- 20-16
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- 15-11
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- 10-6
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- 5-1
HCTF's annual list of the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come. As per usual many genres are represented. Here Comes The Flood covers a lot of ground and it shows in this eclectic, final tally. Caveat: only albums that got a review are in these listings. I listen to a lot more music than I have time to write about.
Today: countdown from number 20 to 16.
Please shop at your local record store. Most of the stores have a pretty good website where you can order your stuff. It might even be cheaper than the big ones on the 'net. The folks who work there know their stuff and can recommend artists you might like.
Buy directly from the artist, attend live shows and stop by the merch table. And be sure to tell your friends about that great new act you discovered. Word-of-mouth can't be beat as the prime source to discover new music. Algorithms always play it safe, which is fucking boring.
20 North Star: Death
Dealing with life hassles can be a chore, but well-crafted synth rock might offer some solace.
Death is an album about life - no pun intended. Shit happens, and some of it is pretty damning and hard to cope with, but they won't let it bring them down. Facing their demons (Intrusion) and being pissed off (Just My Luck) won't solve anything, but it will make them feel better for sure.
19 Jetstream Pony: Bowerbirds and Blue Things
Grating sounds from the underground outlasts run off the mill mainstream fodder.
Their sound switches between rather polished power pop, late 60s psychedelica, and the jagged punk riffs that would give birth to New Wave. In order words: it is quite catchy, once again proving that the sum can be greater than its parts.
18 Matt Saxton: Feel It Again
Falling our of favour and fixing it for a Hollywood ending with none of the false sentiments.
Navigating between folk, blues, jazz and a bit of country, Saxton has the knack to make it seem that he is singing only for you. Intimacy is key, with his rough-around-the-edges vocals smack in the middle of the mix. This is an album that should be enjoyed as a whole, half an hour of quality music as the equivalent of a comfy blanket when it is cold outside.
17 Todd Tobias: Blue Mansions
Subtle, subdued and very effective, using just a few notes to get the message across.
It is a dreamy excursion with elements of minimalism, ambient and softcore. He did not bother to come up with titles - the numbers are there to mark the transistions between the compositions. It is a very relaxing effort, not to be confused by made to order New Age-y stuff that is taking up shelf space at drug stores.
16 Sex Faces: Bad Vibes OST
Is there a need for loud music in the US? There sure is, especially in that nation's capital.
Something good coming out of Washington, DC, is rare nowadays, but there are still people fighting the good fight. They are loud and abrasive, and they have an above average need to pay tribute to their influences (The Smiths, Iggy Pop, Anthony Burgess). There is plenty of distortion and feedback, but dig a little deeper and it turns out that they can spin a catchy song. Imagine with Sonic Youth having a lot of drinks with the Bad Seeds and Sleater-Kinney, before heading to the studio to cut a full albums, using only a couple of takes for each song to get it right.
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