Basement–Promise Everything
Genre: Alternative Rock
FFO: Jimmy Eat World, Superheaven, Title Fight
Hailing from Ipswich, England, Run For Cover’s star child Basement have returned from their brief slumber with their third LP Promise Everything.
The band’s sound treads far more melodic territory this time around with simplified riffs and catchy choruses that may bring early 2000’s alternative rock bands to mind such as Jimmy Eat World or Incubus. While the instrumentation may seem more on writing autopilot this time around, it serves as the ideal backdrop for Andrew Fisher’s fantastic vocal performance appearing to rely more upon expanding the creativity behind his pipes rather than his signature emotional outbursts.
Promise Everything is by no means ground-breaking, but it is a solid ten tracks of fun “alt-rock” anthems that will have you reminiscing the days of rushing home from a long day of middle school to have Carson Daly deliver the 411 on the latest in music and pop culture.
Black Tusk–Pillars of Ash
Genre: Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, Punk Rock
FFO: Kylesa, Baroness, Mastadon
In 2014, Black Tusk’s bassist Jonathan Athon passed away due to injuries inflicted in a horrible motorcycle accident.
The future of the band was not necessarily clear, and the two remaining members certainly needed time to mourn the loss of not only their band mate but their dear friend.
Pillars of Ash chronicles the final recordings with Athon and these tracks prove to be just as fun, fast, and crushing as you would expect.
The fifth LP from the Georgian gentlemen of sludge is a fast-paced punk rock/stoner metal adrenaline rush that refuses to give the listener any resting time.
Conan–Revengeance
Genre: Sludge Metal, Doom Metal
FFO: Bongripper, Cough
2016 has been an incredible year to fans of sludge metal and it’s still only January!
Liverpool, England’s doom trio Conan has arrived to seal the deal with their latest and most hard-hitting LP to date. Revengeance is a monstrous beast that shakes the earth with each thunderous step, sending powerful sonic shock waves guaranteed to violently rip the listener’s face directly off of his or her’s body (metaphorically speaking).
The compact, fuzzy riffs and ear-piercing battle cries of Jon Davis blend well with the muddy bass, and earth-shaking drumwork on this mammoth of an LP. Be prepared for a record so heavy that it has its own gravitational pull.
Chthe’ilist–Le Dernier Crépuscule
Genre: Death Metal
FFO: Convulse, Demilich
With their recent signing to Profound Lore Records, Quebec’s own Chthe’ilist is a band you should be watching very closely if you consider yourself a fan of death metal.
Le Dernier Crépuscule serves as the band’s debut LP and what is accomplished in this mammoth of an album is leaps and bounds beyond what most modern acts of the genre manage to accomplish throughout the entirety of their careers.
The production is carnivorous, the instrumentation is as deeply rooted in superb musicianship as it is in generating a dark atmosphere, and the vocal performance sounds like a demon called upon from the deepest depths of hell.
Chthe’ilist may wear their influences on their sleeves, but their mastery of the death metal art makes them a standout band in 2016.
If you are looking for an album as musically impressive as it is horrifying, Le Dernier Crepsuscule just may survive on your year end list.
Florist–The Birds Outside Sang
Genre: Indie, Folk
FFO: Told Slant, Kimya Dawson, Bright Eyes
Despite her young age, Emily Sprague’s writing comes across as anything but youthful and jovial.
Sprague was struck in a hit-and-run cycling accident a few years back that left her incapable of any movement in her left arm with a very long and slow recovery process ahead of her. These experiences, however, did not overwhelm the young artist with pessimism and grief.
The Birds Outside Sang is an ode to the beauty in the mundane things in life that often go unnoticed unless our mortality is compromised. If you are looking for a beautiful “morning album” similar to that of Kimya Dawson or early Bright Eyes, The Birds Outside Sang will help you to appreciate the little things we often overlook.
Milk Teeth–Vile Child
Genre: Punk Rock, Emo, Indie Rock
FFO: Fucked Up, The Pixies
2016 a good year to be Milk Teeth.
With the recent announcement of their upcoming tour supporting Citizen and Turnover coupled with the release of their debut LP, the Bristol-born punk rock four piece appear to have a bright future of promise.
Vile Child is a strong debut boasting a refusal to be pigeonholed to any particular genre or style by a young band brimming with youthful energy. Punk, Emo, Post Hardcore, Grunge, and many other influences make their presence known like a revolving door, but are executed smoothly and work well in the context of the album.
Milk Teeth’s debut shows a band that hasn’t quite fully found their own musical identity but chooses to rock hard with what they’ve got, and the bold effort truly makes it worthwhile.
UXO–Self-Titled
Genre: Noise Rock, Stoner Metal
FFO: Unsane, Today is the Day,
Queens of the Stone Age
UXO is the new brainchild of both Unsane’s Chris Spencer and Today is the Day’s Steve Austin and it is LOUD.
This noise rock/stoner metal supergroup annihilates everything in its path with its rock hard riffage and split vocal duties between each band’s respected frontman that prove to be any noise rock fan’s wet dream.
If you are a fan of either Unsane or Today is the Day, UXO is exactly how would expect the two bands to sound combined into one single unit.