Top 10 Releases of 2017: Part 3

4. Bjork - Utopia

(2017 One Little Indian)

In some ways, Utopia plays out like an endearing parody of Bjork's past decade of output, piling on the pan flutes, stretching its 10-minute compositions in to frayed bubblegum strands, and wallowing in its own futurist-but-also-naturalist aesthetic: she samples animal sounds in lieu of snare drums on "Body Memory", for God's sake. 

The new effort is wildly pretentious and impenetrably academic, two usually undesirable traits that I'm weirdly always hoping for a Bjork album to embody. Like Kanye West, who's also collaborated with Utopia's co-producer Arca in recent endeavors, the Icelandic art-pop mainstay has the grandiose presence and creative drive to back up her musical hyperbole. And from the new record's explosive blossoms of melody to its diary-entry lyrics that bridge the mundane and divine, it's evident that Bjork has cultivated what might be her most hyperbolic material to date.

Though blooming as slowly as "Stonemilker", the string-swathed opener to Bjork's 2015 effort Vulnicura, Utopia's intro track "Arisen My Senses" produces a flower that's exponentially more fragrant/gaudy/harmonically layered/abstract-expressionist than its predecessor. When Bjork's not belting gale-force cries into the exosphere, she's filling in the space below with the whispered germination of love. "Weaving a mixtape, with every crossfade," she sneaks beneath her own synthesized chorus: the affection here is as seemingly world-changing (and unwieldy) as a teenage crush, carefully curated playlists sent as gifts and all.  

The title track is the album's most solid cut. Beginning with a lengthy instrumental section, its woodwinds and sampled insect sounds are spooky and humid as the alien landscape record's visual accompaniments depict. Digital percussion clicks and shuffles to the speedy rhythm of Chicago's footwork scene. Woozy orchestral arrangements approximate a trap melody, the twittering of "unseen birds never seen or heard before".

Listening, you really feel as if you're walking through a conservatory or an aquarium only to discover that you're what's behind the glass.

3. Neatpop - The Ongoing Tragedies of Spectra and Little Lucille
(2017 Vore Music)

FULL REVIEW

It sounds chewed-up and spit-up. Not quite recycled in the way that hip-hop chops and screws its samples: The Ongoing Tragedies is almost fully digested, tinged with acid burns and vaguely speckled with the folksy bedroom pop it must have been in some earlier state. Detuned keyboards crumble against creaking drum loops, tapping out skeletal beats. Neatpop fills these haunted spaces with the sad-sack spirits they've summoned, which giggle and screech in their own, nightcore-d language. The music's sickly, but oozes a sweetness I almost feel bad for enjoying: The Ongoing Tragedies feels gloomy without trying to, like taking a bite out of a microwaved burrito that's still too cold, or stepping in a lawn you didn't realize was sopping wet from yesterday's storm. 

2. XAMBA XUICE GANG - XAMBA XUICE
(2017 Xamba Xuice)

If you consider the thinking man to be the type of guy who has illegally streamed every episode of Yu Yu Hakusho, flips retro Tommy Hilfiger sweaters on Depop, and is quick to drop a tweet about your mcm's aesthetic shortcomings, then Xamba Xuice is the thinking man's Brockhampton. The Soundcloud collective debuted in July with their self-titled tape, its 12 members exploring their streaming platform's sonic breadth: opening track "YESS" melts jazzy chords across crunchy kicks and snares while SWIMCOACH and Yungbabyman trade laid-back bars between the repetitions of a dancehall chorus on the ultra-hummable "SWITCHIN 180". The gang gets quasi-political atop the the new-agey synthscape of "GEORGE W. BUSH" to hilarious effect and rattle off Nintendo-themed punchlines on "GAMECUBE"'s nimble production. The collective hops from genre to genre with grace, eschewing uniformity in their production for cleverness. Whether Cloudie's comparing himself to Republican presidents or Nicx Alexander is waxing ultraviolent and poetic at the same time, Xamba Xuice oozes originality while still staying at the forefront of Soundcloud's subcultural zeitgeist. 

XAMBA XUICE is a humble tape, clocking in at just below 30 minutes, but it's so loaded with memorable flows and dorky charm that it feels much longer. It's the cool cousin you're only able to see around the holidays--the one who's always down to race you in Double Dash and toss a nerf around in the backyard if it's not too cold. What's sometimes lacking in depth here is always made up for in in dry wit, raw sauce, and a diverse range of timbres and styles. 

Top 10 Releases of 2017: Part 2

7. By the End of Summer - Laughing
(2017 Sango Records)

It's easy to forget that emo's emotional breadth can extend beyond sadness: you're only reminded of what the genre can do when you hear it pushed to its fullest potential. Cap'n Jazz could do it back in the day, layering sheets of ruddy-cheeked chords and lyrics about "kitty-cats" over punk-rock blast beats. Empire! Empire! did it too, centering around their honest and nostalgic storytelling. Kyoto's By The End of Summer's Laughing EP is one of the more recent installments in the "emotionally diverse emo" canon, bridging the gap between TTNG's wonky math-rock riffage and the teenage adventure of early Blink-182.

The four-song EP is addictively immediate. BTEOS arrangements roar to life without introduction, hurling riff after riff at the listener while frontman Miyazaki's voice cracks in surges of bittersweet catharsis. "Even Now", which takes its instrumental cues from late-80s skate rock, is the standout cut of the bunch, featuring enough hooks and swooping chord changes to fill an entire album in just two minutes.

BTEOS isn't flashy: like Cloud Nothings before them, the quartet pounds out raw, quick tracks that hit right in the sweet spot. The feelings are real and the lyrics are grounded.

"regret and remembrance / it's completely changed around here / the old vending machine / the running children / they were gone"

6. Playboi Carti - Playboi Carti

(2017 Interscope)

If Young Thug's the Cocteau Twins of mumble rap (at least according to this semi-popular Tumblr post) then Playboi Carti may well be the sub-genre's answer to Galaxie 500. Like the now-defunct Cambridge trio, he has a penchant for two-chord instrumentals and staccato melodies, haunting these dronescapes with dreamy phrases that roll off the tongue like December sighs: in a cloud of vapor.

Maybe it'd be even more accurate to compare Carti to The Velvet Underground. From the playful experimentation of his self-titled tape's interchangeable cover art to his penchant for lyrics that are iconic and intentionally shallow, he's a Warholian figure: a fourth-wall-breaking protagonist who's as fascinated by stardom in the conceptual sense. "I'm a rockstar," he asserts in the intro to lead single "wokeuplikethis*". Somehow it makes perfect sense. It's intrinsic. 

He's William Carlos Williams, too, neatly filing syllables into their perfect instrumental slots while offering just enough information to convey the outline of an image. The aesthetic's executed best on opnener "Location", in which Carti drops a fragmented series of interjections and descriptions that avoid do their best to dodge verbs: ("tats on my neck on my arms" ad nauseam). It's ideogrammatic, exchewing the third-person perspective images that the written word conjures in our minds for the swirl of sensory stimulus that passes through the cortex on the daily. Also, the Harry Fraud beat that carries the track is incredible, especially at 1:31 when its (dare I say) vaporwavey guitar sample screeches to the forefront of the mix. 

Carti is everyone that shaped rock 'n' roll and he's all the ideas that let it fall to trap music. Effortlessly, he became the zeitgeist. At least for the 50-minute duration of his mixtape, that is.

 
5. Girls Rituals - EMERGENCY!
(2017 Visual Disturbances)

Speaking of Warhol, Girls Rituals' EMERGENCY! does 21st century Pop-Art better than any Dean Blunt/Vektroid/Ferraro project I've heard in recent memory, and she does so by just being herself. Like its creator, the record's a product of low-brow mid-00s internet ephemera: Soulja Boy's early MySpace material, DeviantArt's amateurish digital paintings, the neurotic/hyberbolic humor of imageboard sub-cultures, and pretty much anything tangentially related to Newgrounds. 

Unlike many of the other "post-internet" artists that populate Bandcamp and Soundcloud, Girls Rituals isn't adopting this aesthetic ironically. The musical and aesthetic ideas she appropriates are borrowed out of sincere appreciation. On "xXx DNA xXx", the west-coast hip-hop synths are squelchy and out of tune because they want to be, in a way that's legitimately pretty. Girls Rituals' murmured vocals tame the bombast: she's a languid calm in a dissonant storm, just barely missing her notes. It's hypnotic. Strangely soothing.

According to nearly everyone who's reviewed EMERGENCY on Bandcamp, "Black Crow" is the cream of this 17-track crop. I'm inclined to agree. Painfully dysphoric lyrics, delivered dryly as usual, are paired with a carnivalesque arrangement of 16-bit riffs that moan and squeak like the Earthbound soundtrack. How do you feel listening to this? How can you feel? "Dig and dig and dig," she sings. "I smash and curse this skin." Breezy chords prop up a melting melody. "I'll be a black crow in my next life flying over an office park."

Top Five Singles of 2014

5. Captive - "The Fool"
(February 2014 Self-Released)

"The Fool" is a harmonic convergence of all the elements that make the post-punk genre so attractive. Muscly snares, plated in industrial distortion and slicked with reverb usher in the track's driving rhythm section. A repetitious bassline, chugging along somewhere in between a hiss and a growl, sets the drum hits in motion as whirring synths and an acetic lead guitar riff join the fray. Working like clockwork, these elements of gothic pop all fittingly come together to supplement the song's mantra-like reflection on the natural order of the world. "First the Stone / Then the Plant / Animal, and then the Man". Something about the song and its timeless minimalism make it feel simple yet very fashionable, like a well-tailored Oxford.

For fans of: Blank Dogs, The Cure, Joy Division

4. A.G. Cook - "Beautiful"

(June 2014 PC Music)

If minimalism was a virtue that marked "The Fool", then so too is it the defining characteristic of A.G. Cook's "Beautiful", and just about all of the releases shelved alongside it in the PC Music discography. The difference is that while the former's minimalism highlights a feeling of bleak desolation, the PC Music collective uses that ethic to manufacture an aesthetic similar to that of a Wes Anderson film: pastel-toned, orderly and cozy, almost exaggeratedly so. Here, A.G. Cook's dream-poppy take on EDM lives up to its title, yet also feels just a little surreal, as if it were the background music in a Tim and Eric sketch. If anything, the track reaches uncharted territory in the dance music genre by stripping it back to its most basic roots.

FFO: Crystal Castles, SOPHIE

3. Institute - "Salt"

(August 2014 Sacred Bones)

Perhaps no single embodies the noisy, sinister vibe of the Sacred Bones label than "Salt", an amalgamation of hardcore punk and gothic pop in the vein of Misfits or Skeletal Family. The Texan quartet weaves gnarled riffage atop pummeling percussion, a suitable accompaniment for Moses Brown's signature growl, rabid and indecipherable.

FFO: The Men, Drunk Injuns, Black Flag

2. The Snow - "Memory Loss"

(April 2014 Captured Tracks)

It's a collaboration between members of Beach Fossils, Wild Nothing and Holograms - how could "Memory Loss" not make this list? The track, released on vinyl as a special Record Store Day exclusive, combines the best elements of each project involved: Beach Fossils' surf-y bass lines, Wild Nothing's jangling lead guitar and the angsty howl that Andreas Lagerstrom injects into Holograms' high-octane brand of post-punk. Together, they capture the sort of signature melodrama present almost universally throughout 80's music, whether it be on the radio or deep in the underground.

1. peaches davenport - "dog hair sweatpants"

(August 2014 Self-Released)

Taking influence from the shambolic brand of freak-folk popularized in the nineties by members of the Elephant 6 collective, peaches davenport is the brainchild of 15-year-old prodigy Cole Wharton. Nestled in the center of his project's surreal, highly experimental debut album  is "dog hair sweatpants", a breezy pop tune that sways back and forth clumsily on off-kilter rhythms as if it were a long-legged spider waltzing about on its spindly appendages. Acoustic guitar is percussively strummed to match the beat of the drums as they are consumed by brassy arrangements and bombastic keyboard melodies that remind me of the churchbells that can be heard in the distance on the hour while playing Animal Crossing for GameCube. Wharton's warbly vocal delivery reminds me of Kevin Barnes' in his early of Montreal discography. In its unabashed weirdness, the song is majestic, even anthemic. Rarely have I heard music this simultaneously alienating and inviting. 

Top Ten Singles and Splits of 2013

10.) Just Handshakes – “London Bound”

With a lightly plodding bass line draped in frosty, filigree touches of lead guitar, “London Bound”, digs itself into the dirt, finding its footing behind a chalked white line. Female vocals waver slightly, trying to fit into place in time for the cry of the starting pistol, or, in this case a subtle blast of dreamy guitar distortion and a snare fill. The track lurches forward, its muscles tightening sharply. A chunky, Cure-esque guitar riff mimics the vocals in the chorus as the track seems to float on flickering hi-hat cymbals. Just Handshake’s debut single is beautifully reminiscent of New Order’s “Ceremony” in a way that many have attempted to match, but few have succeeded at.

9.) Barlow – “Cindy 99”

With the immediacy and brevity of a commercial jingle, “Cindy 99” is a saccharine slice of pop genius piped through busted speakers. Channeling the monochromatic lo-fi pop of the mid 90’s, Barlow lives up to its namesake, Lou Barlow, the bassist of seminal fuzz-rock band Dinosaur Jr. They’re coming out with a proper LP next year, so keep your eyes peeled.

8.) bEEdEEgEE – “Flowers” (feat. Lovefoxx)

“Flowers” serves as an oasis of warm, nostalgic pop on an album of impenetrable trap-influenced electronic. For the second single off of his album SUM/ONE, bEEdEEgEE teams up with Lovefoxxx of Brazilian synthpop act CSS to produce four and a half minutes of 70’s-infused psychedelia. There’s a bit of a magical feeling to the track, and it seems to burst with life. The bass synths that open the song breathe warmth into the ears of the listener, but are soon overtaken by bouncy keyboards and sparkling drum machine samples. It all builds up to the track’s centerpiece, its unforgettable chorus. Three other worldly chords flood the mix, overshadowing the vocals they accompany. Fans of Fleetwood Mac and Washed Out alike will love “Flowers”. Listen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ptBWZ4c8CM‎

7.) The Beets – “Silver Nickels + Golden Dimes”

With their blatant disregard for musical polish and wonderful, crayon-drawn album covers, it’s impossible to ignore a Beets release. “Silver Nickels and Golden Dimes” is of particular interest, not just because of its mildly offensive album artwork, but because both sides of the disc are covers of songs that famous radio personality Howard Stern wrote in middle school. The Beets adolescent energy is well-suited to replicate these songs; the drums sound as if struggling to keep up with the clanging, percussive guitar and Juan Wauters’ strange vocal delivery. This Beets single is garage rock in its purest form.

6.) Wade/Healing Powers Split Cassingle

A split tape between two bands who are similar enough to compliment each other but aren’t completely indistinguishable. Newcastle’s Wade take up my favorite side of this tape with two hard-hitting, riff-heavy emo assaults, muffled by their own lo-fi recording qualities. I really dig the vocals, and the fuzzy, washed out tone. On the other side, the twinkly lead guitars on Healing Powers’ “Death Valley Driver” provide placid contrast to the hoarse screamo vocals. It’s not the sort of tape I’m used to listening to, but it’s surprisingly satisfying. [Review from Half-Gifts issue 5]

5.) The Socials – The Beast Bites

Though they've been around since 1994, The Beast Bites is the first vinyl release by Cincinnati punk trio The Socials. Despite the band's veteran status, one shouldn't expect to find any signs of maturity on this 7-inch record. The band's sound is built around a juvenile furor, the gritty rage of pre-Rollins Black Flag conjoined with the stark simplicity of Olympia, Washington's punk heyday. Throw in the Bikini Kill-esque vocal stylings of guitarist Mrs. Communication and you've got a 4-song EP that exemplifies everything I love about punk music: short, noisy songs that don't take themselves too seriously, putting fun above all else. It's not available to stream online, so you'll have to buy a copy to hear it for yourself.

4.) BRAAINZZ – “Ode 2 Lil B” (feat. Slide Show)

A reverent hymn to the basedgod, this BRAAINZZ single demonstrates the perfect balance between beauty and noise. A warbly loop of reverb-laden guitar notes provides a pretty, but non-distracting accompaniment to Slide Show’s gorgeous vocals, which sound quite similar those on A-Ha’s “Take On Me”, if it were sung by a female lead.

3.) Technicolor Teeth – “Blood Pool”

If this single’s cover art didn’t clue you in, Technicolor Teeth’s “Blood Pool” combines Bauhaus’ noisy Gothic experimentation  with the shoegaze delivery and knack for pop hooks that recalls Ride’s “Vapour Trail” Its b-side, “Drips”, is a bit more upbeat, featuring janglier guitars and vocals that are rather prominent. A must-have for fans of any shoegaze subgenre.

2.) Alex G / RL Kelly Split Record

RL Kelly’s new material eschews the keyboard that was heard throughout her well-received debut EP that dropped in February, and opts for a more minimal, grittier vibe. This was a smart move, as the raw, stripped back production puts more emphasis on keeping the tracks moving, and I feel it put a bit more pressure on Rachel Levy to focus on writing memorable hooks. The subtle shift in atmosphere takes RL Kelly to the next level, her vocal delivery and crunchy guitar tone on “Everyday” recalling the sound of Lois Maffeo’s K Records band named after Courtney Love. Featuring minimal percussion and overdubbed vocals, “Fake Out” offers the most replay-ability of all the songs on the split. Alex G’s “Magic Mirror” carries the record into psychedelic territory. Its woozy vibe pairs well with heavily distorted guitar. The fuzz clears from the air for his next two offerings. “Adam” is a stunner, making use of many more instruments than I’m used to from the bedroom pop genre, booming drums, warbling synths and piano in addition to his acoustic strumming.

1.) Mrs. Mole - “Sjon”

I first heard this song in a CD that came with an issue of a German indie-pop fanzine called Transendieren Exzess Pop, and found myself in awe. It was unlike anything I’d heard this year, adopting an orchestral and vaguely folky delivery that can only be compared to Clogs, a side project of The National. What’s most notable about this track is the woodwind instrument (a clarinet I think?) that weaves in and out of hurried acoustic arpeggios that reminds me of the theme song to Oswald, a cartoon about a blue octopus. The arrangement of instruments grows more layered as the tune continues. Banjo pluckings, cymbal washes, booming bass piano notes each slowly build to a climax, when a new vocalist enters the song at about 3:30. Truly an amazing track that’s well deserving of the number one spot on this list.