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Mike Scales writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2019: Mike Scales
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Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2019. Our next list is from CHIRP Metal Detector Mike Scales. Here are 10 of my favorite records from 2019 in no particular order, plus some honorable mentions! Enjoy. |
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Mana by Idle Hands (Eisenwald) |
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Bubble Gum by De Staat (Caroline International) |
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Hidden History of the Human Race by Blood Incantation (Dark Descent) |
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Stuffed & Ready by Cherry Glazerr (Secretly Canadian) |
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Juice B Crypts by Battles (Warp) |
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Quail by Serengeti (Geti Enterprises) |
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Bandana by Freddie Gibbs & Madlib (RCA) |
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Pretty Buff by Angel Du$t (Roadrunner) |
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Sanctum EP by High Priest (Magnetic Eye) |
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Infest the Rats' Nest by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (Flightless/ATO) |
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The Chats - "Pub Feed" (Single) (Bargain Bin) |
In the spirit of bands like Type O Negative or In Solitude, this heavy goth rock/metal band out of Portland issued one helluva debut LP. They had me at "Jackie," a ballad of longing that reminded me of my old black cat that I lost a few years ago (RIP Jack), but there are so many great dark, catchy tunes here - from fun lovin' celebrations of darkness like "Give Me to the Night" to the absolutely heart-wrenching "Double Negative."
Like many I'm sure, I came to De Staat via their video for "Witchdoctor" (from 2013's I_CON) and became and instant fan of their first three records. As Nijmegen, Netherlands' greatest musical export, they've explored many sounds over the years but with the super fun and weird Bubble Gum they officially leveled-up to semi-psychedelic, full-on alternative-dance rock group. And they keep making great videos too, check em out.
I knew these Colorado brutal death metal visionaries were onto something with 2016's Starspawn, but Hidden History of the Human Race takes everything to the next level of the cosmos. Is it still guttural and brutal death? Yes. But the cosmic atmosphere woven around and through these four songs is really like nothing you've heard before. They were spot-on in their decision to release the instrumental "Inner Paths (To Outer Space)" first to lure in the unsuspecting. It's the track they reportedly improvised on psychedelics over a period of several months.
I liked Haxel Princess well enough and Apocalipstick even more, but I loved almost every song on this year's Stuffed & Ready. Then I saw Cherry Glazerr live at Riot Fest and made it official. For me, the third LP from this great L.A.-based noisy alt-rock trio was the charm and I hope they get bigger and bigger because of it.
Battles have certainly been moving beyond the experimental math rock of their early output for years now but their long-marinating, hard-hitting robotic electro-pop rock sound has reached an awe-inspiring pinnacle here. I still don't know how to describe this music or exactly how it makes me feel very well. All I know is that I just could not stop listening to Juice B Crypts since the first few seconds of my first listen to the lead single "Titanium 2 Step."
Without a doubt one of Chicago's greatest and most prolific emcees, Serengeti actually released a bunch of new music and re-released some old stuff in 2019. The one that stuck with me the most though was Quail. It's just six wonderfully written and produced songs that explore Geti's pop sensibilities while maintaining his signature rap flow and showcasing the whimsical voices of his female collaborators Whitney Myer, White Prism and Jasmine Ash.
Simply put, this ain't no sophomore slump for the truly dynamic duo of Gary, Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs and legendary crate-digging producer Madlib. It's just smooth as buttah and thug AF throughout. Plus, there's killer contributions from some of the best in the game like Killer Mike, Pusha T, Black Thought and Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def). My only question would be, why didn't they include early single and straight fire track "Bandana" on the final tracklist for Bandana?
Angel Du$t had become one of my favorite new bands since discovering 2016's Rock the Fuck On Forever. To say I was giddily anticipating their Roadrunner Records debut would be an understatement. You can imagine my surprise when lead singles and, subsequently, the whole of Pretty Buff's mostly acoustic power pop had more in common with the Lemonheads than the fun but relentlessly rowdy pop-punk/hardcore of AD's first three records. Nevertheless I was quickly sold on this new sound, could not stop listening to this record and I'm looking forward to hearing what these guys will bring us next time around.
Chicago's own High Priest continues to impress with Sanctum, their second EP to date. The band's signature high-definition stoner/doom metal is in sharp focus here with it's bombastic drumming, soaring vocal melodies and impeccable production. Now with the backing of Magnetic Eye, a debut LP is on its way in 2020 and I can wait to hear this band take a shot at a full-length presentation. They simply rule already.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this Aussie band. They're basically insane. They're 15 albums into a career that only started in 2010. They released 5 albums in 2017. Anyway, Infest had me about 5 seconds into opening cut "Planet B" with it's speedy double-kick drum workout. King Gizz has written plenty of heavy, rockin' songs thus far but this record is definitely their heaviest and most rockin'. It just rocks and rips and rules through all of its nine tunes. From "Planet B" to "Hell" and back again. Indeed.
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