TranscendNoise

10. Charly Bliss – Guppy This is the best pop-punk record this year, no doubt about it. I lend this appeal mostly to Eva Hendricks voice, a non-singing voice at times, disappearing when shrieking but ultimately beautifully emotive and relatable. Surely she follows in the lane of previously known female rock singers and the grunge of the 90´s, yet there is a huge amount of comedy, irony, and quirkiness in her delivery and lyrics that are supported by forward-thinking instrumentals that sound as polished as they appear raw and spur of the moment. Her outings range from “I pied the trampoline” to questioning her relation with “Am I the best / Or just the first person to say yes” and these forms of youthful energy and anxiety resonate even when the teenage years are pretty much over and done. Indie rock has to deliver on these fronts, the idiosyncrasies of being young while touching on the first questions and introspections of adulthood and generally being in touch with a world out...

55. Flo Morrissey – Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful Nostaglia is a huge deal in folk-music. My mental image most of the time involves someone old, pained and beautifully ridden by life´s playful banter. Breaking this image, many young artists are emerging with huge success, bringing in their own nostalgia, one that is not restaurative anymore, but of the more beautiful kind: of the reflective. Flo Morrissey record is there fittingly titled Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful . As every track here conveys the feeling of looking back, a dreamful resistance against the contemporary, this kind of nostalgia somehow haunts you forward, towards a tomorrow and a different, if not even idealistic world where love, longing and believing still hold true against the world. It´s not “Once I was young, and the world was full of wonder”, it´s “I´m young, I want to dream”. Very Deafheaven indeed. If that´s too much for you, Flo Morrissey has such a unique voice, its sheer tone is worth listening to all t...

60. Okada – Vulnerability ( Impermanence ) I´ve been a fan of Greg Pappas ever since his zxyzxy projects and I´m glad he resurfaced as Okada. After re-releasing what was originally 2010´s C.A.B as the album Anathema this year, he dropped his 4-part eletronic epic through N5MD in August. His way of mixing various electronic aspects was supereb from his earliest work and on Impermanence he added female vocals for perfection. Vulnerability is definitely a find for every fan of Andy Stott´s latest releases. The dark yearning of the few vocal slivers, while still being understandable as lyrics paired with the sparse and haunting electronics and keys consumes the listener fully. As Stott is on the heavier side and exhausts the perception with a deep gloominess, Vulnerability has a more ambient, more contemplative vibe to it. Be sure to check out the whole project for the whole experience. Impermanence by OKADA 59. Hudson Mohawke – Indian Steps feat. Antony ( Lantern ) If...

10. Saba – Comfort Zone Strange dancing Chicago rapper Saba is the best newcomer in Hip Hop this year. Well, he has been around but this mixtape will hopefully turn a bunch a people on to him. Comfort Zone works in almost every direction of hip hop you want it to. There is the socially conscious, the fame-rap and many positive messages. Saba´s style of rapping is as variable as it is enjoyable. For someone making this kind of blend, not going into the dark, scruffy or gangsta rap might be a stepping stone as such, but hopefully, with affiliation to the likes of Chance The Rapper and the overall urge to finally deliver more positivity in hip hop music (read: messages that evoke thinking and not having a good time) hopefully Saba will see great success and musical growth in the future. Read my full review here. 09. WIFE – What´s Between James Kelly, the man behind WIFE is better known for his work with Alter of Plagues, a black metal act , that as many ...