Album of The Year list time is fast approaching! 2017 has been an incredible year for US/THEM group. The following are links and details about every US/THEM group release for 2017 for your consideration.
US/THEM group - 2017 Year in Review:
VARIOUS ARTISTS - I Said No Doctors! (Jan 25) Full album stream
Experimental instruments compilation featuring Silver Apples, David Grubbs, Oval, Dan Deacon, Jad Fair and more. A celebration of sound and artistry beyond the range provided by standard musical instruments.
EVIL TRIPLET - Otherworld (Feb 10) Full album stream
Heavy psych trio from Austin, led by guitarist/vocalist Steve Marsh of seminal 80s punks Terminal Mind (of the scene that spawned The Big Boys and The Dicks) with a rhythm section featuring members of My Education, Stars of the Lid and Cinders. The wild space rock double album receive an outpouring of press raves over its synthesis of psych, Krautrock, punk and classic rock.
DUNBARROW Dunbarrow (March 10) Full album stream
Trondheim, Norway quintet Dunbarrow reissued their 2016 self-titled debut album worldwide with a special die-cut sleeve. Norwegian proto-doom with a back-to-basics sound, from Pentagram and Witchfinder General to Quicksilver Messenger Service. Dunbarrow's clean, unadorned sound is a classic in the sense that every song becomes instantly recognizable after just one listen.
HERE LIES MAN Here Lies Man (April 7) Full album stream
What if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat? In short, that's the underlying vibe to the self-titled debut by Here Lies Man. The L.A. based quintet is founded and conceptualized by Marcos Garcia of Antibalas, bringing his erudite experience of World rhythms and music to the more riff-based foundations of heavy rock. The results are an incredibly catchy and refreshing twist on classic forms.
GHOST AGAINST GHOST - still love (April 14) Full album stream
Neo-classical composer and singer Christopher Bono crafted this epic album of musical and emotional complexity, hailed by Stereogum, Prog Magazine (“a masterwork”), Tiny Mix Tapes, Metal Injection and many more. Bono is joined by Mercury Rev guitarist Anthony Molina and ex-Mars Volta and Trash Talk drummer Thomas Pridgen.
VARIOUS ARTISTS BROWN ACID: THE FOURTH TRIP (April 20) Full album stream
The popular compilation series of long-lost vintage 60s-70s proto-metal and stoner rock singles fourth edition continues the headbanging tradition.The series is curated by L.A. label RidingEasy Records and retailer/label Permanent Records. The two have assembled a selection of songs that's hard to believe have remained unheard for so long and tapped a goldmine of hard rock brilliance.
CHARMING DISASTER - Cautionary Tales (April 21) Full album stream
Brooklyn, NY duo inspired by the gothic humor of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton, the noir storytelling of Raymond Chandler, the stylish aesthetic of French new wave film, the murder ballads of the Americana tradition, and the dramatic flair of the cabaret, they write songs that tell stories - exploring themes like love, death, crime, ancient mythology, and the paranormal.
THE KRAKEN QUARTET - Separate | Migrate (April 28) Full album stream
A massive force of percussion and electronics, The Kraken Quartet is a genre-crossing group known for its highly energetic and engaging performances. The Austin-based group of rhythmatists has been heralded for merging elements of math rock, minimalism, indie, post-rock, electronica, and the avant-garde.
SWANSEA - Flaws (April 28) Full album stream
Portland, OR musician/actress/writer, Rebecca Sanborn (Loch Lomond, Blue Cranes) and drummer Ji Tanzer (Blue Cranes, Rebecca Gates) with multi-instrumentalist/singer Kyleen King combine artful narrative and atmospheric sweep with a touch of dancey, off-the-cuff toughness, often drawing comparison to LCD Soundsystem, St. Vincent and My Brightest Diamond.
BIG WALNUTS YONDER - Big Walnuts Yonder (May 5) Full album stream
Bassist/vocalist Mike Watt (Minutemen, The Stooges), guitarist Nels Cline (Wilco, Nels Cline Singers), drummer Greg Saunier (Deerhoof) and guitarist/vocalist Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos) making music beyond expectations. A truly epic album defying categorization, where one might hear elements of proto-punk, free jazz, power pop, experimental music, psych-rock and your first teenage acid trip all in one.
BRUTUS - Burst (May 12) Full album stream
Hailing from Leuven, Belgium, this genre-bending trio blew the doors open with its stellar debut praised by Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, Dillinger Escape Plan’s Greg Puciato and Thrice drummer Riley Breckenridge, to name just a few. Nerdist raves: “the band we’ve been waiting for.” Kerrang: “One of the albums of the year. 5/5”. Revolver Magazine: “With its nuanced arrangements and multi-layered effects, Burst could be a handful for a 10-man band to perform, let alone a trio.”
SUSPIRIANS - Ti Bon Ange (June 9) Full album stream
Austin trio Suspirians, featuring Roky Erickson, St37 drummer Lisa Cameron, guitarist/vocalist Marissa Pool, and keyboardist/bassist Stephanie Demopulos create a cosmos of inescapable rhythm and immersive sounds. Clrvynt: "40 minutes' worth of feedback-drenched, brain-melting rock that straddles the line between The Stooges' impatient punk and Roky Erickson's heady jams." Austin Chronicle: “A roaring expedition of spellbinding psych punk.”
PINK FROST - New Minds (June 16) Full album stream
Popular Chicago quartet’s first new album in 4 years received praise from Bandcamp Daily, Clrvynt, New Noise, Echoes & Dust and more. New Minds proves to be an immense growth in dynamics, showcasing a diverging sound in which the straight ahead rock songs are heavier and darker, while the blissed out space jams and melodies are more delicate and personal.
QUIN GALAVIS - The Battery Line (June 16) Full album stream
Songwriter Quin Galavis returns with a more refined, yet lyrically weighty followup to last year's critically-praised double album. The album's powerful, expressive and hook-laden songs show that Galavis isn't beholden to the dark avant rock of his previous release. Austin Chronicle: “His personal pop apex. Don’t worry, it’s not as uplifting as it sounds.” Glide Magazine: “Much like Paul Westerberg, Galavis proves to have a penchant for writing songs that are are fast and at times heavy while still managing to be insanely catchy.”
BLACKOUT The Horse (June 23) Full album stream
NYC trio Blackout's take on doom and stoner rock is filled with a gritty, mechanistic heft unlike bands of their ilk from anywhere else. Subsumed within the greasy grooves of The Horse there are echoes of NYC heavy legends like Helmet, Cro-Mags, Judge, Prong and others -- not as intentional homage, but rather a vibe that permeates and inadvertently gives its bands a unique power that few can match.
SHOOTING GUNS Flavour Country (Aug 11) Full album stream
Shooting Guns is known (and oft-nominated) for their film soundtrack work, but Flavour Country is more like a collection of anthems for your jettison from this universe into the multiverse. While they're known for heavy and saturated sounds befitting crazed horror-comedy flicks like Netflix hit WolfCop, Flavour Country features some of the band's fastest, heaviest and most visceral material to date. Yet, it also features some of the band's most atmospheric sounds as well.
PLAX - Clean Feeling (Aug 11) Full album stream
Austin punk “supergroup” Plax is Victor (Skeleton, Nosferatu), Marley (OBN IIIs, Sweet Talk), Chris (Spray Paint, Dikes of Holland, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth) and Michael (OBN IIIs, eetsFEATS). TrebleZine: ”Melodic, abrasive, dark, intense and weird all at once, recalling the likes of post-punk icons like Wire or more contemporary groups like Protomartyr."
TERA MELOS - Trash Generator (Aug 25) Full album stream
Trash Generator, the trio's third full length, is an astonishing blast of confidence and rejuvenation. The performances are brilliant and sharp, the songs concise yet intricately detailed, and the album production deftly captures the band's strength as a live unit. Pitchfork: “Tera Melos builds on its prodigious mix of post-hardcore and prog, reigning in the chops in service of catchy, harmonically rich songs.” NPR: “A sugar-dusted thrill-ride.”
INGEBRIGT HÅKER FLATEN’S TIME MACHINE - Hong Kong Cab (Sept 14) Full album stream
The debut effort from Time Machine, a solo vehicle for Atomic and The Thing bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, is a bit of a departure for the double bassist, especially for those used to hearing his roles in free-jazz blowouts and improvised music deep dives. The album spans a range from harsh noise tracks, experimental jazz and pulsating pedal effects explorations.
SPELLJAMMER Inches From The Sun (Sept 22) Full album stream
Swedish trio Spelljammer reissue of their celebrated 2010 debut Inches From the Sun. This is the album's first time on vinyl, and first proper release worldwide. Inches From the Sun is a hypnotic groove-based hybrid of classic Desert Rock and rumbling European doom that launched the band to international acclaim following its release.
MONOLORD Rust (Sept 29) Full album stream
Monolord is a rare breed: A band both encompassing and transcending genre; a vortex of heavy rock density that consumes all others. Their thunderous, tuneful heft has built a rabid international fanbase in short order since their 2014 debut. But Rust, the band's third full length, truly exemplifies why some refer to them as the Nirvana of doom. Universally praised and receiving countless perfect 10/10 ratings thus far since release, Rust is destined to remain a landmark album for the ages.
FACIAL - Facade (Sept 29) Full album stream
L.A. post-thrash trio Facial expand their palate on this post-punk gem evoking equal parts Girl Pool, Fidlar and Death From Above 1979. Consequence of Sound: “Facial peel away the pretense of society.” BuzzbandsLA: "A seething post-punk missile fired across the bow of your comfort zone. Punch something if you must."
THE CRACK PIPES - Beauty School (Sept 29) Full album stream
Austin, TX '90s-aughts era punk-blues band The Crack Pipes issue their 2005 landmark album Beauty School for the first time ever on vinyl in this 2xLP deluxe edition. Originally released on CD via Emperor Jones. The band expanded beyond their garage rock roots on this album to incorporate touches of soul, funk, psychedelia and pop flair to their hard-hitting sound. A classic was born. Featuring guests from The Transgressors, Bad Livers, Knife In the Water, and more.
MORE EAZE - bodiezNc0de (Sept 29) Full album stream
The latest album from prolific performer, composer & producer More Eaze, is a combination of pop-oriented songwriting, process/generative compositional techniques and careful production. Performers on the album include Slug Christ (on “i don’t care”), Thor Harris, Dane Rousay and more.
R.I.P. Street Reaper (Oct 13) Full album stream
When R.I.P. came crawling out of the sewers of Portland, OR last year, their grimy, sleazy Street Doom was already a fully formed monstrosity that quickly infected the minds of everyone it encountered. Borrowing equally from 80s Rick Rubin productions and Murder Dog magazine aesthetics, Street Reaper is a streamlined, yet brutally raw manifesto of heavy metal ferocity hearkening to the era when both metal and hip hop were reviled as the work of street thugs intent on destroying America's youth.
AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR - The Endless Shimmering (Oct 20) Full album stream
The Endless Shimmering is visceral and expressive -- dialing back the ensemble vocals of previous albums, allowing the musicianship to shine. The Independent UK: “The band’s most focused and taut songs to date and yet they still sound thrillingly vibrant and full of life." Prog Magazine: “Feels like a coming of age, with each of the nine songs contributing something vital, just like all great records.” PopMatters: “These guys have figured out how to make instrumental prowess and infectious songwriting go hand in hand.”
VAROUS ARTISTS BROWN ACID: THE FIFTH TRIP (Oct 31) Full album stream
The popular compilation series featuring long-lost 60s-70s proto-metal and stoner rock singles' fifth edition ups the ante evermore. The series curated by L.A. label RidingEasy Records and retailer/label Permanent Records recently received the pinnacle of endorsements: Lenny Kaye, creator of the legendary Nuggets compilation series (and guitarist in Patti Smith Band & Creem Magazine scribe), picked up his own copies of the previous editions, seen here via Instagram.
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