As far as music went 2015 was a pretty stellar year, so much so in fact there was a wealth of music I didn’t even find time to write about but which still ended up in my ever growing collection. So as is customary with legitimate parts of the music press I might as well kick off 2016 with the habitual look back on the year that was and all the gems it had to offer.

Albums Of The Year

1. USA Nails - No Pleasure

Not just my favourite album of the year but fast becoming one of my all time favourite punk records for its balance of acerbic wit and punishing instrumentation USA Nails’ sophomore album No Pleasure was an obvious choice for album of the year. The whole album is as addictive as it is cathartic as it pummels you into submission, the chaotic rhythms and feedback of tortured guitars capturing accurately the hypnotic power the band create in their live performances. Undisputed and essential. 2. Boduf Songs - Stench Of Exist

An album I’ve frequently revisited throughout the year at more serene and introspective moments is Boduf Songs’ Stench Of Exist. Not just a brilliant addition to Mathew Sweet’s already extensive back catalogue but a chronically overlooked album that is unsettling in its intimacy and dark nature. Beautiful and terrifying. 3. Caïna - Setter Of Unseen Snares

When it comes to bands like Caïna you never really know what to expect from new material, the projects incredibly diverse nature dictating only that whatever comes will be worth your attention. 11 years on from the projects original inception Setter Of Unseen Snares was an unexpected yet riotous return to the projects black metal roots and one of the most memorable metal releases the year had to offer. 4. A Mote Of Dust - A Mote Of Dust

Another unexpected but welcome return was made this year by Craig B, ex-Aereogramme and Unwinding Hours front man, with his new project A Mote Of Dust. An album so delicate and stark in its honesty and simplicity it is sure to continue to bring me years of listening to come. 5. Author & Punisher - Melk En Honing

With its powerful industrial strength Author & Punisher’s album Melk En Honing takes the final spot in my top five. An album I have returned to many times and a further perfection on Tristan Shone’s own personal hellish craft. EPs Of The Year

1. Pallow - Confined

One of the most brilliantly realised debut EPs I have ever come across Pallow’s Confined positively brims with promise and potential. Cohesive and powerful Confined sees the band take the slowcore sound they established on their demo and expand upon it in exciting and unexpected ways, culminating in the perfect swansong that is Inward. A remarkable listen you need in your life.

2. King Woman - Doubt

One EP that cannot be denied its praise was King Woman’s Doubt. An EP so brilliant that the flenser were forced to secure further print runs almost as soon as it was released and its not hard to work out why. Kristina Esfandiari’s bewitching vocals laying atop a doom laden sonic soundscape could hypnotize. 3. Ruined - Hunter’s Premonition

The first professionally recorded EP by Grand Rapids based gloom duo Ruined was also a highlight, albeit a suitably sombre and dark one. Combining reworkings of the bands home recorded demo’s and new more experimental and heavier material like Onyx Hunter’s Premonition wasted no time in establishing Ruined as band to keep a close eye on. Re-issue Of The Year

With the vinyl revival of recent years still in full effect alongside the wealth of new releases 2015 saw an extensive level of re-issues across the board. Many of which saw out of print and rare titles return to availability. But with growing discord about exploitative re-issuing for record store day I have decided to keep this nice and brief. Planning For Burial - Leaving

An album I have attempted to write about on several occasions but always felt as though I’ve fallen short. Leaving stands as an unassailable work of art. An album more important to me than I could ever coherently explain. Record Label Of The Year

As a massive music nerd there has been one label I fell in love with over 2015. A label that alongside its brilliant customer service went that extra mile and won my heart with its passion for putting out independent music, so much so that I actually found it almost a nightmare trying to keep up. That label was The Native Sound.

Alongside a brilliant series of splits, EPs and albums one of the labels most brilliant aspects is the way it works with its artists. Not only making the labels releases available but putting together starter packs in which they distro artists previously recorded material to satisfy completists and in many cases opening up physical releases for international distribution. Being a UK resident who keenly follows many small American groups who don’t really have the fan-base to justify international distribution this sort of devotion makes a huge difference. Notable mentions

Some of the albums that I didn’t get around to reviewing but have also found myself enjoying this year are:

Top 20 Favorite Records of 2015.

(left to right, top to bottom)

When it comes to compilations and soundtracks it takes quite a lot to capture my interest. By their very nature compilations are essentially a lucky dip, and sometimes if not most times the bad and mediocre outweighs the good. That being said when the independent DIY label responsible for releasing Pallow’s Confined EP in the UK announced they were putting together a Halloween compilation my interest was piqued.

“Lead vocalst/guitarist Gina says the song is ‘bout being around someone (even one you feel the most comfortable around), or being in public and feeling out of place and shameful. You become paranoid and self-conscious about your looks, your body language and general existence and end up being in your own head rather than in the moment. Overall, the song is about a battle with social anxiety that at times seems impossible to overcome.’”

Check out the @noiseymusic article about our music video “Uneasy”

http://m.noisey.vice.com/en_uk/blog/sheer-uneasy-music-video-premiere

My cassette is coming out soon and in preparation I will be making “Innermost shrine heavily gilded” seven dollars on bandcamp (still cheaper than the label’s price) rather than “pay what you want”

sorry about this.

I also am quite broke right now and would benefit from the money I receive from my bandcamp and sales as well.

One of my favourite musical discoveries last year was Georgia based four piece Pallow and their demo I’ll Build A Well. Demos as a general rule tend to be more interesting as historical documents with very few of them really striking a strong enough chord to merit continued replays. This was not the case with I’ll Build A Well. For all its lo-fi charm the tracks were clearly not just skeletal frames but intricately layered compositions. The demo itself was of such a high quality it made it onto my end of year list as one of my favourite EPs and since then I’ve not stopped going back to it.

Confined is the band’s first EP and wastes no time whatsoever in blowing I’ll Build A Well out of the water. Whilst the band’s demo was unashamedly rooted in the slowcore traditions of the nineties Confined demonstrates a much more diverse sonic palette. Amidst the mournful slowcore melodies elements of post rock, shoegaze and even post metal all make themselves apparent giving the whole EP a real monumental feel. The guitar work is still an ornate tapestry of different layers which don’t jostle for superiority but simply build on one another strengthening the overall depth of sound. Whilst there is a lot more going on this time around the varying influences and styles that present themselves are seamlessly blended into a clear and succinct sound which does not compromise the EPs flow. The opener In Wait and follow up Muted are a perfect example of this as they drift into one another almost giving the impression they are actually one long form composition. The level of detail and thought put into this release is staggering and the bereft tone of the whole EP makes Confined an EP that is powerfully affecting. Simple but effective melodic guitar phrases play out over the blurry backdrop evoking a sense of open fragility whilst simultaneously providing some truly memorable motifs that are hard to shift from your mind. Synthetic Now demonstrates the bands versatility once more with its gloomy dirge which again is tempered with more subtle vulnerable melodies. The undisputed highlight however is album closer Inward which slowly builds from Codeine style simplicity before throwing you into a crescendo in which harrowing blood curdling screams fight their way through a fog of uneasy feedback and distortion, the end result is something truly unexpected and jawdropping. 

Overall Confined is a brilliant EP that encompasses a broad range of musical styles with such effortless grace it leaves me awestruck. The level of detail that is paid to every layer of each tracks composition is befitting of a band at the height of their creative power. With every release a band should show some level of progression but even as a fan of the band’s demo I would never have expected a leap of this magnitude so soon. Pallow’s Confined is not just a great EP but my current front runner for EP of the year.Pick it up before they’re gone.

Digital/Stream: http://pallow.bandcamp.com/album/confined

Oct 1st - San Francisco, CA - Elbo Room Oct 2nd - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo Oct 3rd - San Diego, CA - The Hideout Oct 4th - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar Oct 6th - Dallas, TX - Sons Of Herman Hall Oct 7th - Austin, TX - Red 7 (Inside) Oct 8th - New Orleans, LA - Siberia Oct 9th - Tampa, FL - New World Brewery Oct 10th - Savannah, GA - The Jinx Oct 11th - Atlanta, GA - Purgatory Oct 13th - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 Oct 14th - Richmond, VA - The Camel Oct 15th - Washington, DC - DC9

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