Top 5 New Albums 2016

Top 5 New Albums of 2016

5. American Football 2

Polyvinyl Records, 10/21/2016

Perennial favorite American Football reunites to try to recreate 1999. Not bad.

(Buy it here at Polyvinyl.)



4. Landing - Complekt / Third Sight

These Are Not Records, 11/25/2016

El Paraiso 6/17/2016

Two Landing albums in 2016. Complekt is among their best. Third Sight is quite good, too. Spacey drone pop tryyps.

(buy them here and here.)


3. The Lowest Pair - Uncertain as it Is Uneven / Fern Girl and Ice Man

Team Love 4/15/2016

Team Love 4/15/2016

Two years ago, The Lowest Pair's debut album earned the top spot on my list. Now, they have five albums. That's almost disturbingly prolific. Nevertheless, both new albums released in April of this year were solid, listenable, and fun. Still banjo-tastic. Still heartachingly honest. Still amazing.

(You can buy it here.)


2. Beauty Pill Describes Things as They Are

Butterscotch Records, 4/21/2015

OK, so this is a 2015 release. Well, I can't get EVERYTHING immediately as it comes out. I'd be more broke than I already am. It's been 11-odd years since Beauty Pill's last album. Bandleader Chad Clark has faced a busy life, health issues, and a revolving door of bandmembers. Several songs from the album were released in the intervening years. It was worth the wait.

(Here's the official site.)

1. Temper and Hold - The Speed of Travel

Grafton Records, 10/7/2016

Another beautiful album from Temper and Hold. Andi Camp (formerly of Ribbon Fix and solo fame) leads this Portland power trio, and they bring the rawk. Pure, powerful emotion bled through every song. Beautiful packaging on the vinyl release. Strap in and give it a listen.


(Buy it from the band/label here.)

Top 5 New Discoveries 2016

Top 5 New Discoveries of 2016

(albums released pre-2015 that I finally discovered this year)

5. Maritime - Heresy and the Hotel Choir

Flameshovel Records, 10/26/2007

I might have even seen Maritime play in 2007, but for some reason I didn't pick this album up until this year. A regret, for sure. RIYL: Promise Ring, or some good midwest pop.

(Flameshovel doesn't seem to be selling it. Try Amazon.)



4. Their / They're / There - Their / They're / There / Analog Weekend

Topshelf Records, 4/20/2013

Topshelf Records, 12/10/2013

A collab between Mike Kinsella (of way too many good bands) and Evan Weiss of Into It. Over It. I was vaguely aware it was happening in 2013 and should've paid more attention. Quite good. Two EPs, 9 songs.

(buy them here)


3. Cursive - The Storms of Early Summer: The Semantics of Song

Saddle Creek Records, 11/8/1998

I somehow missed this album in my long relationship with Cursive. I have long loved their first album, and was pleasantly surprised to find this is more of the same, and perhaps even better.

(You can buy it here.)


2. Pop Unknown - If Arsenic Fails, try Algebra

Deep Elm, 11/30/1999

Another band I saw back in the day but didn't buy the album. Gabe Wiley, drummer from Mineral plays on this album that sounds very little like Mineral, but very much like good indie rock. Download it for free from Deep Elm, or pick it up in the dollar bin at the local record store like I did.

(download from Bandcamp right here.)

1. The Jealous Sound - Kill Them with Kindness

Better Looking Records 6/3/2003

I didn't know I needed this album in my life. Blair Sheehan of Knapsack's post-90s band. Sounds a bit like Knapsack, a bit like contemporaries Hey Mercedes, and all good. Solid 2000s pop.


(Looks like Rise Records rereleased a bunch of Jealous Sound stuff here.)

Top 5 Miscellaneous songs of 2016

Top 5 Miscellaneous songs of 2016

5. The Juniper Drive - Decade

[self-released, 2016]

These young punks from North Dakota came through and played a house show in Salem. I loved their energy and spirit, and I can't help shouting along with the refrain from this song.

(buy at Bandcamp)



4. Boy Eats Drum Machine - Blazers Theme

[self-released, 2009]

Stumbled across this old chestnut from Portland's BEDM as a free download. This song is probably not meaningful if you didn't grow up watching the blazers on TV, but it gives me ALL the feels. I listened to it a lot during Portland's great but heartbreaking semifinal series against the Clippers this year.

(download for free at Bandcamp)


3. Magic Sword - The Legend of the Keeper

 

[self-released, 2016]

Transport yourself into a magic fantasyland. Check out their live shows, they look epic (but I haven't been to one yet). If you buy their music, buy the accompanying comic book as well.

(buy the music and comic books here).


2. Weezer - Long Time Sunshine

[DGC, 2010]

I'm enough of a Weezer fan to really like Pinkerton and be vaguely aware that Rivers wanted it to be some sort of more grandiose rock opera, but not enough to be one of those folks piecing together the clues on the internet. So, when I stumbled across a deluxe edition of Pinkerton with bonus tracks (thank your local library!), I was floored by this one. Vulnerable and weird like Pinkerton, but with a sort-of Broadway slant.

(can't seem to find it online for less-than-preposterous prices. Good luck.)


1. Radiohead - Spectre

[self-released, 2015]

Far better (in my opinion) than the other songs on their 2016 album A Moon Shaped Pool, Radiohead dropped this failed James Bond theme on Christmas Day 2015 . A Moon Shaped Pool missed my top 5 for this year, but this song is AMAZING.

(used to be a free download. Now you'll have to try something clever to get it)