Like the critters in the Gremlins movies, it seems like bands are multiplying exponentially with each passing year. Sifting through them all is an impossible task, but here are 10 records by some of the most ambitious and audacious artists on the planet.
Agriculture - The Spiritual Sound Without a stinker among The Spiritual Sound‘s ten tracks, Agriculture proved their decision was right to be reborn with seemingly the most massive, loudest sound possible in all of heavy metal.
Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo - In the Earth Again Like rubbing two branches together, these original artists made fire on this collaborative affair.
Cloakroom - Last Leg of the Human Table Rarely has a band that’s been around for 13 years sounded so relevant and audacious.
Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power How this band confidently evolved their sound with more punch and vibrancy was something to behold.
Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Innern The legendary band’s new record hits hard by virtue of masterful execution of musical adeptness, leaving listeners feeling better about themselves than when they pressed play.
Halo Effect - March of the Unheard Mikael Stanne and former members of In Flames miraculously proved that a subgenre (Melodeath) that could have become dated or obsolete can actually sound more vibrant than ever.
Mclusky - World Is Still Here and So Are We Mclusky didn’t initially have a concept for The World Is Still Here and So Are We, but the message is clear, as the band sends up British politicians and commoners alike their corrupt and lazy approach to governance, respectively.
Messa - The Spin The Italian quartet ditch their Pallbearer-esque slow, heavy, chunk guitar sound from their previous full-lengths. And the results are illuminating.
Orbit Culture - Death Above Life Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Niklas Karlsson told me that the Swedish Melodic Death-Metal band “now really have to show our worth”–despite having been around for a dozen years. But boy, did they ever on Death Above Life.
Ossuary - Abhorrent Worship The best compliment young musicians can hear is when they’re asked, “Is this really your first full-length?” Ossuary, with their searing Abhorrent Worship, deserve such a response.
Top 3 Concerts
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Sunny Day Real Estate - It took 27 years for one of the most influential indie-rock bands ever to return to Boise, Idaho, making their majestic performance all the more emotional.
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Deafheaven - This was the eighth show during which the revered band responsible for trailblazing a new metal subgenre (“Blackgaze”) performed the bulk of their new album. Shivers went up spines as Deafheaven brought the house down.
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Refused and Quicksand - Just about as perfect a pairing as there could be, both bands sounded half their age during Refused’s final tour.
Top 3 Other Things
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Letting about 10 bands crash at my apartment to help them save money, I realized that writing about music isn’t the only way to help artists.
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Engaging in thoughtful and educational dialogues with 100 musicians for a new series I created about the impact of authoritarianism on artists was intellectually, emotionally and morally fulfilling beyond words.
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Watching One Battle After Another multiple times drove home the fact that it is the best-executed and most socially critical film of the decade, if not beyond.
