For reasons I've already mentioned before, I like to maintain a separate list of non-metal albums. Although the list of non-metal albums is significantly shorter, it was way more difficult to narrow it down than the metals. These albums come from genres that are not in my wheelhouse, and I find it harder to find the words to describe my thoughts. After playing around with the list for about a week I finally settled on this glorious top 10.
10) Anohni - Hopelessness
I believe I originally gave this a spin because of a blurb I saw in Rolling Stone magazine. I have a quintillion year subscription due to all the concert tickets that just give me a year subscription for free.
With Hudson Mohawke and Oneohtrix Point Never producing, the album has an electronic synth sound to it. I'm not one to really notice lyrics, the Anohni's lyrics seem deeply personal and political.
What really kept me coming back to this album was Anohni's unique voice. It reminds me of a voice effect that The Flower Kings used on Bavarian Skies. It makes Roine's voice sound like it's been slowed down. Couple that with her intense vibrato, and you've got one of the most unique synthpop albums of the year.
9) David Bowie - Blackstar
I'm not going to pretend I'm a huge David Bowie fan. I've seen him in concert once (which was pretty damn amazing), and the only other complete album I've listened to is Heathen. His death was a kick start to the awful curse of 2016, and was just days after his final album was released.
Upon hearing of the bad news, I listened to Blackstar, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I didn't expect it to have such an early prog / jazzy vibe. The opening lyric to Lazarus (Look up here, I’m in heaven) gives me the chills every damn time I hear it.
David Bowie is a legend for a reason I didn't fully grasp until hearing this record. It's a shame it's taken me so long to come around, but sometimes music works that way for me. Rest in Peace David Bowie, I look forward to digging into your back catalog.
8) Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 3
This was originally on my list of albums to watch in 2017. PLOT TWIST, they released it early as a surprise on Christmas Day. Run the Jewels is one of my favorite new-ish rap groups, and their extremely creatively amazingly titled third album does not disappoint.
As good as the 3rd album is, it didn't have the same impact as 2 did for me. 2 was such a hip hop achievement, it's almost unfair to hold this to that standard. Their guests this time around include Danny Brown (B-Real?!), Kamasi Washington (hip hop's current fav saxomophonist), and the return of the one and only Zach De La Rocha.
With 3 albums under their belt, what started as a collaboration (or supergroup if you will) is hopefully a hip hop mainstay. This completes their last album in the trilogy, which might mean the next album will have a more creative title. I just hope they don't pull a Final Destination and call it "The Run The Jewels."
7) Charles Bradley - Changes
Holy hell, why haven't I heard of Charles Bradley before? I thought I completely missed the boat on a legend from the 60s, but it turns out he is a new-ish old school soul singer. He's been around in some form since 2002, but his first full length album came out in 2011.
I heard of him thanks to Luke Cage (Season 1, Episode 3). He was performing "Ain't it a Sin," and was straight up channeling James Brown. I looked him up and dove straight into changes and was blown away.
When I got to the title track, I realized pretty quickly that it was a Black Sabbath cover. What a ballsy move to cover such a beloved Black Sabbath song, and to name your album after it. Most covers are awful and don't add anything new, so what's the point? Charles Bradley absolutely kills it with his version of Changes, truly making it his own, and flips the script by almost making me feel like his version is actually the original.
This album came to me at such the perfect time. I've been dipping my feet back into old school soul (Otis Redding, James Brown, Marvin Gaye), and this just hits the spot.
6) Tech N9ne - The Storm
I didn't expect a new album from Tech N9ne so soon after Special Effects, but 1.5 years later Tech N9ne kills it again with The Storm. With such a short album cycle, the quality doesn't appear to suffer.
There's no denying it, Tech N9ne is metal AF. From his appearance on Knotfest, to his stage outfit, to the metal guest appearances (it's Jonathan Davis this time around).
I absolutely love his rapid fire rapping style, and Sriracha is one my favorite songs I've heard all year. It's official, Sriracha is now my theme song.
5) The Claypool Lennon Delirium - Monolith of Phobos
It's tough for musicians to make a name for themselves when their parents are such legendary acts. Do they continue their work, go in a completely different direction, create music under a pseudonym?
Sean decided on the former, just taking the psycchadelic era of the Beatles and running with it. He's not hiding from the legacy, and instead embracing it.
His newest project is a collaboration with Les Claypool. When it was announced that these two were working together, I nerded out all by myself (typical). It just made so much sense, and it sounds EXACTLY like I thought it would. Monolith of Phobos is a trippy, pyschedelic ride made all the more trippy by Les Claypool's signature bass playing and singing.
4) Perturbator - The Uncanny Valley
French synthwave artist (and part time black metal guitarist) Perturbator is back with the follow up to Dangerous Days. The album acts a soundtrack to a fictional sci-fi movie. It's Tokyo - 2112 A.D., tldr concept album future robots something something.
This is by far his darkest work yet, adding a horror element to the sci-fi groundwork of the past 4 years. The guest vocalists, such as Greta Link, Hayley Stewart, and Astronoid, are all utilized perfectly. They blend in with the already robotic and sci-fi feel. If you listen to music while reading like I do, throw this on while enjoying a sci-fi / space horror book for the perfect soundtrack.
3) Esperanza Spalding - Emily’s D+Evolution
When Esperanza Spalding destroyed The Biebs (SUCK IT) at the Grammy's in 2011, I immediately listened to one of her albums. I can't remember what album it was, and I didn't find it to be all that engaging. It doesn't matter because damn, that Grammy win as sweet as a Belieber's sad sad tears.
Five years later, Esperanza Spalding shows up on my radr again with Emily's D+Evolution. From the opening notes I was absolutely floored by what I was hearing. She channels such prog greats as Frank Zappa, MoeTar, and District 97, with underlying trip-hop Neo Soul vibe a la Janelle Monáe.
Beibfaces seem to think that the little brat got robbed. Hell no, Esperanza Spalding proves that she deserves the win with Emily's D+Evolution.
2) Gost - Non Paradisi
Yay more synthwave! As much as I loved The Uncanny Valley, Gost's music just transports me straight back into my childhood. I'm brought right back to the time I would record John Carpenter movies on VHS, and wear out the tape watching it 20,314 times.
With Gost's follow up to Behemoth, Non Paridisi dives even deeper into the horror asthetic. It's just so dark and damn heavy, and sounds like it was ripped right out of a horror movie soundtrack. Conceptually, the album tackles the story of Satan's fall from heaven.
This is hands down the most metal non-metal album of the year, and has been my soundtrack to The Walking Dead comics, and Stephen King novels.
1) The Black Queen - Fever Daydream
Out of the ashes of The Dillinger Escape Plan comes this amazing darkwave band. They are reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode. It should come as to no surprise since Joshua Eustis was a touring member of NIN, Steven Alexander was a tech for both Dillinger and NIN, and Greg Puciato has always had a Trent Reznor vibe to his vocals.
Fever Daydream is yet another album that transports me back in time to my childhood (sensing a theme here). When I was a wee lad, my older brother would most often have control over the radio. He was big into the modern rock and alternative that was so big in the 80s. I didn't know it at the time, but hearing Pretty Hate Machine era NIN and Depeche Mode has really prepared me for Fever Daydream.
It's a little bit jarring hearing a mellow and restrained vocal performance by Greg Puciato. But, looking back at Dillinger, the electronic/synth influences were always there. They did release a some singles prior to the album release date, but it works so well in its entirety I can't listen to it in any other way.
While I am certainly going to miss The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Black Queen makes losing that band a whole lot easier.
This Is The End
I'm learning more and more that there's plenty of great non-metal music out there, I just have to make the extra effort to seek it out. I've gone through plenty of music (metal or not) that may not be for me, but it's worth sifting through the noise.
I don't know if you can tell, but I LOVE me some synthwave. There's this huge crossover appeal with synthwave and metalheads that I don't quite understand. It almost seems unfair to include in my non-metal list because it will most likely dominate every year.
Looking forward to a non-metal 2017, I look forwarding to hearing new albums from the following:
- Depeche Mode - Spirit
- Bell Biv Devoe - Three Stripes
- Sigur Rós
- Zach De La Rocha
- Taylor Swift
- Roger Waters