January 3, 2022

Top 10 Albums: 2021 Edition

header image top albums of 2021

Let's establish up front that there were some incredibly strong releases this year. It was a challenging task to narrow this list down to just 10 albums. In fact, this list hovered at 11 selections for a couple weeks before I finally made a decision—but it was sooo close.

The sounds that were clicking for me this year definitely fit squarely in the post-punk, post-hardcore mold. Whether it was artists that have been around for a while that have continued to evolve their sound (Quicksand, Psychic Graveyard, DFA 1979), or newcomers that are rediscovering and mining the past for gold (Old Moon, Snapped Ankles, NOV3L). Their releases felt both nostalgic and fresh, often a tough line to walk. I can't help but think about how large bands like Public Image Limite, Delta 5, and The Slits loom over many of these artists.

While not necessarily my most adventurous year of listening, I quite enjoyed the stoner metal riffs from Spelljammer (points for old-school D ’n’ D reference). Similarly Ty Segall's Harmonizer delivered satisfying heavy tunes that recall some of his earlier releases or his work with Fuzz.

If there's a singular theme that ties a lot of these releases together, it might be nostalgia. Always a source of some comfort, it's hard not to feel a connection to music that relates to an earlier time—in my life or just to a previous era. And lets face it, it's been a difficult few years. Maybe that's why artists, and myself as a listener, are drawn to some of these sounds of times past. While some might look at nostalgia as a crutch or weakness, I feel that there is so much to be gained from looking backwards. Whether it's sharing long-defunct bands with a new audience or having a sort of conversation with our predecessors, it all helps to keep the world of music interesting.

Aside: I've linked to the artists' releases on Bandcamp where I could. Please consider listening to tracks there, and if you like them, purchasing them on Bandcamp. The artists get a massively larger cut that way, rather than streaming services.

My Top 10 Albums of 2021

  1. Crocodiles - The Complete Shitty Times bandcamp

  2. Death from Above 1979 - Is 4 Lovers

  3. NOV3L - NON-FICTION bandcamp

  4. Old Moon - Altars bandcamp

  5. Psychic Graveyard - Veins Feel Strange bandcamp

  6. Quicksand - Distant Populations bandcamp

  7. Snapped Ankles - Forest of Your Problems bandcamp

  8. Spelljammer - Abyssal Trip bandcamp

  9. Tune-Yards - sketchy. bandcamp

  10. Ty Segall - Harmonizer bandcamp

Other noteworthy acquisitions

I really couldn't restrict myself to ten releases this year. There was just too much quality, so here's my list of other albums that may have come out this year and that I loved, but didn't quite make the cut. Many of them were solid in their own right, but just not quite different enough to stand out. Or—as is the case with the IDLES release—I just didn't have enought time to listen to them yet. I've even included a few from 2020 that I didn't have a chance to listen to until 2021.

  1. Black Keys - Delta Kream

  2. Royal Blood - Typhoons

  3. Sleater-Kinney - Path of Wellness

  4. Here Lies Man - Ritual Divination

  5. CZARFACE & MF Doom - Super What?

  6. IDLES - Crawler

  7. Automatic - Signal

  8. Cloud Nothings - The Black Hole Understands

  9. Fuzz - III

  10. Mother's Cake - Cyberfunk!

  11. Shopping - Why Choose

  12. Sweeping Promises - Hunder for a Way Out

Final Thoughts

Did you enjoy any of these releases as well? Any stand-outs that I missed? Definitely drop me a line. I'm always up for talking about great music.

December 29, 2014

Top 5 Albums (That I Bought) This Year: 2014 Edition

It's always interesting to look back at the music that I listened to in the past twelve months what overlaps stand out. As you might imagine, my choices aren't premeditated, but often follow some similar patterns. Indeed some things never change: lots of pretty loud, pretty fast, and slightly experimental music.

2014 was definitely a year for straight-up Rock 'n' Roll. Despite rumors of its death, the genre saw several releases come out this past year that felt really alive and interesting. They combined some of the best references to the past, with some new licks and new tricks; something that rock has always done really well. Most importantly, artists keep exploring the boundaries of the rock sound.

One major connection through most of my picks is this strong connection—and reference to—musical history. In all cases, however, it doesn't manifest in nostalgia, but really a celebration tempered by recontextualization. Taking that one element that was successful for another artist or prevalent at another time, and recycling it to work in a current context.

As in previous years, most of these albums are pretty loud, but I didn't really hit on anything particularly heavy that I fell in love with this year. For whatever reason, I didn't listen to much metal over the past year or so. The tempo stayed high though while the running time stayed short, with the average song length clocking in around the 2:45 mark.

The final interesting thing to note: all of these records are releases by relatively seasoned artists. It's harder to find those amazing début artists, but I'm having trouble recalling a new artist that really grabbed my attention this year.

With all that perspective, let's kick off the list of this year's hits with my absolute favorite:

tUnE-yArDs - nikki nack

As infatuated as I was their previous record, W H O K I L L, I'm really entranced by this record. Indeed, it is more polished, more heavily layered, and the end I think more enduring release. The loops and quirky lyrics are still there, but gone is the hipster ukulele and the super low-fi approach. Instead the band has grown both in number and aural range to create a more robust sound, adding in more of a Caribbean flavor to its African beats. It's a bigger album in all respects than previous effort, but thankfully it feels like an evolution instead of a departure.

Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

Few bands of recent memory have grown in reputation so quickly as Parquet Courts. Taking the usual trappings of a garage band, they've really refined it the sound to a smoothly running machine that churns out catchy track after catchy track. They'll lure you in with stupid lyrics and hand claps, then the next verse drop pure poetry wrapped in a wall of sonic feedback static. A more magical recipe for success I can't imagine.

Death From Above 1979 - The Physical World

I couldn't be happier that DFA1979 didn't fall into the pit of other "One Hit Wonders", but instead of returned from their hiatus with a really killer album. It's still really loud and really fast, but sandpaper to the eardrums feeling has abated somewhat. Even though I loved that with their first album, I really don't miss it here. In its place is songwriting that has stepped up a couple notches. Sure, there's still the lyrics celebrating the fast life, but there's also a real attempt at narrative storytelling, such as on the track, "White is red."

Ex Hex - Rips

With an album title like that, it's not easy to avoid cliché descriptors, but this really is a tight collection of songs. While I haven't read any discussion of this band without the mention of their front woman Mary Timony, I can't help but feel that she's just one of the strong creative forces behind these tracks. Blending super catchy choruses with an unrelenting pace, it's hard not to tap your foot and bounce your head from start to finish.

Jack White - Lazaretto

To be totally honest, this last spot was a tie for a while between Lazaretto, Ty Segall's Manipulator, and Bass Drum of Death's Rip This. What tipped the scales was ultimately the feeling that I get while listening to this album: it's just plain fun. I think Jack White has written better songs, and I enjoyed Blunderbuss a bit more, but what is really on display here is his virtuosity. He jumps from traditional Blues licks to hard rock, from folk to country and everything in between. In the end, it feels like he's just playing for himself and letting us all hang out and listen, which it turns out is a really good time.

Wrap-up

That puts a bow on it for 2014. If you haven't listened to any of these tunes before, check out the full playlist of everything below. And by all means, if there's something that I should've checked out (and loved) in 2014, drop a line on Twitter and let me know.

[Rdio playlist is dead. RIP Rdio]

August 2, 2012

Avett Brothers Poster

Working under the direction of Adam Larson at Adam & Company, I designed a poster for The Avett Brothers' appearance at the Greek Theater. The concept behind the poster was associating an element to each of the members of the band, all connected by an energy that is conveyed in their live shows.

Designed in collaboration with Adam & Company.