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++20) High On Fire - Luminiferous
They're basically getting a pass because I love the band's past efforts. Much better than their last one, and they've shown some growth and variety on this record, though....it feels nowhere as vital as those first two records, or even Death Is This Communion.
19) The Sword - High Country
This is a fun record, and I like it a lot better than any of their other material. I hope they make more records like this, as their sound and focus has deviated a lot from album to album. With High Country, they've definitely hit my sweet spot.
18) Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats - The Night Creeper
Another great record from these guys, and a great juxtaposition of riffs and hooks.
17) Disappears - Irreal
Eh, I'm going to pull the generic "I like their early stuff better". I LOVED their second album so much. Still, this is a weird, dark post-punk masterpiece.
16) Monolord - Vaenir
They pull this sound off well. They manage to simultaneously pay tribute to their influences without sounding specifically like a ripoff of any one band. Kudos for that!
15) Acid King - Middle Of Nowhere, Center Of Everything.
Truly hideously awful artwork aside, this album smokes. It's a pleasant surprise that after all these years, they've still got it!
14) Mikal Cronin - MCIII
I wanted to like this record more, I really did. His last record was flawless and brilliant, combining sugar sweet melodies with sun-baked punk immediacy. While the songs are good, it just lacks the same urgency.
13) Tallest Man On Earth - Dark Bird Is Home
This guy just continues to hone his craft. The perfect blend of Dylan and Nick Drake, heartbreaking and poignant. Though I loved his early stripped down sound, the expanded instrumentation and arrangements really suits his songwriting.
12) Valkyrie - Shadows
I like this record best out of their works. How one stellar solo blends into the next is mind-blowing. The perfect production is what really makes those leads jump out. Wicked.
11) Rose Windows - Rose Windows
Shit. If you're going to go out, go out on top of your game like these guys and gals. A great follow up to their debut, it's a real shame that it will be there last....
10) Torche - Restarter
Indeed. It's a really good record....and while I appreciate their "back to our roots" approach, it's not hitting me in the same way as the last two records did. I'm all for following your muses no matter where they take you, and that's why I'm simultaneously doubtful and respectful when a band decides to make a record reminiscent of their earlier works when their recent output has been so much more forward thinking, in my mind at least. Hey, hopefully they got this out of their system....
9) Kurt Vile - I B'lieve I'm Goin Down
Ugh. It's an artist's curse to be judged by fan and critic alike based on your prior works. This is a superb album, and much like Mikal Cronin's, it just doesn't measure up to his last. Nor does this clean, deliberate, well produced record sound ANYTHING like the lo-fi weirdness of the first couple, which brought him onto many peoples' collective radars. I'd love to see him find a way for those two aspects of his sound co-exist.
8) Ecstatic Vision - Sonic Praise
Man....what a trip. Definitely the debut of the year for me. It's like Hawkwind and early Monster Magnet having a love child in my eardrums. Honestly though, I'd have ranked it higher if I'd never read the lyrics. Dude....it's 2015. There ain't anything subversive anymore about smoking the reefer. Good luck on your sophomore album, ditch the drug schtick and focus more on the spiritual aspects that your lyrics touch on. My 3 cents, take 'em or leave 'em.
7) Father John Misty - I Love You Honeybear
Man....what another trip. Talk about lyrics!! Josh Tilman really lets it all hang out there, waxing poetic about his lovely wife, but also about being a drunken asshole and a bad husband. Hey, we've all got our faults. At least he makes killer albums like this one, and his lyrical skills are a big reason why this succeeds. The title track is both gorgeous and heartbreaking. Dig it!
6) Fuzz - Fuzz II
It's a thing: some bands bust out of the gates with a killer debut. Some of those bands inevitably succumb to the dreaded Sophomore Slump. For a number of reasons, Fuzz ain't fallin' down that trap....First, these guys are all veterans. Ty Segall is extremely prolific, and it's been awhile since he's had a clunker. Secondly, they really bring the psychedelic, way more than on the first record. Thirdly, listen to those riffs and gonzo whammied leads!! It's the perfect amalgamation of Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, and The Ramones. This is the pretty much the second record that I wish Witch had made when they decided to "embrace their punk roots."
5) Kadavar - Berlin
Man....any of these top five could have been the #1 for me. They're all bands who had a distinctive musical identity on their first works, combining a powerful sound with captivating songwriting. All five of these bands managed to navigate a crucial growth spurt, riding a wave towards redefinition in that perfect musical moment.
With that pretext out of the way, Kadavar chart five for two reasons: firstly, this is only their third record, while every other band has had the time to navigate and fine tune their experimentations a bit more. Secondly, there's nothing particularly experimental about Berlin at all. Despite how much they've widened the influences they're drawing on in terms of songwriting, the sound itself is still unabashedly retro and firmly traditional. There are no weak links here, I'm just personally drawn to the more experimental side of things.
4) The Soft Moon - Deeper
Man....deeper indeed. The Soft Moon really scratch my post-punk itch in an abrasive way. Imagine a darker version of The Cure, a more psychedelic Joy Division, an even more atmospheric Depeche Mode. That's the kind of fire we're playing with here, a deep, dark fire that consumes anything and everything in its musical wake.
3) Kylesa - Exhausting Fire
Man....speaking of fire. Kylesa have flirted with more melodic, psychedelic, and post-punk elements over their last three releases, all the while staying true to their riff based roots. This is the album that knocks it out of the park. They trim the fat, writing concise songs that cover a lot of ground, and they're constantly throwing curve balls with softer dynamics and duel vocals. I'd have loved to have given them the #1, or even the number two spot, but....
2) Baroness - Purple
Man....talk about the dignity of risk. Baroness have been the critical darlings with the Decibel crowd for awhile now, and they totally spit in the face of that image by releasing their latest album mid December, when a lot of critics' lists are already cemented in stone and sent to press. That's a bold, confident move, and they've got the chops to back it up. I'd foretold that their previous double-colored effort was a transitional album, and I'm glad that my prediction came to pass. Purple is everything that I could have dreamed it to be, a more streamlined effort that combined the experimentation and melody of Green and Yellow with the heavier aesthetic of Blue and Red. In a lot of ways, I'd like this to be my #1 because of its daring nature, but....
1) Failure - The Heart Is A Monster
Man....in a year full of comeback albums, this is the comeback album of the year. It's hard to believe that they pulled this off after such a long hiatus. It's even harder to believe that they pulled off an album that in my book rivals Fantastic Planet. It's the logical follow up. It's also mesmerizing to think about how a three piece creates this heavy and thick of a sound....it's honestly not guitar heavy. The huge bass and dynamic drumming is laying it down and giving the guitar plenty of room for atmosphere, while the vocals are weaving those webs of hooks and melodies. Damn....this shit is sexy!! Perhaps I'm biased because I saw them pull this off flawlessly live. So be it, that speaks even more to their credit; it's not solely a matter of studio magic.
Honorable mentions - a "nice swing" goes out to veterans Goatsnake, Clutch, Graveyard, Elder (weird thinking of them as vets....) and All Them Witches (who I am just starting to gain some appreciation for.) Bask also put out a hell of a debut, and deserves a nod here.
Biggest disappointments go out to Ufomammut, who failed for me in a big way with lackluster riffs and uninspired songwriting. Similarly, With The Dead failed to live up to the hype for me....yeah, it sounds like Electric Wizard crossed with Cathedral, minus all the great things that make those two bands stand apart from the maddening crowd. Third, Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth. Really??? This is Tad Doyle's band??? This bored the shit out of me, and Tad never did that.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!
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This cosmic dance of bursting decadence and withheld permissions twists all our arms collectively, but if sweetness can win, and it can, then I'll still be here tomorrow to high five you yesterday. Peace!
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