Best In Music
10) Andy Dale Petty – Frick’s Lament
09) Wax Idols – American Tragic
There’s a feeling of unrestrained emotion in the darkness of “American Tragic.” The desolate goth pop takes point with the punk rock influences of the past keeping pace. When Heather Fortune started Wax Idols, it was all reckless and raw energy on the first album, 2011’s “No Future.” “Discipline & Desire” followed in 2013, a deeply haunting journey into sorrow, self-searching and experimentation. “American Tragic” picks up where the band left off and incorporates melody into the melancholy. The album aims to position itself along the likes of New Order’s “Movement” and The Cure’s “Pornography.” Although “American Tragic” doesn’t quite reach the same podium as the aforementioned seminal albums, it’s capable enough to warrant association.
08) Mercy Ties – Proper Corruption
Though not well known, Mercy Ties from Seattle, WA released a monster of an EP in 2014. The record “A Dim Lit Place” was a medley of dynamic riffs and erratic hardcore that established the band and set them apart from the countless Botch influenced imitators. “Proper Corruption” again finds the band blurring the lines between hardcore and metalcore. But where many of the genre’s contemporary acts have incorporated trivial devices and studio gimmickry, Mercy Ties breathes fresh air into the roots that pioneered the original sound. Instead of resorting to autotuned breakdowns and unintentionally comedic rapping, the band demonstrates capable musicianship as well as intricate and notable songwriting.
07) Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Surely Noel Gallagher’s solo project (High Flying Birds) will never live up to Oasis, however “Chasing Yesterdays” is a welcome offering from one of this generations greatest musicians. The album is the second full length from the Birds and continues Noel’s songwriting sketches. The album is capably produced, careful not to strip away the teeming energy. And that’s always been the allure of Oasis- most artists are content to contribute as little musicianship as possible and let the studio engineers do the work. There are too many musicians incapable of instrumentation- too many singers and songwriters and too few singer/ songwriters. Like Oasis, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds feature a personal touch, an artistry left out of most popular music.
06) Nights like These – Old Youth Culture
“Old Youth Culture” is Nights Like These first album in eight years- the band split up in 2008. Nights Like These was originally signed to Victory records and put out two albums through the label; “The Faithless” in 2006 and “Sunlight At Second Hand.” Their first record had some interesting moments, mixing sludge and death metal with a few rock n’ roll riffs thrown in. Their follow up featured a more sludge metal focus, taking it’s time to work through slower, more calculated rhythms. And on “Old Youth Culture” the band blends all of the aforementioned, forming a compelling progression in an otherwise stale genre. “Old Youth Culture” was self-released by the band without any call for crowd funding or donations. It’s become something of a recent trend for bands that have broken up to reform around either a reunion tour or fan financed new record. There was no attempt to oversell “Old Youth Culture.” There was no marketing campaign or sympathy plea for donations; the band simply recorded the album because they were inspired to do so. The result is something many bands claim when returning with new material- it’s their finest work. Nights Like These began as a metalcore band on a depreciating label. “Old Youth Culture” shows what the band is capable of on it’s own, and it’s the bands most capable effort so far.
05) Thee Oh Sees – Mutilator Defeated At Last
Thee Oh Sees are a fun band, lead by singer/ songwriter John Dwyer. The group has an extensive back catalog putting out at least one release per year since 2003. With that much material, you might assume there would be an ample amount of filler. However, the band does a good job of making every album uniquely distinct, yet recognizable. The mix of psychedelic garage punk never wears thin, with every song on “Mutilator Defeated At Last” carrying a compelling rhythm. It’s the songwriting that sets Thee Oh Sees apart. And the music isn’t carefully crafted, it’s normally written and recorded by the band over the course of a few days. The band gets by on inspiration alone. Thee Oh Sees brilliantly exemplify rock n’ roll with all the energy and all the carefree attitude, while remaining effortlessly timeless.
04) Metz – II
Metz is a Canadian noise rock trio. The band released their self-titled first album in 2012 on the renowned Sub-Pop label. The record took an experimental approach to punk rock. Metz utilizes methodical precision drumming, singular guitar riffs to maintain rhythm, and a brazen vocal method that isn’t quite screaming but would certainly draw the ire of Mom and Dad. With their second album, the band keeps a frantic pace but incorporates enough melody so that the songs don’t wear thin. “II” continues the band’s investigation of new tactics and interest in developing a unique sound. Where a lot of experimental bands struggle is finding a balance between testing the boundaries and keeping a finger on tactful songwriting. Metz has demonstrated a brilliant grasp on melodic noise, which “II” showcases beautifully.
03) Pins – Wild Nights
Pins formed around singer/ guitarist Faith Holgate in 2011. She cites My Bloody Valentine and Hole among her biggest influences. The English post-punk band released their first full length “Girls Like Us” in 2013, which carried a rhythmic vigor throughout. “Wild Nights” is the all girl groups’ second album, which features a more psychedelic atmosphere. The record flows naturally, with every song working together to form a captivating whole. There is a vibrant feel to the guitar work and the vocals are soft enough to be sensual but distinct enough to get stuck in your head. Pins seem like a group that has been playing together for years. There’s a feeling of relief in the songwriting, with nothing seeming forced or stale. And there’s a familiarity to “Wild Nights” that makes it feel indispensable.
02) TV Freaks – Bad Luck Charms
Some of the best punk rock over the last decade has come out of Canada, on the seminal Deranged Records. The label released the first two White Lung albums and this year put out TV Freak’s third full length, “Bad Luck Charms.” TV Freaks are as raucous as they are infectious. On their latest effort, the band has refined their approach, tightening up production and writing songs with layered structures. The band has grown and progressed, but still maintains the raw intensity that balances the new found finesse. “Bad Luck Charms” is everything an album should be- it’s exciting because it stands alone from the bands back catalog, it’s memorable with ample exploration and it’s catchy enough to return to.
01) Fucking Invincible – I Hate Myself And I Want You To Die
Mixing equal parts punk, metal and hardcore, Fucking Invincible’s latest offering is an intense experience. The title “I Hate Myself And I Want To Die” is a play on the original title for Nirvana’s third full length "I Hate Myself And I Want To Die", which would officially end up being called “In Utero.” And while the musical similarities between F.I.’s EP and anything Kurt Cobain recorded are few and far between, a similar attitude and mindset were applied in both. After the success of “Nevermind” there was an immense amount of pressure on Nirvana to duplicate the results for the next record. Instead, Cobain chose to deviate from the polished and accessible production of “Nevermind” and went for a more raw and abrasive sound. There is a sort of purity in the aggression of Fucking Invincible- a feeling of letting go and nothing being held back. There is no aim to please on the record, making it undeniably genuine and sincere.
Puig Destroyer - S/T
Red Vom – S/T EP
Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I just Sit
Retox - Beneath California
Ceremony - The L Shaped Man
Ceremony - The L Shaped Man
Worst In Music
10) Five Finger Death Punch – Got Your Six
Five Finger Death Punch is the kind of band most kids are into upon entering Jr. High School. It’s most likely their first experience with heavy music and often confuse it for metal or hardcore. Instead, it's cringe inducing, overproduced hard rock assembled by five guys that mentally, never progressed beyond Jr. High. The lyrics are bitterly trite and every riff and every chord sounds wrought with banality. “Got Your Six” is the bands sixth album and is essentially interchangeable with any of the bands previous releases. The band follows a standard and stale formula, borrowing heavily from nu metal and shock rock groups of the 1990’s like Korn and Limp Bizkit. The band and record pander to infantilism, whether intentional or not.
09) Skrillex & Diplo – Jack U
Skrillex & Diplo both come from the electro dance and dubstep scene. “Jack U” marks the pair’s first collaboration, although the album features guest performers on almost every track. At first listen, it is possible to mistake the album for sound bites from a Vitamix convention. Fans familiar with each of the contributors past work will not be surprised. “Jack U” is more of the same, buttons pressed at random on a computer-generated soundscape. Most of the guests providing vocals almost seem to have recorded their contributions without ever hearing the music they’re appearing on. Nothing on the album seems cohesive, with a jarring and uneven stream as if all the pieces were put together without any order or composition in mind. “Jack U” is the same sort of trivial club music each party have become known for, and so unless you’re fighting the urge to vomit from a mixture of pills and Hennessy, I don’t really know how you enjoy this.
09) The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness
Not to be confused with the Canadian pop rock group The Weekend, Abel Makkonen Tesfaye brilliantly removed the “e” from the name of his project. “Beauty Behind The Madness” is an underwhelming and over produced R&B album that still feels wet behind the ears. Tesfaye’s awkward vocal delivery doesn’t mesh with the neo disco and ultra polished production. The singles are abhorrently repetitive and lack heavily in rhythm. The Weeknd started out sporadically uploading songs to youtube and then releasing mixtapes later compiled into an album. Perhaps this is the reason the album feels unedited and unfinished, or Tesfaye could just be inept.
07) Jr Jr – Jr Jr
Formerly known as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. the duo eventually changed their name for 2015’s self titled album. The band recorded one radio friendly single entitled “Gone” and phoned-in eleven filler songs. The album, including the single, plays like music made for and by children. Even the instruments sound like they were made by Fisher-Price and purchased at Toys-R-US. Jr. Jr. are no doubt aiming for indie pop but instead come across sounding like an amalgam of contrived and recycled computer generated pop.
The deluxe edition of Chris Brown’s latest full length “Royalty” contains more than thirty producers and over one hundred different writers for eighteen songs. All the contributing writers seem to act more as a collection of yes-men, encouraging Brown’s signature profanity laden folly. If you were ever familiar with a schoolyard tough guy who seemed considerably more bite than bark, you’re familiar with “Royalty.” Chris Brown takes on the role of the bully, masking insecurity and ineptitude with aimless belligerence. Although most of the album takes a recognizably subtle approach to R&B, Brown’s crude contribution makes for a jarring and uneasy feel.
06) Chris Brown – Royalty
05) Fall Out Boy - American Beauty/ American Psycho
Fall Out Boy started out as an emo pop punk band forming in 2001 around Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump. The band released a handful of albums achieving considerable success throughout the decade. In 2015, the band released the single “Centuries” before the completion of “American Beauty/ American Psycho.” The single proved to be the biggest hit of the bands career, achieving platinum status four times. The band perfectly exemplifies the term “sellouts” with most of the members coming from the hardcore/ punk scene in Chicago. The bands latest full length seems carefully crafted to bring about the biggest audience, integrating the same sort of techniques utilized by back alley fortune tellers and 2:00AM TV psychics. All the lyrics are trite, broad ranging tropes commonly used in popular culture. The music is intrinsically derivative and tedious, even more so than their previous material. And their incredibly successful single, “Centuries” which features one of the most ear piercing choruses ever recorded, required nine writers.
04) Twenty One Pilots - Blurryface
Over the course of the year, Twenty One Pilots have received heavy radio play by most of the pop/ rock/ alternative stations, most likely a push by the record label to get the fledgling band recognition. As it turns out, the band hit it big with a handful of singles from their third full length “Blurryface.” However, the duo’s brand of indie pop and alternative hip-hop hits like a commercial jingle for bubble-gum. The first time you hear it, it’s just catchy enough to infect your head and then you're stuck hearing it like a monotonous siren that never ends. The musical approach is so tired and trite that it really could be any of the five bands the radio stations recycle a hundred times a day. The only real distinction between Twenty One Pilots and the rest of the indie pop clones is an over the top obnoxiousness conveyed in their lyrics.
03) Coldplay – A Head Full of Dreams
Coldplay return on “A Head Full of Dreams” departing from 2014’s strangely techno “Ghost Stories.” The new album is all neo-disco in a third rate attempt at a Justin Timberlake “20/20 Experience” rip-off. The imitation is especially evident in vocalist Chris Martin, who does his best to channel Timberlake's signature falsetto. The group has never been exceptionally original, staying content to recondition whatever pop fads are currently trending. Coldplay is sort of like the friend you follow that reposts every meme and digital chain letter you see circling the internet. “A Head Full of Dreams” is a sub par collection of every throwaway pop song you’ve already heard from the last decade.
02) Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly
The list of personnel credited for the album “To Pimp A Butterfly” is astounding. What is perhaps even more astonishing is that out of all the people who worked on this album, no one was able to talk Kendrick Lamar out of calling it “To Pimp A Butterfly.” And if you’ve heard Lamar talk about how he came up with the title, you might assume he’s not entirely sure of the definition of the word “pimp.” For example: “…the word 'pimp' has so much aggression, and that represents several things. For me, it represents using my celebrity for good. Another reason is, not being pimped by the industry through my celebrity.” A statement given to MTV.
His pretentious explanation behind the concept of the album is particularly perplexing. “Just putting the word 'pimp' next to 'butterfly'... It's a trip. That's something that will be a phrase forever. It'll be taught in college courses—I truly believe that.” A statement given to Rolling Stone magazine.
As for the album- it is unbearably long at seventy-eight minutes with two interludes. The record features spoken word, funk, hip-hop, rap and jazz which all come together the same way a brick, rainbow sherbet, mayonnaise and a dozen eggs would if you put them all in a blender. The album is a mess, with no driving force and no consistency. Every song sounds like you’re listening to more than one song being played at the same time. Lamar tries to tackle some serious subjects, such as racism and politics but so many of his lyrics are unintentional punch lines to his own detriment and the music is so disheveled you’re more likely to imagine yourself in the midst of a rager at a clown house. “To Pimp A Butterfly” comes across as the greatest example for the case that less is more and that it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
01) Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
2015 seems to be the year people forgot what a mixtape is. Contrary to what Aubrey Drake Graham would have you believe, "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" was released exclusively on iTunes, not on cassette tape. And while there is a multitude of performers, producers and writers, Drake is the featured artist in every song and is listed as “Executive Producer” and given sole credit for the album’s culmination (it is not listed as a Various Artists assembly).
Drake’s brand of hip-hop is breathy and obtuse- imagine Biggie Smalls and then imagine the opposite, in terms of flow and finesse. There are seventeen songs (nineteen on the physical edition) and every song wears thin within the first minute or so. The studio work feels recycled, like every beat has been comprised of copies of copies of copies just so no one can really tell that they’ve heard it before. The album seems to shoot for the club circuit but Aubrey’s breathy vocal delivery comes across dopey, rather than “hard.” If this is in fact a mixtape, it seems to be that of a collection you make to show someone the degeneration of rap and hip-hop.
Fidlar – Too
Bring Me The Horizon – That’s The Spirit
Suburban Scum - Ultimate Annihilation
Justin Beiber - Purpose
Eric Church - Mr. Misunderstood
Justin Beiber - Purpose
Eric Church - Mr. Misunderstood
