Gorilla Biscuits - Start Today (Hardcore Punk): Big recency bias since I first heard this two weeks ago, but this record is seriously so infectious. It has absolutely INSANE manic energy, and it yet it never feels unapproachable. The songs may feel same-y if you think too hard about them, but they're still a ton of fun to listen with the constant and somehow seamless tempo changes. It's so hard to pick a favorite track on this, but it might be
Competition simply because the midway tempo change is
THAT fucking cool. In fact, this album has a lot of short songs and clocks in at less than 25 minutes, and then the album's pacing and frequency of tempo shifts makes it feel like a far longer and more complete album than you might expect. And somehow, the lyrics are written so well and poetically that it's kinda shocking given their high energy delivery and cadence. To go back to the second half of Competition:
Sometimes they're silly, but it's never in a snarky or cringey way, it's just legitimately entertaining somehow
Might get sick of it eventually but right now I love
love LOVE this record. I still adore Slant since they're criminally underrated and, ya know, actually active, but I might like this record more than Slant's...
Tricot - T H E (Math Rock, J-Rock): Kept putting this one off until recently, but yes, it really is THAT good. Brilliant combination of crazy rhythms featuring time signature and tempo shifts with accessible J-Rock songwriting. Been growing on me more and more.
Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds From Another Planet (Dream Pop, Indie Pop): Psychopomp is still a masterpiece in my eyes, but Soft Sounds has really been on my mind lately. It's a lot cleaner and more straightforward, but the variety of songs is definitely impressive, and I have to be honest in loving it when every track is just
that good and memorable
Dabda - But, All the Shining Things Are (Math Rock, Indie Rock, Dream Pop):
THE MOST UNDERRATED BAND RIGHT NOW. I beg you all, please listen to Dabda, it boggles my mind that they don't even have 2,000 listeners on Spotify (would also like to shoutout fellow band in the Korean Underground that is absurdly underrated, Soumbalgwang who are sitting at 500 listeners). Much in the way that Tricot merges Math Rock with J-Rock, Dabda merges Math Rock with pleasant Indie Rock that really borders on Dream Pop at times, but still has its moments of high energy. They've got an EP coming out in the coming weeks that I'm pretty excited for. Praying they tour the US one day....
Lil Yachty - Let's Start Here (Neo-Psychedelic, Psychdelic Rock, The Kitchen Sink): The more I kept playing tracks on this album, the more I've had to accept that this album really is one of my all-time favs despite coming out
this year. I have heard a fair number of Prog and Psych albums in the past year, but I have yet to hear one that can match the incredible variety, seamless flow, and INSANE highlights that this album has. Yeah, it's got its rough spots, but I have to take a step back and recognize that I've Officially Lost Vision is one of the most insane (and yet accessible) songs I've ever heard, and the final three tracks of Should I B, The Alchemist, and Reach the Sunshine is one of the greatest three track runs I've ever heard. I'm probably overrating it on this topster, but I really would be impressed if another album ends up being my favorite for the year.
Joanna Wang - Galaxy Crisis (VGM-inspired/Kero Kero Bonito vibes): Yet another insanely underrated work. If you recognize Joanna Wang, you probably know her for her Mandopop work. Hilariously though, it turns out Joanna Wang is secretly a massive nerd, and she put out this goofy little album that predates even Kero Kero Bonito's first EP. It's hard to say what exactly makes this album work so well, but maybe it's just that the whimsicality and playfulness of it is just so addicting. For example,
Pressure's On Me has this simple and catchy synth piano instrumental, lots of "bom bom bom!" onomatopoeia in the vocals, and the lyrics are about the social anxiety of ordering food at a restaurant LOL. I've described it as like an album made by Ashley from WarioWare, and if that sounds like something you'd be into, I highly highly recommend this.
Five Star Hotel - Gray Data (Power Noise, Trap EDM):
WHAT THE FUCK!?
Listen to this album if you think Death Grips is boring. In all seriousness, I listened to a lot of Monstercat and other EDM in undergrad, and the final set of drops on Full Circle (around the 3:40 mark) is easily my favorite EDM drop of all-time.
TURN YOUR VOLUME DOWN IF YOU LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM.