Loud Cities Mike’s 2017 Favourites
These are some of the most inspiring records in 2017, my soundtrack of the year created by talented artists who also paroled over and over on Loud Cities radio show. I cannot rank the artists, for me number “one” is equal to the last on the list and I adore them all! So, feel free to judge and put a comment too, art is a subjective issue where people find common aesthetics and their branches, as well as their objections so, lay back and press play!
Hante. from Paris published Between Hope And Danger on May, and as I expected she managed to thrill me and move me with her striking synth wave music, her vocals, and her lyrics. An original talent and a fantastic performer on stage too, here’s Live To Die Another Day!
Ritual Howls from Detroit constantly nail me with their style, that desert-industrial-wavy sonic manifest they play, and on September they let out their new Their Body ep , let’s listen to Blood Red Moon from it!
Portland gave Ritual Veil to the world and their debut Wolf in the Night ep, an astonishing neo-romantic, electronic record that amazed me at once, here’s Time Again!
Italian legends Kirlian Camera released the 4 track single Sky Collapse earlier in October, which is the lead single from their forthcoming Hologram Moon lp on January 26, 2018. That song shook me before I even listened to it, because as you see, here the Italian duo worked with pioneers Covenant and the outcome is simply epic, here it is!
The Ukranian children of war On The Wane from Kiev, released their new Schism lp (which I’ll present it to you in few days) last November. A striking noir-garage and a very angry alternative rock record that takes no prisoners at all. Human Race, and catch the lyrics please!
We are honored that we premiered here the new Memories Of Stars record by the French electronic musician/producer Astrobal which was released on November. Elegant and groundbreaking pop electronica by an artist who has worked with some edgy names of the French alternative electronic scene. Here, he invited the ex-Stereolab singer Laetitia Sadier for the lead single Australasie, and the record hides some more gems that you must check!
Fearing from California nailed me for good with their gothic/death rock Black Sand ep which was released just a few day ago in December. Foggy, amplified, imposing, atmospheric and groovy like marbles…check Rose & Web for example…
68creep from New York offered an astonishing record last September, Goodnight, Sweet Betty that took me to a David Lynch movie, in its atmosphere and attitude I mean. The record’s title after all is a straight out Mulholland Drive quote, and the band plays garage rock, modern, and loud, here’s Stone Cold Kiss!
Istanbul’s Bewitched As Dark with Love Me Today, Hate me Tomorrow lp offered synthetic darkness, fairies, and EBM pounding oriented by some traditional elements (not ethnic, just traditional). Bendis, heard the tales and the “whispers” from the Bosporus natural strait, put in her personal darkwave streams and presented an excellent work, here’s Synthetic Nights!
Selofan from Athens released their new Cine Romance lp in their own Fabrika Records last April. 12 tracks of excellent and inspired minimal wave electronic music, blended with some batcave breeze and an international sound! Ioanna and Dimitris own the game and won the scene, constantly enjoying recognition all over the world and being considered among the most edgy acts in the genre, here is why my friends…
New Yorkers The Veldt, among the most notable first-wave shoegaze bands, published their new Thanks to the Moth and Areanna Rose 7 track record last November. A brilliant shoegaze release blended with some noise rock riffing and a bit of a twisted alternative rock sound. The result is simply striking and its quality is on high standards, here’s Black and Blue!
Nymphaea from Philadelphia is like the “corresponding” equal to Bewitched As Dark from Instanbul. One woman project who creates imposing dark electronic music blending it with some industrial pop elements, and out of her three releases in 2017 I got severely stuck with Abode of the Merciful. A stunning 6 track record that I recommend without a second thought, here’s Cherub’s Missile Redux!
France has a unique electronic scene since the beginning of time, and from last November the new brilliant French cold wave act are Une Homme et Une Femme with their debut EP I that I can’t stop listening to it! You’ll be impressed by their mature approach and their minimal oriented music, try Cosmopolis please!
We Are Parasols come from Portland and their new stunning Inertia lp was released in the first days of December. The trio are a very serious and socially concerned act who offered an amazing work. Inertia is like a graphic novel including the soundtrack too, a concept idea on an anti-hero, synthetic sexual tasked android body. The music combines industrial, shoegaze, dream pop and darkwave in a very progressive approach, it is outstanding and here’s the “chapter” Concrete!
Sweden’s Then Comes Silence released their new Blood lp in October and they justified once more their “fame” as one of the most explosive and talented post punk groups in Europe. The record is a killer and here’s The Dead Cry for No One!
Tango Mangalore is a tar based on a carrier and in his spare time he makes provocative, decadent cabaret music, mostly suitable for rum and sleazing! Dear Shore lp came out last October to sonically enhance life in the vast oceans and the curses that go along, the record is blended with noir-wave and horror synth mostly, with a morbid death rock scent all over, dare Mort Marin!
What happens when John Fryer (This Mortal Coil) decides to shift from producing megaton bands like D.M, NIN, Love and Rockets, HIM and a couple of thousand more names, and launch his own musical project? First, respect, then shock, and later comes the confession of one of the best records of the year by Black Needle Noise with Lost in Reflections lp! 11 tracks, 11 different singers in the studio to sing their lyrics, like Sivert Hoyem, Ana Breton, Omniflux, Kendra Frost and many more, here’s A Shiver of Want with Bill Leeb from Front Line Assembly, industrial, electronic and noise pop!
Moon Duo from Portland decided to create a brand new series of psychedelic rock trips this year, publishing two records with the same title Occult Architecture Vol 1 and Vol 2. The trip is amazing and amusing reflecting the band’s astonishing talent, that may hook you for a long time, which means that the records are complete psych rock editions that you wouldn’t change for something…else, and take the trip from track 1 all the way to the last, here’s Mirror’s Edge!
Speaking of psychedelia, Tombstones In Their Eyes from Los Angeles let out two records as well that are not easy to choose from. Let’s taste their psych garage rock storm with Separate from August’s Fear ep. A band that will be remembered in time as one of the most important acts of their generation!
…and Watch Clark from Seattle put that smile on my face with their First Week of Winter lp, an electronic EBM oriented record that took me back to the glorious days of the genre some decade ago when that music was fun, socializing, dance until next month, and over again. the record has 10 brilliant songs with a very targeted production. EBM is not Techno, nor House, nor Freestyle, it has special needs, heavy engines and fast machines, here’s New Revision!
And last but not least came Ummagma with LCD ep last September. An alternative dream pop and quite a bit shoegazed duo based in Canada, who offered a surprise considering that Robin Guthrie from Cocteau Twins and Dean Garcia from SPC ECO participated in that pretty melodic, and truly gazed little ep, and if that was from the band in 2017 then I expect a very good LP in 2018 that someone told me is on it’s way, here’s Back To You mixed by Dean Garcia!
Beloved and adored Italians Frozen Autumn published their new The Fellow Traveller lp in November. Legends in darkwave/ cold wave music with a very strong and dedicated fan base, the band is breathing for them and we for them. Astonishing record, and what can you expect when the opener is Tomorrow’s Life!
Boy Harsher from Massachusetts got the great applause they honestly deserved with Country Girl ep released last October. The band made a giant leap ahead in their music, the unripe duo of last year’s Yr Body Is Nothing lp within months became an astonishing and so matured electronic/ cold wave act that we all admitted their progress and honestly with loads of grooves we said “oh man, what a record”!!! Here’s Motion!
Loud Cities Mike
