Sub-Ed’s Tracks Of The Year 2017
The partner piece to my albums and EPs of the year summary, I hereby present those tracks that have best soundtracked my year – the only rule being that each entrant could only be represented once in order to best share the love.
On heavy rotation throughout the year, these tracks truly rock/humble/excite – delete as appropriate. Do make sure you get to the bottom of the list. In a just world all these tracks would be in the top 10. To help you explore this list I’ve also put together a Spotify playlist with all those tracks that it has on its books (circa 95% – a few extra given over at Spotify to boost the list to an equal 100).
No doubt you had your own favourites. Here are mine (rough genre given in brackets):
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1. Zola Jesus – “Exhumed” (Singer-Songwriter/Gothic/Industrial)
In a year that saw many a triumphant return, fledgling acts often sent scuttling back into their boxes in fear, none was more welcome nor dramatic than that of Nika Roza Danilova. Returning to the dark embrace of Sacred Bones has clearly reignited her love of punishing theatrics and, with space consequently no longer available for subdued atmospherics, her classically-trained pipes become a weapon once more, spectacular string-led statements such as “Exhumed” leading the charge.
2. At The Drive-In – “Incurably Innocent” (Emo/Punk-Rock)
Nostalgia, of course, has its part to play in At The Drive-In’s successful come-back. Nobody wanted the cult emo-punks to soil their legacy with latter-day sins, so any minor mistreads were likely to be forgiven. Happily, no such handling with kid-gloves was required as, in reality, in•ter a•li•a is a surprisingly excellent addition to the veterans’ catalogue. Directing their biting delivery, “Incurably Innocent” sits at its heart. Playful, literate and ever-inventive, it’s as if they never truly went away.
3. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – “Sweet Relief” (Psych-Rock/Sludge Metal)
The most bite-sized morsel at only 5 minutes from Pigs x7’s incendiary album, Feed The Rats (its other two tracks both clocking in at a more indulgent 15+), the mid-ordered “Sweet Relief” offers exactly that, the Geordie rabble-rousers getting to the point relatively quickly, ripping through heavy sludge and leaden grooves with wild abandon, a strange chattering beneath all the power pummelling helping call into question your disappearing sanity, last seen heading over the horizon.
4. Sonic Jesus – “September 9th” (Post-Punk)
Hands up. We don’t know the significance of the date 09/09 in the lives of these Italians, but it doesn’t matter one bit because they’ve now made it event. True, you could level arguments at them that their new-found brand of melancholy post-punk is trying too hard, that they sound possibly like imitators, that there isn’t enough substance behind the fireworks even; you’d be far better off, however, just basking in their grandeur of their blossoming choruses because life really is just too short.
5. Julien Baker – “Turn Out The Lights” (Singer-Songwriter)
If you have a preponderance for the piano, pin-drop song-writing and operatic-quality high notes, be prepared to fall head over heels in love with Julien Baker’s sophomore LP and, in particular, its stunning title-track. The Memphis artist’s vocal has come on leaps and bounds these last two years to the point of jaw-dropping beauty now. Exploiting any weaknesses in your armour, Baker turns the every-day into the exceptional, her humility as much a selling point as her widescreen tableaux.
6. Pumarosa – “Honey” (New Wave/Goth)
Starting incredibly strongly, Pumarosa’s varied The Witch album sadly didn’t have the legs to last the course, but – wow – what an opening. If, like us, you had them pegged as some kind of garage-pop also-rans, be prepared to be very taken aback when you clap your ears around “Honey”, a track owing as much to Siouxsie and Savages as it does to pretty much anything else. Isabel Munoz-Newsome’s soaring quiver of a vocal steals the show, but watch out for those killer guitar parts too.
7. Jane Weaver – “The Architect” (Psych-Pop/Kraut)
Beloved to a track in many a corner of the Internet, yet often a listen standoffish to these ears, “The Architect” proves itself our magnificent, Jane Weaver “Eureka!” moment via wave after wave of fuzzy, stereo-panning kraut-pop. Her folkier past now well behind her, it has a simmering intensity rather than ever being left to boil over, Weaver’s precise and calming vocal a deft counterfoil to the insistent groove. Nuggets of pure psychedelic pop don’t come weightier nor more valuable.
8. Forest Swords – “Panic” (Electronica/Beats)
Producer Matthew Barnes, aka Forest Swords, appears to have been on a massive DJ Shadow trip since last our paths crossed way back in 2013. His spacious Morricone dub remains intact, but now the supporting instrumentation is busier, filled out in part with percussive chimes, corrupted vocal clips and snaking, otherworldly melodies. It’s a process that opens doors, what lies beyond this one an exotic, shifting hinterland that’s latterly reduced to rubble by menacing, buzzed-out sub-bass.
9. The Saxophones – “If You’re On The Water” (Dream-Pop/Slowcore)
Oakland-based husband-and-wife team The Saxophones don’t have a depth of material, but what they do have is pure ethereal gold. The mind-blowing title-track from their debut EP, “If You’re On The Water” is a softly spoken little indie ditty with an undercurrent so persuasive you’ll find your pants charmed clean off in a heartbeat. When you learn the track’s moving back-story, it unbelievably manages to hit that bit harder too. Proper lump-in-the-back-of-your-throat stuff.
10. Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys – “Thing Called Love” (Punk-Rock/Slacker)
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow Agitated/R.I.P. Society graduates Royal Headache, these optimistic pub-rock heroes are hopelessly life-affirming. You just want to pogo along to “Thing Called Love” from its opening bars to its last, sharing in its celebration of life, the ramshackle vocal barely hanging on to the melody as if the singer were already torso-deep in the crowd. We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again; these are the sort of fellas you need in your life both literally and musically.
11. Jesu & Sun Kil Moon – “Twenty Something” (Singer-Songwriter)
As dry as the alcohol cabinet on the 27th December, the divisive and inventive Mark Kozelek is nevertheless witty. Musing poetically on the easily pleased, ageing, gig etiquette and existentialism, “Twenty Something” tells the serene tale of leather-clad author Johnny Saint-Lethal and it’s endlessly engaging, which is just as well because – as usual – Kozelek does rabbit on somewhat.
12. Cigarettes After Sex – “Apocalypse” (Dream-Pop/Slowcore)
Inhabiting a curious space between sleazy and snoozy, Cigarettes After Sex find slow-burning success in noir soundtracks to absent-minded day-dreaming. The downbeat “Apocalypse” accordingly conjures thoughts of lovers past, present and future. It thus drips with repressed lust, barely concealing an energy far greater than first appears. A one-trick pony maybe, but one with a hell of a trick.
13. Institute – “Exhibitionism” (Punk)
About as sharp a blast of true, crunching punk as you’re likely to find these days, and even before angular guitar slays all before it like Wire in overdrive, “Exhibitionism” is on seriously solid ground. Moses Brown’s fantastically acerbic growl is largely to thank, so too the track’s direct tempo and slightly unhinged delivery. Think twice before approaching these sinewy Texans on a dark night.
14. John Moreland – “Lies I Chose To Believe” (Singer-Songwriter)
We’ve all chosen to overlook a loved-one’s behaviour on occasion, no doubt hoping to be treated with similar leniency in return. In search, perhaps, of a touch of redemption, John Moreland is in a reflective mood as he dwells on the rose-tinted views he used to hold now that he has found new love, his trudging recollections coming direct from the chilly heartlands of Springsteen’s Nebraska.
15. Aye Nako – “Spare Me” (Grunge/Indie-Punk)
The biting bridges and choruses in “Spare Me” are attacked with such vitriol they leave blood and spittle on the mic, torn skin on the fret … apt imagery, perhaps, considering Mars Dixon’s life as a transitioning artist. His music, band and voice consequently in flux, Dixon now seems to be finally finding peace while literally shedding an alien side of himself in front of our unwavering eyes.
16. Trementina – “No Control” (Shoegaze/Dream-Pop)
Brilliant Chilean shoegazers Trementina returned this year under a mellower guise. Then they were decidedly warped from too much time under the desert sun, whereas “No Control” now twinkles majestically as if staring up awestruck into the night sky. If this switcheroo is their idea of exploring both yin and yang, we can’t wait for their impeccably appointed, feng shui-inspired next move.
17. Jupiter-C – “Critical Mass” (Darkwave/Synth-Pop)
A reworked version of a live favourite, the downbeat “Critical Mass” has become a masterclass in slo-mo drops on record, Ashiya Eastwood’s chilly visions of the near-future bouncing off the buzzed-out angles of concrete brutalism. It’s a truly hypnotic experience, Jupiter-C now having passed event-horizon, inextricably drawn to oblivion, the inevitable crash a spectator sport in Ballardian circles.
18. Priests – “No Big Bang” (Art-Punk)
Daniele Daniele, the drummer so good that Priests named her twice, gives usual sneering vocalist Katie Alice Greer a break here, stepping up to deliver a quick-fire spoken part over synapse-popping riffs, an album stand-out from a goldmine of reactionary, arty punk. Her mesmeric back-and-forth teases and threatens so effectively, it’s sometimes like watching a game of guitar-based ping-pong.
19. Alvvays – “Dreams Tonite” (Indie/Dream-Pop)
Swooning its way around the room ever so romantically, Alvvays make indie-pop that’s deceptively simple. In fact, that’s not completely true; they just know the power of simplicity and that of melody. And the Canadians know how to use it to their advantage too, Molly Rankin in particular whose beautiful, breathy contributions swell the heart, aural dopamine coursing its growing chambers.
20. Lamagaia – “Aurora” (Psych/Space-Rock)
Taking one whole side of the Gothenburg band’s special S/T LP, “Aurora” is 16-minute messenger of war full of searing feedback and deep drones, space-rock synths locking on hard and getting heavy with neo-kraut repeats. It’s total immersion riff-rock, zoning out and jamming down to the command of a mysterious vocal that comes slathered in reverb from the depths of some lonely black-hole.
21. Ho99o9 – “Splash” (Hip-Hop/Trap)
A mixtape with designs on every party going, United States Of Ho99o9 is so all over the place that we could easily have been talking about horrorcore, jungle or thrash right now, but instead we’re tackling straight-up trap nastiness courtesy of “Splash”, the sort of track that used to come stamped with a parental advisory sticker. Simple, aggressive and catchy as chlamydia, come ride the wave.
22. Akranes ft. Ooni Staerck – “Lost Inside” (R&B/Balearica)
There’s a dangerous undertow to Liam Gaunt’s masterful productions and a Siren-like quality to Ooni Staerck’s beautiful vocal. Combining for a deliciously alluring dose of down-tempo Balearica, percussive clicks and drips echoing throughout the minimal palette, heavy-duty sub-bass treats the bottom-end to some serious wobble. Once “Lost Inside”, you may never find your way out.
23. White Dog – “No Good” (Hardcore Punk)
One of the most perfect nuggets of guitar glory that hit our pages this year, “No Good” is quite literally the opposite. Its clean production may have neutered these Aussie nutters in lesser hands, yet the clarity it brings throughout White Dog’s smart Sydney Limits LP is actually quite refreshing, allowing the band’s razor-sharp pummelling to laser in on all your pressure points simultaneously.
24. Show Me The Body ft. Yo Chill & Chip Skylark – “Cyba Slam Fif World Dance Party” (EDM/Hip-Hop)
Running the spectrum of noise, hardcore and beats, a rich cast of MCs providing their tuppence throughout, Show Me The Body’s Corpus I was difficult to predict and, split with skits, challenging to love. Out of context, cuts like this probably make no sense at all … if they ever did in the first place. Still, sit back and make what you will of this varied, chipmunk-voiced industrial EDM banger.
25. Arca – “Desafío” (Electronica/Singer-Songwriter)
The most straightforward offering on Arca’s staggering S/T album by some distance, what Alejandro Ghersi has done here in entirely his own language is quite remarkable. Stripping electro-pop back to almost nothing, its origins laid painfully bare, he then rebuilds it as if it were his own personal Frankenstein, a shadow coalescing independently into some kind of futuristic mirror-creature.
26. Grandaddy – “A Lost Machine” (Indie)
Rejoice, Grandaddy are back! Mourn, too, for founding bassist Kevin Garcia barely saw Last Place released before he suddenly passed away. The come-back tour may understandably have then been cancelled, but in mumbling tracks like “A Lost Machine” he leaves behind a great legacy. That it sounds like Grandaddy never really went away is about as great a compliment as you can give.
27. Uniform – “Habit” (Thrash/Noise)
Buzzing with nightmarish sub-bass and coruscating noise, Uniform seem to soundtrack Satanist initiation rites – the sort of thing conservative parents assume their kids are listening to when few actually are. Punctuated with screams and growling, broadsides of heavy thrash riffing pop the neck back and forth in a macabre and visceral celebration of what it means to have once been human.
28. EMA – “I Wanna Destroy” (Singer-Songwriter/Noise-Pop)
There should be more EMA music for no other reason than there simply isn’t enough of it. It’s not every year you get a new album from her so you can’t begrudge feasting on a morsel as tasty as “I Wanna Destroy” when it does come along. Fizzing with intensity, she somehow manages to remain in the realm of pop despite an industrial backbone providing brawn to her brainy bout of nihilism.
29. Feral Ohms – “Living Junkyard” (Proto-Punk/Hard Rock)
Wail turned way up to 11, “Living Junkyard” comes courtesy of guitarist Ethan Miller of Comets On Fire fame and it splits the difference between 80s thrash and 70s hair metal, flailing around on solos and chorus structures nicked straight from The Sweet. It’s really a lot of fun and there are fewer higher recommendations. Stop whatever you’re doing and listen to it right now, obviously.
30. Autobahn – “The Moral Crossing” (Post-Punk/Goth)
Imagine Blondie’s “Atomic” 7” played at 33rpm while the drums are sped up to 78. Then wonder what The Sisters Of Mercy might sound like using that idea as a template for a new song … oh and they have studio strings to play with too. Wonder no longer for, obviously, this is that song – it’d have been a little spurious of us otherwise to have headed off so tangentially, wouldn’t it?
31. Chelsea Wolfe – “Twin Fawn” (Singer-Songwriter/Doom-Metal)
Beginning life as a tender, barely-there ballad, there’s always the suspicion that Chelsea Wolfe’s “Twin Fawn” will end in violence whether you’re familiar or not with her work to date. She’s a master of tension and release, see, the massive volleys of drums and guitars that follow crunching into view like a skirmish-weary battlecruiser, another chapter in the war between darkness and light.
32. Vagabon – “Cold Apartment” (Indie/Rock)
Blame stereotypes, but it’s hard to even imagine a Cameroonian immigrant to the USA sounding like this. “Cold Apartments” is one of those indie-rockers that succeeds by being just a little bit different, perhaps precisely for that reason though. While Laetitia Tamko’s fractured vocal is tossed around on surging choruses, it’s her soaring quiet-loud-quite structures that hit most devastatingly.
33. Molly Nilsson – “American Express” (Singer-Songwriter/Synth-Pop)
It’s as if the spirit of 80s Leonard Cohen has been reincarnated in the body of a Swedish woman! Seriously, “American Express” is a louche, sly and deeply intelligent critique of the American dream via capitalism with a sax-abetted chorus to die for. Pinging with technicolour brightness, there’s also naturally a dark layer of murk just beneath the surface – Cohen would have loved it and so will you.
34. Cayetana – “Easy To Love” (Indie/Punk)
What makes Cayetana such a strong draw is the unsteady intimacy of Augusta Koch; she’s always either on the verge of tears or about to explode with rage – there’s no in between. The trio’s melodies creak around her bruised honesty with an uncanny ability to shine a mirror straight back at their audience. There may indeed be people “easier to love”, but that’s not really the point, is it?
35. HMLTD – “To The Door” (Art-Rock)
A wildly colourful, befuddling proposition from start to finish, HMLTD (formerly Happy Meal LTD) still manage to make thrillingly poppy art-rock. Odd in the right way then, they dress the part, their tracks hit hard and they mostly all come from the grotesque side of tongue-in-cheek. A bit Glam, a bit New Romantics and utterly transfixing with it, “To The Door” is pure sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.
36. White Manna – “Bleeding Eyes” (Psych-Rock)
Showing no signs of letting up as they get on, White Manna’s “Bleeding Eyes” is rooted as much in strutting proto-punk these days as it is psych-rock shred, David Johnson now producing a cleaner vocal than might be expected, which helps slightly elevate the doom levels as he goes. Once upon a time this band were satisfied were blowing minds; these days they’re going for hearts as well.
37. Julie Byrne – “Follow My Voice” (Singer-Songwriter/Folk)
You’ve not heard a hushed vocal until you’ve heard Julie Byrne’s hushed vocal, a soothing experience that you can only imagine Big Pharma would just love to put in tablet form. Not only does it have an anaesthetic quality, it’s uplifting too, Byrne’s confessional tones strangely comforting with it. Her album is consequently an absolute delight, “Follow My Voice” one of numerous highlights.
38. AMOR – “Paradise” (House/New Wave)
To the sound of a striking double-bass jazz-funk, AMOR is led by Richard Youngs and “Paradise” is the least experimental he’s been since his brilliant Beyond The Valley Of Ultrahits. Rarely threatening all the same to be linear house-type electro, there are kick-drums straight from the New Order hand book, chiming piano chords and a quite incredible New Wave chorus that’d even make Bowie blush.
39. Moon Duo – “Will Of The Devil” (Psych-Rock)
Settling into a dynamic groove from the get-go, the ominously titled “Will Of The Devil” isn’t as evil as you might think – Ripley Johnson’s star-gazing guitar solos instead taking fuzz-drones for a rollercoaster of a ride round the more illuminated parts of the solar system. That’s not to say, however, that we don’t encounter some interstellar oddities and warped wormholes along the way.
40. Sheer Mag – “Need To Feel Your Love” (Classic Rock)
So vintage even their newest digital recordings crackle with the warmth of yesteryear, Philly punks Sheer Mag still sound a bit like The Jackson 5 by way of Thin Lizzy and it truly is a Christmas miracle they don’t make a a total mess of doing it. Tina Halladay is just so loveable as the band’s focal point too, a boat-load of mid-fi melodies toasting her every hollered turn. Essential.
41. The War On Drugs – “In Chains” (Heartland Rock)
Adam Granduciel is often treated with scepticism around these parts thanks to having his hand in some of the some of the most curiously well-received MOR of the millennium (not to mention other misdemeanours). He and his band’s 2017 LP was probably their most consistent to date to his credit though, a track like this almost falling by the wayside too, until saved by its gorgeous choruses.
42. Conor Oberst – “Empty Hotel By The Sea” (Singer-Songwriter)
“Nobody does it better” memorably sang Carly Simon and in the case of Bright Eyes-man Conor Oberst, and even more so in the case of alt-country/folk song-writing in general, the old adage couldn’t ring truer. It’s tempting to say his world-worn stories are rendered magnetic by his personality and lyrics alone; doing so would be a huge disservice to his skills as a complete musician however.
43. Methyl Ethel – “Ubu” (Alt-Pop)
Mad as a box of frogs and yet smart with it, the irrepressible Jake Webb is leaving falsetto-voiced dream-pop trailing in his wake in his current attempts to fill out and become a fully-fledged pop star. In this mould, he now has throwaway brilliance at his fingertips – “Ubu” some literally absurdist nonsense about a suspect haircut spun out into outrageously catchy, alternate chart fodder.
44. Fazerdaze – “Lucky Girl” (Indie/Jangle-Pop)
Amelia Murray’s album couldn’t quite live up to the standard laid down by “Lucky Girl”, but you can’t have everything and, in retrospect, Fazerdaze’s lesser tracks now help better frame this jangling bolt from the blue in any case. A steady succession of neat guitar turns dance out a summery pattern across this three-minute pop gem, though it’s the joyous fuzz choruses that linger longest.
45. Breakfast Muff – “R U A Feminist?” (Indie-Punk)
Housing some very important and pointedly relevant messages, “R U A Feminist?” couldn’t be more now. Breakfast Muff are no preachy, screechy mess though; instead the Scots dress up their anger in cutesy indie/pop-punk and the juxtaposition lets them both cut more deeply and better highlight the shocking behaviour of some of their acquaintances. Beware what lies beneath still waters.
46. Flat Worms – “Motorbike” (Garage-Punk/Rock)
Strap in tight because this one’s a fast and dangerous fish-tail down a wet and greasy back-street. Scrappy lads making scrappier garage-punk is a tale as old as time. How Flat Worms set themselves apart is via killer grooves and an effortlessly cool drawl. If this was a new demo by The Strokes the internet would be losing its shit; the best and most knowledgeable parts of it are anyway.
47. Loom – “Lice” (Grunge/Rock)
A one-two knockout straight out of the Nevermind handbook, Loom’s opening moves on their debut LP are laughably contrived yet unbelievably insistent, their strong hooks just refusing to let go when embedded in your lugholes. Sure, this cut is basically Nirvana karaoke; that’s not mutually exclusive with it being of no merit though. Don’t think about it too hard and this is tremendously exhilarating.
48. Tim Darcy – “You Felt Comfort” (Singer-Songwriter/Punk-Rock)
With what sounds like only a shoe-strong budget at his disposal, enigmatic Ought frontman Tim Darcy decided to strike it out alone this year and the results were predictably ramshackle, but also surprisingly soulful. Darcy’s new-found croon is kept to a happy minimum on this occasion, which is for the best all things considered as it allows his talent for punk-inflected song-writing to better shine.
49. The Underground Youth – “Beast (Anti-War Song)” (Post-Punk/Fuzz)
There’s little hiding from a strong Jesus & Mary Chain influence here in so much as Craig Dyer’s vocal melody is taken straight from “Cracking Up”, but the iconic-sounding fuzz-guitar that accompanies it nags alongside the suitably despondent lyrics so convincingly that this brazen act of thievery is entirely forgiven. Polemics rarely sound this insidious, a sociopathic calmness a key weapon at its core.
50. Ulrika Spacek – “Victorian Acid” (Kraut-Rock/Shoegaze)
Question marks still hang over Ulrika Spacek’s consistency, but there’s no doubting the London band’s periodic ability to produce when faced with a track like this. Rolling with the calculated pulse and ticking metronome of laid-back kraut-rock, blooms of shoegaze noise ripple outwards in place of choruses, a hazy vocal occasionally stage-directing proceedings as if hailing from another dimension.
The best of the rest (no particular order):
Japanese Breakfast – “Machinist” (Synth-Pop/R&B)
Bully – “Seeing It” (Grunge/Rock)
Phoebe Bridgers ft. Conor Oberst – “Would You Rather” (Singer-Songwriter/Folk)
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – “Continental Breakfast” (Singer-Songwriter)
St. Vincent – “Masseducation” (Pop/Funk)
Weaves – “Walkaway” (Indie/Rock)
L.A. Witch – “Baby In Blue Jeans” (Garage-Rock/Dream-Pop)
Ariel Pink – “Feels Like Heaven” (Dream/Synth-Pop)
INHEAVEN – “Treats” (Grunge/Alt-Rock)
Tess Roby – “Ballad 5” (Synth/Dream-Pop)
Boys – “Rabbits” (Psych-Pop)
Downtown Boys – “Somos Chulas, No Somos Pendejas” (Punk-Rock)
Widowspeak – “Dog” (Dream-Pop)
Cabbage – “Celebration Of A Disease” (Indie/Punk-Rock)
ORB – “Immortal Tortoise” (Garage-Psych/Hard Rock)
Oh Sees – “Animated Violence” (Garage/Heavy Psych)
Kedr Livanskiy – “Your Name” (Electro-Pop)
Wolf Parade – “Lazarus Online” (Indie/Rock)
Beaches – “Golden” (Psych-Rock/Shoegaze)
The National – “The System Only Dreams In Darkness” (Indie/Heartland Rock)
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – “Fountain Of Good Fortune” (Indie/Rock)
Grace Sings Sludge – “In Spite Of Doom” (Singer-Songwriter/Freak-Folk)
Homeshake – “Every Single Thing” (Synth-Pop/Funk)
Slift – “Space Is The Key” (Garage-Psych/Space-Rock)
Molly Burch – “Fool” (Singer-Songwriter)
Girlpool – “123” (Indie/Alt-Rock)
Strand Of Oaks – “Radio Kids” (Indie/Rock)
Male Gaze – “All Yours” (Garage-Rock/Punk)
Dion Lunadon – “Fire” (Noise-Rock/Fuzz)
Father John Misty – “Pure Comedy” (Singer-Songwriter)
Daddy Issues – “Locked Out” (Indie/Grunge)
Dream Machine – “I Walked In The Fire” (Power-Pop/Hard Rock)
Lydia Ainsworth – “Open Doors” (Singer-Songwriter/Electro-Pop)
Mario Batkovic – “Restrictus” (Neo-Classical/Experimental)
Pile – “Hairshirt” (Post-Hardcore/Punk-Rock)
CFM – “Rise & Fall” (Garage-Fuzz/Hard Rock)
Woods – “Love Is Love” (Psych-Folk/Funk)
Kite Base – “Peripheral Vision” (Indie/New Wave)
The Janitors – “Trojan Ghost” (Psych-Rock/Doom)
Adele H – “Once A Day” (Psych-Pop/Experimental)
Future Islands – “Cave” (New Wave/Synth-Pop)
Froth – “Passing Thing” (Krautrock/Shoegaze)
The Flaming Lips ft. Miley Cyrus – “We A Famly” (Psych-Pop)
Damaged Bug – “Mood Slime” (Synth/Space-Prog)
The Proper Ornaments – “Memories” (Indie/60s Psych)
The Courtneys – “Silver Velvet” (Garage/Fuzz-Pop)
Aquarian Blood – “Skin Suit “Mother’s Clothes”” (Synth-Punk/Darkwave)
POW! – “Necessary Call” (Synth-Punk)
Meatbodies – “Disciples” (Garage-Psych/Rock)
SOHN – “Conrad” (Singer-Songwriter/Electro-Pop)