While the previous decade was great in its own right, I’d argue that the 2010s blow it out of the water. In this article, I’ll focus on four of my favorite releases from this decade.
The Big Blue / There is a Light in You – SULK
I usually don’t pay much mind to singles, but this one is a special case. Most modern singles come with one song that usually ends up on the album anyway. While The Big Blue ended up on their debut album Graceless, the b side, There Is a Light in You, is only available through this single. SULK draws inspiration from the late 80s/early 90s baggy and madchester scenes as well as shoegaze, biritpop, and neo-psychedelia. They have often been compared to The Stone Roses, and I think that is a fair comparison.
The Big Blue is by far my favorite song from their debut album, and the b side is exceptional and could’ve fit perfectly onto the album. Clocking in at around seven and a half minutes, this single perfectly showcases the band’s highlights in a tight and convenient package. They’re currently working on a sophomore album and recently released a single titled Black Infinity (Upside Down).
jumping off a building – father figure
father figure is a screamo (the offshoot of emotive hardcore, not the bastardized term for mediocre metalcore) band from Texas who shares members and influence with Flesh Born, Innards, and Two Knights among others. The music has a distinct influence from Midwest Emo from bands like Snowing, and it also has a hint of math rock as well. The ep has a run time of just under 10 minutes and contains no choruses for the most part. Just a quick shot of perfect screamo.
They released a demo, an album, an ep, and a split with Marcy before their demise in 2013. Even though new content hasn’t been released, they have occasionally played shows and had a discography compilation released on cassette through the Friendly Otter label. If you can’t get enough of the band (as their total output is only around 40 minutes), I’d highly suggest looking into the member’s other projects, this ep by Two Knights in particular was recorded the same year and has a similar sound.
William Bonney was formed 2010 and features members from the band Merchant Ships. Both bands are similar to father figure since there is a heavy emphasis on midwest emo, but I’d argue that William Bonney has more post-hardcore influence within their music. Good Vibes is around twice the length of jumping off a building and this time allows the songs to develop further. Extremely catchy, heartfelt, and well worth your time.
The band unfortunately broke up in 2013. Fret not though, several other bands share the same members and influence as well. Some examples are Park Jefferson, Knola, Midwest Pen Pals, and Knuckle Puck. These have a lot less emphasis on screamo and are generally more midwest emo oriented though.
The Powers That B – Death Grips
I saved my favorite of the bunch for last! I’ve actually awarded two Death Grips albums a 5/5: this and No Love Deep Web. I thought I would put more of an emphasis on The Powers That B since I love them both for more or less the same reason musically, and I have a bit more to talk about when it comes to TPTB. Both are exceptional releases though.
Death Grips is an experimental hip hop that incorporates many electronic and punk elements into it’s music. They randomly released an album titled Niggas On the Moon on June 9th 2014 and explained that it was only the first part of a double album named The Powers That B. The second half, Jenny Death, was promised to be released later in the year. Niggas on the Moon is an incredibly original album. Each song focuses on irregular beats and incorporates samples of the famous singer Bjork. I love how each song meshes into each other in a sort of Abbey Road-like style. While many hip hop releases are tainted by unnecessary skits, I’d argue that NOTM doesn’t have a single dull or out of place moment. There isn’t a single thing I’d change about this album.
So Niggas on the Moon quickly became my favorite release of the 2010s, and there was another half of the album yet to be released! Needless to say, I was extremely hyped for Jenny Death and so were other Death Grips fans. Many people showed tons of interest in the album even though only the name had been announced. In a surprising turn of events, Death Grips had announced just a month after release that they had broken up, but still planned to release the followup later that year.
A few months later, the covers for both Jenny Death and the complete album, The Powers That B, were showcased through their Facebook page. Many people speculated on where the photographs were taken and if they could lead to a clue about the album’s release date. I remember people distinctly saying it was going to be released on the night of the blood moon among other insane predictions.
Well the new year started and fans were pissed that the album wasn’t released as promised. However, they released an instrumental album titled Fashion Week on January 4th. The names of the songs: Runway J, Runway E, Runway N, etc. spelled the phrase “JENNY DEATH WHEN“, which had previously been an inside joke among fans. This fueled the flames of course and prompted exploration of the upcoming fashion week in order to find clues about the release. On March 16th they did the most unexpected thing ever: traditionally announced its release date as March 31st, almost a full year after their previous installment. Even though the entire piece hadn’t been released yet, two singles for the album were released just ahead of this announcement and the third was released at the end of 2014.
The album as a whole finally leaked on March 19th 2015, and the wait was well worth it. While being tied to Niggas on the Moon, Jenny Death has a completely different sound. The music has a larger emphasis on guitars rather than electonics and irregular drumming patterns. I personally prefer NOTM, but Jenny Death does contain some of their best work. Shortly after the leak they announced a new tour and that they may indeed make more music. Later in 2015 they released a side project album as The I.L.Y’s. Even more recently, they announced a full new project titled Bottomless Pit.
Well there you have it. Since I only included 5/5 releases, there are obviously 4.5/5 albums I didn’t talk about. You can see those below as well as my 5/5 albums from the previous decades.
ho7mes Tech & Tunes 