The Best of What’s Left (of 2016)

By Ryan G

Words: Ryan Getz

Sometimes one gets a bit of inspiration. Inspiration for a listicle that is! Thanks Buzzfeed. Where would blogs be without you?

In all seriousness, here are a handful of albums I’m looking forward to the remainder of 2016:

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Paper Route – Real Emotion: Ever since hearing “Gutter” in 2010 I’ve been hooked on this band. While “Laugh About It” had me questioning the direction of the band slightly “Chariots” restored my faith in the band’s ability to craft, erm, epic tunes. Since Gavin left the band I wondered how a loss of a permanent drummer would affect the dynamic of the band, and luckily we don’t have long to find out.

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Leagues – Alone Together: Sadly the group lost ex-Audio Adrenaline guitarist Tyler Burkam from their lineup. What we have so far from the album is a danceable indie pop direction meshed with Thad Cockrell’s soulful vocals – a rarity for this genre.

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Playing to Vapors – TBA: The math rock groovetastic quintet from Columbus is set to release their most accessible material to date. I really hope it happens this year, but if they have to wait til next year because a major label wants to sign these guys oblige. Earlier this summer I got a taste of their new stuff at a live performance and it was GOOD.

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Comrades – Lone/Grey: I find it just about impossible to listen to this band without getting a stupid grin on my face at least once. The post rock/post hardcore group is leaning more in a “wordsy” direction on their new album, which will be out on FACEDOWN RECORDS (goodness, it felt so good to type that). I’ll stop being a fanboy and move on to the next record.

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Every Time I Die – Low Teens: I have to admit I’ve never listened to these guys extensively but so many people whose musical tastes I respect sing the praises of ETID that I can’t help but be stoked for their next record. Plus, their vocalist co-hosted Sad Boyz with a friend of mine. That’s cool, right?

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Glass Animals – How to Be A Human Being: This band redefined indie pop for me. Everything about this band – the name, the sound, the feeling, makes my mind’s eye switch between a setting of a jungle and a modern art gallery.

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Norma Jean – Polar Similar: A Solid State Records band released a song worthy of being premiered on NPR. Talk about world’s colliding I didn’t see coming. Plus, “1,000,000 Watts” is sick-nasty duder!

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July Talk – Touch: Rockabilly and blues. Call and answer vocals. Tom Waits sounding dude. Silky smooth sounding lady. What more could you want? Loved these guys at SXSW.

Sunlit-Youth

Local Natives – Sunlit Youth: They managed to pull off a more electronic sounding single (“Villainy”) without coming across as a sell out. The balance of the record will likely be more along the lines of what we’re familiar with, but I’m stoked either way. “Sun Hands” and “You and I” both give me unique feelings.

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Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow: I feel that Beacon was criminally overlooked. Hopefully the same isn’t the case with Gameshow. Saw these guys live a couple of months ago and they are at the top of their game (no pun intended).

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Lydia Loveless – Real: This Columbus singer is showing the world what it means to be a badass Americana rocker. That, and the fact that this is a Columbus based blog means that the world may implode if we don’t mention another one of our own (I kid, I kid…slightly).

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Kishi Bashi – Sonderlust: Okay first off, this might be my favorite album title of this list. Sonder is to realize that each person around you has a story as complex as your own, in case you were wondering. I don’t know exactly what to call this dude’s pop music infused with violin looping but it’s might cool.

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