24 thoughts on “Friday Music Day: Year End Spectacular!”

1. Favorite Moment in Music 2016
   Sturgill Simpson - Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)

   From the 3D ultrasound, The Little One looks very much like I'm gonna have a son, so in my head that's what I'm having. First time I listened to this after I decided this, whoooo boy all the feels.

2. I'm still undecided on Grimes. Got her first two. Like the first a lot, still going through her second. Kinda samey, all with those weird, flighty, ethereal vocals on every track.

   1. What are we counting as her "first two"?

      1. Geidi Primes and Halfaxa

         1. Okay, yeah. I've only listened to each of them a time or two. Visions was fine, but aside from the couple of big songs, it was pretty samey. Art Angels is most certainly a poppy album, but it's a poppy album that doesn't feel samey to me. Lots of hooks, a couple of oddities like "Scream" tossed in. It has staying power for me.

            1. Visions was fine, but aside from the couple of big songs, it was pretty samey.

               I agree, and that album has really been my only exposure to Grimes. I know there was enthusiasm for Art Angels but I could never convince myself to sit down and give it a listen. Finally decided that reluctance was telling me something.

               That said, I still have the big songs from Visions on my ipod and they get reasonable amounts of play.

               1. "Genesis" and "Oblivion " are legitimately great songs.

3. My twenty favorite albums of 2016!

   20. Mitski - Puberty 2 (eh. the highs are high enough that it evened everything out. I skip a lot, though)
   19. Forndom - Dauðra Dura (Swedish "ritual ambient" music. sounds sort of like you would expect a cultish version of those soundscapes CDs they sell at target might)
   18. Wolf Parade - EP 4 (a quick, but tasty treat that whets the appetite for more)
   17. Paul Simon - Stranger to Stranger (i really liked this. it made me go back over my old paul simon albums again, which is never a bad thing)
   16. Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein - Stranger Things, volume 1 (great mood, never totally goes over the top. the main theme song is awesome)
   15. Alcest - Kodama (he added back some of the harsh elements again! it doesn't end up reaching the highs of Shelter, but is stronger overall, I think)
   14. Frightened Rabbit - Painting of a Panic Attack (not as good as they're old stuff, but they're still solid and capable of writing a great, emotional song)
   13. Casey Mecija - Psychic Materials (chillwave! kinda! great for listening on a warm day while in close proximity to a large body of water)
   12. 65daysofstatic - No Man's Sky: Original Soundtrack (65dos finally perfects their mix of electronics with post-rock here. easily their best, and it feels like what they've been building to all along)
   11. Kendrick Lamar- untitled unmastered (first time through, I was really disppointed. this is sort of a sprawling mess at times, but then I realized that the sprawl was half the greatness of it. the other half is that Kendrick Lamar is still a VERY good rapper)
   10. Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues (first JEW album in over a decade that I've liked. a good return to form)
   9. Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid (another highlight in a career full of them. "Blood Sandwich" has another one of my favorite moments in music in his description of the little league game)
   8. Pinegrove - Cardinal (great emo-ish indie rock album)
   7. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool (sort of reminded me of Coldplay's "I just broke up with the lady who runs Goop" album, the difference, of course, is that Radiohead is a hundred times better at music than late-era Coldplay)
   6. Harakiri For the Sky - III: Trauma (blackgaze without the "gaze". good riffs, good vocals, good everything. honestly, one of my favorite metal albums)
   5. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial (they've been played a few times around here, and they deserve every spin they get. this album is massive, but never crumples. it pretty much rocks the whole way through)
   4. Massive Attack - Ritual Spirit EP (sort of surprised this one got the "meh" treatment. all four songs are their own beast, and all four are excellent - especially "Voodoo in My Blood", which got played here earlier this year)
   3. Operators - Blue Wave (thank you, DK, for taking me to that show. would've never given these guys a chance otherwise)
   2. White Lung - Paradise (speedy riffs, shiny, but jagged female-fronted punk. I listened to this a LOT this year)
   1. Bon Iver - 22, a million (apologies to free. I can't help it. it's really, really good.)

   1. You're dead to me Nibs.

4. 1. “Coming’ Around Again” – Houndmouth
   2. “Mess Around” – Ray Charles
   3. “Cleopatra” – The Lumineers
   4. “North Side Gal” – J.D. McPherson
   5. “My Cousin Greg” – Houndmouth
   6. “Where Is My Mind?” - Pixies
   7. “How’s It Going To Be?” – Third Eye Blind
   8. “Just Breathe” – Willie & Lukas Nelson
   9. “Beautiful Day” – U2
   10. “Holiday” – Green Day

5. 01. “The Dolphins” – Fred Neil – Fred Neil
   02. “Pure Bug Beauty” – Wilco – The Wilco Book CD
   03. “The End Of The World” – Skeeter Davis - Skeeter Davis Sings The End of the World
   04. “Do That Stuff” – Parliament – The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein
   05. “Baby Watch Your Back” – Nellie McKay – Get Away From Me
   06. “Beat (Health, Life, And Fire) – Thao And The Get Down Stay Down – We Brave Bee Stings And All
   07. “Run The Heart” – Sleigh Bells – Treats
   08. “Menagerie” – Caitlin Rose – The Stand-In
   09. “Goldeneye” – Frank Ocean – Nostalgia-Ultra
   10. “Crying Out To The Flies” – Le Butcherettes – Cry Is for the Flies

6. I have some best-of-year thoughts, but they'll have to wait til tomorrow or Sunday.
   Going to see Emot tonight with my wife near Free's house.
   No random list today, I've been listening to a mix of Emot, and Bjork's Post and the b-sides from the related singles.

7. I don’t take in enough music to have an sort of definitive “best of” list, but I started thinking about what I listened to the most last year, and I realized I could divide it into seasons. Never mind that not all of these are actually 2016 albums . . . these are the ones I’ll most associate with the year that was.

   Early Spring
   Sprained Ankle Julien Baker
   Carrie & Lowell Sufjan Stevens

   (aside: man . . . do I know how to live it up or what?)

   Summer
   Lemonade Beyoncé
   A Man Alive Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
   WGOM Summer Mix

   Fall
   A Sailor’s Guide to Earth Sturgill Simpson
   Boxer The National

   Winter (so far)
   Hundred Waters and The Moon Rang Like a Bell Hundred Waters

   Albums I Want to Spend More Time With:
   My Woman Angel Olsen
   Puberty 2 Mitski
   Blonde Frank Ocean

8. Hey Cheaptoy, did you see Iron Maiden coming to the St. Paul? Doesn't look like there is a Milwaukee date scheduled.

   http://loudwire.com/iron-maiden-2017-north-american-tour-ghost/

   1. I had not heard that. Might have to look into that one. They were in Milwaukee line three , four years ago, but Imissed that one even though my neighbor went but didn't say anything until it was to late.

9. 1. I, Zombie - White Zombie - Astro-Creep: 2000**
   2. When She Comes - EMA - The Future's Void
   3. Pink Maggit - Deftones - White Pony
   4. Concrete Walls - Fever Ray - (self-titled)
   5. Alone All the Way - The Body - I Shall Die Here***
   6. Ruiner - Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
   7. Telling Ghosts - Puscifer - Conditions of My Parole
   8. I.O.U. - Metz - II
   9. Cradle Pyre - Two Gallants - The Bloom and the Blight
   10. Whirring - The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar

   ** Is White Zombie a guilty pleasure?

   *** Every time I see that The Body has a new album out I argue with myself about whether I should get it. I'm not sure I need more of them in my collection, but there is always one or two things on an album that are pretty cool. (For example - "Hail to Thee, Everlasting Pain" with The Haxan Cloak on this album - it's pretty awesomely dark)

10. So, 2016 list. This year was kind of weird in that I actually did a lot more sampling of new stuff and styles (especially metal) than I had before, but I kept track of everything I listened to much worse than I had before. Don't know if I'll have much to say of capsule comments on everything, but I'll try to think of something.

    20. Inter Arma - Paradise Gallows (Metal exhibit #1. Good eclectic mixture of metal styles without being abrasive)
    19. Anderson .Paak - Malibu (Is he the next Kendrick? I hope so)
    18. Hampire Weekend RostHam Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam - I Had a Dream That You Were Mine (I never get too tired of Hamilton's voice, or the styles he likes to sing in)
    17. Wye Oak - Tween (Kind of weird in that the songs come from before their previous album, so it doesn't really indicate they're "back" to their older style)
    16. Sad13 - Slugger (I'm kind of in love with Sadie Dupuis right now)
    15. Wild Beasts - Boy King (Not sure anybody liked this one but me)
    14. Deftones - Gore (Old (nü-)metal band making good new metal. Taking me back to my youth here)
    13. Cobalt - Slow Forever (This is like black metal that's less Scandinavian and more influenced by Tool/Swans, a little long but lots of strong parts)
    12. Preoccupations - Preoccupations (I don't know if anyone ever commented on how The Band Formerly Known As Viet Cong seemed to be making a statement about that outrage cycle with their new name)
    11. Beyoncé - Lemonade (My words don't approach her majesty)
    10. Khemmis - Hunted (I think they call this, like, "doom 'n roll". This is more doomy than their first album was)
    9. Wolf Parade - EP4 (please make a new full album soon)
    8. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool (I felt before like I was past the part of my life of really caring about Radiohead like Radiohead fans do, but this is good music)
    7. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial (New age kings of the dead Indie Rock Kingdom)
    6. Pinegrove - Cardinal (This guy is about as verbose as the CSH guy, and I love verbosity)
    5. Drive-By Truckers - American Band (I still don't love their production style of the last 7-8 years or so, but these are their best songs in over a decade)
    4. Operators - Blue Wave (I love everything Dan Boeckner does basically)
    3. Frank Ocean - Blonde (Worth the wait)
    2. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Pretty Years (They never get the attention they deserve)
    1. Bon Iver - 22, A Million (I love you too nibbish)

    1. I picked up Hunted a couple months ago and loved it. I'll have to check out Inter Arma and cobalt. I liked what I read about both on metal-archives.

    2. Agree on DBT. Their best post-Isbell album.

    3. Sadie is the best.

11. Am I going to be a outlier again (Bon Iver) in my thinking that the new Foxygen album is really bad?

    Albums I dug this year:
    Lucious
    Wilco
    Car Seat Headrest
    Radiohead
    Sturgill Simpson
    Dinosaur Jr
    Lydia Loveless (not getting a lot of love from Citzens?)

    Fave concerts:

    GBV (natch)
    Sturgill Simpson
    Wilco
    Tired Eyes

    Drunkest concert
    Ike Reilly

    Old album I discovered and really loved
    Tupelo Honey - Van Morrison

    Old album I forgot I loved and then remembered again
    Girlfriend - Matthew Sweet

    1. Lydia Loveless (not getting a lot of love from Citzens?)

       I'd see her again live in a heartbeat. But the latest album as a whole just didn't grab me in the same way the earlier ones did, apart from a couple of songs (e.g. "Out on Love").

12. Haven't really seen any mention of Skeleton Tree yet. I only check in every few Cave albums, but this is one is very good. I was wondering if he was going to address the death of his son, and yeah, first line of an unnerving and forlorn opening track. Sets the tone for the rest of the album.

    1. Huh, after a little research, apparently that song was written before his death. That's actually kind of horrible.

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