Time for some softer music. Is it still good if it’s not constant chaos? Yeah, yeah things are pretty damn good, actually!
Number Five: Zouz – Vertiges
Let me be chauvinistic a little, and start with a homegrown band. Zouz border on post-punk, noise rock, and math rock, but there’s a middle line in that whole mess that intersects with indie rock sensibilities. Vertiges is a fun, varied, and addictive album that you’re sure to put on repeat multiple times!
Number Four: Ventifacts – Ventifacts
Microtonal indie rock still counts, right? Damn right it does! Ventifacts is the project of Ben Spees and Damon Waitkus, two legends of the contemporary prog rock scene, and on this album, they use various instruments in microtonal tunings in creative ways to subvert expectations we have developed over our lives listening to normitonal music. The result is, as you might imagine, quite enthralling! One of the best albums of the year!
Number Three: Requin – Shark
Shark is the first and last album of Australian band Requin, and that’s really a shame! These songs walk the line between math rock and emo, and they’re all brilliant! The soft and gentle vocals, the lush harmonies, everything just clicks. One of the best albums of the year!
Number Two: The Body & Big, Brave – Leaving None but Small Birds
This is very good. This is incredibly good (and yet better still is to come)! The Body—noise/sludge—collaborating with Big, Brave—post-rock/doom—gives us this folksy indie rock album? Hell yeah! Leaving None but Small Birds is a melancholic, slow, touching, down-to-earth album that’s hypnotic, moving, and dangerously addictive!
Number One: Adjy – The Idyll Opus
Alright, hear me out. The Idyll Opus is an indie folk-rock concept album at times reminiscent of the Dear Hunter and that ends with a seventeen-minute epic, and it’s incredible. There’s just something with this album that reaches straight to my heart: the melodies, the lyrics, the driving folk-rock music, everything just blends together so well it’s uncanny. The indie rock category was insanely competitive this year, I’ve had so many doubts and tough choices to make, but this album was always at the top. It’s just that good!
Notable Releases
Hover over foreign scripts for pronunciation and romanization.
Friday, 22 January
Palberta – Palberta 5000
37:27 experimental rock New York, New York Wharf Cat
[…] 01/10 – Best of Grindcore 01/11 – Best of Hardcore 01/12 – Best Improvisation 01/13 – Best of Indie Rock 01/14 – Best of Jazz Fusion 01/15 – Best of Jazzcore 01/16 – Best of Math Rock […]
[…] 01/10 – Best of Grindcore 01/11 – Best of Hardcore 01/12 – Best Improvisation 01/13 – Best of Indie Rock 01/14 – Best of Jazz Fusion 01/15 – Best of Jazzcore 01/16 – Best of Math Rock […]
[…] 01/10 – Best of Grindcore 01/11 – Best of Hardcore 01/12 – Best Improvisation 01/13 – Best of Indie Rock 01/14 – Best of Jazz Fusion 01/15 – Best of Jazzcore 01/16 – Best of Math Rock […]
[…] 01/10 – Best of Grindcore 01/11 – Best of Hardcore 01/12 – Best Improvisation 01/13 – Best of Indie Rock 01/14 – Best of Jazz Fusion 01/15 – Best of Jazzcore 01/16 – Best of Math Rock […]
[…] 01/10 – Best of Grindcore 01/11 – Best of Hardcore 01/12 – Best Improvisation 01/13 – Best of Indie Rock 01/14 – Best of Jazz Fusion 01/15 – Best of Jazzcore 01/16 – Best of Math Rock […]
[…] 01/10 – Best of Grindcore 01/11 – Best of Hardcore 01/12 – Best Improvisation 01/13 – Best of Indie Rock 01/14 – Best of Jazz Fusion 01/15 – Best of Jazzcore 01/16 – Best of Math Rock […]
[…] 01/10 – Best of Grindcore 01/11 – Best of Hardcore 01/12 – Best Improvisation 01/13 – Best of Indie Rock 01/14 – Best of Jazz Fusion 01/15 – Best of Jazzcore 01/16 – Best of Math Rock […]
[…] 01/10 – Best of Grindcore 01/11 – Best of Hardcore 01/12 – Best Improvisation 01/13 – Best of Indie Rock 01/14 – Best of Jazz Fusion 01/15 – Best of Jazzcore 01/16 – Best of Math Rock […]