As we close out yet another year, one of my favorite things to do is look back, in particular on what was going on musically. You get a good idea of the year's soundtrack (and in essence your own personal soundtrack) based on what came out that year, and which of your favorite artists have pushed new boundaries with their music. For me, hearing new, exciting things inspires, and forces me to push my own creative boundaries.
So, some of these are new discoveries. Most are new music from musicians and bands I've known and loved for years. I missed out on a few key releases here. It seems like post-September, we got bombarded with a ton of great new stuff, so it got hard to keep up! I missed the new albums from U2, The Killers, Bjork, The XX, Lorde, Quicksand, and so on. But I did enjoy the following.
ST VINCENT: Masseduction
This is probably my favorite album of the year. I honestly didn't discover St. Vincent until she was 4 albums deep (5 if you include her collaboration with David Bryne), but once I saw her perform Lithium with the remaining members of Nirvana for the Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame, I did a deep dive into her discography and fell instantly in love. I've been anticipating new music, just like the rest of the world, since then. "Masseduction" didn't disappoint. It's a natural progression for her as an artist, and the perfect amalgamation of everything she's done before, except there's a new underlining confident sexiness to the songs. I compare it to what both Prince or David Bowie were able to exude in all of their music, and St Vincent is the heir apparent. Just listen to when her voice goes up for the chorus of the title track when she sings, "I can't turn off what turns me on."
The whole album is solid, but another standout is the first single "Los Ageless." If you haven't gotten into St. Vincent yet, you should! And you can easily start with this album and work your way backwards.
A PERFECT CIRCLE: The Doomed (Single)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: HALLOWEEN
When I heard news of this on the week of Friday, October 13th, I was convinced it was a practical joke. But alas, it was not! The mighty Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails reinterpreted John Carpenter's infamous theme for HALLOWEEN. The result is the below 7 plus minute mood piece that weaves in and out of what you know while sprinkling in that NIN touch. Can you imagine? Nine Inch Nails covering John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN theme? That happened in 2017. Michael Myers would be proud!
L7: Dispatch From Mar-A-Lago
Another one off single that I hope leads to more, L7 returned to the stage in these last few years picking up where they left off in the late 90's. On top of that, we also got the excellent documentary L7: PRETEND WE'RE DEAD. And surprisingly, in honor of Trump, they dropped this new song "Dispatch From Mar-A-Lago." It's like they didn't miss a beat, and it's just as rockin' and fun as any of their earlier albums. Fingers crossed we'll hear more from the gals in L7 in 2018. They deserve all the accolades in the world for rocking harder than almost every other band out there.
JEREMY ENIGK: Ghosts
Sunny Day Real Estate has been, and remains, one of my all time favorite bands. And so, I'm always curious and excited when frontman Jeremy Enigk promises new music. This actually started as a Pledge Music campaign a few years back and took all that time to push it to the finish line. The result is this lush, mellow, and beautiful batch of new songs as only Jeremy could sing and play. This came out simultaneously with a "Rarities" compilation, and if I may be candid, that collection is the album I gravitated towards more, for personal reasons. It was great to finally hear a proper demo of the track "Asleep Under Last Weeks News," which Jeremy used to play way back on his first solo tour. Early demos of "Carnival" and "Abigail Anne" are also a treat. I almost look at Ghosts and Rarities as a double album representing past and present. Both are worth picking up!
FOO FIGHTERS: Concrete & Gold
Sonic Highways, both the show and the album were released back in 2014, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that there was a new Foo Fighters record this year, but it was surprising! I didn't learn about it until a friend texted me a week or two after it was released, and so it was fun to jump on iTunes and instantly download an album I had no idea existed. At this point, the Foo Fighters tend to get a lot of shit from music "purists" (snobs), but I'll always have respect for Dave Grohl, just for the sheer body of work he consistently puts out into the world. With the Foos, you kind of know what you're going to get, and this album is a pretty solid rock record. If anything, their love of Led Zepplin (and Queen) is at its peak here, and they're channeling the rock gods across all 11 tracks. Not one of their best, but there's some great trademark Foo Fighter riffs and melodies all over this thing.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE: Villains
OK, so the Foo's channeled some Led Zepplin for their latest, and then the Queens Of The Stone Age came along and doubled down on that with their new album Villains, which rocks even harder! My fave track is the opener "Feet Don't Fail Me Now," but be patient, the song doesn't kick in until the 1:48 mark and when it does, the album doesn't let up! In terms of pure rock, this is one of the best of the year and just grooves and rumbles from start to finish. It's only 9 tracks and clocks in at about 48 minutes, but it packs a punch.
NINE INCH NAILS: Add Violence
Last year, Nine Inch Nails promised new music before 2016 was over, and they delivered right at the tail end of December with an EP titled "Not The Actual Events." It was intended to be the first of three EP's. And while I do like it, I'll admit to being a bit underwhelmed by those 5 tracks, and thought maybe they rushed them out to fulfill that "new music" promise. But then the second EP "Add Violence" dropped mid-summer, and the grander picture started to emerge. "Add Violence" was a bit more straight forward, traditional NIN, kicking off with the single/opening track "Less Than." But I decided to create a playlist that combined both EP's chronologically, and went back to their previous album "Hesitation Marks." (Which is better than you remember.) When you listen to the first 2 EP's together as an album, it feels and sounds like the logical next progression to "Hesitation Marks." Now I can't wait for the third EP, so we can hear the whole thing come together!
ROYAL BLOOD: How Did We Get So Dark?
Royal Blood's debut was one of my favorite discoveries of 2015. I doubt a rock song of the last decade is going to top the sheer furiosity and power of "Out Of The Black." And the rest of their self titled debut kicked just as much ass. So, with their follow up "How Did We Get So Dark?" they maintain their stature as the most epic sounding two-piece band of ever, without stepping too far outside the sound they established. I don't think this album is as strong as the first one, it's probably equally as good and delivers the same type of rock. It's just 10 solid tracks and a respectable sophomore, but I'm looking forward to what their 3rd record will sound like and if they'll deviate from the rock sound they've already perfected. Regardless, it's still great and how many bands deliver an equally great second album?
LIFE OF AGONY: A Place Where There’s No Pain
Another pleasant surprise I discovered while skimming through records at a local shop, I knew that Life Of Agony had reunited for a handful of shows across the country, now fronted by Mina Caputo (formally Keith), but I didn't realize they'd also recorded and released an album with 10 brand new tracks! Their 1993 debut "River Runs Red" is the quintessential East Coast hardcore album. And while I've loved all their albums in between, those records sound like an amalgamation of all the individual band mates influences and tastes as opposed to tapping into what made that first album so special. "A Place Where There's No Pain" sounds like the spiritual, appropriate follow up to "River Runs Red." With Mina embracing her life as a transgender person, there's even more passion behind the lyrics and vocals than ever before. And riff-wise, the album just rocks so hard.
JIMMY URINE: The Secret Cinematic Sounds Of Jimmy Urine
This is a fun and totally wacky album. Jimmy Urine, the frontman of Mindless Self Indulgence and The Left Rights, released this "solo" album "The Secret Cinematic Sounds of Jimmy Urine" which is exactly as the title implies. The opening track "Fighting With A Melody" is a trademark Jimmy Urine song with vocals, while the rest of the album is comprised of instrumental tracks to a non-existent movie. Lots of fun themes that make me long for a corresponding movie to go along with them! Worth a listen if you're looking for something a bit off-kilter and unique. Check out my personal fave track "I Want To Be Human" below!
BODY COUNT: Bloodlust
Yes. Just fuck yes. In these turbulent times, there's no one better to rage against the machine than the band that original shouted "Cop Killer" back in 1992. Ice T and crew are back with one of the fiercest metal albums of the year, "Bloodlust." "No Lives Matter" and "Black Hoodie" are the stand outs, but there's plenty to love across the 11 tracks here, including a guest appearance by Megadeth's Dave Mustaine on the opening track "Civil War" and a killer cover of Slayer's "Raining Blood." This is the epitome of the type of music we need in this post-Trump era America. "No Lives Matter" should be our freakin' anthem right now.
THE FLASH (Grant Gustin): Running Home To You
DEPECHE MODE: Spirit
We got a new Depeche Mode album this year! And yet again, it came a mere few months after Trump's inauguration, and although the album was probably in the works for a while, it's hard not to see the correlation between modern politics and their first single "Where's The Revolution?" Perhaps the song was a direct result of the election and written at the tail end of recording? "Poorman" is another track that seems awfully timely. Regardless of its inspiration, the entire album has a sense of urgency and energy that comes only with the best of Depeche Mode's discs, and "Spirit" is one of their best efforts in years.
THE FUTURE IS POINTLESS: EP
Last but not least is this obscure EP from a mysterious band called THE FUTURE IS POINTLESS. My friend Will Rot directed a video clip for the band, otherwise I might have completely missed out on this rockin', blistering debut.
The above is only the tip of the iceberg. The rest of the EP is just as fierce and reminiscent of the early 2000's "nu metal," done with much more finesse, and much better than any band of that misogynist era. It's strange, mysterious, and just really, really great.
So there you have it! A lot of tunes rocked my world in 2017. Here's hoping I turned a few of you onto something new!
