Every single publication that has anything to do with music in any
capacity is currently partaking in the time honored tradition of the Year End
list right now so I figured I’d jump on the proverbial bandwagon and put
together my own. Year End lists are
interesting because so many people have so many opinions and everywhere you
look someone has picked something different for their number one album or song
of the year. AV Club picked Angel Olsen’s
Burn Your Fire for No Witness as
their number one record of the year and it didn’t even make Rolling Stone’s Top
40 Albums (thought their list is questionable at best considering their pick
for number one was U2’s “excuse me while I shove this down your throat” Songs of Innocence LP). The point is that everyone has their own
picks and these happen to be mine.
10. Weezer – Everything Will Be
Alright in the End: Weezer has had a tough few years but those pent up
anxieties and emotions present themselves in a subtle way on their new
album. Frontman Rivers Cuomo manages to
walk the line between sincerity and fun, catchy tunes while the rest of the
band follows suit returning to Weezer’s geeky, alt rock roots making longtime
fans of The Blue Album happy for the
first time in a while.
9. White Lung – Deep Fantasy:
Lead singer Mish Way delivers howling squeals and guttural belts fronting the
visceral hardcore band White Lung whose third LP this year blended classic
thrash with modern punk to create an adrenaline fueled thrill ride which I
found myself getting in line to listen to over and over and over again.
8. Eagulls – Eagulls: The
debut eponymous LP from the UK’s Eagulls proved that underground 80’s
alternative is alive and well. Each of
the albums tracks oozes with manic depressive earnestness and creates a
haunting atmosphere which harkens back to early Echo and the Bunnymen with a
hardcore punk twist.
7. Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal:
Brooklyn’s Parquet Courts have been busy the last 18 months churning out
several releases the most recent being Sunbathing
Animal . The albums 46 minutes of
punk charged art rock see the band pushing the limits of the sound nurtured on
last year’s Light Up Gold. With several songs devolving into Sonic
Youth-esqe fuzzy guitar solos, the band has clearly demonstrated that while maintaining
a cohesive style, they’re not afraid to take things to the next level.
6. Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else: Speaking of
bands that push the boundaries, Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings released a phenomenal
follow up to 2012’s Attack on Memory
which proves that lead singer Dylan Baldi who started the band as a solo
project in his bedroom has graduated to full on rock star status. The albums tracks bring the same alternative
intensity as their previous release while still showing evolutionary growth.
5. Bob Mould – Beauty and Ruin: The former Husker
Du frontman created one of the best rock and roll records of year…hands
down. The album is full of thunderous
drums, heavy hooks, raging riffs, and punky beats ranging from radio friendly sing-alongs
to full on alternative hailstorms. There’s
a reason this album made my list and not the Foo’s Sonic Highways.
4. Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire for No Witness: AV
Club’s pick for album of the year, Angel Olsen’s haunting and mesmerizing LP is
an astounding piece of modern alterna-folk.
Drawing from an eclectic mix of influences the songs offer up Olsen’s
unique and powerful voice as the focal point crafting dreamy, simple, yet heavy
compositions around her incredible lyrics.
This album is A MUST for any year end list.
3. Alvvays – Alvvays: Canadian dream pop band
Alvvays put together an out of this world debut album this year utilizing
ethereal vocals, simple and catchy drumbeats and poppy hooks which when
combined create the best “indie” album of the year. Sounding like a softer version of the Dum Dum
Girls with wayyyy less black leather, Alvvays has set the bar high for their
follow up but if it’s half as good as their debut, it’ll still be a chart topper
in my book.
2. Ought – More Than Any Other Day: WOW is the best way to describe
Ought. The third Canadian group on my
list (way to go eh) this punk quartet is the only band to make my brow furrow this
year, in a good way! I was so confused
when I first heard their album that I didn’t know whether to jump for joy or
question humanity itself. The albums
songs combine the raw power of the Talking Heads with heavy guitars and CRAZY
time signatures and tempo changes that both put you in a trance and make your
heart explode. Listen.to.this.record.
1. Tacocat – NVM: My number one album of the year emerged
like a brilliant ray of sunshine from the dreary, rain saturated forests of the Pacific
Northwest. Tacocat’s debut NVM has everything I’m looking for in an
alternative rock record. All the songs
are superb combining lyrics that are lighthearted and funny on songs like “This
is Anarchy” and perfect social commentary on tracks like “Hey Girl”. The band rocks, in sound, subject matter,
appearance, and attitude. All the
members are involved in side project’s one of which deserves an honorable
mention on my list. Bree McKenna’s band
CHILDBIRTH also released a debut this year entitled It’s a Girl! which exemplifies what’s so great about punk
rock. The album is over in less than 15
minutes but in that short amount of time crafts a raw, lo-fi sound which is
grittier and heavier than most other albums released this year across all
genres, no ifs ands or buts about it. End of discussion.
