kkarron
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 Lists
05.22.25 schfifty five04.18.25 The best year in music is... ♦
03.19.25 5's rated (cuz I don't get decimals)02.17.25 Shitpost bands that transcended
02.01.25 GODFLESH openers ranked03.20.24 Top 10 Boris songs
09.06.23 Snek pic08.26.23 Godflesh - Purge RANKED
06.11.23 Biggest Dickest Industrial Pantheon ♦05.22.23 Back from a Boris gig
03.29.23 Bands with the tastiest names10.21.22 Kitty cats on the cover! ♦
10.12.22 Deep Cuts: Godflesh10.10.22 Name 10 things that aren't Whitehouse
10.03.22 So how do you write reviews?09.15.22 Estonian Punk 101
08.11.22 how often do you guys actually shower?08.02.22 Moomin characters by genre
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The best year in music is...

So! Inspired by demon-gabba-tec discussion in the Spiderland thread, I figured I'd take a look at what year I believe to be the best in music. For that, I quickly threw all my ratings unto a spreadsheet, took 10 mins to assign an average rating to each year and there you have it. I know what I think, as per sput ratings, the best years in music are. For clarity, I only picked years 1976- onwards, because I have shamefully few ratings looking beyond that. And frankly considering how I'd rate classic jazz, I think they'd skew the data too much. My pie chart will tell you what type of music I rate here most, so 1976 seems like a very logical starting point. Finally, before anyone calls me a boring boomer - I'm 32, closing in on 33 fast. I've near to no nostalgia for any of the music on this list apart from maybe some Iron Maiden albums. Anyway, let's go! Album featured is my fave of said year.
49Have a Nice Life
Deathconsciousness

(2008)

AVG rating: 3.26
NO of ratings: 17

The worst year in half a century for music! Or so my ratings say. It does have my only 1, DJ Himmler. And the Judas Priest and Metallica albums were almost as bad as nazi gabber shit. But... Deathconciousness! The album nerds online think is the best of all time! And there's also Midori, Enslaved, Earth, Poni Hoax... uhh, that's kinda it? Looking back, this might've been when my taste was worst and it might show. Well, tough luck 2008. You're sitting in the bottom!
48Godflesh
Purge

(2023)

AVG rating: 3.31
NO of ratings: 33

Doing two years ago dirty here - in addition to Godflesh, there was great stuff from Kannabinõid, KEN mode, Roisin Murphy, Swans, Perfect Angel at Heaven, Prong, MOAA, Ms. Phylzzzzzz. But also a lot of crap from bands that should have split ages ago like Helmet, Health, VNV Nation, Therapy?. ANd I fucking hated George Clanton. Eh, defo a bottom half year despite clearly not being second worst.
47Pom Poko
Cheater

(2021)

AVG rating: 3.368
NO of ratings: 38

Man, the recent years have not been good, at least going by my ratings. But there was good - Pom Poko, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, Sleigh Bells, Bummer, Jurassic Witch... I think there's some anti-recency bias going on here, because I just have more unfiltered crap rated with recent years.
46Midori
Shinsekai

(2010)

AVG rating: 3.375
NO of ratings: 20

yeaaaaah not really a good year. Lots of mid 00s dorkiness still around, but Midori, Atheist, Swans, Ihsahn et al still had good stuff coming out. Can't see it ranking higher though.
45Chat Pile
God's Country

(2022)

AVG rating: 3.419
NO of ratings: 31

The year Chat Pile dropped their pants for the world, love to see it. Also Just Mustard, Laibach, Cloakroom, Loop, Boris (with Fade), Ken Mode, Crippling Alcoholism, Osees, all had great records coming out. Hell, even Melvins started making good stuff again! This deserves to be higher, but KMFDM shat in my ears and I wish death upon whatever was responsible for Smedley.
44Boris
Noise

(2014)

AVG rating: 3.42
NO of ratings: 13

Well To Be Kind slapped this year around, but I go with Boris. It also had the Aphex Twin and Godflesh comebacks, so it really wasn't too bad at all! But it was also the middle of the synth/vaporwave era which set mankind back at least a 100 years of musical development, so fuck that era and fuck Perturbator and fuck Floral Shoppe in it's ass.
43Swans
Swans Are Dead

(1998)

AVG rating: 3.43
NO of ratings: 29

The lowest placed last century year by some distance. Is it really this bad? The answer is fuck no! It has Swans, Hum, Far, Melt-Banana, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, Death, Yellow Machinegun, Boris, Nomeansno, all at full pomp! But it also has Sunny Day Real Estate, Hole, Mercury Rev, Ice, all shitting the bed. But the highs are brilliant and this really should be higher on the list.
42Oxbow
The Narcotic Story

(2007)

AVG rating: 3.444
NO of ratings: 18

Featuring the best Oxbow album and good stuff from Little Dragon, Municipal Waste, FotL, Jesu, Blonde Redhead, Dino Jr., Echospace, Midori... yeah, this year is placed far too low even if it has that shit Mayhem "return-to-kvlt" album.
41Melt-Banana
Fetch

(2013)

AVG rating: 3.45
NO of ratings: 11

Oh lawd was Fetch a kick in the teeth! Great album! Some more good stuff from Daft Punk, Ihsahn, Poni Hoax and so on, but deservedly a bottom half of the list year this.
40Coughs
Fright Makes Right

(2005)

AVG rating: 3.47
NO of ratings: 21

A damn noisy year, with Coughs, Lightning Bolt, Boris, Coil, Fantomas all hitting hard. Really placed way too low, but middling crap by Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Judas Priest and other old man bands hold it back, I guess.
39Anna von Hausswolff
Dead Magic

(2018)

AVG rating: 3.5
NO of ratings: 13

First of four 3.5 rated years. This is the best of the four for sure, with Dead Magic a highlight and great stuff by KEN mode, Slow Crush, Failure. And a comeback album from Sleep! Decent year.
38Arcturus
Arcturian

(2015)

AVG rating: 3.5
NO of ratings: 8

Nothing to talk about here. An enjoyable comeback from Arcturus and probably the weakest Lightning Bold album outshine a pointless year. Also Iron Maiden reached peak jackoff status here (and I even like bits of Book of Souls!).
37Lightning Bolt
Earthly Delights

(2009)

AVG rating: 3.5
NO of ratings: 27

3.5! Tired of this number! But it represents 2009 well. With the exception of Lightning Bolt (again), aaaaand maybe that Shpongle album, it's a very average year.
36Kraftwerk
The Man-Machine

(1978)

AVG rating: 3.5
NO of ratings: 7

The last of the 3.5 years. With only 7 ratings, it's a bit of a pointless one, but it has the best Kraftwerk album, so deserves a shout at least...
35Boris
Dronevil -Final-

(2006)

AVG rating: 3.529
NO of ratings: 17

A middling year at a middling placement. Om, Enslaved, Nomeansno, Sodom had good outings, but nothing special.
34The Cure
Songs of a Lost World

(2024)

AVG rating: 3.55
NO of ratings: 30

Man, last year had to have been better, right? Chat Pile and Kill The Thrill brought the nasty, for sure! Also Mannequin Pussy and Crippling Alcoholism. But last year is all about that The Cure comeback. Honestly, if it weren't for some disappointing releases from Painkiller, Ministry, Kim Gordon, KMFDM, Idles, this'd be a top 10 year. I guess I have to stop listening to bands that are obviously shot.
33Enslaved
Isa

(2004)

AVG rating: 3.575
NO of ratings: 20

The year I started to be more interested in music, but it doesn't show here. Panopticon is wonderful, of course, and I'll defend loving Gwen Stefani's solo debut 'till I die, but there's not a lot of stuff I actually listen to anymore.
32Shellac
1000 Hurts

(2000)

AVG rating: 3.58
NO of ratings: 25

My first reaction was surprise to see this year so low. But it really doesn't have any standouts. Yeah, Flood is great and so is Sunset Mission, even if both are just the same song over an hour. And Dopethrone is an eternal love, but the rest of this is painfully average to be honest. Entirely tolerable, sometimes enjoyable, but nothing extraordinary. Probably the right placement.
31Yellow Magic Orchestra
Solid State Survivor

(1979)

AVG rating: 3.583
NO of ratings: 6

Not a lot to say about the 70s tbh. YMO obviously rules, but the rest of this is way overrated by me. Should replace that Scorpions (lol) with Joy Division or something to be cool again.
30Hum
Inlet

(2020)

AVG rating: 3.61
NO of ratings: 17

Ugh, THAT year. Honestly, looking at it, I must've been sick with something to rate a lot of this stuff so high. I should take an axe to these ratings, this year deserves to be in the bottom 5.
29Hum
You'd Prefer an Astronaut

(1995)

AVG rating: 3.62
NO of ratings: 51

Pretty big year to be this low. Astronaut is a gorgeous album (hey, that's two Hum albums in a row on this list!), but there's also Disco Volante, Dear You, Only Heaven, Symbolic, Astro Creep, The Great Annihilator, Severe Exposure, M4, Red Medicine. It just collapses under the weight of its total ratings, as there are a lot of 3s and the like. Good year anyway.

Also Wesley Willis greatest hits. Whip that llama's ass!

Also no one steal my idea of a Rob Zombie themed breakfast band called Astro Crepe.
28Swans
Soundtracks for the Blind

(1996)

AVG rating: 3.651
NO of ratings: 43

Not a single five in this glory of the 90s year, huh? Lots of 4.5s, though - in addition to Swans, there's Fantastic Planet, Roots, Endtroducing..., Aspera Hiems Symphonia, Filosofem, Biokineticks. Why is this year so low?

Oh right... the fucking Cardiacs... and a Metallica album can't be helpful either. Also this was the year Butthole Surfers sold out. Eh, fuck this year.
27Otoboke Beaver
Itekoma Hits

(2019)

AVG rating: 3.653
NO of ratings: 17

Same ratings and number of them as the 2017. Seems about right too. Chat Pile, Lightning Bolt, Otoboke Beaver all rocked my world that year and still do, but I probably should drop my ratings for King Gizzard, Sunn and Blood Incancation, because they've had no impact me ever since.
26Der Weg Einer Freiheit
Finisterre

(2017)

AVG rating: 3.653
NO of ratings: 17

The second of these late 2010s equal years. I'd actually have Post-Self as my fave album of the year, but that'd make this list too Godflesh heavy. Love d the gothy stuff from Chelsea Wolfe and Ulver that year, as well as World Eater. Not a whole lot more to talk about, really (huh, why do I have The Last Jedi soundtrack rated?).
25mclusky
McLusky Do Dallas

(2002)

AVG rating: 3.675
NO of ratings: 20

Year of Noise! Mclusky, Racebannon, Boris, Xiu Xiu, Hella, Yellow Machinegun! None of them an all-timer, though. There's also good extreme metal with Arcturus, Immortal, Nile. I think this year is just right as a placement, though.
24Boris
Boris At Last -Feedbacker-

(2003)

AVG rating: 3.685
NO of ratings: 27

I could defo see this as a dark horse year, because there are some utter classics here. Two legendary Boris releases in one year, Dopesmoker, the one-two noise punch from Lightning Bolt and Pink And Brown and another one from Black Eyes and Melt-Banana, hell, even DAF came back with some great EBM hits. But it also has St. Anger and some black metal dross like 1349 or Nortt, which leave a sour taste in one's mouth. And Dave Grohl should not be let anywhere near an institution like KJ.
23Mercyful Fate
Melissa

(1983)

AVG rating: 3.687
NO of ratings: 16

Mercyful Fate, Accept, Dio and Iron Maiden fly the flag of old school metal high this year. Which is good, because it feels a bit sparse otherwise. Some early rough diamonds in thrash from Slayer and Metallica, the Swans debut with Filth, some great punk releases from The Big Boys, Wipers and Poison Idea but that's kind of it.
22Blonde Redhead
Fake Can Be Just As Good

(1997)

AVG rating: 3.7
NO of ratings: 32

Man, a lot of true crap this year from Judas Priest, Helmet, Today Is The Day and of course that awful Burzum synth wank. So what's even good about this accursed year? I don't know, have you checked Shiner? Yeah, Lula Divina is a 1997. album. As are Come My Fanatics, Young Team, lowercase's Kill The Lights, SYL's City, Emperor's Anthems, as well as a lot of real good 4-3.5 albums that don't quite soar as high.
21The Roots
Things Fall Apart

(1999)

AVG rating: 3.706
NO of ratings: 29

Let's party like it is... the 21st year on the list? That's not encouraging. Let's be hoenst, that dross Burzum dungeon synth album is weighing this otherwise excellent year down a lot. Agaetis Byrjun, California, Urge To Kill, At The Heart Of Winter, Fantomas, American Football - these could be supreme highlights every year. Shoutout to the wonderful dnb on the UT soundtrack too. Probably the only rating here I have huge nostalgia for, but it still slaps super hard.
20Tokyo Shoegazer
Crystallize

(2011)

AVG rating: 3.71
NO of ratings: 7

Despite only 7 ratings, I can confidently say that I would spin any of these albums any time. And yes, that even includes Belzebong.
19Coroner
Mental Vortex

(1991)

AVG rating: 3.738
NO of ratings: 67 (the most!)

Ohh! The snub, the disrespect is real! 1991, the year of prog extreme metal with Coroner, Atheist, Death, Dark Angel, Primus, Pestilence, Mr. Bungle, only 19th!? Well, the year probably suffers from the amount of ratings it has (most of any year), because even though there are wonderful non-metal gems this year (Jesus Lizard, NoMeansNo, P.M. Dawn, The KLF, Cranes, Slowdive, Swans, Slint), there's just so much average shit too (lol, fuck Mudhoney and Nirvana and especially the Black Album). I think this is definitely the most oft talked about year among the online types, and depending on one's taste I can see it being a favorite, but it also collapses under the weight of its own hype. Plenty to enjoy regardless though.
18Om
Advaitic Songs

(2012)

AVG rating: 3.75
NO of ratings: 6

Uhh, well there's the meditative combo of Om and Swans this year. And nothing else, basically. Crazy how this is a notch above 1991.
17Einsturzende Neubauten
Halber Mensch

(1985)

AVG rating: 3.76
NO of ratings: 32

A truly solid year with Halber Mensch, Speak English Or Die, To Mega Therion, Rites Of Spring, Talk About The Weather. Some unsung noise gems too from No Trend, Feedtime, Naked Raygun, Killdozer, Kilslug... this might be the year that noise rock truly took off as a genre.
16Sleep
Sleep's Holy Mountain

(1993)

AVG rating: 3.775
NO of ratings: 49

A bunch of albums I love but only one 5. Weird, that. Feels like I can throw a stone in this year and hit something brilliant. Vampire Rodents, Ozrics, BUCK-TICK, Coroner, Hair and Skin Trading... it's one kooky, experimental year.
15Dinosaur Jr.
You're Living All Over Me

(1987)

AVG rating: 3.777
NO of ratings: 36

Man, how does this year not rank higher? Looking at it, it's full of absolute bangers - Songs About Fucking, Persecution Mania, that awesome Pussy Galore album, of course the best Dino Jr. one... and a whole lot of great 4.0-s. But I've also rated crap like INXS and The Smiths this year, so I guess the average has to go down.
14Talking Heads
Remain in Light

(1980)

AVG rating: 3.78
NO of ratings: 14

Huh, not a lot to say about this year. That Talking Heads album is a stone cold classic, but it's mostly some early post-punk heavy hitters that I've never rated quite as high. We all enjoy Bauhaus and Joy Division and Wipers and super-early Cure, but I think the 80s took everything this year had and elevated it.
13Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft
Alles Ist Gut

(1981)

AVG rating: 3.791
NO of ratings: 24

I think this is often held up as a classic year, but looking at it, it seems more influential than classic. DAF, Venom, Minor Threat, Wipers, KJ and Glenn Branca had huge influence for the 80s to come, while Siouxsie and The Cure made their big artistic statements of intent for the decade to come. Probably the most important year for German music, though - DAF, Kraftwerk, Einstürzende, Klaus Nomi, hell, even Accept, they all released bangers this year.
12Godflesh
Godflesh

(1988)

AVG rating: 3.797
NO of ratings: 42

As a teen, this would've been my pick, because Seventh Son was my absolute favorite album in that period. I still respect it, even though I rarely even think about it these days. Looks like this year is mostly held up by a lot of thrash metal, industrial music and noisy punk. Which... is a lot of my taste anyway. However, for thrash at least, this is also the year it had it's biggest downfall - the Metallica and Anthrax albums suck, while a lot of other bands also took a step down. Highlights of the year include Follow The Leader, Daydream Nation, Blood Fire Death, Surfer Rosa, The Land Of Rape And Honey.
11Whores.
Gold

(2016)

AVG rating: 3.8
NO of ratings: 5

Uhh, the fuck is going on here? 5 ratings? I must've not been active at sput at the time. Whores. had their best album here and The Glowing Man is the most underappre4ciated of the big three of modern Swans. But I should dig up on this year more.
10Helmet
Meantime

(1992)

AVG rating: 3.806
NO of ratings: 49

Oh look, it's my birth year and it's got three 5's! By all accounts, it should be a bit higher, right? It's the year of jazz influence, with Meantime for the groove metal touch, God for the noise touch and Naked City for the hardcore touch. Beyond that, Last Rights is the best Skinny Puppy record, there's the definitive Treepople comp, the sophomore Godflesh effort, great mainstream albums in Wish and Angel Dust and of course, the brilliant Liar to round up the noisy punk drive.
9Big Black
Atomizer

(1986)

AVG rating: 3.8125
NO of ratings: 32

A damn fine, solid year, possibly a bit overrated by a lot of old thrash metal ratings. But apart from those obvious headbangers, there's also an underappreciated Kraftwerk album, the Beastie Boys breakthrough, the best Siouxsie album, and one of the best hardcore albums in Break Down The Wall. Coolass year with a lot of just above average noise records as well.
8Husker Du
Zen Arcade

(1984)

AVG rating: 3.833
NO of ratings: 33

Identical scores for years a decade apart (shitty pun not intended). 1984 loses out due to not having any 5s which 1994 does. But maybe it should... Zen Arcade and Double Nickels are both solid contenders for a 5 status. Other top tier stuff from Die Kreuzen, Mercyful Fate, Cocteau Twins and so on really make this a year to love.
7PainKiller
Execution Ground

(1994)

AVG rating: 3.833
NO of ratings: 60

Ohh, here's a top 1 contender and only at 7th! Let me defend myself. With 60 ratings (second most of any year for me), there's bound to be some dross driving the average down. However, I think I also have a lot of consensus classics that I just didn't like enough (Today Is The Day, NOFX, NIN) that mean my love of this year won't chart as high as sput in general. Still an utterly excellent year though - Execution Ground, In The Nightside Eclipse, At Action Park, There's A Vomitsprinkler In My Liverriver, Heroin Man, Sky Valley, dubnobasswithmyheadman and so many more are albums I spin often and joyously. I wouldn't begrudge anyone calling this their favorite year in music.
6Fela Kuti
Zombie

(1977)

AVG rating: 3.85
NO of ratings: 10

Probably the earliest year I agree with on this list. Suicide, Zombie and Alien Soundtracks are all brilliant. The disco explosion with ABBA and Bee Gees is cool too, as is Trans-Europa Express. Woefully few ratings though, I've to dive deeper into this year.
5Rainbow
Rising

(1976)

AVG rating: 3.857
NO of ratings: 7

Not a lot to say here with 7 ratings. I don't really rate that JP album so high, but the YT-algorithm-endorsed Ryo Fukui defo makes this a standout year, together with ABBA and The Residents (now that's a combo!). Probably crept this high only thanks to the low sample size. Looking elsewhere, this year is most rated due to Bowie, Rush, Genesis, Thin Lizzy... naah, fuck this proggy-boomer-ass nerd year. I'm taking my Japanese jazz piano and Ritchie Blackmore and not coming back again.
4Negative Approach
Negative Approach

(1982)

AVG rating: 3.863
NO of ratings: 22

I definitely could have picked this as my fave year as a late teen, considering the hits of classic metal this year has (Number of the Beast, Restless and Wild, Screaming for Vengeance). But right now, I think it's carried more by some utter classic of hardcore - that Negative Approach release, Discharge, Bad Brains, SS Decontrol, Angry Samoans, MDC etc... what a fucking year for punk. Actually, I think this is the true year punk music peaked - it had shed the early derivations from Ramones, but still had clarity and focus before it splintered into a million subgenres. Good damn year regardless of boomer metal picks.
3Atheist
Piece Of Time

(1990)

AVG rating: 3.875
NO of ratings: 40

Huh, a bit of an oddity of a year at first. Two fives, one of which is the Twin Peaks soundtrack. But it seems like a culmination of punk, metal, noise, industrial music that I so like that bridged the two decades. A lot of second-bests from really great bands (Cows, Primus, Sonic Youth, Treepeople, Skinny Puppy, Naked City, Helmet) with a few absolute favorites too (the TKK album, the best KJ one, the best Ride album). So yeah, not one I'd think about at first but a great, deserved contender. Only bad parts are stinkers from classic bands like Iron Maiden, Death, AIC, Pixies.
2Rhythm and Sound
Rhythm & Sound

(2001)

AVG rating: 3.924
NO of ratings: 33

Now here's a year I didn't expect to land 2nd! Not a single 5, but a huge amount of solid, so-good-but-not-all-time-great releases. And the variety is crazy - the avant jump of black metal in Emperor, Thorns, Enslaved, great danceable pop stuff with Daft Punk, Royksopp, Kylie Minogue, some utter peak RI noise rock with Mindflayer, Pink And Brown, Arab On Radar... fun outliers like Techno Animal, Fantomas, Mogwai, Shiner etc... even a consensus classic with Unwound's last album. A secretly brilliant year for music. It might have even pipped the top spot if that one Judas Priest album didn't muddy the average.
1Godflesh
Streetcleaner

(1989)

AVG rating: 3.958
NO of ratings: 36

So, this is the best year in music, huh? Y'know, I'm happy with this. Between three of my fives (Disintegration, Streetcleaner, Wrong), I could call it my fave year already. But the depth is staggering - a huge load of classic thrash like Mekong Delta, Sodom, Voivod etc, mixed with early post-hardcore stuff like Fugazi and Treepeople, some early gems of industrial like TKK and The Young Gods... there's something for everyone if you're big into guitar music. And if you're not, De La Soul will have your back. A damn fine year.
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