TranscendNoise

20. Rolo Tomassi – Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It This is the definite album grappling with the dynamics of hard/soft this year. Rolo Tomassi have been growing and subtly shifting a sound that was close to prog-rock to another beast altogether. It is in the ambient moments, the uncertainty of the drifting glaciers bursting into flame that Time Will Die shines, as a vocal pair and a sonic outfit, Rolo Tomassi are able to live in both worlds an be completely centered when doing so. Songs like “Risen” or “Aftermath” live by Eva Spence and her ability to toe the line of electropop and performances by Björk or Imogen Heap. Here the band converts their huge amount of energy into delicate bursts of hope and reconciliation, well knowing they could plunge into chaos by moments notice. For when they go metal, harshly shouting by way of James Spence, they sound like nu-metal kids that never learned anything but shredding. While this dynamic might sound as dated as the idea of nu-metal, ...

20. Playboi Carti – Shoota (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) (Die Lit)  Lil Uzi and Playboi Carti really come off as brothers in spirit, in their solo work and especially in their collaborations. “Shoota” shines in a power that is life-affirming and strongly addictive. In under three minutes Uzi sings a verse that embodies his wild dances on Instagram and his stage show alike and while Carti´s hook slightly fails in topping off the energy, the sketch-like nature of the song, it appearing and closing in the blink of an eye is the singular representation of  youthfulness the two rappers combine on their tracks. Their music never has to be deep and meaningful, but energetic and affective in their simple disregard for structure and hip-hop tropes, a small symphony of improvisation and style and swagger. 19. Nothing – Hail At Palace Pier (Dance On The Blacktop)  Nothing implement a metal or even black metal mindset of songwriting and mood to the most delicate sounds of...

20. The Body & Full of Hell – Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light The Body are one of the most interesting acts in heavy music by far and them teaming up (again) with Full of Hell, another band that stretches the perception of what heavy or abrasive music can be, provides one of the finest moments of 2017. Full of Hell´s Trumpeting Ecstasy saw the band experiment with different textures and feeling themselves, ranging from noise-ridden escapes to featuring Nicole Dollangangers in a toned down ballad of sorts. With The Body, the band gained a counterpart that is equally into noise and atmosphere over aggression, handing a sense of naiveté and wonder to their refinement. In return, The Body found a group of people that revel in immediacy and help develop their own affection for grinding sounds into beat-driven joints and forward-thinking musical ideas. Apart from these comparisons and additions, the project does sound like one entity playing music. Ascending A Mountain esp...