10/ June Kids by Parsha (Great Britain)
Thumping in from across the Atlantic, dub producer Parsha, knows the key isn’t his intensity, but rather his ability to restrain all that power for the final release. Featuring a tightly knit re-fix of an already spectacular Crystal Castles track, June Kids slides in at number ten.
9/ Houses by Holland Creek (Montreal)
Generously donated for public consumption, Houses by Holland Creek attacks formal melody at its heart; layering varying lyrics, sometimes with delicate whispers and other times with forceful assaults. Once inside, the instrumentation opens up, patiently plotting entrances and exists to spark emotional gratification.
8/ Sisters by Seabiscuit (Sweden)
Seabiscuit is derivative while still complimentary. Taking contemporary styles of electronica that extend far beyond a simple dance beat, Sisters takes the likes of Radiohead, Massive Attack or Portishead one step further in their debut release. ‘Psychic Secret’ may be the only track that even slightly resembles the pop manifesto. Be ready for a challenge.
7/ Beforetime by Tim Fitz (Sydney)
Before slowing down and setting a dance standard unheard of since black and white cinematography, Tim Fitz’ October release steps up to the high dive and takes a large leap of faith. Bending genres together, Beforetime is as lush as any five star acoustic endeavor while stopping to re-introduce the genre to the growing technology.
6/ Stay by Tours (Philadelphia)
Stay is four gold plated tracks to remind you of Gold Panda in a time when nothing else really seems to live up electronically. Innovation exists, even within the most basic dance jams, twisting in the most contemporary sample slicing styles. Recently released with The Snake, Tours has barely made his introduction.
5/ Nittiotremo by Fucking Werewolf Asso (Sweden)
Unrelenting and unforgiving, Fucking Werewolf Asso puts a bitter taste in your mouth, landing some of the most melodic breakdowns among scattered paranoia. Nittiotremo is five perfect tracks that elaborate within themselves like an interspecies orgy.
4/ Linden Place by Mars Argo (Chicago)
Sugarcoated- is the first word that jumps to mind when thinking of the Chicago based internet spectacle, Mars Argo. Comprised of Mars, herself, and cohort Titanic Sinclaire, the duo and their band put an inspiring twist on old school pop, jolting it back into the modern market.
3/ Lillian: A Folk Opera by Ben Lear (Brooklyn)
Ben Lear’s Folk Opera has been making its mark on the city with symphonic standards on par with Andrew Bird at his best. With a beautiful, overarching sentiment, Lillian develops dramatically and emphatically with comforting warmth and joyous release.
2/ Just Kids by Just Kids (New York City)
Just Kids not only pulls at my heartstrings for the lo-end DIY qualities that I love, they also happen to write some of the most charmingly and honest melodies. These melodies bring the modest, but enlightened guitar rhythms to life in a way that’s never been felt before. In a music world where every soft singing, pretty woman gets a shot at a record, Just Kids does justice to the consumer.
1/ One Body by Sons of an Illustrious Father (New York City)
Like an unresponsive corpse suddenly reaching up for your throat, One Body packs all the panic of modern living into one, beautifully recorded LP to define a DIY generation. Working with legendary Brooklyn studio, Mama Coco’s Funky Kitchen, to get that palpable Ignatius flavor, Sons of an Illustrious Father present the most thoughtful album of the year.
