Niklas Benedum ’ s Album of the Year
Niklas Benedum ’ s Album of the Year
1 . Aesop Rock – The Impossible Kid
Yes , I know . Aesop Rock is a rapper and this is not a Rap magazine . The thing is , though : This album is , in my humble and unimportant opinion , A LOT more punk that most Punk records that came out this year . After being in the industry for a solid 20 years now , Aesop Rock has managed to stay unique , true to himself and innovative . After all these years he ’ s still able to release music of the highest quality . The topics he deals with on the record such as depression and what it takes to finally get out of your comfort zone to receive the help you need or growing old just spoke to me on a very personal level . Apart from the last topic maybe . He was able to describe the most delicate emotions so thoroughly without coming across as whiny once . My absolute favourite album of the year .
2 . Touché Amoré – Stage Four
Definitely one of the most exciting records this year . First of all I find it impressing how this band managed to change their sound drastically without straying too far from the path but it is also a very stimulating album for me because there are so many things that I , if I was able to write such a great record , would ’ ve done differently . The fact that it goes so radically against my natural musical perception is what makes this record so enticing to me . It also has a Julien Baker feature and everything she does is beautiful .
3 . Dance Gavin Dance – Mothership
This might be the least objective choice on this list . Regardless of what people might think of this band : I ’ ve always had a sweet spot for male , high-pitched voices that sing beautiful melodies and this album takes it to a whole other level . But apart from that it really shows how much the band has progressed over the years . The album is full of intelligent and mature songwriting and smooth transitions between parts but it never sounds boring or blurry . An absolute banger .
4 . Death Grips – Bottomless Pit
Oh boy , where do I start here ? Death Grips have always been important to me . Simply because they ’ re so raw . They might not be very straightforward sonically but the art in itself couldn ’ t be more “ in-your-face ”. The new album isn ’ t any different . They ’ re still not fucking about . They maintained their innovation and their unique style without repeating their selves . Not something a lot of artists manage to do and this is what makes this album so remarkable for me .
5 . Oathbreaker – Rheia
Darker , heavier sound has always been difficult for me . When it comes to capturing darkness on record chaos has always been my go-to approach . This album is different , though . It is one of the very few records that is able to walk the line between heaviness with its traditional blast beats and high-pitched screaming and the slow , atmospheric bits . A torturing record in the best way possible . The suffering undertone in lead singer Caro Tanghe ’ s voice only adds to the goosebumps .
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