[Jerry Lardieri is a friend and fellow lover of guitar-based power pop and rock music. He's frontman and guitarist for The Brixton Riot, a band that delivers on those sounds in spades. A great songwriter, a Yankee fan, and a cooldad, Jerry has been kind enough to share his favorite albums of last year with us here today. The Brixton Riot will be playing on January 11th at The Danny Clinch Transparent Gallery in Asbury Park along with Lost Romance and Joe Zorzi. They'll also be part of a soon-to-be-announced CoolDad Music showcase on February 7th at The Asbury Hotel. Thanks, Jerry.]
2019 was a bit of a disjointed year for me music wise. While I did do a lot of listening, I found that connecting with full albums was a little tougher than in the past. If I had to guess, I'd say it has more to do with time and listening habits online versus the quality of the records. Trend and technology changes are inevitable, and we've been on this road since the first iPod came out, but it has made it harder to be a music fan.
Fortunately, there were still records that I connected with in 2019; and, rather than describe them as "the best" records of the year, I'm going to just call them my favorites.
Over the past year, I played his record than any other, and I always played it all the way through. It never failed to put a smile on my face. The most powerful pop married to a variety of topics including moments of social commentary that are more fist-pumping rallies (not the Jersey kind) than pulpit sermons. Guitar based rock records are plentiful, but The Coming Collapse is a reminder that they're not only relevant but still cathartic at the right volume.
Two things I was already looking forward to on New Year's Day: the new Big Quiet record and the last Star Wars movie. One delivered in every possible way, and the other had Ewoks. Again with the damn Ewoks. As for Big Quiet, with Mitch Easter at the helm, the R.E.M. tendencies are amplified though never threaten to take away from the band's signature sound.
My introduction to the Pernice Brothers came via their spinoff project Chapaquidick Skyline and their beautiful cover of New Order's "Leave Me Alone." Spread The Feeling has an underlying sense of warmth to it that makes it a joy to listen to over and over.
J. Robbins spends so much time making great records for other musicians, it's wonderful to hear him work his magic on a set of his own solo songs. Musically, this is a close cousin to Robbins' Office of Future Plans output; and, similarly, it is consistently great from start to finish.
Is this cheating? I'm not sure. What I do know is that A Giant Dog took something that wasn't in my wheelhouse, turned it inside out, and made something new which I thoroughly enjoyed. I think that's definitely worth a mention.
November releases don't get the love they deserve on year-end lists, likely because they're due to editors in advance (Much thanks to CD who was kind enough to let me submit one AFTER the 1st). If you enjoyed Upset's first two records or if you simply long for the wonderful sound of 90s college radio al a Velocity Girl or Sleepyhead, don't skip this one.
Bob Mould has found his happy place. He's also on a crazy hot streak, releasing another fantastic record, his fifth since returning to the louder guitar-based sound on 2012's Silver Age. A wonderful collection of songs that serve as a reminder to find the light and joy in life, even (or especially?) in dark times.
Yet another fine collection of songs from one of the most consistent bands in New Jersey (or any state really; I'm name checking our shared home state here out of pride). This one definitely has a little more twang to it than most of my regular listening material, but it perfectly suits Mick Chorba's sepia-toned vignettes.
My favorite live music of 2019 was being right against the stage for Swervedriver at The Saint in October, riding shotgun for CoolDad as he did his CoolDad thing. I've had never had my internal organs rattled by the sheer volume of a band before. It was a jarring if strangely pleasant experience. Future Ruins is loaded with excellent songs that fit right alongside Swervedriver's best. And they'll rattle your guts when they go to eleven.
Speaking of fine songs and consistency, The Anderson Council dropped this psychedelic gem in our laps this year. It would be disingenuous for me to write about this record without mentioning my long friendships with the members of this band. Familiarity still didn't prevent me from being gob smacked by the finished product, even if they did leave my favorite song off the final track list. There's a reason why we don't follow them when our bands share a bill. They make it all look so easy. The great ones always do.
Guided By Voices released not one but THREE records in 2019; and, while all are solid entries into an already loaded vault of classic albums, each had moments of absolute perfection. This made it all but impossible to pick just one (and impractical to list all three), so here is a compilation of my favorite GbV songs of 2019. Sure to piss off purists but hopefully inviting enough to attract the uninitiated. I apologize for its rudimentary sequencing.
It's crunch time now. I've been thinking about this list for weeks. In the past, I've done about 30 albums and / or EPs, with a little blurb for each, in a two-part post. I don't really have that in me this year; so I've decided just to list my favorites. I've talked enough about most of them throughout the year, in the "Favorite Songs" post, etc.
These are pretty much just the albums I listened to the most this year. There were long stretches of time when I was too distracted to listen to much of anything; and, clearly, these are heavily concentrated in the genres where I spend most of my time. I'll make an effort in the new year to expand my listening; but, for now, here's where I'm at.
With that all said, here we go in no particular order.
Albums Superchunk, What a Time to Be Alive -- "Clinging to the myth that you were cheated / Yeah, the myth that you were robbed."
Screaming Females, All at Once -- "She needs to love me still / Until I've had my fill / I try and try to leave / I want to watch you grieve."
Titus Andronicus, A Productive Cough -- "Deplorable forces conspire to fire the lord and to hire a guy who will try to eat more of the portions / A guy who's more boorish, a guy who's more selfish, with elves as his helpers"
Snail Mail, Lush --"It just feels like / The same party every weekend / Doesn't it? Doesn't it?"
The RockNRoll Hi-Fives, Re-Introducing The RockNRoll Hi-Fives -- "Then I knew / You and me / Could make a real good team"
Dentist, Night Swimming -- "I'm feeling insecure / Ain't that what life is for?"
Lost Boy ?, Paranoid Fiction -- "I swore that I'd sell my soul / If I could rock like this every day"
Flasher, Constant Image -- "Go, go, living on the inside / Prying eyes, the night, the night / Suicide all the time / Taking over your face and come on"
Bad Moves, Tell No One -- "In the eyes of every cop, don't it seem to say / 'It's criminal. It’s written in the code of your DNA.' / But the pillage and the take, it don't ever stop / 'Cause that's the way they generate, oh"
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, Years -- "Too damn tired to walk away / Too tired to make it through another day / Just gonna lie here and complain instead"
Bat Fangs, Bat Fangs -- "Maybe you're just a boy of summer / The kind that you see next year / Maybe you think you got my number / But now I'm gonna disappear"
The Beths, Future Me Hates Me -- "Oh you, you wouldn't like me / If you saw what was inside me / Yeah you, you wouldn't like me / At all"
Well Wisher, This Is Fine -- "What's the meanest you could be / To the one you claim you love? / I know better"
Secretary Legs, Cool Myths -- "And on and on it goes / A sad holiday / A sad holiday"
Hinds, I Don't Run -- "Every night when I am on stage / I picture you in my favorite lines"
Caroline Rose, Loner -- "Bang bang and away she goes..."
Lucy Dacus, Historian -- "In five years, I hope the songs feel like covers / Dedicated to new lovers"
Big Bliss, At Middle Distance -- "Maybe I'm uninspired / Maybe it's just I am losing faith"
Exmaid, Fair Sex -- "We'll see about that / I will be Goddamned / Over my dead body / And other bad words"
Idles, Joy as an Act of Resistance. -- "I'm like Stone Cold Steve Austin / I put homophobes in coffins"
Alice Bag, Blueprint -- "I make 77 cents on the dollar / It's not fair and it makes me want to holler / Yeah you work hard but I work harder / To catch where you are I gotta push myself farther"
Erotic Novels, There Is No Language in Our Love --"What ya know 'bout Jersey? / Don't you know there ain’t nothing left here?"
Culture Abuse, Bay Dream -- "It's been a long year / And I been tryin' / To take it easy"
EPs Lowlight, Born to Run -- "You see it comin' but you can't stop now"
Yawn Mower, Could Eat, Would Sleep -- "When you get to be, where you're meant to be / Please remember please, what you meant to me"
The Rareflowers, The Rareflowers-- "I'm so scared that I could be alone"
Baked, II -- "There could be something in these walls / There could be nothing"
Roy Orbitron, 8 Million to One -- "I'll root for my heroes / And I'll be singing their songs at the top of my lungs"
Russian Baths, Penance -- "I tried to straighten it out / I'm having bad luck / Out in the poolhouse"
Blushing, Weak -- "No one gets / No one gets / To love you twice"
Live Albums
(A category I put here just so I could add these two releases)
Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires, Live at The Nick -- "We don't want the city turned into a tiny kingdom / We don't want nobody buried beneath the city walls / Tear down the city walls"
Last year was a good year for music, and I found a lot of new stuff to listen to (which is always a bonus). In fact, five of the ten albums (and the EP) listed below are from musicians I had never heard of until last year. I reviewed all but one of the albums (plus the EP) on this list (and my views haven't changed), so I decided to include excerpts from these reviews below (although I've added a brief statement to give a context to the review). The one album from a band that was on my best-of list last year and the reissue get new words for this post.
Once again, I would like to thank CoodDad for giving me an opportunity to share my views and the music I love. And I also want to thank him for his patience in my sometimes getting reviews to him after I've promised it last week.
By the way, at the end of this list is a Spotify playlist with my favorite songs from each of the releases. I hope you enjoy listening to it.
ALBUMS
The Magic Es, It Goes On
The Magic Es are the best British rock and roll band since the heyday of the Gallagher brothers. There. I've said it. And It Goes On is my favorite album of 2017.
In my review I wrote: "The Magic Es take this rock-and-roll stuff seriously. On their debut album, this [band] from Norwich, England, plays with a commitment -- and a sense of dynamics -- that I really like a lot. My favorite track, "One Shot," has all of this and more. Starting with a hushed, solo piano, the song slowly adds a guitar lick and cymbal tapping and then the full band comes crashing in. The lead and backing vocals really mean it when they sing: "You've got one shot / To make it what you want / Give it all you have."
Fallon Cush, Morning
This is the band's second album in two years with an expanded lineup and the continuing strong backing vocals of Suzy Goodwin.
In my review I wrote: "I started listening to Fallon Cush just before Bee In Your Bonnet came out, and Morning has all of the elements that I like so much about the band. First, there's the songwriting of Steve Smith. Morning shows his range and contains both rockers ('Long Shot') and ballads ('My Achilles Heel'). Then there's his singing, a bit like Dylan but with a warmth and a sense of taking the listener into his confidence ('In Your Backyard')."
The Hangabouts, Kits & Cats and Saxon Wives
With this album The Hangabouts took care of my power pop fix for 2017.
In my review I wrote: "John Lowry, Gregory Addington, and Chip Saam are The Hangabouts from Detroit (with a little help from their friends including a guest vocalist, three drummers, and mastering by The Legal Matters' Andy Reed). The acoustic guitar (not unlike George Harrison's work on 'And I Love Her') and quiet vocals on 'Sensation Overnight' are lovely. And the final track, 'Follow The Sunshine,' is a gentle number with some swell slide work by guest guitarist Ken Greene."
The Nature Strip, Beetle Bones
The third full-length album from this Australian band and the first in which the songwriters John Encarnacao and Pete Marley each contribute an equal number of songs.
In my review I wrote: "The styles and arrangements [of the songs] are as different as the subjects and include 1960s guitar jangle, psychedelica, new wave, and post-punk.
Encarnacao's 'Eyes Are Blinded' is a slow burner and another example of how The Nature Strip uses musical elements from the past to create their own sounds. Marley's 'Supermoon,' which closes the album, is a fine example of gorgeous pop craftsmanship and contains jangely guitars and a marvelous melody."
Cotton Mather, Wild Kingdom
Robert Harrison and company continue their mission to write a song based on each of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. At the end of 2016, the band recorded an EP with the marvelous Nicole Atkins; and 2017 saw the release of both the Wild Kingdom album and Young Life, a 6-song EP. And there is word of a new album being released in early 2018. Harrison may be the best musical magpie since Ray Davies as Cotton Mather picks and chooses from the history of rock music as evidenced in the terrific Byrds-sian riff of "Girl With A Blue Guitar" and the Elvis Costello-Get Happy! vibe of "I Volunteer."
The Jigsaw Seen, The Jigsaw Seen For The Discriminating Completest(Rarities And Singles 1989-2015)
Previously released singles, EPs, flexidiscs, and compilation album tracks originally put out on various labels. Plus they've been remastered!
In my review I wrote: "On one of the covers, 'Luci Baines' by Arthur Lee and his pre-Love band The American Four, the Jigsaws take a soulful 60s single and make it woozy and spacey. My favorite track on the album is their version of The Bee Gees' 'Melody Fair.' The original was string-laden, harmony-rich, and pslightly psychedelic. But The Jigsaw Seen has turned it into a Revolver-era mashup with 'She Said, She Said' guitars and a McCartney bass line from 'Rain.' It's terrific and wouldn't have been out of place on Cotton Mather's Kontiki. It's that good."
Deal Casino, Deal Casino
The songs and performances on their full-length debut album, as the press materials like to say, range from Nick Drake to Led Zeppelin.
In my review I wrote: "Deal Casino is the sound of a band at the peak of their powers. It's as if they knew this was the right time to make the album instead of two or three years ago. With Joe P on vocals and guitar, Jozii on guitar and keys, Jon Rodney on bass, and Chris Donofrio on drums they're a world-class rock outfit."
Ron Sexsmith, The Last Rider
The singer-songwriter's singer-songwriter released his 13th album.
In my review I wrote: "It's no surprise that Sexsmith's songwriting reflects the influences of both past and current greats. He's said his songs are a combination of the folk singers and British Invasion artists he's always admired. And anyone who follows him on Twitter or has taken a look at his YouTube videos of solo acoustic covers of classics like 'Windows On The World' by Bacharach and David, 'Wedding Bell Blues' by Laura Nyro (um, dressed up as Nyro), and a great, upbeat 'But Not For Me' by the Gershwins recognizes where he's coming from and what he brings to the table (much like the Last Supper homage on the album cover)."
Son of the Velvet Rat, Dorado
Austrians now living in Joshua Tree and singing about the West with the help of the great Victoria Williams.
In my review I wrote: "Son of the Velvet Rat's new album, the fine, moody, Americana-tinged Dorado, opens with a high, lonesome harmonica. Then, frontman, songwriter, and guitarist Georg Altziebler begins to sing about seasons and endings in a voice (a blend of a very weary Tom Petty by way of Dylan and a bit of Tom Waits for good measure) of a man who's seen a lot of life."
Nick Garrie, The Moon and The Village
A mature singer-songwriter and storyteller releases his third album since 1969.
In my review I wrote: "Garrie plays a gentle, acoustic guitar on the reassuring 'I'm On Your Side:' 'Those tears you've cried / I've cried them too.' But things will get better: 'I can tell you, honey / In the morning time / You're gonna feel as right as rain / 'Cause me and Doctor Jangle's gonna fix you up/ And get you on your feet again.' I'm not sure what Doctor Jangle is supposed to be, but to me it sounds like an endorsement for the healing power of music."
EP Adam and the Plants, Born With the Gift Of Magic
I not only got to review the EP, but I also interviewed Adam.
In my review I wrote: "The first track is 'Side Man.' The song rocks, but there's a lot of things going on as well. There's an early 60s guitar playing at one point (think of the opening to Del Shannon's 'Runaway').'Madeline' is a really cool pop song about a woman who dresses down: 'Corduroy was your finery' (What a great line!). There's some jangle-ly guitar and an excellent solo. The whole thing reminds me of the songs on Pernice Brothers' Yours, Mine & Ours album. Take it from me, that's high praise indeed."
Live Album Various Artists, Thank You, Friends: Big Star’s Third Live … And More
In April 2016, the biggest names in indie rock performed a tribute to one of the most influential albums of the last forty years.
In my review I wrote: "To me, one of the most amazing things [Chris] Stamey and his musicians and vocalists have accomplished in the Third performance -- in addition to the great guitar playing and sympathetic vocals on 'Dream Lover' and 'Holocaust'-- is recreating the album's sense of things barely being kept together. A lot of this, astonishingly, is reproduced in the concert. A crucial element is the use of the original wind and string arrangements by Carl Marsh who conducts the orchestra. And it didn't hurt to have The Kronos Quartet as the concert's string section."
Reissue The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
What can I say?
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of this album, Giles Martin (son of the legendary Beatles' producer, George Martin) and his engineers remixed Sgt. Pepper. Using the Beatles-approved mono mix and notes made during the initial work, they've used the original non-"bounced-down" tracks to remix the disc. I can't explain this nearly as well as Martin does in this NPR interview made just before the remix was released late last Spring. What's so special? Well, the Beatles really rock and the backing vocals are a joy to hear. Lennon's on "She's Leaving Home" especially, as well as his sitting-right-next-to-him lead vocal on "A Day In The Life." The CD versions are great; but if, like me, you grew up with the record, the vinyl is amazing.
So I'm a day late with Part II. Hopefully, it was worth the wait.
Broken record time: This is not a "best of." These are my favorites. Lots of friends, lots of locals, lots of albums that were special to me for different reasons. There were plenty of objectively great albums this year that are not on this list. You can check out Pitchfork or Stereogum or some other big music site to see those. But, again, maybe you'll find something here you hadn't thought of before and you'll check it out and like it.
If you haven't already, feel free to check out Part I.
Also, it's Christmas Eve. From the CoolFamily to your family, here's wishing you joy, happiness, and -- above all -- peace for the holiday and for next year. Thanks for spending time with me.
Let's start off with one of the albums and one of the bands that meant the most to me in 2017.
A Giant Dog, Toy
I teared up twice at A Giant Dog shows in 2017. The sheer force of rock brought forth by Sabrina Ellis, Andrew Cashen, and the rest of the band can do that to me. Toy is probably the album I listened to most in 2017, and its primal, sexual energy is the year's best example of our human vulnerability.
Favorite Tracks: "Photograph," "Roller Coaster"
Fruit & Flowers, Drug Tax
Fruit & Flowers play tons of live shows, and I'd heard just about every song on Drug Tax live countless times before the band released their debut EP. That didn't make the dark, surfy vibes and haunting vocal harmonies any less satisfying for me.
Favorite Tracks: "Out of Touch," "Drug Tax"
Japanese Breakfast, Soft Sounds from Another Planet Soft Sounds from Another Planet sounds like, well, just that. On her second album as Japanese Breakfast, Michelle Zauner adds spacey, ambient interludes and synth pop to her unique approach to shoegaze. Zauner deals with earthbound issues like grief while traveling through the solar system on our giant, spherical spaceship.
Favorite Tracks: "Machinist," "The Body Is a Blade"
The Vansaders, No Matter What
Big, romantic New Jersey punk that draws as much influence from whiskey-soaked country songs as it does from the Boss. Doug Zambon and The Vansaders are so good at this stuff, and they've found the perfect producer in The Bouncing Souls' Pete Steinkopf.
Favorite Tracks: "Sunrise," "Hurtlin'"
dollys, tense
One of the sad things to come out of 2017 was the demise of dollys. With tense, though, they leave us with a collection of their most intricately beautiful pop. Some of the lyrics here seem to foreshadow the band's end, making this an emotional listen.
Favorite Tracks: "collapse," "girl"
Allison Crutchfield, Tourist in This Town
Another early 2017 release that should not be forgotten. Crutchfield's songwriting and voice, combined with producer, Jeff Zeigler's, expertise with analog synths make Tourist in This Town an almost retro-sounding collection that deals with change, travel, and personal growth.
Favorite Tracks: "Dean's Room," "Expatriate"
Sharkmuffin, Tsuki
Grandma Sharkmuffin opens this one by telling us to forget all the bullshit and just have a fun time. In a year full of bullshit for lots of us, that can sometimes be more easily said than done. Sharkmuffin, in a major sonic step forward as a band, manage to provide a wild, noisy fun time that you can take with you anywhere.
Favorite Tracks: "Space Glow," "Puppy Love"
Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights
Julien Baker lets us in on her personal journey of self-acceptance on Turn Out the Lights. Amazingly, it feels like a conversation between just you and her. It's even more amazing, to me anyway, that someone as young as Baker could have the wisdom to produce something so wrenching.
Favorite Tracks: "Appointments," "Turn Out the Lights"
Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Youth Detention
This is another band that always puts a lump in my throat. On Youth Detention, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires turn the sounds of southern hard rock towards blowing up the entrenched power structures that keep marginalized people down and towards celebrating the people who fight the good fight against those structures every day.
Favorite Tracks: "Underneath the Sheets of White Noise," "Crooked Letters"
White Reaper, The World's Best American Band
Yeah, it's not the most original stuff in the world. It's wild, stadium-ready, guitar-based rock. But with the album's title and the sounds of cheering throngs in the title song, White Reaper display enough self-awareness to make this one just pure, rock and roll fun.
Favorite Tracks: "The World's Best American Band," "Judy French"
Aye Nako, Silver Haze
Aye Nako describe their music as "sad punk songs about being queer, trans and black." Songwriters Mars Dixon and Jade Payne claim the sounds of 90s indie rock as their own and use them to give voice to experiences too often ignored by the genre. And Silver Haze rocks.
Favorite Tracks: "Particle Mace," "Nightcrawler"
Michael VM, the happiest man on earth
Michael VM trades the beer-fueled chaos of The Everymen for deeply personal, southern-inflected Americana. Songs about the loss of his mother, his move to North Carolina, and his Jersey roots are delivered in a raspy drawl with the backing of an expert band and some beautiful arrangements.
Favorite Tracks: "Oh Susie," "Before the Moon"
Spowder, Health Palm
Based on Health Palm, Spowder's self-described SWAMP ROCK would appear to encompass punk, garage rock, even weird spaciness. Whatever it is, it's one of the most energetic and interesting things to come out of the New Jersey basements in a long time.
Favorite Tracks: "Miracle Grow," "The Man with Two Mouths"
Yawn Mower, What's All This New Piss?
Yawn Mower manage to make their doomy, heavy fuzz sound fun. They also manage to make songs about parched, post-apocalyptic landscapes, social anxiety, and old sheds sound fun, too. How do they do it?
Favorite Tracks: "Here We Go Again," "Shed Is Old"
Little Silver, Somewhere You Found My Name
With hints of country, Americana, indie, and power pop, Little Silver create a sound on their debut LP that envelops you and pulls you in. The intertwining vocals of Erika Simonian and Steve Curtis are beautiful, and the guitar sounds are some of my favorites on any record this year.
There were a few things that knocked me off of my game here at CoolDadMusic in 2017. Thanks to all of you for sticking with me throughout our fifth anniversary year. I'm pretty sure I wrote fewer long-form album reviews than I have in past years; but, in preparing for this piece, I realized that I still listened to a whole lot of new music. More than any other year, I think, I felt the healing power that comes from the shared human experience that is music; and I do honestly believe that music rescued me from some deep deep darkness.
As usual, this is just a list of the things I listened to most this year. It's not a "best of" or anything like that. By virtue of the fact that I'm just one, single human, this list just reflects my own personal, and admittedly pretty narrow, tastes. My suggestion would be to look at this as a potential source of ideas for things to check out that you may have missed, especially if your tastes are different from mine.
This is the first of two parts, and it's in no particular order. As I do every year, though, I'll start with one of my big favorites from the year. Charly Bliss, Guppy Guppy is a perfect combination of 90s nostalgia and sweet pop. Beneath all the hooks and wild abandon, Charly Bliss address issues like mental health, terrible relationships, and peeing on trampolines. This could be my album of the year.
Favorite Tracks: "Glitter," "Percolator"
Daddy Issues, Deep Dream
Jake Orall (JEFF The Brotherhood) produced the debut from this Nashville trio, and Deep Dream definitely gives off an Infinity Cat Recordings vibe. Underneath all the fuzz, though, is some raw and honest songwriting.
Favorite Tracks: "High St.," "I'm Not"
Alvvays, Antisocialites
Alvvays's self-titled debut is one of my favorite albums from the last several years. I was ready to be underwhelmed by its follow-up. I mean, what else could happen? Instead, Alvvays gave us Antisocialites. I've come around to the idea that it's even better than their first effort. It combines twee pop and shoegaze in a way that must have been lab-tested to please me.
Favorite Tracks: "In Undertow," "Lollipop (Ode to Jim)"
The Brixton Riot, Close Counts
The guys in The Brixton Riot worked with J. Robbins to give us an album of cathartic, Bob Mouldian power pop. Close Counts deals in both loss and hope, all with the help of extremely loud guitars.
Favorite Tracks: "Can't Stop Now," "Move On"
The Courtneys, The Courtneys II
This Vancouver trio brings together psych, fuzz, and bubble gum pop on a record that focuses on forward momentum and constant motion. There's also some stuff about a vampire, teenage boyfriend. The first North American band to be signed by the venerable New Zealand label, Flying Nun, The Courtneys fit right in.
Favorite Tracks: "Tour," "Lost Boys"
Kissing Is A Crime, Kissing Is A Crime
Matthew Molnar and Beatrice Rothbaum blew me away with these 11 tracks of post-punk bliss. "Basically, I was trying to do this band during every band that I've been in. This is the band I've been trying to do for a long time," says hardcore punk veteran Molnar. The effort paid off as this one is probably my favorite discovery of 2017.
Favorite Tracks: "You Make Me Shatter," "Kids"
YJY, The Enduring YJY
YJY we hardly knew you. The band leave us with their debut / final LP, and they go out at the top of their game. There is a big jump in songwriting and production from YJY's earlier EPs, but the band retain their facility with the infectious pop song.
Favorite Tracks: "Best Coast Weather," "Loathe"
Overlake, Fall
Epic and cinematic, Fall creates images through shoegaze soundscapes. But we're not talking about instrumental post-rock here. There are plenty of things for a listener to grab onto here like the opening guitar on "Winter Is Why" or the drums and backing vocals on "Gardener's Bell."
Favorite Tracks: "Winter Is Why," "Gardener's Bell"
Baked, Farnham
Shoegaze. Country. Straight-up rock. Baked bring it all together on Farnham. I hear influences ranging from Wilco to Lemonheads to Dinosaur Jr. to mbv, and it all works beautifully.
Favorite Tracks: "Stay," "Midnight Junkie"
Seaside Caves, Hope
This may have been the first album I reviewed in 2017. Seaside Caves keep it low-key and fly almost under the radar. All the while, they produce beautifully brooding, darkwave pop. Hope is the band's best work yet and still touches me after a year's worth of other releases.
Favorite Tracks: "Summer," "Hearts"
Looms, How It Has to Be
Full of small and impressive details, How It Has to Be defies classification into a single genre. Instead, Looms draw on a vast musical knowledge to assemble influences into whatever feels appropriate for the moment.
Favorite Tracks: "Cages," "New York"
Bully, Losing
This one is unapologetic Pixies / grunge nostalgia. Alicia Bognanno and the rest of Bully are so good at it, though. Bognanno's frantic rasp highlights these loud pop songs. "You don't like it when I'm angry. / Tough shit. Learn to deal." No, I like it. It's cool.
Favorite Tracks: "Running," "Focused"
Lyons, Lyons
On their self-titled, debut EP, Lyons weave among dream pop, gothy post-punk, and even surf sounds. The chiming lead guitar of Sharon McDonaugh gets me right here, you know? And Amy Malkoff's vocals soar into the stratosphere.
Favorite Tracks: "Midnight Drive," "Walking the Line"
where is my spaceship, DIEFAILING
Josh Evensen worked with producer Kevin McMahon on this collection that deals with the fears of entering adulthood underemployed and buried under a mountain of debt. McMahon has worked with several CoolDad Music favorites, most notably Titus Andronicus; and his touch seems perfect for the drama and desperation that Evensen is going for.
Favorite Tracks: "nothing / no one / no distinction," "i wanna be tim tebow"
Waxahatchee, Out in the Storm
This is Katie Crutchfield's rock album, and it is a wild success. Crutchfield and the band go full speed ahead into break-ups, kiss-offs, and declarations of independence. Throughout, the unique songwriting voice that Crutchfield has shown since American Weekend remains.
2016 was a strange listening year for me. I heard lots more music, probably, than in any other year since I started with CoolDad Music. Maybe it was because of that, or maybe it was for other reasons; but it feels like I went into real depth on fewer albums than I have in the past. Looking at the list I've put together here, it also seems like my listening may have narrowed in scope -- if you can even believe that's possible -- a bit.
Oh well. I never claimed to be the authority on what was good in any given year. Consider this the long-form answer to, "So. What have you been listening to lately?" which is a question that almost always stumps me in real time. It's so weird.
Here are the albums that I did spend time with in 2016. Maybe you'll find something you didn't hear that you'd like to check out. As usual, this is in no particular order; but I'll lead off with a strong contender for my favorite album of 2016.
Dentist, Ceilings
Let's be lazy for a second. From my criminally late review of Ceilings back in August:
"CoolDad Music wouldn't be what it is today without Dentist. They've helped me hone my photography skills. They've let me make videos for them, and they continue to make music that inspires me. You can see all that and say, "Yeah. So of course he's gonna say he loves their record." That's probably true; but, if you trust me at all, you should give it a listen. I think you may like it, too."
So yeah. There's that. But, on its own, Ceilings is a great record that expertly blends pop, surf, and punk into something modern and accessible. Justin Bornemann's guitar can get pretty aggressive at times here, which is a sweet counterpoint to Emily Bornemann's airy vocal.
I often make a distinction between albums that are objectively "good" and albums that I just listen to all the time. Ceilings fits comfortably into both categories. No problem.
Favorite tracks: "Meet You There (In Delaware)," "Over and Over," "You Say," "You're a Bore"
Beach Slang, A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings
James Alex of Beach Slang threads the needle. He's a grown-up dad who writes melodramatic punk youth anthems. One, tiny whiff indicating a lack of authenticity and the whole thing comes tumbling down. But, the thing is, that's who James Alex really is. Most of us still have that 16-year-old version of ourselves lurking beneath the socially acceptable layers piled on by adulthood, and James Alex and Beach Slang show you that it's ok -- even necessary -- to let that kid out every once in a while.
Favorite tracks: "Future Mixtape for the Art Kids," "Spin the Dial," "Punks in a Disco Bar"
High Waisted, On Ludlow
Retro and reverby with to-die-for guitar sounds and the bell-like voice of Jessica Louise Dye, On Ludlow is one of the records from 2016 that I keep coming back to again and again -- late-night drives back from Asbury, long days in the home office. The surfy sounds of a bygone era. There isn't much here that hasn't been done before, but High Waisted do it so brilliantly. This album became -- and remains -- a 2016 obsession for me.
Favorite tracks: "Party in the Back," "Shithead," "Door," "Hey Hey"
Lowlight, Where Do We Go from Here
There's Classic Rock and there's classic rock. Where Do We Go from Here fits squarely into the latter category without any of the baggage associated with the former. Renee Maskin, Colin Ryan, Derril Sellers, Dana Sellers, and Rey Rivera shed the country or alt-folk label that people keep trying to slap on them and deliver a pretty straightforward American rock record. Well, even that's not fair. The songwriting and the sounds on Where Do We Go from Here lift the album above anything that can be called "straightforward."
Favorite tracks: "Where Do We Go from Here," "Bones," "Motel Chronicles," "'86 Parisienne"
Outer Spaces, A Shedding Snake
I wrote a really weird review of this album when it came out and got the following comment on the blog: "Not to be disrespectful, but is this a review or an entry in your life journal?"
"Yes," was my answer.
So, I'd like to thank Outer Spaces for not only the beautiful southern-inflected, indie / Americana sounds of A Shedding Snake but also for inspiring me to keep things personal and real around here. Cara Beth Satalino's songs soundtracked a hazy, early summer video in my head; and they shaped CoolDad Music for a good part of 2016.
Favorite tracks: "I Saw You," "I Was Divided," "Born Enemy," "Heavy Stone Poem"
Bueno, Illuminate Your Room
Displaying influences from icons like Lou Reed and Pavement, Bueno's Illuminate Your Room is a weird and wild soundtrack to life in the big city. Frontman Luke Chiaruttini talk-sings his way through songs that give off the pulsing vibe of New York. There's something off here, something a little bit not-quite-right; and it makes for an intriguing listen.
Favorite tracks: "I Got Your Back," "Oh Lord I'm Confused," "Eye on the Cards"
Rosebug, Worst Way
In my review of Worst Way, I mentioned that it was one of the albums of 2016 that pulled me in for a deeper listen. The album swings between post-punk and dream pop. It even has moments of singer-songwriter-y introspection. It's held together, though, by the theme of the all-consuming nature of attraction and relationships along with the voice of Becca Chodorkoff.
Favorite tracks: "Hello," "I Am the One," "Sundowner"
Japanese Breakfast, Psychopomp
Let's stay with dream pop for a second. Throw in, maybe, a little shoegaze and some moving sentiments about a recently lost parent, and you have this short gem of a record.
Allyson Dwyer wrote back in April:
"I kind of don't want to gush too much, but let's just say I demanded that CoolDad let me write this review. And now, as I write it, I find myself unable to really articulate what it is about the music -- beyond, "yeah, it's my 'thing'" -- that drew me in. But sometimes you just hear something. It clicks, and you just sense something within it that speaks your language. Which explains why the 25 minutes fly by every time, and I replay it once more."
She's not kidding. She begged me.
Favorite tracks: "In Heaven," "Everybody Wants to Love You," "Heft"
Roy Orbitron, Girls' Boyfriends
Having your heart broken by your "one-in-a-million." Dreams of leaving New Jersey for New Orleans. Thoughts of giving up and just allowing yourself to drown. Roy Orbitron mastermind, Conor Meara, lays everything on the line in a way and with a sound like nobody else. He does a lot of things like nobody else actually. I mean, who else surprise releases an album they've toiled and sweated over for a year in the middle of a random Sunday afternoon?
Favorite tracks: "Domestic Use (Oh, Nettie!)," "Swimmer's Ear," "Fuck College"
Dead Stars, Bright Colors
I remember discovering Brooklyn's Dead Stars when Allyson Dwyer messaged me about a video she saw on Brooklyn Vegan or something. "Seems like your kinda thing." It certainly was. Dead Stars play around with fuzz and noise and glide guitar all in the service of some very catchy pop. If you were to open a recipe book and look up the recipe for "CoolDad's Favorite Stuff," those would pretty much be the ingredients. Bright Colors is more of what I loved about 2014's Slumber, and it's another one of those easy goto records for me.
Favorite tracks: "Calm Punk," "In My Mind," "Unpopular"
Very Fresh, Hey, It's Me!
Rooted in the sounds of 90s indie rock, this 5-song EP from Very Fresh veers between sweet and snide as it deals with growing up and living up to expectations. I could hear much of this being handled in acoustic, singer-songwriter fashion; but Cindy Lou Gooden opts for the rock and roll approach and it works.
Favorite tracks: "California Low," "Schedule IV"
Lost Boy ?, Goose Wazoo
Lost Boy ?'s Davey Jones makes lo-fi garage pop. But there's more to it than that. Lost Boy ? songs reflect the weird goings on inside Jones's brain -- from talking chickens to blob detectives to intrusive thoughts to replaying embarrassing moments over and over. I mean, have you seen his brain?? It's that quirkiness that takes Goose Wazoo someplace interesting, someplace where rock music has personality and wit.
Paper Streets, Simple Silver Stars
Each successive release from Paper Streets has brought them closer to what I always knew they could be. With their Simple Silver Stars EP, I think they may have gotten there. Mitch Easter -- who recorded some of the most important music in the world to me -- worked with the guys; and, while things may sound slightly more subdued than before, the feeling is still there. This is jangly, dreamy indie pop that often has a sense of tension and angst just beneath the surface.
Favorite tracks: "Once More with Feeling," "Freddy's Dead"
Bad Moves, Bad Moves
This DC-area super group makes punky power pop, and they do it so well. When I came across this EP, I listened to it for about two weeks straight, and it's still in heavy rotation. Something about talking about the general shittiness of the world in the form of two- and three-minute pop songs is irresistible to me.
Favorite tracks: "Shitty Tomorrow," "Get Slow"
Parquet Courts, Human Performance
In my little capsule review of this record about a week and a half ago, I made the pronouncement that I thought that Parquet Courts were an "important" band. That's such a dumb thing to say, but it's true. There are a lot of influences in Parquet Courts' music that are easy to pick out, but I think this New York 4-piece -- like a lot of bands in this round-up -- are showing that there are still places that guitar-based rock music can go before we declare it old and tired and out of ideas.
Favorite tracks: "Human Performance," "I Was Just Here," "Captive of the Sun," "One Man No City"
Here's the second and final part of my favorite albums list of 2015. Like I said, there's a ton of great stuff that's not on here. I don't listen to everything, obviously; and I don't even listen to that many different genres. This is just the stuff that got me through the year.
We've got some lists coming from other folks that will broaden your (and my) horizons for sure. In the meantime, ask your friends what they liked this year. Tell them your favorites. Sharing is caring and it's always cool to find something new.
Beach Slang, The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us
"I've always felt stuck, alone, or ashamed!" James Alex is a grown-up, misfit kid who writes and sings his heart out for everyone who's ever felt like they didn't belong but found their place in music. The Things We Do... throws parts of Paul Westerberg in with parts of Richard Butler and The Psychedelic Furs. It surrounds it in the wall of sound and pulsing guitars of The Jesus and Mary Chain and Swervedriver, binding it all with the blood, sweat, passion, and melodrama of James Alex.
"I ain't ever felt loved," sings Alex on "Too Late to Die Young." Beach Slang have pulled at the heartstrings of so many with this record. They've touched so many people. I don't think that should be a problem for him anymore.
Favorite tracks: "Throwaways," "Bad Art and Weirdo Ideas," "Too Late to Die Young," "Dirty Lights"
dollys, Oh Please / How Charming / better doctor / i know imitator
"Dad, I like this!" 8-year-old CoolDaughter #2 looked at me with wide-eyed amazement. She couldn't believe I'd chosen to put something on that she enjoyed. She usually doesn't like "Dad's music." That was dollys' single "How Charming." CoolDaughter #1 and I had Oh Please on repeat during one drive back and forth to a swim meet in New Brunswick. She sang along and loved it.
That's the thing about great pop music. It's a great unifier. And I'm not talking about pop as in what's currently "popular" necessarily. I'm talking about the great songs written by Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Brian Wilson, Johnny Marr, Stephen Patrick Morrissey, Stuart Murdoch, Evan Dando, Juliana Hatfield, and many more. The songs that have woven their way into our collective consciousness.
Oh Please and the singles that dollys have kept pumping out this year form the best pop collection of 2015. Not the local best. Not the New Jersey best. The. Absolute. Best.
Smalltalk, Plus!
Much of this collection came out in 2014, and I mentioned those parts last year. Smalltalk get in here again, though, for compiling everything and for the addition of the 25% that came out this year. This compilation brings together the band's four out-of-print EPs while also offering them on formats other than vinyl.
It's great to hear all these songs in one place. "Go Love" and "The Last Ones" stand up right next to "Just Thought" and the amazing "June / July," and we can see how the band have evolved. There's still plenty of mid- to late-80s drama to take me back to those days when I was playing tapes that I recorded off of my turntable in the cassette deck of my car.
Screaming Females, Rose Mountain Rose Mountain is a tight 10 songs and 35 minutes. Some of those songs are kind of poppy even. That shouldn't be surprising, since Screaming Females have always had a hint of pop sensibility bubbling up from beneath all the rocking and shredding. Even in the band's poppier moments, though, there's always something pleasingly off-kilter or out of left field. This album even includes a stone masterpiece in "Wishing Well."
When I wrote about Rose Mountain, it sounded to me like a break-up record. I've since seen in interviews that guitarist / vocalist Marissa Paternoster has confirmed that. Sort of. She's called it a break-up record with her body with whom she's been having a difficult relationship since being sidelined by illness and chronic pain soon after the release of Ugly. That's a little more obvious on a song like "Broken Neck," but that context gives many of the songs on Rose Mountain a new meaning.
This is simultaneously Screaming Females' most accessible and best work.
Colleen Green, I Want to Grow Up
KNDD Seattle. That was the station CoolMom and I listened to in our little red Tercel every day when we were in graduate school in the Northwest. Those were the years when Weezer, Veruca Salt, Matthew Sweet, and others ruled alt-rock radio with their combination of heavy rock and bubble gum pop. That's all back on this record by Colleen Green.
This was Green's first studio record. She made it with a band that included Jake Orrall of JEFF The Brotherhood and Casey Weissbuch of Diarrhea Planet, so the Weezer feel shouldn't be too surprising. Green is able to convey some complex feelings through simple song structures. It's time for her to start taking responsibility for actions and to behave like an adult. I Want to Grow Up points out that getting older is something that just happens, but growing up is something you have to choose and work at.
Favorite tracks: "I Want to Grow Up," "TV," "Things That Are Bad for Me (1 & 2)"
Sharkmuffin, Chartreuse
This quick dose of garage / surf / psychedelic pop comes across time and space to 2015 from someplace where people dance and toss their hair around until they give themselves a headache. Bassist Natalie Kirch and (for this record anyway) drummer Patty Schemel hold things down while guitarist / vocalist Tarra Thiessen goes off on some wild tangents.
Over the course of its 21 minutes Chartreuse takes off on the manic energy of a song like "First Date" or oozes on the stoner vibe of "Straight Lines." It's a mess and it's a lot of fun.
Favorite tracks: "Chartreuse," "Broken Teeth," "I Called You from the Moon"
where is my spaceship, mostly crocodile
The blistering opening track to this one, "snakejuice anthem," drew me in; and where is my spaceship's Josh Evensen got me to stick around. We like lots of the same music Josh and me: Titus Andronicus, Pavement, The Hold Steady. And even though Josh is a lot younger than I am, we have lots of the same concerns: worrying about not living up to our potential, finding it difficult to conform to expectations, getting numb to the daily grind.
I remember early in the year just sitting back and feeling this album speak to me. That's always amazing.
Favorite tracks: "snakejuice anthem," "sad songs all night," "roll away the stone"
Protomartyr, The Agent Intellect
"Before recorded time, in some suburban room, see the devil in his youth." I just love that line. It's the first line of this album of anti-pop. Joe Casey delivers every lyric with a deadpan disdain. There are hints of post-punk on a song like "Pontiac 87" or early-aughts indie rock on "I Forgive You," but Protomartyr are their own thing. Unique. Intelligent and angry. Simmering, seething but rarely raging.
"False happiness is on the rise. See the victims piled high. In a room without a roof." Take that Pharrell.
Favorite tracks: "The Devil in His Youth," "I Forgive You," "Why Does It Shake?"
Waxahatchee, Ivy Tripp
From the opening synth of "Breathless," we know this is something different. This isn't the solo, bedroom recording of American Weekend or the more fleshed-out full-band sound of Cerulean Salt. On Ivy Tripp, Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield explores new sounds; but, taken together, all three records tell a story.
American Weekend contained lots of songs about an unwillingness to commit to a relationship. Cerulean Salt often dealt with the fears that come with actually being in a committed relationship. The title Ivy Tripp is a phrase that Crutchfield invented to describe the aimlessness that comes with not wanting to follow a pre-prescribed path (monogamy? marriage?), kind of figuring out your relationship with yourself maybe.
"You were patiently giving me everything that I will ever need," she sings on "Air," connecting all three of her Waxahatchee albums with that theme of someone giving while the other takes in relationships. Two out of three times, she's been the taker.
Favorite tracks: "Under a Rock," "La Loose," "Air"
Sleater-Kinney, No Cities to Love
Who thought this would ever happen? I mean, if Sleater-Kinney were ever going to come back, who thought that they could come back so strong?
No Cities to Love is that rare combination of a badass rock record that also sounds fresh and unique. Kind of like the stuff put out by that New Brunswick power trio I mentioned up above. And in what sounds like a case of a little feedback loop action, the opening guitar on "A New Wave" bears a striking sonic resemblance to Screaming Females. Drummer Janet Weiss is absolutely devastating on opener "Price Tag," and single "Bury Our Friends" was one of the most fun songs to sing along with all year.
Favorite tracks: "Price Tag," "A New Wave," "Bury Our Friends"
Mal Blum, You Look A Lot Like Me
Mal Blum kinda rocks out a bit on this one. Blum got some help from Marissa Paternoster who produced, played some guitar, and lent backing vocals; so maybe that shouldn't be surprising. But Mal's introspective songwriting is still there under the rock and power pop.
Allyson Dwyer wrote, "For all of Blum's blunt lyricism, there is a subtle journey on this record -- one that doesn't have a complete ending. But in its documentation, its archiving, this period in Blum's life has been given reason and purpose. By sharing those experiences, Mal Blum makes some of us feel a little less alone."
Sink Tapes, Window Unit Blues
Sink Tapes are crazy. They put out more stuff than even seems possible, and they rarely miss. All killer, no filler.
Window Unit Blues is an interesting one that sees the band experimenting with some longer, more classic-rock inspired sounds. Things start off with their usual indie jangle on "You Shouldn't Have" and "Haskell Heavy Hitters," but we're getting positively jammy with six-plus minute closer "Window Unit Blues."
Favorite tracks: "Haskell Heavy Hitters," "Spacecraft Theatrical," "Plastic Lover"
Rock N Roll HiFives, Gold Glitter Shoes
The Rock N Roll HiFives are awesome. The family that plays together stays together, right? This family rocks together, and they bring us all along for the ride.
Rooted in some great rock and roll like Guided By Voices, Dinosaur Jr., and The Rolling Stones, the Rock N Roll HiFives aren't just kid stuff, but each member -- even the parents -- exudes the enthusiasm of childhood.
Favorite tracks: "Planets," "Livin' the Lost Boy Life," "Miracles"
Wreaths, Mr. Fang
I'd been hearing about this new EP from Wreaths for a while. I think I even heard some rough mixes early on and wondered when we'd get to hear its final version. Drummer Colin Carhart slapped this tape into my palm one night at Asbury Park Yacht Club. When I finally dug out my old boom box and popped this in, I was impressed.
Wreaths do love to work a theme, and "Dog Dreams" builds a wall of controlled noise around a repeated theme. Ralph Nicastro's distant, buried vocals work really well coming out of the speakers on my boom box, and I found myself getting lost in this one. "Traced and Hazed" gets a little 80s proto-shoegazy, while "Fumblin' Dice" is a nine-minute fever dream.
Don't ask questions. Don't expect answers if you do. You've just gotta let Wreaths take you where they want you to go.
Favorite tracks: "Dog Dreams," "Traced and Hazed," "Fumblin' Dice"
Tenement, Predatory Headlights
2015 was a big year for 20-plus song punk albums, I guess. Tenement combine some weird experimentation in sounds and silence with some familiar rock and power pop. The big 70s rock sounds of "Feral Cat Tribe" give way to distant footsteps and muffled piano. Similarly, "Whispering Kids" goes out on the sound of footsteps and wind chimes or bells. "The Dishwasher's Meal," an instrumental, trades the rock and roll for piano and sometimes discordant strings.
Predatory Headlights will give you plenty in terms of your punk, rock, power pop fix for sure; but it will also, at times, leave you scratching your head to say, "What's going on here?"
Favorite tracks: "Dull Joy," "Curtains Closed," "Whispering Kids," "I'm Your Super Glue"
This comes with the usual disclaimer. I didn't listen to everything by any stretch. Only a few tracks from I Love You, Honeybear or To Pimp A Butterfly made it onto my radar this year; so, while I'm sure those are great records, deserving of all the accolades they're receiving this year, I'm not qualified to comment. This is just the list of stuff that I listened to the most in 2015. The stuff, that for whatever reason, I kept cueing up in the car.
CoolDad is not your authority on what was good; but, maybe, you can find something here that you missed in 2015 that will do something for you. I'm hoping, as we publish a few more lists from contributors this month, that happens for me.
So let's get to it. Here's Part One of my list of favorite albums of 2015. And, once again, this is in no particular order.
But let's get one out of the way right off the top...
Titus Andronicus, The Most Lamentable Tragedy
From the "I hate to be awake!" of "No Future Part IV" to the "...no, never, no never sleeping forever" of "Stable Boy," The Most Lamentable Tragedy tries to take us through the story of Our Hero's battles with manic-depression. The album combines punk, garage rock, bar rock, experimental sounds, and even silence into a beautifully messy stew that finds Titus mastermind, Patrick Stickles, puking his heart and soul out through his strained vocals.
I spent several "straight through" sessions with this 29-track, 93-minute album; but I've also found that consuming it in chunks is a good way to reinforce or counter whatever mindset you're dealing with at any particular moment. The Most Lamentable Tragedy may be too much for some people, but it's out there for all to see; and it's painfully honest. What more can you ask of a piece of art, really?
Favorite tracks: "No Future Part IV: No Future Triumphant," "Fired Up," "Dimed Out"
Hop Along, Painted Shut
Like Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield or Cayetana's Augusta Koch, Hop Along's Frances Quinlan pours everything into her vocal delivery. The frustration of not being able to help a child on "Powerful Man." The inner turmoil of coming in contact with a painful past on "Waitress."
With hints of country and shoegaze combined with Quinlan's raw and exposed emotion, Painted Shut was one of my most pleasant surprises of 2015.
John "Shellhead" Driver and Jennifer Shagawat are two of the most positive people I have ever met. It's what comes from doing what's perfect for you, well, perfectly for so long. On Why'd I Have to Get So High? producers Jerri Queen and John Petty help the duo explore new territory and expand their sound while keeping things unmistakably Shellshaggian.
There's some melancholy here, but no regrets. It's kind of like, you're where and who you are because of everything you've been through; so there's no point in crying for too long. Just keep going.
Favorite tracks: "Blowin' It," "Rattle Trap," "90s Problem," "Hold You in My Arms"
Black Flamingos, Black Flamingos EP
There's a retro-future vibe to this set of surf rock instrumentals. The songs are oddly familiar, grounded in a well-worn genre; but they're also modern and dark.
Robert Butkowski, Vincent Minervino, and Declan O'Connell bring some serious chops to the table; and this is a quick hit of something dripping with both mind-blowing virtuosity and ultimate cool.
Favorite tracks: "Okinawa," "Shark Repellant"
Laura Stevenson, Cocksure
If you follow Laura Stevenson on Instagram or Twitter, you quickly see her biting and self-deprecating sense of humor. Cocksure, produced by Jeff Rosenstock, delivers those feelings wrapped in a package of rock and power-pop. Stevenson is locked inside her head or inside her room, judging the world and herself and not always enjoying what she sees.
Something about the overall feel of Cocksure -- its humorous self-loathing, maybe -- spoke to me in a way that almost no other album did in 2015. Hmmmm.
Favorite tracks: "Torch Song," "Jellyfish," "Diet of Worms"
Big Quiet, Big Quiet
Talk about surprises. I stumbled on this one during one of my weekly attempts to get the CoolDad Music Inbox under control. When I checked the release out on Bandcamp, I noticed that Big Quiet had worked with Mitch Easter to record their self-titled LP. Easter had a huge influence on my musical tastes through his work with R.E.M., Pavement, and many more.
Easter's fingerprints are on this one for sure, but it's Marisa Cerio's guitar and vocals that do the heavy lifting. There's a retro (well, some would say "timeless") jangle to songs like "Why Do We Bother?" and "Maura & Dana," and I kept hearing Belinda Carlisle in Cerio's voice. So, yeah. There's a definite wearing of influences on the sleeve here, but it still sounds great.
Favorite tracks: "Why Do We Bother?" "Nervous," "Maura & Dana"
Hot Blood, Overcome Pt. 1 & Pt. 2
Two EPs. Roughly 10 total minutes. Eight songs covering the plight of the working class, militarized police forces, over-medicated kids, and oppressive organized religion. Hot Blood come at you with the jagged sound of hardcore punk, but there's always some musicality here or even a hook there.
Part 1 even includes a political manifesto. Oh, and another version of Hot Blood's trademark track, "Class Warfare." Get angry. Then get out and do something.
Favorite tracks: "Cop in a Tank," "Blood on My Hands," "Chemical Solution"
Hey Anna, Run Koko Run Koko is like a little movie. It's a movie with people lying on the beach or walking hand-in-hand or just turning to smile at the camera. Run Koko is swirling and intertwining female voices. It's the hint that the guitar wants to rock out just a little. It's pop. It's beautiful.
The voices of the sisters Rauch-Sasseen both blend and contrast perfectly at various times. They float on top of reverb-soaked guitars and rolling drums. The songs sound like they're being broadcast from the past, but then the synths place them in our modern times.
Favorite tracks: "By the Bay," "Move Your Body," "Anaphaze"
Roy Orbitron, Elston Allen Gunnn
I was pretty proud of the total pan I wrote of this EP back in January. I meant it as a joke and tried to convey everything I liked about the record in my review, but I still got friends of the band volunteering to punch my face. Not as clever as I thought, I guess.
Just so there's no confusion, Elston Allen Gunnn absolutely belongs on this list. Roy Orbitron are hard to classify. The violin gives things the whiff of Americana. The wordiness and the urban, East Coast sensibility hint at early Springsteen. What unites all the songs here, though, are interestingly unconventional song structures and a sense of humor that's dry and cutting.
Favorite tracks: "Doctor, Take My #," "Brimstone Suckers," "Navajo Juggalos"
The Roadside Graves, Acne / Ears
I was really drawn to albums this year filled with personal moments. In 2015, so many of them seemed to be touching on things I was actually feeling. Acne / Ears contains images of awkward youth, Catholicism, never quite fitting in, the power of music to transform or make you regret your life.
The Roadside Graves went in a few different directions on this one both sonically -- synths! -- and thematically -- focusing on the personal. The results are captivating.
Favorite tracks: "Acne / Ears," "Contact High Alumni," "Gospel Radio"
The Battery Electric, The Heart and The Thrill
Because I'm lazy, I'm just gonna copy some of what I said in the review that accompanied the limited-time only album stream I posted on the site in February.
"The Battery Electric may do a bit of drinking. The Battery Electric may have called you a pussy from the stage for hanging back at the bar and not dancing. But The Battery Electric love you. The Battery Electric would go to the mattresses for you. The Battery Electric have poured their blood and sweat into a record that goes about as far as it can go at capturing the feeling of a summer night in a tiny bar out on the boardwalk, its doors open to the salt air and the surf, as denim-clad audience members ride on top of the tightly packed crowd with a look of pure joy on their face.
At first glance, The Battery Electric may seem dangerous. But they've never hurt anybody. They just want everyone to have a good time. They're doing their part to make sure that happens."
Favorite tracks: "Heathen," "Does He Love You?" "The Heart and The Thrill"
Bully, Feels Like
This Nashville band blew me away last year with their single "Milkman." That 90s combination of hard-rock and pop that I love so much is present on "Milkman" (which shows up here) in spades. I'm not sure of the chronology, but Bully ended up on a major for Feels Like. It's clear, though, that singer / guitarist / engineer Alicia Bognanno retained creative control, because these songs contain all of what was great about "Milkman" and more.
Bognanno screeches "I remember hurting you so bad" from somewhere off in the distance on "I Remember." The vocals are more up-front on the amazing, Pixies-influenced "Trying," but in both cases Bognanno is all-in.
Feels Like will get you your 90s nostalgia fix for sure, but this would grab you in any era.
Favorite tracks: "I Remember," "Trying," "Milkman"
BOYTOY, Grackle
BOYTOY's brand of garage pop is characterized by an aggressive dual guitar approach contrasted with some often sweet-sounding vocal harmonies. Saara Untracht-Oakner's voice over some of the jagged guitars had me thinking of 90s alt-pop from the likes of Juliana Hatfield at times. Oakner's voice pairs well for some harmonizing with Glenn Van Dyke's on songs like "Pulp," and drummer Matty Beans even gets in on things, fronting "Building an Empire."
Grackle isn't some experimental album pushing the boundaries of popular music. It's a fun record that I find myself calling up in the car over and over again.
Favorite tracks: "Postal," "Pulp," "Wild One"
Worriers, Imaginary Life
Like my childhood idol, Billy Bragg, Lauren Denitzio of Worriers delivers some strong political messages in the guise of sing along, shout along pop punk. The Laura Jane Grace-produced Imaginary Life sounds just fantastic. The guitars are a particular high-point for me.
Whether deconstructing the social construct of the gender binary, telling us that we are all complicit in police abuses if we remain silent, or critiquing our materialistic culture, Denitzio never makes you feel like you're being lectured. Instead, you just get a reason to hold your fist above your head and scream the message for everyone to hear.
Favorite tracks: "Plans," "They / Them / Theirs," "Most Space"
YJY, Couch Surfin' USA
On their debut EP, this Hightstown quartet skillfully blend the proclivities of their two principal songwriters. The pop jangle of Steve Sachs fits seamlessly with the noise and fuzz of Ricky Lorenzo. The title track was the first song the pair ever really wrote together and is a perfect illustration of this.
For a five-song, fifteen-minute collection, Couch Surfin' USA covers a lot -- from jangle pop to shoegaze. It also makes me impatient to hear where the band will go next.
Favorite tracks: "Surreal," "Couch Surfin' USA"
OK. To be continued...
You probably know a few of the ones coming up, but I may surprise you. Who knows?
