Sergio Hermedez's "2016 You Fucking Fuck" Top Whatever List

These are in no order, but here's some shit you might have missed. Given that last sentence, the Warp fam will not appear on this list because I'm assuming everyone is on that shit. Cheetah would be on the list; not really sure about elseq yet.

Aluk Todolo - Voix
Reductionist take on this: kind of like an instrumental black metal Can with some delicate post-rocky things thrown in maybe twice on the whole record.

Neurosis - Fires Within Fires
Probably my #1 this year. Not as, well, post-rocky as the last one, but not trying to reclaim their awesome Souls through Times of Grace run like some kind of goddamn Star Wars movie.

Lustmord - Dark Matter
I'm not going to proclaim my love for Peter Steele in a minute here or anything, and yeah lots of so-called dark ambient can be comical at best. This is one I've listened to a lot when working from home because it's ambient by Eno's definition. You can ignore it, and it can just make your day subtly creepier. Or, you can pay attention and get lost in the layers / lushness.

Skee Mask - Shred
Might be the best thing Ilian Tape has done yet. Side note, though: the Marco Zenker 12" from this year was pretty good, too.

Summer Cannibals - Full of It
There's part of me that thinks I like this so much because I'm pining for a pre-Portlandia Sleater-Kinney. But then I tell that part to shut the hell up. Smart ladies playing fist-in-the-air songs that hearken back to the halcyon days of Kill Rock Stars.

True Widow - AVVOLGERE
Probably not a surprise if you've been reading the other posts in this series, or know me. They have a knack for coming up with earworm-y songs even inside their "poppy version of Earth" paradigm, and there are at least 3 of those catchy little fuckers on here.

DROSE - boy man machine
It's not really Swans-flavored noise rock or Neubauten-flavored industrial, or a hyper emotional vocal breakdown, but it kind of has all those things. It's one of the ones where you can't pick and choose tracks; it needs to be heard front to back.

Fire! - She Sleeps, She Sleeps
I was pretty tempted to give Bowie a sympathy slot here, because I did like Blackstar in spite of the saxophone (usually I don't like things with saxophones), and come on, class fucking exit if there ever was one. That said, I probably really liked this record a little more, if only because the saxophone is a wild unhinged noise blaster that approaches Laddio Bolocko levels of unconventionality (if not the same kind of pulsating repetition). Rhythm section is tight as fuck, pretty much everything you'd want in a modern jazz record if the idea of a Cannonball Adderly clone type scenario makes you want to shove a utensil in your genitals.

Stuff that's too new to me, but would probably make the list if I'd caught on earlier:

Prince of Denmark - 8
I am super late to the game on this guy; my longstanding bias against 4-on-the-floor probably has a lot to do with it. Plus, the idea of a 3-hour-long minimal/ambient dub techno album released in an 8x12" boxset for £100 that sells out in like a day ticks all these "douchelord" boxes for me. Nevertheless, I still like this, a lot. More great music for working.

夢遊病者 - 5772
Is it black metal? Is it psych? Is it noise or noise rock? No my friend, it is Japanese, and it is short, unusual, and totally engrossing.

I also keep meaning to give more attention to the NAILS, Danny Brown, and Sumac records, but keep putting it off in favor of other ridiculous things. One of those might have made it in if I'd gotten my shit together.

sqrt Music Video

I made a music video, it is the soundtrack I would like to hear if I got thrown off a bridge. sort(crank it up), after the jump -

Big L RIP

Pay respects, break out your DITC records. All two of you in Portland, come to the crib. Shines is coming deep out of his crates with some rare ish. Food, mimosas, more strains of weed than you need.