The Rundown: August 2024

Don’t adjust your TV sets, it is indeed October. I’ve spent the better part of the summer preparing for and going on a massive 2-week vacation, and I haven’t been able to give my blog the attention it deserves. If you’re stumbling across this post, I’ve been doing flash reviews of (almost) every new album I listen to this year, from Ariana Grande to local hardcore bands. This month, I actually have 42 albums but for the sake of my sanity and yours, I’m going to cap this post at 35.

Coming up below, we’ve got a handful of indie-pop artists, some experimental African music, some iffy dance music, the only album this year I haven’t bothered to finish, and a lot of good old-fashioned garage rock.

Jack White – No Name

I sometimes forget how much I love Jack White. Across his works with the Stripes, the Raconteurs, the Dead Weather and solo, there’s only four albums I would say I dislike. He’s always been an impatient songwriter, but his records have had measured levels of ambition. No Name might be his most down-to-earth set since the middle of the White Stripes run – just a good ol’ collection of no-frills blues rock. It’s the most White Stripes album since, to be honest, Get Behind Me Satan. There’s some of that garage-punk energy, a lot of bluesy riffs, and just compact songwriting everywhere. Some of the back half gets a little repetitive, there is a bit of an itch for some of Jack’s more ambitious stuff to be had. But overall, this is just a slambang rock record. “It’s Rough On Rats” into “Archbishop Harold Holmes” into the manic “Bombing Out” will go down as one of the best three-song runs of any 2024 album. And the closer “Terminal Archenemy Endling” – maybe the only patient song on the album – may be better than all of them. Another critical strike against the tedious and harmful “Rock is dead!!” crowd.

Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 8/2/24

Liquid Mike – Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot

You can’t please all the people, and similarly, you can’t always be pleased. Despite my efforts to like all genres, there’s a couple I just don’t – and pop-punk is at the top of the list. It’s a marriage of two genres I love, one built entirely on contradictions and an inherent insincerity that can only come from combining two directly opposing forces. Anyways, I liked this about as much as I can like a pop-punk album; it’s low-key and it’s got some spunk. It’s more punk than pop, with enough energy and fuzz to separate it from some lamer counterparts. The related artists pages for these groups are all interchangeable bands in Carhartt beanies, but Liquid Mike might be one of the more fun ones. Not bad, if not really for me.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 2/2/24

MIKE & Tony Seltzer – Pinball

From a Liquid Mike to a very solid one. I’m generally not into rap that’s on the more lowkey side, but when it’s as effortless as this is, then it’s undeniable. I’ve never listened to MIKE but I keep seeing his name as a critical darling, and for good reason. Pinball is a masterpiece that doesn’t feel like one; quiet and short tunes that hide their bluntness in plain sight. Only three of the eleven songs are over two minutes, tunes that feel more like daydreams and out-loud musings. There’s a run in the middle of the album that’s just extraordinary. Great lyrics, great beats, great ideas. Real winner here.

Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 3/6/24

A. G. Cook – Britpop

Yowza. It’s already bold to name your album after a mostly defunct genre, and much more so to make a triple album. I don’t know much about Cook, and went into this with only a rough idea what to expect. The three mini-albums played out pretty much as I anticipated, and on the whole he justifies the length. The first disc marries the two ideas that will populate the subsequent albums, a mix of electro and indie. The songs on disc 1 are by and large very fun, and very thrilling dance songs. As if the album isn’t already both bold and long, Cook kicks it off with a track just shy of 10 minutes. It’s also one of the best songs across the whole marathon. Disc 2 is certainly the weakest, and the one that I would stereotypically enjoy the most – the indie disc. It’s a collection of loved but ultimately worn and rote indie tunes that are pleasant to listen to, but don’t pass any sort of longevity test. They’re a majority guitar-based, which does offer a nice interlude between electro influences. And yes, disc 3 is a majority electro tunes. They’re also very fun, but much closer to straight dance music than disc 1. The indie elements are largely drained out in favor of a full dance party, and a party it is. It’s a very fun way to close out the spectacle, especially after a more timid centerpiece. I listened to this as three distinct discs across three weeks, and I’d recommend that approach – at 100 minutes, it’s too much of a good thing for one sitting, even if the ‘good thing’ is multiple things. But as chunks, it’s a lot of fun.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 5/10/24

JPEGMAFIA – I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU

I’m sorry that I’m the flavor of caucasian who loves Peggy specifically but I am, and this is his finest set since Veteran. It’s also the most manic thing he’s ever released, closer to hyperpop than anything else. It’s absurdly beat-heavy, dense, and thrilling. Peggy even gets somewhat lost in the front half, in songs that focus heavily on the bass beats. He shines through on the more measured back half, with some songs that get much more earnest. His guests on this album are Vince Staples and Denzel Curry, two guys known just as much for their intense and mainstream-eschewing rap. So you know what you’re gonna get – paranoid and catchy music that’s too abrasive to play on the family speakers. One of my favorites of the year. I think Knocked Loose still has the best album with a cross on the cover, though.

Grade: 8.5/10 Initial release date: 8/1/24

The Hope Conspiracy – Tools of Oppression/Rule by Deception

Long live Boston hardcore. This post is probably going to end up being very long and there isn’t much to say so let’s keep this short. The Hope Conspiracy are legends, and this is a legacy album. Good solid hardcore, it doesn’t really have anything new to say but it’s all grit and well-established political lyrics. There’s a million other Boston hardcore records like it – including a few by this band themselves – but if you’re like me, you’re always down for a bit more.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 5/31/24

Clairo – Charm

Boston has always been a hub for all things punk and indie, and it only makes sense that the city would claim someone to rule over the current indie-pop movement. A lot of the over-produced, saccharine indie-pop can get repetitive easily, but Clairo’s new one is genuinely beautiful. I wasn’t super into her last album, but this one is full of small, pretty and balanced songs. The production is minimalist, avoiding the trappings of many of Clario’s cohorts. Instead, the focus is on her gorgeous vocals and the threadbare instrumentation. I need to give this one a second listen – the back half was hampered by getting on a train full of inebriated boomers going to a Journey concert and I could earnestly barely hear the album. And yet – it grabbed me fully.

Also, please check out the music video for “Juna.” While I am not in the video, it was clearly filmed before a wrestling event I went to. Most of these wrestlers are local ones that aren’t known outside the area, and now there’s millions of eyes on them. My little wrestling boys are in the stars!

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 7/12/24

Frances Forever – Lockjaw

While Clairo may have claimed the Boston indie-pop throne, Frances Forever is still putting up a fight. Though named after a Mitski song, their music much more closely resembles that of beabadoobee or even Girl In Red, indie-pop that’s beat-heavy and produced to the max. It puts them at a disadvantage, because it is tough to disentangle this album from an already oversaturated market. The advantage here though lies all in the lyrics. “Mr. Man” is an outright funny response to a creepy older man hitting on them. There’s an unfiltered quality to the lyrics that intentionally spar with the largely innocent music. This is evident in the bluntly titled songs “Weeb” and “Monica Gives Me Lockjaw.” While there’s already too many of these pleasant, overproduced indie-pop albums, this one scrapes by on words.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 6/28/24

Yumi Nu – BLOODY

Given the album’s lo-fi and pink cover, I went into this thinking it might be some kind of glitchy or even vaporwave type of thing – but it’s more of the overproduced indie-pop similar to Frances Forever. This album isn’t particularly interesting or unique, but at only 7 songs and 23 minutes, it isn’t too much either. Instead it’s a healthy dose of indie-pop, a fun sample even if it falls far short of unique. Two songs on the back half, “Former Life” and “Pink Chalk” are the best on the album, two fun indie ditties. Nu is, for what it’s worth, the niece of Steve Aoki, and seems to be eschewing nepotism or automatic points in favor of doing her thing, which is cool.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 5/24/24

Melvins – Tarantula Heart

This is one I was saving for an opportune time. As it turned out, that time was a morning hype-up for a big training at work I had to lead. I’m no diehard Melvins guy, but I love their bigger works. The pre-grunge kinda-doom metal is so up my alley, and this album mostly works. I feel like Melvins had a quantity-over-quality period for a few years and it’s good to see them wean themselves off of it. The opening track here is bold, even by Melvins standards – a nineteen minute odyssey that’s a lot calmer and melodic than anyone would expect. It’s also the longest-ever Melvins album cut, at least that I can find. Side B is just classic Melvins though; brutally loud and heavy stoner-metal that isn’t interested in being glacial. “Working the Ditch” and “Allergic to Food” are absolute rippers, in line with Melvins classics. On the whole, it’s a curious listen, because the first half is just one instrumental, experimental track that maybe isn’t worth the time but maybe is. It’s only five songs total, but there’s only so much Melvins you can take at once. There’s some classic old school stuff here.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 4/19/24

Cola – The Gloss

Either there’s quietly a post-punk revolution happening, or these albums just happen to keep falling in my lap. Earnestly, I think it’s the former. Like Omni, Cheekface and GUPPY before them, Cola’s new album is metrical guitars and spoken lyrics, as much B-52s as it is Gang of Four, but softer than either. I’ve listened to a Cola album or two in the past, finding that I pretty much always like the songs without loving any of them. That trend continues on The Gloss, a disarmingly soft record that’s nonetheless Cola. Everything feels a little muted, and it makes for an inviting listen, even if it is often a bit tepid. It does need a bit more oomph at times, the whole affair feels a little lackluster by the end. But the approach is interesting, and bigger fans of the band might be super engaged with this.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 6/14/24

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Flight b741

I came into this one with a lot of worry – I’m a King Gizz obsessive, one of the Gizzhead cult members, but I’ve never been much into their groovier stuff. I had heard that this one was a spiritual sequel to Fishing For Fishies, the penultimate entry in my ranking of their 26 albums. This was a lot of fun, however. KGLW had a few years where they got a bit lost in the quality v quantity debate, but they’ve now delivered three straight winners – in metal, krautrock and boogie, no less. This album is funky and bluesy, and often very spirited. A lot of Gizz’s lighter albums have been partially or fully improvised, but this album benefits from a locked-in band playing songs they’ve already jammed on before. This won’t go down as one of the best KGLW albums, but it’s one of the better recent ones – and certainly the best of the groove ones. No two Gizz fans will ever fully agree, so you probably don’t feel the same. I saw them a few days after the album’s release, and they played three cuts from this album – they ripped live.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 8/9/24

Melt-Banana – 3+5

Japan’s Melt-Banana served as my intro to noise music. They were the first, and for a long time only, noise band I really heard and digested; I’ve been a huge fan for almost 20 years now. Although the duo has gotten older and quainter, their hyper-aggressive punk is no less gnarly. Their first album in 11 years is short, and the songs are neither the experimental seconds-long chunks of Cactuses Come In Flocks nor the longer, more developed tracks of Cell-Scape. They’re the closest thing to true punk songs the band has done, and they absolutely rip. Every song rocks, and nearly all have the expected 1000BPM. Easily one of my favorite albums of the year, the duo was going to have to work hard to not make that cut. Also, I finally got to see them this spring – best show I’ve seen all year.

Grade: 8.5 Initial release date: 8/23/24

Four Tet – Three

I’ve always had an appreciation for electronic artists like Four Tet, but save a couple key artists (Depeche Mode, LCD Soundsystem), it’s only been recently that I’ve started to learn to really enjoy it. I say this to say that there’s a handful of electro-indie artists I’ve slept on, and I’m not overly familiar with Four Tet. By the commutative property, I assumed this would be something akin to Hot Chip, but it was much more ambient. It’s peaceful music, relaxing without being too calm or uninspired. As commuting music, it didn’t work too well, but I could see it being great working/studying music – it’s light but mentally stimulating enough to engage with. Not fully me music, but, I get it.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 3/15/24

Oso oso – Life Till Bones

Oso oso exists right on the line of indie and pop-punk where I tend to find bands I like, despite not liking the latter genre much. I’ve enjoyed all of their albums, this one no different. The band has a way of hiding some devastating stuff within simple, conventional music. These are quaint indie-ish songs, mostly unassuming, like a lot of the current wave of pop-punk. But beneath the surface is innate self-awareness and distressing truths far beyond most bands. It’s a personal record, and still not within humility and humor – with one of my favorite covers of the year.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 8/9/24

Cults – To The Ghosts

I was obsessed with Cults first hit, “Go Outside” in 2009 – it was the year I entered college, and I was bumping all the indie-pop I could find. But it was only recently that I realized that they’ve been scoring other hits this whole time and maintain a sizable fanbase (I’ve somehow missed their continued popularity and thought they were relegated to one-hit wonder). So I’m not incredibly familiar with most of their albums, but I think I can thread the needle, because this sounds pretty identical to 2009 Cults. The formula still works – dreamy, overly-feminine vocals and catchy guitar-pop. But the album slogs on with too many similar elements. It’s a fun listen, but there’s nothing here you haven’t heard before.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 7/26

The Smashing Pumpkins – Aghori Mhori Mei

Billy Corgan always has something to prove. The Pumpkins were always on the heavier side of the “grunge” spectrum, and had the side effect of producing some of the much, much worse post-grunge bands. Not content to be lumped in alongside Staind, Corgan kept pushing his band to be great (as a side note, I remain the only Zeitgeist stan). Now as the subject of memes, a wrestling promotion owner and a Qanon whacko, he’s still fighting. Even if this album isn’t a big notch in their catalog, you have to admire them for remaining ambitious. This album is a nice return to form after a few years of heady, conceptual nonsense – just a no-frills pseudo-metal album that rips more often than not. The two 6+ minute songs that kick the album off threaten more proggy stuff, but after that it’s just radio metal throwbacks. On the whole, a lot of the tunes are not actually all that interesting; however, the album has a signature sound that is unique from other Pumpkins albums. Also, a couple songs go hard as hell. The opening and closing songs, “Edin” and “Marnau,” are bonkers. Ultimately, it’s a mid-tier Pumpkins album. But considering their longevity and how many of their contemporaries have hit the complacent stage of their careers, that alone is worth celebrating.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 8/2/24

Stalefish – Stalefish Does America

Alright I need to come clean about this one. I heard a song from this band on the weekly SiriusXMU countdown and misheard the DJ, when he said it was an Austin band I heard a Boston band. I may not have bothered with the album had I heard him correctly, but I’m glad I did. As a debut, it’s still pretty green, but the band has a cool approach – 90’s style fuzzy indie rock, but with three lead singers. And they smartly kick the album off with one song apiece. It’s ultimately hit-and-miss, but I appreciate any 90’s throwbacks. Watch this space for more on them, they’ve already pumped their second album out too.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 1/12/24

Avalanche Kaito – Talitakum

I have no clue where I pulled this one from, and I wonder if I stumbled on it while forgetting the name of Hiatus Kaiyote. I put this one on completely blind, and my god, I loved it. It combines two things I love – noise music and African music – into one. Traditional African rhythms are deployed courtesy of singer Kaito Winse, while he’s backed by a noisy duo from Belgium. The result is a downright thrilling and unpredictable album that stays on the fun side of experimentation without sacrificing energy. This is the type of thing designed exactly for me, and I can’t wait to dig into their previous albums. It’s tough to talk about highly experimental music like this, but if it sounds up your alley, then it probably is. Definitely one of the better releases this year.

Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 4/12/24

WILLOW – empathogen

I haven’t kept up with Willow’s music at all, but I heard some buzz around this one and hey, new music is new music. I didn’t know what to expect but I certainly was caught off-guard. The young singer’s sixth (!) album is disarmingly pretty and quaint, some soft and emotional songs that drift through rock, R&B and jazz influences. It’s all very natural and effortless, her vocals smooth and the music heavenly. It’s a fine record, and in a less packed year it would be a standout. It’s fair to say that Willow wouldn’t have had a crumb of this much success without having world-famous parents, but don’t consider this to be nepo baby music – this is genuine stuff.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 5/3/24

WHY? – The Well I Fell Into

I’ve always had a weird relationship with the music of WHY?, an indie rock group fronted by rapper Yoni Wolf. A lot of their/his early music is experimental in a way that doesn’t click with me, and some of the output in the mid 2010’s I find shockingly terrible. But in between comes a couple of good albums and EP’s, including the genuine five-star classic Alopecia. Now in his mid-40’s, it seems Wolf has stopped letting his ambition get the best of him, a symptom of his best and worst albums. This album is quaint, personal songs that tone down the music. With relatively minimalistic, adult music and rapped lyrics, these tracks come off more like poems or notes read aloud. The whole isn’t fantastic, as there’s just a little something missing, but it’s refreshing to hear something so grounded from a man hell-bent on left turns. This is definitely the most accessible WHY? album, just not among the greatest.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 8/2/24

Los Campesinos! – All Hell

I feel like I’ve grown up with Welsh indie lifers Los Campesinos! Truthfully, I have. You look at the bouncy, quirky and goofy indie they were doing in 2009 and compare it to this record. I’ve been around since day one, and it’s so great to see the band come back to take a victory lap like this. This is the most mature they’ve ever sounded, a healthy mix of bombastic songs and quiet burners, an expected mix of lyrics that are both tongue-in-cheek and brutally emotional. The band has always been openly left-wing politically, but they’re unfiltered here, to great success. They’ve shaken off the directly catchy, vocals-and-bells rhythms of yesteryear in favor of indie that’s patient and introspective. That’s been the case for a while, but even more so here. The band sounds both calmer and angrier, an effect of maturity. But don’t think that’s all a serious affair, we’ve still got songs like “Adult Acne Stigmata,” “Hell In A Handjob” and “The Coin-Op Guillotine.” Yet another winner from one of the strongest catalogs out there.

Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 7/19/24

Eminem – The Death of Slim Shady

Man, what are we doing here? Even when I absolutely hate an album, I always finish it. I turned this off after three songs. I’ve never been an Em fan beyond a few of his serious songs; he’s technically proficient, sure, but I’ve never cared about what he has to say. He used to be edgy but this is just….sad. The ‘real’ Eminem is older and more mature, denouncing Trump and coming off as more moralistic. Part of this journey involves “killing off” his alter ego that says offensive stuff. But he allows one last, hour-long gasp from Slim. It’s an excuse to be offensive again that is, well, slim. He comes out of the gates with some transphobic jokes that would’ve been weak from Greg Gutfield in 2014. What comes after that? I couldn’t tell you, I turned it off. Who is this for? Is Em trying to bring back a conservative fanbase? It’s not like he’s got anything pertinent to say. The minimal amount of this that I listened to made Em sound like that 45-year-old guy who still talks about high school, the guy who has Doritos as a lunch, the guy who still says “le epic” in earnest. After years of quietly cultivating a more specific audience, Em does everything he can to offend and agitate his listeners. It’s an unbelievable, tactical, unforced error. In killing off Slim Shady, he may have killed off Marshall Mathers. Who gives a shit.

Grade: DNF Initial release date: 7/12/24

Tonnerre – La Nuit Sauvage

Between Gojira playing the Olympics and this stellar album, it could be a big year for French metal. Tonnerre – who are actually Canadian, I’m just doing a false equivalency here – are styled after old-school hard rock, a la Blue Oyster Cult. I have a lot of love in my heart for these bands, and Tonnerre do a real fine job emulating them. There’s a thin line between cool 70’s hard rock and skidmark 00’s radio rock, and Tonnerre smartly never cross it. It’s a calm and collected rock record. With lyrics entirely in French, it’s easy to get lost in the music. I do wish they let loose a little more, they stay needlessly restrained. But, I had a blast listening to it too. It’s like Deep Purple is fresh and young all over again.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 4/5/24

Thee Oh Sees – SORCS 80

I’m a diehard Osees fan and even I can’t keep up with the lore. The band changes genres as often as they change the spelling of their name (long live Oh Sees, The OCS, The Ohsees, etc). Jon Dwyer particularly lost his mind during COVID, releasing a bunch of deeply experimental, mostly unlistenable solo records before looping back around to garage rock. Now, he’s doing a full punk album with no guitars. It sounds like a writing exercise. The album is centered around grimy synth and samples, and it’s mostly effective. Like a lot of Dwyer records, the best songs are the biggest bruisers. Some songs lose their way in midtempo land, but the punchy screamy punk tunes just rock. I’m not sure why he decided to ditch the guitars to write songs that sound like guitars anyways, but I can’t explain most of what Dwyer does. I’m just along for the ride.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 8/9/24

Ty Segall – Love Rudiments

For a few years, Ty Segall and Osees worked hand-in-hand as the two prolific monsters of garage rock. But while Dwyer lost his mind, Segall cemented his. Over the last few years, his output has slowed way down and his music has gotten more mature. He still dabbles in experimentation, though, and his second release of 2024 cashes in some saved up checks. Love Rudiments is four tracks, but really many small segments, and comprised of (almost) entirely percussion. I’m a huge sucker for percussion music, so naturally I loved this. It’s fun and jazzy, never getting too heady or too “Moby Dick” freakout, just pleasant drum music. It is interesting that there are still distinct Segall rhythms in there. Some of the segments manage to sound like traditional Ty despite having no guitars or vocals. As much as it is experimental, it’s not a total left-field jump, just a different extension of his sound. It isn’t as inaccessible as it sounds, and I welcome anyone to listen to it who likes, well, drums.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 8/30/24

Justice – Hyperdrama

I’ve always liked what tidbits of Justice’s music I’ve heard, but it’s never grabbed me like it has many of my peers. It’s also never grabbed me in the same way as say, Daft Punk or Aphex Twin. The French duo hasn’t exactly been prolific over the years, which makes this album all the more disappointing. While the opening two tracks set a blistering dancehall pace, much of this album feels designed for the Coachella stage. Light, somewhat generic beats dominate much of this album, with little else to grab on to. I’m sure these songs are mesmerizing live, but as something to just listen to casually, it leaves a lot to be desired. The album ropes back into some cool stuff towards the end, but the middle half is a bloat of unambitious dance tracks that sound less like Justice and more like the middle manager EDM fest bands that have tried to feebly imitate Justice.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 4/26/24

Jane Weaver – Love In Constant Spectacle

You’ll have to forgive me because I’ve fallen way behind in my reviews, and this one won’t be getting the proper unconditional praise that it deserves. Like many albums this year, I tossed this on completely blind. The descriptions of Weaver toss around terms like “experimental” and “free jazz” but this is mostly woman-and-a-guitar music; if that sounds like denigration, it isn’t. I was floored by how beautiful these songs are. They’re minimalistic, a small sound in an open space, and yet captivating. Tons of singer-songwriters over the years have tried to capture the feeling of playing in the same room as the listener, and many would be jealous to do it the way Weaver does on every single song here. The rhythms are so simple yet riveting across the board. Some songs are certainly better than others – but the best ones propel this album into an elite territory. Some really special stuff.

Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 4/5/24

X – Smoke and Fiction

I often wonder about what X would look like if they had stayed together all these years. Would they have gone the way of ‘sellout’ punk bands doing cross-brand merch like Green Day? Would they be conservative cranks like Misfits? Would they be liberal cranks who hate each other like Dead Kennedys? All bad outcomes, and none of any concern. X’s second reunion album – and final album – is a whirlwind of the same dual-singer rockabilly-punk that made them an 80’s staple. The reunion novelty isn’t as strong as it was on Alphabetland, but the songs are tighter and more focused. There’s nothing really extraordinary here, but it’s just cool to see legends go around one last time.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 8/2/24

Never Broke Again – Compliments of Grave Digger Mountain

Alright look I’m very far behind on reviews and I’m historically bad at writing about hip-hop, so let’s just say that you know what you’re gonna get with this one. I have a soft spot for NBA YoungBoy, who is featured on nearly every song. The album is credited to the label he runs, so while there isn’t a true lead artist here, there’s just a couple people throughout the whole album. It’s just very good trap; fun, blistering songs with minimal beats, but not so minimal that they feel minimal. I was vibing at work to this one pretty hard.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 3/8/24

illuminati hotties – POWER

My birth month was graced with new albums from a half-dozen artists I absolutely love, IH included in it. I’m a big fan of what Sarah Tudzie brings to the table, a hybrid of pop-punk and indie that allows for songs that always sound familiar yet differ album-to-album. POWER is definitely on the softer side of things, much more indie-based than some previous releases. I certainly prefer her harder-edged stuff, but there’s a lot to like here too. These songs are simple and catchy, nice little personal odes. Not to deliver a backhanded compliment, but Tudzie’s voice has always been somewhat plain – here that’s effective, because it sounds like she’s in the room with you, improvising a ditty. It’s a unique feeling, and the songs benefit from it. It isn’t the most exciting album, but it’s got a very broad appeal.

Grade: 7.5 Initial release date: 8/23/24

Charly Bliss – Forever

What a gem! Charly Bliss’s first two albums cemented the band as a pop-heavy indie with some punk spirit, in the same realm as the Beths. After a brief break, the band is back – with pure bubblegum pop-rock. This record is the same overproduced, big beat pop that I was lamenting before, but it’s used to full effect here. This record is fun as all hell. The best songs are mostly the bangers, and they come early. But the back half has a couple sneakily exceptional ballads, too. This is truly exceptional pop music. For more on this one, check my concert review.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 8/16/24

So Totally – Double Your Relaxation

The shoegaze revival is alive and well! I already knew one song going into this but I was still caught off-guard. The best songs on this record are very dense, very heavy and cryptic shoegaze songs. They’re buried under lots of distortion and many moving parts. I wouldn’t recommend this for someone looking for Slowdive, it doesn’t have the atmospheric rhythms and it isn’t soothing. It’s a record to put on with headphones and dig into all the puzzle pieces you can find, to see if you can assemble a song. Where the album suffers is quieter songs – there’s a few, and they don’t accomplish much. The back half pulled me out some, it’s deflating. The quieter moments are critical to the album, but they come too late and stick around too long. That said, it’s a really unique listen, and some of the individual songs are brilliant.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 5/17/24

Zayn – Room Under The Stairs

History doesn’t remember that George Harrison was the first Beatle to release a solo album, and history likely won’t remember that Zayn was the first One Direction member with a solo record. Zayn’s solo career has been overshadowed by Harry Styles’s. But where Harrison came out of the gate with folk rock far more experimental than what his band was doing, Zayn has been stuck circling the drain of tepid R&B. His debut was stark in how quickly he departed from his group’s saccharine pop, but he’s now been doing the same album repeatedly. He’s got nothing new here, and he sounds like he knows it. Sure, his voice is great throughout, but he doesn’t sound like he’s enjoying himself. This is perfectly listenable, but there’s a reason why he’s gotten overshadowed by Harry. Too long, and much too boring.

Grade: 6/10 Initial release date: 5/17/24

Dr. Dog – Dr. Dog

Bear with me for a second, because this is a fun full circle for me. Indie-folk legends Dr. Dog’s 2012 album Be The Void was the first album I ever reviewed, back in my college paper. I didn’t know what I was doing, and didn’t really know the band, but knew I wanted to take over the music column. It was a dry run (or an application?), and obviously I passed as I’m still doing the song-and-dance today. So a big shoutout to Dr. Dog, despite me really not keeping up with their output, for letting this blog happen at all.

Anyways – it’s a fine record, but I wanted to like it more. It sounds like it was pulled from a 2010 deep freeze, it’s got the same folksy, warm indie that the band was doing then. That’s not a complaint, these songs are super inviting. But a majority of them are a little too soft, a little too muted. That works for some songs, but a whole record of it gets somewhat drab. It’s got a specific audience – people just a bit older than me that planted their flag in 00’s indie and haven’t moved on. Again, nothing wrong with that – respectable, even – but it means the record is just another notch rather than something noteworthy.

Grade: 7/10 Initial release date: 7/19/24

And that does it for…..August. Thanks for reading any of this that you did! There will be fewer reviews in September – I was preoccupied with fun family stuff. But check back in a week or so for that post, there’s a lot of great albums in the pipeline.

Rock on!

100 Best Albums of 2023: 25-1

Jump to: Songs | 100-76 | 75-51 | 50-26

I hope you’ve been doing a drumroll for four days, because it’s time: here’s my 25 perfectly ordered, objectively correct favorite albums of 2023. This has been a year of pleasant surprises, massive disappointments, and huge handful of wonderful discoveries. There are a couple big name artists on this list, and probably few surprises, but this final edition is mostly under-the-radar albums that I found myself returning over and over again. Happy new year’s folks, and here’s to another great year of music in 2024.

#25. Fucked Up – One Day

This album is suspiciously basic. Fucked Up have made careers out of universe-spanning, deeply complex and dense conceptual albums. Their last release was actually a four-disc, four-song “album” that was part of their ongoing Year of the ____ series. This album is back to basics hardcore, something they haven’t done in over a decade. It also proves that they can still put out one of the most brutal and blisteringly-intense albums of the year even with their ambition reined in 1000%. This album isn’t as good as, say, Dose Your Dreams or David Comes to Life, but its placement is a testament to how unbelievably good those heady, lengthy albums really are. The run this band has been on is unprecedented.

RIYL: Converge, Titus Andronicus, feeling angry every moment you’re awake

#24. Throat Locust – Dragged Through Glass

I’ve been going back and forth on the inclusion of this one, as it is just a 3-track demo EP. But if we’re calling it an EP, then it’s eligible for the list. There’s also little to say other than “it’s good ass death metal.” This is very standard death metal, with immaculate production and a confidence of a band that’s been doing it for decades. And they’re named after my favorite TAD song to boot. Metalheads, get this on your radar now. You heard it here first!

RIYL: Cannibal Corpse, Bolt Thrower, you know, death metal

#23. boygenius – the record

The first boygenius EP was near perfection, taking three of the brightest and best indie talents and tossing them all together. The full-length, initially a surprise but now a wildly popular release, only builds on it. There’s more diversity in the songs here, as some songs like “Satanist” and “$20” are closer to rock than you’d expect. Others, like “Not Strong Enough,” sound exactly like you’d expect a Julian Baker/Phoebe Bridgers/Lucy Dacus song to sound like. Soft, sensitive and sad. What makes boygenius work so well is that they clearly came together as friends first and musicians second. The interplay between the members is more natural than most supergroups. This could still be a one-off, but I hope we get more from the Traveling She’llburys.

RIYL: Big Thief, Snail Mail, either being or loving a sad girl

#22. Noname – Sundial

For some reason Noname seems to have dropped off the radar. This came out in August but I only noticed in November. The reason could be, of course, her utter refusal to play by the rules of the industry. The rap icon has always worn her heart on her sleeve, unabashedly political and earnest in a way even the “political” musicians shy away from. In one key song here, she connects the dots on how superstars contribute to the country’s insultingly overinflated defense budget, namechecking Kendrick and Beyonce (and herself) for playing Coachella. On top of the refreshingly honest politics, there’s just great rhythms and raps here. These songs are quick, full and fun. It’s a short but intense rap record from someone choosing to stand alone.

RIYL: Flatbush Zombies, Clipping., getting nauseated at whatever the hell “hologram Tupac” was

#21. Black Country, New Road – Live At Bush Hall

Under normal circumstances, I would never consider a live album for a year end list, as they are collections of previous material, usually at least somewhat the artist’s best. But Black Country are never ones for normal circumstances. After dropping their first two albums in quick succession, their singer dipped. Rather than break up or hold tryouts for a replacement, they brought in a handful of guest singers and recorded a live album of entirely new material. And because this is Black Country, these songs are everything from smooth and jazzy to manic and unpredictable. The band loves to stretch themselves in every direction, ostensibly under the “alternative” banner but touching many different points. The use of multiple singers and a live setting lends a particular vibrancy to these tracks. On the DL, I didn’t care for their second album – and this one is a marked improvement! There’s something for everyone here.

RIYL: black midi, the Hold Steady, going to a classy party you’re dreading but having a surprisingly good time

#20. feeble little horse – Girl with Fish

This is the exact byproduct when you take 90’s fuzzed out alternative and channel it through today’s DIY bedroom movement. At only 26 minutes, this album looks slight. But jump in and you get a number of intricately-layered, crunchy and introspective alternative songs. They may be brief, but they are not underdeveloped. There is a painful earnestness to the vocals and lyrics of this record, which can often get buried (intentionally?) under the ceaseless distorted guitars. If you’re a sucker for 90’s grunge-adjacent sad rock, like me, then grab this one right away.

RIYL: Pavement, Hotline TNT, reading your old journal entries

#19. Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy

The British funk scene is strong right now, all things considered, and the biggest standout of 2023 was Young Fathers. The group has always embraced their funky ways, but “Heavy Heavy” is a downright party. It’s a short album, and the tracks don’t stick around too long, which only adds to the ambiance. Songs come and go, occasionally feeling incomplete, like wandering through a party listening to parts of conversations. But one thing is for sure: it’s impossible to not have fun listening to this.

RIYL: Sudan Archives, Four Tet, making friends with everyone at the party (i don’t know what this one is like)

#18. Boris/Uniform – Brand New Disease

The collaborative album from Boris and Uniform brings exactly what you would expect and, perhaps more importantly, a lot of things you wouldn’t. Japanese noise institution Boris have frequently left their comfort zone, releasing straightforward rock or even jazzier albums. But NY noise upstarts Uniform – who have graced my lists before – generally stay in one noisy, angry lane. This album is bookended by harsh, bitter and grinding songs that you wouldn’t want to play at a party. But in the album’s middle is some more meandering, introspective tunes. Frankly, I wasn’t expecting it. The whole end result is a well-rounded album that doesn’t feel constrained to the walls of noise music, but takes time to revel in them gleefully nonetheless.

RIYL: The Body, Melt Banana, thinking about an interaction that made you angry and getting angry about it again

#17. Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER

Oh man I love this one. I had the lucky opportunity to cover Genesis twice this year and let me say, this man puts on one of the most thrilling live shows you’ll ever see. The tracks on STRUGGLER are very funky, very synthy, very jazzy and still shaped around conventional rock songs. Everything feels very simple, and yet it is a mindmeld of genre fusion. And it is done completely effortlessly. For a man with very little experience under his belt, Owusu has supreme confidence in the power of his tunes. That this is also a concept album – about still finding reasons to love and cherish in the midst of an apocalypse – only adds to the strength. I have said it before: get this man on your radar.

RIYL: Talking Heads, Parliament, dancing as the bombs fall

#16. The Hirs Collective – We’re Still Here

The metal band that made their name doing albums full of 90-100 songs that are all <1:30 made a bold decision: do something a little more normal. The album clocks in at 31 minutes, less than half the length of some of their bolder works, but features their strongest production and most well-written songs to date. The band ropes in elements of grindcore and black metal into a ceaseless aural pounding. As always, they’re joined by huge name guests, like Melt Banana, Shirley Manson and Soul Glo, among others. How hard does this band go? They did a two-month tour behind the album and didn’t take a single night off.

RIYL: G.L.O.S.S., The Locust, slamdancing until you get so sweaty that your mohawk collapses

#15. 100 Gecs – 10,000 gecs

Listening to the first 100 gecs album was a humbling experience, because it was the first time I felt too old for an album. I didn’t entirely “get” it, and thought it was wildly hit-and-miss. For whatever reason though, their sophomore album clicked. From ska songs about frogs to genuine nu-metal, this album revels in everything that is uncool, thus making it cool again. These two kids have firm control over the zeitgeist, bringing old influences into brand-new hyperpop madness. Find me an album released this year more unique than this.

RIYL: Fire-Toolz, Machine Girl, every song on every machine at an arcade playing at the same time

#14. Oozing Wound – We Cater to Cowards

Oozing Wound have long been one of my favorite metal bands, with a distinct blend of rough thrash and tongue-in-cheek, pessimistic vocals. Well, this album is different, as the band takes more of a grunge approach. The tracks are slower and even rougher, with less of a focus on vocals/lyrics. And I’m a massive grunge-head, so I think I like this one *even more* than their previous albums. The new direction blindsided me, but once I adjusted I welcomed it wholeheartedly.

RIYL: Soundgarden, TAD, committing vehicular manslaughter

#13. JPEGMAFIA/Danny Brown – Scaring the Hoes

Peggy and Danny have always been masters of the same thing – rap that exists on the fringe of the mainstream, balancing the precision of radio sweetness with the ambition of pure avant-garde, and both men have allowed their solo work to swing in both directions. On their collaborative album, they simply both do what they do best: wild raps with huge beats, over the top comedy and intensely catchy rhythms. There’s a certain sense of derangement here, comedically apocalyptic. It’s fun as hell. It was only a matter of time before these two linked up, and it produced some of the finest work of both men. Check out the bonus EP they put out, which is just as great as the album.

RIYL: Run the Jewels, Denzel Curry, the Alfred Molina scene from Boogie Nights

#12. Pile – All Fiction

I’m all in on bands messing around with genres and experimenting, but sometimes you just need some good old-fashioned rock, too. Pile does get sympathy points for being a Boston group, but their newest earns a high spot solely on songwriting. This album is full of dense and conceptual alt-rock, often lingering towards post-hardcore rather than indie. The band favors complexity over melody, which makes for a general lack of earworms, but a tremendous amount of curiosity. This is a rare mix that demands immediate replays – and not because the songs are stuck in your head. Tremendously original stuff.

RIYL: Pissed Jeans, Big Ups, knowing that you have better music taste than someone else

#11. Mandy, Indiana – i’ve seen a way

There seems to be a growing trend in music to blend genres beyond the normal definitions. Now this has always happened, of course, but there are always new avenues to explore. Mandy, Indiana – hailing from Europe – are a moody but fun group that tosses elements of dark synth and noise rock into indie. The final concoction is one of the best debut albums of the year, and one of the most eclectic albums in general. Recorded in a cave, you’ve got noisy guitars, foreboding synths and lyrics all in French. And yet it’s groovy. I can’t figure it out, maybe you can. I found them on indie radio, but I also didn’t bat an eye when one of their songs was remixed by Clipping. It’s all over the place, in serenely unpredictable chaos.

RIYL: Sonic Youth, Savages, the general feeling of confusion

#10. Jeff Rosenstock – HELLMODE

My favorite musician, so it’s almost guaranteed he’d rank highly here. Rosenstock made his name doing immature, lonely and inebriated ska-punk songs, so with each passing year, he finds his muses further and further away. This is his prettiest record, with a number of songs softer and/or poppier than fans are used to. This is maturity, and while his lifelong themes of jealousy, loneliness and occasional fun are still present, they’re now more nuanced and diluted. But it’s also still distinctly punk – 90-second bruiser “Head” is one of the wildest songs he’s ever done. Rosenstock may have changed a lot over the years, but he’ll never be different. Perfect sound, whatever.

RIYL: Against Me!, PUP, hangovers

#9. Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

This one got super hyped, and for good reason. Polachek took her decent previous albums and elevated every single good element, giving us an unexpected classic on impact. Polachek has been pivotal in the mainstream development of hyperpop, and this may be the first album to successfully dilute hyperpop to a broader audience while still keeping it interesting. Really, it’s just a fantastic pop album, one that bangs start to finish. It’s all bangers, all songs that are fun and wildly unique. It rocks. Chances are, you know that already.

RIYL: SOPHIE, FKA Twigs, basement raves

#8. Margo Price – Strays

With a release date of January 13th, this is the earliest entry on the list, and it sat at #1 for quite a while. Of course, a country album was always going to be a longshot to be the chart-topper here at PGMR, but I do love a good one when I hear it. Price fine-tuned every track on this album so they are all distinct and memorable songs, and most of them are bangers; there’s no getting bogged down in repetitive weepers here. Throw in some guest spots from decidedly non-country artists (Lucius, Sharon Van Etten, and Mike Campbell, guitarist for Tom Petty), and you’ve got an absolutely delightful stew of songs that really sneak up on you. The album doesn’t feel memorable at first, until you realize your feet have been tapping the whole time, and you toss it on repeat.

RIYL: Nikki Lane, Jason Isbell, havin’ a cold one on a hot night

#7. Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!

With an album title like this, you kinda know what you’re getting into. Jessie Ware’s fifth album doesn’t reinvent the wheel, because it doesn’t need to. It’s the biggest party of the year, an album chock-full of disco-pop bangers crafted solely to make you, well, feel good. If you gave these songs to a different artist, you could very well end up with overly-produced plastic slop. But with Ware, we’re gifted by her outstanding vocals and healthy touches of soul music. These songs feel startlingly original and earnest within the confines of a genre that often disavows that. It’s simply the most fun album released all year.

RIYL: Lady Gaga, Rina Sawayama, playing that funky music, white boy

#6. Bully – Lucky For You

After the year opened with a string of disappointing albums from artists I adore, I was delighted that Alicia Bognanno released her best album yet. This compact album follows in the ways of her previous three albums, of indie rock heavily influenced by grunge and, more specifically, grunge-adjacent 90’s icons like Dino Jr. and Pavement. These songs, largely inspired by the passing of Bognanno’s dog, are despondent and jealous, and her snarl has never sounded better. Crisp production matches her best songwriting yet. A late-album pinch hit by Soccer Mommy is great, but it’s not needed – the whole album is already a distorted, melodic and depressive home run. It’s gonna make you feel like shit, but it’s so catchy that you won’t even care.

RIYL: Screaming Females, Hole, obsessively checking your ex’s social media to see that yes, they’re still doing better than you

#5. Kelela – Raven

Something about me, possibly evident from this list, is that I always tend towards the bangers. Nine times out of ten, I’ll choose the louder and faster songs, whether that’s hardcore or bubblegum pop. Well, this is that tenth time. The R&B singer’s sophomore album is so minimalist and so fluid that it serves as one long 62 minute song cut into fifteen tracks. The album rarely moves at anything louder than a whisper, resulting in something that’s both calming and haunting at the same time, somehow. And even though there is fundamentally very little going on here, it grabs you from the opening moments and doesn’t let go. The album never wavers or falters, staying remarkably consistent across all fifteen songs. It is smooth and addictive, with positive lyrics about inclusivity within the dance music scene. It’s soft and feel-good, admittedly a nice antidote to many albums on this list.

RIYL: The Fugees, FKA Twigs, sitting inside and watching the rain

#4. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation

Yeah, yeah, more Gizz. I’m fully initiated into the cult of Gizz. This album is about as ridiculous as the title implies, and they aren’t doing any favors to the naysaying crowd that for some reason thinks this band is to be taken seriously. This album – their second true metal album after Infest the Rat’s Nest – covers an extremely familiar Gizz topic: the apocalypse. In this one, the world is destroyed, and the survivors begin to praise a new god, in the form of a Gila Monster. Unlike their first metal album, which mind you was also about the apocalypse, this one is dense and slow. They’ve ditched the thrash influences that permeated both their previous metal album and some of the psych albums in favor of an old school hard rock album. It sounds similar to last year’s good-not-great album Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava, in that everything feels very dense and murky. There’s a full production to this. It’s the opposite of Rat’s Nest, which wasn’t even recorded with the full band. It isn’t exactly the newest ground they’re treading in this one, but there isn’t another Gizz album like it, either.

RIYL: Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, cool little lizards

#3. Model/Actriz – Dogsbody

Bands often come out of the gate hot, but this is one hell of a debut album. This band occupies the same sort of paranoid noise hellspace that Daughters vacated (because there is no jail that Alexis Marshall is worthy of being buried under). These are songs that have a certain paranoia to them, but one drawn through patient melodies. It’s not really post-hardcore, but it’s even less anything else. It’s extremely noisy and crazy while remaining even-tempoed, like the anxiety of realizing you’re bombing at an important job interview. This music is straight up stressful. Fun for the whole family!

RIYL: Daughters, black midi, accidentally perjuring yourself in a court of law

#2. Liturgy – 93696

If you’ve ever seen movies like Come and See or Ikiru or even Requiem For A Dream then you’ve probably described them as “absolutely incredible and I never wanna watch it again.” Well that same logic applies here. Liturgy, a paradoxically religious black metal band, have dropped some classic albums during their run; but the last couple have been weak, and I didn’t think they had the juice left. Well, 93696 proves otherwise, taking everything they’ve done in their career from heady and complex metal to maximalist harsh noise, and throwing it all into one 82-minute long album. It’s too much for one listen – it is two discs – as it is just too heavy, too daunting. I haven’t relistened to this one yet, and I may never. But my brain, which often forgets songs and albums the second they end, remembers this one start to finish. Thank you for reading this list, this is the single heaviest album on it.

RIYL: Deafheaven, Thou, suffering from religious trauma

#1. Wednesday – Rat Saw God

Instant classic. You may have seen my songs list, where this band took up three spots – and the guitarist took another with a solo track. This album is proving as a worthy breakthrough for the North Carolina group, which defies all classifications while remaining grounded in a grim reality. The band was already making waves in the indie underworld for their blending of country, americana and grunge into something resembling early Wilco, Drive-by Truckers, or – strictly contextually – Neil Young. Songs like “Chosen to Deserve” have a lot of country flair, while “Bull Believer” is straight grunge, the heaviest song the band has recorded to date. Lyrically, singer Karly Hartzman explores all of the lonely alleyways of America; these are songs of teenage alcoholism, domestic disturbances, loveless marriages and days spent just passing the time. There’s a specific type of American loneliness that runs rampant on this album, something that isn’t necessarily sad but just exists. It’s more flyover state, but all Americans feel it. Ten years from now, we’ll be holding this in the same regard that we hold Sonic Youth in now.

RIYL: Neko Case, Drive-By Truckers, visiting your hometown and realizing all your childhood friends are in jail

Thank you for reading this or, at least, thank you for scrolling to the bottom. As always, there were tons of other records I wanted to write about but didn’t have the space. Just to highlight a couple, those are: Dryad – The Abyssal Pain, an awe-inspiring metal album that blends tons of subgenres into one; The Armed – Perfect Saviors, a once-pop-metal band turned indie in an album that’s suspiciously conventional; Purling Hiss – Drag on Girard, one that initially made the list but didn’t stick in my brain enough – think a rougher Dino Jr.; The Croaks – Croakus Pokus, a wickedly fun local band that mixes all types of folk from folk-punk to straight medieval music; Death Valley Girls – Islands in the Sky, a punk group I absolutely adore that is reluctantly growing up and moving towards indie – maybe their weakest album, and still almost made the cut.

My wrists hurt. See you next year!

100 Best Albums of 2023: 75-51

Jump to: Songs | 100-76 | 50-26 | 25-1

Hello and welcome to day two of counting down a needlessly high amount of records! Catch up on the first 25 records if you haven’t already. Otherwise, let’s roll.

#75. Scowl – Psychic Dance Routine

Scowl sounds practically identical to the band Gouge Away – which is fine by me, as the latter band left a void by taking a hiatus (though they themselves returned with a new song this year). This is aggressive and abrasive hardcore, but without sacrificing melody. Despite only being 10 minutes long, this EP leaves room for experimentation and temptation within brutal hardcore. This group does not have a proper full-length out yet; when they do, the throne is theirs to take.

RIYL: Gouge Away, Birds In Row, getting your nose broken

#74. Ratboys – The Window

To call Ratboys “exciting” is a slight stretch, but it is cool how the band makes songs that are so familiar and digestible and yet don’t really follow any proper genre conventions. They’re ostensibly an indie band, but they’ve always infused their songs with enough raw energy to be punk (and have toured with proper punk bands). Their new album tosses in more roots rock elements, too, which only complicates things. And yet the songs are so smooth, so catchy, and mostly extremely fun. Good for the whole family!

RIYL: PUP, Beach Bunny, rocking out but safely

#73. Antony and the Johnsons – My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross

ANOHNI makes beautiful music, this is not news to anyone familiar with her work. Her heartbreaking lyrics are always matched by her unique, lounge throwback crooning voice. She reunited her old band and their first album in 13 years is a dreary, soulful affair. The experimental indie vibes of ANOHNI’s solo albums are mostly gone, replaced by more straightforward soul. It suits her voice well, which was fit for 50’s sounding ballads. With a photo of Marsha P. Johnson on the album’s cover, you know we’re not getting any less political.

RIYL: Perfume Genius, Zola Jesus

#72. Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loveliest Time

Another banger album from the best pop singer on the scene now. Ever since the days of E*MO*TION, the best pop album of the last decade, Jepsen has had a brilliant niche for herself. Her music is straightforward pop, and her vocals are breezy and smooth in a way that hints at a youthful innocence. But her lyrics always give nuance – usually in the form of mixed emotions or counterintuitive responses to social situations. It’s just as true here, as Jepsen acts a barely-veiled raconteur for human complexity. As always, this is a two parter – this album is a sequel to 2022’s The Loneliest Time. We gotta love someone who always gives us some extra.

RIYL: Tove Lo, Jessie J, solo dance parties

#71. Dream Wife – Social Lubrication

Yeah okay, you only name your album something like Social Lubrication in certain spaces. Dream Wife are a chaotically fun band, who fuse punk and pop together in a way that is distinctly not pop-punk, but two forces working against each other. Toss in some indie elements too, and you’ve got a super unique blend. The band’s bluntly feminist lyrics are a plus, often as tongue-in-cheek as they are serious. I mean the lead single is “Hot (Don’t Date A Musician).” Thrilling, unique and urgent – this is the future of punk.

RIYL: Hinds, The Menstrual Cramps, fucking up an abuser

#70. Kenny Mason – 6

Rappers have been blending rock into their music for decades now, but few do it in the way Kenny Mason does. Across his brief album 6, he uses rock influences sparingly. Sometimes, it’s straight rap, sometimes there’s hints, other times it goes full on shoegaze. Unpredictability is the key player here, leaving the listener guessing as to where Mason might go next. The flares of horror influence give this album a proper morose mood, too. Rock influences are used to deepen the grim tone, not to make bangers. And yet, it’s exciting.

RIYL: clipping., Brockhampton, pretending not to like nu-metal but secretly enjoying it

#69. Danny Brown – Quaranta

After the raucous insanity of his classic album Atrocity Exhibition, I found his more centralized follow-up album to be disappointing. After a few years away, Brown bounced back big, dropping two albums in 2023. The first was a collaborative album with JPEGMAFIA – more on that later – and the second is an album that works to recapture some of the old, wild magic. Brown is newly sober, and that change permeates this record. Quaranta follows the same darkly funny, manic rapping from years past, but leveled out a bit. It’s a more mature side of Danny, which he seeks out while still being one of the most exciting musicians in the country.

RIYL: Run the Jewels, Vince Staples, limbering up for the pit

#68. Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter – SAVED!

You may know Kristin Hayter more as Lingua Ignota, a now finished noise project where she matched her operatic vocals with harsh screaming and disturbing lyrics of self-hatred and religious paranoia. She’s now operating under this moniker, delving further into the religious aspects of the music. This album has plenty of fire and brimstone moments, but it ultimately lies closer to a Southern gothic sound than a noise one – think Ethel Cain or, I guess, Flannery O’Connor. The result is music that is more accessible than the stuff with Lingua Ignota, but would still send people screaming.

RIYL: Ethel Cain, Xiu Xiu, demonic possession

#67. AJJ – Disposable Everything

For a number of reasons, I’ve taken myself off the AJJ train over the last decade. But, an opportunity to cover one of their shows came up, and I figured I might as well for old times sake. Turns out, it was in support of their best album in a long, long time. The band had struggled for a while to meld their older songs, which were hyper-fast folk-punk with shocking lyrics, with a more mature sound. They finally nailed it here, as they embrace some of their older ways (short songs, raw lyrics) with more nuanced melodies and discussion topics. It’s quick, diverse, adult, and all still distinctly AJJ.

RIYL: Defiance Ohio, Mountain Goats, finally taking a shower

#66. Nickel Creek – Celebrants

I don’t think anyone expected a new Nickel Creek album in 2023. Their first album in 9 years was released with little announcement and little fanfare. The bluegrass legends came firing back with a damn near perfect bluegrass release. I don’t really go for music like this much, but threw it on just as something new to listen to. It’s a hefty album, and yet every track feels vital, as if the band has secretly been saving all of these songs up for the last decade. This album is just naturally fun, with insanely talented musicians confidently steering it.

RIYL: Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson, doing square dances? idk anything about this way of life sorry

#65. Anjimile – The King

A formerly local artist, Anjimile’s music has always been emotional and raw. Their newest triples down on it, analyzing life as a black nonbinary artist in America (hint: it’s not great!). It’s a beautiful and impactful folk record, with some of the most powerful songs of the year. That it’s also an intricate release musically makes the album that much better. These songs are bleak, and they sound bleak, but they also sound a lot fuller than you may expect from such morose folk.

RIYL: Vagabon, Bartees Strange

#64. Kali Uchis – Red Moon In Venus

This is just good ass R&B! I’d never really listened to Uchis prior to this, so it was a pleasant surprise. She blends English- and Spanish-language lyrics together in a super-fun neosoul record, a perfect summer soundtrack. Everything here feels refreshing, and the fifteen tracks ensure that no idea sticks around too long. Not much else to say: it’s fun as hell.

RIYL: SZA, Frank Ocean, block parties

#63. Nation of Language – Strange Disciple

I discovered this band by chance just after I had a moment where the music of Tears For Fears finally ‘clicked’ for me. Having the poppier side of new wave, which I had always maligned, finally make sense to me opened up a world of new music. These folks do exactly that, and they’re very good songwriters. Their synthy-indie pop could get boring quickly, but they put care into making every song unique and excellent. These tracks are smooth, rhythmic and built with just a touch of tenderness. I anticipate getting even more into them in the future.

RIYL: Tears For Fears, Erasure, putting your hair up in a way that’s going to look very dumb in a few years

#62. Feist – Multitudes

There were a handful of welcome returns this year, few more welcome than indie goddess Feist. Her first album in six years doesn’t see any real change from her previous albums, and why should it? The Feist template of nuanced and mature folk-rock songs with pretty rhythms, haunting vocals and complex emotions is still running strong. She hasn’t missed a beat, as Multitudes is another notch in an excellent catalog.

RIYL: Cat Power, Sharon Van Etten, getting one drink at a show and taking the next day off work

#61. Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure

I mean, it’s Janelle. What do I need to say here? This is far from her best work, and it’s still among the best albums of the year. Smooth, breezy and sultry, there’s fewer distinct bangers here and more of a prolonged vibe. And that vibe is, well, coital. There’s only two tracks over 3 minutes, highlighting just how flowing and digestible this album is, like a sweaty summer day. The fact that people were expecting grand political statements by Janelle’s return to music is incredibly funny, as we instead got a rousing sex playlist.

RIYL: Prince, Tinashe, [redacted]

#60. Lonnie Holley – Oh Me Oh My

You may or may not know the name Lonnie Holley as a visual artist with a career spanning back decades. At a spry 73 years old, he’s released his third piece of audio art, and that’s exactly what it is. This is abstract, experimental music, full of songs that couple a political angriness with a religious wholesomeness. It’s a complete persona, the positive and negative. A lot of experimental music falls victim to an ironic repetitiveness, but this album will always keep you guessing. There are some heavy assists, too: Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten and Michael Stipe all show up, among others.

RIYL: Kara Jackson, William Basinski, achieving a complete and total clarity about the world

#59. Blondshell – Blondshell

Feels a little weird to call this a debut given that Blondshell, aka Sabrina Teitelbaum, had previously released pop music under a different moniker. But those songs went nowhere, and she’s done a hard reboot with a set of fuzzy, guitar-based indie. Many albums on this list try to reinvent the wheel; Blondshell revels in the already-established. These are just great, punchy indie tunes that hearken back to a 90’s sound. Poppy, noisy, and innately rhythmic, this is indie rock at its finest.

RIYL: Momma, Snail Mail, pleasantly liking some of the songs your teen kid is playing

#58. Lil Uzi Vert – Pink Tape

What a victory lap. Uzi is one of the last stars of the cursed mumble rap scene, but he’s on top of the world. And this album sees him throwing all of his ambitions and excesses at the wall and seeing what sticks. There’s no idea too ridiculous – in fact, the two best songs are a song that samples Shinsuke Nakamura’s entrance music, and a full cover of “Chop Suey!” At 87 minutes, I will concede that it could’ve been edited down a lot, but a vast majority of the songs here are fun bangers that don’t overstay their welcome. It may be a slog to get through – but it’s rewarding.

RIYL: Young Thug, Playboi Carti, the party of the century

#57. Spanish Love Songs – No Joy

This band has a natural knack for writing grown-up, despondent tunes that feel like a much-matured version of pop-punk. These songs are a little too indie to be punk, a little too prickly to be indie, and way too adult to be pop-punk. They owe more to the irreverent raconteurs in the Hold Steady than anything else, yet most often get namedropped alongside bands like the Menzingers. It’s a patient and engaging album. The characters across the songs feel earnest and real. There’s simply a lot to relate to here.

RIYL: The Menzingers, the Gaslight Anthem, having the stark realization that you’ve lived enough to relate to Springsteen lyrics

#56. Geld – Currency // Castration

I’ve written about it earlier in the list and I’ll write about it again later, so let’s keep this brief – hardcore bands are currently pushing themselves to the absolute limit. This quick release (22 minutes) stands firmly on the trifold border of hardcore punk, thrash metal and harsh noise. It’s a limited audience record, but for those who find it, it’s wildly great.

RIYL: Knocked Loose, Mammoth Grinder, listen I’m running out of hardcore jokes here. Uhh uhh smashing a PBR can against your head

#55. Depeche Mode – Memento Mori

There isn’t much I can say about MM that I haven’t already said in my Depeche Chronicles series from earlier this year. This collection was born out of tragedy, of the loss of Andy Fletcher. And although some of these songs were already in progress when he passed, his ghost haunts the album. The two remaining members face their own mortality up and down, with a number of diverse and intricate tunes that nonetheless revel in the morose. It’s one of their better albums! And while they may face their own mortality, they didn’t let it get to them – embarking at their age on a massive, arena tour.

RIYL: Gary Numan, The Cure, calculating how much you’ve spent on black eyeliner in the last 35 years

#54. LURK – Natural Causes

There’s a lot of punk on this list, and most of it is similar in the way the groups push the boundaries of labels and sheer sonic terror. LURK, though, is closer to traditional hardcore punk. I only found this band because a coworker’s group played a gig with them, but I’ve spun this one a couple times now. It’s just an EP, so nice and brief, but the band packs a lot into it. Some songs are noisy and abrasive, some are focused more on melody. Despite only being 20 minutes, it’s a diverse effort within the realms of punk. Really left me wanting more.

RIYL: Rise Against, Knocked Loose, idk i’m totally out of hardcore jokes here

#53. PJ Harvey – I Inside the Old Year Dying

PJ Harvey remains unpredictable. She’s one of the few artists with a perfect batting record when it comes to albums, but it’s fair to say that her previous work, 2016’s Hope Six Demolition Project, was one of her weaker efforts. This album, she’s decided to take things back to medieval times. Not actually, but the album is based on an epic poem and is littered with biblical and Shakespearean references, and the near-constant minimalist feel gives it more of a chamber aura. It isn’t like anything Harvey has done before, chalked up at least a bit to the improvisation on the album. It’s not her most accessible work, and it took me a few tracks to vibe with it. But there’s a mesmerizing core to this album, even in the moments where there is very little happening.

RIYL: Nick Cave, Patti Smith, reading a book in the woods

#52. Kesha – Gag Order

Kesha’s initial turn towards earnestness still felt a bit forced, even in spite of the implosions happening within her career and personal life. Now, these years later, she’s never sounded more sincere. This album is brutally emotional, and sees Kesha offer her best-ever vocals and her most vulnerable lyrics. It’s also probably her most diverse album musically, refusing to pigeonhole her into one sound. Kesha – or Ke$ha, even – had always been as much a character as an artist. That character is finally, fully, shed. This is a deeply and darkly human album, and easily her most impressive work to date.

RIYL: Britney, Christina, gonna be honest it feels very wrong to do a joke response to this one

#51. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – The Silver Cord

Immediately upon release, this record – the band’s 25th (!!) – proved to be one of their most divisive among fans. A lot of the band’s guitar purist fans don’t like the electronic/krautrock direction the Aussies have decided to go in. And that’s fine, the sheer point of Gizz is that you’re not going to like everything they do (for me, it’s the boogie stuff). I was expecting to be bored, honestly, but this one is pure fun. The band channels Kraftwerk into some songs that are both metrical and exciting, particularly the urgent songs “Set” and “Gilgamesh.” There’s a ton of lyrics about ancient gods and what not – it’s still Gizz after all. And of course, there’s the album’s gimmick – the record comes in two versions, one running about 30 minutes and one running about 90 minutes, where every song is “extended,” stretching past 10 minutes. The extended “Theia” goes 21 minutes. Both versions are excellent, and work together to service all electronic fans.

RIYL: Kraftwerk, Can, when Dylan went electric

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow we soldier on with entries 50-26. The albums will only get better (or worse, this is all personal tastes). Up tomorrow, we’ve got some local metal, shoegaze legends, electronica legends, one of the biggest albums of 2023, a band with a song called “Lana Del Rey,” an artist who parodies Lana Del Rey, and Lana Del Rey Stay tuned!

20 Great Songs You May Have Missed From 2022 (So Far)

Look, it’s been a weird year. I don’t really want to talk about it. What I do want to talk about is music, always, and what I’ve found is that there’s been a ton of great, under the radar stuff this year. I may do a proper post about what albums I’ve loved so far in 2022, but this post is specifically dedicated to songs you may have missed. You don’t need two posts about how great Bad Bunny or Sharon Van Etten are. So this post is 20 songs, unranked, that I think you should hear. I didn’t put any effort into planning genres here, just grabbed 20 that I love, but there’s a mix from noise to ska to old school hip-hop!

8 Kalacas – “Frontera”

Coming out of the gates with a controversial choice, because I know some people don’t like metal, and some people really don’t like ska, so ska-metal might sound atrocious. But 8 Kalacas combines the two in a way detached from any dopey 90’s skacore done by ignorant white dudes. Not to say that the music isn’t fun, because it’s a guilty pleasure of a track, but there’s enough genuine artistic passion and seriousness in the lyrics – a tale about immigrating back to Mexico after the American dream has failed you – to present this as a woeful tune demanding of your attention.

FFO: Streetlight Manifesto, Soulfly, dancing and/or immigration reform

Börn – “Norn”

I know absolutely nothing about this band and, full disclosure, I only found them on a bigger blog doing this exact same type of midyear post. I don’t know how they found this band, a new Icelandic band who’s debut album has yet to muster 3500+ spotify plays for any song. But boy does this rip. This is the exact type of music I was looking for in my teens – guitar-heavy goth shit. This has the sound of a noisy, combustible no wave or noise rock band, but the vocals of something more gothic. It’s loud, melodic, dark and extremely sweaty. More of this, please.

FFO: METZ, mclusky, sweating your mascara off

Foxtails – “space orphan”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKGHeIiBQ48

There’s a handful of albums I’ve listened to or added to lists to listen that were based off recommendations where I simply cannot remember where they were recommended to me. I jumped into this album entirely unfamiliar with the group, but based on the low-caps band name/album title/song titles and the cutesy album cover, I was expecting some tender indie. What I got instead was an inspired mix of alternative, violin, and scream-y vocals, not out of the realm of Defiance, Ohio, but less gimmicky then them too. This song is more representative of how much I loved the album in general, but it rips. There’s some very chaotic, downright uncomfortable stuff going on here.

FFO: Defiance Ohio, Gouge Away, having a breakdown in small town america

HEALTH/Ada Rook/PlayThatBoyZai – “MURDER DEATH KILL”

MDK ALL FUCKIN DAY

HEALTH is one of my favorite bands, and Ada Rook is maybe my favorite screamer right now, so this pairing just makes sense. The industrial group has been working with tons of artists – most notably Nine Inch Nails – across two collaborative albums. Results have been mixed, but this absolute ripper of a 2-minute song makes it all worth it. Music doesn’t get much more in your face than this, an absolute wicked aura matched only by volume. Seems intentional that the title matches the slogan of a wrestler who was once killed in the ring, revived, and tried to fight the paramedics to clear him to finish the match. I’m MDK affiliated.

FFO: Backxwash, The Body, light tube bundles

KRS-One – “Raw Hip Hop”

Thirty-six years into his career, KRS-One doesn’t have anything he has to prove to anyone, and he’s allowed to do whatever he wants. While his new album – his 16th(!) solo record – varies in quality, it’s got some bangers like “Raw Hip Hop.” It lives up to the title, with a first-person overview of the genre’s history from someone who’s always been at the forefront of it. His forceful rapping is mixed with a minimalist beat, resulting in an old-school sounding song from an old-school artist. It’s criminal that he still flies under the radar.

FFO: Q-Tip, Biz Markie, an era without Machine Gun Kelly in it

Leikeli47 – “Chitty Bang”

Okay so you probably have heard this song, as it’s being used in a TV commercial right now (don’t ask me for what, I tune those out), but it’s worth a mention here as the full song is simply a blast. The song opens the rapper’s excellent new album “Shape Up,” the first of many straight fun songs on a Side A that plays like one long party jam. Given that “Zoom” has well eclipsed 5 million Spotify plays and “Done Right” seems to be on TikTok a lot, I’m guessing – hoping – that Leikeli47 isn’t on these lists much longer.

FFO: Princess Nokia, Rico Nasty, that brief era where MIA was huge

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – “The Harvest”

You’re right, I did want to write about this one partially because they have the best band name in music hands down. But I’ve been singing their praises for a few years now. I’m hit and miss when it comes to stoner metal, so it makes sense that I’d love this song that really toys with the format. It’s got the length (9:10) and it’s got the riffs – by god, does it have the riffs – but it’s also got spacey synths and dreamy vocals. It somehow sounds both warm and menacing at the same time, as if it is simply not of this planet. I’ll give you a few minutes to take a few tokes before we continue.

FFO: Blood Incantation, Neurosis, getting high in the forest and what, is that a UFO? is that a UFO?

Mattiel – “Lighthouse”

Mattiel is one of a handful of indie artists whose continued lack of mainstream success upsets me to no end. Their new album “Georgia Gothic” continues their trend of making very digestible indie tunes with diverse inspirations, but a complete sound. My personal favorite, “Lighthouse” is bolstered by horns and and an excellent, repeated vocal line. Songs like this were designed to stick in your head.

FFO: Sunflower Bean, Horsegirl, feeling restless on a nice summer day

MJ Lenderman – “Tastes Just Like It Costs”

The name MJ Lenderman has been on my radar for a bit but his recent “Boat Songs” album is the first release of his I’ve actually heard. His name usually comes up alongside folksier artists that I’m usually hit-and-miss on, so to hear an album of generally grungier, more old school alternative was a delightful surprise. This is possibly my favorite on the album, because I’m a huge sucker for a song that ends on a repeating line (as seen elsewhere on on this list). This is a poppy, fuzzy guitar song with a neat vocal rhythm, resulting in what Dinosaur, Jr. might sound like if J. Mascis was just a little bit playful.

FFO: Dinosaur, Jr., Pavement, flannel shirts

Otoboke Beaver – “I Won’t Dish Out Salads”

I picked this one up via a recommendation and only listened to it this week, and I remain confounded on how to even classify this band. It’s garage-punk, with the ferocity of noise and the vocals of something poppier. Too melodic for Melt Banana, too hardcore for J-pop, and the tracks are just the right length for grindcore (the album’s last three songs account for only 39 seconds of music). It’s fun, aggressive, and insanely melodic. There’s only one other band I’ve listened to this year that sounded similar, and they’re…

FFO: Melt Banana, Guerilla Toss, trashing the term “guilty pleasure” once and for all

Perennial – “Tooth Plus Claw”

I’m a little biased on this one, as I recently got to interview these fine folks about their excellent new album, but it’s one of my favorite songs from the year nonetheless. Perennial’s music is a blast in both ways, and this song works a mission statement – a bouncy dance-punk track that harmonizes fun and aggression, all wrapped up in 85 seconds. Some bands that came up in conversation were Be Your Own Pet & The Hives, and it’s hard not to see Perennial as a spiritual successor to both those names.

FFO: Be Your Own Pet, The Hives, chugging cold brew

PLOSIVS – “Hit the Breaks”

Somehow this supergroup comprising members of Pinback, Against Me! (Atom Willard!) and Hot Snakes seems to have gone completely under the radar. The opening song off their debut song definitely sounds like the latter band, an aggressive but melodic indie-punk ditty that sounds like it was designed to absolutely kill in a live setting. You could argue that we don’t need yet another jangly garage group – but when it sounds as good as this, who cares?

FFO: Hot Snakes, Les Savy Fav, dads that rock

Porridge Radio – “Birthday Party”

Naming a song “Birthday Party” and then repeating the line “I don’t wanna be loved” endlessly is the grimmest possible way to establish a song. But that’s what the indie group Porridge Radio is about. Add in the pained vocals, deceivingly catchy rhythms and faint sounds of kids in the background, and you’ve got one of the year’s most brutally depressing songs. It’s what to expect from Porridge Radio, and it’s done well across the whole album, but never as good as here.

FFO: Nick Cave, the sadder Los Campesinos! albums, working on your birthday

SOAK – “Purgatory”

We’ve seen an absolute glut of electric-acoustic indie with pretty vocals over the last decade, but it’s still so nice to find artists who can do it so well. This song, the opener to a very solid album, mixes comforting acoustic with more unpredictable electric rhythms and deceptively haunting vocals. Their voice sounds so, so much like Adrienne Lenker’s, which is to say pretty and haunting at the same time. The repetition on “I’ll be hungry forever” to end the song is an extra wrinkle on the song’s beauty.

FFO: Big Thief, Waxahatchee, autumn

Robert Stillman – “Cherry Ocean”

This song remains confounding to me. It’s just shy of 9 minutes, features just a few instruments and very hushed, difficult-to-decipher vocals. It’s the only song on the album with lyrics, as the album otherwise meanders around various subgenres of jazz. I *guess* this counts as jazz, too, but I’m not even comfortable with that label. All of the components of this feel warm – the piano drone, the sax, the quiet vocals – and yet the final product feels cold and questioning. The album’s title – What Does It Mean To Be An American? – comes from a different song, but in the year 2022 that is a menacing question, and this song reflects it. There’s practically nothing to pull from this track, and yet I keep coming back to it.

FFO: Mount Eerie, Gene Hackman playing saxophone at the end of “The Conversation”

Tropical Fuck Storm/King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “Satanic Slumber Party Part 2 (Midnight in Sodom)“

Seemingly half of the current rock & punk bands I like come from Australia, so it only makes sense to see a team-up like this. I’ll admit I am not super familiar with TFS but Gizz has been my most played band each year since I got obsessed in 2018, and this song plays into their super wild side, just 6 minutes of chaotic art-punk that seems to never nail down any kind of central rhythm but also maintain just enough normalcy to not be pure cacophony. This song is pure, unadulterated fun. Gizz are by no means an undiscovered group but they released this split just weeks before their monstrous album “Omnium Gatherum” and it seems to have gotten lost in that album’s shadow. Also, be happy Gizz-heads: they’ve already committed to releasing 3 (!) more albums this year.

FFO: the better Animal Collective albums, black midi, riding a unicorn through a rainbow ocean

The Venomous Pinks – “Todos Unidos”

Ok so this song is actually 2 years old now and popped up on my radar last year, but the Arizona punk trio’s debut was finally released in June, so I’m counting it. Messy and angry, the song hearkens back to the times when hardcore punk was first burgeoning into the mainstream with its call to action and gang vocals. It feels refreshing to hear such straightforward street punk in an era where the genre label “punk” is arguably being thrown around too loosely. Given that they just wrapped up a tour with *the Dead Kennedys,* I would say to watch for this name.

FFO: Rancid, Pennywise, the great street punk bands from your hometown that split up to become firefighters

Weird Nightmare – “Searching For You”

Weird Nightmare is the solo project from Alex Edkins from METZ, but one listen to the song and you could probably figure that one out on your own. While the song is much more distinctly indie than anything METZ, the sweatiest band in the world, has done, it retains much of the same sound. Edkins still snarls his way through this slightly menacing track, and he remains infallible in his way of coupling melody and noise. This song takes heavy inspiration from some legendary 80’s/90’s guitar alternative, and we should be thankful for it.

FFO: METZ (obviously), Preoccupations, the crushing weight of a Tuesday afternoon

Zeal & Ardor – “Feed the Machine”

There weren’t a ton of albums I loved in Q1 this year so this new Zeal & Ardor album sat near the top of my list for a while. I truly don’t know why they’re not getting more attention than they are, though I blame the metal purists who demand every band follow the exact same script. Zeal & Ardor not only didn’t follow a metal script, they never even read it. This song – more indicative of how much I loved the album in general – starts with a damn stomp clap. The album takes black metal and incorporates elements of African music, chamber pop, industrial, folk, and just whatever the hell the band feels is appropriate. Nothing about it should work, and yet it does in a way that still makes metal feel fresh. Truly one of the best albums of the year so far.

FFO: Deafheaven, Author & Punisher, music that pisses off your parents and pisses off the people who make music to piss off your parents

Zola Jesus – “Sewn”

Zola’s new album “Arkhon” – only 1 day old at the time of me writing this – masterfully blends peaceful euphoria, haunting melodies and vengeful brooding into one album. My personal favorite from the album swings towards the latter, a menacing synth track that sounds like an animal creeping in the night. It hits remarkably well on the album, as the previous track is deceitfully melodic, but it works well as a standalone track as well.

FFO: Chelsea Wolfe, Jenny Hval, the Matrix nightclub scenes

And that’s 20! Thanks to anyone who actually read through all of this for some reason, I appreciate anyone so willing to discover new tunes! Also a shoutout to A Wilheim Scream, Blood Red Shoes & Thou, who all had songs that initially made the cut here before I swapped some around – I’ve loved these groups for years now. This was fun for me even if no one read it, so I’ll try to do another 20 at year’s end!

Post-Grad Music Reviews

Music Reviews from an overanalyzing junkie. Submissions for LPs and EPs are open! amcnal817@gmail.com

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