Julia's 2018 Albums of the Year

It's back! My third annual Album of the Year list. There were so many awesome releases last year and I feel like each year it gets harder and harder to make this list. This year's list is made up of my 9 favorite albums of 2018. If you want to know more about why I chose these albums, send me a message or follow my social media!

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1. Sister Cities by The Wonder Years

Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing was the soundtrack to my sophomore and junior years of high school and after that release, I fell out of love with TWY for a long time. It wasn’t until the release of Sister Cities when I fell back in love with them. Admittedly, I haven’t given the works in between Suburbia and Sister Cities a lot of listening time, but I really think that Sister Cities is their best work yet. There is an undertone of sadness, or ‘saudade’ (a feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia that is supposedly characteristic of the Portuguese or Brazilian temperament.” thanks Google) that is very present throughout the album which is something everyone can relate to on some level, which is why I think I like this record so much. Sister Cities is The Wonder Years at their best. This record still has the punchy and catchy choruses we love, but they are infrequent which is something I personally like. The standout songs on this album are definitely the softer ones, especially “Flowers Where Your Face Should Be.” Sister Cities is perfect from start to finish and I’m really glad I finally listened to it.

2. Cataracts by Levi the Poet

            Cataracts is Levi the Poet as you’ve never seen Levi the Poet before. This album feels more like a hip-hop album than a spoken word album. I absolutely love LTP’s previous release, Correspondence (A Fiction) and was actually a little shocked the first time I listened to Cataracts because I was not expecting it. The things discussed in this album are heavy and sometimes jarring and heartbreaking, but they need to be talked about. My personal favorite, and in my opinion, the most important track on the record is the last one, “Keep Forgiving.” There is a reminder throughout the album to keep forgiving others as well as yourself - which is, sometimes, the hardest thing to do. Even if you don’t like spoken word poetry, listen to “Keep Forgiving” because its message is incredibly important and the track is absolutely beautiful with a simple acoustic guitar behind Levi’s powerful words.

3. Neon by ERRA

            ERRA is like a fine wine, they get better with time. I like almost all of ERRA’s past releases, but I think Neon is their best release yet. Every single moving part on this album works together to create the perfect balance of heavy rhythms and light melodies. I also think that the current lineup is their best lineup yet, especially with JT Cavey and Jesse Cash at their vocal helm. JT’s vocals are the best they’ve ever been and Jesse’s clean vocal hooks and choruses are super strong and incredibly catchy. This whole album has a bouncy feel to it which is something their previous releases didn’t have, along with some gnarly breakdowns that are expected from ERRA. Each song is unique but they all work together to make a pretty perfect progressive metalcore album.

4. Tearing at the Seams by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats

            An Americana/folk rock/soul album?? On MY AOTY list??? Totally not surprising at all, actually. I have a deep appreciation for Americana and folk music and I really enjoy listening to it on a semi-regular basis, especially in the spring/summer. I listened to this album a lot this summer, mostly in the car, turned up loud with the windows down. Tearing at the Seams is full of foot-stomping rhythms and choruses to sing with your friends, but it also has some softer moments, especially in the title track. This is, most definitely, NR&TNS’s best work and is the perfect album to listen to with those closest to you while sitting outside under a summer evening sky.

5. Private Room (EP) by Counterparts

            This EP is made up of three B-sides from their last two records that would probably not have seen the light of day. These three songs are insanely good and most definitely deserved to be released and played live (“Monument” is an absolute banger live). I’m glad this EP was released as a stand-alone release because, though I love all of the songs, I personally don’t see them together, or individually, on Tragedy Will Find Us or You’re Not You Anymore - they were meant to be together on this EP.

6. Errorzone by Vein

            I started to listening to this album because everywhere I turned on social media I saw people talking about it and how good it was. The first few times I listened to it, I genuinely did NOT like it, but something about it made me want to listen more. I did and here it is at #6 on my list. To this day, I still can’t believe that Errorzone came out in 2018. It draws heavily from the metallic hardcore and, believe it or not, nu-metal sounds of the late 1990s and early 2000s which is something I really haven’t heard being done in recent years. This album is absolute (controlled) chaos that marries hardcore and other ridiculously heavy and experimental music styles all into a neat little package that clocks in at a whopping 27 minutes from beginning to end. It is hard for me to accurately describe how insane this album is - you just have to listen to it.

7. When the End Began by Silent Planet

            Silent Planet is one of the most unique metalcore bands I’ve ever listened to and When the End Began is the most unique metalcore release I listened to this year. The lyrical content of every Silent Planet album is more different than the next which is what I think sets them apart from a lot of other bands (Silent Planet have written songs about historical events as well as current issues. Hell, each album has complete, properly formatted, citations in the footnotes of the lyric booklet/insert for every single song) and When the End Began is no different. Vocally, this is Garrett Russell’s best work to date. There are so many strong lows that we haven’t really heard on their previous full-length albums that work perfectly with all of the other moving parts in the background. I really loved this record and I think it’s definitely one of the more important releases of the year because of the themes that are discussed on the record.

8. boygenuis (EP) by boygenius (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus)

            This EP is one of the best EP releases of the last few years, hands down. Each song on this short and sweet EP packs a punch and each song showcases the strengths of each individual artist, but each individual is complemented beautifully by the others. Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus are amazing solo, but when the three of them come together, it’s an absolutely magical punch to the gut. Each song is beautiful I get chills every time I listen to them and they sound incredible live (seriously - look up a boygenius live performance; you will not be disappointed).

9.  Wild and Free by Jessica Vosk

      Jessica Vosk is one of my favorite Broadway vocalists of all time and when she put up a Kickstarter project last year to record her debut album, you bet your butt I backed it (backer #6 to be exact). I saw Jessica perform as Elphaba in the national tour of Wicked when it stopped in Providence a few years ago. I was absolutely blown away by her performance and of course I cried during “Defying Gravity” because who doesn’t? Anyway, Jessica is now playing our favorite green witch on BROADWAY!!! Yes, Broadway. When I saw that announcement, I cried again because she’s absolutely amazing and a vocal powerhouse. Listen to this album, it’s fabulous (the cover of Sia’s “Chandelier” will give you chills.)

Julia's 2017 Albums of the Year

2017 was probably the best year for music in a long time. So many of my favorite artists released stellar albums and making this list has been a delightful challenge. I narrowed it down to nine albums because picking a tenth was incredibly difficult.

1. After Laughter – Paramore
I tried to write a full review of After Laughter but none of my drafts were even close to express my thoughts and feelings about this album. It’s easy, yet difficult, to articulate just how fantastic After Laughter is. It’s such a change from Paramore’s previous releases and I think that Paramore made the best decision by going this route. It’s a gamble to completely change your band’s sound, but I think the gamble totally paid off and that it was the best thing Paramore did. I could hear some of their new sound on their self-titled release, but I never thought that their fifth album would be a colorful, retro dream. Each Paramore album is more mature than the previous, but After Laughter is the most mature and grown up record in their discography. It is a striking reminder that life is not always peachy and that hope can be dimmed. This is the most honest album I have heard in quite a while and it is refreshing to hear it coming from Paramore.

2. Harry Styles - Harry Styles
This is as surprising to me as it is to you. I am not a One Direction fan by any stretch of the imagination and I don’t like any of the other member’s solo work. Except Harry Styles. This is one of the handful of albums that doesn’t have any songs I skip. This album clearly has retro influences and Harry isn’t shy about sharing his love for older bands and artists - he did a fantastic cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” on a BBC Live Lounge, and has talked about being greatly influenced by David Bowie and Pink Floyd. I am excited to see where Styles takes his solo material in the years to come. 

3. Science Fiction - Brand New
Note: I began creating this list and writing about Science Fiction well before the news about Jesse Lacey came to light. I’ve wrestled with keeping this on the list and writing about it since then. Brand New, as a whole, mean a lot to me and their music means a lot to me – Science Fiction is no exception. If anybody has issues, comments, or wants to further discuss why I left it on the list, do not hesitate to reach out to me. I would be more than happy to talk about my reasoning.

When Brand New’s ‘Fifth Album’ was announced, I cried in a Michael’s craft store (then the parking lot of said craft store). I immediately purchased the ‘Very Limited’ vinyl and tickets to their Boston tour date without knowing anything about the final Brand New album ever. This album has been on this list since it was released. Brand New has outdone themselves yet again. Every album is more abstract, introspective, and better than the one before. This album is the perfect synthesis of The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me and Daisy. I have listened to this record too many times to count and I find something new with each listen. The lyrics are artfully crafted and paired perfectly with melodies and rhythms. It only seems fitting that this is Brand New’s last release. Science Fiction will never beat The Devil and God for me, but it comes pretty darn close.

4. Good Nature - Turnover
I didn’t think Turnover were going to go full dream-pop on Good Nature, but they did and I love it. This album makes me think of summer and everything that comes with it; sunshine, beach trips, late nights, sunsets, driving with the windows open, the whole nine. It has a super smooth flow from beginning to end and I love that. This album has a much more positive feel both musically and lyrically compared to Peripheral Vision. Turnover means a lot to me, as does this album. Good Nature is like instant happy for me and never fails to put a smile on my face and brings me back to warm summer days that turned into cool summer nights.

5. True View - Stick To Your Guns
It took a few listens for me to really fall in love with True View. To me, since The Hope Division was released, Stick To Your Guns can’t release a bad album. The things talked about on True View are more introspective than last year’s EP, Better Ash Than Dust, and their last full-length album, Disobedient. They have never shied away from putting out records with politically-charged commentary, but I am glad they didn’t go that route with True View. During a year where politics was at the forefront of basically everything, I greatly appreciated this record for not being political. This album has a slightly different sound from their previous albums but it is still the Stick To Your Guns we all know and love.

6. Turn Out the Lights - Julien Baker
I don’t even know where to start with this album. I absolutely loved Sprained Ankle and Turn Out The Lights is like a more grown-up Sprained Ankle. The first time I heard "Appointments," the first single off this album, I cried. Baker has a way with saying things eloquently without sugar-coating the truth. That is a difficult thing to do, but Baker does it perfectly with every song she releases. This album is honest and real. Baker has a way with words and creating music that sticks with you.

7. Waiting for Morning to Come - Being As An Ocean
I fell in love with this album the first time I listened to it. But then I fell out of love with it. Then in love with it again. I love Being As An Ocean and their entire catalog of music but Waiting for Morning to Come is very different from their previous releases (Being As An Ocean, How We Both Wondrously Perish) and it is a complete departure from their first release, Dear G-d. The instrumental tracks between songs helps the album flow unlike others on this list. Joel Quartuccio is a brilliant lyricist and his abilities shine on this record. I’m incredibly glad that Being As An Ocean bought out their contract to release this album because it seemed like Equal Vision was never going to.

8. Melodrama – Lorde
It took a long time for Lorde to grow on me after the release of Pure Heroine. I could not stand "Royals" and hearing that song everywhere turned me off to Lorde completely for a while. Once I came around to liking her, she has become one of my favorite female pop artists of all time. Melodrama is much more mature and has a different energy than Pure Heroine which I love. Lorde has really grown up and matured and this album shows that growth along with the troubles that come with it.

9. A Black Mile to the Surface - Manchester Orchestra
I listened to this album after seeing just about everybody talk about it on Twitter and Instagram and it was like nothing I have ever heard from Manchester Orchestra before. This album is complex, haunting, and rich. With each listen, I hear more and more little things I had missed before. Each song tells a story and the lyrics are incredibly well-written. The record as a whole flows beautifully from beginning to end.

Honorable mentions

1. Ritual (EP) - Envy On The Coast

2. As You Please - Citizen

3. Feel Something - Movements

4. From the Unforgiving Arms of God (EP) - END

Were there albums I completely missed this year that you loved? Tell me! Send me a message or tweet!

On Repeat

Recently, I have had the same handful of albums on repeat and I have been talking and tweeting about them nonstop. All of these albums are new(ish) releases that I highly recommend and that might be on my Albums of the Year list. All of the albums are available on Spotify and Apple Music.

Science Fiction by Brand New
This one is a no-brainer. If you’ve read my other posts on this blog, follow me on any social media or know me in person, then you know how much I love Brand New. Science Fiction was a surprise release for every Brand New fan out there and it was absolutely worth the wait (it’s been 8 years since Brand New released a full-length album). It’s nothing like “I Am A Nightmare” or Mene that were released in-between Daisy and Science Fiction. To me, this album is Deja Entendu, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, and Daisy all mashed together and I absolutely love it.

Good Nature by Turnover
Full disclosure, I’ve had a copy of this album since early/mid-August because I attended Turnover’s album listening party in Boston and acquired a copy on CD and it hasn’t left my car’s CD player since. To me, the album sounds just like summer. It’s like Peripheral Vision because it is smooth and melodic, but at the same time they’re polar opposites. Good Nature is dreamy, shoegaze-y, and smooth. The album really puts you into a trance as you listen and the entire album really sounds like one continuous song. It's much brighter and lighter sounding than Peripheral Vision.

Harry Styles by Harry Styles
This might come as a surprise but I have to admit that Harry Styles is insanely talented and deserves all the publicity and hype this album is getting. I am not a fan of One Direction at all but damn I love Harry Styles’ voice. The first single off the album, “Sign of the Times,” is reminiscent of “Heroes” by David Bowie. I rarely ever compare other artists to Bowie but Styles channels Bowie in a way that is unique. Harry Styles has a lot of throwback and retro influences but it is still a modern-sounding album in the way that nothing sounds dated or too cliché. There are definite ‘70’s rock influences and no two songs sound the same, yet each song highlights Styles’ impressive vocal range and creativity.

A Black Mile to the Surface by Manchester Orchestra
I saw how much hype this album was getting on Twitter and Instagram and I felt compelled to check it out. I was never a massive fan of Manchester Orchestra but this album definitely changed that for me. This album is incredibly haunting and beautiful and it will stick with you after just one listen. It’s not as brash-sounding as some of Manchester Orchestra’s previously releases but it is still lyrically honest like their previous releases.

An Open Letter from Julia and Ryan

I wrote a short post on my Facebook about this when the news of this incident broke. This is an extension of that post.  

To whom it may concern,

I want to preface this by saying I’ve been going to hardcore shows and Warped Tours since age 13 or 14. I love going to them and I love all the friends I’ve made because of the scene. I’ve been accidentally punched, kicked, unwillingly pulled into pits, stage dove on, etc. at almost every hardcore show I’ve been to. I have seen some really intense and violent shows (not including Warped Tour). Expire, Knocked Loose and Terror, by far have the most violent crowds that I’ve seen. The crowds at those shows are similar to crowds at other shows with even heavier bands - they're predominantly all men.

This post is a response to the incident at a Code Orange show in Utah where a young woman was injured so severely she was in the ICU for six days with a severely broken jaw, a brain bleed and currently has her jaw wired shut. I don’t think it’s appropriate to discuss the details of her injuries in this post, but there is a GoFundMe set up to help with her medical expenses; you can read her full story there and in her Facebook post. During the show, a guy yelled “CROWD KILL” and proceeded to roundhouse kick her in the face. He was wearing steel toed boots. She was knocked unconscious immediately and the guy who did this to her disappeared into the crowd after it happened and he is choosing to not hold himself responsible for his actions. 

I fully understand that hardcore shows are not a ‘safe space,’ but that does not mean people can roundhouse kick others in the face, crowd kill, and intentionally injure others. That’s completely unacceptable. I completely understand participating in pits and throwing down but if you are actively in the pit, you know that you're, probably, going to get hit or hit someone else. If you are in the pit, you are responsible for your own safety and, more importantly, the safety of those around you. 

The scariest part of this whole thing is that could have been me or any one of my friends, male or female, who go to hardcore shows. Women are only a small part of this community and are oftentimes targets for violence. I am not saying that all women in hardcore are victims, I am going on my past experiences and what I see happen around me.
That being said, there have been more instances, in my experiences, of being helped out of pits and off the floor and defended from would-be crowd killers by others at shows. There have not been many of instances where I was genuinely scared for my safety but with the help of other show-goers, I was able to get myself into a safe place. 

I will add that as I have gotten older, I see more and more women coming out to these shows which is so fantastic. Girls shouldn't be afraid of hardcore, but instances like this, in my opinion, are what turns many girls off from going to shows. 

I wrote this not to sound whiny and criticize something I love. I wrote this to draw attention to issues that I have seen firsthand and that have become more public in recent history. I firmly believe that I am part of a welcoming and accepting community but I have seen things become more violent and less welcoming in recent months and years. There has been an elitist mentality that has become prevalent in the scene as well. That needs to stop. Seeing a band before they got big or being a fan for x-number of years or saying '(insert band name here) isn't hardcore. (insert band name here) are posers and ruining the scene' needs to stop. Everyone has the right to be in this scene. It doesn't matter if you listen to older bands or newer bands - if you like hardcore, you are welcome.
Hardcore is a community where everybody is welcome Hardcore shows should feel comfortable; they should be fun. They should be a place where you are welcome in this scene regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, creed, etc. 

I hope this is the last time I hear about something like this,

-Julia

To whom it may concern,
I was not present at the time of this incident. Few people know exactly what happened to Emily; regardless of the facts, the results are what they are. A person was injured severely and by most accounts, she was injured intentionally. The problem isn't that a woman was targeted, the root of the problem is that intent to injure others is commonplace.
   Two years ago I attended an Acacia Strain show with a friend. Not even two songs into their set, a young woman was knocked unconscious for no other reason than she was standing near the front. We helped her up and took her outside until some of the staff came out to make sure she was okay. When we walked back in to the venue, we found the same guy that knocked her out running his way down the front of the audience and rabbit-punching each of them in the back of the head. When some one asked who was doing all the damage, my friend pointed at the man behaving so inappropriately, upon which my friend was greeted by a fist straight to the face. He was knocked out cold by the guy's friend. The moral of my story is that these kinds of things can happen to anyone. Male or female. Injuring anyone is wrong, period. 
   As Julia mentioned, we are a community. If you go to a show, you are a part of your community. If you support bands you love, you are a part of your community. The fact of the matter is that we are all as much to blame for what happened to Emily as the culprit himself. We all stand idly by and allow the one or two people at a show to ruin it for everyone. By not speaking out, by not stopping their destructive behavior, we encourage it. If our community is to remain in tact, we have to act as individuals on behalf of our community. We have no government, no law, no order. All we have is each other. Let's have fun, dance how you want to dance, crowd surf if you can, do whatever it is you want to do, so long as that action harms nobody but yourself. 
   Emily, I'm sorry that this happened to you. You're not the first, and I'm sure you won't be the last. But with everything comes a silver-lining. Your story could be the beginning of a cultural shift. Your story can change the narrative that has plagued our community for some time now. I'm sorry that it had to be you, but I'm grateful that you've attracted enough attention to start a conversation. Your community cares about you, from Coast to Coast (and everywhere in between) we all wish you the best.

Sincerly,

Ryan