxophone stylings to high-profile releases including ­Flying Lotus’ You’re Dead!, To Pimp A Butterfly and Run the Jewels 3. Harmony of Difference is the first release I’ve listened to featuring Kamasi as the bandleader and I was highly impressed by the uplifting choirs, meditative repeated refrains and graceful arrangements. ‘Truth’ is the essential track here, and it could be my favourite song of the entire year. A bold statement I know, however with its dazzling instrumentation, lush choirs, and measured crescendos, it’s easy to comprehend why there is so much acclaim surrounding Kamasi Washington.

Neil Young – Hitchhiker

Taken from a single session of recordings from 1976, Hitchhiker is a collection of stripped down folk tracks from legendary songwriter Neil Young. Featuring the instrumentation of just Neil and his acoustic guitar, Hitchhiker is a bittersweet and melancholic record where Young’s song-writing ability shines through.  Neil Young after all, was one of the most consistently ground-breaking and interesting songwriters of the 1970s, and it’s testament to his talent that he shelved an album of this quality. Those familiar with Neil will be aware that many of the tracks on here are featured on numerous other releases of his (such as the classic live album Rust Never Sleeps), however, Hitchhiker is an essential release as it forms a unified collection of sparse and stunning versions of familiar favourites alongside previously unreleased tracks. Hitchhiker reminded me of why I love Neil Young so much in the first-place, and prompted a revisiting of his discography.

Milo – Who Told You to Think??!!?!?!?!

Milo is one of the most interesting rappers in modern hip hop. He’s part of the new crop of alternative rap talents such as Busdriver, Open Mike Eagle and Jonwayne who pair intellectual and cryptic lyricism with interesting beats comprised of samples plucked from the most unlikely places. Who Told You to Think??!!?!?!?! is a varied, introspective, and often melancholic record which invites comparisons to the sullen mood of Earl Sweatshirt’s I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside, however Milo executes melancholy with greater precision and variety to create a much more memorable record. Milo’s third album is his best effort yet, and it’s easily the best hip hop album this year.

Full of Hell – Trumpeting Ecstasy

Full of Hell return with their first studio album in four years with Trumpeting Ecstasy, but these young chaps have been far from lazy. They’ve worked with Merzbow on a challenging yet brilliant collaborative double album, issued a split single with similar torchbearers of modern powerviolence Nails, released several noise EPs, and have worked with drone doom heavyweights The Body on a couple of occasions, all whilst touring relentlessly. On their first full length since 2013’s Rudiments of Mutilation, Full of Hell stick to a sound displayed on their earlier works, and it is this familiarity where Trumpeting Ecstasy excels. Whilst I’ve appreciated the past few collaborations and experiments, it’s great to hear FoH sounding as intense and straightforward as they were on their excellent debut The Roots of the Earth are Consuming My Home.

Death Grips – Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber Megamix)

It wouldn’t feel like a proper year in music without a Death Grips release now would it? The Sacramento trio have been steadily issuing music since 2011’s Exmilitary, and Steroids is a follow-up to their excellent Bottomless Pit, my favourite album of 2016. Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber Megamix) is an EP consisting of one, 22-minute-long track of fierce industrial hip hop. It’s challenging, constantly fluctuating, heavy, and chaotic; this EP is not to be missed by those who like Death Grips’ most intense and hardcore punk influenced tracks. Steroids is a great teaser of what’s to come from Death Grips in the future and it’s another exciting issue to their collection.

Protomartyr – Relatives In Descent

Detroit post-punkers Protomartyr return with their best album to date with Relatives In Descent, a sullen and driven record which is a big step up from 2015’s decent but largely unmemorable The Agent Intellect. The lyrics are cryptic, the rhythm section is incredibly tight and punchy whilst the guitar shifts lucidly to impeccably support the sombre delivery of vocalist Joe Casey. Protomartyr take the post-punk aesthetic and execute it with enough passion and creativity to create memorable and exciting music. This is how modern post-punk should be done. Repeated listens are essential, Relatives In Descent gets better each time I hear it. They’re also an incredibly tight live band, so go and see them if you get the chance.

Four Tet – New Energy

Four Tet returns with New Energy, an album hailed as his best work since 2010’s There Is Love In You. Four Tet has always been an odd one to pin down due to the eclecticism of sounds and styles he employs; whether it be future garage, downtempo, ambient or house, Kieran Hebden combines the styles fluidly to create truly incomparable music. New Energy is awash with strings, warming ambient atmosphere, indistinct house rhythms and IDM familiarity. The standout tracks are where Hebden allows room for the tracks to breath, making way for the repetitive grooves to transcend into layers of cascading sound. ‘SW9 9SL’ is a future garage club track comparable to his work with Burial, ‘You are Loved’ feels like a tastefully executed tribute to Boards of Canada, whilst gorgeous ambiance is unearthed within the harp arrangements in ‘Lush’. Through his time spent conducting dancefloors across the festivals and nightclubs of the world, Four Tet has channelled both club culture charm and time-honoured electronic sounds into a record to soundtrack hazy afternoons post-rave chillouts.

Open Mike Eagle – Brick Body Kids Still Daydream

Brick Body Kids Still Daydream is indie rapper Open Mike Eagle’s most thematically and musically cohesive outing to date. Mike offers twelve tracks of delicate hip hop comprised of subtle beats to canvas an overarching concept of the struggles and triumphs of Chicago’s public housing residents. The production, beats and instrumentation are incredibly lush, encompassing wind instruments, analog synths and smooth, jazzy percussion. Brick Body Kids Still Daydream is a unique album; it’s as if Mike is scoring a film soundtrack to the topics and concepts he presents, with the struggles and tribulations of the inhabitants coming to light as he digresses during each track.

Thundercat – Drunk

Virtuoso bassist Thundercat returns with his third full length studio album Drunk, and it’s one of the most interesting listening experiences of this year as it’s so different to anything out right now. Whilst Thundercat’s music can be disorderly and the arrangements are often confused, Drunk is just an undeniably fun, funky, groovy and entertaining record. As a bass player myself, it’s great to see a bassist making waves in the music industry the way Thundercat is: he’s earning Grammy’s for his session work with Kendrick, climbing to the top spot of BBC6 Music’s End of Year list, and jamming with some of the hottest producers and musicians right now. Whilst Drunk is overlong and often difficult, it’s still a great album to stick on and not take too seriously.

Objekt – Objekt #4 (Single)

Objekt released one of dubstep’s greatest singles with Objekt #1, a release comprising of ‘Tinderbox’ and the stone-cold classic ‘The Goose That Got Away’. Since his first release, Objekt has delved into IDM, UK Bass, and techno, masterfully mixing the far afield genres with ease. On Objekt #4, he mixes icy IDM with hints of jungle and UK garage, sounding futuristic whilst acknowledging the old-school.

LCD Soundsystem – American Dream

LCD Soundsystem return for their first album in seven years with American Dream, the highly anticipated follow-up to 2010’s This Is Happening. Once again, James Murphy’s extraordinary revivalist yet forward-thinking musical vision is on display, yet with a few crucial differences in mood and tone. American Dream is full of slow-burning new wave songs such as the waltzing synth-pop title track and the sullen opener ‘Oh Baby’, whilst there’s a fair share of punchier numbers like ‘Tonite’ and ‘Emotional Haircut’ which recall LCD’s dance-punk work. Taking influence from the art rock audio delights of David Bowie and Brian Eno, and the forlorn post-punk of early U2 and New Order, James Murphy has crafted a varied and restrained record which is a welcome addition to their already consistent discography. Although it’s been a long time since LCD Soundsystem were one of the most influential bands of the alternative music scene, American Dream is a triumphant return and is everything a long-time fan could have asked for.

Iglooghost – Neō Wax Bloom

The debut album from Belfast musician Iglooghost is a dizzyingly chaotic mixture of the electronic dance music witnessed in the UK over the past fifteen to twenty years. Neō Wax Bloom is a maximalist record; it’s hectic, erratic, technical, challenging, unusual, over the top, and cartoonish, yet it’s easy to tell Seamus Malliagh has painstakingly crafted the record. At times, Neō Wax Bloom operates with the precision of math rock and tech metal musicianship, whilst still sounding fun and entertaining enough to be dancefloor suitable. Taking influence from wonky, UK Bass, glitch, footwork, grime, and the label PC Music, Iglooghost has created a bat-shit crazy album which is larger-than-life in every sense of the phrase. Possessing the unique sound and technical know-how, it’s easy to envisage Iglooghost reaching the dizzying heights of fame and success of Flying Lotus and Arca.

Jay-Z – 4:44

With a discography as patchy as Jay-Z’s, I’m always a bit dubious before I tackle an album of his, especially after the critical panning of Magna Carta… Holy Grail. Armed with the production talents of No I.D., Jay creates an immediate, reflective and bittersweet record, a refreshing contrast to a musical catalogue which often revels in tall tales of crime and daring braggadocio. 4:44 is stripped-down yet lavish, featuring smooth, soulful samples, and a meticulously chosen array of guest spots. Whilst it doesn’t reach the peak of classics such as Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint, it’s great to see Jay-Z is back on track and creating music with an atypical approach.

Wand – Plum

Plum is a huge change in sound for Wand. Whilst Planet Golem had its fair share of psych freak-outs and heavy riffing (which sometimes even bordered on stoner metal), Plum is a refined exercise in psychedelia, with influence from art rock, psychedelic pop and alternative rock. Wand’s harmonic and melodic sensibilities have been brought to the forefront of Plum; there’s a clear Beatles influence in the song-writing throughout, whilst it features flourishes of Radiohead’s guitar-led work in tracks such as ‘Plum’ and ‘Bee Karma’. Whilst some fans have dismissed Wand’s newfound musical ventures, I believe the approach sounds fresh and accomplished rather than a wrong-turn into dull dad rock. Psych fans should not miss out on this record.

Marika Hackman – I’m Not Your Man

Marika Hackman is a name I’ve been hearing crop up all over the place this year. She’s mentioned often on the radio, in music publications and online, and it’s easy to see appreciate the hype after listening to her sophomore album I’m Not Your Man; a diverse, sharp, and accomplished indie rock record. Marika delivers her wry observations of the world over articulate 90s alt-rock influenced instrumentation from her backing group The Big Moon, amounting to a sound similar to Pavement, Built to Spill and Nirvana. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better indie record than I’m Not Your Man this year.

Animal Collective – The Painters and Meeting at the Waters

Animal Collective released two EPs this year, and they’re quite different affairs.

The Painters is a short EP which manages to surpass its companion album Painting With, last year’s largely maligned effort from the Baltimore experimentalists. For some odd reason, ‘Kinda Bonkers’ and ‘Jimmy Mack’ didn’t make the cut for Painting With, a highly strange decision considering these tracks are some of the best the group have created recently. The other two songs are forgettable, but the EP is worth a download for the two excellent bookends.

Meeting at the Waters is a loose, improvised psychedelic folk collection similar to their Sung Tongs work. The EP features Avey Tare and Geologist creating songs in the Amazon rainforest alongside field recordings from their surrounding wilderness environment, commissioned by Vice and Live Nation as part of their Earthworks TV series. After their recent miss-steps, it’s great to hear Animal Collective making a creative, immediate and meditative record. The documentary is a must for fans of the group, or anyone curious minds interested in nature, rainforests and wildlife.

Blanck Mass – World Eater  

World Eater is Blanck Mass’ crowning achievement. Benjamin Power’s third album as Blanck Mass sees the industrial musician experimenting with impenetrable walls of sound, abrasive bouts of noise, bizarrely danceable rhythms and thumping percussion. The Fuck Buttons member manages to find the perfect middle ground between coarse industrial soundscapes and the rhythmical throb of electronic music…

Read the rest of what I had to say about World Eater here as part of Broken Amp’s staff Albums of the Year.

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Check out the Spotify link below if you fancy listening to a selection of tracks from the featured albums.

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Honourable Mentions

Dizzee Rascal – Raskit

Mall Grab – Pool Party

Forest Swords – Compassion

Tyler, The Creator – Flower Boy

Alvvays – Antisocialites

The Body & Full of Hell – Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light

Kahn & Commodo – Fierce (Commodo Remix) / S Is for Snakes (Single)

Paul White ft. Danny Brown – Accelerator

Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks: Limited Event Series Soundtrack

Mastodon – Cold Dark Place

Priests – Nothing Feels Natural

St. Vincent – New York (Single)

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Biggest Disappointments

Mastodon – Emperor of Sand

Queens of the Stone Age – Villains

Mac DeMarco – This Old Dog

Morrissey just being Morrissey 

Josh Homme violently assaulting a woman trying to do her job

The fact that XXXTentacion is still making music

The album art to LCD Soundsystem‘s American Dream 

Brockhampton – Saturation II – Fair play to these guys for reaching their amount of success with no major label support, but I don’t think the hype is justified

Jesse Lacey being a bit of a nonce

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Best Live Moments

Joyce Manor at The Brudenell Social Club

Radiohead at Lancashire County Cricket Club

Run the Jewels and Danny Brown at Victoria Warehouse

The Abstract Orchestra performing Madvillainy at The Wardrobe

ho99o9 at The Brudenell Social Club

Nails at Damnation Festival

Lone Taxidermist at The Brudenell Social Club (supporting Pissed Jeans)

Every single SubDub

 

 

2017 Anticipated Albums

So it’s the new year, and that means more music to check out. Here are some albums I’m looking forward to in 2017.

The Flaming Lips – Oczy Mlody (January 13th)

The singles ‘The Castle’, ‘How??’ and ‘Sunrise (Eyes of the Young)’ from The Flaming Lips‘ fifteenth studio album have been incredible so I have high hopes for Oczy Mlody. After a newfound experimental rock sound on The Terror and Embryonic, it seems like the group will return to the dreamy psych-pop of The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, two classic records in their own right. The Lips have been doing a few things that might be classed as a bit novelty recently, including recording with Miley Cyrus, covering classic albums in full and composing a song that lasted an entire day. Oczy Mlody thankfully appears to be a much more focused project.

The XX – I See You (January 13th)

Could this be the year I finally give The XX a go? Probably. I’ve really enjoyed Jamie XX‘s solo work so this could be a treat, who knows.

Code Orange – Forever (January 13th)

Code Orange have made a couple of records with a few standout tracks yet have had inconsistency issues and stretched ideas to the point of boredom (we get it, you like breakdowns). Perhaps Forever will be an improvement.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana (February 24th)

The lead single from this titled ‘Rattlesnake’ is amazing. I can’t wait to hear what King Gizzard are going to do with their micro-tonal instruments for this record. They are also set to release a further four albums after this one…

Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound (January 27th)

Cloud Nothings breakthrough album Attack On Memory became a frequently played record thanks to its blend of power pop indebted indie rock with dissonant post-hardcore. The follow up Here and Nowhere Else however left a bitter taste. Not because it was awful per se, but because it wasn’t memorable or catchy in the slightest. Maybe I need to give it another spin to form an improved opinion of it but either way, I’m eagerly anticipating what Cloud Nothings will do on Life Without Sound.

Ty Segall – Ty Segall (January 27th)

Does Ty Segall actually find the time to sleep? Eat?

Japandroids – Near To The Wild Heart Of Life (January 27th)

All I can say is I hope the music is better than the album art.

Sleaford Mods – English Tapas (March 3rd)

Nottingham’s Sleaford Mods have been steadily improving with every album, homing their craft and building upon their minimalist take on post-punk/hip hop. They could be in danger of self-parody (that album art and title is a bit “eh”) but I think they’ll pull through and make a banger.

The Jesus and Mary Chain – Damage and Joy (March 24th)

Please don’t suck please don’t suck please don’t suck please don’t suck.

Pallbearer – Heartless (March sometime)

Pallbearer are one of the most talked about groups in doom metal with two classic albums under their belt already. Looking forward to this one.

Denzel Curry – Taboo

One of the most talented rappers out there, I’m intruiged to see where Denzel Curry will go on Taboo after I enjoyed Imperial a tonne.

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Bandana

Come on guys this was meant to be released last year! The mix of gangster Gibbs and underground producer Madlib seemed a bit odd on paper when Piñata was announced but the finished product was nothing short of mind-blowing. Expectations are high for Bandana but I have a feeling it’s going to be similar to Piñata but accentuate and improve upon all of its defining qualities.

Mastodon – TBA

A double album that’s meant to be “dark, beautiful, spooky, funky, (and) ethereal”? Sounds amazing. This is according to guitarist Brent Hinds who states he has recorded one disc himself and the other band members have recorded the second. This alone is intriguing considering Mastodon click so well as a band but I think this could work thanks to Brent’s song-writing aptitude and array of influences (namely bluegrass and country – see the solo riff in ‘Megalodon’ before the breakdown). The last album Once More ’round the Sun was decent but felt a bit lacking compared to The Hunter and Crack The Skye (my favourite metal album of all time) so I’m hoping this is a progression and something different from the groundbreaking sludge metal four-piece.

St. Vincent – TBA

St. Vincent is an artist who is always intriguing, creating a unique take on whichever genre she decides to undertake on each different album. Her last was a slight departure from art pop; Annie’s second self-titled effort saw noisy, disjointed alt. rock meet electronic and 80s pop. It was rhythmical, discordant, playful and bittersweet in equal measures. It’s going to be difficult to follow it up for sure.

Ride – TBA

One of the UK’s most underrated guitar groups, the Oxford shoegazers recorded the classic album Nowhere in 1990 and it has been cemented as one of the cornerstones of the reverb-soaked genre. Shoegaze is still going strong nearly two decades after its emergence with countless bands borrowing Ride‘s sound so it’s going to be interesting to see what they can achieve.

Arcade Fire – TBA

With four albums of varying temperament under their belt, Arcade Fire are possibly the biggest indie rock band of their era. Funeral is one of my favourite albums of all time so obviously I can’t wait for this release.

Arcade Fire’s new line-up

Nine Inch Nails – TBA

Despite many Nine Inch Nails fans having reservations over their last album Hesitation Marks, I really enjoyed it. Sure another Pretty Hate Machine or The Downward Spiral would be amazing but at this stage in Trent Reznor’s career with hundreds of ideas flowing (numerous film soundtracks, producing and remixing), he isn’t a one trick pony. This man’s work will continue to keep people on their toes for as long as he’s making music, probably until the day he dies.

More picks:

Outkast – TBA

At The Drive-In – TBA

Grizzly Bear – TBA

Gorillaz – TBA

Tool – TBA. Meme.

Vampire Weekend – TBA

Sleep – TBA. PLEASE.

Zach De La Rocha – TBA

DOOMSTARKS – Swift and Changeable

Madvillain – Madvillainy 2

See also: 2016 Albums of the Year

 

 

 

 

 

 

2016 Albums of the Year

2016 has been an incredibly gloomy year for music. We unfortunately parted with Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Phife Dawg, Prince, Nick Menza and George Martin, all highly influential figures who will be dearly missed. Elsewhere this year, Frank Ocean released two albums after a sixty-four year wait, Kanye West made the best album of all time in addition to recently announcing Donald Trump will replace Jay-Z on the follow-up to Watch The Throne, Beyoncé and her seventy-two writers single-handedly ended patriarchal oppression with a beverage and somebody forgot to tell Bon Iver that Sufjan Stevens did the “sensitive indie songwriter goes electronic” thing six years ago. So, that’s the cynicism out of the way, here are my personal favourite albums from this year.

Here are a few things I’m looking forward to in 2017.

* Edit – Run The Jewels released Run The Jewels 3 a few days after I finalised this article. It’s barely had time to sink in but my first impression is that it’s unreal; it would have appeared high in this list. It will have to feature in next year’s list thanks to its awkward release date.

30. Kaytranada – 99.9%

Kicking off the list is Kaytranada’s debut album, which features some of the best beats of the entire year; tracks like ‘Bus Ride’ and ‘Weight Off’ are straight up irresistible. For those more in tune with the hardcore side of hip hop, 99.9% can often be a little too poppy, bordering on the saccharine side of 2016’s trendiest genre, R&B, exemplified in Craig David’s guest spot on ‘Got It Good’. Although it’s confused at times, there are some hard-hitting beats, funky moments and influences creeping in from all sorts of genres including wonky and house. Due to its upbeat nature and a healthy amount of guest spots, 99.9% is an incredibly varied and house party ready album.

29. Show Me The Body – Body War

Show Me The Body’s debut album is a blistering mix of post-hardcore, industrial hip hop and punk. Body War is discordant, groovy, aggressive and exciting. Fans of Death Grips may appreciate this album.

28. Dinosaur Jr. – Give A Glimpse of What Yer Not

Give A Glimpse of What Yer Not is essentially a return to the classic sound of Dinosaur Jr., especially the Bug and Green Mind eras. Their previous album I Bet On Sky saw an increased Neil Young influence creeping in and an expansion into more instrumentation however, Give A Glimpse by way of gritty, straightforward alt. rock; ‘Tiny’ in particular sounds like one of their iconic singles from the late eighties/early nineties. Whilst it may not be regarded as being as great one of their classic post re-union albums such as Farm and Beyond, it’s still solid. This year I was lucky enough to see them live after wanting to for years and they didn’t disappoint. I hope the group continue to make music together for as long as humanly possible.

27. Animal Collective – Painting With

Painting With, like Animal Collective’s previous album Centipede Hz is extremely busy in sound, accentuating their defining qualities to the maximum. This will be  off-putting to AnCo sceptics yet loved by many a hardcore fan. For the majority of the record, the sound is colourful and vibrant. This works with occasional brilliance in the likes of the sunshine pop ditty ‘FloriDada’ and the kitsch ‘Golden Gals’ yet in other parts, it can be their downfall. Parts of Painting With sound like the audio equivalent of a pack of jelly beans melting in the blistering sun, creating a sickly sweet, unpleasant mess. Panda Bear and Avey Tare’s vocal mannerisms are in your face and heavily manipulated with echoes, overlaps and overdubs throughout and this gets tiresome, unlike the similarly playful Strawberry Jam and Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper (my 2015 album of the year) where studio and vocal enhancing techniques were executed brilliantly.

26. GOAT – Requiem

GOAT reveal a sprawling set of psychedelic tracks with sounds that span the world over, from Swedish folk to Nigerian afrobeat, Requiem is GOAT’s best album since their debut. Reviewed in more detail here.

25. YG – Still Brazy

The majority of the time, “unoriginality” is frowned upon in music. Other times, however, firmly showcasing retro influences can work brilliantly thanks to the unique way the sounds return to the modern era. This is certainly the case for YG’s Still Brazy. The record is a shameless throwback to the synths, heavy beats and minimalist instrumentation of G-funk, the influence of Dr Dre., Snoop Dog and Warren G are all over Still Brazy. The retro beats and gangster lyricism results in an album that’s one of the most enjoyable of the year.

24. Black Mountain – IV

These guys have been on my radar for years now and after IV was slated as a return to form, I decided to finally delve into Black Mountain. I discovered ten tracks of individual character that fit seamlessly together as a whole record. The opener ‘Mothers of the Sun’ will immediately pull Black Sabbath lovers in with its fuzzy soundscapes whilst tracks like ‘(Over and Over) the Chain’ feature expansive spacey synths and there’s early krautrock on ‘You Can Dream’ and there’s a nod to The Brian Jonestown Massacre on ‘Crucify Me’.. This was one of those “wish I’d checked it this band sooner” moments; IV is a glorious fifty-six-minute trip into the fuzzier side of psychedelia, prog rock and every accompanying genre in-between. I’m by no means opposed to ‘retro-rock’ but Black Mountain manage to look to the past for influence yet execute it with modern prowess.

23. Mark Pritchard – Under the Sun

Global Communication member and dabbler of various electronic genres evokes ambient and IDM with some cleverly positioned guest spots (such as Thom Yorke, Linda Perhacs and Bibio) on a record that’s Mark Pritchard’s first under his own name. Read the review I wrote here for a more detailed report on Under the Sun.

22. Conan – Revengeance

Liverpudlian metal trio Conan continue to make some of the heaviest doom imaginable on their fourth record Revengeance. If you fancy a more in-depth account of the album, read the review on Broken Amp here.

 21. Thee Oh Sees – A Weird Exits and An Odd Entrances

As Mutilator Defeated At Last was one of my favourites of last year thanks to Thee Oh Sees increasingly obvious explorations into psychedelia, I was intrigued to see what John Dwyer and co. would do next. Obviously, they were going to release something in 2016, but I wasn’t expecting two albums from them in such short succession. Both A Weird Exits and An Odd Entrances both delve into mind-expanding psychedelia, giving the impression they were set to be a double album set. A minor stylistic change from Mutilator, both albums take cues from krautrock and prog whilst featuring segments of energetic garage rock that defined their earlier work. Highlights from the two LPs include ‘Plastic Plant’, ‘Ticklish Warrior’ and The Beatles-esque ballad ‘The Poem’.

20. Nails – You Will Never Be One Of Us

After Abandon All Life became one of my favourite “heavy” albums of all time, I was intrigued to see what Nails would do next. Opening with the contender for the best introductory track this year and closing with a crushing epic, You Will Never Be One Of Us didn’t disappoint. Nails’ future is uncertain but I really hope they don’t call it quits just yet. In the meantime, read the full report of You Will Never Be One Of Us here.

19. Skepta – Konnichiwa

Possibly the biggest statement in British music this year, Skepta’s Mercury Prize winning album Konnichiwa mirrored Dizzee Rascal’s Boy In Da Corner in success and hype, despite being released thirteen years apart. Whilst it may not top Dizzee for the title of the most acclaimed grime album ever, Konnichiwa is full to the brim of gritty instrumentals and tales of inner-city London in addition to allowing for across the pond crossovers thanks to guest appearances from A$AP Nast and Pharrell Williams. It’s hard hitting and gritty, featuring a wide array of beats and samples, including Queens of the Stone Age’s ‘Regular John’ on ‘Man.’

18. Dälek – Asphalt for Eden

After a prolonged hiatus, industrial hip hop pioneers Dälek return with a solid collection of tracks and a revitalised line-up. Armed with a new producer, their sixth studio album oozes with noise and bleak uneasiness. Here’s a detailed report on the band and the industrial hip hop spectacle as a whole.

17. BADBADNOTGOOD – IV

Last year, BADBADNOTGOOD put some of the best instrumental tracks to record with Sour Soul, a collaborative effort that didn’t equate to the greatness it deserved due to a lacklustre performance from Ghostface Killah. On IV, BBNG move away from the dark jazz-fusion of III and opt for an increasingly modern approach centred on soul, funk and lounge. Frequent collaborator Leland Whitty became a permanent member and an array of guest spots are scattered through the record, allowing for a pop/soul crossovers. Whilst IV may not have reached the dizzying heights of brilliance which III achieved, it’s their most varied work to date and will introduce many new listeners to the young band who always have an interesting take on whichever genre they’re playing.

16. Denzel Curry – Imperial

Probably the only trap rap album I’ve ever enjoyed, Denzel Curry’s Imperial is a ten-track collection of hard-hitting beats, technical rapping and  sharp lyrical content. The instrumentals can either be or hard hitting or dreamy and Curry’s rapid flow perfectly complements the beats to create bangers such as ‘Story No Title’ and ‘Knotty Head’ and conscious tracks like ‘Pure Enough’ and ‘This Life’. ‘Gook’ is one of my favourite singles this year.

15. Ty Segall – Emotional Mugger

After the lush glam-psych of 2014s Manipulator, Ty Segall decided to change things up again and bring out a record which stands as the polar opposite to his previous release. Emotional Mugger often sounds irrational, spontaneous and wild. It’s carefree, dissonant, unpolished music with the fuzz turned all the way up. Ty just does what he wants, which will please his adoring fans who rarely have to wait more than a few months between recordings for a new album release. I was hoping for more of the same of Manipulator, but that’s both a pro and a con; artists who get stuck in the same sound quickly become stale so Ty’s experimentation is much appreciated. I saw this album being performed in full and it was an amazing experience, possibly my live highlight of 2016.

14. Xiu Xiu – Plays The Music Of Twin Peaks

Angelo Badalamenti’s compositions which blended dark jazz, dream pop and ambient perfectly heightened the strangeness of David Lynch’s ground-breaking series Twin Peaks. From the soothing theme song to the recurring ‘Audrey’s Dance’, the music has become inseparable from the iconic show. Experimental/post-punk group Xiu Xiu covered various songs from the soundtrack for an art exhibition regarding the work of Lynch and subsequently decided to record them for a Record Store Day release. The result is a fantastic and eccentric record which offers frequently intriguing and terrifying takes on Badalamenti’s work. The closer ‘Josie’s Past’, which features readings from Laura Palmer’s diary is a particularly unnerving highlight.

13. Oranssi Pazuzu – Värähtelijä

Oranssi Pazuzu are a Finnish black metal group who incorporate many genres into an atmospheric cocktail of sound which includes psychedelia, prog, noise rock and space rock. Bizarre yet surprisingly listenable, even non-black metal fans will appreciate Värähtelijä. Here’s an article I wrote exploring the phenomena of “psychedelic black metal”.

12. Joyce Manor – Cody

Joyce Manor throw their fans off-guard with every release. Their follow up to their highly acclaimed debut Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired was as experimental as pop punk gets; delving into R&B basslines, using spoken word snippets, covering 80s pop classics, referencing The Smiths several times and recording folk tracks on a tape recorder. Their third album, Never Hungover Again furthered their power pop influences and added clever instrumentation alongside sparkling production. Cody is their most poppy release yet and seems like a step down, understandably considering the quality of their past three albums. Despite this criticism, Cody features some of Joyce Manor’s best songs to date such as ‘Fake I.D.’, ‘Stairs’ and ‘The Last You Heard Of Me’. Here’s a more detailed account of Cody.

11. The Body – No One Deserves Happiness

The Body have once again proven they are one of the most ground-breaking groups in contemporary metal thanks to No One Deserves Happiness, “the grossest pop album ever made”. This was my favourite metal album of the year so it had to feature on my staff feature on Broken Amp.

10. The Hotelier – Goodness

A band photo instead of the edgy cover art

Goodness is a massive step-up in quality from the previous work of The Hotelier. They’ve stripped almost all of their pop punk sound off, resulting in a solidly enjoyable and consistent indie rock record which sometimes borders on the grandiose post-rock tendencies of The World Is… . There’s a sense of positive urgency in the vocal delivery, the guitars flirt with dynamics, and the track snippets are a cool little addition. Goodness is probably the biggest surprise of 2016 for me.

9. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Nonagon Infinity

It wouldn’t feel right if King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard didn’t release something crazy this year and they didn’t disappoint with Nonagon Infinity. The album is designed as an “infinite loop”, basically meaning that as soon as the album ends, it loops back to the start so the end note meets perfectly with the opening one; possibly the only time in the digital music age that the repeat function has come in handy. Whilst many artists go for conceptual albums in musical content or lyricism, King Gizzard choose to explore the album format. For instance, last year’s fantastic Quarters! devoted an equal quarter of the record for each track (10 minutes 10 seconds to be exact) and Quarters! and Nonagon Infinity are as intriguing as they are straight-up enjoyable. So enough about the formats, it’s the music that shines through. Taking a healthy dose of Thee Oh Sees-esque lo-fi psych-fuzz and blending it with touches of heaviness and prog musicianship, King Gizzard blast through track highlights such as the funky ‘Mr Beat’ and the wild ‘Gamma Knife’ with repeated motifs throughout to create a sense of cohesion that fits the overlaying theme. The band currently seem to be on a creative streak on par with their influences and with a monstrous five albums expected for next year, King Gizzard will keep fans on their toes throughout 2017.

8. A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service

We Got It From Here… is oddly A Tribe Called Quest’s comeback album and swan song. Surprisingly enough, it serves as both a return to form and a piece of hip hop history. Their first album in eighteen years offers a fresh take on their iconic blend of jazz and rap, soaking up a range of alternative hip hop influences who have come to prominence since Quest’s absence, exemplified in their sampling measures (such as using the same beat heard in Madvillainy’s ‘Meat Grinder’ on ‘The Killing Season’) and an impressive roster of guests spots from Kanye West and André 3000 to Kendrick Lamar. We Got It From Here… will be remembered as contextually significant as it was released shortly after the world found out that Donald Trump would be the next President of America. Tracks such as ‘The Space Program’ and ‘Conrad Tokyo’ explore the anxieties of minorities and the positive media portrayal of the reality TV star. It’s amazing to see one of the most important groups in musical history get the send-off they deserve, especially after the surprise death of Phife Dawg earlier this year. Despite a tumultuous relationship between the group, differences were settled and the creative chemistry inevitably flowed, resulting in one of A Tribe Called Quest’s strongest albums to date.

7. Leon Vynehall – Rojus (Designed To Dance)

The follow up to the impressive debut Music For The Uninvited, Brighton based DJ Leon Vynehall brings his unique blend of catchy house with shades of techno and a flair of the experimental on Rojus (Designed To Dance). The record would sit comfortably at a house party and club setting thanks to its deep bass and punchy rhythms whilst being perfectly suited for home or headphone listening thanks to its layered approach. With so many house artists concentrating on minimalism and atmosphere, it’s refreshing to see a style centred on enjoyability, one that’s catchy, accessible and danceable in equal measures.

6. The Avalanches – Wildflower

Plunderphonics group The Avalanches return after sixteen years with possibly the most anticipated album of 2016, it’s only their second since the revolutionary classic Since I Left You was released. In my opinion, this is just as good as their debut but despite both albums sample heavy nature, it’s near impossible to compare the two; Wildflower is much more psychedelic. The trippy feel is exemplified on ‘Colours’ which features Jonathan Donahue of neo-psych pioneers Mercury Rev, featuring backwards vocals and numerous psych-pop quirks.  Wildflower showcases its fun and carefree side throughout; ‘Subways’ is a catchy little disco-funk track, ‘Frankie Sinatra’ is a delight with its carefree sound and excellent choice of guests (in the form of MF DOOM and Danny Brown) and ‘The Noisy Eater’ sounds like the best song Gorillaz they never released. It’s great to have The Avalanches back and it would be even greater to hear more of them in the future without waiting another sixteen years.

5. Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool

A Moon Shaped Pool came out of nowhere. There were no preceding interviews, advertisements, or sponsor encouragements regarding the release of Radiohead’s ninth album. Shortly after every trace of a social media presence was removed online, the first single ‘Burn the Witch’ was released and the compulsory hype ensued. The album was released five days later to mass critical acclaim. A huge improvement on the unremarkable The King Of Limbs, A Moon Shaped Pool is a collection of vulnerable, orchestrated art rock. The different approach from the Oxford five-piece is a welcome change, the group don’t revert back to the sounds of their previous work and offer something entirely different. As it’s subdued, it’s a grower and improves with every listen. The varied yet minimalist instrumentation, haunting vocals and sequencing are integral to the record. Radiohead will headline Glastonbury next year and it will be interesting to see these tracks being performed at a huge festival setting.

4. Aesop Rock – The Impossible Kid

Aesop Rock’s seventh album is possibly his best work to date. The beats are indebted to John Carpenter soundtracks and El-P’s cold electronic production (the influence of Run The Jewels and The Cold Vein are all over this), often sounding like sci-fi rap blockbusters. Despite the fantastic instrumentals, it’s Aesop’s flow and lyricism that drives the music. Deemed to be the wordiest rapper of all time, his multi-syllabic flow is rapid, technical, and often shifts within the beat. Lyrically, Aesop Rock is highly metaphorical, a flair which has often confused casual fans yet delighted the hardcore backpacker types who delve into the interpretations of each and every line. The Impossible Kid features the loquacious, cryptic stanzas of classic works such as Labor Days but pleasingly, he frequently delves into straightforward storytelling approaches. ‘Dorks’ deals with how musicians portrayals are steered by the media rather than the artists themselves and ‘Blood Sandwiches’ chronologically reflects upon parental worries of impressionable youth. Seemingly a serious album, Aesop is often sarcastic and habitually amusing, even writing about his pet cat in the track ‘Kirby’ so it isn’t all doom and gloom. Thanks to the improvements in Aesop’s nimble lyricism, storytelling and beat preferences, The Impossible Kid is one of the most memorable hip hop albums of the year.

3. Deakin – Sleep Cycle

Those who were disappointed with Painting With will find more than enough to love with Animal Collective member Deakin’s first solo album, Sleep Cycle. Deakin is the only semi-permanent member of Animal Collective, often being considered the “least significant member” of the group due to being absent in the creation of AnCo classics such as Merriweather Post Pavilion, one of the most acclaimed records of all time. He rarely tours with the group and until now, he’s never released any solo material, adding insult to injury when compared to Panda Bear who’s gained numerous album of the year and decade awards. Originally conceived as a project in 2009, Deakin (real name Josh Dibb) set-up a Kickstarter to fund both the album and a trip to Mali to perform at a festival to raise money for a charity. He scrapped plans for the album yet decided to finance the trip himself, donating all of the money raised and self-funding the expedition to Africa. After hearing about the project being postponed after little in the way of updates, fans were mortified. Dibb’s reasons for the adjournment stemmed from severe self-doubt regarding the quality of his material and singing.

Deakin silenced his own misled doubts and his naysayers with Sleep Cycle, an album which beats anything Animal Collective, as a band, have produced in nearly eight years. It’s a short and subtle record packed full of kaleidoscopic sounds, engaging vocals, delicate electronics and spirited experimentation. ‘Golden Chords’ delves into slow-burning psych-folk, there’s the melodious ‘Just Am’ with its beautiful shimmering keyboards and repetitive rhythmical backbone and ‘Good House’ is a perfectly fitting and gorgeously trippy album closer. For someone so insecure about their prowess as a vocalist and musician, Sleep Cycle seems so assured thanks to the rewarding brilliance of its finest moments. A joyous mix of organic sounds and layered repetition, Sleep Cycle is the best psychedelic album of 2016. Let’s hope we hear more from him in the future.

2. Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition

Detroit based rapper Danny Brown returned after a three year wait after the disappointing EDM/trap influenced Old and thankfully, Atrocity Exhibition is not only a massive improvement but an innovative step forward in hip hop. Citing the Joy Division track and J.G. Ballard’s surrealist novel ‘Atrocity Exhibition’ as the titular foundation and influence for the album, Danny Brown reflects on his demons extensively throughout the fifteen tracks presented to the listener. Brown states that he is the atrocity exhibition, frankly unveiling his reckless lifestyle without restraint for the public to see through his music.

If Old was the party, Atrocity Exhibition is the comedown. The lyrical content focusses on Brown’s struggles with addiction, paranoia, sleep deprivation, mortality, depression, delinquency, and dissociation stemming from his extensive drug abuse whilst the production echoes the unease with dense, challenging and highly experimental beats. Atrocity Exhibition is by no means promoting drug use as it may superficially suggest upon the first listen; Danny reflects on extremely dark topics such as damnation through overdose in the sarcastic ‘Ain’t It Funny’, if one more line could kill him on the spot on ‘White Lines’ and the deterioration of his mental health in ‘The Downward Spiral’, cleverly referencing a line from his breakthrough album XXX in the process. ‘Really Doe’ is possibly the greatest song this year, featuring an insane hook from Kendrick Lamar and exceptional verses from Ab Soul and Earl Sweatshirt whilst the post-punk influence is illustrated in ‘Pneumonia’ which showcases an ingenious pseudo-drop and an exceptional industrial-style beat. Brown signed to Warp Records for this album and it allowed him full artistic freedom over the direction over the record, with Warp stimuli even creeping in on the IDM influenced ‘When It Rain’.

The outcome of Danny Brown’s influences which stretch from traditional hip hop to industrial, post-punk and experimental rock result in a bizarre, varied, psychedelic, dense and abstract piece of work that will be remembered as a crucial milestone in hip hop. Continuing on from Vince Staples’ Summertime ’06, Brown similarly utilises the Joy Division/post-punk influence as the centre-theme for an album and the result is comparably thought provoking and gloomy. Atrocity Exhibition should be concentrated on from a perspective of despair and the vicious cycle of drug use rather than Brown’s past work which encouraged the party lifestyle. Atrocity Exhibition is possibly the biggest artistic statement of the year and just missed out on the top spot of this list by a fraction. I’ll be listening to this for years to come.

1. Death Grips – Bottomless Pit

In 2012, Death Grips became one of my favourite groups. I couldn’t stop listening to The Money Store, hearing it shortly after the massive hype it received that year died down a little. It was heralded by many as the best album of the year thanks to its sheer energy, shattering sub-bass, insane drumming and the vocal prowess of MC Ride. I was even more impressed upon delving into their previous work, their debut mixtape Exmilitary especially. It was a perfect mix of experimental hip hop, industrial rock and punk aggression with excellently selected samples ranging from Pink Floyd’s ‘Interstellar Overdrive’ and Black Flag’s ‘Rise Above’ to Link Wray’s ‘Rumble’. Distorting the line between experimental hip hop and punk, Death Grips became one of the most talked about groups of the 21^st century.

A few months after The Money Store, Death Grips released No Love Deep Web. They leaked the album as a free download before the formal release was set by their label, Epic Records. Although I found the stunt hilarious at the time (just look at that album cover), this seemed to be the beginning of several controversial stunts for the band. Additionally, No Love Deep Web was the first piece of music from Death Grips that seemed to be drop in quality. The following albums Government Plates and Niggas On The Moon just didn’t click, the catchiness appeared to be replaced by ill-fitting experimental tendencies. To add insult to injury, the band cancelled several tours and didn’t bother to show up at festivals, instead they wrote a “suicide note” and subsequently explained they never intended to perform at these shows in the first place. Despite being asked to perform alongside Soundgarden and key-influences Nine Inch Nails for a huge tour in the Summer of 2014, they disbanded, pompously stating they were a “conceptual art exhibition” and they were “at their best”, refusing to acknowledge fans disappointment at their intentional no-shows and the dip in album quality. I was just about ready to give up on the group so I was sort of satisfied upon hearing they had decided to call it a day. Although I understand the sense of immediacy is why people enjoy NLDW, Government Plates and Niggas On The Moon and their raucous, noisy experimentalism, I just didn’t personally connect with them. Jenny Death was a step in the right direction, however.

With Death Grips announcing their reversion to touring and making music, I was hoping they would return to form and cease the exploits. In 2015, they released ‘Hot Head’ and once again I was disappointed, the track sounded like a complete mess. When Bottomless Pit came around in May, I didn’t even bother listening to it until a friend convinced me it was “their best since The Money Store”. Initially sceptical, I decided to give their sixth studio album a go. After several listens that week and many more throughout the year, I came to the conclusion that this was my favourite album of 2016.

Bottomless Pit surpassed all expectations. From the thrash metal referencing opener ‘Giving Good People Bad Ideas’ to the closer ‘Bottomless Pit’, I was hooked, even growing to enjoy ‘Hot Head’. Bottomless Pit is perhaps Death Grip’s most diverse album thanks to thirteen genre-spanning tracks which reference industrial metal, noise rock, abstract hip hop, glitch and digital hardcore. Although it is often compared to The Money Store in terms of sound, it sounds like a sequel as opposed to a direct imitation. Although frequently noisy, brash and overflowing in layers of sound and instrumentation, Bottomless Pit is incredibly enjoyable, fun, sinister, interesting and doesn’t outstay its welcome.

Although preceded by several great tracks, Bottomless Pit hits a stride at around the halfway point with ‘Eh’ and its ingenious syncopated rapping delivery which perfectly fit with the unobtrusive beat and background electronics. There is no “drop” or aggressive instrumentation in ‘Eh’, it sounds like the group at their “most hip hop”. This style should be explored in more depth it would be great to hear Death Grips making an album with a similar sound to abstract hip hop artists such as MF DOOM or Company Flow, for example.

‘Trash’ is comparable to ‘Eh’, showcasing MC Ride’s clever wordplay and rapping virtuosity. Songs like ‘Bubbles Buried In This Jungle’, ‘Ring A Bell’, ‘8080808’ and ‘BB Poison’ feature throbbing riffs and dense beats reminiscent of industrial rock/metal acts Godflesh and Nine Inch Nails. Bottomless Pit also features excellent production, bone rattling sub-bass and intricate percussion thanks to drummer Zach Hill and producer Flatlander, traits which become increasingly apparent on tracks such as ‘Houdini’ and ‘Warping’.

Overall, Bottomless Pit is an exceptional return to form, incorporating all the elements of Death Grips’ previous releases whilst resuming the catchy hooks and head-nod inducing beats of Exmilitary and The Money Store. This album rekindled my love for Death Grips and seeing them perform at an insane sold out show in Manchester only furthered this. They are the band I’ve listened to the most out of any artist in 2016 as I’ve revisited their entire discography in addition to playing Bottomless Pit countless times. Although some will say there have been more ground-breaking albums released in 2016, it is this album which I keep coming back to over and over again. I discover new things upon every listen and rarely skip a track if one comes up on shuffle. The success of Death Grips comeback album and the ensuing tours which saw them performing to thousands whilst actually having fun again (the group performed in London in Halloween dressed in full suit attire) is a delightful feat. The group continue to shock and perplex in equal measure and recent social media uploads have seen bizarre imagery posted with no explanation, raising countless questions on what this could “mean”. There’s no doubt we’ll hear something from the prolific and eye-brow raising group but until then, Bottomless Pit, the best album of 2016, will be played continuously.

2016 Honourable Mentions 

 

Strange Days – A Collection of Psychedelia

A list compiling all things psychedelic. Psych rock, pop, neo-psych and its garage rock side.

	Essential Psychedelia Even those unfamiliar with the genre will know of these classics.
	The Doors The Doors (1967)
	Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
	Cream Disraeli Gears (1967)
	The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced (1967)
	Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
	The Zombies Odessey and Oracle (1968)
	The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
	The Beatles Revolver (1966) Certainly has its psychy moments, tomorrow never knows and love you to especially
	The 13th Floor Elevators The Psychedelic Sounds of The 13th Floor Elevators (1966)
	Love Forever Changes (1967)
	The must have Garage-psych compilation
	Various Artists Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era 1965–1968 (1972) [Compilation] This highly influential comp features the best cuts from 60s garage rock and early psych.
	Psychedelic Rock   Psych rock from all eras
	Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band Safe as Milk (1967)
	Syd Barrett The Madcap Laughs (1970)
	Pink Floyd A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
	Pink Floyd Atom Heart Mother (1970)
	The Pretty Things S.F. Sorrow (1968)
	The 13th Floor Elevators Easter Everywhere (1967)
	Silver Apples Silver Apples (1968)
	The Doors Strange Days (1967) Probably their most psychedelic release
	The Doors Waiting for the Sun (1968)
	The Doors L.A. Woman (1971)
	The Jimi Hendrix Experience Axis: Bold as Love (1967)
	The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland (1968)
	Os Mutantes Os Mutantes (1968)
	The United States of America The United States of America (1968)
	Spirit Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus (1970)
	The Black Angels Passover (2006)
	Dr. John, The Night Tripper Gris-Gris (1968)
	Ash Ra Tempel Ash Ra Tempel (1971)
	Amon Düül II Yeti (1970)
	Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield Again (1967)
	Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968)
	Grateful Dead Workingman’s Dead (1970)
	Country Joe & The Fish Electric Music for the Mind and Body (1967)
	Goat World Music (2012) Can meets Fela Kuti
	Goat Commune (2014)
	Radio Moscow Radio Moscow (2007)
	Black Mountain IV (2016)
	Dead Meadow Dead Meadow (2000)
	Comets on Fire Blue Cathedral (2004)
	Wolf People Steeple (2010)
	Holy Wave Relax (2014)
	The Cosmic Dead Psychonaut (2011) [Compilation]
	Earthless Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky (2007)
	Om Advaitic Songs (2012)
	Hookworms Hookworms (2011) [EP]
	Hookworms Pearl Mystic (2013)
	Gnod Chaudelande Volume 1 (2011)
	Boris Smile (2008)
	Boris With Michio Kurihara Rainbow (2006)
	WAND 1000 Days (2015)
	WAND Golem (2015)
	White Hills H-p1 (2011)
	The Underground Youth The Perfect Enemy for God (2013)
	The Psychic Paramount II (2011)
	Ozric Tentacles Jurassic Shift (1993)
	The Who I Can See for Miles / Someone’s Coming (1967) [Single]
	Porcupine Tree Voyage 34: The Complete Trip (2000) [Compilation]
	Psychedelic Pop   Excludes the previously mentioned classics of Sgt. Peppers and Odessey and Oracle
	The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
	The Beach Boys The Smile Sessions (2011)
	The Beach Boys Surf’s Up (1971)
	The Beach Boys Sunflower (1970)
	Panda Bear Person Pitch (2007) Often described as the Pet Sounds of recent times, Person Pitch is an incredible slice of creative psych pop. repeated listens essential.
	Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)
	Panda Bear Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper (2015)
	Panda Bear Tomboy (2011)
	The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
	The Millennium Begin (1968)
	The Byrds Younger Than Yesterday (1967)
	XTC Skylarking (1986)
	Kaleidoscope Tangerine Dream (1967) Incredibly whimsical, just give the last track a listen and you’ll see what I mean
	The Left Banke Walk Away Renée / Pretty Ballerina (1967)
	The Dukes of Stratosphear 25 O’Clock (1985) [EP]
	Foxygen We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic (2013)
	Atlas Sound Logos (2009)
	Jacco Gardner Cabinet of Curiosities (2013)
	Circulatory System Circulatory System (2001)
	The Olivia Tremor Control Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume 1 (1999)
	of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? (2007)
	of Montreal Satanic Panic in the Attic (2004)
	of Montreal The Gay Parade (1999)
	U.S. Girls Half Free (2015)
	Yeasayer All Hour Cymbals (2007)
	Caribou Andorra (2007)
	Connan Mockasin Forever Dolphin Love (2011)
	MGMT Congratulations (2010)
	Mac DeMarco Salad Days (2014)
	Dumbo Gets Mad Elephants at the Door (2011)
	Unknown Mortal Orchestra II (2013)
	Unknown Mortal Orchestra Multi-Love (2015)
	Tame Impala Currents (2015)
	The Silents Things to Learn (2008)
	Ariel Pink Pom Pom (2014)
	Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti Before Today (2010)
	Neo-Psychedelia
	Spacemen 3 The Perfect Prescription (1987) Absolutely essential, much better than anything Spiritualized have done imo
	Spacemen 3 Sound of Confusion (1986)
	Spacemen 3 Playing With Fire (1989)
	Primal Scream Screamadelica (1991)
	Boredoms Vision Creation Newsun (1999)
	Mercury Rev Deserter’s Songs (1998)
	Mercury Rev Yerself Is Steam (1991)
	Loop Heaven’s End (1987)
	The Brian Jonestown Massacre Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective (2004) [Compilation]
	The Brian Jonestown Massacre Their Satanic Majesties’ Second Request (1996)
	The Brian Jonestown Massacre Take It From the Man! (1996)
	The Brian Jonestown Massacre Bravery, Repetition and Noise (2001)
	The Brian Jonestown Massacre Methodrone (1995)
	Ween The Mollusk (1997)
	Julian Cope Fried (1984)
	Tame Impala Lonerism (2012)
	Tame Impala Innerspeaker (2010)
	Tame Impala Tame Impala (2008) [EP]
	Wooden Shjips Wooden Shjips (2007)
	The Apples in Stereo Fun Trick Noisemaker (1995)
	Gang Gang Dance Saint Dymphna (2008)
	Super Furry Animals Rings Around the World (2001)
	Super Furry Animals Radiator (1997)
	Animal Collective Strawberry Jam (2007)
	Animal Collective Fall Be Kind (2009) [EP]
	Animal Collective Feels (2005)
	Avey Tare and Panda Bear Spirit They’re Gone Spirit They’ve Vanished (2000)
	Deakin Sleep Cycle (2016)
	TOY Join the Dots (2013)
	The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
	The Flaming Lips Clouds Taste Metallic (1995)
	The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin (1999)
	Candy Claws Ceres & Calypso in the Deep Time (2013)
	The Soundcarriers Entropicalia (2014)
	Dungen Ta det lugnt (2004)
	Warpaint The Fool (2010)
	The Dream Syndicate The Days of Wine and Roses (1982)
	Deerhunter Microcastle / Weird Era Continued (2008)
	Deerhunter Halcyon Digest (2010)
	Lotus Plaza Spooky Action at a Distance (2012)
	Forest Swords Dagger Paths (2010) [EP]
	Gang Gang Dance Eye Contact (2011)
	Grizzly Bear Shields (2012)
	The Horrors Skying (2011)
	John Maus We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves (2011)
	Pond Beard, Wives, Denim (2012)
	Pond Frond (2010)
	Quilt Held in Splendor (2014)
	Mazzy Star So Tonight That I Might See (1993)
	Melody’s Echo Chamber Melody’s Echo Chamber (2012)
	Fuck Buttons Tarot Sport (2009)

	Spiritualized® Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (1997)
	Black Dice Beaches and Canyons (2002)
	Garage Psych
	The Seeds The Seeds (1966)
	The Fuzztones Lysergic Emanations (1985)
	Blues Magoos Psychedelic Lollipop (1966)
	Ty Segall Manipulator (2014)
	Ty Segall Goodbye Bread (2011)
	Ty Segall & White Fence Hair (2012)
	King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard I’m in Your Mind Fuzz (2014)
	King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Quarters! (2015)
	King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Nonagon Infinity (2016)
	The Wytches Annabel Dream Reader (2014)
	Thee Oh Sees Mutilator Defeated at Last (2015) Sticky Hulks tho
	Thee Oh Sees Carrion Crawler / The Dream EP (2011)
	Thee Oh Sees Floating Coffin (2013)
	Black Rebel Motorcycle Club B.R.M.C. (2001)
	Black Lips Arabia Mountain (2011)
	Allah-Las Allah Las (2012)
	Heavy Psych
	Blue Cheer Vincebus Eruptum (1968)
	Baroness Yellow & Green (2012)
	Captain Beyond Captain Beyond (1972)
	Flower Travellin’ Band Satori (1971)
	Leaf Hound Growers of Mushroom (1971)
	Fuzz Fuzz (2013)
	T2 It’ll All Work Out in Boomland (1970)
	Psychedelic Folk
	Comus First Utterance (1971)
	Donovan Sunshine Superman (1966)
	King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (2015) Sounds like Nick Drake if he dropped a few tabs during the Bryter Layter sessions
	Sun City Girls Torch of the Mystics (1990)
	Linda Perhacs Parallelograms (1970)
	Animal Collective Sung Tongs (2004)
	Animal Collective & Vashti Bunyan Prospect Hummer (2005) [EP]
	Espers The Weed Tree (2005)
	Storm Corrosion Storm Corrosion (2012)
	Grizzly Bear Veckatimest (2009)
	Ty Segall Sleeper (2013)
	More Cuts   These just have enough psych to make it onto the spectrum
	Can Ege Bamyasi (1972)
	Santana Abraxas (1970)
	Fishmans Long Season (1996)
	Funkadelic Maggot Brain (1971)
	Pink Floyd Meddle (1971)
	Edan Beauty and the Beat (2005)
	The Avalanches Wildflower (2016)
	Quasimoto The Unseen (2000) Apparently Madlib was on shrooms for most of the recording of this
	Tobacco Fucked Up Friends (2008)
	DIIV Oshin (2012)
	The Byrds The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968)
	Alice Coltrane featuring Pharoah Sanders Journey in Satchidananda (1971)
	Pharoah Sanders Karma (1969)
	Sun Ra Lanquidity (1978)
	D.D Dumbo D.D Dumbo (2013) [EP]
	LSD and the Search for God LSD and the Search for God (2007) [EP]
	The Brian Jonestown Massacre Thank God for Mental Illness (1996)
	The Brian Jonestown Massacre Aufheben (2012)
	The Brian Jonestown Massacre Bringing It All Back Home Again (1999) [EP]
	The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965)
	The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
	The Stone Roses The Stone Roses (1989)
	The Stone Roses Fools Gold (1989) [Single]
	Kurt Vile Wakin on a Pretty Daze (2013)
	Mastodon Crack the Skye (2009)
	Earth Hex; or Printing in the Infernal Method (2005)
	Ghost If You Have Ghost (2013) [EP]
	Meat Puppets Meat Puppets II (1984)
	Tool Lateralus (2001)
	Holy Fuck LP (2007)
	Various Artists The Reverb Conspiracy Volume One (2012) [Compilation]
	Voivod Astronomy Domine (1989) [Single]
	Ufomammut Idolum (2008) Floyd meets Electric Wizard
	Morbus Chron Sweven (2014)
	Gasp Drome Triler of Puzzle Zoo People (1998) Psychedelic powerviolence…
	Psychedelic Black Metal
	Sigh Imaginary Sonicscape (2001)
	Hail Spirit Noir Pneuma (2012)
	Nachtmystium Assassins – Black Meddle Part I (2008)
	Oranssi Pazuzu Värähtelijä (2016)
	Aluk Todolo Occult Rock (2012)

 

Cheers for reading!

2015 Albums of the Year

2015, the year that may be remembered for: a horrific shooting at a music venue which shocked the world, Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen becoming “cool”, an N.W.A. biopic appearing in our cinemas accompanied with Dr. Dre releasing an album after nearly 15 years, Ryan Adams covering Taylor Swift’s 1989 in full and “bubblegum bass” becoming an Internet spawned genre alongside witch house, vaporwave and seapunk. 2015 was a good year for music releases, but unfortunately I couldn’t get into many of the hyped albums so my opinion of the year as a whole will only amount to “great”. There were some fine moments here and there so here are my picks of the albums I enjoyed.

35. Mutoid Man – Bleeder

Hyperactive stoner rock group Mutoid Man released one of the funnest albums of the year with Bleeder. Stephen Brodsky (Cave In) and Ben Koller (namely Converge) play riff after riff of breakneck, groovy yet off kilter rock that doesn’t grow tiresome or outstay its welcome. Don’t pass on this one, especially if you enjoy both the technical and pop sharpness of sludge/stoner groups such as Mastodon, Torche, Baroness and if you’re a fan of Koller’s Doomriders work.

34. Lil Ugly Mane – Third Side of Tape

Third Side of Tape is the assembly of Lil Ugly Mane’s various songs into a continuous compilation mixtape. Genre wise, it can be best described as experimental hip-hop but it encompasses snippets from every genre imaginable (including black metal, punk, techno, industrial and so on…) into some form of lo-fi, mostly instrumental hip-hop piece. Third Side of the Tape highlights Lil Ugly Mane’s competence as a musician and not just a hyped internet trend.

33. Action Bronson – Mr. Wonderful

Action Bronson’s major label inauguration Mr. Wonderful wasn’t as acclaimed as his other material, but I’m not sure why. Sure, it’s slightly poppier and it doesn’t match the brilliant Dr. Lecter and Blue Chips mixtapes, but the soulful, east coast sounding beats and the usual attentions to food and a racketeer lifestyle are still present. Perhaps people were expecting something a bit harder edged from Bronson but I appreciate the new aspects of sound such as the expressive guitar sampling and the crossover appeal, especially in ‘Baby Blue’, one of the songs of the year for sure.

32. Monolord – Vænir

If you’re looking for dense and heavy doom metal with flourishes of stoner rock and psychedelia, then go no further; Monolord’s Vænir is the one for you. I reviewed it in full here, so feel free to check out a detailed account of it.

31. Ghost – Meliora

Meliora is a dramatic, sinister and excellently produced album from Swedish occult hard rock band Ghost. It’s theatrical, but that’s the point of Ghost’s music, only adding to the enjoyment. The sound is less doomy yet more seventies progressive rock influenced, whilst retaining the heavy psych of groups such as Blue Öyster Cult. I’ve only previously liked Ghost a bit and respected them as live performers but Meliora has definitely turned me into a fan.

30. Protomartyr – The Agent Intellect

Just over a decade ago, briefly relevant, pop-centric landfill groups became part of the make-up of indie rock in the genres now referred to as the post-punk and garage rock revivals. Thankfully, 2015 has seen a return of artier, boundary pushing post-punk groups like Viet Cong, Ought and Protomartyr, who have all achieved prodigious acclaim by making memorable art punk, all with a unique twist. The Agent Intellect is discordant, bleak and sincere, qualities directed by vocalist Joe Casey.

29. Tempel – The Moon Lit Our Path

Tempel are an Arizona two-piece who make music just as compelling as their album art, specialising in instrumental compositions influenced by post, sludge and black metal with a progressive flourish. Instead of pandering to the usual crescendo-core principles of this variety of music, they create vivid riffs, genre hop fluidly, add folky acoustic elements and make their solos shine with pretence-free creativity. The Moon Lit Our Path is one of the biggest surprise of 2015 and hopefully Tempel will gain more recognition for their work in the future.

 28. BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah – Sour Soul

With BADBADNOTGOOD being my favourite modern jazz group and Ghostface Killah being one of my favourite rappers of all time, I was expecting great things from this album and hoping it would be a classic upon its release, especially as the singles ‘Gunshowers’ and ‘Six Degrees’ were perfect. I was expecting another Madvillainy sort of record, but unfortunately it didn’t match that greatness. Ghostface seems lethargic and his lyrics are rarely clever; BBNG’s performance far outweighs him throughout. Needless to say, it is at times a great album with excellent beats and instrumental parts, it was just a shame it was inconsistent and lacked chemistry.

 27. Turnover – Peripheral Vision

Peripheral Vision is such a step up from Turnover’s previous work, owing to new directions in sound which are heavily indebted to dream pop and late eighties indie rock. Unlike Title Fight, who recently traded their song-writing chops for a more “mature sound”, Turnover improve and fit more comfortably in this style, creating a pleasant, dreamy, wistful and most importantly, an enjoyable album.

26. Windhand – Grief’s Infernal Flower

On Grief’s Infernal Flower, the vocals ascend over the thick, ominous riffs to create doom metal with a notable difference. The record is brooding rather than simply being an impenetrable wall of fuzzy noise like their Electric Wizard influenced previous work, with Dorthia Cottrell’s assorted array of mood inducing vocals being the key element. Sure, it has its fill of irresistible stoner riffs such as in the oddly syncopated ‘Hyperion’ and the elongated double strokes of ‘Hesperus’ and ‘Kingfisher’, but folk moments such as ‘Sparrow’ and ‘Aition’ bring mood to the forefront.

26. Czarface – Every Hero Needs A Villain

Following in the footsteps of the superhero narrative of MF DOOM, hip-hop triple threat Czarface (consisting of Inspectah Deck, 7L and Esoteric) deliver an enjoyable sophomore album of futuristic yet soulful beats, clever wordplay and humorous comic book samples. It’s like the Wu-Tang Clan mixed with DOOM and it’s the best Wu-Tang record since, well, the last Czarface album; surprising considering Inspectah Deck is never held in as high regard as fellow Wu-Tang members Ghostface Killah, Raekwon or the GZA. ‘Escape From Czarkham Asylum’ is a mini comic book story in itself, few rap tracks that length can match its magnitude.

24. Kadavar – Berlin

The album title and art, song titles and choice of cover immediately scream ‘art rock’, invoking thoughts of the urbane capital, The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed (who has a classic album of the same name), Nico (who Kadaver cover on the final track) and Warhol’s iconic banana. Berlin, however shuns art rock pretentions in favour of forthright hard rock. In 2012, Kadavar released their self-titled debut of almost lo-fi stoner rock with its primal, retro-rock production. In Berlin however, the riffs sound bigger and bassier thanks to adopting a contemporary producing approach whilst still retaining that crucial “live” sound. The album, despite overflowing with riffs and sounding unashamedly 70s hard rock, remains fresh and diverse enough to keep it stimulating.

23. Sleaford Mods – Key Markets

2015 was a great year for Sleaford Mods, performing in front of thousands at Glastonbury, getting mainstream radio play, selling out Nottingham’s Rock City, gaining high profile support slots for numerous bands and releasing the acclaimed album Key Markets. Not bad for a duo consisting of a bloke with a laptop and an acid tongued frontman whose vocals verge on spoken word poetry. The last time I heard Sleaford Mods was in 2013 when they released Austerity Dogs which I wasn’t too impressed with. Key Markets is an improvement on all fronts: better beats, more memorable basslines and sharper lyrics. They expand and advance their simple formula of minimal beats and vocals and show how far they can run with it.

 22. Milo – so the flies don’t come

Milo’s sophomore album is the first time I’ve listened to him and I’m definitely thinking it’s the best hip-hop album of the year. Milo’s nerdy, nonfigurative and almost philosophical lyrics are delivered through his inventive flow above imaginative jazzy beats. An example of these traits can be heard in the pops and crackles which imitate a record player on ‘An Encyclopedia’ or the string section sample on ‘Going No Place’. If you’re a fan of the more leftfield side of hip-hop, don’t let this one go under your radar. On a side note, that album art is unreal, definitely the best looking of 2015.

21. MAKE – The Golden Veil

Similarly to Tempel, MAKE’s The Golden Veil is a post-metal album with a difference, and both didn’t get the widespread acclaim they deserved. Their eclectic influences, including some of my favourite bands such as Spacemen 3, guide them to creating mood inducing music which navigates through dense heaviness and dreamy atmosphere.

Reviewed in full here.

20. High on Fire – Luminiferous

High on Fire return with their ferocious take on extreme music, reveling in a heavy hybrid of dense stoner and doom metal with the breakneck speed of thrash. Luminiferous, like other High on Fire albums, keeps to their template whilst adding minor differences in sound such as the harmonious bass introduction and sitar-like guitars on ‘The Cave’, the gang vocals on ‘Slave the Hive’ and driving melodic vocals on ‘The Falconist’.  Another great album from these guys, however I really hope Matt Pike brings out some new Sleep material next year.

19. Girlpool – Before the World Was Big

Mellow, twee as hell indie pop from duo Girlpool. It’s hard to pin them down stylistically; they only feature electric guitar and bass instrumentation and even with a lot of vocal harmonies, it would be wrong to describe them as similar to Simon & Garfunkel. Either way, Before the World Was Big is a warm, short and sweetly satisfying album from a group making original pop music.

18. Jeff Rosenstock – We Cool?

Jeff Rosenstock’s debut album We Cool? is a testament to youthfulness: anxious energy, getting drunk, graduating, sleeping on sofas, suburban life, the monotony and boredoms of maturity and adulthood, moving out, house parties, drinking alone, self-reflection, comparing yourself in a lackluster fashion to friends, getting more drunk etc etc. The music is lively, fun and angst ridden yet Jeff is reflective and serious, wearing his heart on his sleeve and thinking of the would haves/could haves that have shaped his life.

 17. Floating Points – Elaenia

The first time even hearing about Floating Points was seeing the glowing acclaim for this album, I’d never heard the name before but apparently he’s been making waves in several electronic dance subgenres such as UK bass, deep house and garage. This album is completely different to those genres, instead Floating Points (aka Sam Shepherd) creates music more suited for the home than the dancefloor, seamlessly combining electronic and jazzy sounds in an ambient and progressive nature. The suite ‘Silhouettes (I, II & III)’ are reminiscent of the modern jazz of Amon Tobin and St Germain, ‘Argent?’ and ‘Thin Air’ will throw you off guard with their clever volume shift and the concluding track ‘Peroration Six’ seamlessly combines glitzy live jazz drumming with industrial clamour. Elaenia cements Floating Points ability as both a skilful album arranger and a brilliant club DJ.

 16. Viet Cong – Viet Cong

2015 has been a year of highs and lows for post-punkers Viet Cong. They gained acclaim for their debut self-titled album yet were met with controversy and protests due to their band name being deemed offensive. Sure, you could compare them to numerous other post-punk bands, but when making this type of music in 2015 you’re hardly going to be creating anything entirely original. Instead Viet Cong craft an album appreciative of experimental rock, post-punk, industrial and art rock bands, taking snippets of each and creating a collage of mesmerising, cold, murky, detached and gratifying music.

15. Blanck Mass – Dumb Flesh

Noisy, heavy and dense are all adjectives that could perfectly describe Fuck Buttons member Blanck Mass’ sophomore album but Dumb Flesh will appeal to fans of IDM, techno and industrial. It pounds with 4/4 repetitive club techno yet screams with the noise and darkness of a John Carpenter soundtrack. ‘Dead Format’ is an incredible song that jumps straight into hammering rhythms, ‘No Lite’ saunters with repetitive drum machines and the layers of sound to ‘Atrophies’ are mesmerising. This was definitely the biggest surprise of the year for me and seeing him perform live (I say “seeing” but there was so much smoke in the festival tent you could barely decipher an outline) was an incredible and overwhelming experience.

 14. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Quarters and Paper Mâché Dream Balloon

Quarters structure and layout of four songs of equal length (ten minutes ten seconds each) with entirely different concepts for each makes it the most ambitious album of the year. It’s highly 60s inspired psychedelic rock with jazz-rock and Latin influences. It has the conceptual set up and sounds of progressive rock yet its lo-fi recording is more akin to their garage rock roots. Opener ‘The River’ sounds like Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take Five’ being performed by Santana, ‘God is in the Rhythm’ sounds like the best song Unknown Mortal Orchestra they never wrote and ‘Lonely Sheet Flyer’ has a free and vague feel to it.

Paper Mâché Dream Balloon is entirely different, it mostly consists of psychedelic pop by means of folk instrumentation (including prominent flutes), with most songs clocking in at under three minutes. Like the title and album art suggests, it’s a cartoonist and playful trip into hippie style psych, at times it even sounds like an optimistic Nick Drake. Again, it’s really great to see bands that can deliver albums within the space of a few months whilst keeping ideas fresh and diverse.

 13. Deafheaven – New Bermuda

Sunbather; with its constantly imitated iconic cover and indie crossover appeal was Deafheaven’s Unknown Pleasures. New Bermuda however is their Closer. It’s darker, heavier, grittier and may not appeal to fans who enjoyed the clearer shoegaze with black metal hybrid of their previous album. ‘Brought To Water’ sets out the climate for the entire record, with ringing church bells trailed by Immortal-esque riffs, then chugging thrash paired with the emergence of increased malevolence of George Clarke’s vocals. Elsewhere, there is overwhelming persisting aggression, swirling chords and bends, Mogwai inspired clean instrumentals (such as in ‘Baby Blue’), classic metal style guitar solos (‘Come Back’), chiming percussive intricacies (heard in the ride cymbal hits of ‘Luna’) and dynamic paradoxes in heaviness (‘Gifts For The Earth’). The ideas are more straightforward and more cleverly executed, it’s welcoming that they didn’t opt for a Sunbather part two.

 12. WAND – Golem and 1000 Days

It’s so refreshing to see the prolific nature of certain bands these days, especially the new wave of garage/psychedelic rock bands. You start to wonder if the likes of Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees and the already mentioned King Gizzard are even alive if they haven’t released an album that year. Golem blew my mind upon first listen due to its heavier take on psychedelia; it verges on doom or sludge metal in parts as a lot of it is very heavily Black Sabbath and Melvins inspired.

Its successor 1000 Days, was released a mere 6 months after confirms they aren’t ones to repeat the same trick twice, offering a calmer record with psychedelic pop sensibilities. Both are equally great albums, but for entirely different reasons.

 11. Ought – Sun Coming Down

Canadian post-punkers Ought return with a noisier, aggressive follow up to their impressive debut More Than Any Other Day. The vocals are slurred and in your face, even when they revolve around seemingly menial things, reminiscent of the cynical ramblings of The Fall’s Mark E. Smith. The instrumentation backs away from the clean, sparkling guitar tendencies of early new wave/post punk groups and clear Ought influencers Television and the Talking Heads and instead sees the band taking a more novel, raucous approach with noisy and discordant guitars, showing Ought are becoming their own band and not just an enjoyable assembly of pronounced influences.

10. Tame Impala – Currents

I have many different conflicting views on this album. I could say a lot of negative things about Currents: for example it’s a huge step down in quality from Lonerism, it’s inconsistent, some of the ideas aren’t fully formed and it can be really tacky at times, however it is still a great album for many reasons. The production is perfect and the non-filler songs really are special. ‘Yes I’m Changing’ is gorgeous, ‘Eventually’ is dreamily danceable and ‘The Less I Know The Better’ has one of the funkiest basslines ever. Tame Impala changed their sound from a psychedelic rock/pop band to genres more closely resembling synth-pop, funk, R&B, dream pop and even vaporwave, with clear influences from Ariel Pink, Air and Prince. It’s great to see a band changing their sonic identity with each release (compare this to their first Cream influenced EP) and even though I loved Lonerism, I’m glad it isn’t a direct sequel to it. This isn’t quite “their Kid A” but Tame Impala will keep their fan base intrigued by mixing varying their sound for as long as they exist.

9. Julia Holter – Have You In My Wilderness

Julia Holter’s work is acknowledged as coming from the genre known as “art pop”. Pop is an imprecise description for Have You In My Wilderness, which sees Holter writing lush, elegant songs with an experimental flair that sound brilliant as both individual pieces and as a collective. Certain songs such as ‘Vasquez’ have a jazz feel about them, whereas others are sparse and melancholic like ‘Betsy on the Roof’. Julia’s voice is subtle and refined, never overhauling the graceful orchestrated instrumentation, which range from cellos and viola to Charles Mingus like double bass refrains. The first time I’ve listened to Holter, I’ll be sure to check out her prior work. She has created an album simultaneously diverse and cohesive, offering a unique take on being a songwriter and pop musician.

 8. Joanna Newsom – Divers

The half-decade wait from 2010s triple album Have One On Me was finally over when celebrated harp virtuoso Joanna Newsom released Divers late this year, achieving elated acclaim (let’s be honest, she isn’t going to release anything that won’t be deservedly praised). Thankfully, this is under half the length of Have One On Me which although loved by fans, overwhelmed more casual listeners like myself.  Length and structure wise, this is comparable to her debut, The Milk Eyed Mender, my personal favourite album of Joanna’s. This is Newsom at her utmost orchestrated and percussive, with most tracks heavily featuring performances from a variety of baroque-era instruments, in addition to contributions from Prague’s Philharmonic Orchestra. Out of all the albums this year that have attracted mass praise (often unjustly), Divers is the album that justifies it the most.

7. Thee Oh Sees – Mutilator Defeated at Last

It isn’t often a song comes on the radio that stops me in my tracks, making me listen intently to the DJ announcing who it was by. In this case (and to my disbelief) it was Thee Oh Sees’ ‘Sticky Hulks’, a grand, psychedelic piece with chirping guitars, hushed singing and swirling organs that will make you think of The Doors at their finest. It surprised me as it was worlds apart from the noisy garage punk of their earlier work and their last effort Floating Coffin. Ever prolific, they released their sixteenth album this year and it makes me want to immerse myself into every single one of those sixteen. It features hallucinogenic mellowness, noisy garage rock, twisted vocals and fantastic rhythm performances in its entirety. Thee Oh Sees are less raucous on Mutilator Defeated at Last but this in turn makes them more refined and allows them to showcase their more suited psychedelic side.

6. Jamie xx – In Colour

In Colour seems part appropriation of the UK underground dance music scene, part post-club soundtrack. It ranges from the UK bass of ‘Gosh’ and ‘Girl’ to the gentler tracks like ‘Loud Places’ and those such as ‘SeeSaw’ which could suit either context. At its heart, In Colour is a dance record featuring sounds from house, downtempo and future garage yet they echo with subtleness, emotion, steady pace and various layers. It feels like a homage to performing and attending clubs and raves: glitzy eyed, united audience members and passionate connections to venues and their resonances perfectly fit In Colour’s narrative. The conflicting sounds make you wonder if Jamie xx wanted to create a record to dance to or an IDM/trip-hop-like album for those on a descent from post-club sobriety. Despite the contradictory position of In Colour, it is an excellent album and as I could never appreciate any of the XX’s work, it surprisingly became one of my favourites of the year.

 5. Baroness – Purple

It’s been an eventful few years for Baroness since the release of their excellent 2012 double album Yellow & Green: a near fatal tour bus accident left nine crew and band members seriously injured, leading to two band members leaving and the remaining two having to undergo massive reconstructive surgical procedures and physical therapy which meant re-learning their instruments. Instead of calling it quits, they went back on tour as soon as physically possible, recruited a new rhythm section (Nick Jost and Sebastian Thompson) and recorded the excellent Purple. On their fourth album, they effortlessly match the melodic mellowness of Yellow & Green with the ferocity of Blue and Red, whilst offering a new flair of progressive and psychedelic rock (possibly due to the production influence of long time Flaming Lips producer and Tame Impala mixer Dave Fridmann). From the razor sharp riffs of ‘Kerosene’, elevated melodicism of ‘Chlorine and Wine’ and ‘Shock Me’ through to the rhythmically peculiar ‘Desperation Burns’, Purple is characterised by soaring choruses and exceptional metal song-writing that feels entirely positive.

 4. Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love

Most re-unions in music are usually suspicious cash grabbing schemes, however Sleater-Kinney returned after a ten year hiatus (for the second time now) and gave us the brilliant No Cities to Love. The noise and classic rock sounds of previous album The Woods are gone and instead, Sleater-Kinney opt for their signature blend of the angular sharpness of post-punk, the energy of punk, riot grrrl and hardcore, the twin guitars of rock and the melodicism of indie. No Cities to Love is the poppier parallel to their classic record Dig Me Out, racing through amazingly catchy yet destructive songs with highly original musicianship (not even Iron Maiden or Thin Lizzy can match the strength of vocal and guitar interplay of Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein). 2015 will be the year Sleater-Kinney will be remembered for schooling everyone on how to correctly execute a re-union; making a great album, performing sold out and critically acclaimed live shows whilst enjoying every minute of it in the process.

3. Uncle Acid – The Night Creeper

Uncle Acid return with their fourth album and once again, the distinct retro production, psychedelic tinged stoner/doom metal instrumentation and helium vocals are as present as ever. Another conceptual effort, the story is based on a fictional urban folk devil who indulges in stalking and murder, the perfect narrative to accompany Uncle Acid’s grimy music. The band build and improve on the sound created on Mind Control with some key elements of evolution to their sound; such as the instrumental ‘Yellow Moon’, the garage rock trudge of ‘Inside’ and the cinematic epic closer ‘Slow Death’. This is definitely not to be missed by any fans of the more traditional side of doom metal, yet it can appeal to any fan of stoner rock. The album transports the listener straight into a psychotic, depraved and bizarre noir film; they dropped the Deadbeats moniker but deliver an album which is simultaneously diverse, murky and intriguing.

2. Kurt Vile – b’lieve i’m goin down…

OK, so everything about the album art and title is hilarious. Kurt Vile sits there clutching his resonator guitar with a cheeky smirk on his face and above him is some scribbled text (complete with a star to dot the “i”) that would look more suitable on a Year 8 girl’s pencil case. Apart from all that though, this is a great slow burner of an album and my favourite of Vile’s and easily one of my most listened to of 2015. It’s relaxed folk for slackers, like Neil Young or even Dinosaur Jr. with the fuzz pedals turned off. Vile elaborates upon in his life in a carefree manner in his Philadelphia twang over fingerpicked guitar stylings where this time around the psychedelic reminiscent reverb is toned down in favour of a more folk rock and Americana approach.  Also, ‘Pretty Pimpin’ with its seemingly simple lyrics is not only the best album opener this year, it’s the best song/single by far.

So, here’s number 1…

Panda Bear – Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper

If you had told me at the start of 2015 that a member of Animal Collective’s album would be my favourite of the year, I would have burst out laughing with disbelief. After picking Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper up on double-LP for the bargain price of £7 and playing it around four times that week, I had a complete U-turn in opinion for the work of Panda Bear and Animal Collective as a whole and now enjoy a great deal of their discographies, especially this one.

Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper at its core is a psychedelic album, albeit with a very modern approach. It is vastly different to psychedelic rock as it features no guitar instrumentation, instead Panda Bear (real name Noah Lennox) takes an electronic approach; utilising synthesisers, keyboards, drum machines and moogs to create a dense, layered, echoing and breezily vibrant sound. Most importantly, Noah’s vocals lead the music. They harmonise themselves in characteristic falsetto with vocal jigsaws which have brought about numerous comparisons to The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson.

Noah wanted to create an album with a more positive and ‘busier’ sound than his previous record, Tomboy but both feature the production of Spacemen 3 mastermind Peter Kember (aka Sonic Boom). Structurally, it is similar to Tomboy yet in sound it resembles Person Pitch in its summery take on psychedelic pop, possibly due to the subconscious influence of the climate in Panda’s Lisbon residence. There is a distinct dub sound, with snare echoes and groove-emphasised atmosphere, made all the more clearer by the fact that the album’s title is a homage to King Tubby and Augustus Pablo’s classic King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown. Along with dub reggae, hip-hop is a crucial influence to the sonic template. Whether it be the jazzy boom-bap of nineties groups such as Gang Starr, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth and A Tribe Called Quest or the choppy skew of J Dilla influenced production, the percussion is formed into minimalist beats that become the pillar of the record.  Lyrically, Panda Bear deals with topics of the unknown: fatherhood, middle age and issues seldom discussed in society such as diagnosis, death and grief.

The songs work exceptionally well as stand-alone pieces of music but despite the fluctuations in sound and four clear “acts” emerging, …Meets the Grim Reaper comes together remarkably as a whole. In particular, ‘Mr Noah’ features whimpering dog samples, over the top of squelching synths and a brilliant descending vocal hook, ‘Boys Latin’ sees Panda performing a choral call-and-response with himself, ‘Principe Real’ showcases acid house rhythms made with exaggerated hand-claps and shuffling hip-hop beats characterise ‘Crosswords’ and ‘Come To Your Senses’. The centerpiece of the album are the tracks of ‘Tropic of Cancer’ and ‘Lonely Wanderer’, which form a beautiful suite which deviate from the electronic sounds that illustrate the majority of the album. On ‘Tropic of Cancer’, harp samples from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet suite are looped whilst Panda gives his finest vocal performance to date, singing with stunning heightened emotion which deliberates upon the frustrations of his fathers’ cancer diagnosis. ‘Lonely Wanderer’ similarly features gorgeous looping techniques, yet conversely uses trickling piano samples from Claude DeBussy’s classical composition ‘Arabesque No. 1’ that descend into murkier territories with the juxtaposition of warped keyboard oscillations.

So there you have it, Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper is my favourite album of the year, and by quite a longshot as well. Sure it’s not as out-there or as ground-breaking and best of the 2000s contender Person Pitch, but its more straightforward song-writing approach turned me into a big fan of Panda and his band. The EPs ‘Crosswords’ and ‘Mr Noah’ which both preceded and followed are also pretty great, serving as worthy accompaniments. The only criticism I can have is minor; the album art isn’t that great but it does support the over-the-top, colourful nature of its content. I would still have preferred the booklet art (featured below), though.

• Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper was released on Domino Records worldwide on January 9^th, 2015
• Mini-documentary on the making of the album
• Panda Bear Boiler Room set