[guest]

viet cong were never half as good women were though, like that first record was solid but the cassette was unremarkable and the second LP seems a bit more...honest to me? not my style but their songs suit their sound a lot more, appropriately a bit more sluggish/atmospheric. it's obviously not as angry as their debut it's a lot more emotionally varied and mature, less angsty and more supremely bummed.

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by Severian

Wow. AOTY.com is like crack for a list addict like me.

I still check "best of the year" lists, Metacritic and whatnot, but mostly just to feel the (faint) pulse of the times. I grew out of being addicted to lists years ago, thankfully. Magnet magazine asks its interviewees to list three things (musical or otherwise) in which they're interested at the moment; here's the respective sidebar from a 2014 article on Pere Ubu (note the last "item"):

 

Having said all of this, I'm gonna pull a not-quite-180º and, since consensus has its casualties, make a 2016 list BUT only without titles previously mentioned on this thread. In no particular order:

Lazarus: Original Cast Recording — Various Artists. If only for the three songs on the second disc that didn't make it onto ★.
Wild Stab — The I Don't Cares
The Ghosts Of Highway 20 — Lucinda Williams
Just A Little More Faith And Grace — Lucinda Williams
The Ship — Brian Eno (previously mentioned, but not listed )
The Rarity Of Experience — Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band
Glitterbust — Glitterbust
Heron Oblivion — Heron Oblivion
"Not A Word"/"I Won't Let You" — Low/S. Carey
Patch The Sky — Bob Mould
Forever Sounds — Wussy
Tense Nature — Brian Case
Feelin Kinda Free — The Drones
Fallen Angels — Bob Dylan
Eyes On The Lines — Steve Gunn
Hit Reset — The Julie Ruin
Strangers — Marissa Nadler
Bury Your Name — Marissa Nadler
Glenn Kotche: Drumkit Quartets — Sō Percussion
Nocturnal Koreans — Wire
Tween — Wye Oak
If You See Me, Say Yes — Flock Of Dimes
Lovers — Nels Cline
Schmilco — Wilco
Beyond Now — Donny McCaslin
"Feel It In Your Guts" — Thurston Moore & Bernie Sanders
"Chelsea's Kiss"/"Sad Saturday" — Thurston Moore
No Waves — Body/Head
Bleed For This: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Julia Holter
Crab Day — Cate Le Bon
PRN — Gate
Strung Out In Heaven — Amanda Palmer & Jherek Bischoff. Anna Calvi's performance on "Blackstar" is what truly elevates this one from the sea of tributes.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by guest

viet cong were never half as good women were though, like that first record was solid but the cassette was unremarkable and the second LP seems a bit more...honest to me? not my style but their songs suit their sound a lot more, appropriately a bit more sluggish/atmospheric. it's obviously not as angry as their debut it's a lot more emotionally varied and mature, less angsty and more supremely bummed.

True, VC was never on the same level as Women. Women made one of the greatest rock albums of the decade. And another pretty goddamn good one. Gracefully updating noisey pop without giving too much of themselves away in the process (a la Deerhunter). I was just hopeful about Viet acing, and I think they delivered pretty sweetly on their self-titled.

I suppose I need to listen to Prepccupations more. There's a chance it will click for me, and I'll see what so many others see in it. That has happened to me before, many times, with albums I've initially written off. The VC album was too raw and of-the-moment to feel derivative or immature, but I can see how it would have been a little pathetic to make another album with that kind of sound. I can tell they went for a more spacious and textured sound on the new album, but so far it just hasn't hit me.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

Having said all of this, I'm gonna pull a not-quite-180º and, since consensus has its casualties, make a 2016 list BUT only without titles previously mentioned on this thread. In no particular order:

Lazarus: Original Cast Recording — Various Artists. If only for the three songs on the second disc that didn't make it onto ★.
Wild Stab — The I Don't Cares
The Ghosts Of Highway 20 — Lucinda Williams
Just A Little More Faith And Grace — Lucinda Williams
The Ship — Brian Eno (previously mentioned, but not listed )
The Rarity Of Experience — Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band
Glitterbust — Glitterbust
Heron Oblivion — Heron Oblivion
"Not A Word"/"I Won't Let You" — Low/S. Carey
Patch The Sky — Bob Mould
Forever Sounds — Wussy
Tense Nature — Brian Case
Feelin Kinda Free — The Drones
Fallen Angels — Bob Dylan
Eyes On The Lines — Steve Gunn
Hit Reset — The Julie Ruin
Strangers — Marissa Nadler
Bury Your Name — Marissa Nadler
Glenn Kotche: Drumkit Quartets — Sō Percussion
Nocturnal Koreans — Wire
Tween — Wye Oak
If You See Me, Say Yes — Flock Of Dimes
Lovers — Nels Cline
Schmilco — Wilco
Beyond Now — Donny McCaslin
"Feel It In Your Guts" — Thurston Moore & Bernie Sanders
"Chelsea's Kiss"/"Sad Saturday" — Thurston Moore
No Waves — Body/Head
Bleed For This: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Julia Holter
Crab Day — Cate Le Bon
PRN — Gate
Strung Out In Heaven — Amanda Palmer & Jherek Bischoff. Anna Calvi's performance on "Blackstar" is what truly elevates this one from the sea of tributes.

Yeah, listing always feels like a monumentally pointless exercise when you take a step back and look at it. I feel that. Feeling it right now, in fact. I think the entire hobby/habit may simply be a symptom of obsessive compulsion... specifically the compulsion to catalogue and order life's events. Provides the briefest sense of control over the chaos of the world.

I keep thinking of things I forgot. You mention Nels Cline, Feelin Kinda Free by the Drones, and a few others that slipped my mind altogether.

Fuck. Blah.

[tesla69]

in no real order and missing some

mv/ee root/void CD (COM)
matt valentine heap zone CD (COM)
matt valentine solo CD (COM)
Steve Gunn eyes on the Lineines CD (Matador)
Steve Gunn "Ancient Jules" 12"(Matador)
Tom Carter Loren Mazzacane Connors live LP (Family Vineyard)
Bryan Ferry Avonmore
Licht - Akiyama Trios - Tommorow Outside Tomorrow (CD) Editions Mego (Alan Licht, Tetzuzi Akiyama with Oran Ambarchia and Rob Mazurek)
Carla Dal Forno - You KNow How It Feels (online)
Heron Obliovon CD (Subpop)
Blackstar by David Bowie (single of the year) Youtube
parallelogram 5 LP/10 artist set (threelobed) TLR-109 (hiss golden messenger / michael chapman), TLR-110 (six organs of admittance / william tyler), TLR-111 (kurt vile / steve gunn), TLR-112 (thurston moore & john moloney: caught on tape / bishop - orcutt - corsano), and TLR-113 (bardo pond / yo la tengo)

the new willie lane would be on here if I had obtained it

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by tesla69

parallelogram 5 LP/10 artist set (threelobed) [...] TLR-111 (kurt vile / steve gunn)

I was gonna list this one but I believe it came out in 2015.

[greenlight]

haven't heard Heron Oblivion and Glitterbust yet.

[tesla69]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

I was gonna list this one but I believe it came out in 2015.

Mine arrived mid December and with the holidays I never got to listen to it until January, and it has got a lot of spinning this year - the disc to which I most listen is Six Organs of Admittance and William Tyler

[Severian]

Originally Posted by greenlight

haven't heard Heron Oblivion and Glitterbust yet.

I had a thing for the Heron Oblivion album for a while, but it kinda wore off. It's good not great. The Glitterbust album is absolutely worth owning for any SY fan. It's not the best thing ever, but it's a nice record with a good sound.

If something's one degree of separation from Sonic Youth, I pretty much act as though I have to have it or I will die.

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by Severian

I had a thing for the Heron Oblivion album for a while, but it kinda wore off.

Well then I will have to vaporize you. With my intergalactic vaporizing gun.

If I had to rank the albums I chose, Heron Oblivion would be just beneath ★ at the top. Comets jams (in perhaps a more contemplative mood than Field Recordings From The Sun and Blue Cathedral, but without the classic-rock traps of Avatar and Howlin' Rain) with the FORMIDABLE presence of Meg Baird on vocals and drums. BUY IT, FUCKOS!

[Severian]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

Well then I will have to vaporize you. With my intergalactic vaporizing gun.

If I had to rank the albums I chose, Heron Oblivion would be just beneath ★ at the top. Comets jams (in perhaps a more contemplative mood than Field Recordings From The Sun and Blue Cathedral, but without the classic-rock traps of Avatar and Howlin' Rain) with the FORMIDABLE presence of Meg Baird on vocals and drums. BUY IT, FUCKOS!

I have it! I like it! I just kinda liked it less over time. I love Meg Baird, love early Comets. I'm not sure Heron Oblivion is better than, or an improvement on Comets on Fire or Espers. It's a strong album, though.

It came out really early in the year. Other records came out that filled the "rock" gap for me. Specifically the Thoight Forms album and -- I don't care how lame it sounds -- the Car Seat Headrest album. I know it's pretty over-saturated, but damned if it isn't a really good plain old indie rock album that satisfies some dumb need of mine from way back to rock out nerd style.

So yeah, vaporize me I guess. I'm lame.

[pepper_green]

viet cong bored me. rock music should just die already.

and Pablo is still one of the most boring albums of this year. fuck you Kanye and yr stupid album. fuck the cheap gospel shit that runs the first half of the album. boring junk. chance is junk. beats and samples make up like always for the bullshit. rather jerk off than listen to this like the rest of hip hop of the year.

dude gave us a half great track with 30 hours. the amazing no more Parties in LA and the somewhat good real Friends. the rest is a snoozefest. hip hop should just die already.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by pepper_green

viet cong bored me. rock music should just die already.

and Pablo is still one of the most boring albums of this year. fuck you Kanye and yr stupid album. fuck the cheap gospel shit that runs the first half of the album. boring junk. chance is junk. beats and samples make up like always for the bullshit. rather jerk off than listen to this like the rest of hip hop of the year.

dude gave us a half great track with 30 hours. the amazing no more Parties in LA and the somewhat good real Friends. the rest is a snoozefest. hip hop should just die already.

You're just plain talking to me when you say stuff like this. Wouldn't it be easier to just pm me? Or be like, "Hey Severian, I've been thinking and this time I really do hate Kanye for serious no take-backs." Would that not get your point across?

If rock should just die and hip-hop should just die, what, exactly, should... like... not die? I know you hate bleeps and bloops and electronic anything, and I think I recall hearing you condemn everything "avant" ... soooo... what's up man? You rocking Chris Stapleton or whatever-the-fuck now?


Anyhoo, you know damn well that Pablo isn't a traditional hip-hop record. It's not Migos or Yachty or Future, sounds nothing like any of it. Sounds nothing like itself half the time. I understand it's not for everyone, but if you ever liked Kanye and you don't like "Fade" or "Famous" or "Wolves" or "Ultralight Beam" then I don't know what to tell you. "Fade" is a cross-genre achievement. Most mesmerizing "mainstream" single of this or any recent year. And "Real Friends" is great and you know it.

Maybe hip hop should die. I feel that there are very few modern voices in the genre that are worth listening to. So much of it sounds the same. But Kanye? Fuck. Made a more interesting album than PJ, Radiohead, Aphex Twin, or, frankly, ANYONE else this year. The only album that is as artistically varied is Blackstar.

You have to admit it's impressive that the guy pissed off EVERYONE (me most of all) with the album's release, denied people a chance to buy it, crammed a bunch of stream of consciousness chaos onto the record and it STILL was one of the year's most consistently praised albums — and a number 1 record to boot. All he does is deliberately push buttons and defy expectations and dare people to write him off, but when it comes to the music, they just can't. Even though you hate the album (weirdo) you know that's impressive.

[Torn Curtain]

Not mentioned yet I believe:
Angel Olsen - My woman

[Severian]

Originally Posted by Torn Curtain

Not mentioned yet I believe:
Angel Olsen - My woman

This is quite a good album. I liked it, but never bought it, just streamed. I always listen more to albums I buy.

Anyway, it got a lot of praise from all over the critical spectrum. I feel like it was almost as common on best-of lists as Beyoncé and Bowie.

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by Torn Curtain

Not mentioned yet I believe:
Angel Olsen - My woman

I gotta give Angel another chance; like Jenny Hval's Blood Bitch, My Woman sounded rather predictable to me. But that was through shitty computer speakers and with bullcrap distractions around, so...

[Severian]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

I gotta give Angel another chance; like Jenny Hval's Blood Bitch, My Woman sounded rather predictable to me. But that was through shitty computer speakers and with bullcrap distractions around, so...

My Woman > Blood Bitch

In my opinion at least. Maybe a bit predictable at times, as you say (or perhaps just a bit more traditional than we expected?), but Angel uses Americana to her advantage. There are traces of old boy rock singers like Roy Orbison, and it makes for an interesting, if not groundbreaking, combination of styles. I really need to explore it more... I'll probably buy it. I loved Burn Your Fire... but this album is a different beast altogether.

EDIT: Is greater than!!!

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by Severian

My Woman < Blood Bitch

In my opinion at least. Maybe a bit predictable at times, as you say (or perhaps just a bit more traditional than we expected?), but Angel uses Americana to her advantage. There are traces of old boy rock singers like Roy Orbison, and it makes for an interesting, if not groundbreaking, combination of styles. I really need to explore it more... I'll probably buy it. I loved Burn Your Fire... but this album is a different beast altogether.

That's... odd — from what I heard I thought My Woman was LESS rootsy than Burn Your Fire For No Witness. In any case, if you're saying Olsen's album is better than Hval's, you put the wrong symbol there, pawtna.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

That's... odd — from what I heard I thought My Woman was LESS rootsy than Burn Your Fire For No Witness. In any case, if you're saying Olsen's album is better than Hval's, you put the wrong symbol there, pawtna.

Shit, yes I did put the wrong symbol there. Goddam phone. And fingers.

My Woman is less "rootsy" but it's more polished, more direct. And it embraces some seriously rocky structures. At least that's my take. I think there was a deliberate attempt to embrace a kind of classic sound. Burn Your Fire... had all the markings of an indie record. You could hear the tape hissing, the guitar sound was a bit junked up. I think My Woman is cleaner, rockier. Indie is barely a thing anymore, so maybe that's part of it. But again, I'm really not very familiar with it, compare to her last. I need to listen more too.

[Moshe]

‎2016 Best Albums
‎1. Eleanor Friedberger - New View
‎2. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree
‎3. David Bowie - Blackstar
‎4. Car Seat Headrest - Teens Of Denial
‎5. Swans - The Glowing Man
‎6. Grumbling Fur - Furfour
‎7. Jherek Bischof - Cistern
‎8. Lubomyr Melnyk - Illirion
‎9. Mary Halvorson Octet - Away With You‏ ‏
‎10. Beyonce‏ ‏‎ - Lemonade
‎11. Sutcliffe Jugend - The Muse‏ ‏
‎12. Wrekmeister Harmonies - Light Falls
‎13. Dinosaur Jr. - Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not ‎
‎14. GNOD - Mirror
‎15. Case/Lang/Veirs - Case/Lang/Veirs
‎16. Oranssi Pazuzu - Värähtelijä
‎17. Æthenor - Hazel
‎18. Michael Formanek Ensemble Kolossus - The Distance
‎19. SubRosa - For This We Fought the Battle of Ages
‎20. Waclaw Zimpel - Lines ‎
‎21. Jackie Lynn - Jackie Lynn
‎22. Nate Wooley - Seven Storey Mountain V ‎
‎23. Blixa Bargeld and Teho Teardo - Nerissimo
‎24. Peter Brötzmann & Heather Leigh - Ears Are Filled With Wonder
‎25. Borbetomagus - The Eastcote Studios Session ‎
‎26. A Tribe Called Quest - We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service ‎
‎27. The Body - No One Deserves Happiness
‎28. Wilco - Schmilco
‎29. Krishna - Ascend To Nothing
‎30. Aluk Todolo – Voix
‎31. Heron Oblivion - Heron Oblivion
‎32. Various Artists - Day of the Dead
‎33. Mary Lattimore - At the Dam
‎34. Body/Head - No Waves
‎35. New Zion with Cyro Baptista - Sunshine Seas

Concerts
Tim Berne's Snakeoil - Levontin 7, Tel Aviv
Paul McCartney - Olympic Stadium, Munich
Mercury Rev - Barby, Tel Aviv
Eleanor Friedberger - Bascula, Tel Aviv
Brain Wilson - Raanana Park, Raanana
Alice Cooper - Raanana Park, Raanana
Blixa Bargeld and Teho Teardo - Reading 3, Tel Aviv
Peter Brötzmann / Steve Swell / Paal Nilssen-Love - Levontin 7, Tel Aviv
All Them Witches - Barby, Tel Aviv
Adumey Hasfatot - Reading 3, Tel Aviv
A Place To Bury Strangers - Barby, Tel Aviv
David Peretz - Bascula, Tel Aviv
Thee Oh Sees - Barby, Tel Aviv
The Stranglers - Heychal Hatrbut, Tel Aviv
Oren Ambarchi - Levontin 7, Tel Aviv
Minimal Compact - Barby, Tel Aviv
Psychic TV - The Zone, Tel Aviv
The Fall - Barby, Tel Aviv
Real Estate - Barby, Tel Aviv