Ah forget waiting for this other stuff to come in. If that stuff really blows me away, I'll post about it. I'm bored at work and I feel like rambling on about records. I don't know if these were the BEST things I heard this year, but they were the ones that I listened to the most.
Vile Gash - s/t 7"
A lot of bands are described as "pissed" sounding, but very few actually manage to achieve that. Vile Gash went just a little beyond "pissed." If this album was a person, they would kick your ass and leave you in a ditch. None of the songs (except for the last one) go past the minute mark, so it never drags. The record is good enough that I can't even fault them for doing a hilariously blatant Black Flag rip off in the last track. I wish most of the American hardcore I listened to sounded like this.
Whirl - Distressor LP
Very rarely do I randomly download some album from a blog and actually end up really enjoying it. Usually it will sit in a folder for the rest of eternity after one listen. This one was a little different. I listened to this one for about a month straight. I don't listen to shoegaze, so I've got no comparisons or anything like that, but this is one of the few albums I've heard that I can actually call "beautiful" and not feel like a total cornball wussbag coward.
Pigeonholes - Demo CS
Okay, so it's not technically OUT yet, but I think everyone's heard it (or at least part of it). I can never find the correct words to describe this band, and that's what makes them so great. Not quite a pop punk band, not quite an "indie" band, not quite...whatever descriptions people use. A band doing their own thing with such a PERFECTLY sloppy style that just adds to the charm. This isn't even biased due to being friends with them, the band is just that good. Anyone who doesn't like this band needs to turn in their punk card and jump into a pit.
Nukkehammer - The Future Of Siberia CS
Chumps get killed, and this tape kills chumps by nuclear. Radioactive d-beat massacre from the wastes of Ohio. The first tape was incredible, this one leaves it buried in the rubble. After one listen, you too will want to rebuild the wall.
Kriegshog - s/t LP
PLAY LOUD & DIE! The (unfortunately) final recording from Japan's most destructive. I feel Kriegshog had their own style that separated them (something in the riffs) from the massive amount of bands doing the whole "raw noise d-beat aarrgghh" that's so popular these days. I can't believe they managed to fill an LP with this stuff and it never got boring. That takes some skill.
Horrid Cross - Demo III CS
I think it's at the point where any new Horrid Cross release is going to be on my favorites list. This is pure evil put to tape. I would write about how it sounds, but I don't know how to speak R'lyehian.
This is in no way complete, and probably never will be because I hate lists. There are a bunch of records that came out this year that I haven't listened to at all, or haven't listened to enough to really have an opinion.
Anyone have a WORST album of the year?
