Hello, faithful readers. Sorry I've
kept you waiting. Working the midnight shift, for a person who requires routine
and set schedules like myself, requires mostly maintaining that schedule on my
nights off, and staying up all night just doesn't seem to lend itself to
productivity. For one, the gravity increases greatly between midnight and dawn.
I often find myself feeling as though I'm riding the Gravitron, completely
pinned down by unseen forces, but thankfully in my Gravitron there's a couch.
And instead of hair metal videos on the TV, there's football highlights and
Madden. So some facets of my life, like my schedule and the end of my
corresponding second run through college, changed a lot in 2015, while others
didn't, like my need to always dig for new music and attempt to turn people on
to it. Overall, 2015 was not a stellar year for music from my vantage point,
but there are still plenty of releases worthy of your attention.
Now, before we get to the countdown,
I feel the need to restate the purpose and intent of this blog. This is really
not meant for public consumption, although I appreciate every random reader
from across the globe. The intended audience for this, which informs the way I
write and describe/compare the music, is the friends I’ve accumulated in my 36
years with whom I’ve shared mutual enjoyment of music in the past, and it’s my
desire to foster or rekindle that facet of those relationships.
Once again I did quarterly blogs last year so my readers
could better keep up with new stuff throughout the year rather than being
barraged at the end. Accordingly, I’m not doing an Honorable Mentions section
this year because pretty much everything that was covered in those blogs but
isn’t included here should be considered an Honorable Mention.
And finally, let me state for the record up front that
I don’t care when it came out. This is my list, and it’s called “My Favorite”,
not the more pompous “Best of”, so your end-of-year list rules
do not apply. If it did not enter my awareness until 2015, it’s eligible. Also,
I don’t care if it’s a mixtape or an official album. Both make the cut.
OK, let's hurry up and get on with it before your relatives
elect Trump and everybody burns in hell.
EP’s/7”s/Singles
10. The Regiment & Sinitus Tempo
– S.O.U.L.
I'm officially ready to declare it. After checking out recent albums by NY artists like Jadakiss and Dave East along with the many releases by artists from my home state, it's readily apparent that 2015 was the year that Detroit officially became the new capital of the boom-bap. The Regiment has been up and down for me throughout their career, but this collabo with relative unknown Sinitus Tempo is some of their best work. There are a couple songs I can love without, but the other four are strong, mainly due to the healthy helping of jazz in the mix.
9. Denmark Vessey – Martin
Lucid Dream
Here's Exhibit B for Detroit's case. I became aware of this
dude in early 2015 due to a recent repress of his previous effort, which made for a somewhat
confusing but ultimately enjoyable introduction to Mr. Vessey. He's definitely
a quirky dude, and he reminds me of Sean Price in the sense that he's always
inserting clever shit into his rhymes that would easily sound like some ig'nant
pimp/ho/thug shit to the unassuming listener. In this manner, he intrigues both
the critical listener and the bonehead, which can be an advantageous position
in hip-hop. Effectively posing the question to himself (as I'm sure he's heard
in interviews) "Are you a conscious rapper?", he replies,
"Uhhhhhh....I know where I'm at". However, it's obvious that he has a
bent toward social commentary, albeit strained though his somewhat jarring
pimp-ish drawl. If the title of this EP doesn't indicate that, his lampooning
of Big Pharma TV ads with the refrain of "Bitch, I sell dope!" in
"Don't Smoke K2" (see video link) should properly demonstrate it. The
off-kilter dusty sample-based boom-bap present on most songs provides an
appealing backdrop for it all.
8. Breaking Tradition – Vanity
In my 2nd Quarter blog for
last year, I highlighted an album by the band Sleep In (you'll be seeing that
later). I subsequently ordered the LP from their label, Hideaway Records, and
when the package arrived this CD was included for free. Now, normally when I
receive a free piece of music in a package, I assume it probably sucks.
Sometimes I don't even bother listening. In this instance, I'm very very glad I
did. It's not often I just throw something on and have it fit my tastes almost
perfectly. The closest approximations I could make to bands you may know would
be Pentimento (before they became Pentiment-slow), The Beautiful Mistake
(second album, without the screaming), The Felix Culpa (first album, before the
prog seeped in), and some traces of early Taking Back Sunday sprinkled about. I
don't really have a favorite track, but be advised the first one is more of
slow intro and the EP really gets kicked off on the second song.
7. Sore Eyelids – For Now
These Swedes blend straightforward midwest emo with shoegaze and a dash of melodic punk, and after following them loosely for a few years, I think they've finally hit stride with this EP. Don't worry, xenophobes, they sing in English and there's not much accent to be detected. I don't really have a favorite off this, but "Waste" is probably a good representation. Also, if you ever liked The Beautiful Mistake, check out this cover I just found. Pretty cool.
6. Reservoir – Cicurina,
Vol. 1
I had the pleasure of seeing
these guys play their moody midwest emo in a basement in Lansing a couple years
ago, and they absolutely slayed and made me a much bigger fan. Sadly, I feel
their recorded content has always failed to capture that extra oomph they have
live, but this EP is the closest they've come yet. Check the build and payoff
on opener "Breathe Disaster" to see what I mean. How they still
manage to fly so far under the emo radar is beyond me. They're doing it how it
should be done, and have been doing so for years. In the words of immortal
idiot Daniel Carver (major NSFW!), "wake up, white people!"
5. Great Lakes USA - Stumblin' Distance
As Brooklyn MC duo M.O.P. once said, "how about some
hardcore?", specifically that of the melodic type. I had remarked
previously how this band fondly reminded me of No Trigger in spots. Well, lo
and behold, I found out one of the guitarists is (was?) in No Trigger, so now
it all makes sense. If you like bands like NT and Strike Anywhere, give this
short EP a spin. I can't imagine you'll regret it.
4. Iron Chic - two 7"s
This band is easily one of the most consistent and
dependable in punk rock for this decade. The four non-cover songs are evenly
distributed between the two records, a split with Low Culture (I'll just be
nice and say this rating does not consider their contributions) and the
Australia exclusive Ys 7", and they do a good job
covering the band's spectrum of sounds. "L'esprit de L'escalier" is a
lightning fast ripper, while "Subhumanoid Meltdown" is one of my
favorite mid-tempo tracks of theirs. Both songs on the Ys 7"
are also more-than-worthy additions to their catalog.
3. Wince – Media Prayer
I know next to nothing about this band, but I really love
the way they mash together melodic hardcore, post-hardcore, and punk rock,
bringing to mind bands like No Use For A Name, Heartsounds, This Is A Standoff,
Implants, early Crime In Stereo, and Staring Back. The first and last songs on
this 3-song dick-tease of an EP are both 4-star caliber, but unfortunately you
can only hear one song at the Bandcamp link below currently. If you're willing
to do some potentially harmful, nimble clicking, try this.
2. Red Pill – Day Drunk
I probably wasn't complementary enough to this dude when I spotlighted his
full-length (see below) in my 2nd quarter update. He's an expert at dark, introspective
yet relatable rhymes that paint a vivid picture of his life as he sees it. Once
again, the leadoff track is probably my least favorite, with its questionable
chorus and despite his lines about being "too emo for the Preemo
kids" and vice versa. Gotta admit I geeked out a little over that, as I
know of only a few people on this earth, all whom I call my friends, who were
into both emo and Preemo in the 90's. What an exclusive loser club that is, and
I'm damn proud of it. Anyway, this EP is a logical progression from the LP, and
he finally gets to try his hand at the proverbial happy song, the title track
(see video link). I'd say it turns out pretty well, but then again I'm biased
considering I grew up loving Michigan falls like Mr. Pill does.
1. Prawn & Moving Mountains –
split 12"
I can't properly express the joy and hope I felt when I
heard that not only were Moving Mountains recording again (after going on
hiatus following their self-titled album), but they would be doing so in the
form of a split with perhaps my favorite band of the last five years, the
venerable Prawn. I was a bit apprehensive when I read that uber-producer of the
punk/indie/emo/kidswhoworshipKurtCobain scene, Will Yip, would be producing Prawn's
tracks instead of MovMou vocalist Greg Dunn, who'd done smash-up work on
Prawn's back catalog. However, those fears were vanquished beyond all
recognition. I mean, the MovMou songs are good, following along the same sonic
trajectory as the self-titled LP and featuring a strong string section
presence, but the Prawn songs are absolutely stupendous. "Seas" is
undoubtedly my song of the year, and "Slopes" is no slouch either.
Hurry up and hear this. Not now but right now.
LP’s/Full-lengths
15. Sleep In. – Settling
I really screwed up when I missed this record's arrival in 2014. It has a couple skip-worthy songs but many strong ones with memorable choruses aplenty, and I've chosen to listen to it at work more than anything else. It should please anyone who enjoys both the poppier side of 90's emo and Third Eye Blind's self-titled album.
14. Ray West & Kool
Keith – A Couple of Slices
Here's a late-year entry from the king of
talking shit, in more & weirder ways than anyone besides him could imagine.
Between this LP and the one he did with L'Orange, Keith returned in a major way
in 2015 from the abyss of shit production he had been mired in for years. On
top of that, the L'Orange record had Keith confined to the space/time traveler
concept, whereas here he goes after nobody in particular like only he can, over
sublime minimalist (often snare-less) production from Ray West. The outcome is
probably the best record Keith has made since Matthew.
13. Paper Arms – Great
Mistakes
You kids should know by now that this is my bread and butter. Gravelly, gritty yet melodic vocals and driving, tight rhythms comprising post-hardcore with punk flourishes. They've gotten a little better with each release, and this one features the best song they've ever written,"Fader". While there are a couple tracks trending toward the Nirvana-ish sound of bands like Daylight/Superheaven (yeah, they're called that now), these Aussie boys still remain largely on track and have created another very enjoyable listen for fans of this style.
12. EdO. G. & Street
Wyze – Afterwords
Boston's own EdO came
back to grace us with more dopeness for 2015 by teaming up with French
label Effiscienz. He has become easily one of the most consistent and
dependable veterans in the game today (well, except for the inexplicably
sub-par A&E collaboration he's done with the also usually dependable Masta
Ace...it's like if the mighty mechanical lions somehow formed an incontinent
hobo instead of Voltron). I can't blame him for going with an overseas label to
put this out, especially considering how much more appreciative of true hip-hop
western Europeans are than Americans. All songs here are produced by duo Street
Wyze (with killer cuts by DJ Djaz on many tracks), who
provided EdO with a very consistent boom-bap backdrop that has only a couple
minor clunkers. Accordingly, I don't necessarily have any favorites here.
11. First Division
– Overworked & Underpaid
I like this Canadian duo's style more with every
time I listen to this one. They obviously grew up worshiping all the same
90's/early 00's boom-bap that shaped my tastes, and they manage to get some of
Marco Polo's best beats as well as an absolute neckbreaker from DJ Premier (see
video link). There are a few OK tracks, but more than enough great ones to push
the balance to this being a borderline great album. Besides the Preemo banger,
check out "Brand Recognition", "No Nonsense", and "The
Bigger Picture". I look forward to hopefully purchasing this wax soon.
Video
These guys put out my #3 favorite LP of 2011, the inappropriately named Funtitled (they're not the goofy band that might imply), so I was glad to hear they were coming back from being broken up, albeit with only 2/3 of the original group. Any fans of their later pre-breakup material should be pleased with this. It's wonderfully earnest basement-style (as opposed to polished) mid-tempo pop-punk with a twist of midwestern emo. I love the way the dude addresses people in his lyrics. He seems like a real swell guy. I'm sure he wants you to like his music, and so do I. Please, do enjoy it. Favorite tracks are “Applebee’s Bar” (see video), “Medicine”, and “Everywhere”. The choruses are the kind I love to have stuck in my head.
For my tastes, this young group on the quick come-up has been a slightly above average pop-punk band prior to this, but nothing they did really got me "into it". This, their debut full-length following a few EPs and 7"s, shows a more developed approach and a greater range of influences, which still mostly stay under the umbrella of bands/sounds I like (check the unmistakable ode to Jimmy Eat World's "Goodbye Sky Harbor" on the last track, "Untitled"). This baby has really grown on me over the past few months, enough that I wish the vinyl weren’t getting negative reviews for sound quality because I’d like to have a copy. Catchiness and energy abound without too much cheese or color-by-numbers pop elements, and the end result is a damn good album (some of my friends would call that a gross understatement) that has me paying MUCH closer attention to what they’ll be up to next. I’d also like to catch them live after seeing them whip the crowd into an absolute frenzy at Bled Fest but not especially appreciating their music at the time. "True Contrite" (see the first video link) is probably my favorite track.
Here we have the long awaited and much hyped debut from the prodigal son and leader of the PRO ERA crew, who represent the youthful revival that the boom-bap world has desperately needed (or so I thought when I originally wrote this one…it turns out CJ Fly and Joey are the only ones really holding it down, while guys like Nyck Caution and Kirk Knight have ben enormously disappointing on their own). While I think this kid has enough talent and an ear for beats that could've made this even better, it's still a great album. When he makes Gang Starr references like "things get severe for everybody everywhere/this my moment of truth right here" and shouts out my favorite album of all time, I swell with hope for the future. Those lines are indicative of a wisdom in his lyrics that belies his age, and that gives me hope that he can maintain his popularity without "playing (him)self to have mass appeal" as Guru once stated. My favorite tracks here are the DJ Premier-produced "Paper Trail$", "Save The Children" (compliments of another killer Statik Selektah beat), "Piece of Mind", "No. 99" (a fantastic re-appropriation of the vibe of ATCQ's "Scenario"), and "Hazeus View". My only real complaint is that this album is grossly top-heavy, but that's not a big bitch at all. There is still a ton of room for improvement, and I hope he realizes his potential without caving to the pressure to make his music more trendy.
This is a sad state of affairs. After blowing me away with their self-titled album in 2013 (my #2 LP for that year), they decided to call it quits after recording one more album and playing a few last shows. I deeply regret not being able to make it to their house show nearby a couple summers ago, as I will probably never get to see them. Thankfully they didn’t try to fix what wasn’t broken, and this fantastic album of punk- pop-tinged rock follows largely in the footsteps of its lauded predecessor, with enough flourishes to make it its own beast. Good luck ever getting “Lucky Lighter” out of your head after you’ve heard it. “No Rome”, “Stop Signs In A Ghost Town” and “Backwash” are also highlights.
10. Spraynard – Mable
These guys put out my #3 favorite LP of 2011, the inappropriately named Funtitled (they're not the goofy band that might imply), so I was glad to hear they were coming back from being broken up, albeit with only 2/3 of the original group. Any fans of their later pre-breakup material should be pleased with this. It's wonderfully earnest basement-style (as opposed to polished) mid-tempo pop-punk with a twist of midwestern emo. I love the way the dude addresses people in his lyrics. He seems like a real swell guy. I'm sure he wants you to like his music, and so do I. Please, do enjoy it. Favorite tracks are “Applebee’s Bar” (see video), “Medicine”, and “Everywhere”. The choruses are the kind I love to have stuck in my head.
9. Knuckle Puck – Copacetic
For my tastes, this young group on the quick come-up has been a slightly above average pop-punk band prior to this, but nothing they did really got me "into it". This, their debut full-length following a few EPs and 7"s, shows a more developed approach and a greater range of influences, which still mostly stay under the umbrella of bands/sounds I like (check the unmistakable ode to Jimmy Eat World's "Goodbye Sky Harbor" on the last track, "Untitled"). This baby has really grown on me over the past few months, enough that I wish the vinyl weren’t getting negative reviews for sound quality because I’d like to have a copy. Catchiness and energy abound without too much cheese or color-by-numbers pop elements, and the end result is a damn good album (some of my friends would call that a gross understatement) that has me paying MUCH closer attention to what they’ll be up to next. I’d also like to catch them live after seeing them whip the crowd into an absolute frenzy at Bled Fest but not especially appreciating their music at the time. "True Contrite" (see the first video link) is probably my favorite track.
8. Joey Bada$$ – B4.Da.$$
Here we have the long awaited and much hyped debut from the prodigal son and leader of the PRO ERA crew, who represent the youthful revival that the boom-bap world has desperately needed (or so I thought when I originally wrote this one…it turns out CJ Fly and Joey are the only ones really holding it down, while guys like Nyck Caution and Kirk Knight have ben enormously disappointing on their own). While I think this kid has enough talent and an ear for beats that could've made this even better, it's still a great album. When he makes Gang Starr references like "things get severe for everybody everywhere/this my moment of truth right here" and shouts out my favorite album of all time, I swell with hope for the future. Those lines are indicative of a wisdom in his lyrics that belies his age, and that gives me hope that he can maintain his popularity without "playing (him)self to have mass appeal" as Guru once stated. My favorite tracks here are the DJ Premier-produced "Paper Trail$", "Save The Children" (compliments of another killer Statik Selektah beat), "Piece of Mind", "No. 99" (a fantastic re-appropriation of the vibe of ATCQ's "Scenario"), and "Hazeus View". My only real complaint is that this album is grossly top-heavy, but that's not a big bitch at all. There is still a ton of room for improvement, and I hope he realizes his potential without caving to the pressure to make his music more trendy.
7. Banquets – Spit
At the Sun
This is a sad state of affairs. After blowing me away with their self-titled album in 2013 (my #2 LP for that year), they decided to call it quits after recording one more album and playing a few last shows. I deeply regret not being able to make it to their house show nearby a couple summers ago, as I will probably never get to see them. Thankfully they didn’t try to fix what wasn’t broken, and this fantastic album of punk- pop-tinged rock follows largely in the footsteps of its lauded predecessor, with enough flourishes to make it its own beast. Good luck ever getting “Lucky Lighter” out of your head after you’ve heard it. “No Rome”, “Stop Signs In A Ghost Town” and “Backwash” are also highlights.
6. Gatherers – Quiet
World
Leadoff track “God Deluxe” (see video #1) is the
type of opener that just bowls the listener over from jump, with frenetic,
amazing drumming, ominous rattling bass lines, crushing yet beautiful guitars, and
emphatically urgent shouted/screamed vocals. Did I mention the drumming? No,
really, guys. The drumming on this album is something that must not go unappreciated.
This dude absolutely kills it all the time. And I don’t mean he’s just
constantly going ape shit. I mean that he always seems to keep it interesting,
even throwing cool shit into slow parts. And some of the fills almost piss me
off out of jealousy because they’re so perfect. There’s not a clunker song to
be found here either. This is another one I need to get on wax STAT.
5. Kenn Starr – Square
One
Here's yet another Mello Music Group MC worth your time. He
hasn't put out an album in 9 fucking years, so this is a welcome return. His
crewmate Kev Brown provides some great instrumentals, and Black Milk comes
through a few times as well. "Game To Deliver", "Product of the
Basement (Remix)", "Lesson A", and "The Movement II"
are all standouts. Don't pass this one up, boom-bap heads.
4. Tommy Boys – Tommy
Boys
The most egregious music-related mistake I made
in 2015 was not arriving at the Such Gold show early enough to catch these
dudes’ set. I errantly assumed the unimpressive name predicted their suckage,
but I could not have been more wrong. Add them to the list of bands I’ll never
get to see, as they broke up not long after that tour. It’s such a shame,
because “21 Reruns” is perhaps the best emo-math-pop-rock song I’ve ever heard.
No bullshit. If you like that track, you’ll dig the rest of the album, and if
you don’t, well, I feel sorry for you.
3. Red Pill – Look
What This World Did To Us
I’ve already touched a bit on Red Pill’s appeal
above with the EP, and this album from earlier in the year is where my love for
his music really fell into place. The production is almost never the type of
boom-bap that I typically enjoy most, but it’s still mostly good to great and
even interesting (in the best way possible) at times. The rhymes show tons of
effort and thought, with plenty of earnestness and clever observations/metaphors/similes
sprinkled about. While the “woe is me” album title can make him seem like a
hip-hop Eeyore, the stories and sentiments he relates give a more proper
context to that sentiment. While I sort of dislike “Meh”, especially for an
opener, others like “Rum & Coke”, “Blus”, “Leonard Letdown”, and “Kids”
more than make up for it.
2. Awon & Phoniks
– Knowledge of Self
Sometimes it doesn’t do much justice to a great
album to talk about it. You just have to listen. Producer Phoniks provides a
near perfect jazzy boom-bap backdrop for Awon & a few guests to drop
knowledge over, and the result is my favorite hip-hop project of the year. Go
listen to “Summer Madness”, “Concrete Confessions”, “Silent Soldiers”, “Gifted
Unlimited”, “Reflections”, and “Be Real” right now. You’ll wish you had less
fun.
1. Strung Out – Transmission
Alpha Delta
Again, I can’t say too much that isn’t better
said by the album itself while listening to it. It’s a full-on Kirk Gibson out of
the park home run. These elder statesmen of punk rock will still occasionally make
you recall images of leather and coiffed, endlessly sprayed hair with the
occasional guitar solo (they really need to get a CC DeVille guest solo before
he kicks the bucket…no seriously, he’s still alive), but the musicianship is
always top notch regardless. As always they provide plenty of catchy hooks as
well as light-speed shred parts where the drums truly shine. Dude is a monster.
“Rebellion of the Snakes” and “No Apologies” are tops, but “Modern Drugs” (see
video), “Noweheresville”, “Black Maps”, and “Magnolia” are all strong as well.
Here’s to old men never slowing down!
Well, there we have it,
folks. There are probably a couple other releases from the last few months that
should get a mention, so I may return before late March/early April with a
short update. But otherwise I’m very stoked for much new music in 2016, including
(what I can think of off the top of my head) Vasudeva, TTNG, anything else
Phoniks does, A Wilhelm Scream, something from Such Gold (has to be, the dirty
fuckers didn’t even put out a 7” in 2015), the Prhyme reboot, Kool Keith
hopefully staying on track now, DOOMStarks, Hum’s “Downward Is Heavenward”
vinyl reissue, and Moneen’s “Are We Really…” finally being pressed to wax. I
hope you’re all enjoying a happy, healthy 2016 so far. Get at me and let me
know what you think. Rock over London, rock on, Chicago. JG Wentworth, call
877-CASH-NOW.
