January 22nd, 2018 | by Brian O'Neill | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
A quick look at the geopolitical landscape in 2017 shows that things were not exactly tranquil. It was similarly a time of discontent for the dark arts. The very soul of the genre was debated more fiercely than ever before and often parallel to global events. The nebulous Antifa was not just the liberal boogieman for followers of Fox News, but also readers of Metal …
January 19th, 2018 | by Staff | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
#10Though officially released in 2016 on RPM, this two-disc set collecting a remarkably broad range of female-driven UK DIY acts saw a vinyl reissue in 2017. While the majority of the bands collected here may not be household names to anyone but ardent collectors of British indie music, the likes of …
January 16th, 2018 | by Staff | published in Best of the Year | 1 Comment »
Last year I began our annual look-back succinctly with “Fuck 2016.” But if only I knew. In many ways, 2017 was worse. For one, it was a full year of President Shit-for-Brains in the White House, during which we had Nazis openly marching in the streets and far too many people voting for a pedophile for senate. (One bright spot was that he didn’t win.) …
January 19th, 2017 | by Stephen Slaybaugh | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
I’ve already mentioned the many things that made 2016 one of the worst years in a long time—and I didn’t even mention the Cleveland Indians losing the World Series. If you’re like me, music has always been a salvation. One can either lose oneself in visceral energy or somehow ease one’s one pain by listening to similar sentiments expressed in song. I certainly did plenty …
January 17th, 2017 | by Josie Rubio | published in Best of the Year | 1 Comment »
Some people may be tired of hearing about how terrible 2016 was, but I don’t really care. It was not only bad on a global level; for me, it started with cancer and a major surgery, ended with cancer and chemo, and was punctuated by two pet deaths and some illnesses along the way. Thankfully, there were many musical highlights as bright spots. Of course, …
January 16th, 2017 | by Dorian S. Ham | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
Did any music come out this year? It feels like the year was spent in a hole of existential dread and that listening to music was something that slid through the cracks. Thankfully that wasn’t always the case, and here are some records that eased the pain of screaming into the void.
12. RJD2, Dame Fortune (RJ’s Electrical Connections)
It’s been more …
January 13th, 2017 | by Kevin J. Ellliott | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
10. The Lemon Twigs, Do Hollywood (4AD)
If you know where to look, there has never been a drought of the fanciful, orchestrated, power pop of bands like 10cc and ELO. Sure, there are the Flaming Lips and Of Montreal, but go further and you’ll find Foxygen and now the Lemon Twigs, the latter being a brotherly duo actually mentored and recorded …
January 12th, 2017 | by Richard Sanford | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
10. Miranda Lambert, Weight of These Wings (RCA Records)
In a field with lots of competition, this was the mainstream country record that dug its hooks in me the deepest this year. Songs about dreams of escape and the consolation of fantasy (as well as when those things come up short), along with the dangers of routine and habit—all strapped to the …
January 11th, 2017 | by Matt Slaybaugh | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
10. David Bowie, Blackstar (Columbia Records)
What a way to end the story. The timing was incredible in and of itself, but the fact that Bowie recorded his best work in at least 35 years, one of his boldest adventures, makes Blackstar an achievement that might never be matched.
9. Chance the Rapper, Coloring Book (self-released)
It was May in Ohio, …
January 9th, 2017 | by Jamie Pietras | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
It’s earned its own hashtag: #WorstYearEver. The music world’s losses started with David Bowie in January and went on to claim luminaries including Phife Dawg, Merle Haggard, Glenn Frey, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, Pete Burns, Prince, Leonard Cohen, and in a Christmas surprise, George Michael. While fans mourned on social media they also took solace in some incredible swan songs—for Bowie and Cohen, records consciously …