Matty's Top 100 Records of the Year! #100-76
This year, I feel like I managed to branch out into new genres and discovered new artists that I would have never explored even just a couple years ago. I'm very excited to share some of my favorite music of the year! This will be split up into 4 lists just to make life easier for me. Thanks for checking it out! |
| 25 |  | Jungle Rot
A Call To Arms
#100 - WOooo! Death metal, the perfect way to start a list is with pummleing heaviness! |
| 24 |  | Maggie Rogers
Surrender
#99 - Love Maggie's voice and after being a bit disappointed with her previous record, I found a lot more to love on here with better songwriting, more meaningful lyricism and melodies that better suited her vocal style. |
| 23 |  | Alexisonfire
Otherness
#98 - The inconsistency in quality is the reason for this being so low. Some of my favorite songs of the year on here but there's a couple tracks I'm really not a big fan of. It's still a very enjoyable listen. |
| 22 |  | And Hell Followed With
Quietus
#97 - Heavy, unforgiving deathcore. Big riffs, big breakdowns, what more could you want? |
| 21 |  | Yann Van Der Cruyssen
Stray (Soundtrack)
#96 - The soundtrack for this adorable game is lovely and enchanting yet dramatic and explosive at times. Love the variety and love the game! |
| 20 |  | Rosalia
Motomami
#95 - Very energetic and sexy. Love the sultry nature of this record and its willingness to be itself. The production is also very tight and really accentuates the varietal beats and instruments. |
| 19 |  | Shadow of Intent
Elegy
#94 - This was a record I was initially a bit lukewarm on but with repeated listens, I began to enjoy the progression and the exploration into various metal genres rather than being pigeonholed into 'deathcore.' |
| 18 |  | Lizzo
Special
#93 - A bit all over the place stylistic but Lizzo's voice and the passion behind her lyrics pull things together creating a really fun pop record. |
| 17 |  | Bleed From Within
Shrine
#92 - The boys are back, this time with more of their pulsating riffage and massive breakdowns. Very core, very fun. |
| 16 |  | Big Thief
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
#91 - A lot of really great stuff on here but I can't justify the length of this project. With a bit of fat trimming, this record could have ended up way higher on here. |
| 15 |  | Szun Waves
Earth Patterns
#90 - Engrossing, lovely and captivating vibey music. |
| 14 |  | I Prevail
True Power
#89 - The pop metal masters back again, this time with a bit more edge. While Trauma explored the softer side of their music, True Power explodes with more aggressive, more riffs and more screams. |
| 13 |  | Dir En Grey
Phalaris
#88 - A band I hadn't explored in many years returns with an extremely dynamic and solid record. Hoping to check out more stuff by these guys but I was pleasantly surprised to hear them still kicking ass! |
| 12 |  | Static Dress
Rouge Carpet Disaster
#87 - Ah yes, the golden boys of metalcore-revival. Certainly a great record by a great band. I was a bit underwhelmed at first but after repeated listens I grew to appreciate the layers this band uses and who doesn't love a bit of nostalgic sounding metalcore. |
| 11 |  | Crippled Black Phoenix
Banefyre
#86 - A bit long but this massive project certainly does not disappoint with terrific dynamics, songwriting and instrumental performances. Love the vocals and lyricism on this record. While it's definitely an adventure to listen to, it's completely worth the excessive runtime. |
| 10 |  | Chelsea Grin
Suffer In Hell
#85 - The heavy masters are back with 8 solid deathcore tracks that are ready to rip the flesh from your skin with just how brutal and explosive they are. The mix is so filthy crisp and powerful, Tom's vocals continue to impress. |
| 9 |  | Rina Sawayama
Hold The Girl
#84 - Rina takes the pop music industry by storm with a really solid compilation of tunes exploring the expanse of dance pop, rock, r&b and soul. One of my favorite straightforward pop records of the year! |
| 8 |  | King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
#83 - One of KG's most dynamic records yet remains fairly focused. Easily the most complete record they released this year and featuring some of their best tracks ever! |
| 7 |  | Arch Enemy
Deceivers
#82 - Arch Enemy have a grip on melodic death metal and they refuse to let go with this record, continuing their efforts to bring fast lead melodies, explosive drumming and some of Alissa's powerful vocals. |
| 6 |  | Stray from the Path
Euthanasia
#81 - One of Stray's most complete and fleshed out records to date. Great breakdowns and riffage with hard-hitting, divisive lyrics. Completely unhinged at times yet manages to explore newer tones and sounds they haven't done yet. |
| 5 |  | Of Montreal
Freewave Lucifer f≮ck f^ck f>ck
#80 - Dynamic, weird yet endearing with its catchy hooks and awkward flows. Really strong production and songwriting coupled with Of Montreal's signature silliness. |
| 4 |  | Counterparts
A Eulogy for Those Still Here
#79 - Powerful, explosive and emotional. RIP Kuma |
| 3 |  | Motionless in White
Scoring the End of the World
#78 - MIW have been around for quite a while now but on this record they find the perfect blend of drama, heaviness and quirkiness that they've experimented with over the years. Excellent production values and consistent songwriting. |
| 2 |  | Conway The Machine and Big Ghost Ltd
What Has Been Blessed Cannot Be Cursed
#77 - Big Ghost lends his production and beats talents to Conway's signature flows and patterns. Some really great jams on here with meaningful lyrics and insanely crisp production. |
| 1 |  | Tomberlin
i don’t know who needs to hear this...
#76 - An angelic record with touching ballads, heartfelt indie vibes and an awesome dosage of folk inspired instrumentals. Tomberlin has a gorgeous voice and displays her talents in their entirety throughout this record. |
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