Low Fidelity: Best Albums of 2016

2016 was host to scores of great new music. Here’s some of it that I believe is better than the rest.

 

 

Fury – “Paramount”
When was the last time you picked up a hardcore record that was not only moshable, but that referenced Vonnegut and Shakespeare, and that featured Ned Russin (Title Fight) and Justice Tripp (Angel Du$t)? I’d be willing to bet never. This Orange County youth crew group made the best hardcore record of the year and it is fantastic.

 

 

Vektor – “Terminal Redux”
A progressive thrash metal space opera? Why not. Long songs, incredible riffs, and a concept that will keep you hooked throughout the 70+ minute play time.

 

AJJ – “The Bible 2”
Love it or hate it, they got even weirder and it works. Although they’re not the folk-punk band they used to be, “The Bible 2” is an intensely personal and impactful listen.

True Love – “Heaven’s Too Good for Us”
Another killer hardcore release, this time from Boston straight-edgers True Love. Fast, short, and it’s got Brendan Yates from Turnstile. Give it a spin and two-step the world away.

 

Teen Suicide – “It’s the Big Great Joyous Celebration, Let’s Stir the Honeypot”

Beneath this mouthful of a title lies the pop album of the year, albeit one that sometimes sounds like it was recorded using the cheapest and most damaged audio equipment possible.

 

Mare Cognitum – “Luminiferous Aether”

Jacob Buczarski is back doing what he does best: creating sprawling, beautiful, atmospheric, cosmic black metal. This album picks up where “Phobos Monolith” left off, using layered reverb-heavy riffs to sweep the listener throughout the vastness of the unknown.

Gatecreeper – “Sonoran Depravation”
The debut album from these purveyors of “Sonora Desert Death Metal” is a brutal venture into old-school death metal territory. This cacophony of down-tuned guitars, death growls, and double kick drumming lands Gatecreeper among contemporary metal mainstays such as Mammoth Grinder and Nails.

 

Julia Brown – “An Abundance of Strawberries”
Another project from Baltimore singer-songwriter Sam Ray (Teen Suicide, Ricky Eat Acid, Starry Cat), Julia Brown’s second album delivers even more pastoral melodies and melancholic lo-fi goodness.

Gouge Away – “, Dies”

Gouge Away are a female-fronted hardcore punk band from Florida, and they’ve delivered one of the most scathingly personal-meets-political blasts of rage to arrive in the last decade. Singer Christina Stijy is unafraid to confront you about women’s rights, animal rights, depression, and sexual assault, which makes “, Dies” a vital record that people need to hear.

Crying – “Beyond the Fleeting Gales”
Crying is a cool band. They sound like power-pop meets synthy chiptune and chances are the world would be a better place if instead of being mean to each other, people jammed this album.

 

Explosions in the Sky – “The Wilderness”
With “The Wilderness,” Explosions in the Sky have veered away from being a completely guitar-driven band and embraced their synthy side. Songs like “Disintegration Anxiety” deliver all the atmosphere and emotion we’ve come to expect and love from the band, just with a somewhat different delivery.

Angel Du$t – “Rock the F**k on Forever”
In a genre plagued by mean people who wear lots of black and who will judge you for two-stepping the wrong way, Angel Du$t know how to have fun. Put this slab of wax on and get ready for some groovy, danceable hardcore.

 

Turnstile – “Move Thru Me”
Before they graduate into the big leagues and release a record with major-label Roadrunner, Turnstile have released one more banger on their own label, Pop Wig. If you like Turnstile’s past output, or a little bit of groove with your hardcore, “Move Thru Me” might be your cup of tea.

Death Grips – “Bottomless Pit”
Yes, I like being yelled at while I listen to hip hop. Death Grips does exactly that on “Bottomless Pit,” merging harsh electronics and aggressive vocals into an experimental hip hop masterpiece.