Best Music of 2018

Fuck. I've been sick for a week so this is gonna suck even more than usual. I barely even reached out for lists. I didn't even write any reviews for months. I wouldn't blame you for not reading this blog anymore.

But I got into a new lab this year and now I'm studying bone fractures and burn recovery so that's good and at least gives me a good excuse for not doing more.

Also my band Great Unclean Ones w/ dudes from Brother Ares and Vile Desecration recorded our first demo that's still being mixed so that was good.

Anyway enough moping and dead promises (more writeups next year I swear), here's some lists, somehow presented even more lazily than years past.

Dreamworldz, Wilt (Philly), The Ada Babar Situation (Philly), Eve Maret/Abstract Black/B|_ank 3/20 at the Mouthhole

This show was a little bit outside of my regular repertoire but was still an absolute blast. I've only recently started finding my way into noise pop (if that's even what you could call these groups) backwards though groups like The Body, HEALTH, and BiS Kaidan. Since I'm only starting to get my bearings in this kind of music, enjoy my nearly uncut notes streaming my consciousness during each act:

Dreamworldz - boy band... with 2 girls! Starts out in tent and sleeping bags. Lip synched? Preposterous. 90s pop stylings. Song about their sponsor, Kmart. Chugging contest, 2 liter vs can of diet Dr K. 2 liter gets poured in skull beer bong. Winner gets chikfila gift cards. Huge mess is made. Right into next song. Excellent choreography, and "guitar" (ukulele) skills. Song about being your baby til 80, maybe related to that one book "Love You Forever". Ukulele is smashed.

Wilt (Philly). 3 piece, drums guitar and keys. Is this twee? I have 0 experience. Keys are kinda discordant. Blanket over snare? Only a few drum pads. Dissociative Dresden Dolls? Maddening. Vocals sung/spoken softly. Only 3 strings on guitar. Very sweet! Unnervingly sweet. Deconstructed Cranberries? ANGULAR?? Math rock gaps. Krautrock motorik? Hypnotic in a way that you have to figure out what's happening.

The Ada Babar Situation (Philly). 2 members of Wilt, not sure about other 2 in rhythm section. Some high pitched sounds high enough to be uncomfortable. Disjointed. Like a carousel on cough syrup. "Ghosting a hit" track about holding in smoke, sample of them holding in a bong rip. Polyrhythms? Djent version of pop? Prog pop? Post-punk vaporwave? Definitely interchanging time signatures, 3 and 4 alternating with a 2/4 measure?. Guitar synthesizer with girl singing (speaking? moaning?) samples. Swans on Prozac. Bassists changes shirts during last song, during lots of negative space.

Monstrosity of Eve Maret, JayVe Montgomery (Abstract Black), Will Hicks (B|_ank). Eve has keyboards, a modular synth, macbook pro. JayVe has tenor sax, electronic sax (?), samplers and synths. Will has bass drum, cymbal, synths, drum pads. Contact mic'd plant. Starts off sounding like Space Invaders. Inverse delayed drum beat? Slowly building chaos. JayVe busts out a pocket trumpet!! Improv jam almost has a free jazz feel to it. Chaotic but fluid, though piercing at times. Will adds a snare, now it sounds like psychedelic dark jazz. JayVe busts out the tenor sax and skronks it up a little. Intense but never really gets "harsh". Except somepiercing treble. Will is going full Whiplash. Busts out some metal sticks and smacks the hi hat. Eve starts singing long tones over the noise.

Destructicide, Mortius, Vile Desecration, Steel Bearing Hand (TX) at Springwater 3/11

Destructicide, a new trio from here in Nashville, played a fist pumping energetic blend of death and thrash metal on Sunday night. The solid riffage made a firm foundation for the absolutely sick death growls and hefty but breakneck blastbeats. The sound was tight and impressive, but the guitars were drowned out a good deal of the time, and I can't help but wonder if there wasn't a bassist and/or another guitarist (hell add another 2 and go full Kvelertak) to help fill out the sound. I like what they've got I just want MORE.

I've been meaning to see Mortius for quite some time, and I think I can say they totally meet and blow away all the hype. Between Inferi, Abyss Walker, Abated Mass of Flesh, Chasm of Teeth, and some I know I'm forgetting, it's exciting to see Nashville having its own brood of death metal acts. Out of all these bands, Mortius seems to be the most committed to the traditional style, though they still manage to make me think of a prog-less Necrophagist. They keep things extra fresh by adding in touches of death/doom and even a pinch of funeral doom. Like Destructicide, if you were to give them the "but are the riffs sick?" litmus test, you'd get an "absolutely" response.

Vile Desecration played pure tireless black metal, complete with blastbeats and nonstop shredding. The sound is almost anachronistic, like a 90s black metal band trying to take cues from Bathory and Venom, while still sounding modern, not unlike Destroyer 666. Vile Desecration manages to sound fresh and ferocious while sounding recognizably black metal without sounding outdated.

Steel Bearing Hand from Dallas, TX brought the thunder. These guys play thrash metal, but it's a thrash metal that's girded in death metal and wields black metal like a battleaxe. Steel Bearing Hand are like an Incantation that makes you bust out your best DRI skank moves. If Annihilator decided they wanted to be more like Bolt Thrower, it might sound a bit like this band.

It was great to be back out and at a show again, apologies to everyone whose band I've missed so far this year, I'm still working on making it out more. 

tl;dr Best of 2017

tl;dr best of 2017

Chappy Hull - Gnarwhal

Top 11 albums by bands that start with “P” in 2017

Palberta - Bye Bye Berta

Power trip - Nightmare Logic

Pissed jeans - Why Love Now?

Pile - A Hairshirt of Purpose

Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent

Palm - Shadow Expert

Palehound - A Place I’ll Always Go

Pallas - Pallas 12”

Primitive man - Caustic

Priests - Nothing Feels Natural

PC Worship - Buried Wish

John Judkins - Laser Flames on the Great Big News, Rwake, Protomen

Mastodon: Emperor of Sand

Loss: Horizonless

Elder: Reflections of a Floating World

Pallbearer: Heartless

Spirit Adrift: Curse of Conception

Julien Baker: Turn Out the Lights

Thundercat: Drunk

Amenra: VI

Mutoid Man: War Moans

Zeal & Ardor: The Devil is Fine

Jay Som: Everybody Works

Run the Jewels: 3

Land of Talk: Life After Youth

Chelsea Wolfe: Hiss Spun

BADBADNOTGOOD: Late Night Tales

Double Ferrari: s/t

Cinemechanica: The Martial Arts

Auric: First and Last

2017 local shows recap

Ugh looking at all the shows that happened this year and all the shows I didn't make it to fills me with sadness and regret. But what is done is done, let's look at the awesome shows I did make it to! In mostly chronological order, these are most of the shows with at least one or two local bands on the bill I saw this year:

Nordjevel (Nor), Imperial Triumphant (NY), Sivad, Oubliette: Good god this night was insane. Oubliette from Murfreesboro (featuring members of Battle Path and Enfold Darkness) eerily lit the place up with their grandiose melodic black metal epic waltz styling. Imperial Triumphant were almost as free jazz metal as those Pyrrhon psychos but with a much heavier dose of black metal majesty. The golden masks and black hoods were a nice touch. Nordjevel brought the true Norwegian black metal sound all the way to Nashville in full corpsepaint. At the height of their set, going full speed with body-butchering blastbeats, these guys were untouchable. Sivad from Memphis definitely gave them a run for their money though, complete with DIY spiked gauntlets, a big ass hunting knife, barb wired wrapped around the mic stand, candelabra, and skull and tibia. Their sound definitely lived up to the theatrics, these vile fiends were absolutely relentless.

Malevich (Atl), Pinion, Vile Desecration, Ghost Of Mars: This night was so rad, I finally got to see both Ghost of Mars and Opinion Pinion. Ghost of Mars were an absolutely entrancing fusion between members of Sovereign and Mothyards/JNN. Their sound perfectly matched their name, emitting riffs that sound like they were picked up from human martian explorers long since dead. Pinion  sounds like throwing elbows you never knew you had. Social unrest, pervasive discontent, and furor over power structures are the oozes that drip from Pinion's metallic hardcore shockwaves. Malevich absolutely floored me with their energy. This show was at Blackbird Tattoo and these guys filled the whole place. Jesus I don't think I've ever seen a band with this much conspicuous energy; these guys moved throughout the whole space, no place was safe from getting run into. At one point the guitarist was piggybacking onto one of the guitarists while screaming himself hoarse while the drummer stood up and headbutted a cymbal. I think he headbutted the rest of his kit throughout the night, goddamn. As for Vile Desecration, I love these boys so much it could be considered a conflict of interest. Best black metal riffs in the whole goddamn state, if not the whole South. Unfuckwithable.

Dendera Bloodbath, Bonemagic, JNN/J.Carter collab set, Pure Land, Owen Ni: I need to make it to more shows. I really do. Making it to this one made me purely lucky. Dendera Bloodbath busted out at least one Kaoss Pad mini and layered vocals over top of it. Suddenly from out of a suitcase she produced - I still don't know what the fuck it was. It was like one of those lights you hang from from an open car hood while tinkering, but it had like a bullet shell casing around it? And it sounded like it revved like a fucking motor! And inside the suitcase it looked like she might have had some big springs attached to different sides. Boy when she used that engine bullet wand on those springs, it made a rumble like an engine the size of a god. Bonemagic was an absolute treat. Using a box covered in switches and arcade buttons and a few other devices, he started out harsh but then pulled out a lightbulb and fucking screamed into it. At one point he was shouting over what could have almost been vaporwave instrumentals, like The Body had just drank a SeaWorld of lean. JNN/J. Carter's set felt abstract as hell (wires everywhere!) but incredibly compelling. Tbh it was hard to keep up with what I was hearing for a good bit what I was able to parse was absolutely delicious. Pure Land's drones were as pure as the name implies. Like standing in a desert in the winter when the external temperature matches your body and the lines between begin to disappear. Owen Ni was the most straightforward bleep bloop act of the night. He was clearly competent and even talented, but his style of techno just felt tame by contrast in regards to the at times completely wild offerings of the other acts.

Antichrist (Swe), Act of Impalement, Shill: God bless BlackBird Tattoo, they put on some fully kickass shows. Shill were a brand new act from members of Act of Impalement and Fucked Ethos (and a few more I'm forgetting). PUNK AS FUCK. Raw, oldschool, elemental punk.You cannot stand still listening to this band, even if you don't jump into a moshpit you gotta pogo or just flail or SOMETHING. Act of Impalement were a GREAT band before their LEADER and STAR BASSIST had to leave for college or something and went on to make the MONUMENTAL blog called NashVile. It's really awesome to hear these guys hone and tighten their sound while still somehow just getting heavier, nastier, and crushing...er. Antichrist is what I wish with all my heart what Slayer could have been. Blissful thrash with almost black metal vocals? Like a Swedish Vektor. Like Shill, these guys made it impossible to stand still, but with 200 proof Thrash Metal riffs.

Couch Slut (NYC), Yautja, Watcher: Watcher's brand of hardcore-muddled noise rock keeps me guessing in the best ways. Listening to these guys is like trying fight a 3-armed dude, you never know how you're gonna get hit but each punch hits hard. If you're reading this, y'all already know what Yautja are all about. If you're not reading this, Yautja are the band that make me so goddamn proud to be involved in Nashville heavy music that you can brag on to people from out of state. Too hardcore for metal, too metal for hardcore, these guys grind better than anyone else. Couch Slut brought their noise rock disguised as sludge and shoved it ferociously in your face. If you ever thought feminism couldn't be aggressive or threatening, Couch Slut forcibly peel your eyeballs open to the harsh realities women face every day, in such a way that you cannot help but be compelled.

Moon Tooth, Husbandry, Sheep Shifter, Itinerant: Hoo boy I thought I was prepared for this show but I was mistaken. I came out for my boy Braden in Itinerant, whose dreamy brand of Djent did not disappoint. Captivating and engaging, these guys get my "hey this is almost as good as Cloudkicker" seal of approval. Why was Sheep Shifter on this bill? I have no idea but god they were fun as hell. To call them noise rock or post-hardcore doesn't really seem to capture them fully, they make an out of control rock and roll style all their own. The singer was all over the goddamn place, even upside down on the drums at one point. Husbandry were a dark horse for me, I was very pleasantly surprised at these Brooklynites' mix of heavy prog instrumentals acting as a foundation for their singer's almost soulful singing, offering a package similar to the voodoo Clorange used to do so well. Moon Tooth are my favorite prog band I saw this year. Mixing elements from every other style of rock, metal, and hardcore, this band is a beautiful stone soup of styles. Their dedicated clean vocalist soars over top of fierce string tapping and boogieing riffs. Tasty like Mastodon or even Between the Buried and Me but with a sort of playful giddiness.

FUCK that's so many words. Did you read all of them? I probably didn't once I get them out of my head. Again, apologies to all the bands and beautiful wonderful people I didn't get to see play, but as we end this year and begin the next, I'm going to try even harder to make it to more shows and then actually write about them! I wouldn't do this unless I love it, and all the fucking awesome sounds Nashville has to offer. Look for NashVile to hopefully getting back into writing regular articles again.

In the meantime, look for the one article I've managed to put out each year, our Albums Of The Year list, coming soon!

Laser Flames on the Great Big News s/t review

EVEN MORE ANTICIPATED THAN DUKE NUKEM FOREVER OR THE HD REMAKE OF WHICHEVER ZELDA IS NEXT, NASHVILE IS BACK! Maybe. Lots has been happening since I was making regular updates. I've been involved in a band or two, moved, taken the GRE twice, and have been in a blissful committed relationship with 3 beautiful Dungeons and Dragons groups. So is this NashVile's return for good? Who knows? I was given a review copy of this album and finally felt up to the task of putting pen to paper after battling worsening depression for a good while. Hell, I've barely been to a fraction of the number of shows I've attended in years past. But maybe a change of scenery and interesting future prospects (grad school? what the shit?) have done me good. I'll try to cover some shows I saw this summer soon, and another AOTY list as well. ANYWAY enough ado, on with the show!

What do Carrie Underwood and Laser Flames on the Great Big News have in common? I’ll get to the answer somewhere in here, hold on to your butts. Let me pull back first and give this release some context. With this album, Laser Flames on the Great Big News have FINALLY put out their debut after 4 years of being stuck in production/distribution.

At the time this record was recorded, Nashville was in the midst of experimenting with adding a touch of twang to heaviness. Bands like Hellbender (whose bassist/trombonist/etc. Mikey Allred engineered, mixed, and recorded this album) were mixing in windy plains-feeling acoustic intervals between big fat doom riffs, while Across Tundras took Neil Young and Townes Van Zandt into Earth’s deeper territories. Even Clorange had Carrie Acree’s dulcet sung melodies mixed in with Black Sabbath tones. Hearing this record finally come out, I can’t help but think about these bands and the sounds of those couple years.

    All this to say Laser Flames have a very interesting relationship with time. They have a sound that feels couched in times of cowboys and the West, but also harkens to the future, or maybe a future that has come to pass. The intro track sets the scene of what feels like Blade Runner but as a spaghetti western. This mixture of styles is rife through the whole album, as Clutch-inspired riffs morph to and from acoustic crooning between potent guitar and vocal duet John Judkins (Protomen, Rwake) and Stevie Bailey. Their gorgeous vocal interplay goes a long way to separate this outfit from similar outfits. They go from doing their best Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner impression to screaming like black metal banshees, especially at the end of the floridly manic Beloved.

2016 Oh Christ

Lots of bad things happened in 2016. But you don't need this blog to tell you that, you probably already know it. So let's skip to all the good things that happened this year, namely all the absolutely fantastic music that came this year, brought to you by some of Nashville's finest artists. Thanks to everyone who contributed!

Chris Click- Greywoods

In no order

Iggy Pop- Post Pop Depression

Inter Arma- Paradise Gallows

John Carpenter- Lost Themes II

Helms Alee- Stillicide

Trap Them- Crown Feral

True Widow- AVVOLGERE

A Tribe Called Quest- We Got it From Here

White Lung- Paradise

Throane-Derrière-nous, la lumiere

Descendents- Hypercaffium Spazzinate

Metz- Eraser EP

Psalm Zero- Stranger to Violence

Ultha- Pain Cleanses Every Doubt

Derek Martin - Greywoods

Autolux - PUSSY'S DEAD

B Boys - No Worry No Mind

Blood Incantation - Starspawn

Bolzer - Hero

Dead Congregation - Sombre Doom EP

Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones

Gatecreeper - Sonoran Deprevation

GOST - Non Paradisi

Helms Alee - Stillicide

Inter Arma - Paradise Gallows

Holy Sons - In The Garden

Jim James - Eternally Even

Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered

King Dude - Sex

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity

Legowelt - Laundromat Of Your Mind

The Lion's Daughter - Existence Is Horror

Perturbator - The Uncanny Valley

Porches - Pool

Trap Them - Crown Feral

True Widow - AVVOLGERE

Wormrot – Voices 

Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression

OVERLOOKED Local Bands that killed it last year:

Watcher

Forest of Tygers

Sheep Shifter

Holy Mountaintop Removers

Seawitch

Rifft

Black Tar Prophet

Act of Impalement

Cannomen

Ascent of Everest

Commoner

Battlepath

The Jag

Thetan

Erin Rae & The Meanwhiles

Greg Swinehart – Black Tar Prophet

Dark Funeral-where shadows forever reign

Archgoat-the apocalyptic triumphator

Cult of Luna with Julie Christmas-Mariner

Asphalt Graves-The New Primitive

Destroyer 666-Wildfire

I think Archgoat was 2015. Can't remember 

Top local release Holy Mountaintop removers

Michael Mikey Owin - Ascent of Everest, Lawndry, Boo Dudes, Aborticide

Best albums: Batushka, Goat, Bowie.

Best in show: Mikey

John Judkins -The Protomen, Seafood Hotline, Laser Flames, Rwake

Spirit Adrift - Chained to Oblivion

Kvelertak - Nattesferd

Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop - Love Letter For Fire

Neurosis - Fires Within Fires

Cass McCombs - Mangy Love

Opeth - Sorceress

Holy Mountain Top Removers - The Ones     Disappearing You

Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust

Virus - Memento Collider

40 Watt Sun - Wider Than The Sky

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

Netherlands - Audubon

Family - Future History

Danimal Cannon - Lunaria

Sumac - What One Becomes

Metallica - Hardwired...

William Tyler - Modern Country

Margaret Glaspy - Emotions and Math

Deftones - Gore

Charles Bradley – Changes

Stan Richardson II - Skoolgirl

Omni - "Deluxe"

Butthole - "Butthole"

https://buttholeband.bandcamp.com/album/butthole

Free Pizza - "Berlin, DE"

People Zoo - "People Zoo"

Spencer Moore - Phobos, Chasm of Teeth, Animality

Meshuggah - The Violent Sleep of Reason

Sumac - What One Becomes

Ulcerate - Shrines of Paralysis

Obscura - Akroasis

Car Bomb - Meta

Aborted - Retrogore

Zhrine - Unortheta

Khemmis - Hunted

Fallujah - Dreamless

Revocation - Great Is Our Sin

Barishi - Blood From the Lion's Mouth

Wayfarer - Old Souls

Virvum - Illuminance

Vermin Womb - Decline

Mithras - On Strange Loops

Mikey Allred – Holy Mountaintop Removers, head honcho at Dark Art Audio

Let’s just go with “Bowie tho”

Jim and Rachel Valosik – Forest of Tygers

Top 5 records:

Ustalost - Spoor of Vipers

Anicon - Exegeses

Meshuggah - The Violent Sleep of Reason

The Body - No One Deserves Happiness

Pyrolatrous - EP

Top 5 Nashville Live Performances:

Die Choking

Pyrrhon

Meshuggah

Shellac

Hivelords

Top 5 2016 Movies:

Southbound

Baskin

The Witch

Train to Busan

Neon Demon

Blake Dellinger - Flummox

The Claypool/Lennon Delirium - Monolith of Phobos

Opeth - Sorceress

Beardfish - 4626 Comfortzone

Howling Giant - Black Hole Space Wizard

Black Sabbath - The End

Elias MacDonald - Ex-Altar of Complaints, Chasm of Teeth, Phobos, Cull

Car Bomb - Meta

Meshuggah - Violent Sleep of Reason

Dysrhytmia - The Veil of Control

Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust

Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution

Jace of Two-9 - Jace tape

Lil Uzi Vert - Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World

Lil Uzi Vert/Gucci Mane - 1017 vs. The World

TTNG - Disappointment Island

Plebeian Grandstand - False Highs, True Lows

Guerrilla Toss - Eraser Stargazer

Full of Hell/The Body - One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache

Tigran Hamasyan and other dudes - Atmosphères

Piss Vortex - Future Cancer

Knife Hits - Eris

Watcher - به پایان رسید

Palm - Audiotree live session

Yautja - Audiotree live session

Scotty Rockwell - Viva La Rockwell

Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones

Ulcerate - Shrines of Paralysis

Blake Edward Conley- lucy stoner, the minor second, droneroom

no order coz music is not a competition (though clipping, tacocat, and blonde redhead were the two albums i listened to the most, so do with that what you will)

tacocat- lost time

mount moriah- how to dance

autolux- pussy's dead

matmos- ultimate care II

horseback- dead ringers

licht-akiyama trios- tomorrow outside tomorrow

jim o'rourke/fennesz- it's hard for me to say i'm sorry

william tyler- modern country

jenks miller and rose cross NC- blues from WHAT

heron oblivion- s/t

the gotobeds- blood//sugar//secs/traffic

clipping- splendor and misery

true widow- avvolgere

the body- no one deserves happiness

papa m- highway songs

white lung- paradise

savak- best of luck in future endeavors

e- e

honourable mention

steve gunn- eyes on the line

tribe called quest- we got it from here...thank you 4 your service

blood orange- freetown sound

minor victories- s/t

body/head- no waves

angel olsen- my woman

reissues-

tad- god's balls/salt lick/8-way santa

blonde redhead- masculin feminin

mike watt- ring spiel '95

personal bias favs-

ladyshark- monsters

cøurtney- when this flesh is not enough

new cowboy builders- pentre alexandra deaths head orpheans

coordinated suicides- false pleasure

Josh Cochran – Billy Castro

My Top 5 Albums of 2016

1. Ustalost - The Spoor of Vipers

2. Cough - Still They Pray

3. Deftones - Gore

4. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

5. The Body - No One Deserves Happiness

Other Releases I Enjoyed (In No Particular Order)

Krallice - Hyperion

Nails - You Will Never Be One Of Us

Day Wave - Headcase/Hard To Read

Anicon - Exegeses

Death Grips - Bottomless Pit

Pallbearer - Fear and Fury

Ghost - Popestar

Khemmis - Hunted
Conan - Revengeance

Elias MacDonald - Ex-Altar of Complaints, Chasm of Teeth, Phobos, Cull

Car Bomb - Meta

Meshuggah - Violent Sleep of Reason

Dysrhytmia - The Veil of Control

Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust

Esperanza Spalding - Emily's D+Evolution

Jace of Two-9 - Jace tape

Lil Uzi Vert - Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World

Lil Uzi Vert/Gucci Mane - 1017 vs. The World

TTNG - Disappointment Island

Plebeian Grandstand - False Highs, True Lows

Guerrilla Toss - Eraser Stargazer

Full of Hell/The Body - One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache

Tigran Hamasyan and other dudes - Atmosphères

Piss Vortex - Future Cancer

Knife Hits - Eris

Watcher - به پایان رسید

Palm - Audiotree live session

Yautja - Audiotree live session

Scotty Rockwell - Viva La Rockwell

Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones
Ulcerate - Shrines of Paralysis

-->

ME: #3

This record just did everything right for me. Black metal, doom, bits of drone, perfect. It came out in March and I think I've nearly worn the record out already. Side A ends in a locked groove of a drone so perfect it took me 5 minutes the first time I listened to realized it was at the end. #2

I fell in love with this Finnish psychedelic black metal band since I heard their first record. This is one of the few albums that I wish I could have wiped from my memory so I could hear it for the first time again. Odd, strange, hypnotic, with what one would traditionally consider to be black metal only showing up to highlight the most intense moments, but the overall effect is like no other albums from this or any other year.  #1

By adding dance-y beats and emphasized the female vocals/choir on some the tracks, The Body have made the most intense, oppressive pop music ever to be released. The Body are doing heavy music unlike anyone else, which has earned them my top spot this year.