12-23-2016, 07:34 PM
So, 2016 is nearly over, and I don't see any new big releases coming up to talk about. So, I figured I'd give out a little on my top 5 albums of the year. Note my musical choices are generally a little off, so proceed with caution.
5: Neon by Savlonic
So, I have always enjoyed the more classic age of Synth-pop, including such acts from the late 70s and early 80s as Gary Numan, OMD, John Foxx, Depeche Mode and the like. I also feel that in recent years, somewhere along the way, some of the soul and vibrancy of electronic music has been lost, focusing more on a danceable beat than creating a mood or feeling.
This is why, to me, as a fan of electronic music, Savlonic has been a breath of fresh air. Sure, it started out as a side project of a comedy youtube channel, but that has only helped the growth of the fictional band to be more organic. And while Mr. Weebl's music has always been a little goofy, he decided to try to foray into a more adult-themed and regular album here.
Savlonic has been the perfect opportunity for such a progression. Ever since that first song from around 2009, the Savlonic project has just grown over time. This is the second official Savlonic album, and it blooms and swells. It may be electronic, but it is firmly routed in other traditional songwriting techniques. It doesn't have anyone it really needs to answer to either, being funded entirely by Kickstarter (like the first album). If you want a slice of electro-pop without having to feel the bulsing beat of EDM, you can have your nostalgia here: serviced from a fictional youtube band.
4: The Glowing Man by Swans
Swans have been an oddity for it's entire existence, and frontman Micheal Gira has never been afraid to sound wholly unique. From the early days, they were a collection of abrasive noise, meant to shake you to your very core. Now, over 30 years later, Micheal Gira continues to experiment, but with longer and longer melodies, blending noises together into a new form of noise, just more controlled and beautiful than the anger of his youth.
While their last two albums "To Be Kind" and "The Seer" (which were also both critically acclaimed on all fronts) combined that original drudge with these longer repetitions, "The Glowing Man" actually has much more subtlety. While those two other albums certainly had their little nuances, it was difficult to pick them out of the drone. Hear, you can hear the vocals, the guitars, the bells, the layering of drums in a much clearer balance. While it still prefer "The Seer" over this effort, the progression and willingness to change can still be heard. That is why I believe Swans has always been a force in the music world and will continue to do so with whatever the next step of Micheal Gira and crew proves to be. (Note this album is a good 2 hours long and is NOT for casual listening, probably more so than anything else on this list. I mean, the song I'm linking is a half hour long.)
3: Skeleton Tree by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Another legendary act here, which helped form the genre of post-punk (which, without post-punk, the entire alternative scene that exists would never have actually been born.) However, Nick Cave and crew have always been able to walk a fine line between an easy listening act and pushing what can be accomplished lyrically and sonically.
Skeleton Tree is probably the group's most ambient work yet, and is an incredibly mature affair at the same time. Much of the album deals with the fairly recent death of Nick Cave's son Arthur. It's very sparesly populated here, and the burdening lyrics fall even deeper in the void with Nick's smooth voice. It's touching, painful and poetic all at once.
2: My Woman by Angel Olsen
Here! Take a newer singer for my list please! Ok, in reality, Angel Olsen is basically a lo-fi indie darling. But, at the same time, she can just let her voice linger nearly perfectly, as if honey dripping down slowly. It may be a lo-fi, non nuanced, sound, but it is also uniquely hers.
What sets "My Woman" apart from her past two full albums is an approach to purposely break away and confuse past listeners of her music. While it is still very clearly a lo-fi record, it catches bits and pieces from synth-pop and straight up pop melodies. However, it continues to do so with just oddly arranged structures combined with a highly untraditional band structure itself. The end result is haunting and ghostly, yet totally glorious.
1: Blackstar by David Bowie
If you aren't familiar with who David Bowie was, I'm not sure I can help you here. There is simply to much to his amazing career and life to try to put into a few short words, so let's just cut to the chase: Blackstar was an amazing album.
I had pre-ordered a copy of Blackstar and received it the day of release. After the music video releases, I had been entralled by this return to form. Every inch of this record just oozed with a feeling of "I can do whatever I wish to do", and it drifts with amazing horns. David Bowie's voice touches to the very heart, especially in the final track "I Can't Give Everything Away".
Then David Bowie died two days after it's release from terminal cancer, and we all realized the album was meant to be a final goodbye.
Suddenly, lyrics such as "Look up here man, I'm in heaven" struck like hammer. This was more than just a collection of good songs, it was a summation of his whole life. In his life, he was an entertainer. In his death, he gave us all one last time to ponder and think. I can't think of a more beautiful goodbye that a musician has ever given.
5: Neon by Savlonic
So, I have always enjoyed the more classic age of Synth-pop, including such acts from the late 70s and early 80s as Gary Numan, OMD, John Foxx, Depeche Mode and the like. I also feel that in recent years, somewhere along the way, some of the soul and vibrancy of electronic music has been lost, focusing more on a danceable beat than creating a mood or feeling.
This is why, to me, as a fan of electronic music, Savlonic has been a breath of fresh air. Sure, it started out as a side project of a comedy youtube channel, but that has only helped the growth of the fictional band to be more organic. And while Mr. Weebl's music has always been a little goofy, he decided to try to foray into a more adult-themed and regular album here.
Savlonic has been the perfect opportunity for such a progression. Ever since that first song from around 2009, the Savlonic project has just grown over time. This is the second official Savlonic album, and it blooms and swells. It may be electronic, but it is firmly routed in other traditional songwriting techniques. It doesn't have anyone it really needs to answer to either, being funded entirely by Kickstarter (like the first album). If you want a slice of electro-pop without having to feel the bulsing beat of EDM, you can have your nostalgia here: serviced from a fictional youtube band.
4: The Glowing Man by Swans
![[+]](images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
SpoilerSwans have been an oddity for it's entire existence, and frontman Micheal Gira has never been afraid to sound wholly unique. From the early days, they were a collection of abrasive noise, meant to shake you to your very core. Now, over 30 years later, Micheal Gira continues to experiment, but with longer and longer melodies, blending noises together into a new form of noise, just more controlled and beautiful than the anger of his youth.
While their last two albums "To Be Kind" and "The Seer" (which were also both critically acclaimed on all fronts) combined that original drudge with these longer repetitions, "The Glowing Man" actually has much more subtlety. While those two other albums certainly had their little nuances, it was difficult to pick them out of the drone. Hear, you can hear the vocals, the guitars, the bells, the layering of drums in a much clearer balance. While it still prefer "The Seer" over this effort, the progression and willingness to change can still be heard. That is why I believe Swans has always been a force in the music world and will continue to do so with whatever the next step of Micheal Gira and crew proves to be. (Note this album is a good 2 hours long and is NOT for casual listening, probably more so than anything else on this list. I mean, the song I'm linking is a half hour long.)
3: Skeleton Tree by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Another legendary act here, which helped form the genre of post-punk (which, without post-punk, the entire alternative scene that exists would never have actually been born.) However, Nick Cave and crew have always been able to walk a fine line between an easy listening act and pushing what can be accomplished lyrically and sonically.
Skeleton Tree is probably the group's most ambient work yet, and is an incredibly mature affair at the same time. Much of the album deals with the fairly recent death of Nick Cave's son Arthur. It's very sparesly populated here, and the burdening lyrics fall even deeper in the void with Nick's smooth voice. It's touching, painful and poetic all at once.
2: My Woman by Angel Olsen
Here! Take a newer singer for my list please! Ok, in reality, Angel Olsen is basically a lo-fi indie darling. But, at the same time, she can just let her voice linger nearly perfectly, as if honey dripping down slowly. It may be a lo-fi, non nuanced, sound, but it is also uniquely hers.
What sets "My Woman" apart from her past two full albums is an approach to purposely break away and confuse past listeners of her music. While it is still very clearly a lo-fi record, it catches bits and pieces from synth-pop and straight up pop melodies. However, it continues to do so with just oddly arranged structures combined with a highly untraditional band structure itself. The end result is haunting and ghostly, yet totally glorious.
1: Blackstar by David Bowie
If you aren't familiar with who David Bowie was, I'm not sure I can help you here. There is simply to much to his amazing career and life to try to put into a few short words, so let's just cut to the chase: Blackstar was an amazing album.
I had pre-ordered a copy of Blackstar and received it the day of release. After the music video releases, I had been entralled by this return to form. Every inch of this record just oozed with a feeling of "I can do whatever I wish to do", and it drifts with amazing horns. David Bowie's voice touches to the very heart, especially in the final track "I Can't Give Everything Away".
Then David Bowie died two days after it's release from terminal cancer, and we all realized the album was meant to be a final goodbye.
Suddenly, lyrics such as "Look up here man, I'm in heaven" struck like hammer. This was more than just a collection of good songs, it was a summation of his whole life. In his life, he was an entertainer. In his death, he gave us all one last time to ponder and think. I can't think of a more beautiful goodbye that a musician has ever given.