Top Tracks 2015 Part II 90–81
90. Failure – Snow Angel (The Heart Is A Monster)
I´m still fighting with myself if the return of Failure is a good thing or not. After disbanding in 1996, their work, especially the last album, Fantastic Planet grew to be one of the most beloved albums in term of alternative and space rock. Many bands I admire, admire Failure with good reason and the band members have had their hand in many great other projects. The Heart Is A Monster, with the whole build up (for example reissuing Fantastic Planet with a heavy price tag) can only be considered a fan service for those who wanted to see their favorite band live and experience new-ish songs from them, too. They could have done much more and much better and instead did a still good rehash of Fantastic Planet. On consequence Snow Angel will click instantly for everyone digging the band already, the apathetic and still emotional singing by Andrews, the zither like guitar picks and the star bursting chorus are played to perfection. Hearing this and The Heart Is A Monster, I can only say, maybe the next record will show us Failure arriving in the 21st century.
89. Julia Holter – Feel You (Have You In My Wilderness)
Julia Holter continues to solidify her position as dream-pops most exciting artist. While her first albums had a very dense and theatrical feel to them, she grounded the excessive with more straight-forward songwriting and arrangements. Feel You is a sweet and really dream-like experience with Holter´s voice soothing the listeners with a short tale of thoughts and observations in a chamber pop mindset. Putting on Have You In My Wilderness comes close to watching a play and transporting your thoughts into delightful fantasies, all at once. Again, I can not wait for the next project and set of ideas Holter will offer.
88. Ibeyi – Oya (Ibeyi)
Mixing the electronica of bands like The xx and the traditional music of the Yoruba / Afro-Cuban persuasion, Ibeyi´s music has something unique at its very core. When the two sisters go from singing in English to the Yoruba language, the theme of ghosts is not only reflected in linguistic content but expressed through pure phonetics too. The goth waves and the organic drums complement each other well and only add to the spiritual vibe of Oya.
87. FKA twigs – Glass & Patron (M3LL155X)
After dropping her superb LP1, FKA twigs returned this year with a new EP accompanying every song with a visual work. Glass & Patron had the odd queen of experimental r´n´b going from a creepy birth scene to a dance-/walk off with her dance crew. The visuals worked well with the dark yearning twigs creates best while still keeping a "fashionable" and polished vibe worthy of being played at real fashion shows.
86. Boogie – The Reach (The Reach)
There weren´t that many newcomers in rap this year that caught my attention. But with the Mike Zombie assisted opener of his second mixtape, I knew that Boogie had some appeal to keep me listening in the future. The soulful and yet tortured sample resounding "My love and my touch" sets out to be the constant chorus as Boogie spits his lines. It´s a pretty nice "coming up and making it" story and his bars are on spot. While his bigger hit "Oh My" has been getting much attention for its banger beat, the more introspective and soulful moments on The Reach are worlds apart and shine brighter.
85. Death Cab For Cutie – The Ghosts Of Beverly Drive (Kintsugi)
This is one of the most energetic moments of Kintsugi and shows Gibbard lovelorn but willing. This is the moments of starting a new relationship, connecting anew with someone else, maybe doubting the “singularity” of love, coming to the conclusion that hurts is always a possibility and even questioning once choices in partners. From the looks of this description, this could have been a sad ballad, but the bands comes through with a great drive and the guitar work they are known for. Who knows what will happen to these guitar sounds now that Chris Walla has left the band.
84. Adna – Run, Lucifer (Run, Lucifer)
Not taking much time after her great debut last year, Adna comes through with the next chapter of her oeuvre with Run, Lucifer. Adna´s music evokes the association of cold winter nights and being broken beyond repair. And yet, the minimalistic arrangements and crystalline voice of Adna leave much room to breathe and dwell in the hopelessness. The title track transports these elements at it´s most concise, and as many might have gotten the message through animated emotions this year, Adna also delivers the wisdom of "it´s OK to be sad".
83. Muse – The Globalist (Drones)
The Globalist is the highlight of Drones period. While the band is still on point with their politically charged and esoterically infused themes on every album, I can´t escape the feeling that the have resorted to playing it safe most of the time. This track is the symphony every early Muse fan is wishing for. There is the cheesy, western intro morphing into the grand ballad. The middle part smashing heavy and claustrophobic riffs together and the elegy of the end, the debris closing with the western grandeur of the beginning. Just epic and a good reason to still believe in Muse and their creativity. Read my review of Drones here.
82. She Spread Sorrow – Inertia Malaise (Rumspringa)
Making Noise music with a theme running through it can fall flat of getting the point across for many listeners as instrumental music is nowadays too marginalized and not attentively listened to in general. But Alice Kundalini´s project She Spread Sorrow demands attention from top to bottom and judging from the few words and cover art you get, the theme of sexual trauma / abuse seems undeniable. Inertia Malaise is aptly titled because it evokes the feeling of uneasiness without fail. The haunting voices between the drones, piercing rises and metallic drums deliver something self-destructive, better said, evoke the feeling of your own psyche destroying you from within. Be sure not to miss out on the whole experience of Rumspringa; if you can stomach it.
Listen to three other tracks from Rumspringa:
81. I´m Glad It´s You – June (Daydreams)
I´m Glad It´s You were one of the many great bands to join the roster of 6131 Records this year. Emo / punk rock can become bland and repetitive when the energy and a certain kind of rawness seems artificial or cannot be upheld over the course of a project. June in it´s short two minutes is a dynamic journey with sweet lyrics and a easily understood sentiment, something to dive into and hit repeat time and time again.
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