Frownland's Top 20 Albums of 2017 (featuring 17 honourable mentions)

**Frownland** · 01-10-2018, 11:38 PM

Honourable Mention Number Five

Merkabah - Million Miles

Only at number five? I should quit stalling.

Merkabah does the avant-prog/metal/jazz/brutal prog thing to great effect. As a record it's borderline cinematic given how cohesive it is despite all of the dynamic and disparate elements pulled together on the individual tracks and songs. While it maintains a lot of elements of what you'll find in this sort of Zu-inspired (very sad that Jhator was so dull and that the David Tibet collab never seems to have come through) metal jazz heavy thing. Excellent musicianship and a great sense of melody and songwriting on this record. It's got hypnotism, it's got the heavy, it's got the melody, it's got the saxy, it's got the drony, it's got the groove. Weasel Walter came up with the term brutal prog for this kind of thing, but I kind of see it as the new wave of jazz fusion. Check it out y'all. The honourable mentions aren't in order but if they were, this would be close to the top of it.

**Frownland** · 01-11-2018, 06:29 PM

Honourable Mention Number Six

Michael Chapman - 50

I might as well just come out and say it: I'm white.

This album is a nice bluegrassy contemporary folk record with dynamic instrumentation, cohesive songwriting, and well-traveled vocals. About the best Americana record that you could expect from an Englishman. Maybe that's why I like it so much: it's clearly rooted in these genre conventions but it filters them through an outsider lens (not like outsider music but you know what I mean). It jumps back and forth from meditative to honky tonk to electric to somber. It's just a really nice record, feel me?

**Frownland** · 01-12-2018, 01:08 AM

Honourable Mention Number Seven

Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra - Vula

Experimental big band never tasted so good. This album clearly comes from a place of next-level compositional skills that extend the avant-prog dialogue while breathing new life into. Frank Zappa would cry tears partially of joy and partially of jealousy that he's too cheesy to make stuff like this, the dead ****. This album is exciting, surprising, well-oiled, and gripping. So many artists take the long-form approach to free jazz with a big band/orchestra and just come off as dull classical musicians who only know how to convey a handful of jazz techniques, but this record goes above and beyond. It's got the sexy, you should hit on it.

https://andromedamegaexpressorchestr...com/album/vula

**Frownland** · 01-14-2018, 01:19 PM

Honourable Mention Number Eight

Algiers - The Underside of Power

Really interesting amalgamation of gospel, post-punk, noise rock, industrial, post-rock, and a whole bunch of other **** that works far better blended together than you'd expect. Definitely a grower since I dismissed it after a half listen when I initially heard about it (I think from Goofle posting on here) and it grew a lot on me when I came back around to it while searching for new albums. Some tracks are more energetic, others are more brooding, but what really brings me back to it is that it doesn't sound like anything that I've heard before. There are a couple of tracks and moments that drag on a bit but I'll be interested in hearing where these guys end up next. To me, this record shows that they're both capable of and willing to challenge themselves and that's a sign of greatness imo.

(No full album sorry. Check Spotify or somefish)

Mindy · 01-14-2018, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Honourable Mention Number Eight

Algiers - The Underside of Power

Really interesting amalgamation of gospel, post-punk, noise rock, industrial, post-rock, and a whole bunch of other **** that works far better blended together than you'd expect. Definitely a grower since I dismissed it after a half listen when I initially heard about it (I think from Goofle posting on here) and it grew a lot on me when I came back around to it while searching for new albums. Some tracks are more energetic, others are more brooding, but what really brings me back to it is that it doesn't sound like anything that I've heard before. There are a couple of tracks and moments that drag on a bit but I'll be interested in hearing where these guys end up next. To me, this record shows that they're both capable of and willing to challenge themselves and that's a sign of greatness imo.

(No full album sorry. Check Spotify or somefish)

That song was awesome. Whoa.

Michael Chapman was nice too.

**Goofle** · 01-15-2018, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Honourable Mention Number Eight

Algiers - The Underside of Power

Really interesting amalgamation of gospel, post-punk, noise rock, industrial, post-rock, and a whole bunch of other **** that works far better blended together than you'd expect. Definitely a grower since I dismissed it after a half listen when I initially heard about it (I think from Goofle posting on here) and it grew a lot on me when I came back around to it while searching for new albums. Some tracks are more energetic, others are more brooding, but what really brings me back to it is that it doesn't sound like anything that I've heard before. There are a couple of tracks and moments that drag on a bit but I'll be interested in hearing where these guys end up next. To me, this record shows that they're both capable of and willing to challenge themselves and that's a sign of greatness imo.

(No full album sorry. Check Spotify or somefish)

Really good album. Liked their debut a whole lot.

**Frownland** · 01-25-2018, 09:57 PM

Honourable Mention Number Nine

Made to Break - Trebuchet

Well how about this. Ken Vandermark, Christof Kurzmann, Jasper Stadhouders, and Tim Daisy. I only knew about Vandermark going into this but if I know anything about Christofs, Christophes, Krzystofs, etc., he should be pretty dope and he actually does bring a great element to the record with his electronics and live looping. Three long form nu euro free jazz jams. I only just heard this tonight but this is the honourable mentions section bitch that's how it goes.

Bandcamp:
https://trostrecords.bandcamp.com/album/trebuchet

Cool youtube vid that I didn't watch all of the way through

**Frownland** · 01-26-2018, 11:42 PM

Honourable Mention Number 10

Primitive Man - Caustic

Sure looks like a pleasant record right? Well don't be fooled my friends, this album rains down like a ton of bricks. Musically, they're brutal, noise driven, sludgy, droney, screechy, pounding, distorted, and noisy. Sort of like a cross between Man is the Bastard, Gnaw Their Tongues, Thantifaxath, Cryptopsy, Indian, and like...Stallagh or something. While this album had immediate appeal to me, it also took a few listens for this one to really grow on me.

**Frownland** · 01-26-2018, 11:48 PM

Don't forget to put those votes in on what my number one pick will be. My top 20 is fixed and we're only 7 away. Voting goes until the top 20 is announced. Winner gets a real prize of monetary value. Doooooit.

**Frownland** · 01-31-2018, 05:29 PM

Honourable Mention Number Eleven

UUUU - UUUU

Wire bassist Edvard Graham Lewis, Spiritualized/late-stage Coil member Thighpaulsandra, Wire guitarist Matthew Simms, and Tomaga drummer Valentina Magaletti come together to create UUUU. In a perfect world, that's all that I would need to tell you before you went and listened to it before agreeing with me about how great this record is--I ejaculated just writing it--but for the sake of the ignorant I'll go in a little bit deeper. This album has a lot of legs all kicking for attention, but the key component of it is industrial improvisation. The percussion is driving, hypnotic, and gripping, the electronics waste no time in serving as the grounding that swallows the rest of the musicians, the guitar finding new ways to play at top volume, and driven bass give us a krauty, electronic, long form, industrial, experimental thing. It's cool. Listen.

https://uuuuemego.bandcamp.com/album/s-t

01-10-2018, 11:38 PM	#91 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Honourable Mention Number Five Merkabah - Million Miles Only at number five? I should quit stalling. Merkabah does the avant-prog/metal/jazz/brutal prog thing to great effect. As a record it's borderline cinematic given how cohesive it is despite all of the dynamic and disparate elements pulled together on the individual tracks and songs. While it maintains a lot of elements of what you'll find in this sort of Zu-inspired (very sad that Jhator was so dull and that the David Tibet collab never seems to have come through) metal jazz heavy thing. Excellent musicianship and a great sense of melody and songwriting on this record. It's got hypnotism, it's got the heavy, it's got the melody, it's got the saxy, it's got the drony, it's got the groove. Weasel Walter came up with the term brutal prog for this kind of thing, but I kind of see it as the new wave of jazz fusion. Check it out y'all. The honourable mentions aren't in order but if they were, this would be close to the top of it. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

01-11-2018, 06:29 PM	#92 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Honourable Mention Number Six Michael Chapman - 50 I might as well just come out and say it: I'm white. This album is a nice bluegrassy contemporary folk record with dynamic instrumentation, cohesive songwriting, and well-traveled vocals. About the best Americana record that you could expect from an Englishman. Maybe that's why I like it so much: it's clearly rooted in these genre conventions but it filters them through an outsider lens (not like outsider music but you know what I mean). It jumps back and forth from meditative to honky tonk to electric to somber. It's just a really nice record, feel me? __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

01-12-2018, 01:08 AM	#93 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Honourable Mention Number Seven Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra - Vula Experimental big band never tasted so good. This album clearly comes from a place of next-level compositional skills that extend the avant-prog dialogue while breathing new life into. Frank Zappa would cry tears partially of joy and partially of jealousy that he's too cheesy to make stuff like this, the dead ***. This album is exciting, surprising, well-oiled, and gripping. So many artists take the long-form approach to free jazz with a big band/orchestra and just come off as dull classical musicians who only know how to convey a handful of jazz techniques, but this record goes above and beyond. It's got the sexy, you should hit on it. https://andromedamegaexpressorchestr...com/album/vula __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.* d e a f b o x

01-14-2018, 01:19 PM	#94 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Honourable Mention Number Eight Algiers - The Underside of Power Really interesting amalgamation of gospel, post-punk, noise rock, industrial, post-rock, and a whole bunch of other **** that works far better blended together than you'd expect. Definitely a grower since I dismissed it after a half listen when I initially heard about it (I think from Goofle posting on here) and it grew a lot on me when I came back around to it while searching for new albums. Some tracks are more energetic, others are more brooding, but what really brings me back to it is that it doesn't sound like anything that I've heard before. There are a couple of tracks and moments that drag on a bit but I'll be interested in hearing where these guys end up next. To me, this record shows that they're both capable of and willing to challenge themselves and that's a sign of greatness imo. (No full album sorry. Check Spotify or somefish) __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

01-25-2018, 09:57 PM	#97 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Honourable Mention Number Nine Made to Break - Trebuchet Well how about this. Ken Vandermark, Christof Kurzmann, Jasper Stadhouders, and Tim Daisy. I only knew about Vandermark going into this but if I know anything about Christofs, Christophes, Krzystofs, etc., he should be pretty dope and he actually does bring a great element to the record with his electronics and live looping. Three long form nu euro free jazz jams. I only just heard this tonight but this is the honourable mentions section bitch that's how it goes. Bandcamp: https://trostrecords.bandcamp.com/album/trebuchet Cool youtube vid that I didn't watch all of the way through __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

01-26-2018, 11:42 PM	#98 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Honourable Mention Number 10 Primitive Man - Caustic Sure looks like a pleasant record right? Well don't be fooled my friends, this album rains down like a ton of bricks. Musically, they're brutal, noise driven, sludgy, droney, screechy, pounding, distorted, and noisy. Sort of like a cross between Man is the Bastard, Gnaw Their Tongues, Thantifaxath, Cryptopsy, Indian, and like...Stallagh or something. While this album had immediate appeal to me, it also took a few listens for this one to really grow on me. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

01-26-2018, 11:48 PM	#99 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Don't forget to put those votes in on what my number one pick will be. My top 20 is fixed and we're only 7 away. Voting goes until the top 20 is announced. Winner gets a real prize of monetary value. Doooooit. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

01-31-2018, 05:29 PM	#100 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Honourable Mention Number Eleven UUUU - UUUU Wire bassist Edvard Graham Lewis, Spiritualized/late-stage Coil member Thighpaulsandra, Wire guitarist Matthew Simms, and Tomaga drummer Valentina Magaletti come together to create UUUU. In a perfect world, that's all that I would need to tell you before you went and listened to it before agreeing with me about how great this record is--I ejaculated just writing it--but for the sake of the ignorant I'll go in a little bit deeper. This album has a lot of legs all kicking for attention, but the key component of it is industrial improvisation. The percussion is driving, hypnotic, and gripping, the electronics waste no time in serving as the grounding that swallows the rest of the musicians, the guitar finding new ways to play at top volume, and driven bass give us a krauty, electronic, long form, industrial, experimental thing. It's cool. Listen. https://uuuuemego.bandcamp.com/album/s-t __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x