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Good lord, did we collectively survive another year, or have we transitioned on to another metaphysical plane that would appear to harbor the same ridiculous proclivities and neurosis (not capital "N" Neurosis...that would be awesome) as the previous? Is time a flat circle, a social construct we have all bought into and based our arithmetic systems upon, or simply a yawning void of infinite darkness upon which we happened to share this cosmic blip? Does it matter? How many records SHOULD be included on a "Best Of" list?
Well, like each preceding year, I never really remember how I did this thing the year prior, so I have to just kind of arbitrarily stop counting records at some point in order to manage this tedium. Looking back at old posts, I seem to be hovering around a Top 30 or Top 35 from year to year, so that seems fair. Plenty of great and worthy artistic endeavors will be left on the proverbial cutting room floor, but chances are, few will notice. But it's worth noticing that people, against all odds (financial and otherwise), continue to assemble music together in a somewhat Sisyphean effort to have that music heard and hopefully appreciated by others. And that's the point of these lists we (I...it's still just me), to recognize the people willing to put it on the line and do the hard work of creating art out of thin air. So to those who are making music, those who are trying, and those who champion the efforts, we (I) salute you. Thank you.
As always, the caveat is the same, "yes, I know I forgot something...I know I have predictable and disturbingly immature tastes...and yeah, I didn't hear your record." I apologize, sort of, but I also pat myself on the back for listening to more music over the course of a day than my family, friends, or employer would like for me to.
To offer some brevity, this year I am attempting to use the Japanese Tanka style of poetry which limits the piece to 31 syllables in a three or five line form. I am not a strong writer to begin with, and most certainly not a poet (I know it. [pretty good one, right?]), so lets see together how this works.
Here we go; some really really great music for you to explore.
65. Zahn - Zahn
A shimmering, swelling, approach to post-rock
Everything moves forward all the time
But there are no vocals, if that's a prob
64. Shame - Drunk Tank Pink
Post-punk jittery brilliance
All tense and taut and fraying at the edges
I shouldn't even need to tell you they are English
63.Wanderer - Liberation From A Brutalist Existence
Hey, remember that time you fell down the stairs,
And you rolled around clutching your injuries?
Someone wrote a soundtrack to that time.
62. Stilts - Dimwit On The Loose
This does everything you need it to do
And it's Finnish to boot
Let me know if you find better noise rock from there this year
61. Kowloon Walled City - Piecework
At first listen this didn't do much
But the album reveals itself slowly
Over time I imagine this will grown on me.
60. FACS - Present Tense
Building a temple of menacing dread
From layered scrapings of discarded disappointments
The dead, fouled heart of Chicago.
59. Capra - In Transmission
Real deal abrasive attack
Never lets off the gas
You can hear the South baked into their caustic abuse: hardcore, sludge, metal
58. Philary - Uh-Oh It's Me
A lot of noise and variation from a one man band
Lo-fi, but hi-quality
From wild to mild and back again. Again
57. Lice - Wasteland: What Ails Our People Is Clear
Ordinarily "concept album" makes me flaccid.
This one has intrigued my dander thusly
What does this mean, should I worry?
56. Dug - 35:35
Tripped up, doomed out, fucked for sure.
Guide yourself through the pulsing dark star.
No guarantee for safe return from this journey past your mind
55. Suspects - It's Just You And Me Now
You should read the backstory on this one
It's much longer than I could convey via short form poetry
Music worth it too.
54. Rid Of Me - Traveling
So does vision.
This band has executed on a fully formed understanding of these two truths.
Two great tastes that go great together
53. Terminal Bliss - Brute Err/ata
Dudes who were in good bands before
Paying homage to good bands who came before that
Hardcore that bleeds out in the red the whole time
52. T-Tops - Staring At A Static Screen
No frills
And I'm telling you, the last thing you want right now is frills
This is straight up, noise rock punk, heavy on the rocking pieces
51. Demons - Privation
Prolonged exposure may result in grimacing
Punching holes in walls
Continued hatred and contempt of our shared condition
50. Brain Cave - Log World
Sounds like having a burlap sack placed over your head
And then your friend's father berates you at a high volume.
What did you do?!
49. Luggage - Happiness
They pride themselves on stark reductiveness
Boiling the bloat out to render the purest forms
"Fear" is one of the best songs you'll hear
48. Show Me The Body - Survive
Cold, shaded by industrial bellows
This is legitimate darkness from the most expensive dirt pile on earth.
Three songs tho.
47. GG King - Remain Intact
Greg King just has a knack for squeezing good times
Out of tried and true punk rock
Always excited to hear what he is doing next.
46. Sun Organ - Portal
Lysergic shoegaze rock
I think someone's thumb is on the record
Slowing it down and giving it a magnificent warble
45. Rebreather - The Line, The Width, and The War Drone
Honk if you knew Rebreather were still putting out records.
Honk if you're as stoked as me to find out.
Points for album title
44. Chain Gang Grave - Cement Mind
All kinds of fucked
Filthy and feral
Too damaged to be called hardcore, too desperate to be called sludge, just for those with no choice
43. Succumb - XXI
Full frontal assault
Empty your weapons, spare none, offer no quarter.
Absolute punishment. Complete and utter destruction
42. Great Falls / Throes - split
Assuming you like the taste of massive heaviness
With subtle notes of "go fuck yourself"
41. Grizzlor - Hammer Of Life
This band always delivers
They know how to hide a groove under 6 feet of muddy filth.
Record cover kinda says it all
40. Botfly - Lower Than Love
You can tell that there is a screamy hardcore past
But they lived to tell
And now they wield the truncheon of heavy noise(core) rock
39. Pardoner - Came Down Different
Forever hail slacker fuzz pop
With frayed edges and tunefulness out of tune.
Will I ever tire of a catchy messy band?
38. Work Party - My Best Days Are Behind Me
The mission is to put the fun back in noise rock
Assuming it ever was
Fun that is. Assuming noise was ever fun.
37. Wipes - Dumpster / You're The Boss
Dudes from the band Tiles
More shouted and bombastic post-hardcore noise
And I think I hear a melody buried in there somewhere?
36. X'ed Out - We All Do Wrong
This one is a bruiser from word one
Unrepentant and spiteful aggression,
You got brass instrumentation in my noise rock!
35. Matt Sweeney and Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Superwolves
I'll take as many Matt Sweeney records as he is willing to make.
Keep them coming
Old sad bastard music is alive and well!
34. Gloop - Crayon Sun
No messing around, this is a ringing in your ear
A tinnitus head fuck lightening strike
Coil magnets bore straight your face
33. Eye Flys - Exigent Circumstance
Very loud, very belligerent, very close to your face
This guy will never stop will he?
How do you think he lost those teeth?
32. Portal - AVOW
My death metal needs something special
Or else it's boring barbarism.
Portal are weird enough to excite and make me care
31. Mouthbreather - I'm Sorry Mr. Salesman
Maximalist punishment in the most unrelenting way
From the school of Converge
With a minor in The Acacia Strain
2 comments:
Awesome list, i dig the writing style too. Nice that you included suspects, Rid of Me and Botfly, they will make my list too for sure. Looking forward to the next part!
Mouthbreather, grizzlor, and eye flys make mine as well. Nice list
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