Easter in the Batcave's 2017
Worst to best. |
| 35 |  | Jacob Sartorius
Last Text
0.5/5
BEST SONG: lolno |
| 34 |  | New Found Glory
Makes Me Sick
0.5/5
BEST SONG: Absolutely hideous. |
| 33 |  | Hasan
Hasan Goes Crazy
1/5
BEST SONG: Every song is equally baffling. |
| 32 |  | Suicide Silence
Suicide Silence
1/5
BEST SONG: HHHHAHAHAHAHAHno |
| 31 |  | Scale the Summit
In a World of Fear
1/5
BEST SONG: I hate this album. |
| 30 |  | Speak the Truth... Even if Your Voice Shakes
Everyone You Love Will Slip Away From You
1/5
BEST SONG: Do you enjoy music that sounds like it was recorded thirteen years ago (and wasn't even any good back then)? I don't. |
| 29 |  | Knuckle Puck
Shapeshifter
1/5
BEST SONG: I don't know how any self-respecting person over the age of twelve can listen to this unironically. |
| 28 |  | Omphalectoicxanthopsia
Spread for a Particular Amount of Hedonism
1/5
BEST SONG: Laaaaazy harsh noise walls. Nothing of interest. |
| 27 |  | Toby Driver
Madonnawhore
1.5/5
BEST SONG: Toby Driver has released some great music - not for everyone, certainly, but for some (myself included). Unfortunately, this isn't good. It's too meandering. "Avignon" is nice, I guess. |
| 26 |  | Xiu Xiu
Forget
1.5/5
BEST SONG: Uh... "The Call" is a hilarious opener (if not a very good song on its own).
I just find this annoying more often than not. When the vocals work, they work, and when they don't work, they REALLY don't work. |
| 25 |  | The Maine
Lovely Little Lonely
1.5/5
BEST SONG: "Black Butterflies and Deja Vu"
Other than that one, which has a good driving beat, this is just a dull, generic pop record. |
| 24 |  | Richard Pinhas
Reverse
1.5/5
BEST SONG: Preeetty dull. |
| 23 |  | At the Drive-In
in•ter a•li•a
2/5
BEST SONG: ...meh. |
| 22 |  | Anathema
The Optimist
2/5
BEST SONG: "Springfield"
A sequel to A Fine Day to Exit? 10+ years after that record's release?
...and that album wasn't exactly Anathema's crowning achievement anyway.
The band name underscore is stupid, and the group adds to their repertoire of horrible album covers with this one.
This one rocks their hardest since A Natural Disaster, but there are a few misfires ("Wildfires") and the 'concept' is pretty lamely utilized. |
| 21 |  | Dead Cross
Dead Cross
2.5/5
BEST SONG: "Grave Slave"
I wanted to like this album a lot more than I actually did. |
| 20 |  | Hijokaidan
Destroy Noise Symphony
2.5/5
BEST SONG: "Sleeping Beauty and the Beast"
The closing track is way too long. |
| 19 |  | Colin Stetson
All This I Do For Glory
2.5/5
BEST SONG: "Spindrift"
Colin by-the-numbers. Still listenable, and "Spindrift" is great, but I'm hoping he switches it up on the next record. |
| 18 |  | Abstract Void
Into the Blue
3/5
BEST SONG: "Into the Blue"
I (to my surprise) dig the mix of black metal and synthwave here. |
| 17 |  | Eidola
To Speak, To Listen
3/5
BEST SONG: "Dendrochronology"
Dweedle dweedle guitar rock that's more good than bad. |
| 16 |  | Glassjaw
Material Control
3/5
BEST SONG: "Shira"
Overhyped record, but at least they aren't repeating themselves/presenting a neutered version of their past glory. |
| 15 |  | Merzbow
Aodron
3/5
BEST SONG: "Ao Part 3"
An enjoyable but workmanlike effort from Merzbow - the "Ao" series is good (part 3 being the obvious standout), but the other tunes are comparatively paltry. |
| 14 |  | GRVD
Guilt
3.5/5
BEST SONG: "Guilt"
In spots this is amateurish, but it's largely effective (noise meets dark ambient - works well, surprisingly). |
| 13 |  | Ex Eye
Ex Eye
3.5/5
BEST SONG: "Xenolith; the Anvil" |
| 12 |  | Diamanda Galas
All the Way
3.5/5
BEST SONG: "O Death"
Galás has still got it, all these years later. This isn't as potent as her best work, but it's ferocious. |
| 11 |  | Godflesh
Post Self
3.5/5
BEST SONG: "Be God"
Thought this was dreadfully boring on first listen, but subsequently warmed up to it. It's a bit on-the-nose with its apocalyptic posturing, but there's some nuanced thought as well (i.e. how guitars gradually disappear as the album plays out). |
| 10 |  | Joe McPhee
Six Situations
3.5/5
BEST SONG: "The Blood of a Martyr"
The lengthier tracks on Six Situations fall victim to the aimless wandering that plagues so many an improvised record. However, the shorter ones are punchy, performed with enthusiasm and ears for detail. “The Blood of a Martyr” is thrilling, and the best showcase for this trio’s improvisational talents. |
| 9 |  | Ulver
The Assassination of Julius Caesar
3.5/5
BEST SONG: "Rolling Stone" (despite the overlong intro)
This record is a ton of fun. I'm also gonna shoutout "Nemoralia", "Angelus Novus", and "1969." |
| 8 |  | Incapacitants
Survival of the Laziest
4/5
BEST SONG: "Decade of Vacuum-Decayed Decoy (Edition Mikawa)"
Incapacitants are back (with an album title that sounds like a sardonic self-referential comment), and woah. This is pretty intense. |
| 7 |  | Diamanda Galas
At Saint Thomas the Apostle Harlem
4/5
BEST SONG: "O Death" |
| 6 |  | Daniel Levin / Ingebrigt Håker Flaten / Chris Corsano
Spinning Jenny
4/5
BEST SONG: "Spinning Jenny" / "Carnassials" (very different tunes, both excellent) |
| 5 |  | Melvins
A Walk With Love And Death
4/5
BEST SONG: "Euthanasia" |
| 4 |  | Oxbow
Thin Black Duke
4/5
BEST SONG: "Ecce Homo"/"Letter of Note" (not picking between the two - both are phenomenal)
Largely fantastic rock record - fizzles out during the closing track, sadly, but the rest ranges from good to superb. Give it a few spins; the indeterminate atmosphere is initially off-putting, but it materializes upon multiple re-listens. |
| 3 |  | Lingua Ignota
ALL BITCHES DIE
4/5
BEST SONG: FOR I AM THE LIGHT (AND MINE IS THE ONLY WAY NOW)
HOLY IS THE NAME (OF MY RUTHLESS AXE) is affecting, too.
This is a tough listen, and Galás-esque in presentation. It doesn't integrate its disparate combo of death industrial+noise/modern classical to perfection, but it does a very good job. |
| 2 |  | Damien Dubrovnik
Great Many Arrows
4/5
BEST SONG: "Arrow 2"
A cinematic listen, engrossing from front-to-back. Thoughtful, fearful, noisy, elegant, and grimy all at once. |
| 1 |  | Yasunao Tone
AI Deviation #1, #2
4/5
BEST SONG: "AI Deviation #1"
If you're into noise and/or experimental, you have no excuse not to listen to this. Conceptually, this is the most fascinating record of the year.
What this is:
"At the lab in the University a series of my performances of my MP3 Deviation were captured and used to train Kohonen Neural Networks to develop artificial intelligences that simulate my performances. Hence a birth of new piece AI Deviations. I had a premiere at Issue Project Room on June 9th 2016 and the venue was more than packed and here is the performance of the piece."
More info:
https://boomkat.com/products/ai-deviation-1-2 |
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