1.) Foxygen - Hang
This is the latest album from pop duo Foxygen, coming off the release of their last album, the controversial …And Star Power. This previous record, released in 2014, was very poorly received, critics frequently citing the half-baked song ideas, as well as a consistent muddy recording quality.
However, on Hang, the pair come through with an ornate, masterfully recorded baroque pop record reminiscent of the early works of Scott Walker or David Bowie. Sitting at just over 30 minutes, Hang does not overstay its welcome and delivers a record that sounds more like the soundtrack to a short, political stage musical soundtrack. Complete will swelling, triumphant choruses, arranged chamber instrumentation, and even an occasional tap dancing solo, this record delivers an exhilarating punch to every listener.
2.) Utopianisti - Brutopianisti
This is the latest record from Utopianisti, a Finnish experimental music group. This is my first experience with this group, and it was quite a violent introduction. This is not a nice record, or a pleasant record. This record is a lean, mean free jazz/avant-garde metal fusion that pulls no punches. This record is also very short, about 30 minutes, but I don’t believe I’d find it nearly as enjoyable if it were longer
Brutopianisti strings together 13 short tracks filled to the brim with dissonant guitars, blaring horns, frantic percussion, and some of the most freakish vocal performances I’ve heard in quite a while. Records like this don’t come along too frequently, but the most obvious comparison I can make here is some of John Zorn’s more obtuse compositions. Both are rife with experimental performances and absurd time signatures. Check this out, even if you don’t like it, you’ll likely hear very few things like it.
3.) Stabscotch - Uncanny Valley
This is the newest record from Indiana experimental rock group Stabscotch. This record is quite possibly one of the most punishing and heavy records I’ve ever heard, period. It’s nearly two hours in length and doesn’t let up even for a second. This record presents an incredibly challenging mix of post-hardcore, experimental rock, and the more avant-garde end of progressive rock that will fry the ears of any unsuspecting listener.
I came into Uncanny Valley not expecting much, but it isn’t any exaggeration that this is one of the most intense and emotionally visceral records I’ve ever heard. The vocals on this record are mixed relatively loud compared to the sonic car crash playing them off, and they’re impassioned and monstrous. The instrumentation, like the Utopianisti record, is rather experimental for what it is, combining lo-fi guitars, drums, and bass into intense, mind-numbing cacophonies that I can’t even begin to describe. The instrumental style reminds me vaguely of Slint, though much louder than that group’s typically subtle approach. This will likely be one of the most imposing listens you’ll have all year, but if you go in with an open mind, you may just enjoy yourself as much as I did. However, the pure ferocity of this record may turn away casual listeners.
4.) Wiley - Godfather
This is the latest, and apparently final, record from the godfather of grime music, Wiley. To say grime wouldn’t be the same without Wiley is a massive understatement. For those who don’t know, grime is a style of hip hop developed in the UK in the 90's and the 00's that focuses on very speedy, quip-laden bars backed by instrumentals that draw a strong influence from dubstep and future garage music.
Godfather is not only excellent by itself, but it’s a fantastic introduction to the genre of grime as a whole. Throughout this record, Wiley delivers fantastic bar after fantastic bar with the help of some of grime’s most prominent figures like JME, Skepta, and Ghetts. In the lyrics of this record, Wiley describes his tumultuous come-up while simultaneously giving the audience a crash course in grime history. Though this album doesn’t expand the genre into any new territory, this is one of the best pure grime records to come out in years and should be on permanent rotation for anyone looking to expand their tastes in hip hop.
5.) Priests - Nothing Feels Natural
This is the debut album from Washington, D.C.-based punk outfit Priests. On this record, Priests really capture everything that made the genre of post-punk great in the 70s and 80s and brought it back into the modern era. All over Nothing Feels Natural, listeners will hear the incredibly varied vocal performances of frontwoman Katie Greer, the element of Priests’ music that stuck out to me the most.
On each of these tracks, Greer spits out vitriolic lyrics detailing the group’s political opinions, as well as personal stories in many vocal styles. Greer can pull off the traditional monotone post-punk vocal with ease, but she mixes it up on other tracks, adding in legitimately sing-along choruses that I can’t seem to get out of my head. Similar to Godfather, this album isn’t out to experiment and create something completely unique in sound, but it is one of the best albums to do this sound justice in 2017, that cannot be denied.
