WHAT. A. YEAR. So much so, that my Top 50 isn’t big enough to contain all the fab albums released. So here are some bonus albums, that missed the main countdown, but couldn’t go unmentioned.
Aly & Fila / MC Lars / Lowly / Einar Stray Orchestra / Public Service Broadcasting / Bare Infinity / The xx / Fire Red Empress / !!! / Kedr Livanskiy / Sleeping Romance / Daughter / Grandbrothers / Black Sun Empire / Cairo Knife Fight
This lot are even better (and rather superb)!…
Cellar Darling / Charly Bliss / Ali Barter / Paul Van Dyk / Tired Lion / Death From Above / Gothic Tropic / Engine-Earz Experiment / Algiers / Moby & The Void Pacific Choir / Shed Seven / Elsaine / Blanck Mass / SPC ECO / Me The Tiger
And now the spendid albums that DID make list proper…..
St. Vincent ‘MASSEDUCTION’
Emotional, catchy, quirky, sexy, (mostly) electronic pop from St. Vincent on her 5th album. Some great production touches, fab melodies, and her sultry vocals, with some gorgous ballads, and upbeat tunes. Actually, if it weren’t for a couple of unfortunate appearances from the worst instrument in the world, the pedal steel guitar, it may be a bit higher on the list.
Paul Draper ‘Spooky Action’
The former Mansun frontman releases his debut solo album, 14 years after Mansun announced their split. What’s taken so long? Who cares? The results are satisfying. It doesn’t sound exactly like Mansun of course but there are certainly familiar elements in his songwriting. There are proggy touches, and a nice variety in the sound. Classy, slightly experimental, indie rock.
Jane Weaver ‘Modern Kosmology’
This sounds like if a 60s psychedelia album was made using modern equipment. Except apparently Ms. Weaver used loads of retro kit to make it. Either way it’s a fab trip.
Have a listen: https://janeweaverfire.bandcamp.com/album/modern-kosmology
Apparently before this album Hundredth were a melodic hardcore band. You wouldn’t know it from this. This is a mesh of 90s shoegaze (in the spacey, floaty production, and the hazy, glidey vocal delivery), and modern punk rock (in the big riffs and pounding drums). It’s a fantastic idea, and for the most part works brilliantly.
Have a listen: https://hundredth.bandcamp.com/album/rare
Papa Roach ’Crooked Teeth’
Back in 2000, listening to a radio rock show, I heard both Linkin Park’s ‘One Step Closer’ and Papa Roach’s ‘Last Resort’ for the first time. I loved them both. Then back in my student radio station promos for both of the songs arrived near enough at the same time and I started playing both on my show. After reading a five star review for Linkin Park’s ‘Hybrid Theory’ I decided I needed that album in my life. I popped along to Virgin Megastore and LP was in a multibuy chart deal so I picked up Papa Roach’s ‘Infest’ album too. It felt right as these two seemed to have been partnering each other so far. ‘Hybrid Theory’ blew me away, and is still up there in my favourite ever albums to this day. ‘Infest’ however disappointed me, apart from 2 or 3 tracks, and I never really paid much attention to Papa Roach again. Who would’ve thought 17 years later, both bands would be releasing albums again, and the Papa Roach one would be vastly superior. To be fair Linkin Park’s ‘One More Light’ was the worst album I heard in it’s entirety in 2017. It seems awful to say under the circumstances, but the sad tragedy that came later doesn’t suddenly mean that it isn’t a terrible album. Anyway, back to Papa Roach. I only gave this album a go as it was getting some good reviews, and I’m glad I did. It’s a cracker! They haven’t chaged their style much, still the rap rock they are known for, but every tune is as good as the last, from the hip hop of ‘Sunrise Trailer Park’ to the raucous ‘Traumatic’ which I imagine would cause more than a few circle pits.
At times it feels like Bent Knee have managed to stuff elements of every genre ever played by real instruments onto this album… indie, rock, metal, jazz, swing, classical etc…. as such it is often not the easiest listen, but it is repeatedly incredibly impressive, and there are some massive hooks, and moments of beauty in amongst the insanity.
This album isn’t always the most comfortable of listens, being about the aguish of a close friend / loved one being depressed and suicidal, but there are moments here that are musically astounding, and gorgeous, and her voice is never less than stunning. Electronic, orchestrated soundscapes, with beats that range from glitchy to pounding. Fab.
Have a listen: https://zolajesus.bandcamp.com/album/okovi
Sløtface ‘Try Not To Freak Out’
Norwegian pop-rock band Sløtface (pronounced Slutface) release their debut album, and it is catchy, chirpy, uplifting, and will fill you with joy.
Have a listen: https://slotface.bandcamp.com/album/try-not-to-freak-out
Epic, dark rock with huge melodies, and a fantastic vocalist (who has left the band since the album’s release for personal reasons). This is cracking stuff.
PVRIS ‘All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell’
Dark, electronic pop rock trio PVRIS return with their second album. The production is widescreen and atmospheric, ‘Heaven’ and ‘Half’ are arguably their best songs yet, and the performance is as strong as ever.
Have a listen: https://thisispvris.bandcamp.com/releases
Bad Sign ‘Live And Learn’
Straightforward, no frills raaaaaawk! Huge riffs, pounding drumming, and gruff but melodic vocals. Huge! At the album launch show, they managed to start a mosh pit in an upstairs of a pub by the guitarist jumping off stage and running into people backwards whilst still playing.
Have a listen: http://music.basickrecords.com/album/live-learn
The Dark Element ‘The Dark Element’
Former Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon and guitarist and songwriter Jani Liimatainen (once of Sonata Arctica, more recently Cain’s Offering), join with some other musicians to form The Dark Element. It’s got a symphonic metal vibe, as you may expect, but it’s quite accessible, and highly melodic. Great stuff.
Lana Del Rey ‘Lust For Life’
Float away, with Lana’s stunning voice, the etheral production, and gorgeous melodies. It’s a smidge too long, and I’m not entirely convinced by the two A$AP Rocky appearances, but otherwise this is beautiful.
Loadstar ‘I Need The Night’
These days, drum & bass seems to mostly fall into two camps. Either it’s heavy noisy underground fare, or it is pop songs, with exactly the same simple, fast beat under every song. Loadstar manage to successfully stradle both camps here, in the way the first couple of Chase & Status albums did. The catchy songs have somewhat more inventive beats underneath them, and the heavier dancefloor stuff has more in the way of hooks than most. There are a couple of deviations into other bass heavy music styles (in fact the attempt at grime ‘Talk Too Much’ is the album’s only mis-step, but that’s more the fault of the vocals than the production). Generally ace stuff.
Electro-Goth? Darkwave? Industrial pop? Bah… labels eh? Fantastic production, songs structured like a rock band but sounding entirely electronic, with moody melodic vocals. Parts of this heavily remind me of Innerpartysystem, and the best tracks nearly match some of those from my 2008 album of the year.
Have a listen: https://theanix.bandcamp.com/album/ephemeral
HAIM ‘Something To Tell You’
HAIM return with more of their brand of 80s inspired pop-rock. MOR but with interesting quirky bits, and most importantly 3 very talented musicians, with fab voices and a knack for writing an almighty tune.
This is an album of fantastic, uplifting, catchy, musically accomplished pop-punk-rock. This is the first I’ve heard of this German band, but this is their 7th album. Apparently before this they were known as Itchy Poopzkid. Whether the slight name change is a sign of an increasing maturity I don’t know, but this is great stuff.
Brutal, relentless, but catchy and melodic as well. A good description from their website: ‘This trio from Leuven, Belgium create expansive, stratospheric punk not quite like any other band around. With post-rock construction, black metal dynamics, hardcore energy, prog and math-rock flourishes and pure pop melodies all detectable’. Will leave you exhausted but thrilled.
Have a listen: https://wearebrutus.bandcamp.com/album/burst
Steven Wilson ‘To The Bone’
‘The most successful British artist you’ve never heard of’ stated a poster on the tube for Steven Wilson this year (can’t remember whether it was for the album or tour - I think the latter), and that may be true. He, or more his band Porcupine Tree, are massive in Europe, but have only had decent success here (to be fair they and he solo, have done multiple night stands at The Royal Albert Hall, but that’s in London, and who lives in London? Lots of Europeans). However this album may be where that starts to change. His highest chart postion yet (straight in at no 3 on the UK album chart), and the material contained within is certainly his most accessible yet. He’s known for contemporary prog rock, but calls this album prog-pop. It is certainly less drawn out, much catchier, and not as heavy, but still retains some of the musicality and unexpectedness of prog. Excellent stuff.
Rave legend Liquid (of ‘Sweet Harmony’ & ‘Liquid Is Liquid’ fame) returns with his 2nd album, 22 years after his first. If his excellent 1995 debut album was a step away from the hardcore sounds which made his name into more housey territory, this one is a jump straight back into them. Breakbeats, classic rave stabs, uplifting piano… cracking stuff.
Irish, brother-sister, alternative-rock duo Greywind unleash their debut album. Massive epic sounding production, weighty guitars, fab melodic vocals, and hooks that won’t leave you for days.
Gudrun Von Laxenburg ‘Panic!’
A huge electro house album of the Jus†ice / Boys Noize variety, but with more humour and lightness of touch, not to mention greater musicality and ample hooks. Will ram into your head and make you want to move.
Gary Numan ‘Savage: Songs From A Broken World’
Admission time, I’d never previously heard a Gary Numan album before. I’d always meant to, as I’ve liked every song I’ve heard by him, but just never got round to it. So when this came out I thought I’d change that. Ordered the special edition CD after one listen. Fantastic dark electronics, great vocal melodies, superb production. Not many people can still sound this good, and current, 40 years and 21 albums into their careers. Time to delve into the catalogue and see whether this is a refreshed, return to form Numan, or whether every album is this good.
For a new and reasonably young band, INHEAVEN sound ridiculously 90s. For those that love 90s music of course, this is no bad thing at all. There’s touches of grunge, shoegaze, post-punk, and even a pinch of Britpop all in the blender, all poured out into 12 excellent, catchy, spikey tracks.
4 Strings ‘Sunset Aftermath’
Dutch trance legends 4 Strings release their first album in 11 years (their 4th in total), and it brings together many singles released in the last 2 years into one immense collection. Alternating instrumental tracks with song based ones, featuring excellent vocalists (including scene heavyweights such as Audrey Gallagher, Sue McLaren, Cathy Burton etc) every one of these tracks is aiming for the label of ‘anthem’. Top drawer trance, and 4 Strings’ most solid album yet.
The Beautiful Monument ‘I'm The Sin’
Aussie all female rockers The Beautiful Monument unleash their debut album. Apparently they are making a few waves down under and it isn’t hard to see why. Plenty of chunky riffs and pounding drums, with loads of huge melodies and some dashes of beauty and moments of epicness. This is hopefully just the beginning...
The Birthday Massacre ‘Under Your Spell’
You know roughly what to expect from a new album from The Birthday Massacre. This is their 6th / 7th album (depending on how you want to look at it) of their gothic electro-rock (sounding like it is inspired by industrial, metal and a heavy dose of Depeche Mode). The combination of the gorgeous melodies delivered by singer Chibi’s lovely voice, mixed with big riffs, atmospheric synths and driving drums, you know it’s unlikely to be bad, but this is a particularly good collection from them, and probably a good starting point for anybody unfamiliar with the band.
Have a listen: https://metropolisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/under-your-spell
Admission time again, I’d never previously heard an Anathema album. I’d meant to, as a friend kept raving about them, but I never got round to it. So when this came out, I thought I’d give it a play. By the outstanding third track ‘Endless Ways’ (one of my fave songs this year), I was ordering the CD (with the DVD containing the even more impressive 5.1 surround sound mix). This is a mesh of alternative rock & prog rock, very accessible melodies, a massive epic sound, some songs sung by original singer Vincent Cavanagh and some by the more recent addition to the band, Lee Douglas (it’s her fabulous vocals that lead ‘Endless Ways’). It’s huge & spine-tingling, and the back catalogue will be delved into.
Vessels ‘The Great Distraction‘
Vessels started life as a post-rock band, and released 2 albums in this style, then for their 3rd album, 2015′s ‘Dilate’ (a top 10 of the year for me), they went all electronic, but still were delivering the epic soundscapes you might find in post-rock, just with completely different sounds. For this, their 4th album, the electronics are still the order of the day, and they are still vast and somewhat soundscapey, but this time they are pointed slightly more at the dancefloor. There are also more guest vocalists this time around, John Grant and The Flaming Lips among them. Not quite the masterpiece that ‘Dilate’ was, but not many people sound like Vessels, and this is still an excellent album.
Have a listen: https://vesselsband.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-distraction
Youth Killed It ‘Modern Bollotics’
In 2014 there was an album in my top 15 of the year - ‘The Struggle’ by a band called Under The Influence. It was an excellent rap metal album, with cool raps, huge melodies and massive riffs with a dash of thrilling electronics. In early 2016 they decided their musical direction had changed enough that it warranted a name change and Youth Killed It was born. This is more light hearted and humerous, more indie-punk (with a dash of ska-like rhythms), but it still has some rapping, and the huge melodies and massive riffs are still present. It is a joy, very relatable and hugely uplifting. Great fun.
The Animal In Me ‘Helping Won’t Help’
Once again TAIM deliver an album that’s a bit like a punch in the face followed by a gentle stroke of the brow and a loving smile. Huge guitar riffs, pounding drums, Shane Gould’s screaming, Laura Vierra’s incredible voice delivering some superb melodies. Monster stuff.
UNKLE seem to deliver a cracker every other album…. ‘Psyence Fiction’, ‘War Stories’ & now ‘The Road: Part 1′. Very song based, but with epic melodies, and a decent amount of variation between and within songs…. acoustic guitar led ballads to euphoric house influenced tunes to dark moody trip-hop to lush orchestration, featuring vocalists of all sorts from gruff male singers (Mark Lanegan) to uplifting, unique voices (Eska), to Tricky-esque rapping (Elliott Power) and many more. And it all works beautifully.
Minimal but intricate, icy, moody, floaty, sexy, electro-pop, from the London based Anglo-German duo of mesmerising vocalist Christina Wood and keyboard / production wizard Cicely Goulder. It has to me a Scandinavian or Icelandic sound, but maybe Berlin is an influence too. It is stunning, magical and more than a little catchy.
Have a listen: https://kaleida.bandcamp.com/album/tear-the-roots
Doll Skin ‘Manic Pixie Dream Girl’
Doll Skin are an all female band from Phoenix, Arizona and have had their brand of punk/pop/rock compared by others to The Donnas, The Go-Gos & The Runaways. Worthy comparisons and not too far off the mark.
Gor Ge Ous. Lovely, floaty electronic soundcapes, the occasional beautiful vocal track, with some dancefloor leaning numbers in between. Lush pads and slow breakbeats. There are 2 alternate tracklists for this album, the standard digital one, and the edited vinyl only one. Both fab (though the vinyl is missing ‘Limbic’, one of my faves here).
Have a listen: https://turtle.bandcamp.com/album/human
Marnie ‘Strange Words And Weird Wars’
Ladytron’s Helen Marnie unleashes her 2nd solo album, and it’s fabulous. Atmospheric electronic pop - take Ladytron’s sound and make it warmer, more human, and even catchier. Quite frankly ‘Lost Maps’ and ‘Electric Youth’ are two of the best tracks of the year, and 2 of the best electro-pop tracks in many years. But you won’t be reaching for the skip button at any point, as the rest are very nearly as good.
Have a listen: https://helenmarnie.bandcamp.com/album/strange-words-and-weird-wars
Trance legend Solarstone has been rocking the term (and record label) Pure Trance for a few years now, and this certainly has an old school feel to some of it. It’s certainly not all the regimented structure of many of the genre’s (often excellent) floor fillers. This is a proper album of 8 tracks, that sound different, but flow excellently as a whole. From the atmospheric, old school sounding opener ‘Leap Of Faith’, to the minimal ‘Untitled Love’ with excellent vocals from Rabbii, via the gorgeous Orkidea collab ‘Slowmotion IV’, through the big single ‘I Found You’ to the closing Hybrid-esque breakbeat stomper ‘Cafuné‘, this is Rich Mowatt’s best album for sure, and I’d imagine a future genre classic.
The Canadian punk-rock/metal/ska-ish band fronted by Sever (aka Skye Sweetnam) returned with their 2nd album this year, and it is a fabulous, hook laden (and catchy as foooook), riff-tastic collection of mosh pit fuel. Fantastic stuff.
Way Out West ‘Tuesday Maybe’
Way Out West are one of the most underrated dance acts of all time. The fact I can easily say that an album as good as ‘Tuesday Maybe’ is not a patch on their early stuff shows how good they were. They were a progressive house (in the proper sense of the term, not the new meaning) / breakbeat / trance hybrid that made incredible dancefloor fillers and epic soundscapes that were so intricate and layered that you could still discover new sounds years after first listen. These days they are moving along a simpler deep house path, though they are far better than pretty much any other example of the genre, and there are certainly familiar elements which are distinctly WOW (’A Sheltered Place’ being closest to the epic soundscapes of old). They haven’t lost their knack for a gorgeous melody that’s for sure.
Have a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npp5tif4Brc&list=PLOftnzGIKwJCwAE6nYyrmFjzroH747e0o
‘Who the hell are Bicep?’ I wondered when this album crashed into the UK album chart earlier this year. Wiki described them as an ‘electronic duo’. ‘Uh, more crap EDM no doubt’ I thought ‘I’ll give it a listen on Spotify in case’. I did, realised I was so, so wrong, and I went and bought the CD later that day. This album sounds like Bicep have studied the last 30 years of dance music, taken inspiration and elements from nearly ALL of it, mashed them together, and somehow created something pretty fresh sounding, that both works as music to dance to, and music to chill at home to. It’s pretty special and look forward to hearing what they do next.
Have a listen: https://feelmybicep.bandcamp.com/album/bicep
The 10 songs on this album, from the ‘London/Belfast based high energy alt-rock duo consisting of songstress Shauna Tohill and beat-maker Collette Williams’ are nearing classic status in my life already. Yes, all of them. The only reason this album is not higher, is the production. It feels like many of the songs are being held back. Having seen them live 3 times this year, I know how much more kick these tunes can have (go see them if you get the chance). Still, great songs are great songs, and this is an awesome album (top 10 in a year of this quality is no mean feat), I just can’t stop myself thinking it could’ve been even better.
How to describe Pumarosa? They call themselves, on their Facebook page, ‘Industrial Spiritual’. Hmm, nah. Art-rock? Indie-prog? Space-rock? It’s arty, proggy (in the sense that tracks build and build), it has a depth and a swagger but it’s not particularly heavy, it has an expanse of sound and beauty but it’s not post-rock. Anyway, stick this on and give it your attention, you may well float away on the musical journey they put you on.
Enter Shikari ‘The Spark’
Talk about a grower. On first listen, this disappointed me. ‘Worst thing Shikari have done’ ‘Far too restrained’ ‘Might not even make my Top 50′. On further listens though….. Yes, it is the most accessible album Enter Shikari have released, and there are less massive metal riffs or screamy bits. But it is no less inventive, with tracks taking suprising left turns, containing the typical genre mashups that Shikari are known for, but it also contains some of the most truly moving, raw (break-up fuelled) emotion I’ve heard in a long time. Fabulous record.
Arcane Roots ‘Melancholia Hymns‘
Incredible, riffmongous, jittery, smash you in the face, epic rock tunes, of the early Biffy Clyro ilk, interspersed with gorgeous, spacious, electronic, chilled moments. This is album of the year quality, and in many years, it would’ve been just that. Just not this year.
London Grammar ‘Truth Is A Beautiful Thing’
Just gorgeous. Hannah Reid’s voice is otherwordly, and Dan and Dot’s stunning soundscapes take you to another place. Epic and stunning, this is pure musical beauty.
Blood Command ‘Cult Drugs’
A relentless onslaught of awesome. Massive riffs, beastly drumming and harsh yet melodic vocals, with impressive electronic elements that are woven into the very DNA of the sound, rather than being nice window dressing. For a group who are at their core a hardcore punk band, the musicality is astonishing. They like to describe themselves as ‘Deathpop’ which is fairly accurate.
Have a listen: https://bloodcommand.bandcamp.com/album/cult-drugs
Tune after tune after tune, not a drop in quality throughout. Experimental enough to remain interesting, catchy and melodic enough to ram into your head and stay there. Cracking debut album from this Scottish rock 4-piece. They deserve to be huge.
Wolf Alice ‘Visions Of A Life’
Wolf Alice’s EPs were brilliant, their debut album was excellent, but here on their second album, they’ve become arguably one of the best bands in the world right now. Ranging from raging riffs, to etheral gorgeousness via some retro sounds… the way some songs end up in a completely different place to where they started is stunning, the songwriting and musicianship sublime. They could go anywhere from here (though a death samba drum & bass album is probably unlikely).
Craig Connelly ‘One Second Closer’
Craig Connelly started making waves on the trance scene about 5 years ago with his electro-infused singles, but his big breakthrough came in 2013 when he changed to a more uplifting style and released the huge Christina Novelli collaboration ‘Black Hole’. Since that he’s been releasing anthem after anthem, and this year he released his debut album which apart from a re-recorded version of ‘Black Hole’ was all new material. And what an album. Spine-tingling euphoria, amazing guest vocal performances, huge synths, and some more chilled reflective moments too. A couple of my favourite times of this year were attached to this album (taking part in the video for ‘Elevate’, the ‘One Second Closer Live’ event in London’s Lightbox venue) and therefore I’d so love it to be number 1 (& it was for about 6 months) but….
Have a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FjMLko4cNE&list=PLAF8A2FwG0TZrLq534hzdEgNkarf2vOOJ
Bullet Height ‘No Atonement’
Jon Courtney (formerly of Pure Reason Revolution) returns, teaming up with Sammi Doll (of IAMX) and presents us with the debut album from Bullet Height. If you know PRR, take the sound of their last album Hammer & Anvil and make it darker and heavier. This album thrills at every turn with a barrage of electronic noise, huge guitar riffs, and stop you in your tracks vocal melodies. Just breathtaking.
Well, there you go. Hopefully this won’t get amended too much in the forthcoming weeks / months :-) It’s taken me long enought as it is.
YouTube playlist, counting down 50-1:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSWMYBJKcPo1OyFGmQNQpfzsO6L3ChKbr&disable_polymer=true
And a Spotify playlist doing the same, but with different tracks from each of the albums:
https://open.spotify.com/user/offbeatmusic/playlist/0Pp1xJI1kA3N4bPqevwofo
