#their underworld album is banger after banger

[daggeck]

(insert infinity sign here, i dont have it on my keyboard)

"I use to be afraid of showing who I was inside; more than a prisoner, a victim trapped in my own life"

-Calling by VAMPS

[r-0-x-4-s]

epic: the musical ranking to my likings (to be updated every album release!)

God Games - i think i died the first time i heard Aphrodite, all the gods, its such a fun song, i love Athena

No Longer You - prophecy song and foreshadowing 🔝 just my vibe

Just a Man - the man, the legend, the myth, would feel like a crime not putting it in the top 3

My Goodbye - i can feel Athena's and Ody hearts break, i love singing along, "You're Just a Man" chorus... chills! i love Athena pt. 2

Scylla - i love evil women doing evil shit "Drown in your sorrows and fears!!!" 💃YAS QUEEN, Eurylochus' coming out+ "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES" yeah epic survival song

Suffering - i love evil women doing evil shit pt. 2, the love Ody has for Penelope>>>, such a funny song to sing along, "Penelope, why, You know I'm too shy 👉👈"

Done For - CIRCE!!! i love evil women doing evil shit pt. 3, i love circe

Wouldn't You Like - every God song is such a banger, hermes is a delight and i love his zany laughter

Ruthlessness - finally the Ocean Saga shows up! (no i totally didnt fear to write down this word *hides in dyslexic cave* i feel always proud if i can pronounce it right first try) this song is very much a slay

Remember Them - chills

Survive - yeah epic survival song pt. 2, aot vibes, i love how this one and polyphemus are attached, true epicness

Keep Your Friends Close - silly song i love with my whole heart, Aeolous is so cute!!

There Are Other Ways - CIRCE!! i love her!!

Little Wolf - why does Antino sound so good and suave, i always imagined him like a disgusting pig <3, i love Athena pt. 3

Thunder Bringer - Zeus has such a distant regal vibe, the "But we'll die/ I know" HEART BREAKING

Warrior of the Mind - a classic, maybe The Classic, i love Athena pt. 4

The Horse and the Infant -SUCH A GREAT OPENING OF THE ALBUM!! first look at zeus and so many greek "heroes" mentions!!

We'll Be Fine - Athena and Telemachus!! just this, she's not the Step-Aunt... she's the Aunt who stepped up!!! i love Athena pt. 5

Open Arms - Such a hawaiian shirt song fr fr

Puppeteer - it took me some time to warm up to it (cus of the rap, i don't listen to it usually) BUT ITS SO SILLY!!

Polyphemus - I really like the middle to end part, when Ody tries to talk his way out of the cave, and the end connecting to Survive its what we call a slay

Luck Runs Out - maybe i just dont really like the Ocean Saga lol, tho this song is very very cool, (remember seeing it in lmk video and thats what forced me to listen to the epic musical in full) before anyone comes for me THIS SONG IS GOOD BUT I LIKE EVERYTHING ABOVE IT MORE

Love in Paradise - CALYPSO IS SO GOOD!??? tho apart from her verses i don't really like anything else :(

The Underworld - everytime i get reminded Full Speed Ahead exists a part of my soul dies, tho right after "Bye, Mom" THE SONG BECOMES ONE OF MY FAVES

Monster - i think this is the song i quote the most irl, i think its low just cus its too fast for me to sing along 😭 and also its less iconic than The Underworld

Legendary - i like this a lot! such a good "I Want" Disney type song!

Mutiny - now im wondering if i should put this higher, but the problem is that (apart from the last 3 and the top 4) EVERY SONG IS INTERCHANGABLE, THEY ARE ALL GREAT IN THEIR WAY

Full Speed Ahead - the bane of my existência, i skip it 50% of the times, still has great moments like Polited and "Penelope is waiting for me"

Different Beast - the bane of my existência pt. 2, always a skip, unless im in the shower, then i would sing along while >:(

Storm - the bane of my existência pt. 3, ALWAYS A SKIP, IF IM IN THE SHOWER I GET OUT TO SKIP IT, IF STORM HAS NO HATERS IM DEAD

[byooregard]

Persona Characters Ranked by How Many Mechs Songs Feature Their Personas

First, let's get things straight. The Mechanisms were a band made up of immortal space pirates that traveled through space and told stories about what they saw through song. They have four albums that tell stories throughout the albums-- Once Upon a Time in Space (fairy tales, in space), Ulysses Dies at Dawn (noir greek myths, in space), High Noon Over Camelot (cowboy arthurian legend, in space) and The Bifrost Incident (cosmic horror norse mythology, in space), and two albums (Tales to be Told vol. 1 & 2) that are miscellaneous songs/stories.

off we go. I asked my friend for his opinions on this, so it's not ONLY my opinions, but all of these are subjective opinions on what songs i like best

10. Yuka Ayase- Freyj Freyj and his sister Freyja are mentioned in the Bifrost Incident, but they don't get any actual singing parts

9. Sumire Yoshizawa- Cendrillion, Vanadis, Ella Freyja (Vanadis) is, as mentioned, mentioned in the Bifrost Incident. Cinder's Song from Once Upon a Time in Space is a song that is dear to me, but I will admit that the Mechs' albums get better as they go on, and Once Upon a Time in Space is their first.

8. Aigis- Pallas Athena Twisted Threads from Tales to be Told Volume II takes place in the same world/storyline as Ulysses Dies at Dawn, and is an absolute banger. However, other songs on this list bang harder (in my opinion), and the song is mainly about Arachne, though Athena features

7. Labrys- Ariadne Ties that Bind from Ulysses Dies at Dawn slaps, both Ariadne & Athena are sung by Raphaella la Cognizi/Rachel L. Hughes, & her singing is off the charts awesome & adds wonderfully to the jazzy noir vibe of Ulysses Dies at Dawn

6. Persona 3 Protagonist- Orpheus Trial by Song from Ulysses Dies At Dawn is honestly tied with Ties that Bind, but i like it slightly better and this is my list.

5. Eikichi Mishina- Hades Underworld Blues is the best song in Ulysses Dies at Dawn it slaps, and also the character of Hades is awesome.

4. Futaba Sakura- Prometheus Prometheus from Tales to be Told (also taking place in Ulysses Dies at Dawn world. this album features the most because of persona's love of greek myths) is iconic, so is the space jam mashup. Massive bonus points for Prometheus being a hacker. [Prometheus the hero who let us hold off the horde//Prometheus who proved the keyboard's mightier than the sword]

3. Baofu- Odysseus, Prometheus As mentioned Prometheus is a good song. My friend ranked this one lower in protest against Johnny Sims's attempt at an american accent. The entire album Ulysses Dies at Dawn is about Ulysses (roman name for Odysseus), but he features most heavily in Broken Horses, My Name is No-One, and Elysian Fields. Personally I don't like any one of these songs as much as the previously listed songs, but Baofu gets points for having an entire Album.

2. Takuto Maruki- Azathoth I am not going to tell you anything about Red Signal (the Bifrost Incident). I am only going to tell you to listen to it. Anyways. Azathoth is also technically a major.... character? in the Bifrost Incident, which is imo (and afaik most would agree with me) the Mechs' best album, so that's worth some points.

Goro Akechi- Loki, Hereward Loki is one of the main characters of the Bifrost Incident, and she gets parts in multiple songs, mainly the one named after her, and it slaps verily, it's one of the Mechs' best songs, in their best album Hereward the Wake (Tales to be Told Volume II) is one of my favorite Mechs songs and also the reason I made this list, because it's the only reason I knew about Hereward the Wake before playing persona 5. So Akechi wins this list because i am a) extremely biased, i will admit and b) he's the only character who has two personas with entire songs, and they both happen to be some of the bangingest mechs songs

[vikingqueer]

music recommendations because i have some thoughts™

i don't wanna be that person who's like "my music taste is so weird lol" but i find that very often most of my friends don't really care for the music i like so i thought i'd just make a long ass post about it on tumblr instead. Fair warning, I'm very passionate about MIKA and The Mechanisms and so this very quickly got VERY long because it is part of my ongoing campaign to convince people to listen to mika and the mechs.

1) MIKA in general, but especially My Name Is Michael Holbrook (2019) and No Place In Heaven (2015) (especially the Deluxe version!!)

MIKA is a kind of British singer (half Lebanese, grew up in France blabla), and you probably know him for Grace Kelly and Relax, Take It Easy from his first album Life In Cartoon Motion from 2007. He writes a lot of FUN music, interspersed with the occasional slightly sadder song, especially when looking at an album like No Place In Heaven, which contains a lot of songs with gay themes, resulting in some songs that are just a little bit ouch. He's originally classically trained and has a frankly RIDICULOUS range and idk he just writes very good pop music. Also I have so much respect for that time he talked about how a lot of pop is very fake, with like expensive cars and stilettos and mini skirts in the snow and said "Because I walk down the street, and I don't see any of that. I see fat women and gay men. I don't know... That's real". He's written 5 albums; My Name Is Michael Holbrook (2019), No Place In Heaven (2015), The Origin Of Love (2012), The Boy Who Knew Too Much (2009), and Life In Cartoon Motion (2007).

For starters, I recommend listening to Last Party, Origin Of Love, Grace Kelly, Blame It On The Girls, Blue, Happy Ending, Pick Up Off The Floor, Last Party, Underwater, Tomorrow and Tiny Love (yes this is a long list but i REALLY love MIKA). If you want a slightly broader palette that's not just my favourites, I recommend the Mika starter pack on spotify.

2) The Mechanisms. I warn you. I am making this a thing. I have been obsessed with the mechs since last march.

Boy, where to start? The Mechanisms were a British 9 member space pirate story-telling cabaret that "died" in January 2020. They rewrite songs to fit retellings of various stories. I don't even know what genre I'd describe them as, but probably folk but steam-punk?? Their 4 "main" albums are concept albums, and I honestly just recommend listening to the from beginning to end in chronological order. A good way to get into the mechs is also to listen to UDAD and then watching the live show on youtube or alternately try giving Death To The Mechanisms a listen, to get good quality live show audio of TBI and various other stuff. Also, it was streamed on YouTube and someone combined the footage with the album audio and it rocks. Really, I think the mechs' best selling points are honestly just their concept albums:

Once Upon a Time (In Space) Their first album from 2012. I'd say this is the most "easily digestible" for the general public, since it's a retelling of various fairytales. So, what if Old King Cole was in fact not merry, but rather a cold-blooded dictator, intent on colonising as much of the galaxy as possible. What if Snow White was a general, looking to avenge what King Cole did to her sister, Rose. What if Cinderella was to be wedded to Rose the day that King Cole attacked in order to kidnap Rose? But y'know, In Space and also like every other mechs album it's a beautiful tragedy. Fave songs are Old King Cole, Pump Shanty, and No Happy Ending.

Ulysses Dies at Dawn You guessed it, it's a story about Odysseus, or Ulysses because I guess Ulysses is easier to rhyme or fit in the meter or something, idk. Ulysses is a war hero of unknown gender who is said to keep something that could take down the corrupt Olympians, meanest families in the City, in a vault to which only they know the passcode. Oedipus, Heracles, Orpheus, and Ariadne have been hired by Hades, who happens to be The Mechs' quartermaster Ashes O'Reilly, to get into Ulysses' vault. I didn't care much for udad at first, but honestly it's got some real bangers and the story is really good. UDAD weirdly stands out as the only of the concept albums to not feature any gay relationships, per se. Fave songs are Riddle of the Sphinx, Favoured Son, and Underworld Blues.

High Noon over Camelot This is my favourite mehcs album. So basically, this is Arthurian legend, but it's a space western and Jonny D'Ville does a bad southern accent. This is the story of the cowboy lovers Arther, Lancelot, and Guinevere searching for the Galfridian Restricted Acces Interface Login, or GRAIL, in order to stop their world from falling into the sun. Meanwhile, Mordred and Gawaine are ruling Camelot, and Mordred has convinced Gawaine to try to establish peace with the Saxons by whom Mordred was raised, but Gawaine hates viciously. If you love getting your heart broken and songs by a fucking off the rails batshit preacher I HIGHLY recommend hnoc. Fave songs are Gunfight at the Dolorous Guard, Blood and Whiskey, and Once and Future King. Honorary mention for Hellfire because it awakens something animalistic in me.

The Bifrost Incident TBI is the frankly only good adaptation of norse mythology I've ever known of, and I say that as Dane who was literally forced to learn things about norse mythology in school because it's my heritage or whatever. I've been listening to TBI a lot lately because it's VERY good. It's definitely the most refined of the mechs' albums (because it's the newest) but also I just love a little bit of cosmic horror. 80 years ago, Odin, the All-Mother, ruler of Asgaard, launched a train through the wormhole Bifrost that would reduce the travel between Asgaard and Midgaard from 3 months to 3 days, but things didn't go quite as planned. Lyfrassir Edda of the New Midgaard Transport Police is trying to solve the case of why suddenly the train has arrived 80 years late; to figure out whether it was accident or maybe it was sabotaged by Loki, who was allegedly sentence to death her murder of Baldur, by the Midgaardian resistance led by Loki's wife Sigyn, or maybe by Thor, who was to take over after Odin, and who holds quite the grudge because he used to be a friend of Loki's. You might've heard the song Thor from this album, it's apparently quite popular. Fave songs are Loki, Ragnarok III: Strange Meeting, and Ragnarok V: End of The Line. Yet again an honorary mention: Red Signal because while Lovecraft was a bitch, his invocations are fucking RAW.

Basically, the Mechanisms do all of their performances in character as captain first mate Jonny D'Ville, quartermaster Ashes O'Reilly, pilot DrumBot Brian, master-at-arms Gunpowder Tim, science officer Raphaella la Cognizi, doctor Baron Marius Von Raum (neither a baron, nor a doctor), archivist Ivy Alexandria, engineer Nastya Rasputina, and The Toy Soldier, who is, as usual, present. You can find very obscure lore about the crew of the Aurora here, tidbits on Tales To Be Told and TTBT Vol. 2, such as One Eyed Jacks, The Ignominious Demise of Dr. Pilchard, Gunpowder Tim vs. The Moon Kaiser, Lucky Sevens, and Lost in the Cosmos.

If you feel like listening to a full 40-50 minute album to find out if you like a band is a bit much, I recommend listening to one of the mini stories Alice, Swan Song, or Frankenstein, which are about 12, 5 and 9:30 minutes respectively.

3) The Amazing Devil You know that guy who played Jaskier in the Witcher? I got into The Amazing Devil from spotify recommending them because I listened to the mechs, and apparently Joey Batey from The Amazing Devil is the same Joey Batey who was in the Witcher. Both him and Madeleine Hyland are VERY talented singers and songwriters and their second album The Horror and the Wild makes me go out into the forest and SCREAM. I listened to it on repeat for like a month straight. I guess they'd also be considered folk, but like. New Folk. Also yes, this is another British artist, I don't know why I'm like this. I've never really gotten that into their first album, Love Run, but King slaps. As I understand there's this whole lore about the Blue Furious Boy and Scarlet Scarlet, Joey and Madeleine respectively, but unlike the Mechanisms it's actually possible to find out things about the actual real people and harder to find the obscure lore? I'm open for people to please help me. Fave songs are The Horror and the Wild, Farewell Wanderlust, and That Unwanted Animal, which is literally a third of their second album, but again. I haven't really listened to Love Run that much, and I just LOVE the harmonies on THATW. (also im gay and dramatic leave me alone)

4) dodie I have so much love for this woman. Like many others, I first knew dodie as doddleoddle on youtube. I think I first stumbled across her in probably 2015, because I distinctly already knew her before she released her first EP Sick of Losing Soulmates in 2016. I think I watched probably every video she's ever made in the span of a few weeks. I just loved her quiet sound and was absolutely HOOKED. Also she's actually the reason I got into MIKA originally, so thanks for that. Dodie just realeased her first album Build A Problem (in addition to her three EP's; the one mentioned above, You, and Human) and it slaps. Yes dodie is also British Fave songs are probably Monster, Rainbow, and In The Middle.

5) Cladia Boleyn Unfortunately, Claudia Boleyn only has three singles and that's it. She's been making content on youtube for quite a while, and that's how I first discovered her. I don't know what genre her music is, but I like it. The songs are Celesta, George, and Mother Maiden Crone, of which the latter is my favourite. I'm not saying Claudia Boleyn invented women in 2017 when she released Mother Maiden Crone, but she did. Also you guessed it, Claudia Boleyn is British.

6) Hozier I'm not about to tell you about Hozier. You know who he is. Listen to Nina Cried Power, Angel Of Small Death & The Codeine Scene, and Shrike. Also Hozier isn't stricly British in that he is definitely from A British Isle, but Ireland is not part of the UK. Give me a break.

7) Oh Land Oh Land IS DANISH. I like her early music best, because I'm not that into the electronic sound. I guess Oh Land is just you regular old pop, but with the occasional weird vibe? Oddly enough, I like her first album Fauna best. Unfortunately I haven't really listened to her newest album Family Tree much, but it seems good? Fave songs are Frostbite, Love You Better and Family Tree. I cried on the bus, first time I listened to the Danish version of Love You Better, Elsker Dig Mer because my mother tongue always just hits harder. Also Frostbite is Oh Land doing a duet with herself which is pretty cool.

8) Oysterband This is a live recommendation. I mean they're a decent folk band and all, but they're a fucking experience live. If you like folk and you ever get the opportunity to see Oysterband live, do it. Unfortunately, yes. They are British. Either way, they are incredible on a scene and I think they deserve a mention for that.

9) Ben Platt Honestly don't know much about this guy, but he's not British and he was in Dear Evan Hansen. He released an album in 2019, Sing To Me Instead, and I just think it's a good album, there isn't really not much more to it. Fave songs are Grow As We Go, Bad Habit, and In Case You Don't Live Forever.

and thats all for now. this has been a ramble. shout out to you if you actually read all of this, especially the mechs part.

[undrwrlds]

tune into tmz: FAYE MARSHALL is giving an interview ! the TWENTY-EIGHT year old SINGER / SONGWRITER has been plastering the tabloids lately. on instagram, she seems IMAGINATIVE and ALLURING, but there are definitely villainous articles that would claim that they are IMPERIOUS and TEMPESTUOUS. regardless, there’s a reason their name is on everyone’s lips. it’ll be exciting to see what they do next. – played by carlson young.

— THE BASICS

full name: faye vivian marshall 
date of birth: october 10th place of birth: los angeles, california 
age: twenty-eight 
star sign: libra 
profession: singer / songwriter alma mater: did not attend college alignment: chaotic good mbti: enfj spoken languages: english ( native speaker ), french ( beginner ) interests: writing, guitar, dancing, animals mother’s name: sienna west-marshall father’s name: clayton marshall siblings, if any: hazel marshall ( identical twin ) relationship status: dating noah rollins children: n/a height: 5′2″ hair colour: blonde eye colour: brown

— MODERN / trigger warning(s): emotional abuse, abortion

born to the well-beloved marshall household, faye entered the world seven minutes after her identical twin sister hazel. very on brand for the blonde, she arrived kicking and screaming and demanding for all eyes to be on her at once.

did a small stint on the underworld set as playing baby harmony manikas alongside hazel before she could even walk or talk. it worked out perfectly because of the long hours worked by her parents.

faye lived an incredibly spoiled and happy childhood. it didn’t matter how big of names her parents were because at the end of the day, they dedicated themselves to her and her sister. but she definitely had the perks of an incredibly wealthy upbringing and adored ever moment of it.

has always had a passion for performing. it started with ballet and hip hop lessons when she was three and then vocal and piano lessons when she was five. and faye wasn’t just good at it -- she was gifted in the art of music. she never had a doubt in her talent, especially when she was the lead of every musical, winning school talent shows, and completely adored by her performing arts teachers.

despite suggestions to get her into show business immediately, sienna was firm that if the girls wanted to be in the industry then they would only be allowed to do it when they came of age. this frustrated faye, who was pretty much sure that she wanted to be a singer from the age of ten.

never actively sought out friends growing up. thanks to her parents and the close relationships they’d fostered on the underworld set, faye was pretty much born with friends for life. was considered a “popular girl” during middle and high school but didn’t actively go out of her way to be a queen bee type. she much preferred sticking with the friends she had and prep herself for stardom.

once she received her high school degree, faye firmly told her parents that she would not be attending college like her sister and promptly sent out the demo she’d been preparing to different record labels.

a big-time record label approached faye and offered her a spot on their roster. the catch ? it would be as a girl group because those were all the craze back then. reluctantly, she agreed. the group consisted of three other girls was named eye candy and proved to be a commercial success, thanks to their strong, harmonizing vocals and female empowerment anthems. the group lasted for five years but eventually decided to go their separate ways for solo careers. it was amicable split -- faye still talks to the other girls to this day.

now at the age of twenty-three, faye was ready to take on her solo career. a proclaimed songbird and skilled songwriter by rolling stones magazine itself, her debut album was met with incredibly favorable reviews and made the top ten on billboard 100. she was even nominated for best new artist and the grammys.

in particular, everyone was enamored by a particular single that featured an up-and-coming rapper dylan. the two began dating shortly after. the relationship was incredibly toxic. dylan’s hedonistic lifestyle of non-stop parties and drugs began to infiltrated faye’s on life, and together they spiraled out of the control. both the media and fans were obsessed with them and diligently pried into every aspect of their love life. that made things like dylan’s constant wandering eyes and hands or their tumultuous fights hard to keep private. constantly, she told herself she would leave dylan but often times found herself so co-dependent and very nearly addicted to his energy.

at the time, faye also worked on her second album. this one took on a less bubblegum pop approach and shifted her attempts to more dance pop. the banger filled album was praised for her efforts and continued to obtain global success while simultaneously going through perhaps the worst period of her life. the amount of accolades and attention she was garnering truly meant nothing when she didn’t even feel like herself.

it came to the biggest surprise when faye discovered that she was pregnant. completely panicked at the idea of becoming a mother or bringing a kid into this horrible dynamic, she made the decision to have an abortion. at the time, her father was the only one that knew and went to the clinic with her. however, his choice to tell her mother afterwards upset faye and she shut him out of her life for months.

things blew up in a very big way at a big exclusive club opening that she attended with dylan and some of her friends. paparazzi galore caught faye’s boyfriend all over a model for the world to see and thanks to the stress of all that had been occurring, she had a breakdown. colton came to her defense that night and started a fight with dylan that ended poorly. so distressed about colton getting in trouble and dylan’s blatant disrespect, faye sort of disappeared for a while, showing up on her parents’ doorstep in a desperate need of a repreive from hollywood. deleted all of her social media and sorta slumped into a depression, one that her loved ones didn’t allow her to settle in for long.

after seven months of healing and antisocial behavior, faye emerged back into the limelight and began working diligently on her third album. unlike ever before, this album was raw and authentic and shifted gears to more sultry pop and r&b and urban flares that showcased her vocals unlike ever before. she took over a year to release it, wanting to make sure everything was perfect for her return. and it was surely worth it because it is her biggest album to date and got her five grammy nominations, three of which she won.

simultaneously, faye began dating noah -- one of her best friends that she tiptoed the will they won’t they line with for a very long time. at first, she was hesitant and wary of the possibility of a healthy relationship but now could not imagine her life without him ( though she’d never admit to his face because who needs to agony of his smugness )

is currently working on her fourth album that is centered around the good things in her life and fully embracing that she is a successful bitch and has worked hard to be where she is. it will continue to play with her brand of sultry, urban type of pop.

random fact: is currently the third most followed person on instagram and adores social media and finds a way to utilize it into her every day life.

— 19th CENTURY

to be added.

— SHADOWHUNTERS

to be added.

— HEROES VS. VILLAINS / trigger warning(s): abuse

born to two notorious supervillains, faye was expected to go down the same path. she began her training from an early age ; as a non-meta human, she knew she would have to rely on gadgets and combat in the field.

when she came of age to be in the field, she realized that the villain lifestyle was not for her and would prefer to utilize her powers as a hero instead. too afraid to reveal this to her parents, she instead confided in her twin sister hazel and best friends gabriel, kiri, and noah.

while reluctantly partaking in villainous operatives like robberies and the sort, faye began moonlighting as a vigilante as a form of balance for her wrongs. the two words collided horribly and it was exhausting being two different people at separate ends of the spectrum, but she didn’t want to be denounced by her loved ones. she may not agree with the villains but they were her lifelines. came to be known as rose as a masked vigilante, thanks to her sweeter “innocent” appearance but her far more “thorny” form of fighting.

met dylan during one of her nights off at a nightclub and was immediately attracted to him. he was a clinical psychology intern at a local center and she found him to be very handsome, enigmatic, and intelligent. they started dating.

everything was going wonderfully, or so she thought. truthfully, dylan was incredibly emotionally abusive. he began to make her isolate herself from her loved ones, second-guess her self-worth, and rely heavily on him to function as a human being. on numerous occasions, he even struck her to get his point across.

one night, faye discovered his hidden journals, realizing that he was obsessed with those “graced” with meta-human abilities and had attempted experiments on himself and victims that he found to try to be like them. disgusted, faye packed up to leave for good when dylan knocked her out. when she came to, she was dangling above a chemical vat. dylan made her choose -- him or her loved ones. when faye stubbornly chose her loved ones, he dropped her into the chemical vat.

while the chemicals included did not kill her, it re-wired something in faye’s brain. suddenly, she was hearing voices and the bleaching quality in the chemicals caused her skin to go ghostly pale. she would have drowned if dylan hadn’t retrieved her. and when he did, she was no longer the girl she’d once been. 

thanks to the chemical vat, faye has grown immune to most toxins and chemicals. that paired with her gymnastic skills and weaponized toys makes for a danger enemy. she has no morals and is willing to kill in the field.

the worst thing she has ever done in her life is the murder of the superhero twilight ( civilian name: emmett turner ). upon dylan’s encouragement, she brutally bashed his head in with a crowbar and left him for dead.

dylan kept her under his thumb, using the most extreme forms of torture if faye dared to defy him. but one day, she snapped and killed the man who was the reasoning for all her suffering. but it was too late: she was now giggle, known by the maniacal laugh she gives before carving people into pieces.

[hvarchivefinal]

Unify Gathering 2018: A Review

DAY 1

As someone who bussed down to Unify, I’m definitely glad I did. The relaxing and hassle free ride down to Tarwin was only interrupted when it started raining when we reached the coast.

With my tent set up in a matter of minutes (cheers Kmart), I met my fellow campers and was introduced to the ‘Unify Vibe’. Everyone was incredibly friendly and the atmosphere couldn’t even be dampened by the incessant rain.

I only caught the last few songs from Belle Haven, but if their charismatic Sunday acoustic set was anything to go by, they’re definitely a band worth keeping an eye on.

I was one of the lucky few to get my Unicoin wristband early, so I can’t really complain about the incredibly long line that I walked past after Belle Haven finished, but after running into some friends and waiting with them for their wristbands, I guess if there’s one thing to take away from Unify 2018, it’s that it definitely pays to get in early, especially at a festival of 7500 people.

Knocked Loose were up next and by god, the hype was palpable. The pit opened as soon as the band came onstage, and the crowd followed frontman Bryan Garris’ every move. Finger pointing goodness ensued as the band ran through fan favourites Counting Worms and Deadringer. Halfway through the set Garris asked how many people had heard of Knocked Loose, and was greeted with an entire crowd of raised arms. Hardcore is set to dominate 2018.

If Knocked Loose had already set the bar high, Sydneysiders Polaris absolutely obliterated it. Opening with ‘Lucid’, the band powered through a setlist comprised largely of songs off their debut album ‘The Mortal Coil’, much to the crowd’s delight. At points, fans almost drowned out the band, particularly during set closer and hottest 200 charting ‘The Remedy’. The band’s growth in the last 12 months is incredible, and proves that the Aussie scene is stronger than ever.

After going fucking hard to Polaris, I retreated to the campsite to have a drink and a game of Uno. I legged it to Tonight Alive’s Underworld release party at the bush bar, and was almost blinded with a sea of yellow. When Tonight Alive finally arrived they greeted every fan and thanked them, after spending so long overseas (Australia wasn’t even graced with a proper Limitless headliner), the release of ‘Underworld’ couldn’t come at a better time for the Sydney ‘Conscious Rockers’, Tonight Alive are definitely back. It was still raining by the time their set rolled around, but the mood was electric. Some in the crowd were still wearing yellow flower crowns from the release party, as the band belted out a mix of classics and newer songs. Welcome home Tonight Alive, we’ve missed you.

Next up was one of the most anticipated sets of the night, Architects burst onstage amid a flurry of lasers and cryo. Their set consisted mainly of songs from their last 2 albums, and while bodies hurled over the barrier during ‘Gravity’, everyone wanted to be in the mosh for crowd favourite ‘These Colours Don’t Run’. Rain split the light from the lasers as the crowd pulsed to the beat of every song. It was already set to be an emotional night, but following the new track ‘Doomsday’, everyone knelt on the ground as a tribute to Tom Searle as Sam Carter made a speech about loss and the importance of being able to grieve. There was barely a dry eye in the crowd as the band rolled onto ‘Gone With The Wind’. Architect’s Unify set was incredibly special, and will no doubt a favourite for many for years to come.

It’s been a while since Parkway Drive were last in Australia, but their first shows back were definitely special, celebrating a decade of metalcore classic ‘Horizons’. While the mosh had definitely gotten rowdy earlier in the day, Winston McCall definitely knows how to command a crowd. The Oompa Loompa boatrace was another highlight of the night, with other favourites ‘Wild Eyes’ and ‘Bottom Feeder’ chucked in for good measure. One last blast of confetti and it was over for the night, we all shuffled back to our tents, hoping that they had lasted the storm.

DAY 2

While I would’ve loved a sleep in, I was up bright and early (as in, 6am early) on Saturday, and was able to catch some of the brief glimpses of sun before the clouds began to roll in once again. I spent the morning hanging out at the campsite until it was time for my first set of the day.

I’ve heard about The Beautiful Monument quite a bit in the last few months, and so I was pleasantly surprised when I finally saw the band live, performing their own blend of synthcore and rock which ends up sounding a little like a PVRIS/Motionless in White mashup. Definitely a band worth checking out if you haven’t already, they also pulled a decent crowd for so early on in the day. Here’s hoping we see more of them in 2018.

I only caught the last of Outright’s set, but it was absolutely incredible.

A little more relaxing before what I like to call ‘The Marathon’, with back to back massive sets, starting off with Perth’s Cursed Earth. Applause was scattered as the band came onstage with a different vocalist, but they still gave an absolutely blistering set, full of hardcore mosh anthems off their newest double release ‘Cycles of Grief’.

Young Lions were a refreshing breather of rock goodness, and even the return of rain couldn’t stop the seemingly nonstop crowdsurfing. Ending with ‘Burn the Money’, Young Lions undoubtedly earned a load of new fans.

It was now raining heavily as Void of Vision finally came onstage, throwing merch into the crowd. The set relied heavily on cuts from their latest EP ‘Disturbia’, vocalist Jack Bergin climbed up the stage frame halfway through their set (what OHS?).

Roam were seemingly blown away with the size of the crowd during their set, pumping through a mix of old and new songs, before the crowd sang vocalist Alex Costello happy birthday. Watching the band’s growth just since the release of 2017’s ‘Great Heights & Nosedives’ has been incredible, and I can’t wait to see what the Roam camp has up their sleeves next.

The sun had just begun to peak through the clouds as Being As An Ocean took the stage. Playing songs mainly off their most recent album ‘Waiting For Morning To Come’, Joel Quartuccio dove into the audience to sing their last few songs. Despite a rough few months and a label dispute hindering the release of their 2017 album, the fan reaction to the newer songs (OK, Black & Blue, Thorns), proves that in 2018, fan support can still go a long way.

Next up was Make Them Suffer, who pulled a massive crowd following the incredible success of 2017’s ‘Worlds Apart’. As everyone has already heard by now, the walls of death and moshing was only interrupted by the absolute legends playing Uno in the pit (during Widower of all songs). The set was a perfect balance of old and new (though I was a bit emo when they didn’t play Fireworks).

Following a brief game of ping pong cricket in the pit, Knuckle Puck came out to give us all one final kick of Pop Punk for the night. The band seemed at home onstage, pumping out songs ‘Evergreen’ and ‘Gone’. Vocalist Joe Taylor proved he was a pro at Aussie festival culture, doing a shoey before the band had even played their first song.

The temperature had well and truly started to drop as Stick To Your Guns kicked off their set, full of cuts from their newest album ‘Married to the Noise’ as well as hits like ‘Amber’ and ‘We Still Believe’. Jesse Barnett took time out of the night to say how special it was that Unify gave bands the opportunity to play in front of massive audiences, and how mind blowing it was to see how many Aussie fans they had.

If anyone had any expectations for Hellion’s set, they were well and truly exceeded, to see how far the band have come since the release of ‘Opera Oblivia’ is incredible. Real Bad came out for his feature on ‘Hellions’, and a sneaky appearance from Northlane’s Marcus Bridge, as well as a debut of their still unreleased new song ‘X’, made the landmark set feel truly special.

Having seen Hands Like Houses multiple times on their ‘Dissonants’ cycle, I slid to the side of the crowd to watch the full show from the Canberra rockers. And by god I wasn’t disappointed. Confetti and cryo burst into the air as they powered through absolute bangers ‘I Am’, ‘Drift’, and slower songs like ‘A Tale of Outer Suburbia’.

It was bloody cold by the time The Amity Affliction came onstage, and despite being advertised as a ’15 Year Anniversary Show’, fans waiting for some deeper cuts were most likely disappointed, but the start of the set was full of classic hits pre ‘Let The Ocean Take Me’. Even the band seemed bored though as they dragged through the last few songs, and everyone seemed glad to be able to lug themselves back to the campsite.

DAY 3

Most people had left early on in the morning, so by the time I wandered down to the acoustic stage, the vibe was incredible. The sun had finally come out, and those who had waited around were greeted with clear blue skies and mellow tunes.

Belle Haven were the first acoustic I saw, and the intimate vibe seemed to suit them better as they chatted with the audience in between songs. Their cover of Paramore’s ‘Decode’ with an unbelievable feature from Brie (? My god, I’m sorry I can’t remember her name but she was so bloody good) was a particular highlight.

I didn’t know too many of the bands on the acoustic stage, but I’m now proudly a fan of Chasing Ghosts.

Introvert were up next, and even though the band seemed a little worse for wear from the previous night, they were still absolutely incredible.

I finally lugged all my shit to the bus area, which was full of people staring at the ground, eyes glazed. The ride home was a quiet one, with almost everyone on my bus taking the opportunity to have a nap on the 2 hour ride back to Melbourne. For my first Unify, I’m incredibly glad I went. Even though it rained all weekend, spending time with friends and making new ones all while listening to incredible bands made it a weekend I’ll never forget.

[ewanreviewin]

  Song: “Slide” by LPX

In <100 Words: Cheating a bit since this came out the end of last year, but I didn’t listen until the EP. “Slide” almost feels like a MS MR single if you didn’t know that Lizzy was doing her own thing these days, with its powerful drums and – so far at least – fairly clear vocals (on the verses). THEN Lizzy starts to belt about the lack of warning her heart gave regarding heartbreak. THEN she and her band bust into the incredible, dancey chorus. You’ll be screaming along with Lizzy by the end of the bridge.

Fave Lyric: “The sweetest love in life cuts you like a knife, ripping your insides, leaves you paralyzed.”

I Also Recommend: “Tightrope” has been and still is my favorite LPX track so far with the absolute shredding of that guitar. “Red Queen” is my favorite “new” song from the EP.

The EP Overall: It’s quite a banger of an EP and really makes me excited to see what the LPX project has to give in the form of a full-length album.

What This Sound Like: My heartbreak coming to life and screaming at me, with sick guitars playing in the background.

Song: “My My My” by Troye Sivan

In <100 Words: Writing a good love song is actually a super underrated skill. As is creating a great pop song. Troye Sivan, luckily, has the ability to handle both under his belt. “My My My” is so unabashedly happy. Troye sings to his lover to just let go and enjoy the moment of being in love – and in a world where love has so much pressure put on it, why don’t you?! Bring on the album, baby.

Fave Lyric: “Now let’s stop running from love.”

The Video: It’s sexy. It’s pretty. It’s gay. Come on – how can you not love it.

What This Sound Like: Running through a field at night as a rainbow – somehow – appears in the sky.

Song: “Supernatural” by BØRNS

In <100 Words: This is a bit of an underrated song from Blue Madonna. I am obsessed with the multiple drum play going on (I even hear bongos) and the strings in the post-chorus. There’s even a theremin solo in the bridge. Hell. YES. Lyrically, “Supernatural” falls on the second half of the album (right after the interlude actually) where Mr. Born seems to be over the heartbreak and is moving into a more introspective view of his previous relationship. It’s all dreamy and just lovely.

Fave Lyric: “Is it love or am I fooling around trying to find the truth?”

I Also Recommend: “Faded Heart” still holds up quite well, the witty and bright, yet bitter and cold “Second Night of Summer,” the rock-tinged “We Don’t Care,” and the empowering “I Don’t Want U Back.” I’d include the interlude, “Tension,” but it’s ONLY AN INTERLUDE!

The Album Overall: I’m really happy that he went down a route that was less energetic and… polished as Dopamine, even though I really enjoy that record too. It’s a great follow-up, though at the same time I feel like he’s yet to achieve his full potential. I have a feeling that will come with the next record.

What This Sound Like: A montage of going to the mall, but on an alien planet, but everyone’s happy.

Song: “After the Storm” by Kali Uchis (feat. Tyler the Creator & Bootsy Collins)

In <100 Words: Kali expands her resume a little by venturing into the deep funk of “After the Storm.” Tyler name drops his newest record & the Disney deer Bambi in his mellow & very fitting verse. Kali sounds great on the track too – singing very sexy & empowering lyrics as she likely speaks to herself in a mirror. The highlight of the track is easily the production. The bass is excellent & the groove slows down a bit towards the end before picking right back up & leaving you wanting more once the track draws to a close.

Fave Lyric: “So you gotta be careful baby, and look both ways before you cross my mind.”

What This Sound Like: Laying in silk sheets dressed in your softest robe.

Song: “King for a Day” by Anderson East

In <100 Words: This song is quite cheeky and I didn’t realize! The opener for Encore is actually a “let’s-get-it-on” song because I’d rather hook up once than be strung along as an unrequited love for a long time. You would not think that’s what Anderson is singing about when you first listen to “King for a Day.” Tinged with some elevating trumpets in the bridge/end of the song & very traditional guitar/drum pairing, the instrumental of this track is quite infectious.

Fave Lyric: “Even if your heart can’t look away, even if our love can’t stay together, I’d rather be king for a day than a fool forever.”

I Also Recommend: The scandalous & energetic “Girlfriend,” “Surrender” which sounds like that “rollin! rollin!” song, the sweet but also jamming with the guitar “Sorry You’re Sick,” and my favorite mid/lower tempo track “This Too Shall Last.”

The Album Overall: It’s quite good Americana/blue-eyed soul music!

What This Sound Like: Wrangling cattle on the ranch as the sun is high in the sky.

Song: “Kissing Tree” by The Spencer Lee Band

In <100 Words: Whoa, WHERE did this song come from? “Kissing Tree” opens up for a while as just an acoustic guitar and a back and forth from higher pitched vocals to, who I guess is the main singer. The song builds up more and more with a few strings, and then a NASTY bass line once we get to the second verse. Lyrically, it’s probably what you’d expect from a song called “Kissing Tree,” but some lines in particular are quite clever. All the instruments being released from their cages in the bridge – oh yeah, favorite bit.

Fave Lyric: “Shake you like a leaf, break me off a piece, I got everything I need under the kissing tree.”

What This Sound Like: Unsurprisingly, like sitting on a tree & making out with someone.

Song: “Disappear” by Tonight Alive (feat. Lynn Gunn)

In <100 Words: In case you didn’t know, Lynn Gunn is the front woman of the awesome band PVRIS. She doesn’t hijack the “Disappear,” but rather she gives the track a little more fire to make it that highlight from Underworld. The song is liberating, fun, and also a bit detached.

Fave Lyric: “Why does it feel like home when I’m lonely?”

I Also Recommend: “Last Light” is one of the softer moments on the record that’s really needed. “Burning On” is another fun, upbeat banger, and the punk rock “Temple.”

The Album Overall: Jenna’s vocals are awesome on this record, but I can’t help but feel the sounds of the album have kinda been done before.

What This Sound Like: Getting out of your comfort zone to do something that you enjoy, by yourself.

Song: “Lottery” by Jade Bird

In <100 Words: What a great melody on this song, especially on the chorus. “Lottery” almost feels hippie/Woodstock ready with the soft guitar moments & jangling tambourine. However, the lyrics add a cool contrast to this, being filled with number-talk. Plus, her voice is lovely – like birds singing almost. Seriously, can I talk about the chorus again? The ending line has been stuck in my head for days now.

Fave Lyric: “You used to say that love is a game, but you got your numbers and you’re betting on me.”

What This Sound Like: Spending your time with a loved one in nature instead of spending your money inside a casino.

Song: “Bite My Tongue” by The Academic

In <100 Words: It can feel good to speak your mind, but sometimes it’s better to just sit down and shut up. “Bite My Tongue” seems to touch on the short-term joy (or potentially, in the end, long-term joy) of not holding back and also deciding to keep quiet for the sake of “not raining on your parade.” Meanwhile, this the band playing probably makes this the most upbeat track on the record – and it sounds great, especially on the chorus.

Fave Lyric: “My dear, what have we become? … So I’ll just bite my tongue.”

I Also Recommend: The track that directly follows this, “Fake ID,” sounds like going out for the night – kicking off the track with the opening of a door. “Permanent Vacation” and “Television” are two more upbeat bangers. I also enjoy “Different.”

The Album Overall: It’s a quick listen at 35 minutes, and while the songs on the record may feel too similar to each other, the pacing & length of the songs don’t tire you out at all. All-in-all, a good debut!

What This Sound Like: Driving with the top down by the beach.

Song: “Perfect” by Andreas Moss

In <100 Words: Andreas has a silky sweet voice that sounds best over non-distracting music. “Perfect” does a good job of this by having, essentially, just an acoustic guitar in the verses/bridge and a fairly subdued worbly bass in the chorus. If anything the shaking bass in the chorus pairs perfectly (lol) as Andreas hits the high notes in a swoon to the listener who “doesn’t have to be perfect” and is “worth it to me.” It really does take someone else to see the beauty in yourself when all you see are flaws.

Fave Lyric: “These are the moments when I see you – the purest form of you bleeding through.”

What This Sound Like: Blushing.

Song: “Stay Off My Mind” by Skott

In <100 Words: Immediately, you’ll hear “I’m thinking of you!” in some sort of ethereal, potentially self-sampling outburst that will catch your ear. The production kicks in as “Stay Off My Mind” enters the first verse with chirpy drums, guitar, and piano. Skott seems to throw in some autotune into the mix, which makes her sound pointedly distant from the listener who she wants out of her mind. The one moment of a back & forth of “still on my mind” in the chorus is really pretty. Lyrically, it’s more heart-wrenching than you’d expect – being about the death of a close friend. Damn.

Fave Lyric: “I’m left with the silence – there’s something about it, I don’t know, I don’t mind just sitting here alone.”

I Also Recommend: Snappy & groovy “In the Mood.”

The EP Overall: Because it’s so short I don’t have too strong of an opinion one way or another, but the two aforementioned tracks get me very excited to see what a full record would look like.

What This Sound Like: Wandering a city, with nothing to distract you from thinking about thoughts you were trying to avoid.

Week of January 12, 2018 Song: "Slide" by LPX In <100 Words: Cheating a bit since this came out the end of last year, but I didn't listen until the EP.

[girlsagainst-archive]

October Newsletter

Hey everyone, welcome to our October newsletter! This month, we've grown as a team, taking on a few reps to help us with socials and stuff you'll definitely see a more active Girls Against online (not just behind the scenes). All our links, socials and reps contact info for any questions you may have will be at the end of this post!

The #metoo campaign took over social media this month and we 100% fully support it. It is so incredibly brave and inspirational of all these people, not just women, to come forward and share their stories. It helped to expose the shocking behaviour of Harvey Weinstein and further helped other people come forward following his allegations. Many well known women gave their experiences and helped the media and the public really understand this apparently hidden situation. Everyone who tweeted spoke with such courage and its very important to say that we are absolutely here for everyone, if they  want to confide in us to tell us their stories or look for help.

Our rep Sophia has been busy with interviews this month, bands featured include The Regrettes, Idle Frets and Beyond Recall. All can be found on our tumblr. They're all really in depth and interesting so check those out!

From Sophia: 'The Regrettes supported SWMRS’ on the Europe + UK leg of the Farewell Drive North Tour. I followed the tour around the UK and had a great week watching these bands every night. I spoke to The Regrettes ahead of the London show – the biggest show of the tour, and my last one! They were very warm and welcoming, and answered my questions thoughtfully – even though they were on a very tight schedule! They were reflective and nuanced, particularly when discussing how women in music are talked about. I felt like they really embodied what we’re about as a campaign – both during the interview and on stage every night. They truly interacted with the crowd, Lydia coming into the pit most nights and getting various people to sing a line. They treated me like a peer, and I saw them be the same with so many fans after the shows every night.'

We started our 'Women Creating Waves' Instagram theme (#wcw)! This takes inspirational women, not just in music, and showcases how amazing they all are! If you have any thoughts of women we should be including over the next few weeks, send us an Instagram DM!

International

Our international rep Andrew has been even busier this month! He was featured on a great podcast by ChunkyGlasses. It can be found here: http://www.chunkyglasses.com/content/episode-318-girls-against-how-to-combat-sexual-harassment/assault-in-the-music-industry-and-beyond

The podcast discusses what we do, our book club and giving a wider view of sexual harassment in the music scene.

Book Club

During October, the Girls Against Book Club has been reading ‘The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic’ by Jessica Hopper. It’s a set of essays about various issues in and surrounding the music industry and I chose to read this for the book club to learn more about and amplify the voice of a woman’s experience in a largely male-dominated industry. In the book club blog post I talk about some of my favourite essays, including  ‘Emo: Where the Girls Aren’t’ and ‘Deconstructing Lana Del Rey’, and the reasons why I didn’t like some of the other essays as much. For the month of November, the book club will be reading Carol Ann Duffy’s collection of poetry ‘Feminine Gospels’ which I’m really looking forward to as this is the first time our book club has ventured out into reading poetry and I’d love it if you joined us in reading the text! If you’re interested in reading more about my thoughts on Jessica Hopper’s set of music criticism, the fourth book club blog post is up now. Don’t forget to join our GoodReads group by following this link- https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/230714-girls-against-book-club

This piece was written by our rep Alice Porter; Alice writes and picks the book club books so please get involved with that and send her suggestions for the following months book to her email.

Music

So much good music has been released this month. Honestly, it’s been quite overwhelming. Especially as I’m still not over Architects’ ‘Doomsday’, which was my main pick from last month. My absolute favourite new song is ‘Temple’ by Tonight Alive – which was dropped with less than 24 hours warning. It’s safe to say that day I was…annoying. It’s a triumphant return, one which sees the band return to edgier, punkier sounds than their last album, Limitless. Thematically, it remains spiritual, but explores darker ideas than they dared approach previously. It’s a song that came at the right time, and one which hit hard – the upcoming album, Underworld, is undoubtedly going to be astounding. I already know it’s going to be honest to an uncomfortable degree, and that’s going to be the most freeing thing of all – for band and fans.

My next favourite is ‘Still Alive’ by The Spook School. A friend recently introduced me to this band, and as soon as I heard a couple of songs, I was hooked. This is their most recent release, and I love to play it on repeat. The standout line in the chorus – “fuck you I’m still alive” – is perfect to shout loud, over and over. Bad moods cannot persist when playing this song – that’s a fact.

There’s been so much this month though! We finally have a new Sleater Kinney song – mother Carrie answered my prayers! – and all proceeds go to Planned Parenthood! Idle Frets – an interview with whom is up now – released a new single which is a smasher! Marmozets dropped another banger! We have been very fortunate this month. Listen to all the best tunes in this month’s playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/user/girlsagainst/playlist/0QBhIV7RP6YWzSYxLH7sv8 

This Spotify playlist and piece was written by our rep Sophia Simon-Bashall.

Thank you so much for paying attention to us and following our campaign! Aforementioned, there will be a lot more action on our socials and we have SO many exciting things planned (that we can't yet give away, even more reason to stay tuned).

Our tumblr submissions are open for your thoughts but also for pieces you would like to write for us! These include anything creative, writing, poetry or anything that you think might be relevant or that we'd like to hear! We always welcome constructive criticism and are always looking to improve. We recently opened up the search for new reps which we will be announcing week commencing the 13th so keep your eyes peeled if you've applied and hopefully you've been successful. Finally, thank you so much to everyone that did apply to rep for us. We really appreciate all the messages and all the reasons why you were interested in becoming a rep were so insightful.

The Girls Against team xxx

Contributers for September:

Alice @aliceporterX        Book Club

Sophia @hurricanegrrrl    Music

Ellen @iimmortals            Editor and Coordinator

Andrew @andrewjwkoh   International

Our socials:

twitter: @girlsagainst

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/girlsagainstgroping/ 

instagram @girls.against

email: girlsagainstgiggroping@gmail.com

If you need to contact any of us individually (reps), our twitters are @iimmortals (Ellen), @aliceporterX (Alice), @hurricanegrrrl (Sophia), @monica_gems (Georgia), @wardeeey (Isabella) and @azzannedale (Azzanne).

[heavyelectricity]

My 2019 in music

I guess I’m a distinctly unfashionable consumer, because between my own purchases and gifts, I got 47 CDs this year. Plenty of those were not new music – I grabbed all sorts of older albums, ranging from Napalm Death and Fear Factory to Basement Jaxx and Zero 7. I did buy plenty of new music though, and some themes did come through in my back catalogue purchases too.

Celebrity deaths can hit hard sometimes, but this year the one that hit me the hardest was undoubtedly that of Keith Flint. The Prodigy was really the first group I properly latched on to as a kid, and although I’ve ended up more into metal than dance, they’ve always been amongst my favourites. He was a big part of that, as his punk attitude gave the group a distinctive edge that will likely never be replicated. As a result, I grabbed the spanky expanded editions of Experience, Music For The Jilted Generation and Fat Of The Land this year – the only one I owned individually prior was Experience, and that’s on tape.

One group I got into in a big way this year was Cubanate, and it’s via the most roundabout of routes. Back when I was researching Burnout games, someone had used Skeletal as background music and I recognised it from Gran Turismo. I loved the dance-oriented industrial metal sound when I was a teenager and I still love it now, so I bought all four of their 90s albums, and later received their new EP for Christmas. Also on the industrial end of things, my favourite new album of the year is probably Metawar by 3Teeth. It divided critical opinion, with some feeling that it strays too close to nu-metal for its own good, but I never really got behind the whole disavowal of that sound anyway. It’s a loud, powerful album and tracks like President X and Affluenza are certified bangers, while the cover of Pumped Up Kicks gives the song the sort of sinister edge I always wanted it to have.

Further up the extreme end of the metal spectrum, Slipknot had a new album this year and I’ve really enjoyed it – it’s the group’s best since Vol.3, at the very least, easily eclipsing All Hope Is Gone and it’s a step ahead of .5: The Grey Chapter too. Unsainted has become part of my daily mix and the only real mystifying thing is that All Out Life wasn’t included, given that it gave the album its title. The Japanese CD has it as a bonus track so I might have to pick that up. I got Anaal Nathrakh’s Desideratum for my birthday, and grabbed last year’s A New Kind Of Horror earlier in the year, providing my requisite slice of socially unacceptable music. A new album is due out in 2020 and I cannot fucking wait.

I actually had my first bit of music writing published this year, and that was an interview with Necronomidol. The group quickly gained a place amongst my favourites after I discovered them a couple of years ago, but it’s been a year of ups and downs for them. Sari and Hina graduated at the beginning of the year, and though it had been announced in advance, it still hurt – they were iconic. I did manage to get their last CD with the old members, an excellent collaboration single with NEMLESSS, Boundless Wounds. Thankfully, the group’s producer Ricky knows what he’s doing and brought in two new members. Michelle has fit right in, she’s mischievous and funny and just gets it. Kunogi… her departure was definitely unfortunate, but it’s better for everyone if neither party was happy with the working arrangements. Hopefully she’ll do more with her own rock band Mu Lilium – I picked up their CD at Hyper Japan and it was good. The bright spot for Necronomidol has been the group’s performances. I was gutted to miss them at The Underworld, but both of their Hyper Japan sets were great fun, and Scions Of The Blasted Heath was a fun EP with some cool new stylistic directions and an easy all-timer in Children Of The Night.

To be honest, I really fell down the idol rabbit hole this year. After years of distant respect for Babymetal, I finally took the plunge on their albums over the summer, then got Metal Galaxy for Christmas. Apparently the new album has received some mixed reception, but I enjoyed it – if absolutely nothing else, it has PA PA YA!!, which is a certified banger and one of my favourite songs of the whole year. Idol Underworld has made it way easier to access idol CDs now, and I got plenty of good stuff there. I guess part of the thing is probably to do with line-up changes, and KAQRIYOTERROR (formerly Kaqriyo Terror Architect) suffered the same problem this year – the loss of the original members sucked, especially as their first single of the year was awesome. Now, this was titled The Forbidden Masturbating, and I stupidly ordered it to my work address. Once I got over the sheer relief of getting it out of the building undetected, the title track was good but Drying Party? won Homicidols’ best B-side of the year award, and with good reason. Still, the newly renamed group came back strong with Lilithpride and I’m looking forward to their next steps.

Idol Underworld made it so much easier to access smaller acts this year, and I really appreciated that. Rino Oishi’s group Grumpy Animal might have cover art that makes for more “shit, gotta hide that” moments but the energetic rock is definitely my speed, especially on songs like Bari Bari Barricade. XTEEN’s horror punk sound has really grown on me over recent times and I got Romanticist in my most recent order, with Eclipse to come and The New Black whenever it’s back in stock. It’s not all loudness, though – the soft synths and sweet singing of LiLii Kaona have really been a comfort when I’ve needed something more relaxing to listen to. I also have CDs on the way from Merry Bad End, Satanic Punish and HAMIDASYSTEM, which I’ll get to enjoy in the new year.

There are a few more idol groups that I’m still waiting to get CDs for, or just getting to investigate. Zsasz don’t have a CD yet but I liked their debut YouTube song, and Burst Girl’s album is out of stock right now but sounded good on Spoofy. Migma Shelter have really impressed me with songs like Spider Line and 69, but I don’t yet know where to get their CDs. I found an awesome Eurobeat song by Seireki13ya, and must look into more of their stuff. Then there’s Beyooooonds, a more traditional idol act that still did a pretty great idol metal song in Atsui! and the hilarious Go Waist video. Not sure how much of their stuff I’ll like, but they’re worth a look. Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to see some of these acts in Japan when I travel there in April.

[all-they-say-is-na-na-na]

Kelly Lee Owens - ‘Kelly Lee Owens’

The fact that Kelly Lee Owens turned out to be an electronic musician is, perhaps, accidental. She was a nurse taking care of people with terminal cancer, until she took her patients’ advice and followed a career in music. She worked in XL for some time as an intern, and was a member of dream-pop band The History of Apple Pie. But it wasn’t until techno producer Daniel Avery called her to sing on some of the tracks from his debut album, ‘Drone Logic’, that she would take a full interest in dance and electronic music, as well as becoming a producer herself.

Even though her debut EP ‘Oleic’ was mostly based on instrumental music, her self-titled debut is not necessarily stuck in that. In fact, opening track “S.O” has more in common with Julee Cruise heart-wrenching ballads than it does with Orbital’s brown album, for example. It sounds as if she took the atmosphere and the heavenly harmonies from her previous band’s music, setting it against an electronic-heavy background. “Arthur”, dedicated to a hero and influence of hers Arthur Russell, is a spiritual odd to his work and life which proves that Kelly shares his passion for texture and odd brightness.

“Anxi.” (which might be short for “anxiety”?) features the vocals of Norwegian experimental-pop artist Jenny Hval, and both her and KLO’s vocals blend together perfectly. Lyrically it seems to be a continuation of the themes presented on Jenny’s latest album ‘Blood Bitch’ (since there are some references to “Period Piece” or “The Plague”) and everything sounds beautiful until a techno beat disrupts the harmony and turns it into something way darker, unexpected – but extremely engaging. The following track features a similar structure – “Lucid” was originally conceived as an all-the-way ambient-pop track, but on the album, Kelly decided to give it a wonderful electronic-dance climax which works perfectly.

“Evolution” is the first track that can be described as a straight-up unaltered club banger, with KLO’s monotone spoken-word performance giving it a Laurie Anderson-esque edge to it – something like that also happens on the previously released “CBM”. “Bird” might be reminiscent of Celtic new age (Owens is Welsh, after all), but the way in which turns into a house track around the 1:45 mark while still maintaining some melodic aspects is both unexpected and wonderful. A perfect match between techno and pop music happens on “Throwing Lines”, with a simplistic but functional hook it is one of the most accessible on the record, as well as one of its obvious highlights.

The Daniel Avery co-produced “Keep Walking” (which is the only track in which Kelly is not the sole producer) feels like a more abstract take on the opening track, with its title being sung angelically as a mantra over some downtempo beats. The mantra effect is also seemingly used on “8”, the final track on the record. As a constantly mutating, nearly 10-minutes-long electro-drone piece probably influenced by both raga and Global Communications, it feels like the perfect way to close a record like this, which never feels “unentertaining” at all.

It’s understandable to see why many electronic music producers who are trying to make innovative club records are slowly leaving techno behind. Those who do not, such as Container, Pan Daijing or Powell, tend to approach it from its most visceral, noisy, abrasive side, and it does make it feel exciting. However, what Kelly Lee Owens does is re-approaching the genre from its most melodic, pop-appealing elements – in its most literal way. You might be able to link KLO’s influences, but there is probably no one that sounds like her right now. And in addition to that, her debut is likely to be a strong contender for the “Album of the Year” title on many lists. Which is hard to do, not everybody can and let alone at their debut – which is why it will be exciting to see what she does in the future.

Highlights: “S.O”, “Anxi.” (feat. Jenny Hval), “Lucid”, “Bird”, “Throwing Lines”, “Keep Walking”

You’ll like it if you like: Jenny Hval, Daniel Avery, Laurel Halo, Global Communications, Underworld, The Knife, Julee Cruise, Julianna Barwick

[voodoochili]

My Favorite Albums of 2017

Thanks to the magic of Spotify Premium, I was able to listen to over 150 new albums this year. Most of them were pretty good! It took weeks, but I was finally able to piece together a list of the year’s best that I’m happy with! Here is the list of my favorites, spanning several genres and countries of origin. Hopefully, you enjoy the read and maybe find something you’ll love!

And, oh, while you’re here, check out In Itinere, the new EP by my band The Chordaes: https://open.spotify.com/album/79kKlk7OYfu1G62AjD3nlk

Check below for the Top 20, plus a ranked list from 21-50, and honorable mentions. I’ve included Spotify links for each of the top 20. Happy New Year and Happy Listening!

The Top 20:

20. Future – HNDRXX: Departing from his usual dark-night-of-the-soul-trap aesthetic, HNDRXX shows another side of Future—the unapologetic pop star. Packed with potential hits, (none of which, obviously, connected at actual radio), HNDRXX paints a glorious picture of a future (no pun intended) where pop, R&B, and rap meld into an invigorating hybrid. The stretch from “Damage” to “Fresh Air” represents some of the most accessible, emotional, and best work of Future’s prolific career.

19. Björk – Utopia: People often lament that the influence of the smartphone has driven people to isolate themselves from the physical world. Not Björk. On Utopia, which she describes as her “Tinder album,” technology has the power of bringing people closer together—“I literally think I am five minutes away from love,” she warbles on “Features Creatures.” Moving beyond the harsh, metallic soundscapes of Vulnicura, written and recorded at the end of a decades-long relationship, Utopia is a blissful and pastoral record, populated by flutes and bird sounds and overflowing with joy.

18. Smino – Blkswn: Powered by future funk production courtesy of Monte Booker, Smino’s first proper album makes good on years of promising SoundCloud singles. The perfect antidote of the flat-voiced rap-n-b perpetrated by Drake and PartyNextDoor, Smino’s voice has an underlying bluesiness and soul that grounds Booker’s soundscapes and paints a picture of the rapper’s life as a St. Louis transplant in Chicago. Highlights from Blkswn include the sweetly sung, romantic “Netflix & Dusse,” the unconventionally lustful “Anita,” and the gorgeous “Glass Flows,” a duet with frequent collaborator Ravyn Lenae.

17. Playboi Carti – Playboi Carti: Dancing on the perimeter of his own cavernous cloud-trap, Playboi Carti is hip-hop’s pre-eminent wave-rider Blessed by the wizardry of producer Pi’erre Bourne, a master of counter-melodies whose beats are as danceable as they are sonically absorbing, Playboi Carti might be mindless ear candy, but rarely has that candy been this sweet.

16. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – The French Press: A Melbourne-based five-piece with three distinct singers and lead guitarists, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever overwhelm with a veritable avalanche of jangly guitars.  With overlapping lyrics and guitar lines that evoke a conversation with constant interruptions, The French Press is a decidedly Aussie take on guitar pop—an album-length exploration of the guitar tornado from The Velvet Underground’s “What Goes On.”

15. Tyler, The Creator – Flower Boy: Ditching the shock tactics and abrasive sonics of his earlier projects, Tyler, The Creator creates a vibrant, pastoral, even peaceful, jazz-influenced soundscape on Flower Boy. As you can possibly tell by the tongue-in-cheek title, Flower Boy is Tyler’s “sensitive” record, and the one that feels more in-touch with Tyler Okonma, not the monster he Created. Whether exploring his loneliness on “911,” existential ennui on “Boredom,” or casually revealing his fluid sexuality on the album’s hardest rap track “I Ain’t Got Time,” Tyler manages to subvert rap tropes even on his most mainstream release.

14. Ulver – The Assassination of Julius Caesar: Straight outta Norway, where the sun shines for approximately 5 minutes in the winter, erstwhile Black Metal band Ulver’s latest is a goth-industrial epic, foregoing noise for Depeche Mode-esque orchestral pop. The songwriting is as ambitious and accomplished as the music, imbuing important events in modern history (the Battle of Dunkirk, the death of Princess Diana) with the grandeur and majesty of Greek (or Norse) myth. It’s easy to get lost in the band’s world as it lights up the sunless sky with cascading falsetto harmonies, sweeping strings, and massive drums.

13. Bedouine – Bedouine: Born in Aleppo, Syria, raised in Saudi Arabia and three of the United States before eventually settling in California, Azniv Korkejian is as nomadic as the tribe that inspired her name. Her gentle, gorgeous debut album as Bedouine reflects the sunshine of her adopted home, but retains a lived-in melancholy that reflects her turbulent past. Evoking the big names in singer-songwriter-ing in equal measure (Bob, Joni, Carole, and especially Leonard on the single “Solitary Daughter”), her best track is her most atypical: the mournful, haunting sound collage “Summer Cold,” about the transformation of Aleppo from a vibrant city to a horrific war zone.

12. Algiers – The Underside of Power: Cataloging hundreds of years of oppression in one densely-packed fusion of DC hardcore, post-punk, and southern soul, The Underside of Power is a tough, but invigorating listen, explaining our nation’s bitterest conflicts with a beat you can dance, or at least mosh, to.

11. Oxbow – Thin Black Duke: A heavy, and loosely conceptual album, Thin Black Duke is a theatrical blend of noise rock, avant-jazz, and blues, dominated by frontman Eugene Robinson’s inimitable baritone, which gurgles, bellows, and stretches out syllables like taffy.

10. Mozzy – 1 Up Top Ahk: The game’s most reliable purveyor of starkly honest and soulful slaps, Sacramento rapper Mozzy had a prolific 2017, releasing five projects in the year’s first eight months. Though they were all worth a listen, the strongest and most substantial of these releases was 1 Up Top Ahk, his “official” album. Somehow only 30-years-old, Mozzy has the presence of a grizzled vet, relaying empathetic and violent street tales, flashing internal rhyme, and stacking syllables with the most pronounced NorCal accent in modern hip-hop. Despite the glistening mob instrumentals from frequent collaborator Juneonnabeat (don’t shoot him in the street) and other Bay Area mainstays, Mozzy’s life is not glamorous—the violence he depicts is not stylish, just an ugly fact of life about providing for his family. Featuring appearances from kindred spirits like Boosie, Jay Rock, and (in one of the project’s highlights) the late The Jacka, 1 Up Top Ahk proves Mozzy’s worth as a successor to the struggle rap throne.

9. Moses Sumney – Aromanticism: Dripping with emotion and otherworldly sexuality, Moses Sumney’s voice might be the purest and most versatile instrument in modern music. On Aromanticism, Sumney stacks, loops, and manipulates his voice to create an unclassifiable hybrid of art rock, neo-soul, and cosmic jazz. The songs on the album generally follow a similar structure, with Sumney’s angelic falsetto rising above plaintive piano chords or a snaking guitar line or rippling harp, gradually opening up into an orchestral tapestry at the song’s climax. But the lush beauty of the arrangements, coupled with Sumney’s emotional songwriting and unique voice, ensures that the album never grows stale. There’s no need to tinker with a formula that works as well as Sumney’s—after all, Monet never got tired of painting water lilies, did he?

8. Migos – Culture: It’s hard to believe when you think about it now, but in Summer 2016, Migos was an afterthought--an act that despite its youth seemed to be past their peak of popularity, latching onto the “Dab” craze as if their career depended on it. That changed in October 2016, when the trio dropped “Bad & Boujee,” a titanic banger that built enough momentum to reach #1 on the Billboard charts. How could Migos possibly live up to the massive expectations they built with “Bad and Boujee”? Well, an easy way is to make an album where “Bad & Boujee” is only the 4th or 5th best track. Culture was the most consistently replayable and enjoyable rap album of 2017, overflowing with infectious ad-libs and an impressive arsenal of distinct flows (not just the triplets!). The highlight of the album, and possibly of human civilization, is “T-Shirt,” a lurching drug dealers’ anthem that showcases the individual talents of the three-headed monster: Quavo’s smooth melodicism, Takeoff’s blunt-force bars, and Offset’s chameleonic and charismatic combination of the best qualities of the other two.

7. Alex Lahey – I Love You Like a Brother: Combining the dry witticism (and Aussie-ness) of Courtney Barnett with the bubblegum overdrive guitar riffs and emotional sincerity of Weezer, Alex Lahey’s I Love You Like a Brother was my biggest surprise of 2017. Shamelessly layering her tracks with unstoppable melodies, “whoa-ohs,” and “wee-ooohs,” Lahey has the acuity to make those massive moments feel earned. Even if you don’t normally go for pop-punk (which I don’t), Lahey’s debut is insanely fun, with sing-along anthems like the surprisingly literal title track, the grungy “Lotto In Reverse,” the plaintive vocal standout “There’s No Money,” and the standout, generation-defining “I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself,” highlighting the hookiest rock record I heard all year.

6. King Krule – The OOZ: On The OOZ, Archy Marshall piles trip-hop, lounge jazz, rock-n-roll, and beat poetry into a blender and arrives at the most evocative imagination of the grimy underworld of the soul since peak-era Tom Waits. Though they have similar low, scratchy, bellowing voices, King Krule doesn’t sound like Waits (except on “Vidual” which is a dead-wringer for the first side of Rain Dogs), but The OOZ is an engrossing, hour-long trip through the 23-year-old’s mind. The album wallows in an unconventional sort of beauty, with Marshall airing his anxieties with his ungodly growl over clean, snaking guitar lines, creating an unforgettable ambience that sounds like the late-night act at the last jazz club standing after a nuclear apocalypse. Explained Marshall, “The Ooz for me represents … your sweat, your nails, the sleep that comes out of your eyes, your dead skin. All of those creations that you have to refine.” It’s a perfect title and a great metaphor—The OOZ synthesizes Marshall’s ugly thoughts and disparate influences and refines them into a style that is all his own, topped off with his striking, evocative, and poetic lyrics: “She sits as dust, with an earthly pus in a capsule on my tongue/And I think of what we've done and sink into where she sunk.”

5. Susanne Sundfor – Music For People in Trouble: When I first heard Music For People in Trouble, I was slightly disappointed. Ten Love Songs, the last album by Norwegian pop artist Susanne Sundfør, was a gothic masterpiece—a maximalist pop epic that resembled the lovechild of ABBA, Siouxsie Sioux, and Johann Sebastian Bach. Music For People in Trouble, on the other hand, is a relatively simple record, eschewing the grandiose arrangements of Ten Love Songs in favor of sparse recordings that feature only one or two accompanying instruments. As I spent more time with the album, however, I began to focus more on the songs on their own terms, and marvel at the power of Sundfør’s quivering soprano. Few living songwriters can write a melody like the classically-trained Sundfør; they lilt one moment, soar the next, and always reach unexpected, yet natural resolutions. If Ten Love Songs was an ode to the turbulent heart, Music For People in Trouble offers serenity for the aggrieved with gorgeous folk songs like “Mantra” or “Reincarnation,” pop power ballads like “Undercover,” and the pastoral dirge “No One Believes in Love Anymore.”

4. Sacred Paws – Strike a Match: An erudite indie pop group that uses African polyrhythms and snaking guitars to explore the intricacies of modern life—where have I heard that before? While Vampire Weekend is a great band, they often seemed like dilettantes when dipping their toes into African waters; not so for Sacred Paws, the muscular brainchild of guitar/drums duo Rachel Aggs and Elidh Rodgers. On Strike A Match, the duo adds a horn section to the revue, imbuing bouncy, skeletal pop songs like “Nothing” and “Everyday” with an added grandeur, in the process creating the most invigorating and danceable rock album of the year.

3. Slowdive – Slowdive: The most melodic and majestic of the English bands that comprised the Shoegaze movement’s late ‘80s/early ‘90s heyday, Slowdive reunited after a 21-year absence to deliver their second magnum opus. Filled with buzzing guitar riffs and heavenly harmonies, Slowdive is enveloping and engrossing, a triumph of atmospheric dream pop. Foregoing the ornate space operatics of 1996’s Pygmalion, the group’s self-titled 2017 album is a proper follow-up to 1993’s classic Souvlaki, one of my all-time favorite albums. Couching gorgeous, soaring melodies within circular bursts of noise and distortion, the band augmented their signature strain of shoegaze with tighter songwriting and a broader palette of musical ideas, whether embracing Glass-like minimalism on “Falling Ashes,” incorporating massive ‘80s drums on “No Longer Making Time,” or schooling imitators with dream-pop classics like “Sugar For The Pill” or “Don’t Know Why.” A master class in emotional dynamics, Slowdive establishes the band as not just genre stalwarts, but as uniquely gifted in the realm of sonic world-building.

2. Big Thief – Capacity: Last year, Big Thief drew national attention with the album Masterpiece, a cathartic and intelligent set of songs. Turns out, they might have used that title a year too early. Delicate and devastating, Capacity is a leap forward for the young band—a mature and varied collection of stories and moods, and an intimate exploration of human emotion. Led by Adrienne Lenker, with her literary gift for finding the extraordinary in mundane moments, the album derives its strength from its simple, yet note-perfect arrangements that augment and provide emphasis for the lyrics. Make no mistake, Capacity is a heavy album—the gorgeous “Mythological Beauty” embodies the point of view of a mother during a child’s graphic near-death experience, and the astonishing “Haley” finds Lenker in the bargaining stage of grief—but it’s buoyed by the inventive arrangements, the power of the band, and the winsome fragility of Lenker’s voice. But beyond all that, Capacity feels necessary, like if Lenker didn’t write these songs, the emotional weight would have been too much to bear. As a listener, I’m eternally grateful she decided to grace us with her music.

1. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.: Ladies and gentlemen, the artist of the decade. I listened to well over 200 new albums in 2017, but this is the one to which I kept coming back, the one that never left my rotation. Only Kendrick could make three (four if you count untitled unmastered) straight albums of rap tracks deep and innovative enough to satisfy critics, while also landing at #1 on the Billboard 200 year-end chart. It’s so haaaard to be humble…

2015′s To Pimp a Butterfly was an insanely ambitious future jazz odyssey, with Kendrick Lamar looking outward, trying to find a universal theory of race relations in the United States, but never quite coming up with a satisfactory answer. On DAMN., Kendrick looks inward, reckoning with his own rising star and asking a simple question: is it possible to live the life of a rap star and still be accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven? With songs with titles that tackle the multitude of feelings, values, and desires we all contain, DAMN. paints a vivid portrait of the artist as a 30-year-old man, expertly rendering Kendrick’s inner conflict into his most “traditional” rap album to date. There are plenty of themes and lines that repeat throughout the project (Kendrick, like everybody else, really hates FOX News), but there is no overarching storyline or unifying concept. Instead, Kendrick gives us the clearest glimpse yet into his personality and what drives him—his love for his high school sweetheart-turned-fiancé on the gorgeous “LOVE,” his fear of death on “FEAR,” (man, these titles really spell out the themes, don’t they?), and the difficulty of remaining level-headed despite being so goddamned dope that it should be illegal on the smash hit “HUMBLE.” And it all ends at the beginning with “DUCKWORTH,” a superhero origin story (or more accurately, a prequel) that explains how small decisions can have life-altering consequences. 

Best of the Rest:

21. Nick Hakim – Green Twins 22. The Clientele – Music for the Age of Miracles 23. Cornelius – Mellow Waves 24. Anna Wise – The Feminine: Act II 25. Young Thug – Beautiful Thugger Girls 26. Broken Social Scene – Hug of Thunder 27. SZA – Ctrl 28. Kelly Lee Owens – Kelly Lee Owens 29. Nadine Shah – Holiday Destination 30. Guerilla Toss – GT Ultra 31. Jens Lekman – Life Will See You Now 32. Deem Spencer – We Think We’re Alone 33. Jay-Z – 4:44 34. The Mountain Goats - Goths 35. Forest Swords – Compassion 36. Ty Dolla $ign – Beach House 3 37. Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels 3 38. Ibeyi – Ash 39. Daniel Caesar – Freudian 40. Charly Bliss – Guppy 41. Sinkane – Life & Livin’ It 42. Kamasi Washington – The Harmony of Difference 43. Bicep – Bicep 44. Rexx Life Raj – Father Figure 2: Flourish 45. Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory 46. YoungBoy Never Broke Again – AI Youngboy 47. Jason Isbell – The Nashville Sound 48. Do Make Say Think – Stubborn Persisent Illusions 49. Pile – A Hairshirt of Purpose 50. Fred Thomas – Changer

Honorable Mentions: Jay Som – Everybody Works Kelela – Take Me Apart Blanck Mass - World Eater Drab Majesty – The Demonstration Caddywhompus – Odd Hours Talaboman – The Night Land Kelela – Take Me Apart Lowly – Heba Jidenna – The Chief Landlady – The World is a Loud Place J Hus – Common Sense Miguel – War & Leisure