There is no denying the fact that Title Fight has gradually become an iconic figurehead in the alternative music scene since their inception in 2003. From the angst-driven bubblegum pop punk ballads found on 2009’s The Last Thing Your Forget compilation to the Jawbox inspired alt-rock anthems on 2013’s Floral Green, the young four piece has managed to display fantastic writing and progressive maturation over such a brief period. Words cannot describe the night-and-day comparison of seeing the band play to twenty kids at the ICC in 2010 followed by a completely packed out co-headlining gig the Paradise Rock Club only five years later.

This past winter, right as the massive snowstorms took their violently devastating toll on New England, Title Fight released their third full length album Hyperview. Hyperview holds a very important place in my heart because it served as the soundtrack to one of the most bittersweet and emotional experiences of my entire life.

I will never forget the day I first heard this record. Stress and anxiety were at an all-time high at this point in my life as I felt myself inevitably falling in love with one of my best friends while trapped in a long term relationship grounded in emotional abuse. It was the only thing that crossed my mind as the harsh winter storm began to envelop my town. I was then asked to shovel my parent’s driveway as the storm began to worsen, and I saw this as the ideal time to finally listen to the new Title Fight record I had saved on my computer the night before. I synced Hyperview to my phone only seconds before my house lost power, popped in my headphones, zipped up my coat, and stepped outside into the violent blizzard.

The opening notes of “Murder Your Memory” sonically explored my one working ear drum as I witnessed flurries of snow picked up by the harsh storm winds forming a beautiful spiral-like shape. This real life imagery was almost too fitting.

Hypeview’s chilling soundscapes brings to mind detailed and specific moments of my life during these both happy yet painful times. All I was forced to recall were the late night playground adventures with my dearest friend Emily whom I was slowly but surely falling head over heels for. Even during the coldest winter evenings, we would find ourselves seated upon swings invested in deep conversation. I would recall specific moments of me gazing into her big, beautiful blue eyes and feel my heart thunderously pound as she flashed her flawless smile. The only thing holding me back from holding her close and pressing my lips to hers were the commitments of a relationship I wanted to end but lacked the bravery to do so.

A month or so later I eventually gained the courage to end my toxic relationship and asked Emily to be my girlfriend. I was met with a slightly hesitant “sure” but since then 2015 has proven to be a year full of pure contentment, endless support, and wonderful memories. I was overjoyed to discover Emily shared the same bittersweet connection for this album as I did and brought to mind the same winter evenings at the playground. Despite my blatant bias towards this album, its overall sound holds enough water to land this top spot on my year end list.

Title Fight is a band notorious for leaving a small trail of breadcrumbs that leads to the musical style their following release will explore. The Last Thing You Forget compilation was predominantly a strict pop punk release with the exception of its closer “Western Haikus.” That track alone served as the foundation of their debut LP Shed that birthed the current emo revival craze. “Where Am I?” and “27” left hints of the band’s transition to Floral Green and in turn “Head in the Ceiling Fan,”Lefty”, and “In Between” did the same for the heavily shoegaze influenced Hyperview.

Many complain the band’s third full length sacrifices the band’s trademark abrasiveness, overwhelming emotion, and well-structured songwriting for a more mature sound, but I couldn’t disagree more. “Your Pain is Mine Now”, “Dizzy”, and “Rose of Sharon” are some of the strongest and most passionate tracks in the band’s catalogue. Will Yip’s production of Hyperview proves to be top notch and finds the ideal middle ground for Title Fight’s emo and shoegazing influences.

It has always puzzled me that Swervedriver never made it big like most of their label mates on Creation Records. Hailing from Oxford, England, the four-piece stormed into the alternative music scene right as the shoegazing craze was beginning to wind down and the grunge rock scene was beginning to explode. Their debut Raise consisted of no-nonsense rock n’ roll comparable to that of Dinosaur Jr. showered with distortion, droning riffs, and heavy utilization of effect pedals that would make Kevin Shields proud. Shoegazing had never been so rockin’ until Swervedriver changed the dynamic, but their unique take on the genre was never fully recognized. Many financial and promotional issues occurred with Creation and various other labels they attempted to work with, and the band eventually called it quits in 1998.

I Wasn’t Born to Lose You perfectly illustrates the band at their most confident after their seventeen-year hibernation. Melody still serves as an extremely prominent aspect of Swervedriver’s writing instead of being buried beneath walls of sound like most shoegaze bands, and the overall genre balance remains as uniquely executed as ever before. The swirling waves of drone and distortion serve as the backdrop for the clean guitar riffs and catchy vocal melodies.

My adoration for Tooth and Nail Records was previously discussed in my introduction post, and anyone that is familiar with the label knows that mewithoutYou always proved to be one of the strongest bands on the roster. [A->B] Life, Catch for Us the Foxes, and Brother, Sister were all flawless albums that managed to gently cater me into the world of “indie rock” and still remain as some of my all-time favorite releases years later. Recently, the legendary five-piece from Pennsylvania made the remarkably wise decision of joining Run for Cover Records, and their latest release is their best in years.

Pale Horses takes the highlight aspects of all five of the band’s previous LPs and puts them all into practice creating their most adhesive record to date. It was much to my joy that Aaron Weiss revisits his trademarked stormy, spoken word tangents coupled with aggressive instrumentation as the backdrop for his explosive poetry. Fans of newer material will be pleased as Weiss also retreads the “sit-by-the-fire-and-sing-kumbaya-pretending-you-are-a-cross-between-Jeff-Magnum-and-Kermit-the-Frog” vocal approach, but with a much more mature execution.

One thing new listeners must take caution towards before delving into the world of Pale Horses is that the themes present in mewithoutYou’s unique lyricism may prove to be heavier in content than their label mates. Theology, Philosophy, Zionism, the occult, Satan, absolute truths, nuclear holocaust, and the second coming of Christ are all reoccurring ideas and topics presenting throughout these pale horse songs of the slow decline. This may not prove to be as relatable as Turnover or Citizen, but mewithoutYou’s biggest strength has always been Weiss’ beautifully-written, poetic, and emotionally- layered lyrics.

The band’s latest addition to their catalog is a remarkably executed return to form. Pale Horses proves to be a perfect representation of the band fifteen-year-career with a flawless vocal performance from legendary Aaron Weiss and some of their most impressive instrumentation to date. If mewithoutYou did not serve as a pillar of nostalgia for you, be prepared to be blown away by their newest release through Run for Cover Records.

Sufjan Stevens has displayed nothing but brilliance and vast diversity throughout his expansive discography. From the multi-instrumental and theatrical masterpiece Illinoise, to the stripped down and banjo-driven tunes found on Seven Swans, all the way to the electronic-folk hybrid Age of Adz, Stevens has proves he cannot be pigeonholed with each passing release. Each new addition to his catalogue proves to be equally as refreshing, and Carrie & Lowell is no different. In fact, I would boldly go as far to say this is his best.

No knowledge of the album’s lyrics are required to feel the haunting intimacy found in Stevens’ seventh LP. Sufjan revisits the stripped down approach found on Seven Swans but the execution proves to be far more layered and captivating. His alluring acoustic guitar work serves as the album’s backbone matched with enticing ambience and personal lyricism.

The lyrical focus of Carrie & Lowell deals with the passing of Steven’s mother Carrie, the support from his stepfather Lowell, and the reoccurring theme of coping with death’s inevitable forces. It is an unread love letter to a mother that was never there, but also an admiration for her willing absence given the circumstances surrounding her life including diagnosed schizophrenia coupled with a history of substance abuse.

Carrie and Lowell is a musical diary inviting you to feel and experience Steven’s most buried skeletons including detailed descriptions of his troubled past. Never before has this artist’s music been so emotionally-driven and tear-inducing. I highly recommend this release to anyone coping with loss or anyone that often ponders the concepts of mortal limits.

Finnish death metal kings Hooded Menace have returned with quite possibly heaviest album of the year. Darkness Drips Forth clocks in at over forty three minutes with only four songs present, but what it may lack in speed and technicality is more than redeemed with its ruthlessly crushing brutality and haunting atmosphere that is guaranteed to send chills down your spine.

It makes perfect sense the band’s name was derived from the title of a horror film because this album could easily function as the ideal soundtrack for the genre. Horror flick samples are used effectively at certain points throughout the record to add a haunting sense of agony and the thunderous growls drowned in reverb provided by vocalist Lasse will prompt you to change your trousers immediately.

This mammoth of an album keeps its hind legs firmly grounded in the band’s classic doom/death sound but uses the rest of its strength to venture into sudden yet well-executed tempo changes. The guitar work differs from the band’s previous works because it occasionally draws upon riffs more along the melodic spectrum of death metal. Some of the effectively placed solos may bring acts such as At the Gates or early 90’s era In Flames to mind.

The risks that the band chose to take to expand their sound are what makes this album truly stand out. Lengthy doom songs rely on atmosphere and such is an art Hooded Menace has mastered fully. Look no further if you’re searching for an album that sounds like it was recorded straight from the depths of hell. Darkness Drips Forth has you covered.

90’s nostalgia has been a reoccurring theme throughout my year end list primarily zeroing in on various forms of alternative rock music including emo, dream pop, or shoegazing. Twenty-year-old Joey Bada$$ brings that retrospective feel to the hip hop realm with his massive debut, B4.Da.$$.
Joey’s lyricism is sincere and paints a vivid picture of the daily struggles encompassing his life. Leading single “Paper Trail$” shares with the listener the financial difficulties of himself and his family as he exclaims “they say money is the root of all evil; I see money as the route of all people.”
The instrumentals on this record are excellently produced exploring soul-jazz and boom-bap influences. The album’s opener “Save the Children” features a unique backing of sliding ambience and highlight track “Hazeus View” has a piano-driven beat that will cause one to reminisce on “N.Y. State of Mind.” The overall production has a sound similar to that of ’93-94 era hip hop and Joey’s genuine and clever hooks add to the nostalgia.
The young rapper sets his aims high by attempting to craft his own Illmatic in 2015. Such boldness has caused him to receive recent backlash in the alternative hip hop community for not even being born yet upon its release. What most fail to realize is that most current hip hop does not stand up to the authenticity of the classics, and for a young up-and-coming artist raised under the magnifying glass of the social media generation to stand proudly and confidentially release a mammoth of an album such as B4.Da.$$ is a feat in itself.
It is at this state of the game a young MC must find his own sound and trademark flow to make it to the top. The irony is that this identity crisis and passionate pursuit “before the money” tends to be the classic everyone remembers. Jay-Z had Unreasonable Doubt, Eminem had Infinite, Nas had Illmatic and Joey Bada$$ has B4.da.$$.

Beach House’s first album of 2015, Depression Cherry, is easily my favorite release by the Baltimore dream pop duo. This may come as a surprise as Bloom is recognized by most as their magnum opus, but I do recall mentioning my shoegazing infatuation in the Wildhoney post. The album’s leading single “Sparks” sounds as if it could comfortably fit in My Bloody Valentine’s self-titled track listing (which is nothing short of a triumphant compliment if you are aware of also previously mentioned Loveless obsession).

The pairing of Victoria Legrand’s angelic voice and Alex Scally’s usage of synthesizers and drum machines has never sounded better. Legrand’s vocals now have a more ethereal sound than on previous releases and instead of floating on top of the mix, they comfortably slips into Scally’s synth-layered wall of sound giving it that shoegazey feel I so dearly love.

The Julie Cruise influence is one of the first things I noticed about Depression Cherry. The album’s closer “Days of Candy” could easily fit into the Twin Peaks soundtrack to the point where I would pay to see David Lynch collaborate with Legrand and Scally for Season Three.

Depression Cherry brings shoegaze infused dream pop to the mainstream spotlight and such is executed flawlessly. If you are looking for a beautifully layered album to get lost in, this is the one for you.

Strap in your seatbelts and get ready for the most unique and intense metal album of 2015. Sweden’s Totem Skin have returned for a ferocious sophomore LP that will take you across seven tracks of dense soundscapes painted by pure bloodthirsty savagery.

In the early 90’s, Boston legends Converge took the music scene by storm with their unique palette of hardcore punk borrowing from elements of thrash, sludge, black, and many other flavors of metal. Converge’s frontman Jacob Bannon has since formed Deathwish Inc. recruiting young bands such as Code Orange or Cult Leader that also approach writing with a hardcore punk foundation and toy with a vast array of metallic influences. Totem Skin would fit comfortably on the Deathwish roster, taking the likes of hardcore punk, sludge metal, melodic death metal, and even highlight moments of ambient black metal.

The Swedish quintet’s writing balances the fast-paced, crushing chaos with ambient breaks. Such contrast calls for skilled production, and Weltschemerz’ is top notch. The sludge and chaos-laced riffs sound dirty and explosive while the ambient moments are captured as pristinely as they should.

Weltschemerz is a record that explores the feeling of agony stemming from loneliness and involuntary solitude. We are, waste; Beaten, broken, forgotten. Chained to our conscience; left in isolation. Beaten, Broken, forgotten. The reoccurring theme of contrast occurs within the vocals as well going back and forth between high pitched demonic shrieks and emotionally-charged hardcore shouts.

If you are a fan of the Deathwish roster or love ambient black metal acts such as Wolves at the Throne Room or Deafheaven, then Totem Skin is a band you must absolutely listen to. It’s been a long while since I have witnessed this much potential at the genesis stage of a metal band’s career.