Ryan's List of 5 Great Albums From 2016

Nearly every top 5 or top 10 list is easy to see through. All the albums are the same genre, and they're ranked from top to bottom. Fuck that shit. You can't say one thing is better than another; art is subjective. It means different things to different people. This is not a "Best Albums" list. These are 5 albums from 2016 that I fell in love with. With that, let us begin.

Light We Made by Balance and Composure 

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Nearly every person I know that loves Balance and Composure in the same way that I do absolutely hated this album, and I totally understand why. When I listen to Separation or The Things We Think We're Missing I get overwhelmed. There is so much raw emotion in those two albums that its hard to ignore. They're sad, they're angry, and its reflected in the music, the vocals, and the lyrics, as well as an unrelenting ability to get the fuck after it. Those two albums are destructive, and  lot of the things that I love about Balance and Composure's style are absent from Light We Made. With that said, those are also major reasons why I love the absolute fuck out this album. They weren't afraid to try something new. I still feel all of that sorrow that their previous records have, but I feel it in a much different way. I love that they found a new way to express themselves. I love that it sounds upbeat and catchy and soft, yet is equally as musically and lyrically destructive as their other two albums. The album as a whole flows together really well  too. Track to track, front to back, Light We Made is beautiful. No, it doesn't sound like the Balance and Composure you know and love, but I think they grew in another direction and knocked it out of the fucking ballpark. 

Awake For Everything by Hesitation Wounds 

Before I even begin to talk about this album, I have to talk about another one. The first time I had ever heard O'God The Aftermath by Norma Jean I wanted to destroy the world. I discovered that album roughly a decade ago and I had never had that same primal instinct show its ugly face since then. Sometimes a band writes an album that makes you want to go fucking crazy, and Awake For Everything is the first album I've heard since then that has made me feel that same exact thing. Jeremy Bolm's voice is somehow able to match that gritty venomous sound the band cultivates and I love it to death. Found in all of the chaos and rampage are moments of beauty. They slow down the onslaught but are somehow able to keep the overall feel of the album in tact. Much like Light We Made (mentioned above) the album as a whole is very fluid and is difficult to stop listening to once it starts. 

Promise Everything by Basement

 I had always liked Basement, but Promise Everything is the album that pushed me to love them. With each of their albums came progress, and Promise Everything is no different. To be honest, I can't really even put my finger on what it is that I love about this album. Sometimes you just want to be sad and sulk in your own misery; when I feel that way this is what I like to listen to. Maybe it's because I've been a sad-sack in 2016 so this album just seems to always be playing, or maybe its because Promise Everything is actually as good as I think it is.  Promise Everything is full of energy. With every track comes the overwhelming urge to move your feet or sing your throat sore. Lyrically, it is both devastating and uplifting. But Ryan, how can it be two different things at the same time? Because as far as I'm concerned, it's nice knowing that other people are going through the same shit you are.

Dead Heading by Outdone

Bandcamp might be one of the best inventions ever created when it comes to mediums for music. At least once a month I scroll through new releases in a few different genres and sample bands that I think have a unique name or album cover. Back in march I saw this album artwork and was immediately sucked in, even better this band kicks so much ass that it justified my inquiry. After sampling a song I bought everything they had on their page, but Dead Heading is by far my favorite. Outdone is a hardcore band from Salinas California that has managed to capture aspects of so many bands I've grown to love into one EP. I always think it's stupid to say that one band sounds like another when trying to explain their sound (A co-worker once told me Funeral For A Friend sounds like Incubus. What?) but it's the only way I can even try to explain Dead Heading. At the risk of sounding like my dumbass coworker, this album encompasses things I love about American Nightmare and Poison The Well, while at the same time being completely distinct in their own way. At any rate, I've been listening to Dead Heading since it was released and I have yet to stop. My hope is that they are still writing music and that they have something in store for their fans in the future. 

Press The Flesh by Godzilla Black

In my first post I talked about a band I love called Down I Go. Through Twitter I came into contact another person who loves them as much as I do. We've become "international music friends" since then and share cool shit we find with one another. He turned me on to this album back in April and the shit is badass. They really are talented in every aspect, riffs that make you want bang your head, drumming that doesn't quit, an eerie synth, a MOTHERFUCKING SAXOPHONE, and vocal bits that Mike Patton himself would approve of. There is so much to listen to that it is overwhelming at first. They also have some very odd time signatures that keep you coming back for more after each listen. If you're looking to get out of your comfort zone, this is a good album to start with. All of those instruments give each song its own unique feel, yet give the album structure at the same time. A lot of my friends like the heavy sound of some of the bands I listen to but can't get past the screaming to listen to the music. It lingers on that heavy style of music without being abrasive vocally. Overall, its a hard album not to love and good for anybody that is looking to get into the heavier side of music.