While 2015 wasn't he greatest year for music overall, there were still some fantastic releases that more than deserve your attention. As such, my personal favorites are as follows:
10.) Envy - Atheists' Cornea
Envy (a band I intend to write about in future posts) is my personal favorite band of all time. Hailing from Japan, Sonzai's Record's latest release sees the return of the emotive hardcore rockers after a 5 year break from their last album. However, it is within my honest opinion that Atheist's Cornea is their weakest release to date. It's not to say that I despised the record, I just felt that it was lacking in many ways. Envy is a band that has never traversed into the realm of mainstream popularity. No, instead they've solidified their place in the underground of the post hardcore and post rock scenes as a band that had profound influences on these genres (particularity in America). Yet, while albums such as "All the Footprints You've Left Behind..." bolstered their status into the realm of emotive hardcore, the band seems to be trying to return to their golden days in this release by presenting unimaginative tracks with similar formats to their earliest releases. Tracks feel expedient and tumultuous, hearkening towards an experience that simply does not cater to what Tetsuya Fukagawa and the gang are capable of. However, they are still my favorite band and their are a few tracks on this record that I will remember as a fan. "Ignorant Rain and the End of the World" and "Footsteps in the Distance" stand out as tracks that show off Fukagawa's melodic vocals while presenting energetic hardcore that simply rehashes old compositions and formats. I can go on about how strange the audio mixing is also on this album but I won't. I love Envy dearly, but I hope their next release won't take another 5 years and really proves that the band's creative juices have not completely died.
-You can listen to my favorite track from the album here.
9.) Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon
While admittedly I've only recently become a fan of Lana's, I have fallen deeply in love with her work. Shown to me by my homie Nathalia Montenegro, Lana has become ingrained in my soul as an artist with a beautiful voice and a lot of interesting tracks showcasing stellar production. Her latest album Honeymoon is a dark record encumbered in themes of melancholy and twisted views of romance. Yet this darkness is equal parts soothing and brilliant. While traditionally classified in the genre of pop, Honeymoon truly feels like it is capable of playing a larger role in the realm of Gothic albums. The orchestral arrangements and instrumentation seen on tracks such as "God Knows I Tried" and Art Deco" spout emotive punches whose melodies are not easily forgotten. Del Rey's latest release proves that she is an artist whose able to switch up her style in smart and interesting directions. I praise this album and highly encourage everyone to give it a chance!
-You can hear my favorite track from the album here.
8.) Alone. - Somewhere in the Sierras
I'm a big fan of the band A Lot Like Birds. So when I heard their guitarist Michael Franzino (who is also the band's main musical composer) was releasing a solo effort under the name: Alone. I was pretty damn stoked. However, I was not prepared for the emotional ride that came with this album. This album is a bloody master piece that will be remembered for years to come. To preface this, it's worth mentioning that this project came from Franzino's decision to isolate himself in a cabin in the middle of somewhere in the Sierra Mountain Range (hence the album title) for TWO MONTHS. During this time he chose to cut himself off from the world with no way of communicating with anyone in order to produce what he felt would be the pinnacle moments of his musical composing career. Having just gone through a rough break up, Franzino decided that now would be the best time to write his magnum opus. And damn did this album come out pretty fantastic! The vehement and frankly depressing nature of this record oozes through each track. It's an album riddled in cacophonous tones and emotive lyrics that play homage to countless musical influences and Franzino's personal experiences in life. With a new A Lot Like Birds record planned for 2016, I truly hope Franzino's creative energies from this record carry over to make it Bird's next greatest hit. Bravo Michael, I love it man!
-You can listen to my favorite track from the album here.
7.) Chon - Grow
Instrumental rock seemed to function as my core desiderata this year. I had a huge math rock craze, which lead to my discovery of a little band known as Chon. Flummoxed by their talent, Chon puts a soothing spin on the typical format of the math rock genre. Spouting tracks that are fun to listen to and are easy to marvel over in terms of technicality, their latest release Grow proves justice to both these claims. What I mostly appreciate about this album is how clean the audio comes across. It's production feels as if each track is being performed right in front of you. I simply adore these audio details and praise Chon for not defaulting towards electronic mediums that are so commonly defaulted towards during the mixing process. Grow proves that the young band is maturing into their own and I hope I can catch them soon on tour!
-You can hear my favorite track from the album here.
6.) Town Portal - The Occident
Every once in a while, you come across an artist who really makes you feel like you've been asleep. What they do is so unique that you get the impression that you have been missing out on something everyone knows about, and you wonder what you were doing the whole time. So went my introduction to Town Portal, an instrumental three-piece from Copenhagen who, at their third full-length, aren't really newcomers. Still, with this album, they've earned a shot at being catapulted into the proverbial spotlight as much as anyone. Town Portal plays a brand of math rock that, while technically proficient, shies away from any kind of showboating. Every now and then a little variation or fill will escape the vise grip of musical discipline and restraint, but it is always in service of moving the song forward.
I think my favorite aspect of Town Portal's music is simply their ability to play with one's expectations. Just when you think you've begun to understand their format, they change it up track by track to keep you guessing where their music is going next. The Occident is an amazing listen from to start to finish and I highly recommend giving these guys a shot.
-You can listen to my favorite track from the album here.
5.) Rosetta - Quintessential Ephemera
The great Aaron Turner of the band Isis once said that in order to achieve balance within the self, one must embrace both sides of the coin. By this he meant both our masculine and feminine side. This certainly reveals to be true. That is why post metal is such a brilliant genre of music. It maintains a hard hitting atmosphere while at the same time slowing things down a bit for beauty to run its course. When it comes to Rosetta's 5th outing, they accomplish this goal swimmingly. What's even more exceptional happens to be how both of these elements blend together at the same time more often than not. While the soaring harsh vocals may be the main attraction of some of the songs, downright moving guitar tones are gracefully played in the background with cleans surprisingly being showcased too. It's for these reasons that Quintessential Ephemera proves to be quite the engaging ride. Whether it's the harshness on tracks like "Untitled I" and "Untitled VI" or the melodically evocative demonstrated in tracks like "Untitled II," this record is stellar for fans of the genre. I also thought it was hilarious not giving the tracks proper titles and opting for oddly simplistic and unconventional "untitled" names. Props boys! This is one of your greatest releases yet! (I'm a big Rosetta fanboy).
-You can hear my favorite track from the album here.
4.) Tilian - Perfect Enemy
I'm a big fan of a little band known as Dance Gavin Dance... And I'm also a big fan of their current singer Tilian Pearson (ex singer of Tides of Man). So when I heard my baby was releasing a solo album, I was deeply enthralled in getting my hands on this record. And I have to say it did not disappoint. Tilian's record features some of the best written tracks I've heard in quite a while. More than three tracks on this album could honestly become major radio hits if they were somehow able to branch into the mainstream limelight. Anyways, Perfect Enemy like many of the other albums featured on this list is yet another deeply emotional album. Some of the tracks touch upon subjects of missing old loves, fighting depression, and other very relatable topics. The production values on this album are extremely clean and create a fantastic listening experience. Like Lana Del Rey's record, I truly feel this album on this list is one of the most approachable to any kind of music listener. It's a record that will yank at your heart strings and serande you with one of the most beautiful male vocals I've been privileged to hear in modern music. If "Satellite" doesn't get you thinking, I don't know what else will.
-You can listen to my favorite track on the album here.
3.) Alaska - Shrine
Of all the records that appear on this list, this might be the worse of them all from an objective point of view. Alaska is a very young band consisting of boys who simply want to be heard and may not be the most technically proficient of instrumentalists nor the greatest of singers (both clean and screams). Yet for some reason, Alaska's music has managed to really touch me and make me really take into consideration different perspectives in how I look at and judge music. It has been my dreams for years to start my own band with friends and go on tours and manage to deliver raw energy to the masses.While ascertaining this outcome for my future is close to impossible, these guys are not only living my dream but doing it well! Alaska's music takes the from of an amalgamation of genres including post hardcore, math rock, and even jazz. Their music is amazing for how young they are and their unorthodox song structures created one of the most unique listening experiences this year for me out of every album I was privileged to hear. Alaska still has plenty of room to grow, and I feel they will only become better and better. Shrine is a truly awesome record from start to finish and presents some fun and new ideas to the table of how these genres can be approached. I truly wish nothing but the best for these guys and hope they receive more praise and recognition. It would truly be a distinct privilege to hear them live!
-You can hear my favorite track from the record here.
2.) Dance Gavin Dance - Instant Gratification
Dance Gavin Dance is a band I've loved for years now ever since they dropped their first album. Having shuffled through numerous members over the years, it seems the "Acceptance Speech" crew is here to stay and boy is it this album a fantastic followup. Tilian seems to have naturally infused himself into the writing process to the point that his presence in the band feels and sounds completely natural. While wacky and new ideas are presented on this album in the from of tracks such as "Eagles vs Crows," other tracks like "The Cuddler" hearken to the band's punk roots. Chris Crummet's production is once again solid and well received and Jon Mess' new found screaming power if cacophonous and bombastic as ever! While some criticisms towards this album lie in predictability (in terms of track formats) or that the band seems to be catering way too much to newer generation post hardcore fans, I fail to see these notions at work in Instant Gratification. I may be a fanboy whose overdosed a bit on pumpkin pie...but I think the band's current roster and sound is truly at its best. This album is by far the one I've listened to the most this year and I eagerly await what's next in store for these mavens of their genre. I'd postulate some new releases for 2016 but I could be wrong.
-You can hear my favorite track from the album here.
1.) Strawberry Girls - American Graffiti
Of all the albums on my list, this album is one of the few examples of an album where I simply loved every single track. This three piece from California places a branch of instrumental rock that simply cannot be missed!!! The amount of genius and finesse in their songwriting is truly stunning and even more riveting to listen to. Fronted by ex-guitarist of Dance Gavin Dance, Zachary Garren,, Strawberry Girls is a band that is going to gain some mainstream fame in coming years!
One notable thing about Strawberry Girls, albeit a thing that makes them so great, is that it'd be hard to call any one member of the band a virtuoso of their instrument. Sure, Zach Garren's penchant for creating some downright infectious riffs and licks are on full display in songs like "Spanish Bay" and "Violent Night." Drummer Ben Rosett shows remarkable range from the slower paced "Egypt" to the furious "Antiquation." Hell, bassist Ian Jennings pretty much runs "Egypt," an album highlight, and steals the show with the outro of "Harby 1975." It is this form of songwriting in which each of them gets to shine that allows for their unique sense of groove to permeate throughout the entirety of American Graffiti. I've had this album on repeat since it's dropped and I don't find myself getting bored any time soon.
The last thing worth mentioning about this masterpiece is its brilliant usage of guest vocalists on a few tracks. "Gospel" featuring the young and talented Joey Lancaster (of Bella Noire) might be my favorite song composed in 2015. The vocalists Girls choose are brilliant and mesh well with their groove-centered rock. I recommend this record to the millionth degree and heavily encourage any fan of rock music to give it a chance. I promise you will not be disappointed.
With that I hope you enjoyed this list and I deeply look forward to writing about new aritsts/bands every week from this point out. Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day!
-Nights Off
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