Category Archives: Uncategorized

It’s that time of year again! Time to reflect on the great music released this year! I chose to call this my favorite releases because a) best of is relative and b) not all of these are albums. We have some ep’s and 7″ records that make up my favorite releases of this year. So let’s go!

Honorable mentions:
Refused – War Music
Shin Guard – 2020
As Cities Burn – Scream Through The Walls
Palamino – Palamino
Parkway & Columbia – Wanderer
Reveries / Chalk Hands / Okänt – split ep
Starflyer 59 – Young In My Head
High and Dry – Headroom
Two Hands One Engine – Janice
True Blossom – Heater
Nanami Ozone – NO
Flash the Ready – Circles
Maker of the Bear – Clarity
Thrice – Deeper Wells EP
Korn – The Nothing
Slick Shoes – Broadcasting

30. Crossed Keys – Savior

https://crossedkeys.bandcamp.com/album/saviors
Punk

29. Circle Back – Terminus

https://circlebackhc.bandcamp.com/
Hardcore

28. Spoken In Tongues – The Nail That Sticks Up Will Be Hammered Down

https://spokenintongues.bandcamp.com/releases
Punk/Indie Rock

27. Jimmy Eat World – Surviving

Emo/Alternative

26. Spotlights – Love & Decay

https://spotlights.bandcamp.com/album/love-decay
Hard Rock/Space Rock

25. Norma Jean – All Hail

Metalcore

24. Zao – Decoding The Transmissions From The Möbius Strip

https://officialzao.bandcamp.com/album/decoding-transmissions-from-the-m-bius-strip
Metal

23. Unwed Sailor – Heavy Age

https://unwedsailor.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-age
Post Rock

22. Jay Som – Anak Ko

https://jaysom.bandcamp.com/album/anak-ko
Indie Rock/Singer Songwriter

21. Stranger Kings – Blue LP

https://store.northernrecords.com/album/blue
Shoegaze

20. Radar State – Strays

19. Queen Of Jeans – If You’re Not Afraid, I’m Not Afraid

https://queenofjeans.bandcamp.com/album/if-youre-not-afraid-im-not-afraid
Indie Rock

18. Field Mouse – Meaning

https://fieldmouse.bandcamp.com/
Indie Rock/Shoegaze

17. Mineral – One Day When We Are Young

https://mineralofficial.bandcamp.com/
Emo

16. The Get Up Kids- Problems

https://thegetupkids.bandcamp.com/album/problems
Emo

15. Surprises – Natural Disaster

https://surprises.bandcamp.com/album/natural-disaster-2
Indie Rock

14. Leem Of Earth – Chapter EP’s

Shoegaze

13. Defeater – Defeater

https://defeaterband.bandcamp.com/album/defeater
Hardcore

12. The Darling Fire – Dark Celebration

https://thedarlingfire.bandcamp.com/album/dark-celebration
Emo/Indie Rock

11. Charly Bliss – Young Enough

https://charlybliss.bandcamp.com/album/young-enough
Indie Rock

10. Copeland – Blushing

R&B

9. I, The Mountain – Saga

https://ithemountainuk.bandcamp.com/releases
Metalcore

8. The Menzingers – Hello Exile

https://themenzingers.bandcamp.com/album/hello-exile
Punk

7. Cursive – Get Fixed

https://cursive.bandcamp.com/album/get-fixed
Emo/Indie Rock

6. Oso Oso – Basking In The Glow

https://osoosoband.bandcamp.com/album/basking-in-the-glow
Emo

5. Pedro The Lion – Phoenix

https://pedrothelion.bandcamp.com/album/phoenix
Emo/Indie Rock

4. Comrades – For We Are Not Yet, We Are Only Becoming

Post Metal/Post Rock

3. Cave In – Final Transmission

https://cavein.bandcamp.com/album/final-transmission
Space Rock

2. American Football – LP3

https://americanfootball.bandcamp.com/album/american-football-lp3
Emo

1. Brutus – Nest

https://wearebrutus.bandcamp.com/album/nest
Post Metal

The Meltdown – The Meltdown 3.115

This week I have new music from Thrice, Foxing, The Spirit of the Beehive, mewithoutYou, and more.

A Common Goal is a cool, old school, greaser punk band. The kind that always reminds you of Social Distortion. Blessing and Battles is a great easy listening record that carries a nice edge and intensity when needed.

ACG is like a punch in the face when you hit play. It’s a great hard hitting song with a catchy hook. It’s about as crazy as A Common Goal gets. The rest of Blessing and Battles is a solid, easy to listen to record. Frame Of Mind is a fun song about the great times in life.  Hope is a great song about how no matter what is going on in the world, there is still hope and goodness in Christ. The track starts off with news clips of terrible tragedies in the world. Musically there’s a great intro lead kick the song off and a catchy chorus to help get the message of hope across. Problems has a fantastic country western slide guitar that gives it an extra dimension and adds something more to A Common Goal’s sound. That’s followed by Nothing Left, which is the only real circle pit punk song on the record.

Blessings and Battles is full of catchy choruses, songs of remembering the past and having hope for the future. The title of the album is a beautiful description of the lyrical content and just the nature of life. A Common Goal have done Boston proud with Blessings and Battles. A fun, laid back punk record.

There are only a handful of bands as consistent as Eisley. With each release the band matures and grows. And with each release the band improves and adds to an impressive discography. The band’s fourth full-legnth is both something new for Eisley and more of what they’ve always given us.

Currents is actually quite a departure from the band’s previous pop rock work. But the indie/shoegaze stylings on Currents is something that’s always been hinted at, just below the surface of some of Eisley’s best work. The title track on the band’s last ep, Deep Space, was just the beginning of what the band had in store.

There’s an open disconnected feeling musically that starts Currents. The song takes it’s time to form, giving way to a sense of accomplishment and resolution when the full instrumentation kicks in. It’s still has the rock elements that The Valley had but its not nearly as lush. It’s a more complex arrangement than anything Eisley has delivered before. Blue Fish has a level of ambience that gives the song an added element to the Eisley’s beautiful melodies and harmonies. The Piano riff that runs through Drink The Water is absolutely gorgeous and reminds of why I love Ester Drang’s Infinite Keys so much.

Save My Soul is a punchy rock song with a great hook. The string section that glides through Find Me Here is magnificently beautiful. Lost Enemies has a great quirky guitar riff and a cowbell giving the song a nice offbeat touch. Shelter closes out the record and is just another song to die for. Beautiful harmonies and huge sweeping strings.

Eisley has taken a risk with Currents and it’s paid off in a huge way. Maybe not the follow-up to the Valley people were hoping for but every bit as good. Currents is a beautiful record. Eisley has outdone themselves again.

I’ve been a huge Altars fans sing the release of the Strike First Records debut, Opposition. The european metalcore influence of the debut had me hooked. The band switching things up and going the melodic hardcore route on Conclusions didn’t stop my fandom. The band was still heavy and the shift in sound was perfect.

On Something More, Altars shifts their style again, and again the band is super successful.

The album’s opener and title track, Something More, is a straight up hardcore song in the vein of band’s like Comeback Kid and Close Your Eyes. By the time Question Everything finishes, I’m convinced that Something More is a hardcore record. In fact through two songs, Something More sounds like a heavier, better version of Close Your Eyes. But the album begins to shift.

Eternity is a little more like what we heard on Conclusions. Great melodic guitar riff to open the track. The lyrics leading into the breakdown will smack you right in the face.

“Pray for me 
Because we don’t see eye to eye 
The word has promised life 
Yet you condemn billions 
Billions to die 
You’re committing religious mass genocide”