Saturday 16 July 2016

My Favorite Albums of 2016 so far!



The Gateway by Red Hot Chilli Peppers


The Gateway is a combination of Funky/Hip Hop jams to more melancholic rock ballads that resemble past songs of the R.H.C.P such as Scar Tissue and Under the Bridge. The album was produced by Danger Mouse and his input on this album is very apparent, I am a huge fan of this collaboration as it has delivered something special to listen to. Both Danger Mouse and R.H.C.P are not boxed into one genre easily and that's why the two camps coming together works perfectly.  




A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead


Radiohead is a band I am always excited to listen to new music from and this latest release is an exceptional listen. What makes A Moon Shaped Pool stand out in Radiohead's discography is the use of orchestral strings and arrangements - especially on the song Burn the Witch. There is definitely a resemblance to the Beatles Eleanor Rigby and Led Zeppelin's Kashmir as the music takes the listener into a mystical journey. 




Roots and Roads by Yossi Sassi


This is Yossi Sassi's 3rd solo album and 1st album after officially splitting with Orphaned Land. The album takes influence from the virtuoso guitar playing of Joe Satriani to traditional middle eastern folk music. Sassi is excellent in fusing his love of heavy metal with his Arabic heritage and Roots and Roads demonstrates this quite nicely. The guitar work on this album is of course world class and Sassi's guitar playing always leave me with joy and happiness. 




Magma - Gojira


The French progressive metal band return with a heavy dark atmospheric album that shows their aggressive edge as well as a esoteric side that hasn't been heard as much on some of their previous albums. The stand out song on Magma is Silvera a track that sings in the Chorus "Time to open your eyes to this genocide, when you change yourself you change the world". The band also put out some fantastic music videos for the song Lowlands and Silvera




Bottomless Pit - Death Grips


This album will surely offend you mum and will make you have a cold shower after listening to it. Death Grips are rebellious and don't give a fuck about critical acclaim or album sales however Bottomless Pit has well crafted songs that have accessibility. I would argue this album is what music without genres sounds like, it's philosophy is about being hybrid and not confirming to music trends by embracing originality.