The Top 10 Indie Rock Albums of 2026...so far

 

As the Doomsday Clock races, time speeds up, as 2026 is at its midpoint. With the impending end of times comes the need to get high, and these bands are making substantial soundtracks for that. These lists serve as a decent snapshot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my inbox, so they will need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. For the mid-year report card list, I'm combining shoegaze with its close cousin, indie rock.  They are all more surreal than post-punk, not punk, and left of center when it comes to rock n roll.  I have included links to full reviews if you want to check these out, and with all that said, here are the top 10 indie-rock / shoegaze albums of 2026 so far. 

10-Voxtrot- "Dreamer's In Exile" 

The brand of indie pop this band deals in is more organic than, say, the 1975. Lead singer Ramesh's vocals anchor this in a more conventional pop vibe. He is emotive but plays it safe. Devoid of any punk tension, they jangle peacfully along and write some catchy songs in the process. As far as indie pop goes, they are doing the best so far. It's better than the new Modest Mouse. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/voxtrot-dreamers-in-exile.html

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9-Nothing -  "a short history of decay" 

Nothing's 5th album is a more organic excursion, with strummed acoustic guitar and vocals stepping out from behind the indifferent haze of effects. This is not to say Domenic has shed the idea of being a shoe-gaze, in fact, after some experimentation, the album begins to align itself even clsoer with conventional shoe-gaze losing some of the grungey edge.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/02/nothing-short-history-of-decay.html

 

8-Basement-"Wired"

The band's new album brings a late 90s sound that blends indie rock, pop-tinged hooks, and some post-hardcore grit; the vocals add needed grit to belt it out. I like that you can still hear the punk that is in the DNA of this kind of music that originally merged in the 90s. It takes you back to a time when songwriting mattered, as things evolved from the grunge explosion and began to form their own identity. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/basement-wired.html

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7- Xiu Xiu "Xiu Mutha Fuckin' Xiu: Vol. 1"

Cover albums can be hit or miss unless the band doing them is adventurous, as Xiu Xiu. They find the perfect balance of being true to who they are and honoring the song even amid the filter of weirdness they subject the song to; it captures the mood needed while staying true to who they are. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/xiu-xiu-xiu-mutha-fuckin-xiu-vol1.html

6-Bad Stuff- "s/t"

Former members of True Widow are some of the founding members of this project, so it obviously has to be worth a listen. 'm sure someone will try to throw some kind of doom tag on this because it is slow and melancholy, something like "doom noir,"  but I am not hearing the sense of loss, and the darkness is there, but in light mysterious ocean-side haze. They create a unique mood with familiar sounds, and they captured what they intended here in a very endearing manner.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/bad-stuff-st.html

 

5-Iceage-" For the Love Of Grace & the Hereafter"

The Danish punks are back to rock n roll after 5 years. Elias's voice is not as sullen, and the more Rolling Stones direction they were heading in is more subtle on some songs than others, with a rowdy jangle possessing some songs. With some pretty great songs on this album amid this more upbeat 90s indie rock vibe, I prefer them a little more downtrodden, but their talent still shines through.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/iceage-for-love-of-grace-hereafter.html

4-AA Williams - "Solstice"

Right from the start of this album, she makes it clear that she is not just another haunted folk crooner by locking into solid grooves and building the depressive vibes up into shimmering post-rock grandeur. At times, her voice has to carry the more minimal droning sections, which she builds back into dynamic crashes, making this an album full of twists and turns.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/aa-williams-solstice.html

 

3-Soft cult-"When a Flower Doesn't Grow"

This band took the number three spot in the top 10 Shoegaze albums of 2024. Their new full-length is even more polished, and songwriting is on point. Here they continue to prove themselves to be very consistent, and the full-length show off more musical range as a band. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/softcult-when-flower-doesnt-grow.html

 

2-Tori Amos-"In Times of Dragons"

This is a concept album in which Tori uses allegory to convey a political message. Nothing new for her, but it's done in an even more deliberate fashion. For a double album, she manages to be very consistent when it comes to songwriting, leaving little filler, so the sound of Tori aging gracefully and not fading away.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/tori-amos-in-times-of-dragons.html

1-Morrissey-"Make Up Is a Lie"

There is a reason Morrissey has a fanatical cult following outside of the Smiths. He is one of my favorite singers, even as his croon has aged. It's been six years since "I am Not a Dog on a Chain." E Moz is almost 67 rather than the 58 years he was when he recorded his last album. He keeps things at more of a reserved croon, which is pushed up further in the mix than the 2017 album, which sounded more like he does live. Overall, this album holds up his legacy in the manner expected.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/03/morrissey-make-up-is-lie.html

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May's Top 10 Albums

May is now two days out the door, so jsut catching up on this as I was trying to get ahead of kicking off June's Death Metal month, and life was being life, so now I am getting caught up, so let's get you abreast of new releases. This might help you, casual readers, with what you might have missed.  I am not doing little blurbs on them, just linking the reviews. This helps me organize my lists for the end of the year by listing the album's genre. This does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most. I have albums in my in-box that won't come out until August, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of how much I have listened to them. This month, leaned more on heavy stuff ranging from New Wave to Doom, so perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for May of 2026.

10-Metal Church- "Dead to Rights." 

Thrash

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/heavy-maytal-metal-church-dead-to-rights.html

9-Iceage-"For the Love Of Grace & the Hereafter" 

Indie Rock 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/iceage-for-love-of-grace-hereafter.html

8-Truck Violence- "the Weathervane is my body." 

Noise Rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/truck-violence-weathervane-is-my-body.html

7-Venom - "Into Oblivion." 

Heavy Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/heavy-maytal-venom-into-oblivion.html

6-Dimmu Borgir - "Grand Serpent Rising." 

Symphonic Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/heavy-maytal-dimmu-borgir-grand-serpent.html

5-Tori Amos-"In Times of Dragons" 

Alternative

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/tori-amos-in-times-of-dragons.html

4-Astari Nite,- "Medications in Bloom." 

Goth / New Wave

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/astari-nite-medications-in-bloom.html

3-Genghis Tron-"Signal Fire" 

Prog Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/genghis-tron-signal-fire.html

 2-Frozen Soul-"No Place of Warmth." 

Death Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/frozen-soul-place-of-no-warmth.html

,1- Warning-"Rituals of Shame." 

Doom

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/05/heavy-maytal-warning-rituals-of-shame.html

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Iceage : "For the Love Of Grace & the Hereafter"

 

The Danish punks are back to rock n roll after 5 years. Elias's voice is not as sullen, and the more Rolling Stones direction they were heading in is more subtle on some songs than others with a rowdy jangle possessing songs like "Match Head Girl" that feels like it escaped from 90s college radio with a weird twinge of Bright Eyes to the vocal phrasing. There is almost a country twang to "the Weak' that brings the Violent Femmes to mind. It's has a carefree recklessness to it that is punk in it's own way, even if it's not the best display of their songwriting. They find a better balance on "No Fear" though the bass line keeps it from strolling away with the strum of the guitar leaving the attitude of the vocals as the most punk element. 

"Salve For Every Sore" deviates from the formula they have been using up to this point, but it also less focused. "Mother of Pearl" is carried by an angular jangling, that works similar to 'Lust For Life" era Iggy Pop. "Tender Blades" is one of the best songs so far as it carries the kind of strut and hooks that I want from them. "1835" benefits from a bass line grounding it ,as Elias' vocal style this time around is not as slurred but it also skips around the instrumentation with a similar cadence. His vocals seem more improvisational and not as deliberate. His approach works much better on " Star" . Lyrically, some morose sentiments are being expressed, but in a more hopeful manner than the post-punkish band I first got into. 

"Lifetime" is another very strong song on this album, so the changes that brought them to where they are now have not tarnished who they are as a band or what they are capable of, as they shine on this one. "Holy Water" is more recognizable when weighed against their earlier work and touches more on the post-punk side I missed. "True Blue" is a more interesting side step from the expectations, as it is somewhat of a ballad. It helps recapture who they are as a band. I will give this album a 9.5; there are some pretty great songs on this album amid this more upbeat 90s indie rock vibe, when I prefer them a little more downtrodden, but their talent still shines through.  

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Iceage : " Seek Shelter"

 This has been out a minute, but I finally got around to getting it from their label. It opens with more of a depressive Rolling Stones vibe. In some ways this is a testament to how they have grown from a punk rock band to being able to pull off something with this kind of lushness. "High & Hurt" is the first song I heard from this album, I found it curious how it combines funk with country I said to me wife when I first listened to it this is funky Iggy Pop country. They have been throwing a kitchen sink of sounds at you ever since Elias indulged himself with his side project the Marching Church that threw the gates open for this kind of experimentation. The more ballad like tone to "Love Kills Slowly"  feels almost like something Bright Eyes would have done .  

"Vendetta" is all drug sleaze and swagger, which isn't that what rock n roll is supposed to be?  Things get marginally lighter on the more elegant guitar tones of "Drink Rain".  Vocally it kind of wanders around with it's own romantic notions making it not as catchy or urgent as the other songs. Touches of country resurface on "Gold City". There is still a drunken slur to his phrasing on this album, but it is not as mumbled as it was in the past. The chorus of this song really sets this song right. "Saint Cecilia" sticks to the same kind of raw and moody rock n roll they have been kicking out the jams to the bulk of the album thus far. 

They back off from that same rock n roll vibe to get a little more introspective. 'the Wider Powder Blue" is much more melodic even with the brief bursts back into rock n roll that this song builds back into. There is a really weird drone to "the Holding Hand' that closes the album. It builds up into more sonic movement , but is the album's weirdest song.  I will go ahead and round this up to a 9.5 , as some of the albums more introspective moments will still need to grow on me.

Gothtober - The Top 10 Post -Punk Albums of the Decade

The less dramatic more hipster old cousin of goth post-punk is what happened with punk got depressed . It saw a revival in the past year thanks to the next generation of Joy Division fans . Almost totally devoid of the fashion aspect the themes are variations of those espoused in goth music. With loneliness and isolation being paramount, they have a more anxious tension than a romantic depression of goth. It's for punks haunted by the ghost of cocaine in New York art galleries at night rather than hanging out in graveyards. There are some acts on this list that come closer to the darkest part of the darkside , they are on this list because they are more punk than mid period Cure, who started as post -punk and became more goth, unless you ask Robert Smith and then he doesn't know what you are talking about. There was a much clearer path in picking these albums than the forthcoming goth/ industrial list waiting in the wings. So I feel pretty self assured with this list that is covers the past ten years. 


10- Bellicose Minds - 'the Spine"






9- Holograms - s/t







 8-Ceremony- "Zoo"






7-Merchandise - "A Corpse Wired for Sound"





6-the Estranged - s/t





5- Death of Lovers- "Buried Under a World of Roses" -







4- Cult of Youth -"s/t"







3-Savages - "Silence Yourself"






 2-Lower- "Seek Warmer Climes"






1- Iceage - Plowing Into Fields of Love


 

The Top 10 Rock / Pop Albums of 2018...so far

O.k it's already June so we are half way into 2018, so here's a progress report to take a look at what the best albums of the year are so far.I sorted them by score and then let Last FM tell me what I've listened to the most. After all I can think an album is great on first listen, but if it doesn't keep me returning to it then how great can it be ? This seems less pre-mature than past years, as I think I am caught up on everything coming out before August with all the promos in my in-box. So Rock and pop is a broad term for any album that is not metal though a few come close, it ranges from stoner rock to goth electro. Rather than include audio samples, I put links to the original reviews where those can be found. Six months will tell how these pan out come December.



10-Psychedelic Witchcraft : " Sound of  the Wind"


Female fronted "occult rock" or "vest metal" bands almost became a thing back in 2012. Here is a band from Italy we have covered before that still carries that torch. After an acoustic intro the band is back their brand of occult tinged stoner rock. The crunch of the guitar's organic warmth is what contributes most to the retro core of their sounds. Virgina Monti proves right from the opening track that she is not to be relegated to sultry and is a capable rock singer of her own merit, with vocal melodies that are more biting. The Sabbath influence lingers at some of the songs edges more vividly in some places than others.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/psychedelic-witchcraft-sound-of-wind.html


 

9-Cold Cave : "You & Me & Infinity"

 Wesley is back with the second ep since 2011's "Cherish the Light Years " was released.  Things have change since then and the dark wave dance anthems we found seven years ago on that full length have given way to something with a more stark outlook. The vocals feel darker and have more of a traditional goth croon. Musically it's also not as upbeat and dancey. This is fine with me. Lyrically the romance gone wrong theme is far from new, I think the dry bleak delivery is the strength of the song mood wise.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/cold-cave-you-me-infinity.html

8-Sleep : " the Sciences"


 If you are new to stoner metal and just crawling out from under a mushroom, then you might know guitarist Matt Pike from this other band called High On Fire. Al Cisneros who handles the vocals has also played in OM and this time they have the drummer from Neurosis sitting behind the drums. I'll go ahead and warn you that the first song is just feed back and distortion and not really a song at all, though it might scare you. However they have been kind enough buds to let you known when it's safe to listen by including the sound of a water bong being fired up. The vocals come across a little different than I remember. They are lower and not as soaked in effects. They keep proving themselves capable of sitting along side the like of Kyuss in the smoky halls of stoner rock royalty.< 


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/sleep-sciences.html

7-Messa : "Feast For Water"

My first thought when I heard the beginning moments of  "Snakeskin Drape" was this is like a metal version of Lana Del Ray. The tempo picks up and finds them falling closer in line to other "occult" rock of their ilk like Christian Mistress. There is more raw rumble going when they gain speed that what their peers typically muster. The over driven roar is more of a production choice as cleaner mixed guitar play around it. There are plenty of guitar  solos that give it a more jammy feel.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/messa-feast-for-water.html

6-Hilary Woods : "Colt"

 Hilary Woods would not be out of place on the Twin Peaks soundtrack. Less fey sounding than the Cocteau Twins, yet it occupies a similar sonic space as an album like "Treasure". These ballads are haunting, yet invoke spirits of inner space rather than from beyond the grave. Hazy not dark would be the best way to describe the sound. There is a jazz like minimalism, though unlike 90s acid jazz, it serves the melody rather than the beat. The percussion on these songs is incidental.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/hilary-woods-colt.html

5-Chvrches : " Love Is Dead" 


 So this band was my methadone to ween me off a violent addiction to Taylor Swift's "1989" album. For the most part it worked only to get me hooked on their sugary electro pop. Things are only getting worse in the best possible way from there. Lauren Mayberry has lost the goth trappings of her look, and this album might not be the same shade of gray we have heard from them previous. The chorus to "Get Our" busts out and grabs your ear. The synths have a shinier sheen of plastic to them. The vocals are well layered and produced. Less dripping with effects than Taylor Swift's last album. 


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/chvrches-love-is-dead.html

4-The Weeknd : "My Dear Melancholy" 


 I was afraid that he might have become too preoccupied with being a TMZ personality and consumed with the celebrity of being a celebrity or trying to make comic books to focus on music. He has had enough in the way of personal drama to fuel a song or two , but would this happen. If he pushed the pop envelope further I felt he was going to lose what set him apart from the other mainstream r&b singers, though artist could apply to him the same can't be said of his peers who are closer to being entertainers than musicians. My fears were laid to rest as picks up where he left off before "the Beauty Behind the Madness" .


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-weeknd-my-dear-melancholy.html

3-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. 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.

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

2-Iceage-"Beyondless" 


I was worried the boys from Denmark would stray to far from punk after their last album and the funky Rolling Stones like side project of their singer . The first song holds roots in the early days of punk, but is just good fucking music.I am glad the gray clouds close in over the second half of the album, though none of it is sunshine and puppies. This preserves the growing legacy of this band


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/iceage-beyondless.html

1-Strvngers - "Amor Noir"

 Dripping with a sex fueled rock edge to the vocals this is a departure from the tired dark wave of the 90's though still pays enough homage to that era so at times find grooves that remind me a little of Orgy.  Plenty of samples that sound like they could have been lifted from a porn help give the album's narrative. More layered and nuanced than their earlier work that owed more to bands like Aesthetic Perfection.t went straight to my iPod ,which is as big of a compliment as I can give any band. The real estate of gbs in my iPod is pretty competitive considering the amount of music I consume on any given day. When I had to restore my lap top to factory setting and all my music was erased, this was the main album I freaked out about. Though I grew up a poor goth child so that factors into my love affair with album too.


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/strvngers-amor-noir.html

Iceage :"Beyondless"

I was worried the boys from Denmark would stray to far from punk after their last album and the funky Rolling Stones like side project of their singer . The first song holds roots in the early days of punk, but is just good fucking music. While the drums continue to have a reckless edge the horns smooth out the sonic landscape for hipster pop singer Sky Ferreria to lend her voice to "Pain Killer".  They languish in the country jangle of " Under the Sun". Unlike most country there is a rather an elegant dynamic build in the song. Swagger is the best word to describe the attitude that flows through the track marked veins of this album. There is a lot going on with "the Day the Music Dies", but the stomp of this attitude can be felt during this journey. Its more 60s garage rock, but the lines of where that intersected with the rise of punk back in the day was just as murky then as it on this song.

The swagger moves into more of a strut on "Plead the Fifth". Elias mutters and mumbles , but his lyrics still cut through with tales of desperation in the shadows of sleaze. These shadows darken "Catch It". It's the first song that feels like it could be called post-punk. The rest of the album thus far hasn't not joyous, but this is where the mood takes a more down trodden shift. I can hear the influence of the Velvet Underground on this one. Which sums up the progression, they have never been a Joy Division rip off, but if their early work was influenced by Joy Division or Wire then they have dug deeper into the roots of the music to end up at the Velvet Underground. At time the chaos of the horns also reminds me a little of the Violent Femmes.

They return to the dirt country back roads on "Thieves Like Us". When I say it's dancey I mean the kind of dancing that drunken white people might do at a honky tonk near a truck stop. The album rapid cycles back into a low swing on " Take it all ". While I prefer the more depressive moments to the honky tonk hoedowns, even those are done so well it's hard to complain about them. "Showtime" starts off dark and steamy then builds into a boozy dance. The title track that closes the album also has a darker cloud over it, so I am glad the gray clouds close in over the second half of the album, though none of it is sunshine and puppies. I'll give this adventure a 10 as it preserves the growing legacy of this band.

The Top 15 Rock Albums of 2014

I hate it when people say in no particular order,  have some conviction do some thinking and say here it is this album was the best. So here we go, the Top 15 best Rock albums of 2014. If you want to hear them or read a full review click on the urls under each entry.

15-Interpol-El Pintor

Remember when these guys seemed dark? In some ways,despite it's hooks the album winks to their legacy, wandering in circles around it wondering where do they stand in a post- Cold Play world and do they want to be a part of it. Considering the post- rock revival these guys feel more like Radiohead than Joy Division now.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/09/interpol-el-pintor.html

14-  Thee Sliver Mt. Zion Orchestra-"Fuck off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything

This album has some good grooves and answers the question what would Godspeedyoublackemperor sound like with vocals.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/01/thee-silver-mt-zion-memorial-orchestra.html



13-House of Capricorn-Morning Star Rise

If you miss H.I.M. these guys fill that hole, but with half the calories from all the cheese and more balls,

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-house-of-capricorn-morning-star-rise.html

12- St. Vincent -s/t

She nails Bowie's Scary Monsters sound and gives it a does of dance inducing pop that still manages to rock.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/05/st-vincent-st.html


11-the Estranged-s/t

This Portland band had a more Exile on Mainstream take on post-punk, which landed this on the rock list rather than the goth/industrial list coming next week.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-estranged-st.html


10-Nothing- Guilty of Everything

This shoegazing gem really grew on me over the past year. They come across as slightly more grunge like live.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/03/nothing-guilty-of-everything.html

9-Pig Eyes-s/t

Jeez didn't realize how many people put out self titled albums til I made this list. The guitar player from In Solitude shows you his punk side.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/10/pig-eyes-st.html

8- Whirr-"Sway"

The other big band of the shoe gaze revival, this one barely edged out Nothing, but it did on originality alone.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/09/whirr-sway.html


7- Cult of Youth-"Final Days"

For these guys to have come in at 7 rather than the top five means the competition was rather stiff, this might not be their best album , but it is a great one.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/11/cult-of-youth-final-days.html

6- Esben & the Witch - "A New Nature"

Female fronted post- rock that  at times invokes both Forget Cassettes and Chelsea Wolfe . How can you argue with that?

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/09/esben-witch-new-nature.html

5-Swans - To Be Kind

My favorite band this side of the Smiths only made it to number 5. These are a series of live jams they translated to the studio, but even when Gira is just playing around he is still better than most.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/05/swans-to-be-kind.html

4- Ice Age -"Plowing into the Field of Love"

These guys have grown in leaps and bounds, so much so the rock swagger injected on this album now makes them much more qualified for this list than being called post-punk.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/09/iceage-plowing-fields-of-love.html

3- Morrissey- "World Peace is None of Your Business"

Stiff competition for sure if Moz didn't take home the number one spot, it came down to two albums that I listened to more and were a tad more focused.



2-Merchandise-"After the End"

They really edged out Moz by the sheer fact I listened to this album much more than "World Peace is ..." . These guys matured as songwriters, the melodies are very memorable, even if this album is oddly upbeat and almost sounds like 70's rock in places.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/07/merchandiseafter-end.html

1- Wovenhand -"Refractory Obdurate"

This album kept drawing me in for more. It's amazing in all most every way.  Edwards really out did himself . This might be his heaviest album yet.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/04/wovenhand-refractory-obdurate.html

Iceage : "Plowing the Fields of Love"

The opener proves the rate of growth from this band has accelerated tremendously since their last album "You're Nothing". It's a much wider leap forward from  "You're Nothing" to "Plowing the Fields of Love" than it was from their first album to "You're Nothing". They still bang into their instruments with a drunken clamor, the sounds are warmer crisper and coming from a wider range of places.

Vocalist Elias Ronnenfelt comes much closer to actually becoming a singer, his voice carries a huskier tone with melodies drifting towards almost a darker Americana tone like Nick Cave. There is still his trademark slurred moan to the vocals , He sounds more adept at singing in English now. The approach to the vocals is similar to their approach on all other aspects of this album in the fact it's more maturely crafted.Still punk in the way New Model Army held on to their roots, the country element to the first single "Lord's Favorite" stands out almost jarringly if you were to listen to this album right after listening to "You're Nothing". My first listens had me thinking they sounded almost like an entirely different band, but after repeat listens I began to hear where their sound was still intact despite the sonic re-modelling.

The guitar is more intricately picked than what we have heard from the band before on "How Many". The addition of piano parts not only adds a more melodic element , but does so in a way that adds to the drunken chaos the band is know for. The darker element the band has held as a under current takes a bigger role on "Glassy Eyed, Dormant and Veiled ". The guitar tone now includes cleaner strummed passages , more like Cult of Youth, so this discards the more jagged jangle of the first album. The inclusion of instruments like the trumpet here also draw more comparisons to Cult of Youth.

Ronnenfelt's voice shows it's range expanding on the lower end of his register on the ballad like "Stay".The post- punk element is set against this more organic turn, the stark tension is captured with the opening bass line to "Let it Vanish" before the band throws a rambling barrage of guitars at you. Even when the band builds up into faster section, they don't default into the brainless one, two, three beat of punk.There are still noisy elements but never do they not serve the song. They even take a more rock n roll approach to "Abundant Living", that finds a stomp that slightly echoes Led Zeppelin's "Bring it on Home". The title track that closes the album also has a more rock n roll feel along the lines of the Rolling Stones.

The more Nick Cave elements surface again in the brooding swell of "Forever". The strings that come into the songs middle section add a darkly romantic ambiance to the seething build that is held at bay."Cimmerian Shade" gets even darker in it's pounding march .Elias' raw voice takes on  more of a choked growl.This is contrasted against the tenderer sentiment of "Against the Moon", that feel more like an interlude than a fully developed song. "Simony" makes up for this carrying both snarl and a reflective nature to it's emotional depth.

This is one of the most creative albums to come this year and it's a must for fans of punk or post-punk or rawer experimental rock n roll. It's easy for me to give this one a ten. This is the album I could tell this band had in them even it meant totally abandoning the colder more Joy Division like direction they could have taken instead. It will be interesting to see how these songs are pulled off live.

Iceage : " You' re Nothing"

The young Dannish quartet have ironed out enough of sloppy garage punk edges that irked me on the new album. You can now make out the notes and chords they are playing rather than just the collision of rusty strings being banged on. The vocals also show much improvement tuneful enough with out compromising attitude. Where the first album was more attitude over substance. It opens with what I think is the albums best song and the only moment where the singer finds his actual singing voice. Not only is it the albums best song but one of the best new songs I've heard this week, when if you take into consideration how much new music I listen to very week is saying something. They cover a lot of ground in under three minutes and I do wish. PRefo this vibe was touched on in the rest of the album as their is a reckless sense of adventure .

"Coalition" is back to business punk and prettymuchloke what the first album dished out with better production on the guitar which still have the garage grim on them but the single note line sound more like Hisker Du to me. "Burning Hand" takes on more of a gallop almost like the riff to Holy Diver if it was dragged throught befitted of Europe and thrown up on , i like it better than the previous song, the noisy quality to what they do has taken on a ore sonic ambiance md in some ways it's even so ice Ike Sonic Youth and in other it's white noise that propels it in more of a post- punk sense.

"In Haze" has lee of a rock n roll feel , particularly in the interplay between guitar which not unlike Ceremony kinda hails back to a band like Wire or Televisio, the vocals are raw and ravaged. H discontent yet hold the melody of a pub song. the simp of the bass juxtaposes against the piano of of "Morals" and the gasping desperation of their singer mumbling towards a melody he can't grasp until the song takes off. It feels pretty sincere , they aren't faking the punk any step of the way nor are they setting of to be anyone but themselves.

Bass begins to hold everything together like duct tape in the ghetto. "Everything drifts" makes up for in heart what it lacks in melodic smarts, the vocals are still spat out with self contempt the guitar parts hum out of the ruckus with more me.oy than you might expect, their assault is simplistically but well placed and this album grows on me the more I listen. "Wounded Hearts" is similar in tone to the previous track as the. Ass anchors every thing for the guitars to drunkenly dance around and the singer to blurt out his coma tie insecurities.During this back end of the album we do get a lot more of the same vibe of almost cockney swagger.

The beginning barrage of " It Might Hit first" has a metal pound to it but it relaxes back into a punkier slouch the song is only a minute and a half so a minimal time frame to really establish much and most of the metal seems to be in the drums. The closing song default back into a sloppier simplistic punk ditty, it's another one that clocks Ina t two minutes so pretty much to the point and the more rudimentary style of punk that has always been to short on shred and dynamic for my tastes, but if you are into that sort of thing they execute it well for what it is and by the next album it would seem at their current rate of progress the will have grown out of the need for that sort of thing. It goes back into the old when a punk band learns how to play their instruments they become metal. Though in their cas I could see them going into Joy Division territory as eighties goth is the new metal.

I this this album as astep in the right direction for Iceage and a big improvement in their sound from their debut, iLife most things in the universe it's assets are the flip sides of its short coming and sometimes it's youthful ness is a little shortsighted, namely their default being sloppy punk rock, when they have some really intresting things to say so I'll give this one an 8 and leave it with room to grow on me fans of punk might round it up a point as they are very genuine at what they do and put their gray hearts into it.