2016 will be emblazoned in most of our memories – whether for good or bad (most likely bad). However, from vaped weed, you make weed butter, and we will all find joy again, as well as sadness – I’m sure – thus, the cyclicality of life. So working on this year’s list has been a therapeutic endeavor for me, and I really hope that you find as much joy and solace as I have in these rad Philly albums.
“Music as social glue, as a self-empowering change agent, is maybe more profound than how perfectly a specific song is composed or how immaculately tight a band is.” – David Byrne
Happy New Year! Much love to all the extremely talented artists that we have lost this year. And Fuck You, Trump!
Sincerely,
Q.D. Tran
1. Mannequin Pussy – Romantic (Tiny Engines)
Mannequin Pussy was already on my radar before they relocated to Philly so I was looking forward to getting more familiar with the three-piece turned quartet this past year. Romantic effortless shifts from heartfelt pop-rock to blistering punk, while capturing the ferocity of the band’s live performances. Clocking in at under twenty minutes, I have to agree with their record label Tiny Engines. The LP is “all killer, no filler.”
2. Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band – The Rarity of Experience (No Quarter)
Chris Forsyth had already been building his reputation around town for years as a gifted guitar maestro. Now, with the backing of The Solar Motel Band, they have united to become a jamming tour de force, melding his love for the sounds of such inventive artists as The Grateful Dead, Television, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Popol Vuh, and Richard Thompson. The Rarity of Experience takes you on a glorious journey through music history, beautifully curated by the experimental rockers from Philly.
3. NAH – Michael (Ranch)
Hip hop and punk have always been rather strange bedfellows, bonded together at NYC clubs in the early days. Though the marriage of the two can sometimes lead to disastrous outcomes, NAH, a.k.a. Mike Kuhns, successfully bridges the gap, with his raw, palpable intensity and imaginative compositions. Michael is an album that should not be slept on.
4. The Retinas – chaba (Self-released)
On chaba, The Retinas really caught me off-guard with their songwriting skills. Ear-burrowing melodies combined with creative, disenchanted, slacker lyrics buried under just the right amount of fuzz are what drove me to book them this year for The Deli Philly’s Anniversary Bash (which absolutely ruled). I also was introduced to a lot of their kick-ass new material that night so hopefully you’ll be hearing more from them sooner than later.
5. Moor Mother – Fetish Bones (Don Giovanni)
I feel like Moor Mother’s Fetish Bones is a reflection of what I have become in 2016: politically charged and pissed off. Now, as I leave this god-awful year behind, I am encouraged to see how our art community will respond to this dystopia that now lays before us. The fight has only just begun.
6. Lushlife + CSLSX – Ritualize (Western Vinyl)
7. Them Jones – A Mountain of Nonsense (Self-released)
8. The Original Crooks and Nannies – Ugly Laugh (Self-released)
9. Japanese Breakfast – Psychopomp (Yellow K)
10.Tunji Ige – Missed Calls (Brainbandits/Bad Habits)
11. Great Thunder & Radiator Hospital – The Great Thunder Radiator Hospital Wedding Album (Stupid Bag)
12. Cherry – Gloom (Lame-O)
13. Needle Points – Feel Young (NeedLove)
14. So Totally – a cheap close-up of heaven (Self-released)
15. Suburban Living – Almost Paradise (6131)
16. The Afterglows – The Afterglows (Salinas/Stupid Bag)
17. Modern Baseball – Holy Ghost (Run For Cover)
18. Nothing – Tired of Tomorrow (Relapse)
19. American Trappist – American Trappist (Self-released)
20. Jo Kusy – You Break Me (Kooze Kontrol)
21. Purling Hiss – High Bias (Drag City)
22. Spring Onion – please relax (Self-released)
23. Abi Reimold – Wriggling (Sad Cactus)
24. Creepoid – Burner (WavePOP)
25. The Writhing Squares – In the Void Above (Siltbreeze)
26. Wild At Heart – DEMO (Sensual World)
27. Slaughter Beach, Dog – Welcome (Lame-O)
28. Hezekiah Jones – Har! Har! Har! (Self-released)
29. Gorgeous Porch – The Champagne Laugh (Self-released)
30. Permanent Body – Permanent Body (Self-released)
31. Hello Shark – Delicate (Orindal)
32. Beach Slang – A Loud Bash Of Teenage Feelings (Polyvinyl)
33. Pinkwash – Collective Sigh (Don Giovanni)
34. Myrrias – Spectra (Soft Dystopia)
35. Queen of Jeans – Queen of Jeans (Third Uncle)
36. The Fantastic Imagination – Good Knight, Sweet Dreams (Self-released)
37. Pill Friends – Child Sacrifice (Out of Breath)
38. Residuels – Hurricane (Self-released)
39. Mary Lattimore/Jeff Zeigler – Music Inspired by Philippe Garrel’s Le Revelateur (Thrill Jockey)
40. Thin Lips – Riff Hard (Lame-O)
41. The Dove & The Wolf – I Don’t Know What To Feel (Self-released)
42. Ghost Gum – The Past, The Future, Dwelling there like space (Self-released)
43. Valley Exit – Valley Exit (Soft Dystopia)
44. Hurry – Guided Meditation (Lame-O)
45. Sad13 – Slugger (Carpark)
46. Camp Candle – ERE (Self-released)
47. Shelf Life – Alright, Okayy (Self-released)
48. Sheer Mag – III (Wilsuns RC/Static Shock)
49. Mumblr – The Never Ending Get Down (Fleeting Youth)
50. Honey Radar – Blank Cartoon (What’s Your Rupture)