Top 100 Releases of 2016
I’m probably insane but I had to do it. These are my 100 favorite albums, EPs, singles, splits, and compilations of 2016. Read More
Author: justinhensley
25 Best Albums of 2015
The new year is upon us, but before you start tackling those new years resolutions or detoxing from the holiday season, we want to offer one last rear view glimpse of the past year of music. 2015 brought about the end of a few hiatuses, introduced some new faces and there was a fair bit of self-examination and reinvention. Some great bands really proved why they have endured, some great songwriters stepped out on their own, some bands changed members or solidified lineups and a few debut albums shined bright. Heralding anything as the face of music to come is a pretty pointless exercise these days with tastes fragmenting into smaller and smaller niches, but looking back it’s hard to call 2015 anything but a banner year, at least for our corner of the greater musical landscape. We hope you find something here that inspires you.
Ten Years to Never – 25 Best Albums of 2005
2005 was a big year for me. I graduated from high school and started my first year of college. I got my first girlfriend and even wrecked my car for the first time (and not the last.) Throughout those events, music was a constant. I spent my teenage years in a rural area, so driving down country roads blasting music with the windows down was a regular occurrence. While 2005 was a milestone year as far as life achievements go, it also was the year that I truly began to expand my musical tastes to include more extreme and experimental forms of music.
Over the last few months, I listened to nearly 400 different albums. I didn’t always finish the ones I didn’t like, but I made myself give them a fair chance. I discovered quite a few records that I had never heard before and I highly recommend forcing yourself to listen to music outside of your usual wheel house-you never know where you will discover your new favorite band.
25 Turning 25: The Best Albums of 1990
When looking at the pop charts for 1990, it’s hard to believe that the year Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer broke through, Jawbreaker and Samiam were releasing their first albums. While hair metal was on its way out, grunge was just beginning to form. Public Enemy and Ice Cube were changing hip hop forever. Adult contemporary dominated the charts, while shoegaze was ruling the underground. Here is what stood out to us from 1990.
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