50-26  |  25-1   (25) Manchester Orchestra – “Lead, SD” A Black Mile to the Surface   Imagine the heart-wrenching emotional reach of a track like “Colly Strings”, only blasted through the sleek production of an album like Simple Math. This is Manchester Orchestra in peak form. –Sowing   (24) Lorde – “Hard Feelings/Loveless” Melodrama   2017 […]

50-26  |  25-1   (50) Frank Ocean – “Chanel” Chanel – Single   Frank’s been labeled (by me) a Modern Day James Joyce, 12 months ago, when “RAF” and “Slide” weren’t even a thing. Truthfully, he exceeds his own influences, and renders himself as his own auteur. “Chanel”, a song that juggles sexuality and 21 […]

50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 10. Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory [Official Site] // [Spotify] // [Facebook] I have a special connection with Vince Staples’ music because my partner lives in Long Beach. The first time my partner drove me around Long Beach, I saw the city through the lens of the rappers that call it home and […]

50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 30. Propagandhi – Victory Lap [Official Site] // [Spotify] // [Facebook] Seven albums deep, Propagandhi know how to riff. They also know how to write evocative political lyrics. Combine these two qualities and it becomes difficult to craft a subpar record. Seven great albums in a row, Propagandhi have perfected their blast-to-the-face thrash-influenced punk. While […]

50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 50. Sorcerer – The Crowning of the Fire King [Official Site] // [Spotify] // [Facebook] 2017 was a solid year for epic doom metal, with some of the best releases of the last few years arriving in the form of Below’s Upon a Pale Horse, Doomocracy’s Visions & Creatures of Imagination, and Arduini/Balich’s Dawn of Ages. However, if […]

50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 10. Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues [Official Site] // [Spotify] // [Facebook] Stream: “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” (3:16) From the opening punch of the track of the same name, Transgender Dysphoria Blues is a haymaker of unapologetic transgender perspective made to come across in one of the few avenues of emotion we […]

50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 30. The Antlers – Familiars [Official Site] // [Spotify] // [Facebook] Stream: “Intruders” (5:25) By now, everyone knows what to expect from a record by The Antlers, and Familiars sees the American indie rock/dream pop outfit choosing not to buck that trend by tunneling even deeper into the niche that they’ve been […]

50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 50. Thou – Heathen [Official Site] // [Spotify] // [Unofficial Facebook] Stream: “Into the Marshlands” (6:58) Thou have been creating some of the most soul crushing doom metal ever set upon human ears for the last several years. Heathen is no different. It’s an unholy manifestation of distorted guitars and the burliest of […]

50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 10. The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten [Official Site] // [Spotify] // [Facebook] I think it’s about time that I let you all in on a little secret: I’m just a touch older than the average SputnikMusic user. Shock horror, huh? In fact, I may even be old enough to have seen items […]

50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1 50. Propagandhi – Failed States [Official Site] // [Spotify] // [Facebook] Failed States is Propagandhi’s bitter album. The Canadian punk rockers have always worn their angry, fist-raising politics on their sleeves – a particularly effective formula when mixed with the band’s more recent thrash-punk inclinations – but this time around it’s accompanied […]

10. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues [Official Site] // [Facebook] Robin Pecknold wants to be the man on the screen – that much is clear from the get-go – but how far are we willing to bend to accommodate him? Quite a bit, it seems, judging by the Santoshian levels of patience with which all […]