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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January 's Top 10 Albums

 

The year is off to a decent start with more quality and quantity, so in the interest of keeping 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 genre of music the album falls under. 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 are not coming out til June, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month, there is a wide variety from pagan folk pop to grind-core to black metal, so perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for January of 2026.

10-N0/ MAS - "No Peace." 

Grind-core

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/nomas-no-peace.html

9-Eihwar-"Hugrheim" 

Pagan- Folk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/eihwar-hugrheim.html

8-ghostbells- "Catacoture" 

Goth

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/ghostbells-catacoture.html

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

Experimental 

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

6-Crippled Black Phoenix -"Sceaduhelm"

Post-punk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/crippled-black-phoenix-sceaduhelm.html

5-Ellende -"Zerfall" 

Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/ellende-zerfall.html

4-Ponte del Diavolo- "De Venom Natura" 

Blackened Post Punk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/ponte-del-diavolo-de-venom-natura.html

3-Softcult- "When a Flower Doesn't Grow." 

Dream pop/post-grunge

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

2-Megadeath-"s/t "

Thrash 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/megadeth-st.html

1-Blackwater Holylight- "Not Here Not Gone." 

Stoner Rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/blackwater-holylight-not-here-not-gone.html

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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, when they open the album with the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer", the most suited choice for Stewart's voice. He captures the anxiety the song stirs up well. Then things get weirder for Grace Jones' "Warm Leatherette," a song that was already on the fringes when released. The difference between the first two songs is that I like the Talking Heads classic, whereas I was never into Grace Jones as a singer.

They split the difference on "I Put a Spell on You". It builds into jazz-chaos. When you combine Throbbing Gristle with this band for "Hamburger Lady" the result is almost expected as shades of weird turn almost abrasive with the dissonant ambiance. You might need to get stoned for this. Stewart channels his inner Roy Orbison for "In Dreams," which forces him to lean into his falsetto. Once again a case of loving the original artist, making me appreciate what they are doing here. "Sex Dwarf" falls between the cracks of this analogy. 

They give Robyn's "Dancing on my Own" the kind of treatment I want them to. It's darker and more depressing.  This Heat's "SPQR" taps into a different mood for punk that I appreciate. Having not heard the Glorilla song, but aware of what kind of music it is, is all the background I need to go into their cover of "Lick or Sum." If hip-hop normally sounded more like this, I would listen to it more. A Daniel Johnston cover makes perfect sense. It carries a more melancholy atmosphere here. You can apply almost the same thing I said about Throbbing Gristle to these guys tackling Coil. There is more of a pulse that moves this one. 'Cherry Bomb' is not proto-punk but upholds the vibe of the original. I will give this one a 9.5, and see how it grows on me, as it captures the mood needed, while staying true to who they are. 

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The Top 10 Progressive Albums of 2024

When it comes to prog, few bands actually progress. Most that claim to be a part of this genre just wank around with an overabundance of guitar solos that the songs are merely bookends for, rather than serving songs that go somewhere.  The bands that made this year's top 10 list are taking you places with their songs. There are some guitar solos here and there, but shredding is not the emphasis, nor is using odd time signatures for the sake of just doing so. Some of these bands are more metallic, and a few albums even flirt with pop at times. These are not the coolest prog albums, but the best, fuck what other blogs say,  

After sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of 2024. The fact that these bands 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, and you look forward to listening to it again. You might find your next favorite on this list, and I have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway, here are the top 10 Progressive albums of 2024.

10- Blood Incantation- "Absolute Elsewhere" 

Sure combining Pink Floyd with Morbid Angel is a great idea. This album seems to have gotten enough hype due to it, and it certainly deserves an honorable mention here. But The rest of this list feels more original to me, and wears their influences less on their sleeves .

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/blood-incantation-absolute-elsewhere.html

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9-Trelldom- "...By the Shadows..." 

 It can be hard to keep up with all of Gaahl's varied project's over the years, despite him being one of my favorite Black Metal vocalists. This project is more diverse than Gorgoroth, and I think makes excellent use of his voice. The members of this band have also played in God Seed, with the drummer Kenneth Kapstad having covered the most ground. I would  not call this band black metal, though they are dark, but a flowing progressive sense flows through them. The shadowy drone they sweep you away in is very cool. This is the perfect mood for me. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/trelldom-by-shadows.html

8 Julie Christmas -""Ridiculous and Full of Blood" 

If you do not know Ms. Christmas from Made out of Babies then I am going to just go ahead and assume you know her from the album she did with Cult of Luna. The musicians she recruited to help her with this album provide a reasonable expectation of what sonic zip codes it's going take us in, as they include the guitarist from Cult of Luna, the drummer from Spotlights, KEN Mode's bassist, and John from Candiria adding guitars as well. So pretty every genre with post in front of it. Julie adds a playfully unhinged enthusiasm to her vocal performance, that reminds me a little of Rasputina. But with less baroque wistfulness. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/julie-christmas-ridiculous-and-full-of.html

7- Chapel of Disease- "Echoes of Light" 

The German band is a fairly interesting progressive death metal band, that wacky time changes aside and a penchant for rock n roll riffs are not too far out in left field. They are at times like a less gothy Tribulation. The guitarists are calling the shots here are the guitar is the centerpiece of the songs, often wandering f pocket very tastefully until things explode with the climax. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/chapel-of-disease-echoes-of-light.html

6-Xiu Xiu - " 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips"

My thoughts on Jamie Stewarts' experimental art vehicle range from respect to love to wishing he would stop fucking around and write songs as great as what was on "Dear God I Hate Myself". Here the band proves that they do not have to abandon their weird to write songs and launch into some genuine prog, enough to earn this a space on this list and not the post-punk list or the electronic list which both sub-genres the share common ground with. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/xiu-xiu-13-frank-beltrame-italian.htm

 

5 -Mamaleek - "Vida Blue" 

These guys are going further down the Tom Waits rabbit hole. The guitar is carried with a jazzier tone. There is a jammy abstract element that gets broken up by their heavier tendencies. As far as musicianship goes their game has really been stepped up. It's a weird collision of prog with punk. In fact, this album leans toward jazz more often than not with the gruff vocals the only thing anchoring it to the sound you are used to, which is progress, thus their place here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/mamaleek-vida-blue.html

4-Crippled Black Pheonix - "'The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature"

I gained a new appreciation for this band since the darker turn their past few albums have taken.  This time around they sprawl out from a creeping post-rock, into a more grandiose throb. Not as dark as what I expected after the last album but it works. Excellent production brings all the sounds into focus for this sonic adventure.  

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/crippled-black-phoenix-wolf-changes-its.html

3-David Gilmour - "Luck and Strange" 

You might not know that Pink Floyd is one of my favorite bands,  which created a high bar for this album,. At 78  guitarist David Gilmour, is not fading away. The title track of his new album rivals almost any Pink Floyd song that is not on "Animals". It's some of Gilmour's best guitar work. Even his voice sounds great, he's not afraid to reach up into his head register for a few notes here and there. This is the last recording keyboardist Richard Wright appears on before his death. This album is almost as much Pink Floyd as the 'Division Bell' is

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/david-gilmour-luck-and-strange.html

 

2-Opeth - "The Last Will and Testament"

14 Albums later Akerfeldt is the only original member but I am willing to count anyone who has been playing since "Deliverance" so that makes two. The return of the growl, is not the best part as that feels like they are dialing it in, they are never going to be a death metal band again, and this album is not on the level of  "Blackwater Park", but it works thanks do some strong jamming grooves. Plenty of prog chaos, but more focused songwriting. , 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/opeth-last-will-testament.html

1-Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - "Of the Last Human Being" 

When I place one of my favorite bands on the pedestal of what other bands should aspire to, said band must then meet these exalted expectations. If they are one of the best bands I have ever seen live then expectations are even higher. If they are coming back 17 years later, after you lived thinking their last album was the final chapter, then you can only hope for the best album ever. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum reopened in an attempt to make their best album yet. 2007's "In Glorious Times" is a perfect album, so they were wise not to take it head on but in a more mature step forward with the emphasis on more of the chamber music side, while employing all the creepy dissonance they are known for. It's not just the best prog album of the year, but perhaps the best album of the year. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/sleepytime-gorilla-museum-of-last-human.html

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Xiu Xiu : " 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips"

My thoughts on Jamie Stewarts' experimental art vehicle range from respect to love to wishing he would stop fucking around and write songs as great as what was on "Dear God I Hate Myself". The opening track of this album finds them engaged in a hushed Lynchian ambiance. I do not ask more from them than what the second song delivers. I never ask for the weird to be compromised, I just want a song. "Maestro One Chord" brings this with electronic beats creating an anxious groove, and the vocals mutter in the background. There is more of a rock feel to "Common Loon" with a hefty bass line to give some drive to things. 

They get weirder on "Pale Flower" which sounds like an audiobook of a John Carpenter screenplay narrated by John Waters. It does have enough dynamic shifts to work.  The key to these explorations in music as art, lies in "Veneficium" as the hint of prog rock powers the song's groove, creating a balance this album needs to prove they are not just fucking around making odd dissonant sounds, but legit musicians capable of playing their instruments. Even someone like me who has been following this band for the past 15 years, needs to be reminded of this instead of being immersed in what is a brand just like an avant-garde director like David Lynch has branded his own sense of weirdness. This carries over into "Sleep Blvd". They wander back out into the land of abrasive sonic oddities that is "T.D.F.TW".  This song is more effective since the listener was just given the taste of songs more grounded in melody.  

They are still willing to take things to the other side of the more noisy minimalist side of the spectrum for a song like the trippy swathe of free jazz-like ambiance that is "Bobby Bland". The album closes with "Pina, Coconut and Cherry". This song takes you into a dream state of abstraction.  Electronic sounds blip and beep with no form or function aside from the drum beat from a 90s Casio keyboard. Stewart's vocals sound like he managed to capture a nervous breakdown in the studio. This still very much is in line with what this project does, so I can go with the flow on it since they have already given me the actual songs I need from them, you just gotta get this noisy shit out of your system sometimes to have your creative vision realized, this album finds the balance I will give it a 9. 

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Xiu Xiu : " Ignore Grief"

Why do some relationships works, when in the dating phase you are stuck on one idea of what someone is and you are either adding to or taking away from that altar in your head to them. This is not much different that the relationship between artist and fans. Bands often  hook you in with one release that touches you and then from there every thing is measured against it. With these guys it's "Dead God I Hate Myself" but always solidified them as a band I was really into. Since that time, there have been albums that touch on what I love about them, yet who they are is degrading into noisy experimentation rather than emotionally drive songs of bi polar depravity. This album finds Angela and Jamie splitting the album in half when it comes to vocal duties. It opens with crashing industrial noise. Not really a song, but sounds being used to create art. The colors they use are dark enough to b e pleasing to my ears, but do not go anywhere.

Dave Kendrik from Sparks and Devo fame has joined the band. Kendrick is normally a drummer, so I am not sure what he is really doing as there are more moments of noise than music that requires a beat. When we get to the "Little Richard" song I am not sure what is going on. I have a feeling that for a great deal of this album the instruments were turned on before being tossed down the stairs as a boom mic captured it all. In their minds they are making industrial music and modern classical music. I am not sure who they are using as a point of reference for either/ Lyrically they claim to follow themes like a mother selling her child into prostitution, but the narrative is about as opaque as "Eraserhead "The jazz elements that begin to creep in work the better than anything else in play on this album. 

Not sure if "Border Factory' is a song or not, but it does make sense that they think this is classical as it is more atmospheric and less noise focused than the first half of the album. This became a very hard album to review, as it became more about sounds and less about songs. That is often the barometer I use to gauge quality. With that said this album is being rounded up to a 6, because of the dark mood it captures. If it was not for that I might be prone to think it was garbage.

Xiu Xiu : " OH NO"

 

After 20 years of creating dark music that falls some where between indie rock and post punk, they continue to fuel their legacy wit ha unique album of duets . The first of these is with Sharon Von Etten. These are obviously artists that are in the same zip code as Xiu Xiu's brand of  weird. The first song shows how seamlessly they can blend . One half of Drab Majesty comes aboard for "I Cannot Resist", It is out of the range of  what you might expect from Deb Demure. There is a more ballad like tone than what I might want from this pairing, This is sometimes the price paid for some of Xiu Xiu's experimentation. "The Grifters" is more organic which is fitting considering the fact Haley Fohr is joining him for this one., The vocals have an oddly operatic quality to them.  Next up they are joined by Greg from Deerhoof.  It sounds like this song was recorded in a cave by gnomes. There is no shortage of their trademark weirdness. 

The title track finds their weirdness pushing the boundaries of  atmosphere and noise. It almost becomes more about sound than song.  I no longer do the drugs needed to hear it the way it should be heard.  The reconnect with writing songs when Angus from Liars shows up for "Rumpus Room" . It has a groove and everything.. This is the best song so far. They keep the song streak going with " Fuzz Gong Fight" which is creepy but still moving and dynamic. Violinist Owen Pallet sings  on " I Dream Of Someone Else Entirely" .  He is not an opera singer but comes at singing from a more trained perspective.  Chelsea Wolfe helps them tackle a cover of the Cure's " One Hundred Years" which is one of my favorite Cure songs.  It might be darker than the original . 

Electronic artist Fabrizio Polumbo makes noise with them on "A Classic Screw" . Johnathan from Shearwater reins them in a little for "It Bothers Me All the Time" . Twin Shadow helps to bring some sanity to "Saint Dymphna" . "Knock Out" is more of a song, though Alice Bag does not do a great deal to contribute. Liz Harris forces them to focus more on "Bottle of Rum" . There are some strong songs on here, when they decide to write them. The emotive and original nature of what they do makes up for a lot , so I will give this album an 8.5. Not there best but better than most.   

Wrekmeister Harmonies : "We Love to Look at the Carnage"

Now on their 5th album these guys have crossed over fully into Nick Cave's neighborhood. I guess that place is called folk. It's sort of dark, more moody. Minimal arrangement and the vocals dominate like folk. Unlike folk they are more spoken than sun. Jamie Stewart from Xiu Xiu lends his voice to the song "Still Life With Prick Cancer" .  Things get weirder here. There is noise floating around. Stewarts vocals are a hushed desperate plea. It works much in the same way as the first song, but with none of the Nick Cave sense to it. I think it's the most subtle use of dynamics I have heard this project encompass. It's very pretty , but not something I would keep in my iPod and put in rotation with Tom Waits or Joy Division. Those acts are more song focused. This paints with the sonics. I often complain about bands being ore focused on sound than songs. Well if you are going to do it and make it the exception to the rule this is one way.

Thor Harris of Swans also adds percussion to this album. That makes perfect sense when you consider the direction this is going in.  It is only heavy in the sense the abrasive turns it takes challenge you. It has been a weird day for music for me as I just finished reviewing the new Today is the Day. If you like this album, you will likely at least appreciate the Today is the Day album as it disregards most conventions of rock music. This is more like the looming dusk that commiting to the kind of darkness you feel.  "Coyotes of Central Park" gets back to the kind of morbid Americana they
simmer in on the first song .  "the Rat Catcher" is almost just like the new mournful post- "Push the Sky Away" Nick Cave. It's well done and there are pleasing sounds from the instrumentation , but it's Nick Cave worship for sure. For minutes in their are more intense electric sounds coming that give it more depth. It's doomy without owing anything to Black Sabbath.

"Immolation"is the last song and it goes into a more atmospheric post -rock sort of thing with the rock elements dialed back. It carries the same kind of narration as the bulk of these songs which fades into the background at this point. I will give this album an 8. It is pleasing to your ears, and well done for what it is , but what it is comes too close to Nick Cave and I already have all of his albums. If you are a fan of these guys you can round it up a half a point.

Mix Tape Mania : "Con Drop Edition"

Con drop was held at bay by throwing myself into writing, now I feel it beginning to creep in. The most obvious thing of course to in order to keep it at bay is make a mix. The bulk of these are from albums that came out this year that I am digging which fall into the more quirky darkness of the depressive style of indie rock I like. Hope you enjoy and maybe find a new band or three.  


Crooked Ghost - "Sinew in Red "





  The Pleasure Leftists-_ "the Conversation" 






  Xiu Xiu - " Chocolate Makes You Happy"





Low Dose _ "For Sure"



  Gold "Why Aren't You Laughing"



  Brutus - "Techno"




  Bon Iver - "Hey Mom"








The Faint - "Young & Realistic"




  Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats _ "Exodus"





  The Foreign Resort - "Outnumbered"

Xiu Xiu : " Forget'

I need this project to focus on Jamie Stewart's voice and really wallow in it's misery and the opener certainly gives me this even with the weird outburst of rap that blurt out for five seconds at a time. I need them to more song focused than experimental. I don't have to have guitar. Synths are fine with me. There is more of an abstract arrangement to "Queen of the Losers" , this contrasts the tighter groove oriented alt-pop of "Wondering". This finds the project at the peak of focus when it comes to their song writing smarts. "Get Up' takes things down to an almost "Sweet Jane" like tenderness, and eventually builds, is pleasant but not what I think of as the album's strongest song. The airy ballads continue on the song after this.

They are more in their sweet spot on a song like "Jenny Gogo" that finds Stewart's vocals in a hushed brooding and then jumping out into the darker distant dissonance. Not sure this would qualify under anyone's definition of goth could would appeal to a similar demographic, if they are open to more experimental forms of indie rock. When the shift back into the more lullaby like pulse the weight of the song then lies on Stewart, this is balanced out when they add a more rock sense of dynamics and stronger percussion on a song like "At Last, At Last". This finds them at the threshold of how subdued I want their dynamics to be. Here it's a pretty much perfect blend of all of their defining elements. The kraut rock like synth line to the title track really helps balance the song out and adds a cinematic intensity.

"Petite" lives up to it's name an is very minimal and intimate. I normally would get bored by how fragile this song is , but some how it works much better than expected. Things get bigger and darker for the very elegant "Faith, Torn Apart" , which I immediately like so it might have some goth elements or at least sound good when you are high. At almost eight minutes this is also the album's longest song.The queen'a narrative at the end of the song goes on a little long, but overall the album is pretty solid and much better than their previous one, so I am glad that was just a bump in the road and they are back in much better form. I'll give this one a 9 and see how it sits with me.r />

Xiu Xiu : " Angel Guts- Red Class Room

The San Franciso band spear headed by Jamie Stewart returns, finding a darker and more brooding place to emerge from than Stewart did with "Always". The album often forces you to ponder the line between experimental and music. Do they sacrifice song writing for sonic freedom? The second track on the album " Archie Fades" is more of a song than the opener. Stewart's voice retains it's fragile tremble and I appreciate the mood it creates ,but  tends to drone on the one idea rather than really going any where.

Without question " Stupid in the Dark" is the album's strongest song on it's chorus hook catapults it to the top of the heap as far as the band's body of work goes.The lyrics are smart, the line " you taught me a lesson , people are stupid in the dark" is the same kind of passive aggressive stab Morrissey would take. From this point on the bands tends to flirt with an almost industrial feel like some of Skinny Puppy's less dancey moments. When I think of the album in this way I can appreciate the forsaking of melody, song structure and dynamics more.

"Black Dick" is the next track that sounds like a song. The beat has more movement and the sparse synths creep around it. The vocals act more like abstract spoken word around it. They continue to wallow deeper into a hole of self loathing on "New Life Immigration" . The vocals take a more melodic approach, though the beat becomes more shapeless. "El Naco" feels almost like a witch house or rape gaze song. The vocals are more crazed and the entire presentation feels like a mental break down

A clearer rhyme and reason emerges on "Adult Friends". The remains experimental but the song is more effective in creating a sense of dynamics. Similar can be said of " The Sliver Platter", though it might be even darker than its predecessor. The desperate tenderness to "Bitter Melon" is executed well and shows they are capable of blending experimentation with conveying emotion.

"Knife in the Sun" sounds like the soundtrack to Dallas Buyers Club if it had been a horror movie. It's abrasives but counters it's self with a groove. The noise indulgence returns on "Cinthya's Unisex". "Bontanica de Los Angeles" returns to the more industrial laced murk of synth noise for Stewarts pleading to bleat over, and it works pretty well, leaving the title track as an outro that sounds like a farting chainsaw.

I'll give this album a 7.5 for now though it's darkness might speak to me more in a low swing and allow the album to continue to grow on me , if you like a lot of dark noise to go with your desperation then round this up to an 8, but I think Stewart is too good of a song writer when he actually tries to write a song.

The Weekly Shuffle: Even the Abysmal Get the Blues

I know there hasn't been a lot from me this week, it took a turn for the worse and I am struggling to keep my head above water, I know I'm in a bad spot when I start to not want to listen to music. So consider this a version of the weekly shuffle.  I'm going to find the first ten songs on shuffle mode that describe how I feel, its funny how most of the music I listen too would be described are dark or depressing but when I'm in a bad place I lose interest in it.

"You Fail Me" by Converge-the lyrics from Jacob aren't the most decipherable of his work but the feeling is there, the crunch of the guitar feels like the churn of my stomach so that resonates with me as well as the chords at the end feel like the perfect soundtrack.

"Undo You" by Katatonia-lyrically they are always in the ball park the airy ambiance of the intro is almost to happy, the "fate brings you down for the count /with broken promises to amount" line hits the spot well. this rides the fine line to being to happy but it's raining as the sun shines as I type this so that is fitting

"I Remember Nothing" by Joy Division- yeah I feel like hanging with Ian Curtis,  his almost out of key plea that we were strangers for way to long isn't how I feel I relate more to the guitar on though the me in my own world and you there beside hints at it.

"Where the Wild Roses Grow" By Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-this is pretty soothing I guess I need to listen to more Nick Cave there is a reflective yearning to this one. The melancholy of this one is like a peaceful place I would like to get to though there is a desperation brought on by other life situations that makes this song sound almost too hopeful to the point of being unattainable. Gods grant me the serenity to be Nick Cave.

"Protect me From What I Want" by Placebo- this seems like a wide angle lens on life right now, the detached observer taking notes on the past and projecting them into the future, the guitar chords I hear in my head with out music so I can relate to this one , for some reason I have an urge to hear the o.k computer album, so that's a good sign there is something I would like to hear.

"the Oldness" by Xiu Xiu- yes this music is reading my mind, his tone of voice is how I feel, the lyrics are in question a little to vague, but I can relate to how they are delivered, when I was a teenager lyrics always had to be dead on like a diary, now i'm more empathetic.

" Hi " by Xiu Xiu, here is the resent turned in and cynical as I feel the jading of the lily gilding. The out look being fucked is what I get from this song, even though it's dancey as hell the fact my head isn't bobbing means I get it.

" I Remember Who You Are" by Swans- Normally Jarboe songs aren't my favorite but its really comparing George Harrison to John Lennon, though she came and went and they stayed Swans, this is on the more the glass is half full side to me, and the lyrics seem like words to live by. The you remain unchanged is sinister as change is need to thrive and being stuck and stagnant lead to death. The last verse to bittersweet for sure.

"Manifest Destiny" is PERFECT -  
  I don't have a reason to go back home

So what am I supposed to do?
I only know one place where I have to be
And it's gotta be with you
I'm on my way now
So you gotta help me out
You gotta make it out for me

How could we survive?
Yeah I'll think about the kids
Just let your speed arrive
Yeah don't worry about the rest

There is a fire that burns on my tongue
So what can I ever do?
I see them at you feeling your loss
And I wanna feel it too
I will find you and roll out the fire
So you gotta help me out
You gotta make it out for me

How could we survive?
Yeah just think about the kids
Just let your speed arrive
Yeah don't worry about the rest

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmania.com/manifest_destiny_lyrics_zola_jesus.html
All about Zola Jesus: http://www.musictory.com/music/Zola+Jesus 

"lick the palm of the burning hand by "Zola Jesus- she is reading my email
I'm the only one that sticks aroundWhen they call your name out of a crowdAnd you say it don't hurt when I'm going aloneAnd you know it don't hurt but I keep it strongSo I don't try to goI just won't and you knowThe need to know it takes you overTakes you overThe need to grow it take you underTake you underIt bares the keeping of resistanceTo the listen again and againIt takes you over again and againIt takes you over[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/lick-the-palm-of-the-burning-handshake-lyrics-zola-jesus.html ]I'm the only one that makes you stopAnd I know the plane is going downWhen you say you don't see the red in my eyesDo you really want to bring the fire outsideI don't want you to goLose my eyes I'll never showThe need to know it takes you overTakes you overThe need to grow it take you underTake you underIt bares the keeping of no resistanceTo the listen again and againIt takes you over again and againIt takes you over

Read more: ZOLA JESUS - LICK THE PALM OF THE BURNING HANDSHAKE LYRICS 

the Smiths ended up being  too happy for me, in reflecting there's is always the satisfaction in  fact that any good music they listen to is going to make them think of you , though I can't listen to Abigail right now as it was a car song but if i take the big pciture of everything into consideration car songs are small peas