If you think half birthdays are lame, half-year lists can be even worse. I can pretty much bet my life that just about zero percent of the creators of these lists spent any significant time researching and digging for albums they may have missed out on so far. So really it’s just a lazy snapshot of what’s dominated the playlists of writers and critics. Which explains why most of them are absolute shit. Sure, there’s a smattering of worthy choices, but it’s largely high profile releases, and few hidden gems. Key exception, Bandcamp’s list. So why am I participating? I haven’t been able to put in the time that I do at the end of the year, but I did take extra time these past couple weeks to look for albums I missed. I’ve already sampled over 600 albums, and rated over 385, so I have a fair amount covered. I hadn’t done either of my quarterly roundups, so consider this a combo 2-fer deal of roundups rather than a half-assed (quarter-assed?) year-end list.

1. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Hope Downs (Sub Pop) 15-Jun

One of the most highly anticipated debut albums did not disappoint. Slap some of the free early songs offered on their Bandcamp page onto their debut EP Talk Tight (2016), and you’ve got 46 minutes of music. But the succinct 35 minute official full-length is even more satisfying, seeing the band gel into a supremely cohesive unit, despite having three songwriters and guitarists. Saying they’re a Smiths with three Johnny Marrs may involve some slight hyperbole, but not as much as you’d think. Album of the summer if not album of the year. | Full Review

2. Sleep – The Sciences (Third Man) 20-Apr

Sleep are a beast from a different era, back when their third album, completed in 1995 but rejected by the label and unreleased for several years, was the stuff of legend but not easily found in the pre-filesharing era. For much of the 90s I knew them only for their second stoner doom subgenre-defining album Sleep’s Holy Mountain (1992). Finally released in its intended form as Dopesmoker in 2003, it’s hard to surpass the legendary status of that 63+ minute track. The unit has reunited for tours several times in the past decade (with Jason Roeder serving on drums since 2009), releasing a track on Adult Swim, and finally this album, which consolidates the strengths of Matt Pike’s sludgy High On Fire and Al Cisneros’ slow-moving, spiritual doom of Om. | Buy

3. Graveyard – Peace (Nuclear Blast) 25-May

Hard rock remains unfashionable in the mainstream, and Graveyard’s particular style that borrows tones and techniques from the 70s through the 90s, but still feels relevant today, is also ignored by the likes of the Loudersound list, which favors a bizarre mix of AOR and alt metal like Tremonti, Godsmack and, uh, Manic Street Preachers. Yet somehow Graveyard has picked up a devoted following between the cracks who recognize them as simply one of the very best rock bands in the world operating at the peak of their powers. | Full Review | Buy

4. Witch Mountain – Witch Mountain (Svart) 25-May

The venerable Witch Mountain has been in action since 1997. Rob Wrong contributed vocals heavily indebted to Kyuss’ John Garcia on their debut …Come The Mountain (2001). Uta Plotkin breathed some fresh, original life into the band for three albums before leaving in 2014. But as impressive as she was, her style didn’t necessarily mesh well with the band’s style. After just a year, the band found their new vocalist in young Kayla Dixon, who fits in much better. She still has a strong feel for the blues, but is much grittier. Having logged some miles touring with the band, she’s already fully integrated into the band for their fifth self-titled album, which is also overall their heaviest.

5. The Breeders – All Nerve (4AD) 2-Mar

Like Shellac and Eleventh Dream Day, it looks like The Breeders will take the low key mid-life plan of laying dormant for several years, then surprising us with a new album. I like this plan, and wish more (Fugazi I’m looking at you) would do this. Especially when the quality is as high as this new Breeders album, which I like even more than their celebrated alt hit Last Splash (1993). | Full Review | Buy

6. Weedpecker – III (Stickman) 5-Jan

Anyone who follows Doom Charts will know that there is no shortage of psychedelic stoner rock. Beyond the 25 listed every month, there’s hundreds more, more than any human can possibly keep up with. It takes a pretty special band to stand out from the hordes, and Poland’s Weedpecker is one of them. While their particular brand of space psych touched with prog is partially indebted to labelmates Elder, they are confident enough to stand apart on their third album, which has made this a repeated go-to on my playlist all year so far.

7. Khemmis – Desolation (20 Buck Spin) 22-Jun

n a relatively short time, Khemmis has conquered the doom metal scene, reaching the top of year-end lists of metal publications and solidifying a live set that’s gained a quickly growing audience. Associated with a small label, it all appears to have been on the strength of word of mouth based on their songwriting and sheer enthusiasm and love for metal. Despite some awkwardness based on increased use of growled vocals on their third album, the band overall is better than ever. Join in on the metal love fest. | Full Review

8. High Reeper – High Reeper (Heavy Psych) 16-Mar

Last year High Reeper self-released their Sabbath-worshipping rock ‘n’ doom debut, and I played it nonstop for weeks. They quickly got snapped up by the Heavy Psych Sounds label, but its release was delayed until this year. The Philadelphia based band has helped ease my pain as I anxiously wonder if Magic Circle will ever release another album. I hope to see them tour soon.

9. Earthless – Black Heaven (Nuclear Blast) 16-Mar

Many folks reserve a special reverence for Earthless, because they’ve put on consistently great live shows since 2001, and Isaiah Mitchell is a freakin’ guitar god. Now of course you can’t drop a spliff without hitting a psychedelic jam band, and I’ve always preferred Mitchell’s other band Golden Void, cuz I love me some choons. Not many can do well written psych prog tunes like that. Fortunately, Mitchell’s songwriting chops has spilled over to Earthless, and their fourth album has some song structures, and even vocals! Not to worry though, the tracks are still long and sprawling, with plenty of riffs to ride and jams to float along with. | Buy

10. JIRM – Surge Ex Monumentis (Small Stone) 16-Mar

Stockholm, Sweden’s Jeremy Irons & the Ratgang Malibus have shortened their name to the more succinct JIRM on their fourth album. Quality has remained consistent with their brand of hard rocking psych sharing similar influences as Americans Monster Magnet, with perhaps a smidgen more prog. Well, more than that perhaps, with no less than four of the tracks stretching past the ten minute mark. But there’s plenty of action and changes in these songs to keep my attention, giving this album staying power.

11. Messa – Feast For Water (Aural) 6-Apr

On the Italian doom band’s second album, some jazz elements have been introduced that were not as apparent on debut Belfry (2016). Yes, there are some saxophones, but it’s not a full-blown jazz-prog odyssey. Those elements are pretty subtle, and it’s still pretty subdued doom metal, with eerie female vocals and a plodding pace. A blackened beauty with a specialized appeal.

12. Black Salvation – Uncertainty Is Bliss (Relapse) 6-Apr

Like Messa, Germany’s Black Salvation also took a giant step on their second album, evolving from doom to a more interesting mix of kosmische, blues psych and even bits of post-punk noir. While many may get confused trying to solve the mystery of what genre box they belong in, it’s a treasure trove worth spending time with.

13. Choral Hearse – Mire Exhumed (Choral Hearse) 16-Apr

This unique, queer Berlin-based doom prog unit has members from the U.S., Algeria, Hungary, and Israel, and self-identify their vocals as “androgynous” and “witchy.” They’re a great example of a young band who don’t feel obliged to go full-on black metal to fit into the modern musical landscape, and are familiar with a wide range of art noise, post-punk and post-rock.

If I had a staff of minions I’d have blurbs for 50 or 100 albums, but you’ll just have to explore for yourself. Regarding some of the popular albums, I can understand the appeal of Kacey Musgraves, but have not been able to get through the whole album, so I didn’t rate it. Not my thing. Same with Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy. Flasher is okay, but missed my top 100, as did Beach House and Arctic Monkeys. They’re decent albums, but there’s just so much more enjoyable music that deserves attention over them. Janelle Monáe is in my top 100. But I don’t love it like I do, for example, Angélique Kidjo’s joyous cover of the entire Remain In Light (1980) album by Talking Heads. The Benin artist reappropriated the Heads’ cultural tourism and made it sound more effortless and natural rather than studied and cerebral.

Mythic Sunship is gorgeous Danish jazz inflected fuzzy psych jams. Dutch psych prog band Birth Of Joy pays tribute to 70s French psych prog band Focus on their fifth and best album. Baltimore’s Santa Librada are an intense trans fronted punk band. Sweden’s MaidaVale is an alluring mix of psychedelic post-punk. Wooden Shjips is a popular kosmische psych band that most people know about who follow that scene. Dos Santos are just down the street from me in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, who’s unique brand of cumbia noir mixes Latin jazz with avant and psych rock. It’s groundbreaking, but also makes great summer background music. CB3 (Charlottas Burnin’ Trio) is a Swedish instrumental post-rock/psych band. I don’t usually put instrumental music at the top of my lists, but they grew on me quickly, surpassing similarly great albums by The Fierce & The Dead, The Messthetics and Elephant9. The Third Sound and Crimen are the latest entries of psych noir and post-punk, both from Italy. You’ll also find more doom, kosmische, jangle pop, garage noir, punk blues, queercore punk, prog, dub, reggae, psychedelic soul, $&B, funk, spiritual jazz, Afro-jazz, Afrobeat, highlife, vangaurda paulista, sludge metal, avant folk, drone, dream pop, R&B, gospel, art pop, blues rock and more.

14. Mythic Sunship – Upheaval (El Paraiso) 12-Jan | Bandcamp
15. Birth Of Joy – Hyper Focus (Glitterhouse) 16-Feb
16. Santa Librada – Santa Librada (Santa Librada) 1-Apr | Bandcamp
17. MaidaVale – Madness Is Too Pure (The Sign) 23-Mar | Bandcamp
18. Wooden Shjips – V (Thrill Jockey) 25-May | Bandcamp
19. Dos Santos – Logos (International Anthem) 15-Jun | Bandcamp
20. CB3 – From Nothing To Eternity (Eggs In Aspic) 12-Jan | Bandcamp
21. The Third Sound – All Tomorrow’s Shadows (Fuzz Club) 11-May | Bandcamp
22. Solstice – White Horse Hill (White Horse) 21-Feb | Bandcamp
23. Beastmaker – EPs (Church Records) 10-Jun | Bandcamp
24. Minami Deutsch – With Dim Light (Guruguru Brain) 20-Apr | Bandcamp
25. Angélique Kidjo – Remain In Light (Kravenworks) 8-Jun | Bandcamp
26. Tropical Fuck Storm – A Laughing Death In Meatspace (Mistletone) 4-May | Bandcamp
27. Salad Boys – This Is Glue (Trouble In Mind) 19-Jan | Bandcamp
28. Merlin – The Wizard (The Company) 26-Jan | Bandcamp
29. The Fierce & The Dead – The Euphoric (Bad Elephant) 25-May | Bandcamp
30. Malady – Toinen Toista (Svart) 2-Feb | Bandcamp
31. Dream Wife – Dream Wife (Lucky Number) 26-Jan | Bandcamp
32. Naxatras – III (Naxatras) 16-Feb | Bandcamp
33. Vive La Void – Vive La Void (Sacred Bones) 4-May | Bandcamp
34. Seedy Jeezus – Polaris Oblique (Lay Bare) 4-Jun | Bandcamp
35. Iceage – Beyondless (Matador) 4-May | Buy
36. Zeal & Ardor – Stranger Fruit (Radicalis) 8-Jun | Bandcamp
37. Sly & Robbie Meet Nils Petter Molvær – Nordub (Okeh) 6-Apr
38. Homunculus Res – Della stessa sostanza dei sogni (altrOck) 14-Mar | Bandcamp
39. Spiders – Killer Machine (Crusher) 6-Apr | Buy
40. Bambara – Shadow On Everything (Wharf Cat) 6-Apr | Bandcamp
41. Age Of Taurus – The Colony Slain (Rise Above) 18-May | Buy
42. Blackwater Holylight – Blackwater Holylight (RidingEasy) 6-Apr | Bandcamp
43. The Osiris Club – The Wine-Dark Sea (Indie) 23-Feb | Bandcamp
44. Mock Identity – Paradise (Mock Identity) 21-Jun | Bandcamp
45. Neko Case – Hell-On (Anti/Epitaph) 1-Jun | Bandcamp
46. Green Seagull – Scarlet Fever (Mega Dodo) 30-Mar | Bandcamp
47. The Messthetics – The Messthetics (Dischord) 23-Mar | Bandcamp
48. Elephant9 – Greatest Show On Earth (Rune Grammofon) 16-Feb | Buy
49. Spiritual Cramp – Police State EP (Deranged) 8-Jun | Bandcamp
50. Ty Segall – Freedom’s Goblin (Drag City) 26-Jan | Bandcamp
51. The Citradels – God Bless (Citradels) 8-Jan | Bandcamp
52. YOB – Our Raw Heart (Relapse) 8-Jun | Bandcamp
53. Pseudo Mind Hive – From Elsewhere (Pseudo Mind Hive) 8-Jun | Bandcamp
54. Wand – Perfume (Drag City) 25-May | Bandcamp
55. Sammal – Suuliekki (Svart) 9-Mar | Bandcamp
56. Shopping – The Official Body (FatCat) 19-Jan | Bandcamp
57. Black Moth – Anatomical Venus (Candlelight/Spinefarm) 23-Feb
58. Gygax – Second Edition (Creator-Destructor) 16-Mar | Bandcamp
59. Elkhorn – Lionfish (Eiderdown) 8-Jun | Bandcamp
60. High Priestess – High Priestess (Ripple) 18-May | Bandcamp
61. Drug Cult – Drug Cult (Ritual Productions) 22-Jun | Bandcamp
62. Aboleth – Benthos (Aboleth) 25-May | Bandcamp
63. Starcontrol – Fragments (SwissDarkNights) 1-Feb | Bandcamp
64. Kadhja Bonet – Childqueen (Fat Possum) 8-Jun | Bandcamp
65. Serpentwithfeet – Soil (Secretly Canadian) 8-Jun | Bandcamp
66. The Midnight Hour – The Midnight Hour (Linear Labs) 8-Jun | Bandcamp
67. Gatekeeper – East Of Sun (Cruz Del Sur) 27-Apr | Bandcamp
68. Svvamp – Svvamp 2 (RidingEasy) 8-Jun | Bandcamp
69. Future War Bride – Majahua (Gloves Off) 8-Jun
70. Yamantaka // Sonic Titan – Dirt (Paper Bag) 23-Mar | Bandcamp
71. Ryley Walker – Deafman Glance (Dead Oceans) 18-May | Bandcamp
72. Sergeant Thunderhoof – Terra Solus (Sergeant Thunderhoof) 12-May | Bandcamp
73. Estuary Blacks – Estuary Blacks (Kozmik Artifactz) 17-Feb | Bandcamp
74. Big Kizz – Music Is Magic (Tee Pee) 18-May | Buy
75. Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer (Bad Boy) 27-Apr
76. Kamasi Washington – Heaven And Earth (Young Turks) 22-Jun | Buy
77. Crimen – Silent Animals (Fuzz Club) 29-Jun | Bandcamp
78. Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids – An Angel Fell (Strut) 11-May | Bandcamp
79. Nicklas Sørensen – Solo 2 (El Paraiso) 19-Jan | Buy
80. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 – Black Times (Strut) 2-Mar | Bandcamp
81. Dwarfs Of East Agouza – Rats Don’t Eat Synthesizers (Akuphone) | Bandcamp
82. Sendelica – My House Is Made of Angel Hair (FRG) 26-Jan | Bandcamp
83. Hashteroid – Hashteroid (Cursed Tongue) 20-Apr | Bandcamp
84. Dopethrone – Transcanadian Anger (Totem Cat) 25-May | Bandcamp
85. Psychic Markers – Hardly Strangers (Psychic Markers) 23-Feb | Bandcamp
86. LIINES – Stop-Start (Reckless Yes) 4-May | Bandcamp
87. High Priests – Spinning (Triple Eye Industries) 23-Mar | Bandcamp
88. Wedge – Killing Tongue (Heavy Psych) 9-Feb | Bandcamp
89. Heads. – Collider (Corpse Flower) 6-Apr | Bandcamp
90. Orange Goblin – The Wolf Bites Back (Candlelight) 15-Jun
91. Judas Priest – Firepower (Columbia) 9-Mar | Buy
92. Kamaal Williams – The Return (Black Focus) 25-May | Bandcamp
93. Ebo Taylor – Yen Ara (Mr Bongo) 6-Apr | Bandcamp
94. Elza Soares – Deus é mulher (Deckdisc) 18-May
95. Witch Prophet – The Golden Octave (88 Days Of Fortune) 18-May | Bandcamp
96. Parquet Courts – Wide Awake! (Rough Trade) 18-May
97. Psychic Lemon – Frequency Rhythm Distortion Delay (Tonzonen) 12-Jan | Bandcamp
98. Immersion – Sleepless (Swim) 15-Jun | Buy
99. Tangents – New Bodies (Temporary Residence) 15-Jun | Bandcamp
100. Frigs – Basic Behaviour (Arts & Crafts) 23-Feb | Bandcamp

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