David Bowie

Blackstar

ISO Records / Columbia

David Bowie has always stood outside the lines. In the last decade or so, every album release came as a surprise of sorts: no media circus or worldwide promo tour. Each release showed Bowie slipping into his older years with something more stable stylistically. Here on his 69th birthday we get his 25th album, Blackstar. In an almost complete lack of concern about what others may think, he released his most complete work in years so neatly stamping a mark to act as a coda for his career, and incidentally his life. In true Bowie fashion, he made something with lasting merits – something different, yet very much his own. (Jon)

A Tribe Called Quest

We Got It From Here...Thank You For Your Service

Epic

Coming off their second hiatus, A Tribe Called Quest have released what is arguably their most politically charged and strongest album in their long and storied career. Recorded virtually in secret with member Phife Dawg before his untimely passing earlier this year, We Got It... is 16 tracks of hip-hop 101, each averaging 3 minutes, and there's nary a single nanosecond wasted. This album doesn't just belong on the playlist labeled "essential", it's on the playlist labeled "important". (Kevin)

Swans

The Glowing Man

Young God

With The Glowing Man, Swans add to their legacy. That triptych of double albums has proved the shamanic wisdom of this band. Years do not seem to weigh on Swans' creativity, past experiences do not define what they represent. It is stated that The Glowing Man will mark the end of the current incarnation of the band, something quite logical since they have released in total about six hours of music within four years, so it does feel like the appropriate time for a reboot. When Swans first reemerged I was quite skeptical, but now I am strangely optimistic. And at the mean time I can listen to their three, arguably, greatest records. (Spyros)

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Skeleton Tree

Bad Seed LTD.

Skeleton Tree would seem to be (and most understandably so), a transitional album and it will be very interesting to see where Cave’s music will go from here but in all the darkness there’s always the faintest glimmer of light, and on the title track which closes the album, Cave leaves us with that light - glowing white like fire. That glimmer of life and hope that refuses to burn out. Warm and reassuring, letting us know it’s alright now. It's alright now... (Kevin)

Radiohead

A Moon Shaped Pool

XL Recordings

A Radiohead album release has become akin to finding folding money under a seat cushion. It doesn't happen often and when it does, it's usually a surprise. A Moon Shaped Pool is an overall quieter entry into the band's catalog - at least much more so than 2011's bombastic and somewhat uneven King of Limbs, though this isn't to be mistaken for Radiohead-lite. They continue to be a band that can convey more with a solitary whisper, than most bands can with a chorus of screams. (Kevin)

Metallica

Hardwired...to Self Destruct

Blackened Recordings

8 years. Jesus. That’s the same length of time as Barack Obama’s two-term administration. That’s the entire lifespan of an 8 year old child. That’s too goddamn long between albums, is what it is. Hardwired… to Self Destruct is not necessarily a new standard of excellence in the band’s catalog, but Metallica still manage to sound more vital and capable than 90% of heavy music being played by bands half their age. Let’s just hope they release another album before the next Supermoon. (Kevin)

Cobalt

Slow Forever

Profound Lore

The future looked very dark for Cobalt, following the release of 2009's Gin. Wunder and McSorley seemed to have perfected their recipe for the black metal outfit, following the release of their debut album, War Metal, and especially their sophomore full-length, Eater of Birds. The band ceased activities, and time went by. Now, not only do they return with a double album, but they might be coming back with their best work so far in the 84 minutes of Slow Forever. (Spyros)

Boilerman

Feel Ways About Stuff

86'd Records

Iggy Pop

Post Pop Depression

Loma Vista Recordings

When Iggy Pop parted ways with The Stooges in the mid-seventies, no one really knew what to expect from the man next. If they had been taking bets in Vegas, the highest odds would have gone to: Moving to Berlin to collaborate with David Bowie. Iggy has gone on record as saying Post Pop Depression could very well be his swansong. I get it. I do. The man has lived enough of a life to satiate the most bacchanalian horde, but selfishly, I don’t want this to end. I want this party to go on until I’m forcefully dragged from the room. There’s a brief tour to accompany this album. I will be sure to be there and you should be sure to be there, too. With the life he’s lived and career he’s had, there’s a good chance that this is indeed it, so I don’t know about you folks, but I’m damn sure I want to at least be there for last call. (Kevin)

Alcest

Kodama

Prophecy Productions

Kodama is a record that follows Alcest’s path of spirituality in music. It strips things back to the basics of Alcest’s sound and lifts the mind into new realms while doing so. In searching for answers, Alcest create music that speaks to many – they’re not quite black metal, and not wholly shoegaze, but they are entirely human and it’s in this that people have found their home. "Onyx" closes out Kodama on bittersweet, instrumental tones that offer a slight glimpse at the sunlight that we all seek to find. (Cheryl)

Big Eyes

Stake My Claim

Don Giovanni

Big Eyes play in the punk circuit but their sound definitely isn’t restricted to the genre ghetto. It’s more open-ended rock, but is concise, fiery, and personal, which makes it a good fit in the punk scene. I hear as much Cheap Trick and other non-gimmicky classic rock as I hear Ramones (and the obligatory Joan Jett reference). Stake My Claim grows off the imprint of their previous work, using that hard hitting rock core but giving a unique touch throughout. It’s powerful, yet tempered, forceful instead of soaring. And this time it’s personal. (Loren)

40 Watt Sun

Wider than the Sky

Radiance Records

40 Watt Sun hold a special place in the hearts of those who have heard their music and been affected by the honesty within. Having been many years in the making, Wider than the Sky comprises of six beautiful songs that speak to the very essence of humanity and delves below the surface of relationships and sadness and loss. It's a beautiful presentation of honesty, dreams, sadness and passion, and 40 Watt Sun are a band to be engulfed by. (Cheryl)

Arms Aloft

What a Time to Be Barely Alive

Red Scare Industries

Midtempo punk sounds like such a boring idea. And sometimes it really is. But when it works, it’s hard to top. The chords are still powerful and concise, the frustration and fury still present, but it’s more tempered when the tempo drops down a bit and more powerful when it rises to the top. The vocals need to sneer and snarl instead of shout. It’s that ability to balance emotion with aggression and uncertainty that sets Arms Aloft ahead of the pack. They’re absolutely a punk band through and through. It’s DIY at heart, super cynical, and built around the cusp of just-contained emotion, but it’s also carefully structured with rising and falling power within each song instead of full-throttle fury. (Loren)

Rakta

III

Iron Lung

From São Paulo, Brazil, this band tests the limits of what is considered punk and the results are truly awesome. Picking any track of this and you've got the best song you've heard this year. (Nathan)

Perturbator

The Uncanny Valley

Blood Music

James Kent, known as Perturbator, has been meticulously constructing whole worlds with his dark synthwave music, one album at a time. His love of cyberpunk concepts has been the driving force for all his releases, and coupled with a strong '80s aesthetic, he has been able to breathe life into these feverish visions of futuristic domains. The Uncanny Valley was named after a hypothesis in robotics engineering. A phenomenon that occurs when a robot resembling, nearly identically the human form, causes a response of revulsion to the human observer. This is not the case with listening to The Uncanny Valley. There is not a single moment that can make you look away. (Spyros)

Oranssi Pazuzu

Värähtelijä

Svart Records/20 Buck Spin

Värähtelijä marks Oranssi Pazuzu’s fourth foray into the outer reaches and the Finnish band pull no punches in creating a record that melds tripped out cosmic rhythms with the distinct aesthetics of modern black metal. Oranssi Pazuzu aren’t your typical Finnish black metal band and with their music they set out to push the boundaries of what the genre should sound like and found themselves a niche. Värähtelijä is a textured, soulful journey into the furthest realms of consciousness, leaving its unsettling imprint for a long time after the music has ended. (Cheryl)

Rome

The Hyperion Machine

Trisol Music Group

The prolific nature of Rome shouldn't result in stunning music with each album but somehow Jerome Reuter manages to create narratives and sounds that invoke passion, sadness, joy and despair - often all within the same record. The Hyperion Machine is no different and the stripped back atmosphere of this latest release only adds to its wonderful aura. (Cheryl)

Toys That Kill

Sentimental Ward

Recess

It’s nice when your favorite bands surprise you. It took six years for Fambly 42, so I wasn’t ready for Sentimental Ward yet (though apparently it’s already been another four years). Fambly 42 acted like no time had passed and the same holds true here, on Toys That Kill’s fifth full-length release. The four-piece continues playing off kilter pop punk with rhythmic chanty choruses and upbeat sunny vibes that counter the semi-bitter lyrics. It’s pogo punk, music to keep bouncing to regardless of theme or subject. (Loren)

Schoolboy Q

Blank Face

Top Dawg

Gangster rap with like, feelings, and stuff. (Nathan)

Avvenir

Natural Language

Safety Records

A constantly evolving, consistently interesting experimental soundscape which proves there is solid work being done in the electronic realm beyond the big-name, festival-friendly beatmakers. (Andy)

Schammasch

Triangle

Prosthetic Records

The Swiss quartet follow up Contradiction with a triple release consisting of three stunning EPs. Rather than allowing one style of music to take precedent, the band instead give each aspect of their sound time and room to breath and in doing have created an epic and expansive release that only reveals more with time. (Cheryl)

Shallow Cuts

Empty Beach Town

No Idea Records

Shallow Cuts is certainly at home on No Idea Records but it’s also got a cleaner focus that pulls away from coarse (read: raspy) vocals and driving beats, instead pulling the tempo back just a step while looking inward at ourselves and outward toward the Pacific Ocean, burrito in hand as the hot sun helps us sweat another hangover away. (Loren)

Anxiety

Anxiety

La Vida Es En Mus Discos Punk

Claustrophobic, eerie, freakout art noise from Glasgow. Don't be surprised if every punk band in 2017 sounds like this. (Nathan)

Mannequin Pussy

Romantic

Tiny Engines

Neurosis

Fires Within Fires

Neurot Recordings

The experimental and extreme music scenes today would be completely different, probably for the worse, if it was not for the influence that Neurosis have had on numerous bands through the late '90s and early '00s. Starting off as a hardcore punk band in the late '80s, Neurosis went through a perpetual evolution, acquiring additional elements, revealing a plethora of diverse influences, embracing atmosphere and psychedelic tones, revealing an emotional depth, all aspects that were very ahead of their time. Their journey has been a mystical, agonizing path towards enlightenment. And every time you let yourself believe they have reached this goal, they prove you wrong and have another go at it. (Spyros)

Leonard Cohen

You Want It Darker

Columbia

With the passing of Leonard Cohen, we find ourselves assuaged with the same sadness and loss as with David Bowie, but thankfully once again a legend was kind enough - while coming to grips with his own mortality, to leave us with his epitaph to give us our own catharsis. Everything we've ever come to love about the man's music is all represented right here. The cadence, the hushed tones, the female vocals, only delivered with more...finality - even talking about his relationships - as Cohen sings on "On The Level", the only song on the album co-written with long-time collaborator Sharon Robinson, "They oughta give my heart a medal for letting go of you, when I turned my back on the devil, turned my back on the angel too." (Kevin)

Wedrujacy Wiatr

O turniach, jeziorach i nocnych szlakach

Werewolf Promotion

Polish duo Wedrujacy Wiatr follow up an incredible debut with a record that speaks of Poland's history and folklore and in doing so creates a record that climbs with absolute sorrow and defiant grace. (Cheryl)

Low Culture

Places To Hide

Dirtnap

Screens, (2013) was damn near perfect. So what does Low Culture have in store with their second LP? It’s not disappointment, that’s for sure. Places to Hide continues their run of modern garage-punk that’s run through the melody filter and cleaned up of the fuzz and distortion, letting the elemental energy and punk tempo drive the songs while the vocals are clean and, for the most part, are actually sung. The tight rhythm section, which doesn’t let up for a second over the 33-minute album, is the hero here while the dual vocal approach of Chris Mason and Joe Ayoub give that melodic touch to push it over the edge and ahead of the pack. (Loren)

Timeless Truth

Cold Wave

Different Worlds

This is on that '90s Polo rugby shirts and goose down jackets tip. Gear up for icy expedition through five boroughs boom-bap nostalgia. (Nathan)

Angel Olsen

My Woman

Jagjaguwar

Angel Olsen has been very active since the release of her debut cassette Strange Cacti, revealing a very promising work. Her dark indie folk/rock tone had a haunting effect, which peaked with Half Way Home and the excellent Burn Your Fire For No Witness. The delicate folk tones of Olsen were engulfed by a healthy dose of reverb, ample amount of distortion and a general lo-fi perspective. However, My Woman sees a slight departure from the lo-fi mode, and a more straightforward approach in terms of the production. If you think this album sees a hard turn to pop/rock, do not be alarmed. The soul of Olsen's music has remained untampered, and it proves that she does not need a more extreme production in order to appear interesting. As if we did not know... (Spyros)