Visutox

This section is for songs that I really enjoyed this year, whether I listened to the full albums(and didn't like the entire thing enough to put up top) or not. You get five videos and the rest are mp3 samples because I am inept and can't figure out the HTML to get past the five video limit. ENJOY.
 
 
 
 
 

I am a huge fan of RuPaul's Drag Race and RuPaul in general. Mama Ru's song Sissy That Walk took a few listens to grow on me but now it's my pick-me-up song when I need to feel like I am invincible and can throat punch anyone who gets in my way. Forever mad that Miss Lake is in there instead of DeLa but alas, I was not a judge. Please enjoy Bianca being fabulous, Courtney making weird faces and Adore being... Adore-able. Pfft.
 
 
 
 

This song comes on the radio almost every day as I'm driving to work and I really love it. Like crank up the volume and make everyone else on the road listen to it kind of love. So one day I was finally like "Hey, I should go see the music video for this song!" MISTAKE MISTAKE RUN AWAY WHY DID I DO IT. I really want to know what Adam was thinking when he decided "Hey yo so I think it would be a great idea for me to stalk someone while essentially dry humping a slab of raw beef and sensually smearing blood all over myself. PERFECT, RIGHT????" 
 
 
 
 

I was so beyond excited when ender told me that JOL and Shiki were the first NAINE members to resurface in a new band. The band name gave me pause, like where would you even come up with something like that, you know? But this song pretty much hooked me from the start. It's the perfect mixture of everything I love in music and it's executed so well. My only issue is I would really appreciate it if bands, and people in general tbh, would stop putting fish in tiny jars. It is bad for them and will kill them. PLEASE THINK OF THE LITTLE FISHIES.
 
 
 
 

The Korean group that's taking 2NE1's place in my heart as #1. I haven't had a chance to listen to the full album this track is on but if it's anything like their previous releases I'm sure it's fantastic too.
 
 
 
 

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In This Moment - Dirty Pretty

It was too difficult to pick between Sick Like Me and Dirty Pretty so have both of them cause they're both fantastic. I love them more each time I listen.
 
 
 
 
 
MUCC - ENDER ENDER -Album Edit-

So I'm still not on the MUCC train despite the fact that ender has been trying for years to convert me. I tend to have a few songs I like on each release so unless they decide to put all the songs I like onto one album, I don't think they'll ever end up fully on my best of list. I'm trying, I swear. This song is super fantastic though.
 
 
 
 
Lacuna Coil - Die and Rise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFttR7bvogo
I just really enjoy this song. Didn't add the video because it's just lyrics and I didn't have the mp3 for a sample bar. Sorry guys.

Just gonna confess upfront that the title of this thread is legit and I literally have no clue what on earth I am doing here in this list. I am horrible at explaining why I like things beyond "THIS IS GREAT YOU SHOULD LISTEN" so if you can get through all of my nonsense and come out of it with some new tunes to jam to, awesome. If not, please don't mind me. c: I swear next year I'll have a better looking list with better blurbs. ;;  Bless Cat and Zeus for putting up with all of my stupid questions as I worked on this. They da real MVPs.
 
Fave tracks samples are in order as listed above mp3 bars.
 
 
NAINE - THE WALL and NEW ANSWER IS NEW ENDING

Fave tracks: THE WALL; NIGHTMARE; BEAUTIFUL CRIME
   

 
 
 
 
Schwarz Stein - GEBET, COCOON -Fallen- and Sleeping Madness

Fave tracks: Rise to Heaven -2014-; COCOON -Fallen-; Lilith
   

 
 
 
Favorite Weapon - Sixty Saragossa

Fave tracks: Hollow; Let's Shake On It
 

 
 
 
The Amity Affliction - Let The Ocean Take Me

Fave tracks: Pittsburgh; Don't Lean On Me
 

 
 
和楽器バンド - ボカロ三昧

Fave tracks: セツナトリップ; いろは唄; 脳漿炸裂ガール
   

 
 
倖田來未 - Bon Voyage

Fave tracks: SHOW ME YOUR HOLLA; Dreaming Now!
 

 
 
浜崎あゆみ - Colours

Fave tracks: Terminal; Merry-go-round; Lelio
   

 
 
HORA - DESOLATION BEAUTY

Fave tracks: DESOLATION BEAUTY; MOONRISE; CARPE DIEM
   

 
 
ＭＵ - Discovery of the AVALON

Fave tracks: 神世界; 幸せの代償
 

 
 
Black Gene For The Next Scene - 廃憶のdanceパレード

Fave tracks: Light is there; 空から零れ落ちる100億の光
 

 
 
exist†trace - WORLD MAKER

Fave tracks: Imagination; スパイラル大作戦; 長い夢の終わりに
   

My top 10 rock/metal releases of 2014 (for now):
 
 
1. Darkspace - Dark Space III I
Darkspace returns with their fourth album after six year, and once again they give us pitch black cosmic mysticism wraped into musical form. The production is a tad cleaner and the music is a tad more melodic this time around, but it still sounds like Darkspace and it still sounds amazing. Album of the year! 10/10
 
2. Black Magic - Wizard's Spell
Great heavy/black metal from Norway. These guys does it the old way. First half is pure black metal influenced heavy/speed metal madness, and the second half is their second demo, and black metal in an 80's fashion. This album is awesome! 9,5/10
 
3. Salem's Pot - ...Lurar ut dig på prärien
There's not a hint of originality or distinctive stamp to be found anywhere on this album, but fuck me if this album isn't damn fine. Salem's Pot delivers 33 minutes of sleazy, occult doom metal of the purest kind. This album could've been used as the soundtrack to Vampyros Lesbos, or many of the other erotic horror films of the 70's. In other words, this is my type of doom metal. I dig! 9,5/10
 
4. Rude - Soul Recall
This is what you get if you'd make a mix consisting of something like 50% Pestilence - Consuming Impulse, 20% Autopsy - Severed Survival, 10% Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness, 10% Obituary - Slowly We Rot and 10% Death - Leposy. Rude isn't original, but they've got more than enough character to sound unique, and believe it or not - the music is even better than the fantastic cover art. 9,5/10
 
5. Tarot - The Watcher's Dream / Dying Daze / Life and Death
This isn't really metal, but it's three fantastic EPs. Semi-progressive 70's inspired rock. For soeme reason this makes me think of Uriah Heep meets Pagan Altar meets Rainbow. It's a very charming hard rock EPs with a very nice and epic feel to it. I'm digging this so much! 9,5/10
 
6. Funereal Presence - The Archer Takes Aim
Fantastic black metal with lots of character. The closest you'll get to this album is Negative Plane (the sole member, Bestial Devotion, is the drummer of Negative Plane), but it's a lot different from that. 9/10
 
7. Hail Spirit Noir - Oi Magoi
This isn't as good as their debut, but still a lovely album. HSN continues their unique brand of psychedelic/progressive rock and black metal. The production is richer than on the first, but I thought the debut had a better production. It was more laidback and less produced and polished really. The song writing was better to. It was more messy than this. On this album they've kinda tried to separate the black metal and prog/psychedelic rock, while on the first one these genres blended nicely thoughout the album. But that's not a problem, and this is a fantastic album. 8,5/10
 
8. Execration - Morbid Dimensions
This isn't as dark as the fantastic Odes of the Occult, their previous album, but it's still a fantastic album. Well-written, semi-progressive death metal with thints of black, doom and thrash metal. The riffs found on this album isn't very original, but the way they're put together makes everything sound original. It's just odd. This album is almost on par with Odes of the Occult to be honest, and that says a lot. Great album! 8,5/10
 
9. Vintersorg - Naturbål
With Cosmic Genesis, released in 2000, Vintersorg moved away from his well-known folk metal sound and stepped into progressive territory, and lyrically he moved from nature and paganism to cosmos. While there was still elements of both the folk and black metal sound in the music, it was a huge change and while a good album, it's inferior to the three albums relesed before it. With each album he got gradually worse and reached a low with the progressive The Focusing Blur. Not bad, just not very good either. Then came Solens rötter. We were promised an album that would be back to the roots with folky metal and lyrics in Swedish. Well, it was a bit folkier, and it had Swedish lyrics, but it wasn't much that reminded anyone about the good, ol' days. With that album I stopped checking out his new albums. He also got gradually more annoying vocal-wise, and went to become awful in both Vintersorg and Borknagar (both bands got worse with each release anyway, so it did not matter). I accidently came over his promo video for Lågornas rov and it was such a surprise. Once again he was playing around with folky black metal with a progressive and symphonic touch, and it was by far the best song he had done since Ödermarkens son. The album is amazing, and VIntersorg finally sings good again as well. The album feels like the natural follow-up to Ödermarkens son. Well-written and interesting songs with lots of catches, fantastic choruses, a production with a few, lovely faults and great vocals. His best album since Ödermarkens son, and perhaps even better than that, and a natural follow-up without him just copying himself. 8,5/10
 
10. Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen
Anothe fantastic release by Primordial. Not their best, and this time it basically feels like more of the same, but when you're as good at doing what you're doing as these guys there's no need to change whatsoever. Powerful celtic-folk influenced black/heavy metal with one of the very best metal vocalists of all time. A.A. Nemtheanga isn't the most talented vocalist ever, but only Quorthon comes close to the power and passion in his voice. To be fair, A.A. Nemtheanga alone makes this a superb album! That's how good he is. 8,5/10
 
 
Honorable mentions (albums that easily can get a spot on the list another day): Alcest, Death Vomit, Mysticum, Swallowed, The Deathtrip, Mortuary Drape, Portrait, Spell, Nunslaughter / Acid Witch, The Great Old Ones and Tusmørke (not metal, but fuck that!). Especially Alcest and Death Vomit are really close at getting a spot here.

I love Head Phones President and Exist Trace - so glad they were already mentioned (and probably don't have to be).
 
Dazzle Vision is fronted by Maiko - I love her growls!
 
Mary's Blood makes decent hard Rock:
 
When first getting into J-Music, I had a friend that loved Tomiko Van and Do As Infinity.  I like it - it is soft rock.
 
I also was into Go!Go!7188 early on as well.  Alternative sound:
 
One of my other introductory artists to J-Music was Yaida Hitomi, who also makes pop rock.
 
Olivia was also a half Japanese artist that I liked in early days:
 
These are not "Girl" bands per-se either, but a lot of my favorite alternative bands have female bassists that add vocal harmonies - such as HaKU, Hello Sleepwalkers, and Ling Toshite Sigure.
 
There are also the other obvious groups like Scandal, Babymetal, and Waggakki Band - but I tried to mention acts people may have not tried before.  I know there are more, but those are the ones off the top of my head.

I've been speaking to a couple of my comrades, namely  and @fictioninhope, about making this thread to have a place to share bands with and/or of women in the Japanese music scene. Visual kei and beyond. 
 
I've noticed a lot of times over the years I'd be in music communities and a random "girl" band would come up, and when asked what other female j-rock artists they enjoyed, most of the people could only name a couple off hand. Not because they didn't enjoy female musicians, but simply because they weren't exposed to any. I'm hoping this thread can change that and the wonderful members of MH can share their favorites here. And also have discussions about women in the industry and the pros and cons of it. 
 
I'll start off with some recent finds from the last few months. I'm always excited to see new faces, maybe some MH members can shed some light on these bands?
 
I recently found out this band is major on Victor Ent.? Not too bad, but their costuming made me expect something a little more epic. 
 
GANGLION
I think this group has been around a while, I know I've seen their name. But this song sounds like they may be worth looking into.
 
 
I think bands like Exist Trace, and Danger Gang won't need introduction in this thread. By far, I listen to a lot more non-visual bands so a couple of my recent favorites in that realm would be
New album is coming soon and I'm over the moon. All aboard the hype train. Choo choo! 
 
HEAD PHONES PRESIDENT
Anza was probably the first female rock vocalist I heard and I've been obsessed ever since. She's amazing.
 
And this band is a super recent find for me but I'm getting addicted to their brand of excessive cuteness. I can't fight it. ;;
SHISHAMO

Prepare for cavities!
 
So MH, who are some of the J-rock (or pop or hip-hop, it's all good) women in your life? Tell me all about them.

2008, when the soundtrack of a video game I played was done by Gackt. I basically started there.

And now after many thoughts, it is my turn on telling what are the best things of 2014
 
-Best Album: Dir en Grey - Arche (special mention to Nocturnal Bloodlust - The Omnigod)
-Best Single: Mucc - Yue ni Matenrou
-Best PV: Meijbray - Echo
-Best Rock Band: Mucc (they showed that they are capable of everything!)
-Best Rock Act: The GazettE - Magnificent Malformed Box (one of the few live DVD's which I saw until the end)
-Best Solo Act: Kamijo definitely!
-Best Rookie: hard to say this, but my main choices are Sukekiyo, Avanchick and Femme Fatale!
 
That's all for me! Hoping that 2015 will be better and better!

I found plenty of great releases in 2014 to enjoy, and have mostly been happy with the return to form of many older bands that have produced great efforts, such as 12012, Mucc, Lycaon and Girugamesh.  New talent also looks promising as a new wave of Darker, heavier artists are making their way in the scene.  I'm excited to see what will unfold in 2015.  So without further adieu:
 
Best Album: Arche by Dir en grey
Honorable Mentions: ボカロ三昧 [Vocalo Zanmai] by 和楽器バンド [Wagakki Band], Symbosis by HaKU
 
Best EP: Gravitation by Girugämesh
Honorable Mentions: XII by 12012
 
Best Single: Libra by Nocturnal Bloodlust
Honorable Mentions: The Hopeless by The Black Swan, Shadow by Lycaon, Suicidal Diva by Biosphia
 
Best Rookie: The Black Swan
Honorable Mentions: My Bacteria Heat Island, Dadaroma

to set the mood as this took a while

Best albums
 Bangtan boys' Dark&Wild and Skool  Luv Affair  fucking flawless couldn't believe it when i first herd it. Sold me on the genres of hip hop and r&b in a sense and they are the masters of it

Nancy Ajram's Nancy 8 With her afrodisiac like voice this album hits home with it's fun and serios track, loved every minute of it. Call her the queen.

Tamer Hosny's 180 Darga like i said in my status I feel like a slut and its all his fault. You all know how Yuuki is my everything when it come to vocals but i was so cheating on him with this album. The instrumentals + his voice was just giving to me rocking my body, and i was enjoying it. I'm hoping the the  royals new album will put this to rest. Also was impressed that even the song feat akon was bomb and i love what he did with him. Autotuned his ass to the backup, then with the none hook part had him sing in arabic.

NAKKA's Электродофреник that band that beat Lycaon at the use of metalcore, and this band keeps up that great sound with this kick ass, lower level brutal, album. so fucking good, so glad they put it up on the company bandcamp so i can atleast listen to it.
I Drink My Coffee Alone's Winterfrühlingsommerherbst Best mini album. Not your average one man band! Not your average electronic/nintendocore band!
Walking Dead On Broadway's AESHMA that brutal deathcore i needed, great job with it too.
HYPERIAL's Blood And Dust Very lovely death metal mixed with something album. Brutal and fun
HyunA's  A Talk What introduced me into the scene, and loved it all of it! Hope she continues this way
Best singles
Lycaon's baka ne, akujo no hohoemi, and shadow. Together they show Lycaon can do whatever the fuck they want to do and always come out best. Alone however: baka ne is the fun single and shows that their desire cover wasn't a flok, pop is their bitch, while at the same time it brought metal back to the table with dogra magra, i was think industrial? Then their was groovy akujo no hohoemi with more so added metal back to the table. and the cover really showed all those little shit that Yuuki-sama's voice isn't to be underminded, he doesn't need any training he sings how he pleases to at the moment. Lastly we have shadow which showed that they know how to end the year. i could barely be bothered with anything else cause it was so lovely. To me it kinda showed what yuuki could do as a solo act cause he owned this with his dazzling fantastic falsetto, creepy voice affect, masterful flow.      
INFERNAL REVULSION's PROJECT MASSACRE Hell yes! The band that's active that show japan is all kawaii with this brutal as fuck song. This + last years ep, finally a J-metal band i can get behind of. There is death i am, but i don't think they are ready. Yes Japanese brutality.
 
best albums for japan
LM.C PERFECT RAINBOW, Grieva shuuen, Artema stargazer, Sick² - RadioYerevan
Best Music of the year
Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon! Lycaon!
Who impressed me.
Sick², the raid., RoNo☆Cro, loud grape, the gallo, aoa, f(x)
who disappointed me
Savage, went from sound so good to bad sound quality depain with mehh songs. Blitz, no real comeback, come on. 
great songs cut
Girl's day - something, Mejibray - raven & madari, 4minite - whatcha doin today, aoa - like a cat, exo - overdose, DADAROMA - 溺れる魚, CHAMBER OF MALICE - 028 HATE, DROSERA OBLAAT. - THE INVASION (rerecording), LUCHe. - Heartless, femme fatale - freya & crimson nail & afterglow, アルルカン - Apoptosis, Super Junior - MAMACITA, GG tts - holler, EXID - up & down
Best looking
ari 
Best tv
new show: Marco Polo (netflix), returning show: Peaky Blinders (netflix), anime: Tokyo Ghoul, Cartoon: Ben 10 omniverse

I spent my near years eve going to the cinema with my girl watching The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, then went home for some beers before we left to the stable to take care of the animals there. Well, my girlfiend did most of the work while I spent my time there cuddling with the three ponies and the cat. Those ponies are the cutest animals ever.
 

First off, Im a big fan of Dir en grey's heavy music. Before ARCHE released, UROBOROS was my most favorite album, and DSS comes second.
So when I tried ARCHE for the first time, it kinda made me down. I mean, there aint no more surprises breakdown, less screams, and heavy-paced songs. But I kept playing the whole albums over and over again like crazy and my conclusion..
THIS ALBUM IS BADASS! Idk how or why, but this feels like the superb mix between their old-school and nowadays music. Even they dont really complicate music anymore, i just take the positive side, 'they got more catchy songs'.
My most favorite songs are: Revelation of Mankind, Uroko (both original and crossover one), Tousei, Magayasou, Behind a Vacant Image (both original and unplugged one), Phenomenon, And Zero, and The Unravelling (Mix).
Weakest songs for me are The Inferno and Cause of Fickleness.
Overall.. 9/10
Still one level below UROBOROS tho (imo).

EVIL WITHIN, FIFA 15

In my opinion, these three are probably the best newcomers in their respective genres and have the potential to become really great bands.
 
1 - Schammasch, "Contradiction"
 
This swiss band formed in 2009. They released their first album in 2010, titled "Sic Lvceat Lvx" which made of Schammasch a very promising band. Well, four years later they confirm their status of "very promising band" to become a serious matter, delivering to us a totally mesmerizing and magical album. Having a few Behemoth influences here and there, their music remains full of creativity and power. "Contradiction" from SCHAMMASCH is a pearl. You guys should definitely give it a listen if you're into extreme metal stuff. This is certainly the most overlooked album of 2014. And by the way, probably the longest album I listened to in 2014 with 85 minutes of pure eargasm.   Sadly there's no link to listen to the full album, but you can find all the songs on YouTube. And I'm not going to chose a favorite song since it'd be a disrespect towards the other tracks on the album, which are all awesome.   Just going to drop two links, a music video and an official stream track : Golden Light & Split My Tongue.   2 - Whispered, "Shogunate Macabre"
 
I don't know if it is appropriate to call this band a newcomer since they released an amazing album in 2010, and that was when they only proved they deserve to be taken seriously. But they released "Shogunate Macabre" in 2014 and that was like saying "Hey guys, count on us to make some noise in the coming years". This finnish band was formed in 2001 but they only proved to be promising in 2007 by releasing a demo titled "Wrath of Heaven". "Shogunate Macabre" is an epic album, definitely the best mdm newcomer band in 2014. An awesome samurai metal band.   Here's a link if you wanna listen to the Full album Favourite song : Jikininki   3 - Azrael Rising, "Anti-Gravity"
 
Don't know much what to say about this band since I only listened to their album a few times (however, enough times to say it's a good album). This finnish black metal band released a demo in 2005, a self-titled EP in 2008 and an album titled "Anti-gravity" in 2014. I listened to the album and it left me some good sensations. Good raw stuff and a promising newcomer, let's see what they'll do in the next few years.   Again, no direct link to the full album available but you can listen to all the songs in YouTube.
Favourite song : Acute Occult Hepatitis

My top English album + single of this year

 

Paloma Faith - A Perfect Contradiction / 




 

In This Moment - Big Bad Wolf / 

The runners up

 

The Mirraz - この惑星のすべて / 




 

Sarah Àlainn - Sarah / 




 

Ferri - ∞ / 




 


MACO - 23 (Plus) / 





 

The mixed vocals

 

Boris - NOISE / 






 

陰陽座 - 風神界逅 / 雷神創世




 

The honourable mentions

 

KAMIJO - Heart




 

DIR EN GREY - ARCHE

Okidoki:
 
1) Sukekiyo
 
A dream band-like collaboration of notable musicians from different corners of the vk-related J-music scene (RES, 9GBO, Dir en grey, Kannivalism) surpassed my expectations with their 2014 debut "IMMORTALIS" - each member succeeded in expressing themselves without causing a literal hodgepodge (most users disagree with me here). A new world of avant-garde-y obscurity/"obscenity" (to quote the band) offered by the boys from sukekiyo definitely won't fail in enthralling people with any kind of taste - convenient or inconvenient...
 
Listen to the full album here
Favourite song: vandal
 
2) Schizoid Lloyd
 
Formed in 2007, progressive/avant-garde metal act Schizoid Lloyd went down with a few EPs until their full-length debut on 2014, called "The Last Note in God's Magnum Opus". If you are a huge friend of Unexpect or even California-era Mr. Bungle, and don't really mind slight Dream Theater-y influences, try to find yourself an hour for a soundscape of pure schizoid madness and clusterfucks!!
 
Listen to the full album
Favourite song:
 
3) Wagakki Band
 
Traditional Japanesque (note: folky instruments too) folk rock/pop/hard rock act (you name it!), consisting of popular niconico musicians and some underground vk names, never failed in impressing newcomers very positively (as we can already witness it in MH ). Albeit their 2014 full-length debut, "Vocalo Zanmai", being a vocaloid cover album, Wagakki's unique ability of transcending convenient, but highly interesting ideas related to "Japanesque" genre overcame the lowest expectations and managed to mark one of the strongest debuts in this decade. A friend of Kagrra's or Onmyoza's sound? MUST-TRY 4 YOU!
 
Favourite song:

No, this isn't a thread just about the bands that formed in 2014, but about all bands who released their first proper release in 2014. Doesn't matter if they formed in 1987 or 2014, as long as 2014 was the year they released their first proper release (album/EP/single).
 
For me it's been four bands/artists who's stood out from the rest of the newcomers in 2014 (as far as I can remember at least), and all these four have made it into my top 10 of 2014 so far.
 
1. Tarot
Tarot formed in 2011 and released their first demo in 2011, but it is not seen as a proper release by main man Will Fried, owner of Heavy Chains and a member of great bands such as The Wizar'd an Dracula. 2014 however saw the band release three EPs, two of them consisting of 3 songs clocking in at 15:10 minutes, while the third consists of four songs clocking in at 21 minutes. I have yet to hear Tarot's two first EPs, called Life and Death and Dying Daze, but the band's third EP, The Watcher's Dream, have gone from being good to become an absolute masterpiece with 50+ listens over the last few days.
 
Tarot plays epic heavy rock with this lovely feeling of some kind of mysticism. Think Uriah Heep ano Demons & Wizards with hints of Dio-era Rainbow, Quartz and Pagan Altar. I made a top 10 meta/rock releases of 2014 early yesterday, and it got the 9th spot. Now,  20 listens later, it's a contender for top 5 releases of the year in all genres. It just keeps growing with each listen. This is how good this is.
 
Listen to the full EP here: https://heavychainsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-watchers-dream
Favourite song: Twilight Fortress. The two last minutes of this song are by far the two best minutes of music release this year. Magnificent!
 
Recommended for fans of Uriah Heep, Rainbow and Pagan Altar
 
2. Cluster Buster
I don't know much about this band beside that the guy behind this is Norwegian, is a fan of 80's exploitaton, horror and action cinema, old school video games and VHS(!!!). Oh, and is a part of the new synth wave/new retro wave that's been growing over the past few years. Cluster Buster is certainly among the best, if not the best, in the genre. Cluster Buster released two albums this year, one being good and one being amazing. Maniac 1980 is my favourite of the two, and it has secured a spot among the top 10 albums of the year.
 
Listen to the full album here: http://future80s.bandcamp.com/album/maniac-1980
Favourite song: Maniac 1980
 
Recommended for fans of Kavinsky, John Carpenter and Perturbator
 
3. Rude
Rude was formed as thrash metal band Forsaker in 2008 by a bunch of guys in their late teens/early 20's, but changed their name to Rude in 2011 after the release of their only demo as Forsaker the same year. When they changed name they also changed genre and started playing death metal in the vein of Pestilence with hints of Autopsy, Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary. The band released a great demo in 2013. But with the release of their debut album Soul Recall, the band took further steps into the death metal realm and released one of the best death meta albums of the 2000's. It's that good.
 
This album is what you'll get if you put 50% Pestilence - Consuming Impulse, 20% Autopsy - Severed Survival, 10% Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness, 10% Obituary - Slowly We Rot and 10% Death - Leposy in a blender and mix it. Yes, there's not a hint of originality to be found anywhere during the album's 44 minutes, but there's lots of character and quality. Crushing death metal of the purest kind.
 
Favourite song: Haunted
 
Recommended for fans of Pestilence, Autopsy and Morbid Angel
 
4. Salem's Pot
Salem's Pot formed in 2011 and released one demo in 2012 and one in 2013, but it wasn't until 2014 that their debut album saw the light of day. ...Lurar ut dig på prärien is three songs and 33:30 minutes of sleazy, filthy and occult doom metal of the purest kind. This album could've been the soundtrack to Vampyros Lesbos, or many of the other erotic horror films of the 70's.
 
Cover of the year as well, take from the already mentioned Vampyros Lesbos. So fitting!
 
Favourite song: Creep Purple
 
Recommended for fans of Electric Wizard, Black Sabbath and Sleep
 
 
 
 
Now it's your turn!

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - A very nice ending to a very nice trilogy. It is not free of faults, not even close, and despite me being very disappointed with Peter Jackson and all he's done wrong with them, I just can't help but properly enjoy these films. They're action-packed adventure film with lovely characters, great atmosphere and it's set in a universe I really, really enjoy.
 
The CGI is once again better than in the previous films, but it's still not amazing and it's still way too much of it. And this is the biggest flaw in the trilogy. It feels a bit too flat and soulless a bit too often. It just lacks that proper punch that makes it a top tier film.
 
While I didn't mind Tauriel as a character, the love story had nothing to do in these films. Just. Meh. Didn't add anything to the story.
 
It is also sad to see Peter Jackson make the same mistakes as he did with LotR. Yes, I am thinking abou the Legolas does retarded, over the top and out of character and pace things that not only feels stupid, but also looks stupid because it is so poorly done. Why, Jackson? Why?
 
I could mention more flaws, but I won't now.
 
However, the scenes in Dol Guldrur (minus the scenes where Galadriel suddenly looks pathetic) were amazing. Especially the fight. It was awesome! I also thought Smaug were done even better in this film, and he felt threatening and huge. Have to admit I had hoped for a lot more Necromancer, though. But it wasn't bad. Cool as fuck!
 
But all in all I think Peter Jackson has done well in capturing the feeling of visiting Middle Earth, and he's done a good job capturing the spirit of The Hobbit and Tolkien's writing. It's not nearly as good as LotR and ihey're highly flawed, and in the end, with little work, this trilogy could've been so much better. But don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed myself during these films. I really have.
 
 
 
Looking forward to the extended version. A lot!
 
 
Edit: I forgot to say that I don't think Peter Jackson has fully comited to these films. I just don't get the impression that he's put his heart 100% into this project, and did it more out of preasure that he just HAD to do it than out of passion and love. And I think that is part of the reason why they did not become as good as they both could and should have.

International
 
 

akissforjersey - New Bodies
tags: post-hardcore, christian
 


 
 
 

††† - Crosses
tags: electronic rock, alternative, post rock
 


 
 
 

Death From Above 1979 - The Physical World
tags: dance punk, indie rock
 


 
 
 

Emarosa - Versus
tags: alternative, emo
 


 
 
 

FrnkIero AndThe Cellabration - Stomachaches
tags: punk, garage rock
 


 
 
 

Geri X - White Light
tags: indie rock, americana
 


 
 
 

GOGO STAR - 망가진 밤
tags: electronic rock
 


 
 
 

Issues - Issues
tags: post-hardcore, pop
 


 
 
 

Life and Time - The Great Deep
tags: garage rock, psychedelic rock
 


 
 
 

입술을 깨물다 - FINE
tags: indie rock, pop, ballad
 


 
 
 

Slaves - Through Art We Are All Equals
tags: post-hardcore, alternative
 

Japanese: Rock/Pop
 
 

about tess - Shining
tags: rock, pop, alternative
 


 
 

Age Factory - 手を振る
tags: rock
 


 
 

asobius - pray&grow
tags: rock
 


 
 
 

back number - ラブストーリー
tags: rock, pop, ballad
 


 
 
 

Hello Sleepwalkers - Masked Monkey Awakening
tags: rock
 


 
 
 

UNLIMITS - アメジスト
tags: rock, pop punk
 


 
 

和楽器バンド - ボカロ三昧
tags: vocaloid, neo-traditional, folk, pop
Samples: 天樂 & 千本桜
 

Japanese: Metal/Alternative/Hardcore       a crowd of rebellion - Calendula tags: emo, post-hardcore, metalcore  
      ARTEMA - STARGAZER tags: electronicore  
      BABYMETAL - BABYMETAL tags: heavy metal, pop  
      CHRONOMETER - Construction of Destruction tags: electronic, alternative, industrial  
      CRYSTAL LAKE - CUBES tags: hardcore, metalcore  
      FACT - witness tags: post-hardcore  
      Make My Day - Relentless tags: post-hardcore, metalcore  
      SHARK ETHIC - NEVER SAY NEVER tags: hardcore  
      sukekiyo - IMMORTALIS tags: atmospheric rock, alternative  
      wrong city - Induction of Otherside tags: alternative  

Japanese: Visual
 
 
 

BUCK-TICK - 或いはアナーキー tags: gothic rock, industrial rock  
      DuelJewel - Story tags: hard rock, metal  
      girugamesh - gravitation tags: hard rock, alternative metal  
      MUCC - THE END OF THE WORLD tags: rock, alternative  
      NAINE - NEW ANSWER IS NEW ENDING tags: electronic rock  
      NoGoD - Make A New World tags: metal  

Non-Japanese Releases

Top 10

The Bilinda Butchers - HEAVEN
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/thebilindabutchers_zps0bdd85d7.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/thebilindabutchers-heaven225x225_zps79f47ce1.jpg" />



Fear of Men - Loom
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/fearofmen_zps0c1b31dc.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/fearofmen-loom225x225_zps41d65472.jpg" />



Got a Girl - I Love You But I Must Drive Off This Cliff Now
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/gotagirl_zpsbdb0bf24.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/gotagirl-iloveyoubutImustdriveoffthiscliffnow225x225_zps4554ec60.jpg" />



Loop - Flirting With The Universe
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/Loop_zpsb2c387cb.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/loop-flirtingwiththeuniverse225x225_zps038c0dfd.jpg" />



Kimbra - The Golden Echo
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/kimbra_zps557f7205.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/kimbra-thegoldenecho225x225_zpsfff401cc.jpg" />



Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - Slingshot to Heaven
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/margot_zps41dc7454.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/Margotandthenuclearsoandsos-slingshottoheaven225x225_zpsd5ebf9a0.jpg" />



Moodoïd - Le monde Möö
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/moodoid_zps7e01597f.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/moodloidlemondemoo225x225_zpsab87cc95.jpg" />



Noh Salleh - Angin Kencang
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/nohsalleh_zps86626c39.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/nohsallehanginkencangep225x225_zpsbb8ed01f.jpg" />



Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox - Historical Misappropriations
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/postmodern-jukebox_zps25464f1d.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/postmodernjukebox-historicalmisappropriation225x225_zps033504f2.jpg" />



Sia - 1000 Forms of Fear
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/sia_zpsbed58553.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/sia1000formsoffear225x225_zps2da63d9e.jpg" />


 
 
 
Honorable Mentions

Curtis Harding - Soul Power
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/curtisharding_zpse777f006.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/curtisharding-soulpower_zpsfaa4782e.jpg" />



Daley - Days & Nights
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/daley_zpscce76689.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/daleydaysandnights225x225_zps442e217a.jpg" />



Night Flowers - Night Flowers EP
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/nightflowers_zpsb20e8387.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/nightflowersep225x225_zpsf6b64078.jpg" />



Purson - In the Meantime
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/CD%20cover%20scans%20and%20band%20pics/purson_zps8177e65f.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/CD%20cover%20scans%20and%20band%20pics/pursoninthemeantime_zps2943660d.jpg" />



Rusty Machines - City Lights
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/rustymachines_zps8230ed5e.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/rustymachinescitylightsep225x225_zpsbd4760d4.jpg" />



Sean Nicholas Savage - Bermuda Waterfall
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/seannicholassavage_zps7beee3e3.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/seannicholassavage-bermudawaterfall225x225_zps0112862e.jpg" />



Spazzkid - Promise EP

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/spazzkid_zps9976a69c.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/spazzkid-promiseep225x225_zps39c53feb.jpg" />



Springtime Carnivore - Springtime Carnivore
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/springtimecarnivore_zps8e9ad8b9.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/springtimecarnivorealbum_zps237d04f3.jpg" />



SZA - Z EP
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/SZA_zps32fa75b3.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/SZA-Z225x225_zpsfe864946.jpg" />



TOPS - Picture You Staring
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/tops_zps0d22ab54.png" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/tops-pictureyoustaring225x225_zpscca80705.jpg" />

My year-end list is finally done! This is a collection of my favorite releases of 2014, including a handful of singles. It is always at this point in the year I learn about new/overlooked/dark horse releases from other member's lists, so I look forward to reading those! But as it is, this is very much a list that is reflective of my own tastes. For organizational purposes (/my inability to truly rank releases), within each list, everything is listed in alphabetical order. Hopefully, you'll find a few things that strike your fancy! I did spend a lot of time working on this, so any feedback/comments you have would be very much appreciated! So, without further ado, let's get to it!

Japanese Releases


Top 10

伊集院幸希 (ijuuin yuki) - 月曜日と金曜日 ～Sugar Hi Junnie～
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/ijuuinyuki_zps2b889a04.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/ijuuinyuki-sugarhijunnie225x225_zps32a66bfc.jpg" />



Kamijo - Symphony of the Vampire & Heart
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/KAMIJO_zps3fc41eb4.png" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/kamijo-symphonyofthevampire225x222_zps6cecc52e.jpg" />http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/kamijo-heart225x222_zps02d62f24.jpg" />



Lamp - ゆめ
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/lamp_zps791786b4.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/lampyume225x225_zpsaf5782b6.jpg" />



Moran - dark & 堕落へと続く偏愛の感触
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/moran_zpscd82b3d9.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/moran-dark220x225_zps4e2b1279.jpg" />http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/moran-5815843D307830687D9A304F504F611B306E611F89E6_zps6e9ee316.jpg" />



ねごと (NEGOTO) - アンモナイト! / 黄昏のラプソディ
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/negoto1_zps971525cc.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/negotoammonite225x223_zps84ca15ca.jpg" />



THE NOVEMBERS - Rhapsody in beauty
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/thenovembers_zps9bd3cfd1.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/thenovembersrhapsodyinbeauty225x222_zps6a5f48a1.jpg" />



シナリオアート (Scenarioart) - night walking & Tokyomelancholy
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/scenarioart_zpse079ba26.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/scenarioart-nightwalking225x225_zpsd4d4080b.jpg" />http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/scenarioart-tokyomelancholy_zpsdeddba9d.jpg" />



Teen Runnings - NOW
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/teenrunnings_zpscf017c4f.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/teenrunningsnow225x225_zps5cb88aba.jpg" />



ユナイト (UNiTE.) - レヴ / ice
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/uniteice_zps7549ffeb.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/UNiTErev225x225_zpse941260d.jpg" />



Ventla - A
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/ventla-A_zpsc820ea54.png" />





Honorable Mentions


八十八ヶ所巡礼 (88kasyo junrei) - 攻撃的国民的音楽
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/88kasyojunrei_zps72a3cc48.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/88kasyojunrei-ongaku225x224_zps735a7b38.jpg" />



BABYMETAL - BABYMETAL
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/babymetal_zps864ed826.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/babymetal-babymetal225x225_zpsa68f5894.jpg" />



HOLLOWGRAM - Qualia
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/HOLLOWGRAM_zps7d338739.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/hollowgram-qualia225x221_zps2ae477ce.jpg" />



吉澤嘉代子 (Kayoko Yoshizawa) - 変身少女
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/kayokoyoshizawa_zps6053728d.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/kayokoyoshizawa-henshinshoujo225x222_zps22002931.jpg" />



ミソッカス (misokkasu) - 統一された混沌(カオス)
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/misokkasu_zps1b97bfb0.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/misokkasu-chaos225x225_zpsf5e43b50.jpg" />



My Fairytale - Tokyo under note
 




ねごと (NEGOTO) - "Z"OOM
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/negoto2_zpsd8076458.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/negotozoom225x225_zps4121303a.jpg" />



Nohtenkigengo - Never
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/nohtenkigengo_zps1dd53f5f.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/nohtenkigengo-never_zps9dc61fa9.jpg" />



Scarlet Valse - -GENESIS-
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/scarletvalse_zps85e9e052.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/scarletvalse-GENESIS225x225_zps36d80f12.jpg" />



ユナイト (UNiTE.) - Ai
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/unite2_zps986f9a8a.jpg" />  http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/Best%20of%20lists/uniteai225x225_zps1d8ac9c4.jpg" />

Jigsaw's favorite non-Japanese releases 2014
 
The Necrotic Manifesto by Aborted   Following their impeccable album Global Flatline, Aborted's new sensory attack The Necrotic Manifesto provides more of the same razor-sharp death metal brutality laced with grindcore elements. Blastbeats, breakdowns and killer solos are executed precisely like clockwork, making this a formidable entry in modern extreme metal. Sample: The Extirpation Agenda / Coffin Upon Coffin   Hellish by Apey & the Pea   Although their name is kind of ridiculous, Apey & the Pea are no laughing matter. In their latest full-length Hellish, this stoner/doom power trio drops gargantuan riffs and sweet grooves one after the other like it's nobody's business. If you crave some metallic heaviness tinged with grungy vocals, this should soothe your appetite. Sample: Abraham / Reverend Green   Broke with Expensive Taste by Azealia Banks   The self-proclaimed queen of "witch hop" (whatever that might be) finally serves up her first album, and it comes with a bang! Broke with Expensive Taste is a colorful playground of cool samples, versatile beats, dance-pop bangers, plus a machine-gun rap or two. Perfect music to (get drunk and) shake your ass to. Sample: Chasing Time / Heavy Metal and Reflective   The Flesh Prevails by Fallujah   The evolution of Fallujah is quite impressive, considering they started out as an unremarkable deathcore quintet that have now become a progressive tech-death force to be reckoned with. Continuing where they left off on their previous EP, The Flesh Prevails is a gorgeous powerhouse of crushing brutality and ethereal grace, so perfectly illustrated by the cover art. Fallujah has prevailed! Sample: Starlit Path / Sapphire   Commune by Goat   The band name might conjure up images of occult retro-metal clichés but Goat is an entirely different beast. Their music sounds somewhat nostalgic and timeless at the same time, blurring together krautrock minimalism, pulsating afrobeat and freaky but gentle psychedelic rock tendencies into an exotic mixture. This is one commune I'd gladly join any time! Sample: Hide from the Sun / Words   At the Idyll's End by Gustave Tiger   Gustave Tiger immediately won my heart with this charmingly kooky and hectic art-punk attack somewhere on the crossroads of White Lung and the Pixies. In a handful of short bursts they go from calm to manic while weaving a grungy wall of noise into the mix and not forgetting about catchy hooks either. One of the more intriguing sounding bands I had the pleasure of listening to this past year. Sample: Gourgandine Simaitha / Lady Into Fox   Spectre by Laibach   Martial industrial/EBM masters Laibach cooked up one of their most accessible albums to date, and they did it quite effectively. With some of the tracks bordering on tame synth pop but still retaining their signature darkness (plus cynicism and deadpan humor), Spectre seems like a good introduction for newcomers and a nice change for hardened old-time listeners too. Sample: The Whistleblowers / Eurovision   Elddop by Martyrdöd   The title of Martyrdöd's latest translates as "baptism of fire" and it sure is a fiery blaze in our ear canals. Blackened crustcore is the name of the game, and the guys are in top shape to deliver some well-deserved kicks in the balls. Sweeping, aggressive but also melodious. A rock-solid entry in the band's crusty catalogue. Sample: En jobbig jävel / Elddop   Gay Dog Food by Mykki Blanco   Always one to shock people, Mykki Blanco's new mixtape is a colorful mish-mash of styles and influences ranging from trippy hip-hop to noisy industrial sounds and lo-fi electro-minimalism. Despite the initial quirkiness and weirdness of the tracks (not to mention the hilarious interludes), it's a fun and addictive musical journey if you have a thing for unconventional and out-of-the-box rappers. Sample: Fulani / Moshin in the Front   Hanyatlás by PETOFI   Relative newcomers PETOFI knocked me off my feet with their debut EP. With a venomous cocktail of anguished screamo and breakneck melodic hardcore, these guys know how to make one hell of an entrance! Their hectic style is elevated by poetic lyrics that add extra pathos and fury to PETOFI's brand of hardcore. Sample: Holttestemen át / Süket füledre talál a vallomásom   I Cannot See For Miles & Piresian Beach/Matthias von Stumberger by Piresian Beach   The Hungarian queen of lo-fi pop has been quite active as always, delivering a new stand-alone EP and another bundle of songs in collaboration with fellow Slovenian noise-maker Matthias von Stumberger. Both releases are jam-packed with good ol' overdriven guitar noise and '60s inspired garage/psych-rock licks, complemented by excellent crooning female vocals. Sample: Blood in the Gutter / Digging for Gold   St. Vincent by St. Vincent   I have completely fallen in love with the self-titled album of art-rock princess Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent. It's a record with a peculiar vibe. It sounds as artificial as it is organic, and this strange duality is further strengthened by the overall variety of the songs. From danceable tunes to melancholic meditations, this release has it all! Sample: Birth in Reverse / Digital Witness   To Be Kind by Swans   Swans' latest output is a gigantic double album clocking just over two hours. Noisy, experimental and completely heavy in atmosphere, this strange post-rock monolith perfectly encompasses what current Swans is all about. It's a menacing aural trip with repetitive, tribal (and outright primal) stylings that shouldn't be missed. Sample: Oxygen / To Be Kind (live)   Melana Chasmata by Triptykon   Melana Chasmata, "deep black chasms" is one towering behemoth of a record! Tom Warrior (of Celtic Frost fame) and his partners in crime sculpted a beautiful ebony-black slab of avant-garde metal with doomy and extreme overtones. The result is so breathtaking that this just might be my absolute favorite metal album of the year. Tortured and beautiful, highly recommended! Sample: Tree of Suffocating Souls / Aurorae