End of a Decade - Albums 50-41

The one constant with this blog since I started it in 2011 has been the year end "best of" music lists. In 2011 I thought it would be really cool if I could keep the blog going long enough to do a "best of the decade" album list for the 2010s. I'm proud to say I've accomplished that goal. Here it is; a list of the music that defined my 20's, built in real time over the past 10 years. Enjoy.

Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5.

50. Incendiary - Cost of Living (Closed Casket Activities, 2013)

Incendiary's second album is a masterclass in classic New York metalcore. It pulls influence from 90's legends Indecision and VOD, with a healthy dose of modern mosh and a biting political bent. NYHC made a comeback in the 2010's, and Cost of Living was the torchbearer.

49. Ariana Grande - My Everything (Republic Records, 2014)

Ariana Grande's hits are pretty evenly distributed across her five albums, so picking one album for this list was a chore. Her sophomore effort introduced her to a world outside of Disney Channel stans, setting her on a path to superstardom with smash hits like "Problem" and "Break Free". This album tackles a number of different production styles while showcasing Grande's breathtaking range.

48. Youngboy Never Broke Again - Realer (Never Broke Again, LLC, 2019)

The 2010's haven't exactly been easy for NBA Youngboy. He's been incarcerated, meme'd to death, and somewhere along the line, contracted herpes. His singles have been knocking in the club, though. In 2019, the young Louisianan finally added a great mixtape to his resume as one of rap's most consistent hit-makers.

47. Abuse of Power - What on Earth Can We Do? (Triple-B Records, 2019)

Melodic hardcore has been mostly bearish for the last decade, but with the Have Heart reunions and a glut of promising new bands, it might be time to buy futures. Abuse of Power is at the forefront of the renaissance. Their first full length has eminently hummable moments, but what sets it apart is breakneck speed, top-notch tone and dynamic songwriting.

46. Travis Scott - Astroworld (Grand Hustle Records/Cactus Jack Records, 2018)

Most people wouldn't expect an album full of experimental song structures, psychedelia and rap risk-taking to be a hit with Kardashian fans. But we don't Kardashian-shame on this blog, so I'm not at all surprised. Astroworld features some of the best vocal production and highest risk/reward payoff in terms of songwriting we saw all decade. Hit single "Sicko Mode" is a perfect example of the layers this album pulls off while still being accessible.

45. Sun Kil Moon - Benji (Caldo Verde Records, 2014)

Pitchfork practically anointed Benji as album of the decade until Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek burst into a sexist tirade onstage midway through 2015. Those snobs can try to bury this album, but Benji is hard to ignore. Every song is a beautiful story, bursting at the seams with details. Kozelek masterfully adapts the words of the choruses to their melodies to reveal more with every refrain. This approach adds detail and builds characters in a way unmatched by anything this decade.

44. A$AP Rocky - LONG.LIVE.A$AP  (RCA Records, 2013)

Rarely does a rap artist burst onto the scene with as cohesive a sound as A$AP Rocky did in 2013. The formula is simple. Minimalist, EDM-influenced beats. Memphis flows with chopped-and-screwed Houston accents. Tons of quotables about bitches, liquor and clothes. When Rocky strays from the formula, he's arguably even more successful -- the pop hit "Fuckin' Problem", Skrillex's obnoxious club banger "Wild for the Night" and the New York grittiness of crew-track "1Train" are the three punch combo that sent Rocky's career into the stratosphere.

43. Self Defense Family - Try Me (Deathwish Inc., 2014)

Try Me is a transitional album, even for a band whose prolific output has been constantly evolving. The band's first full length under the Self Defense Family moniker is a perfect snapshot between an emotionally overwrought emo-core five piece and a too-cool-for-school indie rock collective.The album thrives on a tension and creativity that's hard to replicate or fake. 

42. Jeremih - Late Nights: The Album (Def Jam Recordings, 2015)

Whoever produced this album is a fucking genius. The beats really knock, but they're low key enough to let Jeremih breathe. The vocal effects are dialed in, but they don't drown out the singer's raw talent. This album is just fun to listen to. The 2010s were the decade that saw RnB and hip-hop blend together. Late Nights is an RnB album with hip-hop swagger. It's the exclamation mark on the decade where RnB singers had swag and rappers could sing hooks.

41. Harm's Way - Posthuman (Metal Blade Records, 2018)

Harm's Way has been grinding in the hardcore scene for over 15 years now. Their third full length this decade is a culmination of all the hard work and practice. The album is their most well-written. It also sounds the best, probably thanks Metal Blade's bigger budget. Posthuman finally saw Harm's Way garner the respect they had been flirting with, and quite frankly, deserving, for the last decade and a half.

End of a Year 2019 - Albums

I'm just gonna do animal .gifs again this year because last year was way easier and more fun than writing descriptions.

10. Dave East - P2

9. Ecostrike - Voice of Strength 

8 Freddie Gibbs - Freddie

7. Travis Scott - Astroworld

6. Turnstile - Time and Space

5. Blind Justice - No Matter the Cost

True Jersey heads will get it.

4. Candy - Good to Feel

3. Harm's Way - Posthuman

2. Mindforce - Excalibur

1. Boosie Badazz - BooPac

Honourable mention:

Tekashi69 - Day69
Ariana Grande - Sweetener
Beatking - Stripper Friends
Kodak Black - Heartbreak Kodak
Lil' Wayne - Carter V
Migos - Culture II
Self Defense Family - Have You Considered Punk Music
Vein - Errorzone
Twitching Tongues - Gaining Purpose Through Passionate Hatred

Best EPs

5. Tashme - Tashme
4. Take Offense - Tensions on High
3. Diztort - Hell is...
2. Mil-Spec - Changes
1. Rule Them All - An Alignment of Polarity

Mil-Spec Interview

Mil Spec are one of the biggest, and in my frank opinion, the best hardcore band from Toronto. They've spent the past year opening for local heavyweights No Warning and Fucked Up, and have been putting on for Canada on the US festival circuit. They just dropped a spectacular EP Changes on Lockin' Out Records and it fucking rules. I got a chance to catch up with Mil-Spec's drummer Jacob Hellas at Not Dead Yet. We spoke about festivals, opening for legends, and the Axe to Grind podcast. Check it out.

Photo cred: Angela Owens

So, Jacob Hellas...

Jacob Hellas: Jacob Hellas and I play in Mil-Spec. I play drums.

You guys have been playing festivals all over North America recently. What's one thing that Not Dead Yet is really good at?

JH: Okay. Not Dead Yet is good at doing mixed bill type line ups, and bringing in bands that Toronto doesn't normally get to see. Unfortunately, just because of the fact that we're in Canada, it's a real annoying thing for American or International bands to come north of the border. There's all sorts of problems, and if you've had any sort of challenges you can't come. There really aren't that many markets to make a tour worthwhile. I mean you have Montreal, Toronto...

Maybe Ottawa?

JH: Maybe Ottawa, and then like, Vancouver. There's a couple different places, like Edmonton, but it's so much driving. So I guess to go back to your question, the best thing about Not Dead Yet is it brings bands here that just wouldn't come otherwise. Which sucks, cuz that's the only time that bands will come, really. Tomorrow, for example, Unified Right is playing. The last time they played here was 2013, and it was in Welland. It was part of a tour that Fury and Unified Right were doing. They played a bunch of dates on that tour. But that doesn't really happen anymore, because every city has its fest. It's good that they come, but it sucks that they don't come any other time.

True. What's one fest idea that you think Not Dead Yet should steal from another fest?

JH: Oh man. One thing... I understand there's two different types of festivals. One, you're in a big room all day. Kind of like the This is Hardcore model, which I'm not saying is good. But I do think that maybe less is more when it comes to festivals. I think that America's Hardcore does it really well, in that there's two days, two matinees, two evening shows, and there's no overlap. 

No driving around?

JH: Yeah, no driving around, it's all across the street from each other. It's really convenient. So maybe steal that, like, less is more. I know he's scaled it back a little bit. And you've noticed with this show, the shows are cheaper, but yeah. Less is more is an idea they could steal from America's Hardcore for example.

Sick man, thanks. So what does it feel like to play with bands such as No Warning and Fucked Up, that are legendary?

JH: Yeah, so the No Warning thing was really cool. We played twice with them and it's really surreal. I think Fucked Up was more surreal for me than No Warning was, even though I really like No Warning. Fucked Up is one of the very first actual hardcore bands from here I ever got into. I was into metal as a kid, and into punk as a kid, and into metalcore as a kid. Then when The Chemistry of Common Life came out, MTV Canada was playing songs from it. I saw that and was like "this is insane", and I've been a huge fan ever since. I'm the person in the band to be asking about this, I think, because I collect all the records, like all the 7" 45s. I've spent way too much money on all those.

Yeah, there's so much of that stuff.

JH: Yeah, I have a big collection. I'll show you it. But yeah. It's crazy to be playing multiple dates with them. And it's not even No Warning and Fucked up, it's just in general the idea of having opportunities to play with people that you look up to, or meet people that you look up to, and see them on an even playing field, as your peers, is really, really cool.

Yeah, that is cool. Have you picked up anything from them?

JH: Yeah, there's like a friendly rivalry that comes from playing with any other band. If they play before you, you try your best to outplay them. There's a little bit of competition. I think watching other bands, especially being in this band playing shows, made me a better drummer. I've never drummed in a live band before, even though I was playing drums as a kid. I think watching Fiddlehead in Boston made me a better drummer. Definitely watching Jonah in Fucked Up over that tour will make me a better drummer. Hopefully we learn a little bit about professionalism from them. I think we can pick up some stuff, and how to demand respect when we deserve it. Because when you're given opportunities at like a small, sort of DIY level, you've got to demand respect when you deserve it. So I think we'll learn some stuff from them. 

That's sick dude. So you guys got an interlude on your EP from Fantasy Camp. Where did that idea come from, and how did it come together?

JH: So we're all into different types of music. I know Fantasy Camp does hip-hop, but the interlude is very ethereal, electronic type of stuff. Very chill. I do electronic side projects and stuff like that. Originally, I had the idea to put something in one of the songs. When we were recording, at the studio called Candle -- a bunch of bands record there, mainly like indie bands and shoegaze bands record there, Fucked Up even did a lot of their new album there --  and the guy who owns it has a collection of analog synthesizers there. So I was fooling around with them and stuff, but it just got to be a bit of a time-crunch. Also, the guys were like, "it would make more sense and be better for us to have a collab," like a feature. It brings more attention to it and also brings somebody else in the fold.

Yeah, somebody else's ideas.

JH: Yeah, right? So I'm gonna do more electronic stuff later on, but yeah, so...

Would you ever do hip-hop?

JH: I mean like in Mil-Spec. So for example, we're using drum machines on our next thing. So yeah, they asked Fantasy Camp. They decided to go with him because they know he does beats and stuff. We don't know him at all. Like we're friends now I guess, we don't really talk much. We like his music a lot. We bump Fantasy Camp and Wicca Phase, and like Lil Peep in the car all the time. He was just a logical person to ask. We paid him, he sent us some stuff, we went back and forth, gave him some suggestions, he changed it and sent it back. So yeah, it was cool. I think it makes that second side more cohesive and puts the songs together.

Yeah man, I feel you. I like it a lot actually, I think it's pretty cool. Who do you think in your band is most likely to moonlight as a Soundcloud rapper?

JH: So Dan, or Xan Darrah as we like to call him when we're joking around, he's done that kind of stuff before. We all sort of have side projects, can I use this time to plug some stuff?

For sure man go nuts.

JH: LaForge, he does creative writing. Andrew does a lot of visual art. He's also in Demolition, whenever they get back together. Dan has a lot of solo stuff that he does under different monikers. So Blue Moon is sort of like country stuff -- Dan's the guitar player by the way -- he's done some Soundcloud-esque style rap stuff, with my buddy Scott. They've done a couple songs that are out on Soundcloud now. They're okay. I think to in order be good at that, you have to really be in it. All the people that are big, like even Fantasy Camp included, does that stuff over and over and over again, and Dan and Scott have done like one or two songs. I'd be curious to hear what their tenth song sounds like, because I like this one, but I think should just keep doing it. Even though it's a side project, you've gotta be like fully in it, I think. I do like electronic stuff, metal stuff. I've been fooling around, I haven't released anything, but I've been doing some techno stuff, like very rhythmic dance music. We're gonna put some of that, I think, on the next Mil-Spec thing. We've talked about doing a Mil-Spec EP that's all like acid house, and just releasing it as Mil-Spec. Maybe doing a show where it's just that and we don't even really play. 

Just kind of sit there and vibe?

JH: Yeah, just kind of sit there and vibe, and like DJ it. It'd be kind of cool.

Yeah. So what's next for 2018 and beyond?

JH: So we've been writing a lot of songs. We're going to be on a compilation that Advanced Perspective is putting out. I don't know what it's called yet, and I don't know if I can say the other bands on it, but it's going to be us and some of the other Advanced Perspective bands. We're all doing original songs just for that. We also have written a bunch of other songs for like our next EP, we're gonna do like a 12" EP. Hopefully we'll record it early in the new year. We're all pretty busy, until we're playing FYA in Florida in January. Until then we're pretty busy, maybe we'll do it like in February. We recorded our last EP in February of 2018, so I think recording the next EP a year later...

That makes sense.

JH: Yeah, like February or March, so we'll get it out around the same time again, summer 2019. We've talked about going to Europe. It's been offered to us. We've talked about doing Japan. We wanna do everything. We wanna play everywhere. Again, I keep talking about doing that little acid house side project. We wanna do a single. We were talking about covering a Tragically Hip song, releasing it as a single, and donating all the proceeds to Gord Downie's charity.

I would fuck with that heavy bro, I love the Tragically Hip.

JH: It's like one of their faster songs too.

Which song?

JH: "Heaven is a Better Place Today"

Oh sick. So last question; what are your thoughts on the Axe to Grind Podcast, cuz they've shown you a lot of love.

JH: Yeah, totally! Bob's a great guy. By the time this comes out it will definitely be announced, but on December 8th we're playing Jersey Shore. He's booking us with Fiddlehead and a couple other bands. The lineup is really stacked, I just can't remember all the other bands. So Bob's a really great guy. The podcast is a little bit of a divisive topic within the band. We do love it, but you know... Matt and I are both Patreon subscribers, and I listen to most of the episodes that come out, like almost all of them. Like I said to you earlier today, I enjoy listening to podcasts at work, cuz it's a good way to pass the time. Axe to Grind is interesting, I like their banter. I don't know if I would get along with all of them in person, but I like when different opinions are on the board, and I think it's good that there is a hardcore podcast.

Yeah man.

JH: The format is cool. The episodes are a little long (laughs) but I think some people like that. I would like to hear more interviews done, more special guests all the time.

Did you listen to the one with the dude from Burn?

JH: I didn't listen to it yet, the last one I listened to was the one with the dude from Candy. I haven't listened to it in a couple weeks.

 The one with the guy from Burn is more of an interview, it's a little while back. You would like it.

JH: Was it with Chaka from Burn? That would have been insane. No, but Axe to Grind is good. Shout out to Bob, for sure. I like him a lot. We text memes back and forth sometimes. Yeah. Any other questions?

Nah man, that's it!

JH: Yeah so, I enjoyed that, thoroughly.

Yeah me too dude, good catching up!

Tashme Interview

Tashme play Vevlet Underground at Not Dead Yet. Photo by Angela Owens

Tashme are a hardcore punk band from Toronto. They're trebly and fast, but with enough crunchy parts to keep the dancers entertained. Their lyrics are angry but thoughtful; evoking a spectrum of political and emotional imagery in a few sharply chosen words. Tashme just dropped a self-titled EP on Bandcamp, and the accompanying 7" will be out soon through High Fashion Industries. I recently spoke with them at local hardcore festival Not Dead Yet about the fest, their new EP, and some other stuff. Enjoy.

You guys wanna introduce yourselves?

Lautaro: I'm Lautaro, I'm the vocalist.

Matt: I'm Matt, I play drums.

Campbell: I'm Campbell, I play bass.

Jackson: I'm Jackson, I play guitar.

You play a twelve string!

Jackson: I play a 12-string. I got it to be a softie. It works out pretty well for the hard stuff too. It thickens it up nice for a four piece. It's hard and fun.

Matt: Rather than having two guitars, we have one with 12 strings.

Jackson: That's the better reason. Yeah. (Laughs)

 So how many years have you guys played Not Dead Yet so far?

Campbell: So with this band, it's been two or three now, but I've played Not Dead Yet every year in different bands, and I think everybody's kind of in the same boat there.

So what's your favourite memory of Not Dead Yet?

Campbell: Shit 

Matt: I've got a good one. So, I think it was the first time I went out to Not Dead Yet, and I would have been about 15 or so? I was taking antidepressants and drinking, and I ended up putting a bunch of pins in my face during Gag. No one was moshing. For some reason the show was like completely empty, there was two other shows happening the same night. By the end of that show, I think a couple a big group of people were heading into that venue saw me, and were like "what the fuck happened to you?" I was like "hey man, it's a punk show". That kind of set off my vibe for Not Dead Yet. 

Campbell: I think in general, kind of what you were saying in terms of us being younger and in high school, us getting to see bands like The Rival Mob, or getting to see Omegas play at Soybomb at three in the morning, were very formative punk experiences. And it's been great the older we get as well, but I think those first few years were like a really big deal for us. Especially playing those years and being on the fest was a really big deal for me when I was like 17. 

Lautaro: In recent memory, my favourite set was Una Bestia Incontralble playing Soybomb at an after party. It was like the craziest thing ever. But I guess Not Dead Yet's best memories are about hanging out with your friends and seeing people that you know from out of town come through, and just hanging. 

You guys just dropped an EP on Bandcamp. Can you speak about the recording process?

Lautaro: Yeah, so we recorded at Boxcar Studio in Hamilton. We just did it in one afternoon, and rushed and played a show in Kitchener that night. 

(Laughter) 

Campbell: I forgot about that!

Lautaro: We had the songs written for a long time, and we just kinda got there and ripped through it really quickly. I think that urgency shows in the sound. I'd hope so anyways.

I know there's rerecorded songs on it, are there new songs too?

Lautaro: The rerecorded songs were songs we released to promote the 7" on a cassette. 

Campbell: We didn't have anything to release for Not Dead Yet last year, so we kinda slapped together a promo tape with three of the songs from the 7" and a Discharge cover, just real quick in Matt's basement. But the plan was always to record those songs properly for the 7". So rerecorded in a sense, but only out of necessity, because we didn't have enough prepared for the year before. 

So the first song on the 7" is a politically charaged song, but it's also a personal matter, I think, for Lautaro, because his family's from Chile. 

Lautaro: Yep.

Can you speak on what the song means from a personal and political standpoint?

Lautaro: Yeah, so basically, the song is about the coup d'etat in Chile, and the dictatorship that lasted after for 15 years. It's about what my parents went through, having been exiled from Chile and growing up there -- where my dad was exiled and my mom grew up there -- and how their traumas impacted my identity. That's the gist of it. It ties into kind of the same thing with the name of the band, Tashme, and Campbell's grandfather being held in the internment camp. 

Thanks for sharing. So you guys are political, those kinds of things impact you. I'd be interested in getting your take on this. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that lawmakers don't have to consult indigenous groups when they're making laws.

Campbell: I was talking about this the other day. Somebody said, "what the fuck is happening?" and it's the same thing that has always been happening. It's unfortunate and it sucks, maybe it's callous of me and maybe I'm jaded. But I don't think it should come as a big surprise. They're doing the same thing they've always been doing, right? Like I think it's a big deal and it's something people need to keep being aware of and pushing against and fighting against. But, the status quo remains the same at the end of the day, and you gotta keep rolling with the punches and pushing back against that kind of thing.

 Cool, alright, thanks a lot guys.

Campbell: Thanks a lot, buddy. 

Lautaro: Thanks.

Scene Report: 6/30

I've been missing the scene lately in favour of cottage parties, cuz all my normie friends are taking weekends off. There were a bunch of shows last Saturday.

There was an ALBUM release show for a local band in Oshawa. Northshore (Northshorehc on Spotify) at the Moustache Club (RIP!!!). I'm listening now. It's heavy and produced well. Let's see if they have the stamina. Currently on song 3.

A band called Tree Fort put on a house show in North York, too. Last time I went it was all smoke and cologne and blonde women kissing. Some dude stripped down to his underpants and rolled all over the place. I anxiety puked because I had a date the next day. Will hopefully be going back soon.

Update on the Northshore album: they have a chorus that goes "we are the fucking north!" Haha.

Peace,

Vince

RIP XXXTENTACION

xxxtentacion was a great artist for years before his passing. He was more than a hype rapper. His Soundcloud songs had screams and breakdowns in them. I remember listening and being like "yo this is heavy af!", and there were hundreds of people in the comments writing "Free X".

Those comments really tripped me out.

I think the Tupac/Biggie comparisons for him and Lil Peep are inevitable, in memes at least. Dude may be as iconic in real life too. Time will tell. RIP to a talent.

Scene Report 5/27

This is a scene report from my neck of the woods. I had a busy week! I saw two shows, which is a lot for me.

The first was Allergy and Tashme at Faith/Void on Sunday. I wanted to see Tashme because I met Lautaro a couple months ago. I missed them on April 27 at the benefit show cuz I was getting wild in Talla-Fuckin-Dega, baby! They were great on Sunday. Allergy is a tight band who play fast punk, but they have way too many pedals. I was making sour faces during their set, and the guitarist threw a water bottle in my general direction. Coincidence? I wanted to creepy crawl on their pedals. The band might have sounded better.

I overheard some kids talking about a dude who was X'ed up at a show but smoked weed the day before. LOL DRAMA!

The second show was Backtrack et al. at Coalition. It was a pretty hardcore crowd. Hardcore kids are the nicest people, but the crowdkilling is too much for me. There was a guy outside playing a tree branch like a theremin which was pretty trippy. Definitely look for him at the next show and give him a dollar cuz that shit is jokes. Regulate was the band I wanted to see most. I became hip to them after their singer Seb was on the first Axe to Grind. I was gonna ask him about the Migos but I chickened out. Backtrack was pretty good. "Their Rules" went over great live. The other bands were chill I guess.

There was some drama in the parking lot before Backtrack's set. Some dude was going off. Apparently he tries to fight at every show and his girlfriend cheated on him. I certainly don't want it with that man. I hope he overcomes whatever's making him mad.

I finished some album art this week for a project scheduled to drop on June 2nd. It was a favour for an old friend. I'll post it here once it drops.