This year, many of my friends and acquaintances put out absolutely incredible music that is worth taking a few minutes out of your day to listen to. Despite how proud I am of everything I recorded this year, I decided to limit the inclusion of that stuff to one album. Below are links and my best attempt to describe each artist. In no order:
Mitar - Anywhere Anyway
Whispery vocals over beautifully nuanced guitar playing. If you like Nick Drake playing you to sleep in 2012...
Freudian Slip - & Slide
Equally lazy and agile, excellent drum work, and the guitars mesh together. Tons of cool harmonies. If you like mathy Chicago bands with a great sense of melody...
Oshwa - transmissions from the midwest: a real-america tribute
Weirdo-tropical-math, female-fronted, crazy vocal parts, groovy rhythm section. If you like Tune-yards and twinkling guitars...
Is and of The - Know Not
Spaced-out jams with live and electronic instruments/noises. Very structurally unconventional. The whole album just flows and I like the production a lot. The vocals are awesome, and reading the lyrics along with them helps give the album more of a center. If you like feeling like you're in outer space...
Esoteric Tapioca - Single Player
GREAT lyrics! Really cool vocal melodies and harmonies, interesting chord progressions. A raw, DIY affair. A couple tracks have some serious fuzz too. If you like WHY? playing badass rock music...
Random Child - Trials
This band put out two metal albums before Trials, but it seems they've hit their stride comfortably with this one. Lyrics are really, really well written and totally sad. Lo-fi but hard-hitting, a nice blend of older and newer hardcore (older in terms of production/mix and newer in terms of musical vocabulary). FUCK!
Ton-Taun - Get Well
Recorded in a barn and boy oh boy does it sound like it. Nice harmonies, lots of layers and rad drumming. If you like Bon Iver from the East Coast...
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