The Chorus.fm Staff’s Top Albums of 2016 • Page 8

They played with Basement in CT and I was amazed at how relatively empty that room was.

 

when?
i've also heard weird things about CT not drawing well lately though, which is kind of surprising to me

 

also tbh i know that the new record was super critically acclaimed but i feel that some of their core fanbase soured on them a lil bit with this new record. don't think it made that much of a difference since those fans still came to see home songs but for general hotelier fans i feel that happened a lil bit

 

General Hotelier fans are dorks!

 

September? Maybe October. And IDK, Most of the gigs I've made it to this past semester have been packed if not sold out. Basement/Hotelier should've been huge but wasn't.

 

I'm still trying to make my way through reading all of these write-ups, but as a whole I'm really pleased with what I'm seeing/reading.

Personally, I've still had zero luck making my year-end lists, but I just published a little think-piece about how and why we make lists, about the standard-bearers we have when we partake in art, and how we might be thinking about our personal preferences and favorites differently than other cultures have.

Rushing, Reading, Remembering Lists

 

yeah i looked it up, guess they were on before eskimeaux joined. yeah that's weird, basement has had such a weird arc, haha.

 

I mean I probably listened to more albums this year than any other single year the last ten years or more. I personally said I wasn't surprised to not see Weezer or TBS. I know Jason flat out just doesn't care for Weezer and half the people on here hate TBS' guts. But the Weezer threads overall when the white album came out were some of the most positive threads as a whole I've seen on either iteration of this website. So I was a little surprised it wasn't mentioned more. Definitely not upset, it doesn't matter to me anymore what other people think of albums. I'll always get some good ideas of albums to check out that I haven't heard from these lists for sure. I couldn't be any more secure in Weezer as my favorite album and I'm not sure why that would need to be questioned since you think it's their best in a decade (for me best since Pinkerton.) I know you say you're not trying to be condescending but I'm not sure how else "Weezer is a top album for you? Listen to more music" is supposed to be interpreted lol.

 

Looking forward to reading this!

I think Weezer showed up on five lists, including mine, but it averaged 11 points per list, so it was consistently ranked pretty low. It didn't have someone ranking it 1 or 2 to push up its point total.

 

I love that people think publication coverage can make a band "huge" cause that makes what I do look good, but it's just a really bad metric to use. And it gives a false impression for what bands should strive for to continue existing.

 

Great year for music! Ceres should be on the list but whatever lots of people slept on that.

10.)Mat Kerekes - Luna & The Wild Blue Everything
9.) Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues
8.) Modern Baseball - Holy Ghost
7.) The Hotelier - Goodness
6.) Bayside - Vacancy
5.) Microwave - Much Love
https://microwavetheband.bandcamp.com/...
4.) Tiny Moving Parts - Celebrate
https://tinymovingparts.bandcamp.com/...
3.) Trophy Eyes - Chemical Miracle
https://trophyeyes.bandcamp.com/alb...
2.) PUP - The Dream Is Over
https://puptheband.bandcamp.com/alb...
1.) Ceres - Drag It Down On You
https://ceresband.bandcamp.com/albu...

Honorable Mentions:
Yellowcard- S/T
Taking Back Sunday - Tidal Wave
Touche Amore - Stage Four
Trash Boat- Nothing I Write You Can Change What You've Been Through
Brian Fallon - Painkillers
Somos - First Day Back
Pinegrove - Cardinal
Saosin - Along The Shadow
Balance and Composure - Light We Made

 

i mean, it's pretty clearly something that happens though? look at artists like mitski and bands like pinegrove this year. do they have the years they had without the coverage of publications? it's not like they sold a ton by any metric but it would be hard to claim either of them didn't have a "huge" year.

 

I guess I'd consider a huge year and a huge band two different things. So I misread; my bad.

 

all good. i think when the discussion is on the record it makes sense to only constrict it to the year, but idk.

 

Tbh if a band makes enough money to continue to tour and make music relatively comfortably, idc how "big" they are

 

From what I've heard through the grapevine, I'd worry a little about The Hotelier then.

 

doesn't christian live in a commune, can't imagine the living expenses are crippling

 

tbh i can't think of what the biggest tour they've done is. opening for joyce manor?

 

first time I saw them they were opening for modern baseball and tiny moving parts

 

Kinda surprised not because of the hype I saw the album receiving but because their debut was so well received but the absence of Moose Blood from most lists kinda surprised me- much moreso than TBS or Weezer which are both records I loved (TBS was #2 for me). Also loved the Camp Cope record from this year- more people need to check that out.

 

I had Moose Blood in my top 30 two years ago, but my tastes have changed a fair amount since then, and Blush, while a perfectly decent record, didn't really stick with me past a few listens. I think a similar thing might have happened with other staff members.

 

Totally fair reasoning. I really dug that record and the changes they'd made sonically but can totally see that. This year just had so many good albums so if anything I should just be happy that there's this much good music.

 

Finally listened to the Lori McKenna record (first time ever listening to her). So good.

 

There's a lot of diversity on this list; it represented a bunch of different people with a bunch of different tastes.

Myself? I'm pretty narrow with my musical interest. So my year end list had JEW and Modern Baseball and All Get Out and Thrice like this one, but also TBS and Weezer and Basement and Two Door Cinema Club and Brian Fallon (note:Painkillers currently holds the pole position for my favorite album of all time. If it isn't that, it's 'Elsie.' I enjoy Brian Fallon). My tastes are certainly represented, and I'm happy for the records that made it that I love.

But that's me - I'm boring. I don't expect other people to like music that all sorta sounds the same like I do (or is at least all in the same vein). So I don't think it's too big of a deal that my favorite album from this year didn't make it. It happens. Other people's tastes are represented just like mine are, and I think that's cool.

 

As a few others have mentioned, the list is missing:

- Celebrate by Tiny Moving Parts
- Death of a Bachelor by Panic! at The Disco

Those are just two of my personal favorites from last year. Also happy to see Stage Four up there.

I really appreciate this write-up, Chorus staff. Solid writing. I'll be going back through and revisiting a few of these albums in the coming days.