Oh, Hello!
2016 has been a very interesting year but I am most of all grateful to have a great year in new music and having a great support system at the home base. So many great releases came out this year, I have pared down my list to my favorite 10 of the year. You can listen to my picks of songs from 2016 in a spotify playlist here. On a personal note, I am looking forward to doing a bit of traveling in 2017.
Basement released one of my favorite albums in 2012, Colourmeinkindness. After a breakup and then a release of an EP. Basement came back less pissed off and more melodic and softer sounding. Aquasun is a perfect example of the tone of Promise Everything.
Vapor / Warner Brothers
Their 2013 release, Heartthrob, was one of my favorites in that year. Tegan and Sara released their 8th studio album and it did not disappoint. Working on the shift of sound and direction with their previous effort, they created another really catchy pop album.
Looking back on older material seems to be a trend for releases this year. Working from playing a tour of their first three albums, it seems that the tone and vibe stuck with the band as they worked on their 9th studio album. Protection as a whole has all of the elements of an older Face To Face sound and feel but with the continuation of the lyrical content their later catalog. All of this sounds like a great formula for success.
7. PUP: The Dream Is Over
After the singer of PUP reported to have health issues with his vocal chords, PUP returned with the release of a super energetic and explosive second album titled The Dream Is Over. The band opted to tone down singer Stephan Babcock's screamy vocals for the flirtatious play of parts from the rest of the band and anthemic sing-alongs.
Philadelphia's Nothing released a follow-up album to their 2014 debut album titled Guilty of Everything. Tired of Tomorrow encompasses very personal lyrics of mortality, mental health, and other depressive subject matter meshes perfectly with the melancholy, dark and shoegazey tone to the entire album.
Canadian punks, The Dirty Nil will have you hooked into their debut full length within the first seconds into their first track, No Weaknesses, you get sucked into their fuzzy guitars and alt rock aesthetics. Songs like Friends in the Sky holds to try to their ability to create clever hooks in vocals and guitar riffage.
From Caplan To Belsize is a perfectly poppy debut album from the UK's Muncie Girls. The band manages to balance indie and punk sounds to produce 10 very catchy songs. The shining point of this album is the very clever and smart lyrics and storytelling presentation of vocalist Lande Hekt. In "Balloon" Hekt's lyrics draws a picture of people floating apart like a little red balloon.
3. Look Mexico: Uniola
Growing older does not need to mean the end of a band for some. Look Mexico encompasses this thought process. It has been many long years that they have been working on their latest album titled Uniola. The lyrical content of Uniola seems to be a conversation of Matt Agrella's life on growing older, kids and life in general. Look Mexico returns very true to their musical form, creating music that they would want to listen to with a more mature chilled out flare.
2. Gates: Parallel Lives
This Jersey band can do no wrong for me. They seem to surprise me with each release they have put out. With each album, they have progressed to mature in sound and push themselves to work more and more with crafting the perfect sound. Parallel Lives sounds to be a movement to more indie/ alt-rock approach. They work to make something meaningful, more technical with their instrumentation in trying new noises and instruments that were not on any previous effort. Songs like "Eyes" and "Empty Canvas" taps into a calmer tone than their previous effort.
I have so many feelings for this band so this is no surprise their newest album Simplicity would end up on my list. The Bouncing Souls have returned to somewhere familiar to crank out another album of 13 songs. Harking back the sound and feelings from some of their older catalog. Greg brings the same fun, sometimes silly and heartfelt lyrics with an older lens to Simplicity. Simplicity has captured the same spirit of Hopeless Romantic and Anchors Aweigh. My favorite track on this record is "Satellite."