Music – Page 13 – Disaesthetic

The Best of Next Year?

I wish Apple Music could better sort pre-released albums available to subscribers. At least for the purposes of this thought piece. 2017 will go down as one of the best in the decade, at least in the short term. I wonder how we will look back on several mainstream records like Jay Z’s 4:44 or Reputation by Taylor Swift.

Last year I remember reading about these two, untitled at the time, albums and thinking these would get a lot of attention. In the short term I think we’re seeing the decline of Swift and 4:44 didn’t connect with me like DAMN. or All-Amerikkkan Bada$$.

Reflecting in a few years on XXXTentacion’s 17 and Brand New’s Science Fiction could produce polarizing perspectives. I thought very highly of both until some disturbing allegations came forward this year. The State of Florida charged Jahseh Onfroy’s (XXXTentacion) with domestic abuse of a pregnant woman. The details are disgusting.

For years I knew Jesse Lacy, Brand New frontman, had nudes leaked on IsAnyoneUp back in the day. I didn’t want a virus searching for that shit, but take my word for it. Lacy’s shit was out there. To learn he was soliciting nudes and sex from minors and exploited them like a true predator taints everything he’s done. I feel the same way about Tim Lambesis and his crimes.

Looking back can’t only seem negative. I’ll remember this year for a wealth of good albums. I don’t want to spoil what those are quite yet. Check back for that next Friday. Looking forward to 2018, there’s already some hints of the best we’ll hear. Obviously by the banner at the top of this post Of Mice & Men sit at the top of my most anticipated albums right now.

Since their last project the band and founding member Austin Carlile parted ways. Admittedly at this concerned me at first. Carlile had an incredible stage presence and channeled that vibe into OM&M’s albums. Cold World may have been 2016’s most disappointing album. Definitely their most subpar project. They wrote full on Nu-Metal songs which reminded me why bands like Limp Bizkit died out.

Carlile’s role diminished along with a pish posh of dabbling in different styles. They got away from what made them special early on. Hearing them live translated directly into their albums.

Carlile’s well documented health problems forced him out of the band. He’s also stated he couldn’t write music with them anymore since he couldn’t make what he wanted. Obviously alarmed by that I took his side until I heard “Unbreakable” Of Mice’s first single without Austin. It’s the best song they’ve made since “The Depths” in 2012.

Bringing in Aaron Pauley a few years ago sneakily and profoundly strengthened the band’s status. He’d already been a great frontman in Jamie’s Elsewhere singing beautifully. Adding him completed the band and letting Aaron lead Of Mice just showed he’s more skilled and equipped to front the band going forward.

They’ve released “Back to Me” “Warzone” and “Defy” since then and look to release Defy early next year. It’s early but this is definitely one I’m penciling in for top 10 next year. I sense this one returns Of Mice back their volcanic sound from earlier this decade.

Clearly I’m elated for new Of Mice but every year has its surprises. I’ve also got ensnared by Pianos Becoming The Teeth’s complete stylistic departure on their “Charisma” single.

I noticed they started zagging away from their tortured and cathartic style with a glimmer auspiciousness on The Lack Long After, a pedestal 4th wave emo album, with their Touché Amoré split single. “Hiding” elevated the trajectory of the band forever.

I remember an ex-girlfriend unsettled by it when I played it for her. Sure, the lyrics were “sad” as she put it but stylistically “Hiding” laid out how PBTT’s sound would evolve for the next five years. Gentler vocals in favor of screaming. Guitars almost about to buckle, teetering towards losing control to their abrasiveness. It’s a beautiful song, despite the subject matter. Fast forward to “Charisma” from Wait For Love and one finds a band undeterred by calamity.

The last 67 seconds has an existential effect on me. I see every horrible event pass by like I’m watching a movie of myself while the last pre-chorus drums up until the chorus finally breaks. I see every event I hope comes to pass in my life: love, companionship, fatherhood, leaving this world peacefully surround by those I love. Reminds me of the moment Jack Shepard has at the end of Lost. Perhaps a bit morbid but hey my blog. Wait For Love comes out February 16th.

On the same release day The Plot in You follow-up one of my favorite albums from 2015. Dispose continues the rebirth from last time. Getting off Rise Records unleashed whatever creative barrier they seemed impaired by. I got to see them in July 2016 headline and execute a setlist worthy of an hour. It’s only gotten better with new singles from Dispose. “Feel Nothing” trims the aggressiveness from “My Old Ways” and retains the sonic weight. I’m still really impressed by how heavy they sound with one guitarist and bass player. Unlike some people.

The video for “Not Just Breathing” continues to perpetuate their brooding aesthetics. Relationships with woman seems so fleeting for TPIY mastermind Landon Tewers.

These are just some of the bands I’ve followed for years. Some bigger names like Frank Ocean, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, and several more have albums coming next year. Who knows when they’ll see the light of day but Ocean’s projects tend to dominate headlines. Stay woke on this since whatever he puts out sprouts unexpectedly. Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine says he’s working on new material. Who knows when or if it happens but I’m keeping tabs on MBV anyways.

Other releases I’m looking forward to include Pinegrove’s next project, which may sit in limbo after band leader Evan Stephens Hall put things on ice. I honestly had to Google “sexual coercion” ignorant as I was about it. Whatever happened I hope both parties can find peace with each other, if that’s even possible.

Sadly we’ll all remember this year for how many powerful men in our society proved themselves unworthy of such might and privilege. Out of the abhorrence however woman have come forward about the abuses they’ve had to endure and empowered themselves. Women seizing this moment strengthens all of us. It’s a hellish mess but it needed to happen sometime. Hopefully we can all look back some day and remember this year as the time misogyny, abuse, and terror towards women began to fade. I hope so if I’m here twenty years or more from now reading back on this.

Perhaps we’ll see this autonomy reflected in the music next year. I’m hoping we’ll see it in every scene for empowerment purposes, as well as a reflection of the times we live in. Join me again next week for the beginning of my top 10 albums. I’m starting with 7 through 10. The following week 4 through 6, and right after Christmas my top 3 albums. I’m ecstatic to share my comprehensive argumentation of these records that defined my year musically, and to some degree personally.

Collection Update 7.0

Photo by Tina Angelos

I kinda forgot to update my tape and vinyl collections for the past few months. I haven’t spent as much money on record lately. I get the occasional pre-order I made months ago and Amazon points I’ve accrued each month. Got Hotelier’s Goodness basically for free with my points. I got Mew’s Frengers on the way from last month. Hopefully I can pick up Home, Like Noplace Is There later this month if it’s back in stock. Shows me to wait picking something up I want badly.

Got really lucky to snag a tape of Pompeii’s last album Loom for the original sales price. Only 50 copies were made. Incredibly joyed to have that one. Wish those guys were more active, more popular. They have three incredible albums yet don’t know another fan but myself. My Julien Baker pre-order arrived a while ago. Enjoyed it immensely. Waiting on a Hodera pre-order. The label sent me a letter stating their was a pressing issue and my order would go out as soon as possible. They also sent me a CD of the album signed by the band. We’ll see how long that takes’em.

Also picked up some sweet 7″ singles we’ll perusing Spin in Carlsbad. Found an unofficial release of a Nirvana “Your Opinion” single with a Velvet Underground cover. Also got a reissued of Black Flag’s Six Pack EP and the first demo from Henry Rollins’ first band S.O.A. Greg was kind enough to hook an extra copy he had of The Growler’s Glided Pleasure EP. That’s it for now. I’m gonna try to better keep up with this.

Check out my vinyl & tape collections here and on Discogs.

Most Disappointing Albums of 2017

Most-Disappointing

Jonas Bjerre // Photo Credit: Stephen McKendree

I’m just gonna say it, Mew’s Visuals disheartened me. Oh yeah, we’re going right for the hangnail. Anyone acquainted with me knows Mew is still one of my favorite bands. They were the first ambitious dive into more unknown and independent artists back when I was finding my tastes. Frengers might be my favorite album, ever. Definitely on the list of albums I’d take stranded to a deserted island but Visuals departs from everything I always loved about them.

The composition of songs seem pop focused and built from keyboards and synths rather than anamorphic guitars. Don’t make any assumptions about my opinions on digitally produced sounds either. + – explored this territory too however the roots of Mew could still be heard. Check the bridge from “Satellites” two minutes in for yourself. I remember how triumphant it felt hearing that section after such a long hiatus. There’s no reference back to the progressive melodies from No More Stories… or any of the enchanting multi-layered percussive recordings. I don’t find myself drifting from the present like I usually would. I don’t doubt their intentions but I can’t help stepping outside my biases and say most of Visuals sounds like hipster car commercial trash. It honestly hurts to say that but listen to “85 Videos” and “Carry Me to Safety” to judge for yourself. “The Wake of Your Life” sounds like some Young The Giant bullshit.

I don’t have any explanation or cause for why they took this direction. Mew have always worked on their terms. I don’t suspect any kind of A&R or label coercion but I am disappointed in what they’ve produced this time. Hopefully it’s nothing more than an experiment.

Perhaps the most disappointing album came from Volumes, whom I hyped heavily since last year. Strong singles but a disjointed portfolio. “Feels Good” still stands out despite most of the remaining index. It’s one of few tracks from this batch building of No Sleep and the dynamic vocal structures and “djent” rhythms established since their inception. Perhaps “Feels Good” was conceived before the departure of Michael Barr. Volumes hasn’t fully synced with replacement Myke Terry yet. Rather than focus their growth around a talent who can actually sing and back Gus Farias they opted for an extremely stark rap venture.

Plainly the attempt
doesn’t work

“Hope” compels the sneer I get when Kevin Malone spills his stock pot of chill in The Office. It’s a mess and plainly the attempt doesn’t work. I’ve always liked Volumes’ stylistic incorporation of hip hop through two frontmen hyping each other, layering their vocals strategically. This full dive into actually rapping flounders. Using Pouya for “On Her Mind” actually works because he’s a rapper and they accomplished writing a foundation, in their style, to rap over. Different Animals seems a lot like the cover art, buckets of paint thrown at the wall.

There’s an honest attempt to make the most of Terry but the execution didn’t yield what I wanted. This idea artists produce what we want is convoluted and problematic but it shouldn’t matter what we want. Many times record companies force artists to create what audiences want however I don’t suspect Volumes were pressured to make anything specific. Going of that logic, they made exactly what they wanted but I doubt they got the targeted response. Certainly not from me.

Northlane didn’t disappoint in the same way as Mew or Volumes. Their campaign to promote and release Mesmer failed garner people’s attention. The album itself didn’t bother me but I think psychologically it’s an interesting album release to reflect on. Northlane tried the Beyoncé route, releasing an album digitally unannounced and without promotion, a foolishly idea that ultimately failed the project.

It worked for Beyoncé for many simple reasons, mainly she’s arguably the most popular female singer in the world. Never forget she and her camp famous worked in secret and struck right before Christmas, 2013. Before then she had her first child and looking back the world seemed to think of her as a famous celebrity rather than a once in a lifetime artist. Northlane forgot they weren’t Beyoncé and lost a great opportunity to generate the appropriate buildup for Mesmer. I found musically most received it well, including bigger publications. Again, they missed an opportunity to raise awareness and anticipation in releasing “Intuition” at the beginning of the year.

Thanks again for reading. Check back next Friday for some blind hype on next year’s expected albums.