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Post by greendemon on Feb 1, 2024 18:39:14 GMT 1
38. Voyager - Fearless in Love14th July | progressive metal; synth metalEighth studio album from the Perth band. Beating their compatriots Wayside by one place to officially net my favourite Australian album of last year, Voyager have been around since 1999 but acquired a legion of new fans worldwide thanks to their appearance as Australia's entry in last year's Eurovision Song Contest. I now count myself among those fans. While I always enjoy Eurovision, if I ever find myself wanting to listen to an entry again after the grand final, that entry is probably something special, and so it was with 'Promise' which represented a perfect fusion of 80s-inflected synthy power rock, complete with an incredibly catchy sing-along chorus, and metal heaviness. After checking out previous singles, I immediately put this on my radar, only to be left slightly disappointed when it came out (hence it only making #13). Fortunately I gave it another chance and it has just grown and grown on me to the point that I'm comfortable calling it one of the best progressive metal releases of last year. Voyager are far from the only band to successfully blend metal and 80s pop (as we'll see in a bit) but on the evidence of this album, they might be the best at balancing the heaviness with all the hooks and synth flourishes of great pop music. Chart history: Fearless in Love [Jul-Aug 23, #13] Promise [GL8 May-Jun 23, #43] Prince Of Fire [GL8 May-Jun 23, #98] Ultraviolet (Feat. Sean Harmanis) [GL9 Jul-Aug 23, #20] Their biggest chart hit for me was 'Ultraviolet' but I just have to share the video for 'Submarine', technically a 2022 single but it might be my fave on the album plus the video is just adorable, the drumming shark never fails to amuse
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Post by greendemon on Feb 2, 2024 18:37:11 GMT 1
37. Pumpkin Guts - Death, The Devil and Dismemberment13th October | pop-punk; horror punkSecond release from the Kentucky horror-themed pop-punk group. Another new-to-me act, round about Halloween last year I was in the market for some fun spooky music and when I spotted this on the Heavy Blog Is Heavy release schedule, the artist name and very on-brand album cover got me heading straight to Bandcamp to check this out. What a found was exactly as described: 25 minutes of joyously fun, grisly, gory and enjoyably silly Halloween-themed pop-punk, bookended by two tracks riffing on 'The Hearse Song' ( the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out...) Without the theme the music would be nothing special; it's all very by-the-numbers and straightforward pop-punk with your classic American 90s-2000s high-school setting (except the cute girl/boy you start chatting to turns out to be a ghost). Also, as much as I sympathise with the sentiment, I do find the very surface-level parallel the album tries to draw between parental hysteria around horror literature in schools and the Republican denunciation of trans-positive literature a little clumsy - maybe if a few more of the songs explored this idea it might have worked better. That said, the short length (approximately as long as it takes me to drive to/from my place of work) made this extremely listenable as well as enjoyable, and despite it only coming out in October, I'm pretty sure it's in the top 5 of my most-played albums from 2023. Chart history: Formaldehyde [GL10 Sep-Dec 23, #36] The only song I charted from this was 'Formaldehyde' which sees Pumpkin Guts put their pop-punk spin on the classic urban legend about a girl who dies after unwittingly going to a school dance in a formaldehyde-laced dress taken from a corpse. Pretty grisly but undeniably catchy, I often find myself singing along to this in the car
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Post by greendemon on Feb 2, 2024 19:34:31 GMT 1
36. Omnium Gatherum - Slasher [EP]2nd June | melodic death metalEP from the Finnish melodic death metal band (not to be confused with their similarly-named compatriots, Insomnium, though they do share a guitarist). These guys were the band I alluded to in my post about the Voyager album and its 80s-pop-meets-metal vibes a couple of posts ago. While Omnium Gatherum have been around and producing melodic death metal since the late 90s, in recent years their sound has shifted towards the mainstream, incorporating more synths and hooky, pop-like sensibilities while retaining the heaviness. This much was already evident on their last full-length release, 2021's Origin (which I also very much enjoyed), but this 18-minute EP is a more full-hearted embrace of 80s-style power balladry - I mean, there's even a cover of 'Maniac' on here I thought that cover it was a bit goofy at first but it's definitely grown on me! There are only four songs here and they're all good (I charted 3 of them on their own), but I'm not even going to pretend this EP would have got as many plays if it wasn't a vehicle for the closing track, 'Lovelorn', which is basically five minutes of everything I want from this genre fusion: powerful riffs and growled vocals wrapped in glittery synths and a beautiful guitar melody. Chart history: Slasher [EP] [May-Jun 23, #7] Slasher [GL7 Mar-Apr 23, #29] Maniac [GL7 Mar-Apr 23, #99] Lovelorn [GL8 May-Jun 23, #1] No surprise what I'm sharing from this. This song is the absolute pinnacle of melodeath-meets-80s-power-ballad and I still just cannot get enough of it.
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Post by greendemon on Feb 4, 2024 2:21:46 GMT 1
35. Bizarrekult - Den Tapte Krigen27th January | progressive black metal; post-black metalSecond album from the Norway-based black metal project helmed by a Russian. I discovered this artist back in 2022 with the single 'Midt I Stormen' which made my final top 40 of that year. Combining classic black metal sensibilities with an addictive black 'n roll groove, the song then morphs into something else entirely with mournful female vocals transforming into into a sad, yearning ballad of sorts. As an entire piece of art, the album as a whole is one of the most cohesive records I heard in 2023: eight tracks which each sound distinct and unique, but flow together beautifully without relying on overt echoes or callbacks. The clean female singing a recurring theme throughout as well, and offers a soothing contrast to the screams which provide most of the vocals. Musically it's really hard to describe this; it's definitely got a proggish bent to it but the songs are much more traditionally constructed and less expansive than that suggests, and at the same time it has the prettiness of post-black metal, but with some really sharp edges. I was initially so impressed with this album when it came out that I scored it a 9/10, and though I've since knocked that back down to an 8, it was still one of the more memorable and distinctive black metal-adjacent releases in a strong year for the genre. Honestly the worst thing about it is the inexplicably abrupt ending which still bothers me every time I get to the end of it even a year later. Side note, but I have to shout out the frontman of this project (whose name seems to be Roman though he goes by 'Bizarre') for being unusually forthcoming and happy to chat about his work on various public forums - always nice to see and means you get a bit more insight into his songwriting than you might otherwise expect. Which is handy as all his lyrics are in Norwegian or Russian Chart history: Den Tapte Krigen [Jan-Feb 23, #8] Midt I Stormen [GL5 Oct-Dec 22, #36] In the band's own words: "'Midt i stormen' (In the middle of the storm) is a desperate hymn of a loss. As we age, we lose our dear ones. Sometimes, these messages are like a lightning that hits the only tall tree standing in an open field. And there we are, burned and broken, on the ruins of our memories."
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Post by greendemon on Feb 4, 2024 12:41:53 GMT 1
34. Heavenward - Pyrophonics16th June | alternative rock; grunge; shoegazeDebut full-length from the Los Angeles-based grungegaze project led by Kamtin Mohager, also of The Chain Gang of 1974 and (formerly) Teenage Wrist. Formed in 2020 following Mohager's departure from his former band over creative differences, Heavenward aims to pick up where Teenage Wrist left off from their first album, Chrome Neon Jesus, and accordingly this release offers a much more straightforwardly 90s-inspired grungegaze sound than anything TW have put out since. Now as previously noted, I do love this sound, and I have to say this is definitely one of the best releases in that category this year: Pyrophonics is just ten tracks of great, well-written and executed fuzzy, grungy alt-rock, and if you preferred what TW sounded like before he left, you will most likely love this. It's an excellent album with no weak points, but what it has in consistency it seems to lack in true standout moments, at least for me (the closest I get is 'Gasoline' and probably 'Tangerine'). I just didn't end up going back to this one as much as I expected, and I think that has a lot to do with it not really offering much that I didn't get from other records in a similar vein still to come in this list (including the one his former band put out). I might even slightly prefer the very late-releasing Wayside record a few places below this. But honestly at this point all these albums are bangers! Chart history: Pyrophonics [May-Jun 23, #8 Choke [GL8 May-Jun 23, #11] Gasoline [GL8 May-Jun 23, #20] I'm having a hard time working out why I charted this below 'Choke' now: I truly think it's much better.
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Post by greendemon on Feb 4, 2024 13:26:31 GMT 1
33. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You14th February | avant-pop; R&BSecond album from the American singer-songwriter, formerly half of Chairlift (fourth if you include the records she released under the Ramona Lisa moniker). I've been a fan of Caroline and her voice since her Chairlift days, but it wasn't until she broke out as a solo artist that I realised how utterly ridiculously astounding her voice actually is - and I'm not sure how anyone could hear the middle-8 in 'So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings' and not reach the same conclusion ( haters will say it's autotune, indeed). That being said, I was a little slow to jump on the hypewagon with this particular release, not least because I found the first two singles, 'Bunny Is A Rider' and 'Billions', off-puttingly weird at first. Both have since grown on me a little, particularly the latter, but what really won me over was fourth single 'Welcome To My Island', which enlisted the full use of her soaring vocal acrobatics in the service of a jubilant and irresistibly infectious synthpop banger about the ecstasy of a new relationship. After that, I was totally on board, and loved the album from the first play. There's a ton of variety and experimentation here, and while not all of it hits with me (see the two aforementioned two singles, though they do work a lot better in the context of the entire thing) the way the songs weave from synthpop to R&B to chill electronica to flamenco while maintaining cohesiveness is masterful. Again, an early release I didn't go back to as much later in the year, but an incredibly impressive album and very aptly released on Valentine's Day (seriously, can we talk about how shamelessly horny this album cover is? )Chart history: Desire, I Want To Turn Into You [Jan-Feb 23, #4] Welcome To My Island [GL5 Oct-Dec 22, #28] Blood And Butter [GL6 Jan-Feb 23, #42] Smoke [GL7 Mar-Apr 23, #82] Easily my favourite track on the album (and maybe the best thing she's done ever), though I also have to nod to 'Pretty in Possible'.
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Post by greendemon on Feb 5, 2024 1:33:11 GMT 1
Following up that album cover with one so hideous I have to hide it behind a spoiler... 32. The Lion's Daughter - Bath House13th October | progressive metal; blackened sludge metal{Nightmare fuel} Fifth full-length from the St. Louis sludge band who have been knocking around since 2007, though this was my first encounter with them. As well as sporting a highly evocative name which sounds like they should be fronted by Cersei Lannister, The Lion's Daughter have carved out a distinctive niche for themselves as the pre-eminent band specialising in 80s-horror-inspired blackened progressive sludge metal. If the horrific fish monster lady on the cover art hadn't already put you off, that word-salad genre description almost certainly has... so prepare to be amazed when I tell you that this is probably one of the most accessible extreme metal albums I heard all year. There are bits of this that evoke more mainstream-leaning contemporaries like Mastodon - the title track in particular is a great example of this, with its catchy, melodic chorus - while the persistent undercurrent of synthwork ties in to the 80s theme - the start of '12-31-89' frankly sounds like it's about to turn into an A-Ha song. And yet those same synths work in tandem with the more extreme elements like tremolo riffs and growled vocals to bolster the dark, creepy atmosphere that runs through the entire record. As the presence of aforementioned horrific fish monster lady would suggest, this was one of the most downright terrifying things I heard last year, and so naturally I can't get enough of it. My favourite track is probably 'She Does Not Exist' - equal parts sinister and catchy - but I'll share the title track as it's probably the most accessible.
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Post by greendemon on Feb 5, 2024 17:38:29 GMT 1
And just missing out on the top 30... 31. Mammoth WVH - Mammoth II4th August | hard rockSecond album from the one-man project fronted by Wolfgang Van Halen. I probably don't need to say too much about this artist here: the son of Eddie Van Halen, Wolfgang grew up surrounded by his dad's music (and all the advantages that entails), but as an accomplished vocalist and musician on more or less any instrument he picks up, he is somewhat more talented than your average nepo baby: this is a true one-man-band project and, as with the self-titled debut, he provided all the instrumentation and vocals for this release himself. This album continues in very much the same vein as the previous release, providing ten more tracks of excellent, melodic hard rock packed with hooks and irresistible guitar solos. As far as invention and originality goes, it is very much straightforward, no-nonsense stuff for the most part, but I certainly don't need everything I listen to to reinvent the wheel, especially not when it's as well-executed as this. If I had a criticism, it would be that while there are no duds, I was slightly missing a standout banger in the vein of 'Epiphany' from the first record. That said, the singles are all solid tunes and if you liked the first album it's hard to see how you'd be too unhappy with this. Chart history: Mammoth II [Jul-Aug 23, #4] Another Celebration at the End of the World [GL7 Mar-Apr 23, #24] Like A Pastime [GL8 May-Jun 23, #34] Take A Bow [GL8 May-Jun 23, #59] I'm Alright [GL9 Jul-Aug 23, #18] While I charted all the singles, I'm actually going to share this album track as it might be the closest I got to that 'Epiphany'-style banger. Very Foo Fighters which is no bad thing!
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Post by greendemon on Feb 6, 2024 11:48:15 GMT 1
30. Phoxjaw - notverynicecream26th May | alternative rock; alternative metal; post-hardcoreSecond full-length from this Bristol band. Originally slated to release in autumn 2022, this was pushed back several times* before finally coming out in May last year. Having discovered this band the previous summer when they were announced as tour support for label mates, Blood Command, I charted all their singles and was impatiently looking forward to this release (even after their set on said tour was so loud my ears were ringing for 4 straight months - wear your earplugs, kids!). That being said, I actually think the late spring release was beautifully timed, as it's definitely a summer record. Phoxjaw are on the wackier and more experimental end of the UK heavy rock scene; there are bits of this album that remind me of Biffy Clyro's earlier post-hardcore moments and other bits that are a bit like Idles, but Phoxjaw's sound is definitely its own beast. So much is evident immediately on hearing 'sungazer' which starts out like a pleasant little ditty about a nice day in the sunshine before blasting you with bone-crushingly heavy discordant riffs out of nowhere. Yet they are absolutely brilliant at crafting hooks so every track on here, no matter how weird or heavy, has at least one moment which really got its teeth into me, from the bruising heavy riff in 'apples', the chorus in 'knives' and the frankly lovely melody of 'thesaddestsongever' which is actually just a nice, respectable song you could introduce to your gran.** * I feel it's important to acknowledge the reason for this, which was band member Daniel Garland needing to defend himself from certain accusations which I believe have now been withdrawn, but depending on who you believe, may not have been entirely without cause. I've reserved my judgement and not let this affect my appreciation of the music, and won't say any more other than the whole thing was a pretty sh!t situation for everyone involved.
** Mostly. Maybe not the bit about the man in the cloak standing behind you...Chart history: notverynicecream [May-Jun 23, #4] sungazer [GL3 Jun-Jul 22, #80] thesaddestsongever [GL4 Aug-Sep 22, #20] apples [GL5 Oct-Dec 22, #46] I won't subject you to 'sungazer' again as it was my very ill-advised selection for the Summer Anthems contest on here in 2022. Instead, try this, which I promise is perfectly lovely.
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Post by greendemon on Feb 15, 2024 15:16:02 GMT 1
29. healthyliving - Songs of Abundance, Psalms of Grief7th April | post-metal; doomDebut album from the Scotland-based project featuring musicians from Ashenspire and Maud the Moth. Another random find, by the time I heard about this thanks to a review it had missed the cut-off for my March-April chart. I'll be honest, I'm not familiar with either of the two bands that make up this supergroup of sorts, so I can't compare this to their past works, but on the basis of Amaya López-Carromero's absolutely stunning vocal performance with healthyliving, I definitely need to investigate Maud the Moth. While difficult to categorise, healthyliving's sound is broadly post-metal with a doomy, downbeat tinge, though there's plenty of variety across the album with no two tracks sounding the same: the highlights for me are probably 'Dream Hive', an energetic shoegazy indie-rock number, which leads straight into the beautiful but much more doom-influenced 'Galleries' with its ponderous tempo and crushing riffs. As ever, it's the brilliant vocals which really tie this together. They dabble with black metal on 'To The Gallows' but otherwise the album is entirely clean-singing, and comes highly recommended for anyone who enjoys atmospheric post-metal with haunting female vocals. No chart history for this but I do really want to share 'Dream Hive' which I think a few people here may enjoy. Much more in an indie/rock vein than most of the rest of the album.
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Post by greendemon on Feb 15, 2024 17:54:32 GMT 1
28. Vintersea - Woven Into Ashes5th May | progressive melodic black metal; post-black metalThird album from the Oregon band. Surprise, surprise, it's another female-fronted metal band Another act I didn't know going into 2023, but stumbled upon randomly thanks to the single 'Unveiling Light' which came out in the spring. I really wasn't sure what to make of it at first - initially the song sounds a bit like a chaotic hodgepodge of black metal and Evanescence - but it slowly grew on me to narrowly miss out on my top 40. It was the next single, the beautifully stripped-back clean ballad, 'Into The Horizon', that persuaded me that the album was worth buying, and I was rewarded with one of the most varied and compelling metal releases of the year. At the core of what makes this album work so well is, of course, lead vocalist Avienne Low, whose ability to flit seemingly effortlessly between angelic clean vocals and guttural growls fit for any death metal band is incredibly impressive. Her range allows Vintersea to pull off transitions like those in 'Unveiling Light' as well as facilitating a massive amount of genre experimentation so that the soothing balladry of 'Into The Horizon' sits comfortable alongside the muscular riffs and deathy growls of 'Devil's Churn' and 'At The Gloaming Void'. But even those heavier tracks have moments of sheer melodic beauty to offer a note of contrast. While it can get a bit 'kitchen-sink' at times and not everything works, overall it's a stunning album and one I have continued to return to in 2024. Chart history: Woven Into Ashes [May-Jun 23, #6] Unveiling Light [GL7 Mar-Apr 23, #41] Into the Horizon [GL8 May-Jun 23, #21]
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Post by greendemon on Feb 15, 2024 19:03:32 GMT 1
Rounding off a triple bill of female-fronted acts... 27. Olivia Rodrigo - Guts8th September | pop; pop-punkSecond studio album from the American singer-songwriter. I confess, I'm a little late to the Olivia train having largely missed her 2021 debut, Sour, other than 'Good 4 U' which I enjoyed, Paramore comparisons aside. Even 'vampire' didn't instantly appeal to me and although it has grown on me since I charted it at #98, even now it probably falls into the category of 'songs I can appreciate are very good but don't quite love'. Where she finally won me over though was with the second single, 'bad idea right?', a total love letter to the 90s both in the form of the music, which reminds of everything from Pixies to De La Soul, and the video which feels like a deleted scene from a teen rom-com. Happily, the album was full of more of the same throwback pop-punk/alternative rock energy on highlights like 'get him back!', 'all-american b itch', 'love is embarrassing' and 'ballad of a homeschooled girl', which is definitely where I had the most fun with it. While not every track hit with me, I came away from Guts completely wowed by Rodrigo's abilities as a songwriter and lyricist - her lyrics are moving, sharp and witty, and as a lover of wordplay I just adore the way 'get him back!' plays with the double meaning throughout This one was stopped from ending up any higher to due my having made myself a bit sick of it (plus not enjoying the the slower, angstier tracks as much), but it's still a very good album with lots to appreciate from an incredible young talent. Chart history: vampire [GL9 Jul-Aug 23, #98] bad idea right? [GL9 Jul-Aug 23, #35] get him back! [GL10 Sep-Dec 23, #24] Technically 'get him back!' is the better song but I just love this one for the 90s high school movie vibes!
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Post by greendemon on Feb 20, 2024 17:46:45 GMT 1
26. Ash - Race The Night15th September | alternative rockEighth album from the Northern Irish band who surely need no introduction on here. Having discovered them around the Free All Angels era, Ash were one of my favourite bands of the 2000s and played no small part in shaping my taste in music as a teenager. As I acknowledged in my abortive A-Z thread a few years ago*, I haven't been great at keeping up with Ash since around 2007, and though I definitely heard the occasional decent new single every now and again I hadn't bought an album of theirs in quite a while. Happily, Race The Night - their first new album in 5 years - turned out to be a bit of a return to form. From the synthwave-inspired cover emblazoned with a DMC DeLorean** it's clear there's a nostalgic vibe going on, and this definitely comes through in the music, which recalls the poppy, hook-filled rock anthems with which Ash made their name, as well as the lyrics (most obviously on 'Usual Places'). That said, for the most part the album still manages to sound fresh and energetic, with 'Like A God' being probably the best song they've released since 'Cocoon' (though I'm not entirely sure the 'reprise' at the end of the album is needed). I can't say I've entirely warmed to 'Crashed Out Wasted' yet though a big part of that is the 'oh's in the backing vocals which just make me think of Nelly & Kelly's 'Dilemma' While it's fair to say that even the best parts of this album don't exceed the likes of 'Girl From Mars' or 'Burn Baby Burn' (nor should we really expect it to tbh), as a long-time Ash fan I was pretty happy with it and was really glad I got to see and meet the band at an acoustic show + Q&A they did at my local Rough Trade the week of release Chart history: Race The Night [GL8 May-Jun 23, #36] Like A God [GL9 Jul-Aug 23, #26] Usual Places [GL9 Jul-Aug 23, #45] * I never made it past F. I may go back to it if I find myself at a loose end one day, but don't hold your breath.** assembled in Northern Ireland, apparently, which I did not know until Tim mentioned it at the Q&A!
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Post by greendemon on Feb 20, 2024 18:55:03 GMT 1
25. Myrkur - Spine20th October | post-black metal; folkFourth studio album from the Danish post-black metal/folk project. This is the second and highest of two releases by Myrkur to make my year-end chart, and as I mentioned earlier, I have a lot to say about this particular project. Much of the blame for my shift over recent years towards metal, and black metal in particular, can be laid at Myrkur's feet. Myrkur first came to my attention in around 2016, somewhere between the release of her first album M and the follow-up, Mareridt, and I just completely fell in love with her blend of haunting clean vocals and dark, evil-sounding atmospheric black metal with Scandinavian folk. I still adore those two albums and listen to them loads; the third, 2020's Folkesange, was her take on pure folk music and while I don't go back to it as much, it's every bit as good (not to mention being perfectly suited to the dullness of 2020). Since then, there had been nothing other than the Ragnarok EP I charted a good way below this, and while I enjoyed it, it definitely left me wanting more. More duly arrived... and much of it is great, but honestly despite its much higher placing in this chart, it ultimately was more of a disappointment than Ragnarok had been. Inspired by the recent birth of her first child, Spine is an exploration of motherhood and all the transitions this entails, and sees Myrkur at its most experimental, incorporating aspects of synthpop while retaining the dark atmospherics and folky influences. The black metal elements have been pared back drastically, relegated to little more than a nod on most tracks with the exception of 'Valkyriernes Sang' which could have slot nicely into her second album. Strictly speaking this isn't my main issue: while I would have liked a bit more darkness, the addition of synthpop mostly works incredibly well, especially on 'Like Humans' and 'Mothlike', and perhaps the best song on the whole album is the piano-led ballad, 'My Blood Is Gold', which again recalls similar tracks on her first two records. But the album is frustratingly short which, given the amount of experimentation, makes it lack cohesion. As much as I was looking forward to this, I can't help but wish she'd waited until she was able to put out something a little longer and more cohesive, and as nice as it is to get two releases from her in one year you feel it was to the detriment of both of them. Don't get me wrong, it's still a Myrkur album, and I love it almost by default hence it making it into the top 25 - but it's comfortably my least-favourite of her main releases so far. Chart history: Like Humans [GL9 Jul-Aug 23, #10] Valkyriernes Sang [GL10 Sep-Dec 23, #13] Mothlike [GL10 Sep-Dec 23, #27] Lowest-charting single, but possibly the most interesting and successful in terms of the experimentation.
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Post by greendemon on Feb 20, 2024 22:14:03 GMT 1
From an album I was expecting to love, to one I very much was not... 24. PJ Harvey - I Inside The Old Year Dying7th July | indie; folkTenth studio album from the English singer-songwriter Polly Jean Harvey who again, needs absolutely no introduction here. I've always been a bit hit-and-miss with PJ Harvey; possibly because I was a bit too young to have really got into her at the time she first broke out, but whenever I've heard to her older material I end up thinking of her as one of those artists I really respect and admire without quite loving. Her new album was very much on the longlist part of my release schedule: something I felt I ought to get around to but wasn't exactly desperate to hear, particularly after hearing the singles and coming away nonplussed. So much so, I didn't actually bother with it until a full month after it came out, whereupon I was so bowled over (and annoyed at myself for sleeping on it for so long) I started a thread in the Indie/Rock Forum to rave about it. I can definitely see that it wouldn't appeal to everyone: largely an adaptation of Harvey's own epic poem, Orlam, I Inside The Old Year Dying sets the poem's verses (written in archaic Dorset dialect) to an eerie folk soundtrack that is unsettling and frankly offputting at first. The more I listen, though, the more it draws me into the weird, wild and haunting landscape of its setting, and as a one-time lexicographer I find the language utterly beguiling even when it's impermeable. I've definitely got more out of it over autumn and winter, too: it's the kind of music that you'd play on a dark and stormy night in a drafty cottage, accompanied by the rattle of branches against the window. Chart history: I Inside The Old Year Dying [Jul-Aug 23, #8] Lwonesome Tonight [GL9 Jul-Aug 23, #58]
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Post by greendemon on Feb 21, 2024 16:41:09 GMT 1
23. Johnny the Boy - You9th June | black metal; sludge metal; black'n'roll; 'gloom core'*Debut album from this relatively new project founded by current and former members of English post-rock band, Crippled Black Phoenix. While I was aware of CBP beforehand, I hadn't managed to get into them, but after seeing them describe their side project as 'an instinctive grab for something darker and nastier', I was intrigued. The first song released as Johnny the Boy was 'Crossings', a sprawling behemoth that begins with the doom-metal-like clang of church bells establishing a suitably dark and sinister atmosphere, before slowly gathering pace and building into an epic blackened sludge song overlaid with Belinda Kordic's abrasive vocals that thunders along for over 8 minutes. While the song turned out to be a pretty accurate representation of the album's blend of sludge, black metal and rock, nothing else on You is quite like it in its slow-building expansiveness, with the possible exception of the closing track, 'Without You', a doomy, Americana-tinged ballad on which Belinda contrasts her customary raspy style with a soulful croon. It's a stunning closer and really hits you coming off the back of two fast-paced, crust-punk-style tracks which offer a welcome bit of variety without being remotely jarring. And yes, inevitably I have to talk about the vocals because I am obsessed with Belinda's voice on this record: she has this incredibly rough, almost screechy tone that honestly makes the music sound even darker and more sinister than it would otherwise. In the best possible way, she sounds like a evil witch who gargles with nails. An album I only charted at #9 as it came out in a very stacked month, but I love it more every time I play it. Don't think they have a tour coming up but they are at the top of my must-see list. Technically this is the second-highest debut album in my ranking - though both this one and the one still to come were made by people who have released music under other names. Chart historyYou [May-Jun 23, #9] Crossings [GL8 May-Jun 23, #31] The 8-minute-long beast that is 'Crossings'. I was a bit wary of sharing it on here, but given that a) it was the only single, b) it's brilliant and c) none of you are going to watch it anyway, I figure it doesn't matter * 'Gloom core' is how the band's label describe their sound in the description of the 'Crossings' video. I have no idea if it's an actual thing or yet another meaningless '-core' genre.
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Post by greendemon on Feb 28, 2024 15:34:29 GMT 1
22. The Hellfreaks - Pitch Black Sunset14th April | alternative metal; punkFifth album from the Hungarian punk/alternative metal band fronted by Zsuzsa 'Shakey Sue' Radnóti. Although formed in 2009, I had never heard of these guys until the YouTube algorithm served me the video for 'Hit Me Where It Hurts' in early 2023. Rolling together a verse that sounds like it comes from an Origin Of Symmetry-era Muse song, a nu-metal-tinged hardcore bridge and an undeniably catchy chorus, it arguably shouldn't work but really does, and duly scored them a #15 smash in my Jan-Feb chart. The follow-up singles continued to impress but 'Weeping Willow' was the biggest instant hit with me: probably the closest thing the album has to a ballad, it's a moody, slow-building alt-metal track which is quite sparse musically but serves mostly as a vehicle for Sue's impressive facility for both clean and harsh vocals. You spend most of it thinking 'hmm, nice ballad' and then she hits you with this primal roar two thirds of the way through At under half an hour long, the album is bordering EP length but still manages to pack in an impressive amount of variety, and its short and punchy length means there are no skippable tracks and I have played it an absolute ton (arguably to the point of having made myself a bit sick of it as there isn't a ton of depth to most of the songs). There's a lot I really like about this album but the great vocal performance has to be my favourite thing. Although their sound is very different, I tend to think of The Hellfreaks being to my 2023 what Blood Command were to my 2022 - that said, this album has definitely faded somewhat in my rankings over the course of the year, whereas my BC obsession continues unabated (as we'll see before the end of this list...) Chart history: Pitch Black Sunset [Mar-Apr 23, #2] Hit Me Where It Hurts [GL6 Jan-Feb 23, #15] Weeping Willow [GL7 Mar-Apr 23, #8] PBSS [GL7 Mar-Apr 23, #40] I missed charting this one as it was released back in 2022, but it's a fantastic punk banger of a track and might be the strongest song on the album.
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Post by greendemon on Mar 11, 2024 1:01:28 GMT 1
The end is in sight... kind of 21. Enslaved - Heimdal3rd March | progressive black metalSixteenth studio album from the Norwegian progressive black metal band. Another venerable name in Nordic black metal, this band have been around since the early 1990s, though only caught my attention in 2022 with the appearance of 'Kingdom', the lead single for this album. A proggy number boasting a sprawling, guitar-driven intro and thundering drums, it barely cracked my top 60 at the time but did enough to put the upcoming album on my radar. Final single, 'Forest Dweller', was much more convincing: a slow-building, beautifully delicate introduction turns into this mental mid-section with crazy synths, bestial snarls and something that sounds suspiciously like a Hammond organ. I was completely sold on the album from that point, and if anything the full release exceeded my expectations. Without wanting to call it a concept album, Heimdal - named after the Norse god - is definitely one of those metal records that works best as a unified entity. Starting with the sound of water lapping against a boat and a horn blowing, it instantly draws you into a cold, foggy and grim atmosphere, which it maintains throughout, evoking the album's thematic inspiration of Viking mythology without ever hitting you over the head with it. It's honestly astounding how much is going on. There are synths deeply interwoven into pretty much every track. There are classical string instruments. There's also a distinct Eastern flair to the riffs in 'Congelia' and 'Forest Dweller'. It's definitely not perfect: there are only 7 tracks to the album's almost 50 minutes, and a couple can fairly be accused of being a bit too long. But it's an incredibly good album and only misses out on the top 20 because I cannot fit 21 albums in no matter how much I try I've been dwelling on this album a fair bit recently, as Enslaved have been touring the UK supported by Wayfarer (who appeared a bit further down this list) and Svalbard (who are still to come) - an incredibly strong line-up, and I had been considering going, but sadly London was a bit too far to go on a work night. A real shame, though glad I didn't buy a ticket as I was ill this week and wouldn't have been able to go anyway (and I did manage to catch Svalbard's warm-up headline show in Bristol the weekend before at least). I'd still love to see this lot live so hope they come back! Also, a deluxe version of Heimdal just came out, which I'm considering buying come Bandcamp Friday despite not usually going in for these things. Chart history: Heimdal [Mar-Apr 2023, #4] Kingdom [GL4 Aug-Sep 2022, #59] Forest Dweller [GL6 Jan-Feb 23, #19]
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Post by greendemon on Mar 11, 2024 1:09:29 GMT 1
Top 20 starting tomorrow - some stats... Nationalities6 American 4 British 2 German 2 Norwegian 1 Canadian 1 Finnish 1 French 1 Hungarian 1 Swiss 1 'international' (German/Swiss/British/Spanish) In 2022, my entire top 3 consisted of female-fronted acts. This year, there are just 3 female-fronted acts in the entire top 20
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Post by greendemon on Mar 11, 2024 11:56:00 GMT 1
First up - the only album in the year-end top 20 that didn't originally make the top 10 on release...
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