Record Roundup: Rock'n'Pop Adjacent

There are number of releases at least adjacent to rock and pop that have been energizing me throughout 2021. Get into these albums (and one playlist) and get all the feels, from raucous to reflective.   

The Muckers - Endeavor Thanks to kick-ass releases by Jane Church and Frankie and the Witch Fingers, I always keep an eye out to see what Greenway Records is putting out, which is how this caught my ear. Led by Emir Mohseni, their sleekly propulsive psych-rock generates excitement at any volume. Between Mohseni and rhythm guitarist Chris Cawley, there's a supple funkiness to much of the riffage, while the bass and drums of Anthony Azarmgin and John Zimmerman keep things moving in tireless and unfussy fashion. I can imagine The Muckers being a complete thrill in a club setting and will find out for myself when the time is right.

Acid Dad - Take It From The Dead I've been keeping a close eye on this band since at least 2016 when  I noted the "riff-tastic garage rock" on their Let's Plan A Robbery EP in my Best Of 2016: Rock, Folk, Etc.. However, I did feel then, and on their 2019 debut album, that they could push their sound more. And they have! Since they're also affiliated with Greenway I'd like to think that some of Jane Church's expressive melodicism and FATWF's hypnotic power has rubbed off on them, but it's more likely just the sound of a good band getting better. Either way, this is their best album yet, with Vaughn Hunt and Sean Fahey's signature spiraling guitars sounding more confident and involving than ever, as are drummer Trevor Mustoe's groove-oriented rhythms. This especially comes to fruition on knockout tracks BBQ, RC Driver and album-closing epic Djembe. That last one starts out quietly, with a questing bass line supporting a stately rhythm, and just keeps building in a controlled fashion, inexorably becoming your whole world. Keep'em coming, boys!

Bachelor - Doomin' Sun I loved Jay Som's last album, Anak Ko, but had a little trepidation when I saw her next release was a collaboration with an artist I was only slightly familiar with, Ellen Kempner, who records as Palehound. File the results under: Stop worrying so much. Doomin' Sun turns out to have many of the pleasures Jay Som (Melina Duterte) delivers on her own, namely well-developed melodies, songs constructed with old-school craft, and smart, relatable lyrics. So what does Palehound bring to the mix? Considering Jay Som's last two albums were made completely on her own, there is a jolt of energy and dynamics triggered by their devoted friendship, which seems to involve a lot of laughter. Palehound also brings more guitars, helping some songs build to washes of shoegazey deliciousness, and her higher voice blends beautifully with Duterte's more mezzo tones. The two make a remarkable production team, too - just listen to the sonic details on Anything At All. A side benefit of this terrific album is that digging into Palehound's back catalog made me realize I should have kept a closer eye on her. And whatever Jay Som wants to do next, or with whom, I'm on board. 

Lael Neale - Acquainted With Night Have Omnichord sales increased since this dusky jewel of an album came out in February? I wouldn't be surprised as the combination of Neale's crystalline voice with the plastic sparkle of her Omnichord is pure captivation. Her songs have the sturdy quality of folk music coupled with a haunted quality from the darker side of the girl group sound. There's a sense of privacy here, like a half-finished Nick Drake bedroom recording, that feels almost mythic. But Neale and her Omnichord are very real and no less precious for that.

UV-TV - Always Something I've been a fan since 2017 and it seemed to promise great things for the year in live music when I finally got to see them in February, 2020. Well, I was wrong about that but my ongoing fascination with the sonic vision of Rose Vastola (bass, vocal) and Ian Bernacette (guitar, vocals) has paid mighty dividends on their third album. Continuing the trend from 2019's Happy, the production has improved yet further adding sheen and heft to their taut post-punk and letting Vastola's voice soar over it all. As I secretly wished, she sings on all tracks, letting Bernacette concentrate on what he does best, namely playing guitar, drawing on familiar vocabulary (Johnny Marr, Bernard Sumner) but putting his own spin on it, whether using colorful arpeggios or layering crunchy chords. New drummer Ian Rose fits in perfectly, whether thrashing away or providing a motorik backbeat. If you have yet to tune into UV-TV, now is the time.

Palberta - Palberta5000 Unlike some of the bands included here, I'm a latecomer to the trio of Ani Ivry-Block, Lily Konigsberg, and Nina Ryser, catching the caboose here on their fifth album. So I've missed their whole trajectory from exceedingly lo-fi, ramshackle avant-rock to where we are now: a heat-seeking missile of mathy minimalism with sugary vocals shining brightly over the churn und drang of the music. Some of this story may be informed by the development of Konigsberg as a songwriter, which you can trace on the excellent compilation The Best Of Lily Konigsberg Right Now, which also came out earlier this year. As that title suggests, humor is a part of the Palberta charm, very occasionally becoming self-indulgent. But most of the album is wondrously catchy art-pop. More impressive, many songs barely hit 90 seconds yet still feel absolutely complete, making my head spin at all they pack into those tiny vignettes. Fun, smart stuff - and I definitely won't miss the next one.

Ganser - Look At The Sun This Chicago band's second album, 2020's Just Look At That Sky, gained them much attention and accolades. I listened, too - a couple of times - and admired it while not being totally grabbed. This EP, which finds songs from the album being remixed by everyone from current indie sensation Bartees Strange to shoegaze maestro Andy Bell of Ride (in his electronic guise as GLOK). In the case of the former, Strange strips Emergency Equipment And Exits down to its essence, chopping off a guitar part or two and losing two minutes in the process. The result is a tidy machine of a song, highlighting Alicia Gaines' powerful voice, which takes on an unearthly tone over the chugging rhythm. And so it goes throughout, with each collaborator, including Sadie Dupuis, Algiers, and Girl Band, putting their own stamp on their track while somehow maintaining Ganser's personality. It will likely turn me back to the album and to a new appreciation of their sound and songs. 

Lucy Dacus - Home Video I've been more of an admirer from a distance than a fan of Dacus, a fine singer and songwriter who regularly lands on year-end lists and certainly doesn't need my help to get attention. But I can feel my own attention shifting with this, her third album. The songwriting seems more focused, her voice more expressive, the settings a little more pop oriented, and the production is warm and highly detailed when it needs to be but is never fussy. But those are just words I'm using to try to explain this: Home Video touches me in ways her previous albums didn't. Many of the songs revolve around her coming of age, coming to terms with her sexuality, being confronted with the pain the world can dish out, and learning that you can survive and grow through all of that. In short, most anyone can relate, even if their upbringing and circumstances were different. Home Video represents another coming of age for Dacus, this time as an artist who can tap into almost primal emotions ("I would kill him/If you let me/I would kill him/Quick and easy," she sings in Thumbs, wishing the demise of a friend's deadbeat dad) with a lethal elegance. I saw her open for Jonathan Wilson a few years ago, and she did not quite command the stage. Listening to Home Video, I can't imagine that ever happening again.

LABEL FOCUS: Eye Knee Records This is a new venture founded by expert singer-songwriters Holly Miranda, Amb. Parsley, and Chris Maxwell, self-described as "a homemade label, periodical, co-op and kitchen." Most importantly, it's a way for them to remain completely independent, without any outside influences affecting what they release or when and how they release it. They're also promising to tithe all proceeds from one in every ten releases "back to the community." Now, Holly Miranda is one of the most important artists in MY 21st century, so I'll follow her wherever - and I'm excited by the idea of her having total control over her art. I've also enjoyed Parsley's work over the years, especially in concert, and she is easily as skilled in the studio as Miranda, and Maxwell is a sharp songwriter and explosively talented guitar player. The three of them make a fantastic team, able to put together songs in nearly any style or sound, and the fruits of their labors have been impressive so far.

No albums yet, but the 11 songs Eye Knee has put out range from Let A Wolf, a dark-tinged slow-burner with smoky guitar from Maxwell and coy vocals from Parsley, to Exiled In Alicante, a hushed acoustic song that has Miranda singing with moving restraint, as if holding back a flood of emotion. Then there's Kindness Of Strangers, perhaps the finest song co-writers Maxwell and Parsley have been involved in, and one of the best of the last few years. It's a song that should be sung around campfires unto eternity, deeply human and perfectly constructed. The production by Miranda is equally perfect. She sings backing vocals and plays guitar, drums, and xylophone alongside her regular collaborators Maria Eisen on baritone sax and Josh Werner on bass. Then there's Miranda's devastating take on Bonnie Raitt's Nick Of Time, with nothing but her guitar and Parsley's backing vocals. No one but Holly can take a song that has essentially become background noise and find a way to rip your heart all over again. 

New Setlist No. 2

I got to hear her do that to Van Morrison's Sweet Thing in the open air, at a concert the three of them recently put on at Westwind Orchards in the Catskills, and it was just extraordinary. The whole show put their partnership on full display, with each supporting the others in their own songs. We got to hear  Nothingland, a new song from Maxwell, as well as his cover of Nick Lowe's When I Write The Book and a few from New Store No. 2, his marvelous 2020 album,. Parsley gave us Strangers, Wolf, and a number called Heavy Metal Stacy, which let Maxwell unleash his inner Eddie Van Halen, with the moves to match. And Miranda did some of the new songs but dug deep with classics from her catalog like Until Now, Desert Call, and Waves. There is nothing to replace the sensation of Holly Miranda standing right there, singing for all she's worth and letting it rip with one of humanity's golden voices. I'm on the edge of pretension trying to paint the picture for you, but hopefully that will compel you to get out there if she shows up and a club or an orchard near you.

All of the artists above could learn from this trio's passion, work ethic, and level of craft. I urge them - and you - to buy all the Eye Knee songs, now numbering 11, and put them in a playlist - it's as satisfying a listen as any of this year's best albums. Email me at AnEarful@icloud.com and I will gift you with what I think is the perfect sequence, which I have dubbed The Eye Knee Experience. Since neither Maxwell, Miranda, or Parsley is afraid of a bad pun, I leave you with this: I need more Eye Knee!

Eye Knee Trio Live: Amb. Parsley, Holly Miranda, and Chris Maxwell

You may also enjoy:
Record Roundup: Songs And Singers
Record Roundup: Rock Formations
Holly Miranda's Exquisite Mutual Horse

Best Of 2019: Rock, Folk, Etc.

As the “rock is dead” or “whatever happened to rock & roll” discussion continues in seeming disregard for the actual health of the genre, it occurs to me that those making those statements and asking those questions might have a very limited definition of the music. That’s a nice way of saying that there are a lot of Kiss, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi fans out there - and if they’re not finding what they need in new records, the fault may lie not in their rock stars but in themselves. I mean, I’m a Zeppelin fan, but I don’t need to listen to pale imitations like the regrettable Greta Van Fleet (remember them?) to get my fix. In any case, I found more than enough to get my pulse up, including albums that were in my Top 25 like Zam by Frankie & The Witch Finger (5/25), Devour You by Starcrawler (11/25), Satis Factory by Mattiel (13/25), Sombrou Duvida by Boogarins, or Commit Yourself Completely, the scorching live set from Car Seat Headrest. 

Then there were swaths of indie rock of a gentler nature throughout the Top 25, whether the world-beating songwriting of Ocean Music, Julia Jacklin, Tiny Ruins, and Hiss Golden Messenger, who held the first four spots, or Molly Sarlé, Angel Olsen, and Jane Church, who could be found further down. This year I even had a massive pop record from Billie Eilish, which had plenty of dark thoughts to fill the needs of goth-rockers looking for a spider bite. 

What you’ll find below is more of the same variety of flavors from these realms, all of it nearly as excellent as what I had on that main list. Believe me when I say that if this is your area of interest, your view of 2019 will not be complete without these records. 

As I did for my Classical list, albums I’ve already covered will be referenced with links to the original posts, while other albums and EP’s will be blurbed below. Press play here or below so you can listen while you read. 

First Quarter Report: The Albums

Michael Chapman - True North

Hand Habits - Placeholder

Cass McCombs - Tip Of The Sphere

Sunwatchers - Illegal Moves (they also put out a cracking live set)

Record Roundup: Poptones

Edwyn Collins - Badbea

Best Of 2019 (So Far)

Baroness - Gold & Gray

Crumb - Jinx

Record Roundup: Rock Formations

Jay Som - Anak Ko 

Tool - Fear Inoculum

Amyl & The Sniffers

Bon Iver - I,I

Ex Hex - It’s Real

Ocean Music - Fan Fiction For Planet Earth

Record Roundup: American Harvest

Tyler Ramsey - For The Morning

Elana Low - Loam

Andy Jenkins - The Garden Opens

Charles Rumback & Ryley Walker - Little Common Twist

John Calvin Abney - Safe Passage 

Courtney Hartman - Ready Reckoner

Jonathan Wilson - ‘69 Corvette

Molly Sarlé - Karaoke Angel

Daughter Of Swords - Dawnbreaker

Tate McClane - Jackpine Savage

Rebecca Turner - The New Wrong Way

Wilco - Ode To Joy

League of Legends

Leonard Cohen - Thanks For The Dance While there is a little of the too-neat phrase-turning that dampened my enthusiasm for some of his late-career albums (Popular Problems, for one), there are also many devastating and surprising lines (“I had a pussy in the kitchen and a panther in the yard”) to make this intimate completion a fitting capstone to Cohen’s career. Son Adam Cohen’s settings for these recitations are appropriately reverent, finding hidden chords in his dad’s speech. Cohen fans should feel a debt of gratitude to him (and guests like Beck) for bringing this to fruition. 

Hunt Sales Memorial - Get Your Shit Together Everyone who has heard Lust For Life or actually listened to Tin Machine knows that Sales is one of the greatest drummers alive. In his amusingly-named solo project he puts his devastating swing beneath some brick-hard rock and then sings over it all in a gruff and strangled voice that is an encyclopedia of hard living. While it may occasionally occur to you to wonder if he should be singing at all, you'll probably be singing along - or laughing too hard to care. 

Patrick Watson - Wave Watson has been flying progressively under my radar since the heights of Wooden Arms (#2 of 10 in 2009) and Adventures In Your Own Backyard (#14 of 20 in 2012), but, then again, this is his first album in four years after the disappointing Love Songs For Robots. He is nearly in full contact with his muse on this gorgeous collection, however, and even throws in a few new tricks of an almost cinematic nature. This is songwriting of great depth, realized by production that combines organic and synthetic sounds to intoxicating effect. Welcome back.

Folk-ish

Mega Bog - Dolphine Erin Birgy gives us more than enough sublime folk-rock (with touches of bossa nova and yé yé) to make it easy to overlook the random weird bits. Save the pieces, as TV Guide used to say - and they are marvelous pieces. 

Rachael Dadd - Flux Offers some of the same incantatory pleasures as This Is The Kit (their singer, Kate Stables, is a collaborator) though Dadd's take on Brit-folk is slightly more oblique. The arrangements, including horns, are often surprising but quickly make perfect sense. Listen and let the pieces come together in your head.

Nev Cottee - River's Edge His last album, Broken Flowers, was one of the delights of 2017, landing at #12 on my Top 25, so expectations were high for this one. While he uses many of the same elements - his gravelly voice, the enervated tempos, a quilt of starlit guitars - somehow the sum total just misses the heights of Broken Flowers. It could come down to the songs, which have less dynamic tension, making the album almost an ambient experience. But, still, Cottee is one of a kind and a presence I value greatly.

Post-Punky

UV-TV - Happy Post-punk power pop worthy of both storied traditions and a mite bit more gloss compared to their 2017 debut has in no way dampened the energy of this trio. Now that they’ve relocated to Brooklyn, I’m looking forward to catching them in concert. 

Bodega - Shiny New Model While their wry critique of late capitalism is still in evidence, this EP adds some sugar to Bodega’s tart no wave blend. Plenty of fun and kind of thrilling when they flex their pop muscles. 

Dry Cleaning - Sweet Princess & Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks Florence Shaw's talk-singing (OK, it's more like talking) slots this UK group into an area alongside Young Marble Giants, The Raincoats, The Slits, and the like, which is one of my favorite areas. And that what she's talking about ("...a mixture of inner monologue, YouTube comments describing memories of songs, and phrases collected from adverts on TV," as Shaw put it in an interview) over the sturdy sturm-und-jangle of the band is so resolutely of this moment only makes these EP's more fun. Catch them at their first U.S. date at Saint Vitus on March 6th.

Stargazer Lilies - Occabot I spotted these masters of monolithic and hazy shoe-gaze on tour dates with  Pale Dian (who I saw open for Cheatahs in Austin and I think my ears are still ringing). Working with Tobacco of Black Moth Super Rainbow has added melodic focus and further studio manipulation to their sound, making the musical visions of Kim Field and John Cep even more lethally compelling. This is their fourth album but feel free to start here if you're unfamiliar. And bring your earplugs to Saint Vitus on April 22 - or a venue near you.

Versing - 10000 This two-guitars-bass-and-drums band from Seattle has only improved since I saw them open for The Courtneys a couple of years ago. Tighter songwriting, more interest in the guitar interplay, and an uptick in the passion quotient means that maybe the next time I see them they'll be headlining and the crowd will leap to their feet like we did when Silver Velvet started up.

W.H. Lung - Incidental Music Opening their debut album with Simpatico People, a 10-minute journey of blissful motorik rhythms, pulsing synth, and guitar arpeggios is a bold statement of purpose for this trio from Manchester (of course they're from Manchester!). But that the rest of the album lives up to that overture makes me think there's a bright future ahead for them.

Historian - Hour Hand and Spiral Again Chris Karman put out two albums as Historian in 2019 and has already followed them up with Distractions, which came out in January. So dive in! There are many ruminative rewards to be found in his atmospheric chamber pop, which has only grown more assured since his first album, Shelf Life, from 2013. Spiral Again is a little stripped down for him (fewer strings), but he still manages to build up clouds of sound with what he has on hand, making either one of these a fine point of entry into his world.

L'Epee - Diabolique I was not aware that Emmanuelle Seigner - actress, wife of Roman Polanski - had a sideline in singing. And if you had told me so, I might have dismissed it out of hand. But this collaboration with Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre) and The Limiñanas is completely convincing. Seigner's dark-hued vocals combine perfectly with the driving, hypnotic rock cooked up by her bandmates and there's a bit of kicky sixties revivalism that never gets slavish. Could be a one-off, but either way it works!

Drone Shots

75 Dollar Bill - I Was Real Call me a curmudgeon, but this is the record I’ve been waiting for from these guys since first reading a description of them in an Other Music email. And you know that was a while ago, so I can be a very patient curmudgeon. By both expanding and deepening their drone jams, Rick Brown (percussion) and Che Chen (guitars) have made the Brooklyn via Sahara soundtrack for the next time I have to hike from Pioneer Works back to civilization - or mass transit, at least! Preferably that will happen after seeing them on stage. 

Earth - Full Upon Her Burning Lips Stripping down to drummer Adrienne Davies and guitarist Dylan Carlson has given Earth a way out of the cul de sac they found themselves in after their last album, which was heavy with guest vocalists. Carlson’s riffs are still monolithic but they’re also more organic, with a prairie wind blowing through the spaces between the notes. Davies has plenty of air and nuance in her drum patterns, too, while still remaining absolutely implacable. One of their best yet. 

Sunn O))) - Life Metal While I don’t think they’ll ever top Soused, their collaboration with the late, great Scott Walker, part of what impresses here is their exquisite control over tone and impact. It’s almost a dictionary of malevolent guitar noises, with a few added bonuses, like the vocals and cello of Oscar-winning Icelandic composer Hildur Guōnadódottir, and supported by bass, synth, and pipe organ.The only thing that would make it better (besides Scott Walker) is a searchable index so you could instantly find the snarl, feedback or power chord you need. 

Psych-Out

Levitation Room - Headspace The difference in this aptly-named L.A. quintet's take on psychedelia lies in their light touch. There's plenty of guitar fireworks, but there's still a crisp elegance to everything they do. Pushing their sound and style into songwriting of a more striking originality is the turn of a key keeping them from greatness. The packaging from Greenway Records is exceptional, even by their usual standards - grab a die-cut copy while you still can!. 

Poptones 

Clairo - Immunity While not nearly as fascinating as Billie Eilish, neither did this bedroom pop singer go the full Jack Antonoff route like Lorde - and thank god! Her simplicity and faux-naive approach maintains most of the charm it had when she was just posting from her iPhone onto YouTube. Not every song is a killer, but enough are to make you think she can go further.

The Drums - Brutalism “I know some good luck/And a good fuck/A nice glass of wine/And some quality time/Is gonna make you mine/(But it's not what I'm trying to find)” - imagine those transparent lines sung in a sunny tenor to an indelible melody over bright electro-pop and you’ll get a good idea of what Jonny Pierce is up to here. The fact that he keeps it up song after song is something of a marvel.

Faye Webster - Atlanta Millionaires Club Ultra-modern countrypolitan stylings from a young woman who could be Natalie Prass's little sister. Then she veers into woozy R&B on Flowers, throwing in a guest verse from Father and reminding you that she really is from the dirty south, not just name-checking it in the album title. If her next album went even further in that direction, you would hear no complaints from me - although Prass might start looking over her shoulder.

100 Gecs - 1000 Gecs Cut up random notification sounds from your phone, loop them, sprinkle with some Raymond Scott fairy dust and beats from hip hop and digital hardcore, then .zip to them your friend. Have her auto-tune the heck out of her voice and sing and rap in ways that ride the line of catchy and annoying. Master for streaming services and ta da, you're Dylan Brady and Laura Les. This is pop, as XTC once declared, and so it is. It remains to be seen, however, if they can remain interesting longer than Sleigh Bells did.

Beck - Hyperspace As a venture into pop territory, this is often much more successful than Colors, his previous album. But it also barely recovers from the Beck-lite of Saw Lightning and the Mellencampian idiocy of Die Waiting. But keep listening, because the last track is one of the best things he's ever done. His vocal performance alone on Everlasting Nothing is astounding, but it's the lyrics that stick the knife in more than once. In honor of that achievement, I'll let him have the last word on 2019: "And I washed up on the shoreline/Everyone was waiting there for me/Like a standing ovation for the funeral of the sun/In the everlasting nothing."

P.S. There's more goodness from 2019 to be found here and to make sure you don't miss the gems of 2020, follow this playlist.

You may also enjoy:
Best Of 2018: Rock, Folk, Etc.
Best Of 2017: Rock, Folk, Etc.
Best Of 2016: Rock, Folk, Etc.
Best Of 15: Singles & EP's
Best Of The Rest Of 14: Old Favorites, New Sounds

Best Of 2017: Rock, Folk, Etc.

By the end of 2017, this was the biggest category of all the ones I was tracking. This was partly due to it being a catchall for everything that didn’t fit elsewhere, but it was also just a good year for rock and folk music. Not only was my Top 25 dominated by it, including bands like The Clientele, The Courtneys, Spoon, Hiss Golden Messenger, Warhaus, etc., but my listening was as well. Whether seeking catharsis or comfort, it was often something from this realm that hit the mark. And if you’re still debating the medical status of guitar-based artists, you’ll find plenty of signs of life below. First,  some of the excellent albums I covered in previous posts but couldn’t shoehorn into the Top 25.

Autumn Albums, Pt. 1

Beck - Colors
Iron & Wine - Beast Epic

Autumn Albums, Pt. 2

Historian - Expanse

Best Of 2017 (So Far)

Heliocentrics - A World of Masks

Mastodon - Emperor of Sand

Record Roundup: Rock On (And On)

Billy Joseph - Ride On The Mystery

Jay Som - Everybody Works

These artists were on the included Epic Tracks playlist, which also had great songs from The Feelies and LCD Soundsystem among others - maybe you’ll like the rest of their albums more than I did. 

Rock-ish 

Versing - Nirvana Yes, it’s very cheeky for a band from Seattle to call their album Nirvana, but this is no Kurt Cobain homage. What we have here is a four-piece, two-guitar steamroller with touches of Kraut-and math rock. When I saw them open for The Courtneys at Park Church Co-Op, they were drilled and tight as hell, gaining confidence and even swagger from that solid foundation of technique. My instant reaction was that these guys have worked really hard and now they’re ready. Are you?

Wire - Silver/Lead So many bands draw on Wire’s influence (Versing, for one) that it seems almost unfair that they’re still making records this good forty years on from their debut. Silver/Lead is the fourth release since their last lineup change and it’s just a hairsbreadth off from the standard they set with Change Becomes Us in 2010. So that means all the sleek interleaved guitars and hypnotic rhythms you could ask for, married to insinuating melodies delivered in an almost conspiratorial whisper. And is that nearly a love song I hear in Forever & a Day, with Graham Lewis crooning “Ooooh I want you to stay”? Maybe you CAN teach old post-punks new tricks. 

Ulrika Spacek - Modern English Decoration Two guitars? Driving rhythms?  Wire influence? Two guys named Rhys? Check, check, check and check! In short, a very modern English rock band, and a very good one. This is their second album and if you heard The Album Paranoia, their debut from 2016, you pretty much know what to expect. It’s nice that there are still some things we can count on these days.

UV-TV - Glass The post-punk dream is also alive for this Florida trio, who work up an impressive storm of sound for a three-piece. The best songs have Rose Vastola on lead vocals - she's a force of nature - but there's only a slight let-down when Ian Bernacett takes the mike. By managing to sound more original and fresh than some others mining this territory (Omni, Preoccupations) they not only got my attention but kept it.

Self Defense Family - Wounded Masculinity Just for song titles alone, SDF is always worth keeping an eye out for and this four-song EP and the single Bastard Form are no exception. Musically speaking, the first is late-night, spoken-word musings with skeletal backing, like outtakes by The Doors but without Jim Morrison's grandiosity. Mary Devoured By Horses is especially cinematic and haunting, Lynchian, even. Bastard Form is also subdued but high-tension, with a steady pulse on both songs. One could question why the band hasn't put out an album since 2015, when they usually release nearly "enough" songs each year. The answer is that they have become masters of the short-form collection, which is only further borne out by 2017's releases.

Palm - Shadow Expert By honing their sound - mathy rhythms, post-minimalist guitars, sweet vocals - and their songs, this Philly foursome has come up with their most impressive release yet in this six-song EP. Rock Island, their second LP, drops February 9th, 2018 and if they can maintain the quality it should be truly extraordinary.

Crumb - Locket This is another band that just keeps getting better and better, with their jazzy, exploratory sound meshing perfectly with singer/guitarist Lila Ramani's smoky deadpan. Four songs are not enough when they are this woozily delightful. They must have more material, as they are going on an extensive tour this spring, so here's hoping an album is coming in the near future.

Jane Weaver - Modern Kosmology Hypnotic rhythms power Weaver's songs, which draw inspiration from the Velvet Underground, Can and The Walker Brothers circa Nite Flights - a sure sign of great taste - but her light touch is all her own.

Chastity Belt - I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone While it may be a cheap comparison to lump these Seattle rockers together with The Courtneys just because they’re both all-girl bands, the fact remains that they provide similar satisfactions: tuneful, chiming guitars, driving rhythms, clear, honest singing. Now, Chastity Belt is not yet the unstoppable force The Courtneys have become, but the way they continue to grow up in public makes for compelling listening on several levels. I’m rooting for them - they’re just the turn of a key (sorry) from greatness.

Diet Cig - Swear I'm Good At This I've been following this guitar and drums duo since it seemed like they were more of an idea than a band. Now, they are an unexpectedly polished music-supervisor's dream, with great tunes and up-to-the minute lyrics (Link In Bio, etc.). I truly admire how hard they've worked and the album is a feast of fun - but I might get hungry again soon.

Angel Olson - Phases This grab-bag of covers, outtakes and previously uncollected songs occasionally finds Olson slipping into vocal mannerisms. But it's mostly another example, like 2016's My Woman, of her imperious, phenomenal power as both a singer and a songwriter. 

Jen Cloher - Jen Cloher When an artist releases a self-titled album in the middle of their career, it usually signals some kind of reinvention or at least a request for reevaluation. Smart move on Cloher's part, as not only does she have more attention on her now as the partner of Courtney Barnett (in love and in their company, Milk! Records), but this is also her most assured - she calls it "honest" - album yet. Barnett helps out on guitar and vocals but the songs are all by Cloher and they reveal a keenly observant and emotionally connected songwriter. She also knows the power of the groove, as evidenced by Analysis Paralysis, which locks into that Velvet Underground swing and doesn't let up for almost eight glorious minutes. I was not a fan of Lotta Sea Lice, Barnett's collaboration with Kurt Vile, but I am happy to report that at least one great album came out of their little corner of Melbourne in 2017.

Warbly Jets - Warbly Jets This is that other kind of self-titled album, a debut, and the two word review is: It rocks! Big riffs, bigger choruses, thrashing rhythms, and smart production distinguish these California boys from the competition. Two of the Jets have a New York pedigree, with Julien O'neill (synth) formerly in Napoleon and Samuel Shea (vocals, guitar) an erstwhile member of Spires, two bands I enjoyed a great deal. Warbly Jets is far more commercial sounding - arena ready, even - than their NYC bands, but it is also way too sincere and, above all, FUN to feel like a cash grab. This is one to gleefully throw in the faces of all those "rock is dead" blowhards.

Roger Waters - Is This The Life We Really Want? Speaking of arena-ready, consider the fact that over 30 years after his last album with Pink Floyd, Waters still tops concert sales playing material that's even older. This is due partly to the quality of most Pink Floyd, but also to his brilliant use of stadia as the perfect theatrical venues, with spectacular, immersive production values setting a new standard on tour after tour. While I've respected his abilities to stay on top of the touring market, I certainly didn't have any expectations for a new album from Waters. But when I heard he was working with genius producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck, Paul McCartney) and had even added contemporary guitar/production wizard Jonathan Wilson into the mix, I was intrigued. The results are far better than anything Waters has been involved with since Animals in 1977 (yes, even The Wall, which is a bit of a mess to these ears), filled with darkly moving meditations on the state of the world in jewel-like settings devised by Godrich, Wilson and other experts like drummer Joey Waronker and keyboard player Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. 

There are two things holding back ITTLWRW from true greatness, however. The first is Waters's voice, a dry and pinched instrument which, while he does the best he can with it, is ultimately ill-suited to his melodic ambitions. The second is the overwhelming sense of familiarity. Even though he is obviously one of the architects of the classic Floyd sound and has ownership over its moody magnificence in that sense, in another he's practically ripping himself off. Still, it's a highly listenable affair and a more than credible calling card to take on the road. I saw the show and the new songs sounded even better with a some live energy behind them and fit in well with the classics, especially a large chunk of Animals. The visuals were often astonishing and Waters had some of the best back-up you can imagine, including both Wilson and Waronker, guitar god Dave Kilminster, and Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig from Lucius on vocal support. The cherry on top was his blunt anti-Trump messaging, which was very satisfying to see writ large in an arena setting.

Gregg Allman - Southern Blood Roger Waters is 74 and not the most productive record-maker so I wouldn't be surprised if his latest album turns out to be his last. Unfortunately, we know this is Allman's last, as he died in 2017. It's a decent capstone to his career, with some impeccably chosen songs (Tim Buckley's Once I Was, Dylan's Going Going Gone, Little Feat's Willin'), but Don Was is kind of a cheesy producer and poor health had drained Allman's voice of some of its bluesy richness. Things definitely take off more on the live songs included on the deluxe edition, which makes sense as Allman was one of the great road warriors of all time. Ride on, Midnight Rider.

David Bowie - No Plan The now-classic Lazarus with two excellent songs and one good one from the Blackstar sessions, thankfully freed from the slog of the Lazarus cast recording.

Matthew E. White & Flo Morrissey - Gentlewoman, Ruby Man Like a lot of albums of cover songs, your own relationship to the material included here may dictate how much you enjoy their interpretations. So, for me that means I can't stand the takes on the Velvet Underground's Sunday Morning or Leonard Cohen's Suzanne - some songs are sacred. The exception is Frank Ocean's Thinking About You, which works great as a duet, and it's nice to think about the song becoming kind of a standard. It is in my house! Grease is just a bad song, but almost everything else is pure gold, especially opener Look At What The Light Did Now, rescuing a Little Wings song from obscurity, and the Euro-pop of Nino Ferrer's Looking For You, with its spectacular synth solo. Kind of a holding-pattern album for White, however, as we await his follow-up to 2015's Fresh Blood.

Mastodon - Cold Dark Place Mastodon may also be in transition, as they followed up Emperor Of Sand, very nearly a return to the heights of Leviathan and The Hunter, with this somewhat exploratory four-song EP. While it still gets heavy, there's a space-rock vibe and a new level of delicacy and detail to the layers of guitars that is truly glorious. Where to next, boys?

Folky

Julie Byrne - Not Even Happiness This hushed, interior album reveals itself only after several listens, but when it comes into focus it's a knockout. Byrne possesses some of Nadia Reid's dignity and grace as well as her ability to conjure indelible melodies seemingly out of thin air. The production, focusing on her voice and finger-picked acoustic, is beyond sympathetic even approaching perfection with little touches like the breathy synth on Melting Grid. A special album, indeed.

Florist - If Blue Could Be Happiness When I saw Florist open for Mutual Benefit back in 2016, I was immediately captivated by the songs and singing of Emily Sprague. I bought the debut album, The Birds Outside Sang, from the merch table and confirmed her skills at constructing songs that were delicate yet sturdy and very personal. This new album is quieter and features more acoustic guitar and perhaps one too many slow songs, but her lyrics are as connected as ever and married to melodies that display a deep understanding of how someone like Leonard Cohen made things work. Sprague is so sad on this album yet so charming and lively on Twitter - perhaps her recent move to California will allow some of that to bubble into the music.

Hand Habits - Wildly Idle (Humble Before The Void) Like Florist, this is really the project of one woman, Meg Duffy, also originally from upstate New York and now located in California. Duffy plays guitar and keyboards and has been on the road with Kevin Morby's band for a while. Although she has released a few intriguing if unfocused songs under the Hand Habits moniker going back to 2014, this is her true debut. And a very impressive one at that, with a distinctive, trebly sound and songs that draw you through the album like chapters in a good story. By the time you get to Demand It, the sixth song, you should be fully onboard - I know I was.

Caroline Says - 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong Both the name of the band (based on the Lou Reed song) and the album are either acts of extreme self-deprecation or hubris. I'm going with the former, as Caroline Sallee's whole approach is so gentle, with touches of fun, that you can't help think she's having a laugh. But it would probably be more like a rueful chuckle, if these mostly melancholy tunes are as true-life as they sound. The album jumps around a bit, from indie rock to almost straight folk, betraying a slight lack of focus. Based on the promise contained within, and the fact that it was recorded some time ago, I don't however, her next album should be a stunner.

Big Thief - Capacity While I miss some of the band feel from Big Thief's debut album, Masterpiece (speaking of hubris vs. self-deprecation!), leader Adrienne Lenker is the real deal. Her singing is always aimed at true communication and the way she develops hooks almost casually, as with that little "ooh" on Shark Smile, is brilliant. Mary really feels like a solo track as Lenker pushes into her  high register accompanied only by piano and some atmospherics. It's gorgeous and whether it bodes an even more solitary sound in the future or the band becomes more prominent again, sign me up.

Aaron Roche - HaHa HuHu This record is so singular I wish I had more time to talk about it here. From quiet instrumentals, like album closer Sig Beeg Sig Moor, which has guitarist's guitarist Phil Keaggy duetting with Roche, to The Terror, featuring the American Contemporary Music Ensemble, or Florida, "Recorded live in a stairwell by Aaron Roche and Helga Davis," this is quite a journey into a very talented, very eclectic mind - and one with a killer rolodex. Roche is so eclectic, in fact, that I first discovered him as the producer of The Perfect Nothing Catalog, featuring the work of composer Conrad Winslow, and one of my favorite classical albums of 2017. I have no idea where Roche will go next, but I can tell you that I am following him on every channel I can.

I live for new songs from Holly Miranda and 2017 was bookended by Midnight Oil, a moving Chris Williamson cover released to benefit the Standing Rock protestors, and Exquisite, a stunning duet with TV On The Radio's Kyp Malone. Even better, the latter was the first single from her third Album, Mutual Horse, out on February 23rd. A good sign for 2018!

Country-esque

Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer - Not Dark Yet This is the first album these singing sisters have recorded together and it is also the best thing Lynne has done since I Am Shelby Lynne back in 1999. The production is rich, the song choices are on point, like the Dylan-penned title track, Merle Haggard's Silver Wings, or even Nirvana's Lithium, and nothing gets in the way of their voices, which are masterful. They also co-wrote the closing track, Is It Too Much, which deals head-on with their tragic past and how the bond of their sisterhood helped them survive it. If they want to collaborate some more, either as songwriters or just singers, you'll get no argument from me.

Wild Ponies - Galax While this sometimes triggers my anti-hoedown reflex, at least Doug and Telisha Jones come by it honestly, having recorded the album in a barn in Virginia featuring a combination of Nashville pros and local heroes. I also miss Doug's wicked Telecaster, which has been MIA since Things That Used To Shine came out a few years ago. But when they sink into a ballad like Hearts And Bones (not the Paul Simon song), it's sigh-inducing, a pure breath of fresh country air.

Whew. Listen to tracks from all of these artists here or below, and if you want the full dump from this category, dig into the 13-hour 2017 Archive (Rock, Folk, Etc.). Keep up with 2018's glories, goodies and near-misses here and, as always, let me know what I'm missing.

 

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Best Of 2017: The Top 25

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Best Of 2017: Classical
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Best Of 2017: Out Of The Past

Best Of 2016: Rock, Folk, Etc.