Favourite Records of the Year. Selected by: Black Map
First you may think: writing about Black Map of course means to write about Dredg, Far and The Trophy Fire, if only because „…And We Explode“ bears trademarks of the three other bands Mark Engles, Chris Robyn und Ben Flanagan are involved with. But it comes as a bit of a surprise, how effortless the three-headed powerhouse succeeds in combining the straight walk in direction of atmospheric alternative rock, the constant flirt with grounded stadium-sound and the steadfast traction of meaty hits. And yeah, in the end actually it works perfectly without even mentioning their other prominent playgrounds.
Ben:
Elbow – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00FNRA87U“ target=“_blank“ ]The Take Off and Landing of Everything[/amazon_link]‘
A little more subdued than a couple of their previous records, with longer songs and even more emotion this record really grew on me. Guy Garvey just has one of the best, most haunting voices in all of music and the band is incredible at creating really original and beautiful sonic landscapes.
St. Vincent – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00H783028″ target=“_blank“ ]St.Vincent[/amazon_link]‘
This record is amazing. Anne Clark writes songs while not seeming to seem to keep in mind any semblance of conventional song structure yet the songs are all not only great but addictive. She can also shred the shit out of the guitar.
Saw the whole thing live at Fox Theater in Oakland and it sounded just like the record but with added visuals which made it incredibly epic.
Machine Head – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00N8XWHDE“ target=“_blank“ ]Bloodstone & Diamonds[/amazon_link]‘
This record just came out and I’ve only had the opportunity to get through it about 4 times but it is brutally heavy while style having a great sense of melody throghout. The band seems to be able to meander between several types of Heavy Metal fluidly and the record is really cohesive while not staying in one musical corner.
Mark:
Crosses – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00FA1DFD8″ target=“_blank“ ]Crosses[/amazon_link]‘
Dark, brooding, and powerful. Although I enjoy everything Chino has done, there’s a more focused feeling to this project that Shaun brings that I love. It’s one of those records that you can just let play. Every song has one of those moments that brings you back to putting it on again. Not to mention the connection between our two band’s personnel, ha.
Pink Floyd – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00NPZI1ZS“ target=“_blank“ ]The Endless River[/amazon_link]‘
I’m not going to lie and say this is anywhere near the 1970’s Floyd I love so much, but it’s truly great to hear an instrumental record which is so heavily based around vintage Rick Wright keys. It shows how massive he was to the Floyd sound which has become so influential in all music genres and acts as the final ode to his life.
Faith No More – ‚[amazon_link id=“B00P7LQADI“ target=“_blank“ ]Motherfucker[/amazon_link]‘
Because Faith No More…
Black Map online: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram | Minus Head Records
Many thanks to Black Map for the participation at the Heavy Pop Advent calendar – and of course to Daniel Heerdman at 2806MGMT for his kindness!
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