December 14, 2015 by A.S. Van Dorston

Top 100 Albums of 2015 | Spotify Mix | 2015 Breakdown: Genre Lists | Shows, Videos | Movies, Television, Books & Comics

In years past, I often got outraged about albums that got critical conensus while other great ones were ignored. I’m passionate about the music I love and try to spread the word on, and can get a bit worked up. I’m feeling a bit more accepting this holiday season. While the diversity of what I cover has diminished somewhat in recent years, it’s also harder to piss me off about the stuff I care about getting ignored for Sufjan Stevens and Kendrick Lamar.

While I still feel the majority of music critics don’t dig deep enough into what’s out there, to be fair, it’s not a very well paying job. It’s why I never went into it professionally. It’s thankless too, no longer given the kind of respect it once had 20-40 years ago. The result is that critics mainly listen to and write about whatever the hell they feel like. When most are not motivated to push beyond their comfort zones, there is a result that very little outrageously, offensively bad music gets pushed by most critics. The results end up being a little too predictable and boring, but the truth is I do like all the artists mentioned above to an extent. Kendrick Lamar’s album is #6 on my hip-hop list, even if I think parts of it is are chore to get through. If I were locked in a room with only those albums playing, I probably wouldn’t stab my hears for the first day. Okay that’s pretty faint praise. But it’s something. Heck, I even like parts of the Adele album, even if it is an extremely conservative adult contemporary that looks back to Barbara Streisand and Bing Crosby. There’s something to be said for an emotionally honest voice that connects with the masses. Heck, I even like what I heard of Hamilton, the hip-hop musical about the founding of our financial system. So, it was a difficult year for many in this world. Many reach to Lamar to make sense of the suffering and horrors, Stevens to process death in the family, and Adele to commiserate in romantic loss. The next tier of popular critical choices were all fairly ambitious, complex art rock from Björk, Joanna Newsom, Susanne Sundfør, Grimes and Julia Holter. Holter is by far the one I connected with the most this year.

I am no stranger to dark music, I just prefer mine to be a bit more cosmic and vast. But don’t forget about celebratory. We’ve avoided the apocalypse so far, so there’s still a chance to do something right. Some come on down the rabbit hole and put some color back into your music.

Comebacks of the Year

A decade isn’t so long anymore. Perhaps that’s because I’m middle aged, and it seemed like yesterday that Sleater-Kinney’s The Woods (2005) came out. Seriously. Great band, great last album, but I hardly missed ’em. But it’s damn nice to have them back, especially when their tour was the best I’d ever seen them play. No Cities To Love took a long time to grow on me, but yeah, they’re back and better than ever. Goatsnake is a band I never thought I never expected another album from again since their Flower Of Disease (2000). Great decision. Now if we can get an album out of Spirit Caravan or even The Obsessed!

Debuts of the year

This year the debut of the year award goes to Algiers. I would have thought they’d be catnip for the critics, but fiery postpunk with angry, political lyrics was more fashionable in 2013 when Savages were slathered with love than this year. I haven’t gotten to see them live yet, but they seem to bursting with possibilities. Sunder is technically a debut, though essentially the same band released an album just last year as The Socks. One can understand why they changed their name. Marriages is an exciting new band lead by Emma Ruth Rundle, who released the excellent avant dream pop Some Heavy Ocean last year, and also served in Red Sparrowes.

Overrated of the Year

Sufjan Stevens. I really liked Greetings From Michigan (2003), but it seems like every album since has resulted in diminishing returns until he’s lost touch with how to assert his vision musically. While plenty of people are drawn to his lyrics, he come across to my ears as utterly listless and bland.

Disappointment of the Year

It’s been another great year for my favorite artists, particularly the ones I was most eagerly anticipating releases from, like Graveyard, Ufomammut, Royal Thunder, Elder and Christian Mistress. They all delivered, and others like Witchcraft, Troubled Horse, Spirits Of The Dead and Wolf People will have new music next year. With luck, they won’t disappoint either. On the other hand, some legendary post-punk bands didn’t fare so well for me — Gang Of Four, Public Image Ltd., The Pop Group and Wire all released duds to varying degrees. And even though it’s been highly rated, I’m not really feeling the Killing Joke album either. That’s a shame as those five bands are responsible for some of the best albums of 1979-80, and of all time.

Underrated

Some bands, like Golden Void and Baron, just aren’t widely known. However, both Magic Circle and Christian Mistress got some attention with their previous albums in 2012. Yet for some reason, despite releasing two of my top three albums this year, they are being almost totally ignored.It has more to do with what’s fashionable than anything.

Fester’s Lucky 13 – The Best Albums of 2015

01. Golden Void – Berkana (Thrill Jockey)

Just a week ago I saw Earthless open for Graveyard. Their extended stoner psych instrumental jams are highly regarded in that community, but can try my patience. I noticed others in the audience who were visibly bored too. What blows my mind is that guitarist Isaiah Mitchell has another band Golden Void, that put out an album that rivals anything released this year, and would have made a much more compatible touring mate with Graveyard.

Golden Void is one of a handful of bands that came out of nowhere and blew me away with a great, fully realized debut album full of brilliant songwriting that made my year-end top 13 in 2012. They had come up with a pretty unique blend of proto-metal and psychedelic folk, with nods toward Black Sabbath and a bit of Cream’s Jack Bruce and Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker in Isaiah Mitchell’s vocals. Three years later, the band replaces up front rockers on their second album, Berkana, with some twang, somewhat along the lines of Sweden’s Troubled Horse, who was another great band that emerged in 2012 (and I really hope to be able to hear their second album before the end of the year), particularly on “Dervishing” and “Astral Plane.”

I might be imagining it, but the band might have listened a bit to undersung West Coast paisley underground heroes True West and Thin White Rope, along with the more ubiquitious post-punk garage noir of Gun Club. These influences are subtly and seamlessly woven into their music, frankly with results much more satisfying than most anything from the bands I cited. “Astral Plane” starts with a rolling guitar riff that also brings to mind a bit of mid-70s Crazy Horse, with an autumnal vocal melody. It gets even more haunting and transcendent at two minutes with a ghostly, high-register guitar line that floats on top. Then enters a flute, and even a synthesizer, all interacting in the ethereal higher plane on top of the guitars. While this kind of mood has often been achieved by the likes of The Black Heart Procession and Sixteen Horsepower, I don’t think I’ve heard anything that achieves this mind-bending balance of delicacy and heaviness like this track. Yes, it’s that amazing.

Like the first album, the cover art features trees back lit with a golden glow of a sunset or sunrise. With the psych prog leanings of “The Beacon” and “Storm And Feather,” I hear the kind of trippy, heavy forest psych I’d been craving. Sometimes I dream up fusions of genres and styles I feel are under-represented in the world. Bands like Dead Meadow and Fellwoods seemed to have the potential to achieve that kind of mix, but Golden Void had really nailed it. However like their debut, the band’s musical interests are too diverse to stay with a particular sound more than a couple songs. They also feature some heavy riffing on “Burbank’s Dream,” a full-blown guitar freakout in the second half of “The Beacon,” and extended fret workouts throughout much of “I’ve Been Down.” “Silent Season” is one of their most perfectly crafted, melodic songs that surpasses the writing on their first album.

02. Elder – Lore (Armageddon)

After a few year absence, Elder made a significant stylistic shift from stoner doom to heavy psych prog. Nicholas DiSalvo’s guitar pyrotechnics and their engrossing epic tracks have inspired awe among those who know what’s up. After jonesing for that their thick tones for nearly four years, I was lucky enough to have gotten to see them twice this year at a venue just down the street from me. I have a feeling the stature of this album will only grow in legend as time goes on. | Full Review

03. Christian Mistress – To Your Death (Relapse)

This may be an odd comparison, but the reasons some have given for liking the Courtney Barnett album, that her emotional directness hits a sweet spot that makes her music, which is nothing new, all the more compelling, applies to me for Christian Mistress. On the surface they may be an unpretentious, blue-collar party metal lead by the smoky, soulful rasp of a woman who’s probably seen more bar brawls than most men. The sound may be rooted in Thin Lizzy and the NWOBHM. But that was nothing of that era that could set shriveled black grinch hearts aflame with pure emotional impact like Christian Mistress. Let it be known this this album is indeed important. It needed to be made, and here it is. Don’t waste your short time on earth without it. | Full Review

04. Magic Circle – Journey Blind (Armegeddon)

When Magic Circle came out of Boston in 2013 with their self-titled debut, they proved that you don’t need the Internet to succeed. Their albums sold out, and were unavailable through any streaming or downloading. No iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, or even Bandcamp. All they had was old fashioned word of mouth on how amazing their rock ‘n’ doom is. They don’t try to keep their influences secret — they celebrate their love of all things Sabbath, Trouble and Pagan Altar. Their dedication to their craft, a killer batch of new songs and an amazing vocalist make this a must hear for any metal fan. They even seem willing to grow out of their cult status and are now have a digital footprint, and will hopefully leave their mammoth tracks across the country in a tour next year. | Full Review

05. Baroness – Purple (Abraxan Hymns)

Baroness seemed to willfully sabotage any chance at getting acknowledged in year-end lists, releasing the album on December 18th. Below is my original review, having only a week to absorb the promo. The album has only slipped relatively slightly, as I gained appreciation for their debut Red Album (2007).

It’s a tough call to name an album of the year that is just coming out on December 18. Aside from a couple singles, I only first got to hear all of it just a week and a half ago. With the pre-release excitement, it could have easily disappointed me. It did not, and I’ve listened to it probably 30 times since, despite also absorbing another 150 albums since year-end list season started before Thanksgiving. I was disappointed by their previous release, the double Yellow & Green album in 2012. It was admirable in it’s experimentation with less heavy rock, but just didn’t do it for me like their other albums. After their horrific accident that year where their bus fell off a 30 foot viaduct in Monkton Combe, their future was uncertain. Two members were unable to return due to severe injuries. Baizley’s arm was nearly amputated and it took some grueling physical therapy to get back to playing guitar again, let alone walking. But he was determined, and later in 2013, I witnessed their triumphant return to the stage. It was a totally celabratory show, with John Baizley and Pete Adams (who’s other band Valkyrie also released a great album earlier this year) stoked to be alive and rocking, and the new guys excited to be in one of the best rock bands on the planet. Leading up the the release, the band released a series of endearing, short videos that are so enthusiastic and candid, you can’t help to root for them no matter what you think of their music. They introduce new drummer Sebastian Thomson (Publicist) who some may know from 90s indie prog band Trans Am and bassist Nick Jost, who comes from a jazz background. They also made the wait a bit nervewracking, in case the album didn’t measure up to the anticipation. There was no need for worry. Bruised but intact, Purple is a perfect progression from the previous albums, with the ferocity of Red, the majestic twin guitar glories of Blue, and melodicism of Yellow & Green. It’s more consistent, focused, and emotionally powerful. It’s the document of a band at the peak of their powers.

Stoner Metal, Alt Rock, Psychedelic Rock | RYM #338

06. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – The Night Creeper (Rise Above)

Of the pack of occult rockers that emerged in 2010-12, Ghost may be the one to crossover to the mainstream. But Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats music holds up better over the years.

fter touring with Black Sabbath in 2013 only in Europe, they finally had mercy on their deprived North American fans and embarked on a successful tour in 2014. An enticing single, “Runaway Girls” was released, which didn’t even end up on the album. The cover strips away “the Deadbeats” from the name, I guess for simplicity’s sake and marketing. As far as I know, there was no official announcement of a change in band name. The improved production on their third album, Mind Control (2013) has also been abandoned, back to the bassless low-fi sound of their first demo tape Vol I (2010). My disappointment in this obviously intentional choice is balanced out by the fact that the songs are better than Mind Control‘s, matching the crawling pace of Vol I, while intensifying the creepy horror vibe tenfold.

It was really remarkable to witness Uncle Acid’s ascension from the underground in 2011. Word of mouth of their self-released Blood Lust (2011) spread like wildfire, a murky but potent mix of Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, The Beatles and Hammer Horror. Vol I probably would have done the same had they properly released it beyond the 20 cassette copies. Thanks to their boldly consistent psych noir aesthetic (read more about that in Kaleidoscopes & Grimoires: Psych Noir), and probably even more so to their catchy riffs and haunting harmonies, they were a runaway crossover success, with Rise Above reissuing the album and helping bridge them from their dark underworld to more widespread audiences. By 2013, we were already hearing their influence in other bands, with several direct tributes to them on many recent albums. That’s a pretty rare achievement these days, something accomplished by just a small handful of bands the past 20 years. | Full Review

07. Royal Headache – High

I first heard Royal Headache on their indie self-titled debut in 2012, a scrappy, noisy, lo-fi album that seemed kind of minor at first, but grew on me. Skinny, awkward frontman Shogun really gets under your skin with his conviction and deceptively versatile voice, sounding like a young Paul Westerberg if he were influenced by gritty soul. While their early sound of soulful punk and oi has expanded to include comparisons to The Jam and other later British bands, I think even more important is the fiery passion they have reignited from the likes of countrymen The Saints and Hunters And Collectors, particularly their tortured love and heartbreak lyrics on Human Frailty (1986). More modern comparison might be Palma Violets, or Titus Andronicus, who have evolved along similar lines. However, that band kind of lost me on much of their sprawling double album, The Most Lamentable Tragedy, which contains far too much filler to qualify them as the “greatest rock band in the world” status that some have attempted to bestow them. On Royal Headache’s second album High, they administer twice the impact, devastation and jubilance at less than third of the running time.

Like all the greatest breakup albums, it successfully balances the wrenching pain, loss and regret with flashbacks to the giddy joy of love at first flush, and all the complicated and mixed emotions between the beginning and the end. Case in point, the surprisingly laid back sounding, acoustic-driven “Carolina” which sports a hook worthy of the best Saints tunes, and a gravelly, soulful vocal performance that reminds me of Rod Stewart at his peak, back when seemingly peerless rock titans like Robert Plant and Paul Rodgers would kiss his ring on bent knees. The video successfully shows how Shogun puts in the same emotional energy into the song as their more energetic rockers, as he looks like he’s literally going to leap out of his skin. Fuckin’ great.

You don’t have to wait for that deep cut to get slayed. Opener “My Own Fantasy” draws you in with an alluring melody, an ode to the virtues of rock ‘n’ roll getting an otherwise average guy way more love action than anyone would reasonably expect. “Need You” reminds me the rush I first got hearing The Strokes back when they were cocky and had a legitimate reason to be. “High” most certainly has fans already screaming along with the chorus at live shows. “Another World” is certainly a dead ringer for The Jam, but it’s just so damn excellent, and gone at 2:22 before you know it. That’s an impressive run of songs. “Wouldn’t You Know” slows the tempo down into a slowburn, propelled by a fabulous surf guitar and bass line which reminds me of the slower tunes like “Tides Of Time” and “Mexico” on the nearly as great self-titled album by The Soft Pack in 2010. “Garbage” is the hateful, sneering apex laced with acidic, distorted guitar to invigorating affect.

“Love Her If I Tried” and “Little Star” lovingly sandwich the aforementioned highlight “Carolina” with more killer hooks and choruses, and the albums ends with the noisy, punky “Electric Shock.” No longer really a punk band, and not all that heavy, on the surface one would have thought this was the kind of indie bullshit that’s drove me into the denim ‘n’ leather clad arms of heavy psych, doom and hard rock. But if more bands could deliver the quality that High does, I’d certainly make more exceptions. Royal Headache is without a doubt worthy of the horned salute.

08. Dungen – Allas Sak

While their progeny like Tame Impala reach audiences a hundred times larger, Dungen has shied away from the kind of accessibility that could get them crossover success. While they had a bit of a breakthrough in the U.S. back in 2004 with Ta det lugnt, their music has gotten less accessible, digging deeper into prog and jazz-rock, and continuing to sing in Swedish. That is a decision I can respect, which means I’ll get to have my mind blown by them once again up close and personal in a comfortably small club. They’ve been very consistent from Tio bitar (2007), 4 (2008), Skit i allt (2010) and their latest. With casual listens by non-Swedish speakers, they can be interchangeable, but more intense sessions unveil their brilliant musicianship. Saxes, flutes and pipes might bring to mind Henry Cow and Jethro Tull, but they also rock in a far more consistent, satisfying manner. You just mind find yourself obsessively collecting all their works and playing them for days on repeat.

Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock, Psych Prog, Jazz-Rock | RYM #541

09. Jess And The Ancient Ones – Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes

Kuopio, Finland’s Jess and the Ancient ones came out strong in 2012, picking up where The Devil’s Blood left off with a shimmering debut album of psych noir and driving metal guitars. Despite the growing popularity and attention drawn to similar bands like Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Blood Ceremony, Purson, The Oath and Lucifer (covered in Kaleidoscopes & Grimoires: Psych Noir), they have been somewhat under the radar. However, they’ve been fairly prolific, not only releasing EPs (Astral Sabbat, 2013 and Castaneda, 2014) that demonstrate a rapid artistic growth, five members of the band recorded two albums worth of songs written by lead guitarist Thomas Corpse as The Exploding Eyes Orchestra, earning respect from anyone paying attention. The second will be out next year.

On the unwieldy titled Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes, the band find themselves in an exploratory mood, leaving behind the harder-edged NWOBHM riffs and digging into jazz and psych prog along the lines of Soft Machine, Jethro Tull and Caravan while flexing their musical muscles earned from their five years of playing together. Surf rock, western cinema, blues, gospel/soul and West Coast hippie spiritualism with a sinister edge of cults and the occult have also become woven into their sound. B-movie dialog clips and surf noir kick off the album on “Samhain,” a direct continuation of “Castaneda.” “In Levitating Secret Dreams” focuses on catchy chorus and song structure that should be a crowd-pleaser, while “Crossroad Lightning” has them starting with a gospel/blues vocal melody, and stretching out a Middle Eastern vibe into a mesmerizing jam. “Goatia Of Love” adds layers of organs and horns until it reaches a carnival like climax. Jess’ vocals are more accomplished than ever, more nuanced with a greater range. At this point, the album could end at 43:21 and be deemed a complete success. But yet to come is their massive closer, the 22:35 long epic, “Goodbye To Virgin Grounds Forever.” There is a gradual build-up, but the arrangement is kept fairly simple, aiming more for emotional effectiveness than showing off prog chops. By the time the initial haunting melody is reprised in the final couple minutes, it’s like a cloudy memory of a long lost past.

While there are plenty of immediate hooks and riffs, the album digs deep and unfolds gradually with repeated listens. Take your time with it, turn on the lavalamp and pick up what these heavy Finns are putting down.

Heavy Psych, Occult Rock, Psych Noir, Psych Prog | RYM #846

10. Royal Thunder – Crooked Doors

It took three years to come out with their follow-up, and it was well worth the wait. Crooked Doors boils down their sound to a new level of focused intensity, while also progressing. They do not evolve as startlingly as Baroness did with their last double album that explored roots in indie rock, but “Time Machine,” this time the longest track at 7:21, evokes some of the dark melancholy of The Afghan Whigs. Mlny is a total badass, with a powerful voice and some amazing bass tones. However like the Whigs’s Rick McCollum, the secret weapon, the musical engine driving the band is guitarist Josh Weaver. His guitar lines evoke just as much heart smashing soul as Mlny’s vocals. “Forget You” is anchored by the doomiest riffs on the album, but lift it skyward with angelic Fleetwood Mac harmonies dragging Black Sabbath screaming from the void. “The Line” is a particularly explosive highlight with multiple parts that somehow evoke both punishing Jesus Lizard style drumming and Mars Volta prog. “Forgive Me, Karma,” is subtly intricate, maintaining a simmering tension, while “Ear On The Fool” increases the heat with it thunderous crescendo.

“One Day” puts the spotlight on Mlny and she shines like a supernova. It feels like she’s unleashing pent-up frustration and passion in a sustained burst, like she’s simultaneously purging and celebrating. This kind of catharsis seems like what Billy Corgan might have been aiming for back in the 90s, but this is so, so much more successful, and just might displace “Blue” as my favorite Royal Thunder song. The album winds down with some atmospheric, folky strings (“The Bear I”) and piano (“The Bear II”) for a truly haunting, beautiful coda. Holy shit! I’ve listened to this album a dozen times and it surprises me every time with new images and emotions. That is some excellent rock ‘n’ roll bang for your buck.

Hard Rock, Stoner Metal, Blues Rock, Psych, Southern Rock | RYM #632

11. Graveyard – Innocence & Decadence

Graveyard have been one of my favorite bands for the past seven years because they haven’t let me down yet. I haven’t heard a single bad track, or been let down by their live performances. They may not be the perfect band for everyone, as some feel their sound is too rooted in the past. To that I say, what sound isn’t from the past? Every recording is a document of the past, whether the sounds were first heard 5 years ago or 40. Really what people are criticizing is that their particular sound is not currently in fashion. There’s a ton of hip-hop, R&B and pop in the charts right now rooted in styles that are already 30 years old. And I challenge anyone to find a band from the 70s that could actually be confused with Graveyard. Others have critiqued that the band can be emotionally unconvincing. That’s fair enough. Not everyone can relate to being choked by a demon in their sleep. I can, but not everyone.

This album seems to be a response to that, as several tracks strips things down to a raw, emotional core that is thoroughly convincing, particularly on the slower numbers “Exit 97,” the stax soul adultery ballad “Too Much Is Not Enough” and the closing “Stay For A Song,” which symbolically strips away the instrumentation along with the lyrical adornments of mythical beasts until it’s nearly acapella, just Joakim Nilsson’s voice, a little guitar and his pain. It manages to sound both crushingly, vulnerably sad and badass, because basically Graveyard are at peak strength and can nail anything they attempt, along the lines of, say, Led Zeppelin when they were untouchable. And like Led Zep, blues is one element in their music, but they are so much more than a blues rock band. Another comparison that comes to mind is Free, not in sound, but their subtle mastery of slow-burning rockers, such as on “Far Too Close,” featuring vocals from guitarist Jonathan Ramm.

There are a couple other departures on this album. First single “The Apple And The Tree” chases a smooth, chugging groove along the lines of “Sultans Of Swing,” that manages to be different but still recognizable as Graveyard, moody and autumnal. It’s great timing to be released on the week of the Autumn Equinox. Truls Mörck* also takes a turn on lead vocal on “A Hole In The Wall” for the first time since their debut. There’s also some Hammond organ on the album, contributed by one of the producers, Johan Lindström (Tonbruket). They recorded it at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm, Sweden with Janne Hansson (ABBA, Opeth). Together, Janne and Johan helped them strike a perfect balance between the polish of their last album, and the grit of their earlier work.

On their fourth album, it seems every band member is experiencing artistic growth. It’s hard to say whether Innocence & Decadence is their best. Fans are most likely divided between the immediacy and heaviness of their self-titled 2008 debut when they initially had more in common with big brother doom psych band Witchcraft, the striking leap in songwriting on Hisingen Blues (2011), their more sleekly polished rock of Lights Out (2012), and this one, which successfully reiterates their strengths on the fast rockers and mid-tempo rollers, and experiments with the rest. The fact that it’s in the running solidifies Graveyard’s stature of one of the best, most consistent hard rock bands in the world today, and deserve to be recognized as such.

Hard Rock, Blues Rock, Heavy Psych | RYM #695

12. The Sonic Dawn – Perception

It seems a no-brainer that the best bands would be a tight unit of accomplished musicians who can also write a tune. But it’s easier said than done. I’m a big fan of Dungen’s impressive musicianship and incredible sounding psych prog and jazz fusion. But they only have a couple songs that stick in my memory. So when a band like the Danish unit The Sonic Dawn comes around who sound like they could pull off a wicked live improvisational jazz fusion set if they wanted, have interesting, memorable songs, and also evokes expansive psych soundscapes with memorable melodies that play my pleasure points like a banjo, I know I’ve found something special. The last band that had those kinds of chops, with Nuggets hooks and Yardbirds style rave-up abandon, was Hidden Masters, who promptly broke up after their brilliant 2013 debut. The Sonic Dawn’s debut is the bluesiest of their catalog, but already have their gently swinging psych signature down. On the subsequent tour, the trio was augmented by Errka Petersoson on organs, electric pianos and Mellotron. I wish they’d come to the states.

Psych Pop, Blues Rock, Prog

13. Protomartyr – The Agent Intellect

It’s usually a tough decision to pick #13, because it’s the last album that gets the top echelon honors here. There were other very strong candidates in Cold Showers, Sunder, Algiers, Marriages and Spidergawd. It was pretty much a dead heat, with Protomartyr pulling through.

Protomartyr are a difficult band to get into. You can’t just absorb them in the background, as Joe Casey’s unmelodic monotone reinforces the grey grimness of their Detroit post-punk garage noir, which threatens to blur into undefined shadows unless you focus. Shine a light on them and the music becomes bolder where others would retreat, with Casey’s brainy but dark lyrics inspiring reviewers to break out the thesaurus to analyze and heap praise. Others have written about death and illness in Casey’s personal life with uncomfortable detail. I think the songs can tell the stories without the help of a press release. Balancing out the intense emotions and stories are moments of delicate beauty, such as the chiming lead guitar in “Pontiac 87,” and “Clandestine Time,” where Casey surprisingly clamps down on a quite lovely vocal melody. So he can sing, but chooses not to. The romance of “Ellen” would be greatly enhanced by stronger melodies. So far his approach generally meshes well with the music. For those who find thrills in deep despair and regret, there is much to wallow in here, along with some fine artistry to provide solace in a crumbling world.

Post-Punk, Garage Noir, Art Punk, Noise | RYM #133

Beyond the top 100 below, there’s so much more great music, some of which is covered in the genre lists. Or go here to view the entire 800+ album list for the year. | Spotify Mix Playlist

Original List

Baroness – Purple (Abraxan Hymns)
Christian Mistress – To Your Death (Relapse)
Magic Circle – Journey Blind (Armegeddon)
Golden Void – Berkana (Thrill Jockey)
Graveyard – Innocence & Decadence (Nuclear Blast)
Royal Thunder – Crooked Doors (Relapse)
Ufomammut – Ecate (Neurot)
Algiers – Algiers (Matador)
Baron – Torpor (Svart)
Sunder – Sunder (Tee Pee)
Snail – Feral (Small Stone)
Fuzz – II (In The Red)
Jess And The Ancient Ones – Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes (Svart)

Current List

Golden Void – Berkana (Thrill Jockey) | USA | Bandcamp
Elder – Lore (Armageddon) | USA | Bandcamp
Christian Mistress – To Your Death (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Magic Circle – Journey Blind (Armegeddon) | USA | Bandcamp
Baroness – Purple (Abraxan Hymns) | USA | Bandcamp
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – The Night Creeper (Rise Above) | UK | Buy
Royal Headache – High (What’s Your Rupture) | Australia | Bandcamp
Dungen – Allas Sak (Mexican Summer) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Jess And The Ancient Ones – Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes (Svart) | Finland | Bandcamp
Royal Thunder – Crooked Doors (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Graveyard – Innocence & Decadence (Nuclear Blast) | Sweden
Horisont – Odyssey (Rise Above) | Sweden
The Sonic Dawn – Perception (Heavy Psych) | Denmark | Bandcamp
Protomartyr – The Agent Intellect (Hardly Art) | USA | Bandcamp
Tame Impala – Currents (Interscope) | Australia
Lucifer – Lucifer I (Rise Above) | Germany
Cold Showers – Matter Of Choice (Dais) | USA | Bandcamp
Ghost – Meliora (Loma Vista) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Bad//Dreems – Dogs at Bay (Ivy League) | Australia
Sunder – Sunder (Tee Pee) | France | Bandcamp
Algiers – Algiers (Matador) | USA | Bandcamp
Marriages – Salome (Sargent House) | USA | Bandcamp
Corsair – One Eyed Horse (Shadow Kingdom) | USA | Bandcamp
Fuzz – II (In The Red) | USA | Bandcamp
Spidergawd – II (Crispin Glover) | Norway
Torche – Restarter (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Kadavar – Berlin (Nuclear Blast) | Germany | Bandcamp
The Vintage Caravan – Arrival (Nuclear Blast) | Iceland | Buy
Thee Oh Sees – Mutilator Defeated At Last (Castle Face) | USA | Bandcamp
Wand – Golem (In The Red) | USA | Buy
All Them Witches – Dying Surfer Meets His Maker (New West) | USA | Bandcamp
Chelsea Wolfe – Abyss (Sargent House) | USA | Bandcamp
Björk – Vulnicura (One Little Indian) | Iceland | Bandcamp
Ufomammut – Ecate (Neurot) | Italy | Bandcamp
Black Trip – Shadowline (Steamhammer) | Sweden
Sleater-Kinney – No Cities To Love (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Ought – Sun Coming Down (Constellation) | Canada | Bandcamp
Sacri Monti – Sacri Monti (Tee Pee) | USA | Buy
Wucan – Sow the Wind (Hansel & Gretel) | Germany | Bandcamp
Cold In Berlin – The Comfort Of Loss & Dust (Candlelight) | UK | Bandcamp
Snail – Feral (Small Stone) | USA | Bandcamp
Avatarium – The Girl With The Raven Mask (Nuclear Blast) | Sweden
Grave Pleasures – Dreamcrash (Metal Blade) | Finland
Mother Island – Cosmic Pyre (Go Down) | Italy | Bandcamp
Joanna Newsom – Divers (Drag City) | USA | Bandcamp
The Slow Readers Club – Cavalcade (SRC) | UK
Preoccupations – Viet Cong (Jagjaguwar) | Canada | Bandcamp
Motorama – Poverty (Talitres) | Russia | Bandcamp
Windhand – Grief’s Infernal Flower (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Needlepoint – Aimless Mary (BJK) | Norway | Bandcamp
Lunch – Let Us Have Madness Openly (Mass Media) | USA | Bandcamp
Iron Maiden – The Book Of Souls (BMG) | UK
Baron – Torpor (Svart) | UK | Bandcamp
Julia Holter – Have You In My Wilderness (Domino) | USA | Bandcamp
Jacco Gardner – Hypnophobia (Polyvinyl) | Netherlands | Bandcamp
Dick Diver – Melbourne, Florida (Chapter) | Australia | Bandcamp
Khemmis – Absolution (20 Buck Spin) | USA | Bandcamp
Crypt Sermon – Out Of The Garden (Dark Descent) | USA | Bandcamp
Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band – Juguya (Sublime Frequencies) | Burkina Faso | Bandcamp
The Butterscotch Cathedral – The Butterscotch Cathedral (Trouble In Mind) | USA | Bandcamp
LoneLady – Hinterland (Warp) | UK | Bandcamp
Mystic Braves – Days of Yesteryear (Lolipop) | USA | Bandcamp
The Dear Hunter – Act IV: Rebirth In Reprise (Equal Vision) | USA | Buy
The Exploding Eyes Orchestra – I (Svart) | Finland | Bandcamp
Male Gaze – Gale Maze (Castle Face) | USA | Buy
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (Stax) | USA | Bandcamp
Power – Electric Glitter Boogie (Cool Death) | Australia | Bandcamp
High On Fire – Luminiferous (eOne) | USA | Bandcamp
Hand Of Dust – Like Breath Beneath A Veil (Avant!) | Denmark | Bandcamp
Mondo Drag – Mondo Drag (RidingEasy) | USA | Bandcamp
RA – Scandinavia (Adrian) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (Mom + Pop) | Australia | Bandcamp
Carousel – 2113 (Tee Pee) | USA | Bandcamp
Ferocious Dog – From Without (Ferocious Dog) | UK | Buy
Valkyrie – Shadows (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Girls Names – Arms Around A Vision (Tough Love) | UK
Tarot – The Warrior’s Spell (Heavy Chains) | Australia | Bandcamp
Desperate Journalist – Desperate Journalist (Fierce Panda) | UK | Bandcamp
The Dandelion – Seeds Flowers and Magical Powers of the Dandelion (Dandelion) | Australia | Bandcamp
Mirror Queen – Scaffolds Of The Sky (Tee Pee) | USA | Bandcamp
Obsequiae – Aria of Vernal Tombs (20 Buck Spin) | USA | Bandcamp
Sonic Jesus – Neither Virtue Nor Anger (Fuzz Club) | Italy | Bandcamp
Witchskull – The Vast Electric Dark (Witchskull) | Australia | Bandcamp
The Volcanics – Transmission (Citadel) | Australia | Bandcamp
La Luz – Weirdo Shrine (Hardly Art) | USA | Bandcamp
My Sleeping Karma – Moksha (Napalm) | Austria | Bandcamp
The Tea Club – Grappling (The Tea Club) | USA | Bandcamp
Demon Eye – Tempora Infernalia (Soulseller) | USA | Bandcamp
Elephant9 & Reine Fiske – Silver Mountain (Rune Grammofon) | Norway | Bandcamp
Moon Duo – Shadow Of The Sun (Sacred Bones) | USA | Bandcamp
Sons Of Southern Ulster – Foundry Folk Songs (HT) | UK | Bandcamp
Freedom Hawk – Into Your Mind (Small Stone) | USA | Bandcamp
Zebra Hunt – City Sighs (Tenorio Cotobade) | USA | Bandcamp
Dele Sosimi – You No Fit Touch Am (Wah Wah) | UK | Bandcamp
Wand – 1000 Days (Drag City) | USA | Bandcamp
Black Breath – Slaves Beyond Death (Southern Lord) | USA | Bandcamp
Positive No – Glossa (Negative Fun) | USA | Bandcamp
The Icarus Line – All Things Under Heaven (Agitated) | USA | Bandcamp
Sergeant Thunderhoof – Ride Of The Hoof (Sergeant Thunderhoof) | UK | Bandcamp
Weedpecker – II (Weedpecker) | Poland | Bandcamp

2015 Breakdown

This year is a little different in that I broke up some of the previously combined genres, and mainly kept them to lists of 13. You can look them up with the lists feature here to see all of them.

Psych

It was another great year for psych, with about 150 albums that contained at least some psych. It made for great summer listening as I documented in July in Psychedelic Psummer: Tame Impala’s Synths Vs. All the Guitars. Tame Impala got by far the most attention this year, and while I was critical of it, it is quite good and did make my list. But Wand made it twice. I saw them twice this year and they also win as the most dynamic and entertaining live band of the batch. Longtime Swedish psych figureheads Dungen were the most impressive with their jazz prog chops.

Just a year previously, a French band named The Socks released an excellent debut on Small Stone. Their hard rock mixed a touch of 70s groove and psych along the lines of Sweden’s Graveyard and Germany’s Kadavar. Just a year later, they’re back with a new and better name, Sunder. They have also retooled their sound into more organ-heavy, 60s psychedelic rock resulting in more progressive (with added mellotron) and engaging songwriting. Julien Méret has changed his approach to singing, leaving behind garage rock yelling for more nuanced harmonies. Their stylistic shift doesn’t mean they gave up the hard rock. Opener “Deadly Flower” is brimming with energy and drive, reminding me of some of the friskier moments from California psych rockers Wand. Méret’s guitar playing has also reached a new level. His new rhythmic confidence is particularly showcased on the scorching “Cursed Wolf,” and the virtuosic intro to “Wings Of The Sun,” partly kneeling at the altar of Hendrix, but also with a flair and tone that reminds me of one of my favorite guitarists, John Kimbrough of Walt Mink. His six string adds significant fire to “Daughter Of The Snows,” “Eye Catcher” and “Bleeding Trees.” The atmosphere gets smokier and heavier on “Thunder And Storm,” with ascending minor key vocals and some furious drumming by Jessy Ensenat. The darkness descends even more on “Don’t Leave It Behind,” that perfectly balances the tension between melancholy and menace that is basically crack for the part of my brain that’s rooted in my Viking ancestors’ bloodlust and remorse. Few bands have satisfied that hunger — the aforementioned Graveyard, Troubled Horse, Golden Void and now Sunder.

It’s hard to imagine being starved for any kind of music nowadays, but just ten years ago, Witchcraft was essentially the only band that satisfied my symbolic urge to drink from the skulls of my enemies (you know, with music, not literally) while lamenting lost loves. Now it seems there’s an explosion of this kind of heavy psych and hard rock, and I’m far from sick of it, especially when even a band can masterfully carve out their own little niche like Sunder, and they’re not even Scandinavian! Skål, mates!

Psychedelic Rock | Heavy Psych

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – The Night Creeper (Rise Above) | UK | Buy
Dungen – Allas Sak (Mexican Summer) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Royal Thunder – Crooked Doors (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Horisont – Odyssey (Rise Above) | Sweden
The Sonic Dawn – Perception (Heavy Psych) | Denmark | Bandcamp
Tame Impala – Currents (Interscope) | Australia
Sunder – Sunder (Tee Pee) | France | Bandcamp
Spidergawd – II (Crispin Glover) | Norway
Thee Oh Sees – Mutilator Defeated At Last (Castle Face) | USA | Bandcamp
Wand – Golem (In The Red) | USA | Buy
All Them Witches – Dying Surfer Meets His Maker (New West) | USA | Bandcamp
Sacri Monti – Sacri Monti (Tee Pee) | USA | Buy
Mother Island – Cosmic Pyre (Go Down) | Italy | Bandcamp

Psych Noir

After officially inducting my latest sub-genre name in a blood sacrifice ritual (kidding, I just did this – Kaleidoscopes & Grimoires: Psych Noir), I figure it’s time to add it to the Breakdown. Any and all questions about what this genre is, just refer to that article above. I gotta say, it’s looking good with ten albums making my overall top 100. Even Seremonia and Luciferian Light Orchestra made good albums and didn’t make the top 13. I look forward to more. The next one will probably be a big one from Purson in March.

The Oath, emerged last year not fully formed, but also stillborn, considering that they were broken up before the album was even released on Rise Above. Equal parts psych, doom and trad metal, they were also inspired by Heart and Fleetwood Mac. Guitarist Linnéa Olsson moved from Stockholm to Berlin for fresh inspiration, and met vocalist Johanna Sardonis. The album cover features them looking like witchy blonde sisters clad head to toe in skintight leather. Lurking in the background were Simon Bouteloup (bass, Kadavar/ex-Aqua Nebula Oscillator) and Andrew Prestridge (Angel Witch/Winters). The album is destined to be a cult classic. It was disheartening to hear they broke up so soon without getting to hear them live. However new things were soon to come. Olsson joined Finnish darkwave post-punkers Grave Pleasures (formerly Beastmilk), and Sardonis and Prestridge teamed up with Gaz Jennings from Cathedral to form Lucifer, releasing Lucifer I on June 16. When Sardonis spoke about Lucifer when the band was announced last year, she said the new band would emphasize psych and doom more than the proto-metal and NWOBHM influences of The Oath. However the end result isn’t hugely different from her previous project, though Jennings’ songwriting contributions are noticeable, with some moments that remind one of signature Cathedral. Lyrics continue to delve into ancient civilizations, magick and occult spirituality. In the background, the songs can feel a little samey, Sardonis’ vocal melodies repetitive. However, a close listen on headphones unveils evocative atmospherics and Jennings’ fabulous riffs.

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – The Night Creeper (Rise Above) | UK | Buy
Jess And The Ancient Ones – Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes (Svart) | Finland | Bandcamp
Lucifer – Lucifer I (Rise Above) | Germany
Ghost – Meliora (Loma Vista) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Avatarium – The Girl With The Raven Mask (Nuclear Blast) | Sweden
The Exploding Eyes Orchestra – I (Svart) | Finland | Bandcamp
Male Gaze – Gale Maze (Castle Face) | USA | Buy
Sonic Jesus – Neither Virtue Nor Anger (Fuzz Club) | Italy | Bandcamp
Steeple Remove – Postion Normal (Gonzai) | France | Bandcamp
Venomous Maximus – Firewalker (Shadow Kingdom) | USA | Bandcamp
Mansion – Altar Sermon EP (Mansion) | Finland | Bandcamp
Devil Worshipper – Devil Worshipper (Holy Mountain) | USA
Singapore Sling – Psych Fuck (Fuzz Club) | Iceland | Bandcamp

Psych Prog

Also qualifying as psych prog but listed above are Jess and the Ancient Ones, Dungen, Sacri Monti, Sundays & Cybele and Mammatus. Guitarist Reine Fiske should some sort of psych prog MVP award, as he has served as an additional member with Motorpsycho, Dungen, The Amazing and the jazz fusiony Elephant9. This guy is a genius, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on several more albums next year, and maybe someday a solo album.

I discovered Baron while obsessively checking Wolf People’s Facebook for updates on their upcoming album. While Joe Hollick contributes guitar to a couple tracks, Baron is a much different sounding band, but does share some roots in dark psych prog, the kind mostly found on obscure European albums from the 70s. Yet they’re also very modern and challenging, and deserve a bigger audience.

Golden Void – Berkana (Thrill Jockey) | USA | Bandcamp
Elder – Lore (Armageddon) | USA | Bandcamp
Dungen – Allas Sak (Mexican Summer) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Jess And The Ancient Ones – Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes (Svart) | Finland | Bandcamp
Horisont – Odyssey (Rise Above) | Sweden
Ghost – Meliora (Loma Vista) | Sweden | Bandcamp
The Vintage Caravan – Arrival (Nuclear Blast) | Iceland | Buy
All Them Witches – Dying Surfer Meets His Maker (New West) | USA | Bandcamp
Sacri Monti – Sacri Monti (Tee Pee) | USA | Buy
Wucan – Sow the Wind (Hansel & Gretel) | Germany | Bandcamp
Baron – Torpor (Svart) | UK | Bandcamp
Mondo Drag – Mondo Drag (RidingEasy) | USA | Bandcamp
Tarot – The Warrior’s Spell (Heavy Chains) | Australia | Bandcamp

Prog

Tarot – The Warrior's Spell (Heavy Chains)

Like a lot of people, I run hot, cold and lukewarm with a lot of prog. I revere King Crimson, Soft Machine, Van Der Graaf Generator, immensely enjoy Yes, Gentle Giant, Gong and Caravan, but waver on Genesis, Jethro Tull, ELP. I’m pretty forgiving in terms of overambitious, sprawling albums, but sometimes the cheese factor can become too much even for me. Which is why I took a hard pass on Marillion in the 80s and 90s, and other like minded bands. However, because I do enjoy much of Porcupine Tree and some similar bands, I spent a good amount of time re-evaluating other modern prog, and wrote about some of it recently in Progasms: A Progressive Rock Rundown. I extracted albums by Roundtable, Elephant9, Northwinds, Agusa and Sammal since they appeared in other lists. Tarot is a recent discovery from Australia that plays a mix of prog and proto-metal.

Dungen – Allas Sak (Mexican Summer) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Wucan – Sow the Wind (Hansel & Gretel) | Germany | Bandcamp
Needlepoint – Aimless Mary (BJK) | Norway | Bandcamp
The Dear Hunter – Act IV: Rebirth In Reprise (Equal Vision) | USA | Buy
The Tea Club – Grappling (The Tea Club) | USA | Bandcamp
Elephant9 & Reine Fiske – Silver Mountain (Rune Grammofon) | Norway | Bandcamp
Steven Wilson – Hand.Cannot.Erase (Kscope) | UK | Bandcamp
Anekdoten – Until All The Ghosts Are Gone (Musea/Virta) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Caligula’s Horse – Bloom (InsideOut) | Australia | Bandcamp
Agusa – Två (The Laser’s Edge) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Gazpacho – Molok (Kscope) | Norway
Komara – Komara (Hevhetia) | USA | Bandcamp
Jaga Jazzist – Starfire (Ninja Tune) | Norway | Bandcamp

Doom

Ah doom. Despite my monthly participation in the Doom Charts (highly recommended if you want to keep up with under the radar releases), my obsession with doom has cooled slightly since my year-long doom orgy in 2013. But not too much, as two still made my overall Lucky 13. And since there’s so much doom, I’m listing 30 here. Unless you follow the doom charts, you probably aren’t familiar with Roundtable, a truly excellent doom prog band from Australia. Highly recommended!

Magic Circle – Journey Blind (Armegeddon) | USA | Bandcamp
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – The Night Creeper (Rise Above) | UK | Buy
Lucifer – Lucifer I (Rise Above) | Germany
Cold In Berlin – The Comfort Of Loss & Dust (Candlelight) | UK | Bandcamp
Avatarium – The Girl With The Raven Mask (Nuclear Blast) | Sweden
Windhand – Grief’s Infernal Flower (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Khemmis – Absolution (20 Buck Spin) | USA | Bandcamp
Crypt Sermon – Out Of The Garden (Dark Descent) | USA | Bandcamp
Witchskull – The Vast Electric Dark (Witchskull) | Australia | Bandcamp
Demon Eye – Tempora Infernalia (Soulseller) | USA | Bandcamp
Hangman’s Chair – This is Not Supposed to be Positive (Music for Satan) | France
Roundtable – Dread Marches Under Bloodied Regalia (Roundtable) | Australia | Bandcamp
Paradise Lost – The Plague Within (Century Media) | UK | Bandcamp

Post-Punk

The recent trend of metal musicians getting involved in post-punk projects is a promising sign that the genre is done with suffering the indignities of going in and out of fashion. It simply is. While there were energetic supporters of all their albums, I was not taken with this year’s offerings from the older legends – Public Image Ltd., The Pop Group, The Monochrome Set, Wire, The Fall and The Names. And while Killing Joke’s latest got plenty of acclaim, I felt that many (42, in fact) younger bands made better albums this year. While nothing got the critical acclaim the way Savages did two years ago, it was a great year for post-punk. See the full feature here.

Aside from the crossover success of a few bands (New Order, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure), post-punk became a commercial dead end as the classic post-punk era wound down in the mid-80s. Albums by Comsat Angels, Breathless, Opposition, Sad Lovers and Giants, Lowlife and The Passage remain relatively hidden, perfect glittering jewels get passed around and inspire certain musicians seemingly every generation. Los Angeles band Cold Showers blocked out the sun and created a convincing aura of Manchester gloom on Love And Regret (2012) and various tape releases. On their second album they honor the time-honored tradition of introducing more synths to their sound, but with sure, deft hands guiding the tart songwriting. While they have become more melodic, they retain the darkness, striking a nicely balanced dirges to ditties ratio.

Post-Punk, New Wave, Synthpop, Goth

While Algiers have post-punk elements like early Bad Seeds, they also dip into 70s psychedelic soul of The Temptations, The Isley Brothers, and further back into gospel, but laced with electronic drums that reference both 80s electro and 90s industrial. While early TV On The Radio took a somewhat similar approach with doo-wop and Massive Attack with dub and soul, Algiers sound completely original. On top of that, they have smart, confrontational, political lyrics and seem like a real passionate powerhouse live band, lately augmented by Bloc Party’s drummer, Matt Tong. It would probably be album of the year candidate if the songwriting was just a bit better developed. Part of the issue might be the fact that the band developed their music remotely online with singer Franklin James Fisher, originally from Atlanta, now located in New York and guitarist Lee Tesche and bassist Ryan Mahan living in London. The best songs are clustered in the middle, including the savage “Blood,” accented with gutteral grunts and rattling chains. “Old Girl” is like stumbling upon a gospel revival, only to find dancing demons within the church. “Irony.Utility.Pretext,” augmented by a situationist style video, full of New Order beats, Art Of Noise effects, and Miami Vice era production, while still somehow sounding new. “Games” is a more restrained hymnal, and extremely effective. With a tour or two under their belts, I’d love to hear what they come up with next. I predict righteous greatness.

Protomartyr – The Agent Intellect (Hardly Art) | USA | Bandcamp
Cold Showers – Matter Of Choice (Dais) | USA | Bandcamp
Bad//Dreems – Dogs at Bay (Ivy League) | Australia
Algiers – Algiers (Matador) | USA | Bandcamp
Thee Oh Sees – Mutilator Defeated At Last (Castle Face) | USA | Bandcamp
Sleater-Kinney – No Cities To Love (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Ought – Sun Coming Down (Constellation) | Canada | Bandcamp
Cold In Berlin – The Comfort Of Loss & Dust (Candlelight) | UK | Bandcamp
Grave Pleasures – Dreamcrash (Metal Blade) | Finland
The Slow Readers Club – Cavalcade (SRC) | UK
Preoccupations – Viet Cong (Jagjaguwar) | Canada | Bandcamp
Motorama – Poverty (Talitres) | Russia | Bandcamp
Lunch – Let Us Have Madness Openly (Mass Media) | USA | Bandcamp

Desert/Fuzz/Stoner Rock

I realize not a lot of bands are crazy about the stoner rock tag, so I added options, which are still useful to differentiate from heavy psych and hard rock. As mentioned above, Goatsnake make a welcome comeback after over a decade. Two big favorites of mine, Sungrazer and Been Obscene broke up this past year, which was a big disappointment. French band Glowsun, German Mother Engine and Polish Weedpecker all helped make up for it with those luscious fuzztones.

Those who bought Kurt Cobain’s bedroom tapes were misguided. If they really wanted a lost treasure from Seattle, they should look to Snail. Formed way back to 1992, they got back together in 2008 and this is their fourth and by far most potent and catchy mix of grunge, stoner doom and psych. I don’t know if Cobain ever got to hear them, but if he had, I think he’d been a huge fan.

Elder – Lore (Armageddon) | USA | Bandcamp
Baroness – Purple (Abraxan Hymns) | USA | Bandcamp
Royal Thunder – Crooked Doors (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Marriages – Salome (Sargent House) | USA | Bandcamp
Fuzz – II (In The Red) | USA | Bandcamp
Spidergawd – II (Crispin Glover) | Norway
Torche – Restarter (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Kadavar – Berlin (Nuclear Blast) | Germany | Bandcamp
All Them Witches – Dying Surfer Meets His Maker (New West) | USA | Bandcamp
Snail – Feral (Small Stone) | USA | Bandcamp
Windhand – Grief’s Infernal Flower (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
High On Fire – Luminiferous (eOne) | USA | Bandcamp
Mirror Queen – Scaffolds Of The Sky (Tee Pee) | USA | Bandcamp

Hard Rock

As I noted in Hard Rock Ascending back in May, there’s been a renaissance of killer hard rock albums lately. Undeterred by the fact that it’s unfashionable to the point where even magazines that supposedly cover hard rock pathologically ignore or dismiss bands that do not lay claim to more trendy forms of metal and psych. Despite the lack of love, these bands continue to flourish, with dedicated fans for the most part. Baroness, Graveyard, Royal Thunder and Kadavar have been tearing up stages in sold out shows across the world, while Horisont has yet to make it to North America. Last time I saw Valkyrie, Pete Adams pulled double duty with them on a hot autumn night in a small stuffy club, and then played the next set with Baroness.

Through the course of their career of two EPs and two albums since 2010, this Charlottesville, Virginia band has not been shy about the fact that they worship progressive rock and early metal, particularly the twin-guitar harmony pyrotechnics of Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden. Their second album One Eyed Horse is a clear improvement in songwriting, with more attention paid on vocal melodies and assembling dynamic, memorable songs. This pays off big time with the incredibly catchy “Brothers.” The vocals on the title track even manage to channel Phil Lynott’s soulful melancholy, no small achievement. I’ve been listening to this all year, and while it didn’t stay at the very top of my list, it has held up very well, and is highly recommended to those excited for the new Valkyrie and crave more.

Baroness – Purple (Abraxan Hymns) | USA | Bandcamp
Royal Thunder – Crooked Doors (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Graveyard – Innocence & Decadence (Nuclear Blast) | Sweden
Horisont – Odyssey (Rise Above) | Sweden
Lucifer – Lucifer I (Rise Above) | Germany
Ghost – Meliora (Loma Vista) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Sunder – Sunder (Tee Pee) | France | Bandcamp
Corsair – One Eyed Horse (Shadow Kingdom) | USA | Bandcamp
Spidergawd – II (Crispin Glover) | Norway
Torche – Restarter (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Kadavar – Berlin (Nuclear Blast) | Germany | Bandcamp
The Vintage Caravan – Arrival (Nuclear Blast) | Iceland | Buy
Black Trip – Shadowline (Steamhammer) | Sweden
Snail – Feral (Small Stone) | USA | Bandcamp
Power – Electric Glitter Boogie (Cool Death) | Australia | Bandcamp
Mondo Drag – Mondo Drag (RidingEasy) | USA | Bandcamp
Carousel – 2113 (Tee Pee) | USA | Bandcamp
Valkyrie – Shadows (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Tarot – The Warrior’s Spell (Heavy Chains) | Australia | Bandcamp
Mirror Queen – Scaffolds Of The Sky (Tee Pee) | USA | Bandcamp

Heavy Metal

Iron Maiden had quite a story this year, with Bruce Dickinson successfully fighting off cancer and coming out with their first double album. Despite the fact that their recent albums weren’t very consistent, seeing them live a few years back reignited my teenage fandom and had me anticipating the new one more than I’d expected. Amazingly, it exceeded most everyone’s expectations. I can’t wait to see them again next spring!

Christian Mistress – To Your Death (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Magic Circle – Journey Blind (Armegeddon) | USA | Bandcamp
Lucifer – Lucifer I (Rise Above) | Germany
Corsair – One Eyed Horse (Shadow Kingdom) | USA | Bandcamp
Black Trip – Shadowline (Steamhammer) | Sweden
Iron Maiden – The Book Of Souls (BMG) | UK
Khemmis – Absolution (20 Buck Spin) | USA | Bandcamp
Crypt Sermon – Out Of The Garden (Dark Descent) | USA | Bandcamp
Valkyrie – Shadows (Relapse) | USA | Bandcamp
Tarot – The Warrior’s Spell (Heavy Chains) | Australia | Bandcamp
Demon Eye – Tempora Infernalia (Soulseller) | USA | Bandcamp
Roundtable – Dread Marches Under Bloodied Regalia (Roundtable) | Australia | Bandcamp
Satan – Atom By Atom (Listenable) | UK | Bandcamp

Metal

Obsequiae – Aria of Vernal Tombs (20 Buck Spin) | USA | Bandcamp
Black Breath – Slaves Beyond Death (Southern Lord) | USA | Bandcamp
Blood Incantation – Interdimensional Extinction EP (Century Media) | USA | Bandcamp
Deafheaven – New Bermuda (Anti) | USA | Bandcamp
With The Dead – With The Dead (Rise Above) | UK
Panopticon – Autumn Eternal (Bidrune) | USA | Bandcamp
Mirror – Mirror (Metal Blade) | UK | Bandcamp
Komara – Komara (Hevhetia) | USA | Bandcamp
Enslaved – In Times (Nuclear Blast) | Norway | Bandcamp
Horrendous – Anareta (Dark Descent) | USA | Bandcamp
Imperial Triumphant – Abyssal Gods (Code666) | USA | Bandcamp
Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction (Metal Blade) | USA | Bandcamp
Northwinds – Eternal Winter (Black Widow) | France

Garage Rock/Punk/Noir

Australia’s Royal Headache is another band I thought I’d see on more year-end lists, as it’s so incredibly catchy and impassioned. No accounting for taste! And wow, Rocket From The Tombs! Sweet baby Krampus, what a great surprise. David Thomas has been churning out decent albums with Pere Ubu that it’s easy to take any project of his for granted. A decade ago he put together a new lineup of Rocket From The Tombs (with original members Craig Bell and Cheetah Chrome plus Richard Lloyd), the pre-punk band that predated both Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys, and he took on his original Crocus Behemoth nom de plume and rocked the fuck out of the old songs in a tour and on the raw Rocket Redux (2004). Very promising, though Barfly (2011) was very lackluster. This latest, however, it’s totally fun. It rocks harder, with yet another treatment of classic “Sonic Reducer” and “Read It And Weep” and a cover of The Sonics’ “Strychnine,” but also with some pretty prickly anger poking through. Sloppy fun, with barbs, beats the hell out of, say, the last couple Stooges albums. Last year my thirst for Australian garage noir was sated with excellent albums from The New Christs and Hits. This year that itch was capably scratched by The Volcanics, their third album produced by Rob Younger (New Christs/Radio Birdman) and The Holy Soul. There’s more to look forward to with Young Docteurs’ Beginning At The End in March. An apt title, as it’ll be the debut album for a band that first formed in 1978, playing a hybrid of psych and post-punk.

Post-Punk, Garage Noir, Art Punk, Noise | RYM #133

Royal Headache – High (What’s Your Rupture) | Australia | Bandcamp
Protomartyr – The Agent Intellect (Hardly Art) | USA | Bandcamp
Bad//Dreems – Dogs at Bay (Ivy League) | Australia
Fuzz – II (In The Red) | USA | Bandcamp
Thee Oh Sees – Mutilator Defeated At Last (Castle Face) | USA | Bandcamp
Wand – Golem (In The Red) | USA | Buy
Mother Island – Cosmic Pyre (Go Down) | Italy | Bandcamp
Power – Electric Glitter Boogie (Cool Death) | Australia | Bandcamp
Hand Of Dust – Like Breath Beneath A Veil (Avant!) | Denmark | Bandcamp
Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (Mom + Pop) | Australia | Bandcamp
The Volcanics – Transmission (Citadel) | Australia | Bandcamp
La Luz – Weirdo Shrine (Hardly Art) | USA | Bandcamp
Zebra Hunt – City Sighs (Tenorio Cotobade) | USA | Bandcamp

Indie Rock & Pop

I have not been too crazy about much indie rock and pop lately, though there’s always exceptions. I’ll always have time for Sleater-Kinney, who I talked more about above. Kelley Stoltz makes a fascinating mix of psych and indie garage pop. Bob English is James Petralli of White Denim. While we wait for their return, Constant Bop is a great diversion, since Petralli is the band’s main songwriter and voice. He of course toys with different ideas he wouldn’t have normally in his band, but it’s not a huge leap. I also like albums by Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Screaming Females, Low and Bully, but I don’t even remotely lurve them.

Bad//Dreems – Dogs at Bay (Ivy League) | Australia
Sleater-Kinney – No Cities To Love (Sub Pop) | USA | Bandcamp
Ought – Sun Coming Down (Constellation) | Canada | Bandcamp
The Slow Readers Club – Cavalcade (SRC) | UK
Motorama – Poverty (Talitres) | Russia | Bandcamp
Dick Diver – Melbourne, Florida (Chapter) | Australia | Bandcamp
The Dear Hunter – Act IV: Rebirth In Reprise (Equal Vision) | USA | Buy
Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (Mom + Pop) | Australia | Bandcamp
Desperate Journalist – Desperate Journalist (Fierce Panda) | UK | Bandcamp
La Luz – Weirdo Shrine (Hardly Art) | USA | Bandcamp
Zebra Hunt – City Sighs (Tenorio Cotobade) | USA | Bandcamp
Positive No – Glossa (Negative Fun) | USA | Bandcamp
The Icarus Line – All Things Under Heaven (Agitated) | USA | Bandcamp

Dream Pop & Shoegaze

Holy crap, I’ve always enjoyed the projects Emma Ruth Rundle has been involved with, but Marriages is a whole new level, a great band with some fierce guitar playing that you wouldn’t immediately associate with dream pop, but it fits. Flavor Crystals are an excellent band from Minneapolis. I’ve been catching up with all four of their albums, and wow, they progress through shoegaze, space rock, kosmische and dream pop with some imaginative arrangements on all them. Highly recommended.

Tame Impala – Currents (Interscope) | Australia
Marriages – Salome (Sargent House) | USA | Bandcamp
Motorama – Poverty (Talitres) | Russia | Bandcamp
Girls Names – Arms Around A Vision (Tough Love) | UK
Desperate Journalist – Desperate Journalist (Fierce Panda) | UK | Bandcamp
Sonic Jesus – Neither Virtue Nor Anger (Fuzz Club) | Italy | Bandcamp
Froth – Bleak (Burger) | USA | Bandcamp
Nite Fields – Depersonalisation (Felte) | Australia | Bandcamp
Solip – Lack (Solip) | USA | Bandcamp
The Lucid Dream – The Lucid Dream (Holy How Are You?) | UK | Buy
Pinkshinyultrablast – Everything Else Matters (Club AC30) | Russia | Bandcamp
Flavor Crystals – The Shiver Of The Flavor Crystals (Mpls Ltd) | USA | Bandcamp
Steeple Remove – Postion Normal (Gonzai) | France | Bandcamp

Kosmische

With great releases in recent years from Eat Lights Become Lights, Camera, Papir, Electric Orange, Sungod and many others, Kosmische has once again become a popular genre. Enough to populate a top 13, starting with the excellent Japanese band Sundays & Cybele, Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation and another Japanese band obsessed with German style kosmische, Minami Deutsch.

Elephant9 & Reine Fiske – Silver Mountain (Rune Grammofon) | Norway | Bandcamp
Moon Duo – Shadow Of The Sun (Sacred Bones) | USA | Bandcamp
Kungens Män – Förnekaren (Kungens Ljud & Bild ) | Sweden | Bandcamp
K-X-P – III Part 1 (Svart) | Finland | Bandcamp
Flavor Crystals – The Shiver Of The Flavor Crystals (Mpls Ltd) | USA | Bandcamp
TRAAMS – Modern Dancing (FatCat) | UK | Bandcamp
Sundays & Cybele – Heaven (Beyond Beyond Beyond) | Japan | Bandcamp
Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation – Horse Dance (Rocket) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Minami Deutsch – Minami Deutsch (Cardinal Fuzz/Guruguru Brain) | Japan | Bandcamp
Mosses – Ouroboros (Zodiak) | USA | Bandcamp
Sexwitch – Sexwitch (Echolyn) | UK
Natural Information Society & Bitchin Bajas – Automaginary (Drag City) | USA | Bandcamp
Death Hawks – Sun Future Moon (Svart) | Finland

Space Rock

Many of these would also make up the lower end of my psych list. Plenty of dirty, distorted, droney stuff. 10 000 Russos, Black Space Riders, Ancient River, Radar Men On The Moon and Eternal Tapestry would also qualify here but are listed elsewhere. Carlton Melton make thunderous, monolithic drones that move like glaciers have now taken shape into more memorable, evocative compositions. If you remember Australian instrumental indie rock band The Dirty Three’s best work in the ’90s, much of the new album has similarly powerful emotional impact.

I have to admit that when I wrote the review earlier this year, I was so used to Ufomammut topping themselves from one album to the next in an incredible run, that I may have been over the top about this one. Just barely. It’s still great enough to make the Lucky 13, even if it can’t top Eve (2010). I also got to catch their first ever full U.S. tour, which exceeded expectations. For cosmic doom sludge, look no further, this band is it. | Full Review

Wand – Golem (In The Red) | USA | Buy
Ufomammut – Ecate (Neurot) | Italy | Bandcamp
Mondo Drag – Mondo Drag (RidingEasy) | USA | Bandcamp
My Sleeping Karma – Moksha (Napalm) | Austria | Bandcamp
Moon Duo – Shadow Of The Sun (Sacred Bones) | USA | Bandcamp
Weedpecker – II (Weedpecker) | Poland | Bandcamp
PAUW – Macrocosm Microcosm (Caroline) | Netherlands
Naxatras – Naxatras (Naxatras) | Greece | Bandcamp
Ozric Tentacles – Technicians of the Sacred (MadFish) | UK | Bandcamp
Quantum Fantay – Dancing In Limbo (Dutch Music Works) | Belgium | Bandcamp
Blown Out – Planetary Engineering (Golden Mantra) | UK | Bandcamp
Failure – The Heart Is A Monster (Failure) | USA | Bandcamp
Flavor Crystals – The Shiver Of The Flavor Crystals (Mpls Ltd) | USA | Bandcamp

Shoegaze

The Lucid Dream - The Lucid Dream (Holy How Are You?, 2015)

The Lucid Dream and Singapore Sling. Yaassss. Okay I’m getting tired. The Lucid Dream has dabbled in garage noir, shoegaze, German kosmische/space rock, pre and post-NYC no-wave noise, and the pop melodicism that links early Echo & the Bunnymen with The Stone Roses. The result is a pretty badass, cohesive modern psych noir sound that I imagine catching fire with a pretty big audience. Lots of crossover here of course with other lists. Not included here are Marriages, Flavor Crystals and Pinkshinyultrablast.

The Lucid Dream – The Lucid Dream (Holy How Are You?) | Buy
Singapore Sling – Psych Fuck (Fuzz Club) | Bandcamp
Infinity Girl – Harm (Topshelf) | Bandcamp
The Underground Youth – Haunted (Fuzz Club) | Bandcamp
Ghost Bath – Moonlover (Northern Silence) | Bandcamp
Tamaryn – Cranekiss (Mexican Summer) | Bandcamp
The Black Ryder – The Door Behind The Door (Anti-Machine)
Swervedriver – I Wasn’t Born To Lose You (Cobraside)
Crocodiles – Boys (Zoo)
A Place To Bury Strangers – Fixation (Dead Oceans)
Helen – The Original Faces (Kranky)
Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe – I Declare Nothing (A’ Recordings)
Sundowners – Sundowners (Skeleton Key)

Synthpop, Electropop

At the age of 20, Las Vegan Shamir has already tried his hand in country and punk. His androgynous voice recalls Antony’s work with Hercules And Love Affair, but the lyrics here are even sharper and wittier. As you might guess, I don’t spend a ton of time with dance pop, but every few years one just gets under my skin and stays there. The rest is a hodgepodge of electro psych (The Soft Moon), the return of coldwave pioneers Colder, Norwegian pop star Susanne Sundfør, and even New Order! Who knew they’d be the post-punk/new wave geezers who could manage an album that didn’t suck!

Tame Impala – Currents (Interscope) | Australia
Cold Showers – Matter Of Choice (Dais) | USA | Bandcamp
Susanne Sundfør – Ten Love Songs (Kobalt) | Norway
3776 – 3776 wo kikanai riyuu ga aru to sureba (Natural Make) | Japan
Drab Majesty – Careless (Dais) | USA | Bandcamp
Franz Ferdinand & Sparks – FFS (Domino/Sony) | UK
U.S. Girls – Half Free (4AD) | USA
Grimes – Art Angels (4AD) | Canada
Shamir – Ratchet (XL) | USA
Spector – Moth Boys (Fiction) | UK
Editors – In Dream (PIAS) | UK
New Order – Music Complete (Mute) | UK
Colder – Many Colours (Output) | UK

Avant Rock & Pop

Stara Rzeka could fit in all kinds of categories, from black metal to shoegaze. This is the second and supposedly final installment from the artist. Julia Holter came out with her most accessible collection of avant pop tunes yet, and has been rewarded with a ton of critical adulation. Chelsea Wolfe is on a lot of people’s lists this year with her avant goth. Even better is Anna von Hausswolff from Denmark, who mixes in some modern classical, drone and ambient into her brand of experimental art rock.

Stara Rzeka – Zamknęły się oczy ziemi (Instant Classic) | Bandcamp
Julia Holter – Have You In My Wilderness (Domino)
Anna von Hausswolff – The Miraculous (Pomperipossa)
Chelsea Wolfe – Abyss (Sargent House)
Teeth Of The Sea – Highly Deadly Black Tarantula (Rocket) | Bandcamp
Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld – Never Were the Way She Was (Constellation)
Shining – International Blackjazz Society (Spinefarm)
Vision Fortune – Country Music (ATP/R)
Björk – Vulnicura (One Little Indian)
Sóley – Ask The Deep (Morr)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress (Constellation)
Grimes – Art Angels (4AD)
Girl Band – Holding Hands With Jamie (Rough Trade)

Experimental, Modern Classical, Ambient & Drone

I’ve always got time for Sunn O))). This album is shorter but more intense than their last. It’s a unique experience that reminds me of listening to John Coltrane’s Ascension for the first time. Something I may only do every few years, but remains ingrained in my memory.

Sunn O))) – Kannon (Southern Lord)
Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld – Never Were the Way She Was (Constellation)
International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) – In The Light Of Air (Dorian)
Eartheater – Metalepsis (Hausu Mountain) | Bandcamp
Vision Fortune – Country Music (ATP/R)
Noveller – Fantastic Planet (Fire)
Ian William Craig – Cradle For The Warning (Recital)
Jenny Hval – Apocalypse, girl (Sacred Bones)
Zun Zun Egui – Shackles’ Gift (Bella Union) | Bandcamp
Holly Herndon – Platform (4AD)
Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee (Constellation)
Gnaw Their Tongues – Abyss Of Longing Throats (Crucial Blast)
Glenn Mercer – Incidental Hum (Bar/None)

Jazz & Fusion

invisible-astro-healing-rhythm-quartet-2

Formed by music students at Bakersfield College in California, Invisible Astro Healing Rhythm Quartet mix Ethiopian influenced spiritual jazz and funk fusion. RIYL: Phil Cohran, Seventies-era Miles Davis, Mulatu Atsaké, Rob Mazurek, Amon Duul, Sun Ra & his Arkestra. Møster! is another great Norwegian jazz fusion group featuring Elephant9’s Ståle Storløkken. Sons Of Kemet from the UK get deeper into Afro-funk on their second album.

Elephant9 & Reine Fiske – Silver Mountain (Rune Grammofon)
Invisible Astro Healing Rhythm Quartet – 2 (Trouble In Mind)
Møster! – When You Cut Into The Present (Hubro)
Sons Of Kemet – Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do (Naim)
Hieroglyphic Being & J.I.T.U. Ahn-Sahm-Buhl – We Are Not The First (Rvng)
Kamasi Washington – The Epic (Brainfeeder)
The Bad Plus & Joshua Redman – The Bad Plus Joshua Redman (Nonesuch)
Shining – International Blackjazz Society (Spinefarm)
Girls In Airports – Fables (Gateway)
Zu – Cortar Todo (Ipecac)
Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee (Constellation)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Quarters! (Castle Face) | Bandcamp
Monsieur Doumani – Sikoses (Monsieur Doumani)

Global

Malian Tuareg desert blues group Tinariwen aren’t the only band doing the style also known as Tishoumaren or Assouf desert rock. Terakaft have been around nearly as long, with Alone being their fifth album. It’s a bit more percussive than past efforts, with a touch of psychedelia. Also from Mali, Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba play Mande music, and are on their fourth album. They got some attention for their second album, I Speak Fula (2009). An offshoot of Staff Benda Bilili, Mbongwana Star are from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and play a modern mix of electronica and Soukous. Yet another band from the musically rich Mali is Songhoy Blues, who work within the Songhai tradition.

Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band – Juguya (Sublime Frequencies) | Burkina Faso | Bandcamp
Dele Sosimi – You No Fit Touch Am (Wah Wah) | UK | Bandcamp
Elza Soares – The Woman At The End Of the World (Mais Um) | Brazil | Bandcamp
Mbongwana Star – From Kinshasa (World Circuit) | Congo
Senyawa – Menjadi (Morphine) | Indonesia | Bandcamp
Iconili – Piacó (Iconili) | Brazil | Bandcamp
Terakaft – Alone (World Village) | Mali
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba – Ba Power (Glitterbeat) | Mali
Songhoy Blues – Music In Exile (Transgressive) | Mali
Sons Of Kemet – Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do (Naim) | UK
The Souljazz Orchestra – Resistance (Do Right!) | Canada | Bandcamp
Lenine – Carbono (Universal) | Brazil
Koes Barat – Koes Barat (Sub Pop) | USA

Electronica, Techno & Dance

The band formerly known as The Great Tyrant, changed their name to Pinkish Black after a member committed suicide. They evolved their interests in doom, goth, industrial and kosmische into a more electronic direction. Their third album is their most focused and accomplished so far. Eccentronic Research Council is on their third album of spoken word poetry and stories entwined with electro psych. An interesting alternative to just listening to a narrated book.

Pinkish Black – Bottom Of The Morning (Relapse) | Bandcamp
Eccentronic Research Council – Johnny Rocket, Narcissist & Music Machine? I’m Your Biggest Fan (Without Consent)
Hieroglyphic Being & J.I.T.U. Ahn-Sahm-Buhl – We Are Not The First (Rvng)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Garden Of Delete (Warp)
Eartheater – Metalepsis (Hausu Mountain) | Bandcamp
Asian Dub Foundation – The Signal And The Noise (Beat)
Jlin – Dark Energy (Planet Mu)
Holly Herndon – Platform (4AD)
Rabit – Communion (Tri Angle)
Blanck Mass – Dumb Flesh (Sacred Bones)
Lakker – Tundra (R&S)
Flako – Nature Boy (Five Easy Pieces)
Floating Points – Elaenia (Eglo)
Madonna – Rebel Heart (Interscope)

R&B, Soul & Funk

If hip-hop, pop and rock can reference sounds 20-50 years old, there’s no reason why a soul singer can’t do the same. Leon Bridges’ debut album of vintage sounding southern soul is enjoyable, if not riveting. I saw him on SNL recently and he could also work on honing his live chops. But certainly he’s got talent and potential. Dawn Richard is a perpetually underrated singer, while Unknown Mortal Orchestra have really caught on with their third album of electro-funk.

LoneLady – Hinterland (Warp) | UK | Bandcamp
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (Stax) | USA | Bandcamp
Leon Bridges – Coming Home (Columbia) | USA
Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly (Top Dawg/Aftermath) | USA
Young Fathers – White Men Are Black Men Too (Big Dada) | UK
Invisible Astro Healing Rhythm Quartet – 2 (Trouble In Mind) | USA
Dawn Richard – Blackheart (101 Distribution) | USA
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love (Jagjaguwar) | USA
Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – Surf (Self-Released) | USA
Adele – 25 (Columbia/XL) | UK
Jazmine Sullivan – Reality Show (RCA) | USA
Miguel – Wild Heart (RCA) | USA
Dâm-Funk – Invite The Light (Stones Throw) | USA

Country, Folk & Americana

Kentucky based Moonbow released their promising debut of hard rock in 2013. This time they’ve (partially) unplugged for a much more folky endeavor, with the fiddle-driven acoustic songs retaining pretty rocking stoner/doom arrangements, with an assist from Hank Williams, III. The result is startlingly original, and may gradually catch on to a larger audience. Death Hawks are a Finnish folk noir band on their third album, though some would just consider them psych. Chicago’s Ryley Walker plays a kind of cosmic folk influenced by the likes Van Morrison and Tim Buckley.

Joanna Newsom – Divers (Drag City) | USA | Bandcamp
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (Stax) | USA | Bandcamp
Ferocious Dog – From Without (Ferocious Dog) | UK | Buy
Tami Neilson – Don’t Be Afraid (Neilson) | New Zealand | Bandcamp
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Paper Mach&eacute Dream Balloon (Heavenly) | Australia | Bandcamp
Ed Kuepper – Lost Cities (Prince Melon) | Australia
Agusa – Två (The Laser’s Edge) | Sweden | Bandcamp
Ryley Walker – Primrose Green (Dead Oceans) | USA | Bandcamp
James McArthur And The Head Gardeners – Strange Readings From The Weather Station (Moorland) | UK | Bandcamp
Stara Rzeka – Zamknęły się oczy ziemi (Instant Classic) | Poland | Bandcamp
Steve Von Till – A Life Unto Itself (Neurot) | USA | Bandcamp
The Sheepdogs – Future Nostalgia (Warner) | Canada | Buy
Moonbow – Volto Del Demone (Moonbow) | USA | Bandcamp

Hip-Hop & Rap

I know, sacrilege to rank Kendrick Lamar down in sixth. No malice intended, this is just what I enjoyed this year. I freakin love Blackalicious, and it’s great to have Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab back after a ten year absence. Vol. 2 will be out next year. Milo, Czarface, Shahmen and Knxwledge were new to me this year, and they sounded damn good in my hip-hop playlist this year. Just missing the cut are Earl Sweatshirt, Lupe Fiasco, Dr. Yen Lo, Doomtree and Vince Staples.

Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly (Top Dawg/Aftermath) | USA
Young Fathers – White Men Are Black Men Too (Big Dada) | UK
Sleaford Mods – Key Markets (Harbinger) | UK
Earl Sweatshirt – I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside (Tan Cressida) | USA
Blackalicious – Imani, Vol. 1 (Blackalicious) | USA
Milo – So The Flies Don’t Come (Ruby Yacht) | USA
Czarface – Every Hero Needs A Villain (Brick) | USA
Shahmen – All In The Circle (World Of Wils) | USA
Knxwledge – Hud Dreems (Stones Throw) | USA
Georgia Anne Muldrow – A Thoughtvierse Unmarred (Mello Music Group) | USA
Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – Surf (Self-Released) | USA
Open Mike Eagle – A Special Episode Of EP (Mello Music Group) | USA
Le1f – Riot Boi (Terrible) | USA

Reissues

I must have bought the main Ruts offerings, The Crack (1979), Grin & Bear It compilation and Peel Sessions three times over the years, the first time on vinyl for my radio show back in the late 80s. This should be the last, everything including more bonus tracks than ever before, extra BBC sessions I’d never heard before, and an entire live album recorded with surprisingly good sound for the punk era, at the Marquee in July 1979. A tight, powerful band that could blow the likes of Stiff Little Fingers and The Clash off the stage, and play punk reggae better than anyone, including Bad Brains. Essential. The bonus tracks are interesting but not essential on Astral Weeks. On the other hand, it’s one of the greatest albums ever made, nicely remastered. Listening to The Isley Brothers’ entire recorded output is an excellent history lesson of the progression of R&B to soul to funk rock, including some recordings with Hendrix. Awesome.

The Ruts – The Virgin Years (Caroline)
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks (WB, 1968)
The Isley Brothers – RCA Victor and T-Neck Album Masters (1959-1983)
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti, Presence, In Through The Out Door & Coda (Atlantic, 1975-79)
Scorpions – Taken By Force, Lovedrive, Tokyo Tapes, Animal Magnetism, Blackout (Caroline, 1978-82)
Yabby You – Dread Prophecy: The Strange And Wonderful Story Of Yabby You (Shanachie)
Billy Cobham – The Atlantic Box Set 1973-1978
The Velvet Underground – The Matrix Tapes (Polydor)
Ork Records: New York, New York (Numero)
Tom Ze – Tom Ze (Mr. Bongo, 1970)
Game Theory – Real Nighttime (Omnivore, 1986)
Close Lobsters – Firestation Towers 1986-89 (Fire)
Carl Hall – You Don’t Know Nothing About Love 1967-72 (Omnivore)
The Comsat Angels – Chasing Shadows (Edsel, 1986)
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Junk Culture (Virgin, 1984)

Shows

Unlike albums, I missed way more shows that I can possibly keep track of. I can’t deal with the lack of sleep, particularly on week nights anymore, but certain bands I’ll always make the effort for. I’d been tempted for years to fly to Europe just to see Ufomammut. Finally, they came to a venue just down the street from me, much better deal! They sounded just as massive and trippy as I expected. Also great were Dungen, Electric Citizen, Mondo Drag, Chris Forsyth, Rocket From The Tombs, All Them Witches, Wovenhand, Valkyrie, Spirit Caravan and Night Demon.

UFOMAMMUT Reggies, 5/13
CHRISTIAN MISTRESS, HIGH SPIRITS, BIBLE OF THE DEVIL Red Line Tap, 9/3
ELDER, MOS GENERATOR Reggies, 3/12
GRAVEYARD Lincoln Hall, 12/5
KADAVAR Double Door, 10/4
BARONESS, Reckless, 11/28
WAND, HEATERS Empty Bottle, 4/5
SLEATER-KINNEY Riviera Theatre, 2/17
ROYAL THUNDER Beat Kitchen, 6/22
UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS, RUBY THE HATCHET, ECSTATIC VISION Metro, 9/19
ELECTRIC WIZARD Metro, 4/7
PENTAGRAM The Abbey Pub, 10/9
HIGH ON FIRE, PALLBEARER, LUCIFER Thalia Hall, 8/11

Videos

These are not sorted yet, but I really like Missy Elliott’s new video. Good to have her back!

Movies

I have not seen most of the Oscar bait movies that are released toward the end of the year as I don’t make it to the theaters very often. You’re better off looking at Rotten Tomatoes. I hate most dramas, serious art films, most thrillers and horror (though I have high hopes for Krampus!) and prefer comedies and animation. Surprisingly, a lot of my unpretentious movies like Shawn The Sheep got very high marks on Rotten Tomatoes! Mad Max: Fury Road was good, but I didn’t enjoy it, except for the crazy dude with the giant guitar! I think post-apocalyptic dystopias are all too realistic nowadays, and they just depress me. Kingsman: The Secret Service was much more fun. I’d even take Tomorrowland over Mad Max. The Police documentary Can’t Stand Losing You was pretty good. I feel like I saw way more documentaries, but maybe from 2014. I also liked Love & Mercy.

Have not yet seen: Ex Machina, Brooklyn, Spotlight, Sisters, Star Wars, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Room, It Follows, Carol, Timbuktu, Amy, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, Best Of Enemies, Girlhood, Straight Outta Compton, Carol, Minions, Ant-Man, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Sicario.

Inside Out
Shawn The Sheep: The Movie
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Trainwreck
Paddington
Spy
Danny Collins
What We Do In The Shadows
Paper Towns
Mr. Holmes
The End Of The Tour
Kingsman: The Secret Service
McFarland, USA

The awesome flame-throwing guitar setup in Mad Max. Did they steal that from KISS? That is an impressive guitar setup in Mad Max...

Television

Some shows had such short seasons, it took a while for me to remember them. Others I’m not sure if they even aired anything in 2015, like most of the Masterpiece Mystery shows like Sherlock Holmes and Inspector Lewis. Aziz Ansari’s Master Of None was my favorite new show, though it was over too quickly. I’m glad Netflix is sponsoring these shows, but hopefully they’ll light a fire under the other networks’ butts to get some similarly high quality comedies in full 20+ episode seasons. And if all the reality TV could fuck off and die that would be great, thanks. Except for maybe The Secret Guide to Fabulous. Others that were okay, The Good Wife, Jessica Jones, Gotham, Sleepy Hollow, The Mysteries of Laura, Married, Louie, Rick and Morty, Indian Summers, SNL, Big Bang Theory, Portlandia, Marry Me, Another Period.

Master Of None
Broad City
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
The Muppets
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Inside Amy Schumer
Maron
Elementary
Daredevil
The Mindy Project
You’re The Worst
Sex & Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll

Books

Secondhand Souls is the sequel to Moore’s 1993 urban fantasy comedy, A Dirty Job. Fairly light reading in a Tom Robbins kind of way, and that’s how I like it. It’s super funny, and great storytelling, though it’s better if you read the first book even if not completely necessary. I went to college and plowed through heavy literature and post-structuralist political theory, but that’s way behind me. Bring me the cartoons and YA novels, no shame! Heck, the Richard Robins and Rhys A. Jones books are probably for pre-tweens. I was really excited about Warren Ellis’ new novel, Normal, but my pre-order info gave noticed that it was delayed until November 15, 2016. Huh? A year? I guess I should have put some others on my list to Santa, like Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl, Carrie Brownstein’s memoir, Van Halen Rising, or Garth Risk Hallberg’s City On Fire.

Moore, Christopher – Secondhand Souls: A Novel
Albertine, Viv – Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.: A Memoir (2014)
Cavanagh, David – Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Life
Weller, Sheila – Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon–And the Journey of a Generation (2008)
Martel, Jay – Channel Blue (2014)
Saunders, Kendra – Death and Mr. Right (2013)
Young, Rob – Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain’s Visionary Music (2011)
Wall, Mick – Black Sabbath: Symptom of the Universe (2014)
Hasted, Nick – You Really Got Me: The Story of the Kinks (2013)
Faye, Lyndsay – Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings (2009)
Bebergal, Peter – Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll (2014)
Stephenson, Neal – Seveneves: A Novel
Paone, Brian – Yours Truly, 2095
Roberts, Richard- Please Don’t Tell My Parents I’m A Supervillain (2014)
Naquin, R.L. – Phoenix in My Fortune: Monster Haven 6
Jones, Rhys A. – The Beast of Seabourne (The Artefact Quintet 2) (2014)
Thompson, Kelly – Storykiller (2014)
Hughes, Matthew – The Damned Busters: To Hell and Back 1 (2011)

Comics

I don’t know why, but the comics I’m reading have become mostly extremely dark and violent, with occult crime noir (The Fade Out), a grim tale set in an alternative universe in 1987 San Francisco at a school for assassins (Deadly Class), a space opera amidst war (Saga) and horror (Wytches, Pretty Deadly). The long running Chew has had some heavy turns of events, and Sex Criminals got darker, but is still maintaining a certain amount of whimsy (which Chew also has, plus chogs). I’ve also moved 11 miles south of my comic shop and I get my issues every 6 weeks or so, which has created a bit of a backlog. If I can finish this in time, hopefully I’ll get to read some of them!

Sex Criminals – Matt Fraction & Chip Zdarsky
Saga – Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
Chew – John Layman & Rob Guillory
Deadly Class – Remender, Craig, Loughridge
Paper Girls – Brian K. Vaughan & Cliff Chiang
Ms. Marvel – Wilson, Alphona, Herring
Chrononauts – Mark Millar, Sean Murphy
Pretty Deadly – Deconnick, Rios, Bellaire, Cowles
The Fade Out – Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips
Karnak – Ellis, Zaffino, Brown
Trees – Warren Ellis & Jason Howard
Phonogram – Gillen, McKelvie, Wilson, Cowles
Wytches – Snyder, Jock, Hollinsworth, Robins

Fester’s Lucky 13 Year-End Summaries

Posted in: Audio Gear, Bandcamp, Books, Features, Live, Lucky 13, News, Rants, Reissues, Reviews, Videos/Singles

Tagged: 2015 Year-End Summary, Algiers, Baron, Baroness, Best albums of 2015, Christian Mistress, Elder, Fester's Lucky 13, Fuzz, Golden Void, Graveyard, Magic Circle, Royal Thunder, Snail, Sunder, ufomammut

Other

Stuff

August 15, 2022

Adventures in Vinyl

May 25, 2022

Rest in Pieces iPod Touch – Long Live the DAP

December 29, 2020

Budget Audiophilia

Fester’s Lucky 13: Post-Punk

Lemmy

Fester’s Lucky 13: 2015 Year-End Summary