Uniform : "American Standard"

There is a line between being ambitious and indulgent. A 21-minute song opening the album crosses the line. Sure having the sonic power to create an attack like Swans is an improvement for the band, but I am never going to listen to a 21-minute song more than once, there are just better investments of my listening time. I mean maybe if you are just sitting around getting high you have that kind of time to spare, I just don't have it. Ten minutes into the song things have a very powerful ringing sound as things both drone and groove at the same time. This album is full of dichotomies so if you do not appreciate clashing concepts it might not be for you. 15 minutes into the song things take a turn and build into a noisy almost black metal blasting ambiance. 

"This is Not a Prayer " also highlights the band's weakness which is the limited range of Micheal Bearden's voice, it just stays in an ugly scream. I get that this album is a catharsis to rant about his bulimia, but there are plenty of musicians with equally disturbing disorders who still make melodic music that balances out the setting of inner rage with wider dynamics. The double bass of the drums adds a more metallic drive to the song. The sludge-tinged noise of the band does stir up a particular sonic space. They are choosing to be abrasive. It is the weapon they are using in this confrontation. Things are less post-punk and begin to cross over to hardcore on this album.  Despite the addition of Interpol bassist Brad Truax, they are more like Black Flag and less like Joy Division on this album. 

Everything works better as a whole on "Clemency". Even when the vocals gurgle and yell into the syncopated punches it fits, similarly to the Jesus Lizard but not as dark. "Permanent Embrace" finds the music shift from a syncopated tension that could almost be found on a Tool album to blast beats and buzzing guitar when the song accelerates to its peak. So, the obnoxious vocals counterpoint the sonic heaviness. Musically this is pleasing to me, and in some ways an improvement for the band, but with the more produced and polished sound to have the vocals just squawking with no clear purpose, makes me around this down to an 8. This makes the album still a great piece of musical art, it just depends on how high your threshold for abrasive vocals is. It rubs my persona tastes the wrong way as the strong vocal is a make or break for me. Vocals might be something you tune out if the guitar is hefty enough in that case the album with work for you. It drops on Dias Records. 

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the Top 10 Indie Rock Albums of 2022

The indie rock list is normally bands who do not rock hard enough to be rock records or fell askew from other lists, so they are falling here. Indie rock has been a thing since the days of bands like Television, in the 90s they got commercialized and scooped up by major labels, so it lost its charm. This does not mean bands that they are not on mainstream labels but bands that fall outside of pop and rock.; Much like in years past sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list. The fact these artists made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 indie rock albums of 2022.

10-Alvvways-"Blue Rev" 

With a sound that is from a woozy corner of the 90s, this band from Canada manages to fuse quaint pop ditties with a swirl of ambiance. There are melodies that emerge which at times can be happier than what I normally listen to. However, when tempered to the more surreal drug drip of effects for the disenfranchised lyrics to ponder over things work out for the best

Abysmal Hymns: Alvvays : "Blue Rev"

9- the Black Angels - "the Wilderness of Mirrors" 

The 6th album by the Texas band carries the kind of hypnotic throb you want from them. It has a dark drone to it that creates a haunting pulse as layers of sound swirl around it.  The reverb drowned vocals occupying a similar space. The bass bring more of a thump to drive the grooves as the vocals have a clearer narrative when singer Alex Maas awakes from his stoned lethargy. There is more of a 60s pysch-pop feel at times, but it is always compelling. 

Abysmal Hymns: the Black Angels : "Wilderness of Mirrors"

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8-Rome - ""Hegemonikon-A Journey to the End of Light" 

Crossing over from the folk or post-punk list, the new album is a departure from the flirtations with Death in June. Instead, we got an atmospheric affair weighed heavily by synths, The vocals being buried under said synths. The strum of guitar remerges to a more familiar sound at times. The production on this album is less organic than previous ones. There is a more upbeat almost pop feel to the song writing which is still stellar enough to earn its place here. 

Abysmal Hymns: Rome : "Hegemonikon-A Journey to the End of Light" "

7-Death Bells -"Between Here and Everywhere" 

It makes sense that the band's move to Los Angeles finds their sound becoming more streamlined and palatable to the masses. The punk in the post-punk side of the equation is dialed back putting them in the same sonic zip code as the more mainstream post-punk revivalists of the early 2000s like Interpol and the Rapture. Here the more accessible leanings work in the bands favor as they have stepped up their songwriting game, resulting in some of their most memorable songs yet, the sounds provide a counterpoint against one another as the upbeat vibe of the song proves a backdrop for dead pan vocals and glum lyrics

Abysmal Hymns: Death Bells: "Between Here and Everywhere"

6- Black Country New Road- "Ants From Up There" 

The previous album was one of the best post-punk albums of the year. Where their last album rode ad the line between the early days of post-punk and a jammy weirdness, this album leans in a more prog direction with the dead pan vocals the only thing that holds traces of the starker postpunk tension. It is hard to fault them for this when the end result is a great deal of fun almost like Gogol Bordello without their obnoxious singer. Things break into an easier going more languid mood that opens room for the  vocals to take on a more wavering croon that is delicate in a manner not unlike Bright Eyes, who also serves as a fair sonic point of reference. They grew in an interesting new direction that paid off. 

Abysmal Hymns: Black Country , New Road : "Ants From Up There "

 

5- Interpol-"the Other Side of Make Believe" 

I can get over the fact Interpol is no longer as dark as they once were. Gone is the stark tension of post-punk. Now we have rather breezy indie rock that does what Arcade Fire did in a less orchestrated and more organic fashion. The Beatles are more of an influence than Joy Division with songs like "Fables". Despite this gradual stylistic shift that has brough them to this place over the years, they are still great songwriters. They are masters at capturing mood and while different still retains who they are and works as it is easy on the ears. I find myself just leaving it on to play

Abysmal Hymns: Interpol : "the Other Side of Make Believe"

4 Fontaines DC-"Skinty Fia" 

This Irish band now perhaps lives in a sonic zip code closer to Radiohead than any type of shoegaze or post-punk revivalists. They slip away from the more hypnotizing drones to slinky grooves. This allows for the vocals to be moodier but with an underlying attitude. Their singer chooses some interesting placement with his phrasing. This can be felt in the with the lyrics bobbing in and out of the guitars staccato jangle. "Sometimes flirting with their punk rock youth with lyrics invoking dive bars past midnight

Abysmal Hymns: Fontaines D.C. : " Skinty Fia"

3-the Smile - A light for Attracting Attention" 

A band with Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood is going to sound like Radiohead. The main difference is drummer Tome Skinner who played with the jazz band Sons of Kemet. He helps them lock into a much different groove than what you might expect from Radiohead. I think the rowdy punk tension of "You Will Never Work in Television Again" made some members of the press fooled into thinking this would be return to the scrappier younger days of Radiohead. Why should it be? After all this is not Radiohead? I am sure many of these songs were intended to Radiohead, but I can imagine the pressure which comes with writing for a new Radiohead album was one thing they wanted to get away from when writing this.

Abysmal Hymns: the Smile : "A Light for Attracting Attention"

 

2-Murder By Death - 'Spell/Bound"

This album is sonically not as stark when it opens when a warmer sounding country song. Lyrically things darken at times. When I talk about dark with these guys, everything is being measured against "Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them". Yes, I know that was their second album and it is a masterpiece. They are not trying to replicate it nor would I want them to, but it does show where they are at peak songwriting and the kinds of things, they are capable of. They reach similar heights but from another angle here. 

Abysmal Hymns: Murder By Death : "Spell/Bound"

1- Midlake- "For the Sake of Bethel Woods" 

This album both surprised and grew on me. They are moody and melodic in all the ways I like for this kind of music to be. Their drummer is really on it. There is a folk thing, but they are also very melancholy and thoughtful. Things get more soulful and lean toward being more  proggy than folk, as the instrumentation flirts with math rock while the vocals s are off doing their own thing. Ath the end of the day it's the songs and all the feeling they put into them that earned the top spot. 

Abysmal Hymns: Midlake : " For the Sake of Bethel Woods"

Interpol : "the Other Side of Make Believe"

 

I can get over the fact Interpol is no longer as dark as they once were. Gone is the stark tension of post-punk. Now we have rather breezy indie rock that does what Arcade Fire did in a less orchestrated and more organic fashion. The Beatles are more of an influence than Joy Division with songs like "Fables". Despite this gradual stylistic shift that has brought them to this place over the years, they are still great songwriters. The first song that sonically remembers who they once were is "Into the Night". The vocal musing is more delicate. The interplay of angular guitar is really well done. 

The guitar is the focal point for most of the album as the vocals are mix slightly behind it. Piano plays a larger role than guitar in "Something Changed".  It works, though not what sounds like the most effective choice to define who the band is.  This is balanced out by the more familiar sounds of "Renegade Hearts". "Passenger" flows like a ride on a lazy river, made up of sparkling guitar sounds. "Greenwich" has a melody that is catchy even when it drones off the melodic theme. Lyrically the hint of desperation, puts it mood wise in a place that is more fitting for the band's legacy. The syncopation of the guitar driving "Gran Hotel" puts this back in focus with the band's original sonic mission statement. 

Never a great vocalist, it's the cadence the vocals dance in that makes "Big Shot City " work. The guitar tones are really great, and the overall production of this album works well. When the vocals are used more like an atmospheric layer than despondent narrative, the results are less sure. I will however this album a 9.5, as the songwriting and mood, while different still retains who they are and works as it is easy on the ears. I find myself just leaving it on to play. I am sure it will grow on me.   

The Top 10 Rock Albums of 2018

I


t is that time again. Rock for the sake of this list is anything that is not truly metal, there are some hard rock albums on here, there are also albums that rock to hard to be indie rock The score from my reviews to help determine the ranking , but also how many times Last FM told me I listened to each album.An album can have all the critical acclaim in the world but if it does not inspire multiple listens then how good can it actually be ?

While the top ten lists for other genres leaned more heavily on the side of new some of these are the more well established acts who put out the greatest quality albums .  Rather than posting media of a track from each band I am leaving a link to the review, which will contain Bandcamp or Full Album Streams. Ok enough talking about it, the time has come to dig into the top 10 rock albums of 2018.

10- Black Foxxes -"Reidi"

  I really loved 2016's "I'm Not Well" so expectations are somewhat high. I want them to give me more emotive blues edged grunge. Their front man Mark Holley went to Iceland to write this album. The opener finds them remembering who they are but with a lusher sound that in it's androgyny reminds me more of Placebo than the last album did. It is suitably dynamic with smart melodies. Though it doesn't have the same raw urgency. There is more of a radio alternative rock feel. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/black-foxxes-reidi.html

9-Crippled Black Phoenix-"Great Escape"

 This project of Justin Greaves the drummer for Iron Monkey and Electric Wizard, typically embarks on a more psychedelic rock vein. Here it's in the 70s rock zip code. Melodic vocals and a bong laden mood, they coast with the relaxed Pink Floyd like vibe. Sometimes blending kraut rock with Queens of the Stoneage like grooves, they often works off of a space age tension.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/12/crippled-black-phoenix-great-escape.html

8-Lizzy Borden- "My Midnight Things"

 His voice sounds great. Though I had too find what is really him by searching through layers of vocal overdubs. His vocal is little lower , perhaps with age but "Long May They Haunt Us" sounds like a more rock n roll version of who this band used to be. This might not measure up against the classics , but his voice is holding up and it's a better comeback than I could have hoped for.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/06/lizzy-borden-my-midnight-things.html

7-Interpol- "Marauder" 

 These guys had to grow on me. When I first heard them I tried to write them off as a Joy Division knock off. I gave them a chance and heard differently. Now I find myself wishing for more Joy Division to be injected back into their sound as 2014's"El Pintor" was just not dark enough for me. I don't want these guys to be happy. Things do start off differently. The vocals are higher, floating without the sardonic starkness to their narrative. I am willing to compromise with the groove presented on the opener, but I don't want them to perk up much beyond this point.Over all it's a good return to form .

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/08/interpol-marauder.html

6-Black Salvation- "Uncertainty is Bliss" 

 Former In Solitude and Grave Pleasures drummer Uno Bruniusson. But each member of this trio is highly talented. The guitarist Paul Schlesier handles the vocals. He gives the band a darker sound with a croon not unlike that employed on In Solitude's "Sister" album though more Jim Morrison than King Diamond. It had been sitting in my in-box so I am glad the fact the In Solitude connection caught my eye. While these guys are not metal, fans of In Solitude will find enough common ground to enjoy this one. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/black-salvation-uncertainty-is-bliss.html

5-Clutch - "the Book of Bad Decisions"

 The bar was held pretty high after "Psychic Warfare" . It grooves in that way that is consistent with what the band does, there might be a little more atmosphere. I guess it feels like Fallon's delivery is not as urgent. When the songs are strong that are powerful like the funk of the albums best song "In Walks Barbarella" is hard to deny.Sometimes it feels like Fallon's hooks are just being dialed in a little and they are working more of a formula, but overall their formula works. The Drumming and guitar playing are so great they can easily carry this album.

4-Hopesfall- "Arbiter"

 Never really paid any attention to these guys , but a friend told me Hopesfall just put out a new Hum album. I can hear that in the guitars and eventually the apathetic sounding Hum like vocals come in. Sometimes the pace picks up and it gets more aggressive in a Helmet like fashion. The melodic sections ebb down into fall into place in a similar fashion as what the Deftones are known for though less dark and brooding.Since I only know these guys from when they were more of a Myspace sensation this seems like a mature step.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/07/hopesfall-arbiter.html

3-Scars on Broadway- "Dictator" 

 Much like his first solo album, this is more rock n roll and less nu-metal than System of a Down. I have always like Malakian's vocals with System of a Down , perhaps more than Serj's. This album touches on a great deal of the h darker tension to that recalls some of System's best moment. It seems like this song was probably written for the next System of a Down album that never happened, as his takes on a lower croon that has more in common with Serj's vocal style. It might not hit as hard as the first album but is really well done.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/07/scars-on-broadway-dictator.html

2-Alice in Chains - "Rainer Fog"

 This album finds them back closer "Black Gives Way..." with a few moments that are a little more upbeat , but not a miss step , just songs that had to grow on me. Often heavier with a huge crushing dark riffs and vocals slithering out of the shadows, which is everything I could want from this band.Not always shoulder to shoulder with the Layne albums, unless with are talking about the self titled one. It might be better than that one. Much Like "Black Gives Way" it's hard to tell where Cantrell's vocals begin and DuVall's end, so DuVall works better as a tribute singer than showing too much of his own personality in these songs. I am glad that they have taken a turn back to a darker direction

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/08/alice-in-chains-rainier-fog.html

1-Emma Ruth Rundle - "On Dark Horses" 

 It's not as dark and it's more of a straight up rock album. However over time this album grew on me. Sometime it made me think of Jimi Hendrix playing country music. In other words Dave Navarro. Loose jazzy jam quality, the vocals are a little moodier. I am open to her expanding her sound as I certainly didn't want her just to re-hash "Marked For Death". The least driving album on the list, but the most emotionally layered. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/09/emma-ruth-rundle-on-dark-horses.html

Interpol : "Marauder"

These guys had to grow on me. When I first heard them I tried to write them off as a Joy Division knock off. I gave them a chance and heard differently. Now I find myself wishing for more Joy Division to be injected back into their sound as 2014's"El Pintor" was just not dark enough for me. I dont these guys to be happy. Things do start off differently. The vocals are higher, floating without the sardonic starkness to their narrative. I am willing to compromise with the groove presented on the opener, but I don't want them to perk up much beyond this point. "the Rover" is not a Led Zeppelin cover, though that might be a better move than the peppy energy trying to urge a garage rock dance before the more textured chorus. I am also unsure of the higher vocal tone employed here. "Complications" is upbeat , but has a more somber tone, so I don't need everything to be a dismal drone, since what they are doing here works just fine for me.

There is more hint of rainy afternoon on "Flight of Fancy".  There is enough rock to this in the drumming and the chorus is not too poppy, so we are still in the right zip code on this song. They seem to be remembering who they are more on this album as " Stay in Touch" carries the moody introspection I want from them. They gather many interesting guitar tones as the bass carries the tension beneath. The up tempo "Mountain Child" just breezes by without really engaging my ears. "NYSMAW", finds the band returning to form and is the first song that really wows , me as it broods while soaring. The vocals might not be as bleak , but the melody makes up for it , proving things don't have to be the slate gray shade I would want them to work,

The atmosphere of "Surveillance" helps the band to continue to show their various strengths as the pulse of the song flows against it. This is the sound of what I prefer to listen to when I am depressed. Which is 40 to 50 percent of the time. The skip return to their step on "Number 10" but it's disarmed by the swirling sense of sonics to the song. Not the album's best song , just not as engaging. The drumming to "Party's Over" is a little Led Zeppelin, as they excel at creating a groove. The vocals are under stated on the chorus. "It Probably Matters' is an odd blend of various pop elements run through their grayed out trans-metropolitan  filter. It works for them well. I'll give this album a 9 it's a better return to form for them.

Interpol : "El Pintor"

Not sure why this new Interpol has been getting dismissed as inferior to their earlier work by some critics. This is coming from some one who certainly wouldn't have minded if these guys had gone in a darker direction than what seems to be unfolding here. On first listen I haven't decided what I think of it, but I have learned ever since first hearing the band that they always deserve a second chance.

When I first heard Interpol I thought they were an indie rock band trying to be Joy Division. I later heard a song that made me re-consider this. Then I saw them open up for the Cure and my opinion backslid again. Fast Forward a few years and I down loaded "Turn on the Bright Lights", thus hooking me in as a fan. They are in the rotating cast of second tier bands, who unlike Swans or the Cure, do not have a permanent place in the old iPod. Granted if I get a 64 gig iPod this could change...(consider this shameless self promotion if any one has an extra they would like to donate to the cause).

Singer Paul Banks might not be as glum since he started dating super models in 2008, so expecting him back at the place he was for even "Antics". Pondering might be a better way to describe the mood. Now on the second listen of the album one things are becoming more evident. The opener " All the Rage Back Home", is much less sardonic and pretty damn up beat. The catch is it's also it's well written and well executed, so hard to argue against it. Production wise there is a broader sonic range in the colors used on the guitars.

The shades close on the more morose "My Desire" which touches on more familiar places for the band, without totally retreading the same ground. One again the varied levels of shimmer and sparkle that the guitar captures continues to take you further into this dream land. It's not the same type of dream land the Cocteau Twins float to , but a wandering wonder-lust for the New York skyline before dawn.

"Anywhere" is a very contained Pixies like stomp, that drives forward while looking inward. The gift of great song writing is the strong point for this band. The are less about chops and more about employing the sounds to craft these songs.The drumming is pretty strong and some intricate symbol work takes place under the pocket grooves. I didn't start asking questions until "Same Town, New Story". It has more of an electronic feel than what I think the band does best, almost to a Beck level.The chilled out disco beat doesn't do much to convince me otherwise. They are coming from a similar chilled smooth place on "My Blue Supreme", but it works better here as Banks sounds more committed to the song.

The bass driven "Everything is Wrong" could very off into U2 or Cold Play territory, but it's the feeling in Banks voice that saves the day. As all the elements to make this that kind of radio rock are in place, but it's Interpol's smirking personality that retains the integrity. "Ancient Ways"  is another step closer to perhaps the Antics era. The guitar has a surf rock elements that is not unlike the Edge's post -War style of playing.    

There is an element to the solemn melody opening "Breaker 1" that is some what R.E.M to me, but even when it builds into more of a dance floor throb, it doesn't feel like pop. I can hear comparison to the last Arcade Fire as they both employ seedy grooves. "Tidal Wave" another ode to Banks' surfing addiction is not as thoughtfully constructed as some of the albums more air tight moments. "Twice as Hard" also stands out from the rest of the album, but in a much better way. It's more desperate sounding, a pondering space ballad, with echoes of something like Broken Bells or the Gorillaz, minus any hip-hop elements.

I'll give this album a 9.5, for a mainstream band of this ilk it says a lot that they are not totally rolling over and abandoning their sound to jump on the next passing band wagon, there is no edm or dub-step, nothing auto-tuned or folky, yet they are not rehashing past albums.