Raised Eyebrows: 2016 Hangover (Randy)
2016 was a year many of us of would like to have forgotten for a variety of reasons. But as stated before, for better or worse, 2016 was one of the finest years for music this century. I was able to wrangle together mixes featuring 90 different records from 2016 that needed your attention in a few articles for SOTO. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Now that the sun has set on 2016 and the shit is prepared to hit the fan in 2017, I’m taking a look at a few records that didn’t get their due and a few rad LP’s about to be released. Peace attack 2017.
Suzanne Kraft – What You Get For Being Young
After obsessing over Kraft’s wonderful 2015 LP Talk From Home, I was stoked to have this meditative effort around to close out the year/be hopeful for the new one.
Wovenhand – Star Treatment
Ex-16 Horsepower leader is now taking his solo acoustic project into foggy, whip chain noir territory.
East of the Valley Blues – EOTVB
A sort of acoustic instrument ambient record. Waging heavy peace.
Pete Astor – Spilt Milk
I was late to the game on this one. A superior pop record and a shooting star in the Astor catalog.
Immersion – Analogue Creatures Living on an Island
Each song a journey with no real destination. Every sound adds to the dream.
Chris Forsyth and The Solar Motel Band – The Rarity of Experience
Late on this one too. This band hits every pleasure point. Best descriptor is PURE HEAT.
Shearwater – Jet Plane and Oxbow
I am a sucker for the motorik groove found on Radio Silence.
Scott Hirsch – Blue Rider Songs
Hiss Golden Messenger engineer gets his Double-J Cale groove on.
The Mood Illusion – Strangers in the Night
Austin’s Bob Hoffnar leads you and his band through a non-ordinary trip through the places behind the places that you thought you were headed to.
Rob Noyes – The Feudal Spirit
Guerilla guitar soli.
Noveller – A Pink Sunset For No One
Drowning in sound, lost in dream, followed by land. Truly original scapes from Sarah Lipstate.
Brokeback – Illinois River Valley Blues
I love this band. Interplay for days from these Chicago heavies.
Michael Chapman – 50
Living legend Michael Chapman celebrates 50 years in the tunnel with an album made with friends and admirers.
If you listened to and enjoyed all of these albums, props to you. As someone who follows music somewhat closely, I recognized 7 out of the 110 bands you listed over the three parts. I find the lists to be intentionally obscure if not downright pretentious. But then, most year end lists are full of pretension and virtue/hipness signalling rather than the quality of the music.