2016 has certainly been a game of two halves, a double edged sword, two sides of the same coin blah blah blah. On the one hand there's been an incredulous amount of well loved celebrities and musicians bowing out with no encore but on the other there's been an absolute deluge of quality albums released this year. So much so that album that might normally sit comfortably in my top 20 haven't even made the top 40.
For that reason I figured I would do two AOTY mixes this year and get to feature some albums that I think people will like but that haven't made the Top 20. Rather than have them in order of preference I just shuffled the 40 songs,split them into two playlists and fiddled about with it to make two posts for the blog. This being the first.
If you want to know what my actual Top 20 albums, in order, are then there's another blog over at All The Time I Was Listening To My Own Wall Of Sound
HERE
The Mix Tracklisting
Scott Sorry - 'Til All The Pieces Fit
Devil Gone Public - Chillin', Killin'
Haken - Red Giant
Love Zombies - Favourite Song
Mina Caputo - Upturned Faces
NOFX - I Don't Like Me Anymore
Helion Prime - Life Will Find A Way
Scattered Hamlet - Green Bastard
Miracle Of Sound - Friends
Waste Pipes - Little Devils Scratched My Ears
Knives Out! - Mysterious Ways
Half Man Half Biscuit - Lark Descending
Vinyl Cape - Barren Orchard
Josh Woodward - Perfect
Dunsmuir - Orb Of Empire
Korn - Take Me
Frightened Rabbit - A Lick Of Paint
Volbeat - Seal The Deal
Savages - Evil
Darkend - Clavicula Salomanis
You can download the mix
HERE
Once it's uploaded you'll be able to go read Part Two
HERE
As always you can read the blurb about the various albums below.
Cheers,
Luke
Scott Sorry - When We Were Kings
The debut solo album by this former bassist of Amen and The Wildhearts is a Rock n' Roll influenced Melodic Hardcore/Punk burst of energy. It took me a while to fully appreciate but It's a really, really good album.
Devil Gone Public - Smokehound
This is the debut album by Devil Gone Public. They're essentially a Stoner Metal but it's a pretty eclectic album and there's elements of Groove Metal, Metalcore, Doom,and Goth in there too. vocalist Garret Moore alternates between Anselmo-like screams and a Grungy croon. They're worth checking out.
Haken - Affinity
Some excellent Prog Rock from this British band. They combine the the retro feel of old 70's Prog with the more modern technical edge of Djent and current Progressive Metal. While they have some very long songs they now when to reign it in so there's no dull, meandering and indulgent passages
Love Zombies - Passionfruit
This American Pop Punk band have been involved in some controversy this year. Ginger Wildheart championed the band and eventually hired vocalist Hollis Mahady to sing in his Hey! Hello! project (see Top Albums Part Two). Unfortunately she quit the band just before the intended release of that album. That resulted in the delay and rerecording of that album plus bad feeling with a lot of Gingers' fans. Anyway, both bands have new albums out so maybe it's water under the bridge now. Passionfruit didn't immediately click with me but after a few listens it wormed its way in.
Mina Caputo - Love Hard
I was expecting a new Life Of Agony album this year but it never seemed to surface. Maybe next year. What did turn up though, was a second album by their vocalist Mina Caputo. Musically it's much different to the Melodic Hardcore of LOA, much more introspective and personal. The way it's recorded is very lo-fi, like it was recorded in her bedroom. There's an occasional crackle of vinyl too. It's not the most accessible of records but it's worth persevering with.
NOFX - First Ditch Effort
The 13th proper album by these veteran Punks is great, it's quite varied though it's the first one for a long time that doesn't have a Ska song on it. There's short, angry songs, a few slower, melodic ones, plenty of funny songs but also some poignant, touching moments too, such as I'm So Sorry Tony, their tribute to Tony Sly, the frontman of No Use For A Name who died in 2012. It's one of the best songs they've done in a long time.
Helion Prime - Helion Prime
I'd never heard of this band but was drawn in by the album cover and thought I'd give them a go. I mean, look at it! How could you not want to listen to that?! They're an American band who, unsurprisingly, play Power Metal. Their songs are written around science and Sci-Fi though which is interesting and satisfyingly nerdy; the song I've included on the mix is based on Jurassic Park for example. They aren't too over the top, occasionally quite heavy and female vocalist Heather Michele has a good, solid voice and isn't prone to much histronics.
Scattered Hamlet - Swamp Rebel Machine
One look at that album cover and title should give you enough of a clue as to what Scattered Hamlet sound like. Southern flavoured Stoner Metal is quite clearly the order of the day. There's a load of Rocking tunes and slide guitar here. They might not be the most cerebral of bands but they're definitely a lot of fun.
Miracle Of Sound - Level 6
Gavin Dunne keeps churning out lengthy albums of songs about video games, movies, cartoons and general nerdity and shows no signs of stopping. He careers through genres with ease, tailoring each song's style to its respective theme. Industrial, Pop, Rock, Hip Hop and Jazz all crop up and yet they're all tied together by the strength of his song writing. The song I've included on the mix, Friends, is based on the movie Guardians Of The Galaxy and is 70's AOR style Pop Rock. It's a great song.
Level 7 was released digitally this week, so that will likely be on my top albums of 2017
Waste Pipes - Fake Mistake
This Italian Hard Rock band were a pleasant surprise this year. Fake Mistake is their third album and has some great tunes on it, in fact Stay The Night is one of my favourite songs of the year. There's a few other good songs on here too though, it shows some decent variation and never gets samey.
Knives Out! - Left In The Lurch
Knives Out! are a collaboration between members of the Avant-Garde Metal band Dog Fashion Disco and Nu-Metal band Nothingface. They're more straight forward than the former and heavier than the latter. There's some great, if twisted, tunes here. Big riffs too.
Half Man Half Biscuit - And Some Fell On Stony Ground
Half Man Half Biscuit are one of my favourite bands and this collection of B-Sides, EP and compilation tracks is a delight. Nigel Blackwell is a genius lyricist and his hilarious, biting satire is on fine form on songs like On Passing Lilac Urine, Hair Like Brian May Blues, and Tending The Wrong Grave For 23 Years.
Vinyl Cape - The Glitter Of Putrescence
Another pleasant discovery this year, Vinyl Cape play an eclectic mix of Hip Hop, Metal, Grunge Stoner, Blues and various other genres to create something genuinely unique. There's a creepy Gothic overtone that's gives The Glitter Of Putrescence a disturbing feel too. It's a really great album. The track I've picked for this mix is one of my favourites. It tells the tale of a family whose children all die one by one in the same wasting disease. It turns out that the first of them to die was in fact a vampire that slowly fed her way through her the rest of siblings. It's apparently based on a true story (you can easily find the graves online) and it's creepy and I need to listen to something nice.
© & ℗ 2016 COSMIC BLACK LTD (ASCAP)/NEW ENGLAND GOTHIC VINEGAR WORKS (ASCAP)/MILLED PAVEMENT RECORDS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HAIL SATAN!
Josh Woodward - Addressed To The Stars
Something nice is what comes next in the form of Josh Woodward. I loved this album, it features a variety of styles and tones but all the while has a sense of cohesion and it flows well. The song I've picked, Perfect, is a light-hearted song about loving someone because of, not in spite of, their flaws. There's a cool line about The Walking Dead spoilers that I appreciated too.
Dunsmuir - Dunsmuir
Another side project, this time it's clutch Frontman, Neil Fallon collaborating with drum Legend Vinnie Appice, Dave Bone from The Company Band and Brad Davis of Fu Manchu. They don't sound too dissimilar from Clutch but are more classic Heavy Metal than Stoner Rock. The lyrics are more fantasy/Lovecraftian based too.
Korn - The Serenity Of Suffering
The second Korn album sicne guitarist Brian Welch returned. There was a big hoo ha about it being their heaviest album blah blah. It's definitely a bit weighteir than their last few albums but it's no Slayer or anything. Some good songs though, you know pretty much what you're getting with Korn and that's what you get with The Serenity Of Suffering
Frightened Rabbit - Painting Of A Panic Attack
This Scottish Indie consistently release quality albums and painting Of A Panic Attack is probably their best so far. It's a miserable but beautiful album that's soothing and cathartic. There's some catchy songs too. The song I've chosen is actually a bonus track from the deluxe edition rather than an album track proper.
Volbeat - Seal The Deal And Let's Boogie
This the Danish bands sixth album of their peculiar mi of Rock n' Roll and Metal; equal parts Elvis and Metallica. Personally I find that Michael Poulson's unique vocal stylings start to grate on me after a few songs, but in short bursts Volbeat are an enjoyable listen nd there's some top songs on here.
Savages - Adore Life
I'd largely ignored this London based all female Art Rock until I had to review this album as part pf the Mercury Music Awards over at ATTIWLTMOWOS and really enjoyed it. It's well produced, well played and Jehnny Beth's French accent gives it extra artiness!
Darkend - The Canticle Of Shadows
Another album I reviewed for ATTIWLTMOWOS. I didn't really know what to expect from this album (although the album cover is a big clue) but it's an ambitious mix of Symphonic and Black Metal with a few Proggy twiddles thrown in. It's a diverse, if brutal, album and the band aren't afraid to experiment and be creative.
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