Happy New Year!

Be safe out there.

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Amputation

2016 was...challenging.  And 2017 has me nervous as hell.  Anyway, here's some new Jesus and Mary Chain.  "Amputation" comes from the upcoming "Damage and Joy" LP, the band's first in 18 years.  Listen below and get the record in March from Warner.

Mesarthim

Australian black metal band Mesarthim are having a pretty stellar year of releases.  Over the summer, they released the excellent "Absence" album, and have followed it up with two single-track EP's to close out 2016, "The Great Filter" and "TYPE III."  Their sound is epic, crushing, and cosmic, and sounds like the universe slowly strangling life out of existence.  Listen to "TYPE III" below and download the band's music here.

Worm Ouroboros

Here's a haunting and chilly dirge from Bay Area metal band Worm Ouroboros to play us out of 2016.  "Broken Movements" feels like an encroaching doom, a heavy, Gothic opus to open up the earth and swallow the masses whole.  Listen below and get new album "What Graceless Dawn" from Profound Lore.

Favorite Movies of 2016

I always wait as late as possible to write about my favorite movies of the year, holding out hope that i'll get a chance to see one last film before it all comes to a close.  I'm fooling myself if i really think i'm going to see anything else before 2016's fiery end, so who knows if "Everybody Wants Some," or "Jackie," or "Moonlight," or "The Nice Guys," or even "Rogue One" would have made this list?  It's just destiny for it to remain incomplete.  Anyway, here are my seven favorite movies that i DID get to see this year (again in descending order to appease my wife).

7. The Invitation
Not a movie i was expecting to enjoy as much as i did, Karyn Kusama's slow-burning, screw-turning thriller is a wonderful exercise in suspense, a perfect combo of tension and dread all leading up to a jaw-dropping finale.  Read more about it here.

 6. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
First and foremost, i've got to say that i'm a huge fan of The Lonely Island, so this film was pretty much tailor made for me already, but my fandom aside, "Popstar" lands so many its endless barrage of gags, that it's gotta rank as an all-timer.  The movie skewers the music industry with a precision not seen since "This Is Spinal Tap."  I grinned through every ridiculous minute of it.

5. The Witch
Easily one of the spookiest and unsettling films i've ever seen before, Robert Eggers' debut feature is a breathtaking work of art.  From the beautiful cinematography to the ominous score to the on point costume design, every single part of "The Witch" is so wonderfully constructed, it's hard to believe it comes from a first timer.  Every single frame just oozes dread.  It's one of those horror movies that sticks with you days after viewing it.

4. Green Room
Jeremy Saulnier's sophomore effort is an intense and agonizing suspense film featuring Patrick Stewart as a neo-Nazi, the late great Anton Yelchin as a punk rock kid in waaaaaaaay over his head, and plenty of violence and gnarly gore.  If that didn't sell you on "Green Room," then we can't be friends.

3. Arrival
A stunning and beautiful piece of sci-fi from Dennis Villeneuve that explores the nature of man when confronted by the unknown.  On another day, this might have been my favorite of the year, if not for...

2. OJ: Made in America
So, maybe this is really more of a mini-series, but ESPN released and screened the 8+ hour thing in theaters to make it Oscar eligible (they rightfully have a ton of faith in Ezra Edelman's masterwork), so for my purposes, it's a movie.  And it has everything.  Easily one of the most engaging documentaries i have ever seen, "OJ: Made in America" is about so much more than the disgraced sports star.  Opening a discourse on race, celebrity, the American judicial system, media, American history, and so much more, it should be required viewing.  I couldn't take my eyes from it.  And it would have certainly been my favorite film of the year, if not for...

1. La La Land
A latecomer to the party (i only just saw it a couple of days ago), Damien Chazelle's "La La Land" is everything i needed it to be, an honest and gorgeous work of magic and catharsis.  It's a film that celebrates and elevates life and love, the good and the bad, and the ups and the downs, but does so in a realistic, albeit stylized (it is a musical after all) manner.  It is an absolute delight, the kind of movie that can and will inspire, and it left me in a much better place than i was before seeing it.  As much as i liked and enjoyed all of the other movies on this list, i adored "La La Land."  Hands down, it's my favorite of the year.

Meatbodies - Creature Feature

Alright!  New music from Meatbodies, on the horizon and due in February on In The Red.  Listen to the groovy fuzz of "Creature Feature" below and be on the lookout for the upcoming "Alice" LP.

RIP Carrie Fisher

Goodnight Princess.  RIP Carrie Fisher.

Jay Som

Continuing to find music from earlier this year that i missed the first time around, Bay Area artist Jay Som creates dreamy, floaty, and soothing pop rock songs, a kind of lo-fi, shoegazey dreampop.  Listen to "Drown" below and get the "Turn Into" LP from Polyvinyl Records.

Sonic Advent Calendar: Day 25 - Last Christmas

Merry Christmas i suppose.  I was originally going to post a different song today (John Zorn and Mike Patton performing "The Christmas Song"), but circumstances beyond anyone's control has determined otherwise.  I just found out a few minutes ago that George Michael passed away (this morning i guess), so here's "Last Christmas" from Wham! instead.  Watch below, and let's hope this last week of 2016 shows an inkling of mercy.

Peace.

RIP George Michael

We may be about done with 2016, but 2016 is not done with us.  RIP George Michael.  The singer passed away peacefully in his home over the holidays at the age of 53.  Watch the video for "Freedom 90" below, one of my all time faves as the video was quite possible a significant part i my sexual awakening way back in the day.

Sonic Advent Calendar: Day 24 - I'll Be Home for Christmas

A little while ago, our refrigerator door broke and spilled shit all over the floor.  Merry Christmas.  Here's some Bing Crosby...

Grouper - Headache

Just in time for the winter solstice, we get some new somber, haunting, and gorgeous music from Grouper.  Listen to and watch the video for "Headache" below, and then head here to download the "Paradise Valley" 7".  Physical copies are already sold out.  Merry Christmas.

Sonic Advent Calendar: Day 23 - Ice Dance

Not a Christmas song per se, but it's impossible for me to separated Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" from the season, and Danny Elfman's wonderful, beautiful score in particular.  "Ice Dance" has always been one of my favorites, the sound of looking at Christmas lights as the snow falls around you.

Nine Inch Nails - Burning Bright (Field on Fire)

Oh yeah.  Last week Trent Reznor announced a new Nine Inch Nails EP called "Not the Actual Events" that's dropping tomorrow.  Today he released the closing track from the record called "Burning Bright (Field on Fire)."  It sounds pretty good.  Listen below and get the album here.

Favorite Album Covers of 2016

A lot of great music came out this year, and a lot of that great music had great cover art.  Here are my 10 favorite album covers of 2016 (in descending order for my wife).

10. Prince Rama - Xtreme Now
Everything about this band is ridiculous, but i love it all anyway.  On a side note, the ladies actually wear the above outfits while performing.

9. Kvelertak - Nattesferd
Just look at that album cover.  It's like someone took a screenshot of the inside of Ralph Bakshi's and Frank Frazetta's brains and made a record out of it.

8. Thee Oh Sees - An Odd Entrances
Being that i was actually awakened in the middle of the night once several years ago with a centipede trying to make its way into my ear, this cover speaks to...and absolutely terrifies me.

7. Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
Danny Brown's latest looks like something that would have been released on Wax Trax back in the late 80's.  I love it.

6. Stranger Things OST
Like "Stranger Things" wasn't going to be on this list.

5. The Monster Squad OST
Featuring amazing artwork from Gary Pullin, Mondo's "Monster Squad" LP knocks it out of the park.

4. Thee Oh Sees - Live in San Francisco
Another Thee Oh Sees record.  This shot of John Dwyer with sweat or spit or whatever flinging off of his face is just such a cool moment to catch on film.

3. The Body - No One Deserves Happiness
Simple and sparse, but the cover art on The Body's release from earlier this year catches my eye and does not let go.

2. Wojciech Golczewski - Tonight She Comes 7"
If that was a movie poster, i would see it in a second.

1. Laure Briard - Sur La Piste De Danse
Like a combination of some hallucinatory dreamland and an 80's aerobics video, French singer Laure Briard's cover art for "Sur la Piste De Danse" takes the number one spot.

And there you go.  I've got one more list to throw at you once i compile my favorite movies of the year.  The whole having kids thing has kept me from seeing a lot of films this year, but i'm going to attempt to cram a couple in over the Christmas holiday and get that list to you sometime next week.

Sonic Advent Calendar: Day 22 - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

One of my favorite melancholy Christmas songs from one of my favorite Christmas records, John Denver and Rowlf the Dog performing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from the John Denver and The Muppets album, "A Christmas Together."

Favorite Non-2016 Songs of 2016

 Aside from all the wonderful new music i hear each and every year, there are also all of those old little gems that are new to me at least.  Here are 8 songs that didn't come out in 2016 that i could not get out of my ear space.

1. Public Image Ltd. - "The Order of Death"
I've been a fan of Public Image Ltd. for a number of years, but usually just with random tracks here and there.  And then i got into the TV show "Mr. Robot" which makes wonderful use of music in every episode.  PIL's "The Order of Death" played during an opening scene of one of season 2's final episodes to perfect effect, and i've been jamming it ever since.

2. Michael Rubini - "Graham's Theme"
When my wife went back to work earlier this year when her maternity leave was up, i spent a week away from work with my second son...and he spent most of that time sleeping on me.  So, i watched a lot of movies, both old and new, and managed to catch Michael Mann's "Manhunter" for the first time in probably 20 years.  It holds up quite well, and i'd forgotten how excellent the music is in it.  Michael Rubini's instrumental synth track "Graham's Theme" is my favorite.

3. Midge Ure - "The Man Who Sold the World"
When David Bowie died earlier this year, i spent a few months posting tracks from the artist everyday, with occasional forays into cover versions.  My favorite cover that i discovered was former Ultravox member Midge Ure's synthy, new-wave take on Bowie classic "The Man Who Sold the World."

4. Minnie Riperton - Les Fleur
The Rotary Connection's Minnie Riperton put out a pretty stellar album in the 70's called "Come to My Garden."  "Les Fleur" sounds like soulful precursor to trip-hop.  It's amazing.

5. The Sham-Ettes - "(Hey There) Big Bad Wolf"
A novelty track from girl group The Sham-Ettes, the backing vocalists for Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs, i'd posit that "(Hey There) Big Bad Wolf" is actually better than the original song that it references.

6. Mistress Mary - "And I Didn't Want You"
From a private press record from 1968, though it does feature The Byrds' Clarence White on guitar, Mistress Mary's lovely "And I Didn't Want You" is a country and folk indebted diamond of Americana.  If country music still sounded like this, i'd have nicer things to say about it.

7. Townes Van Zandt - "Waiting 'Round to Die"
If you haven't already, get some Townes Van Zandt into your life.  Start with the absolutely fantastic "Waiting 'Round to Die," and then just go from there.

8. Evie Sands - "Any Way that You Want Me"
Elements of soft rock, girl group, orchestral pop, country, folk, and just a hint of west coast psych makes Evie Sands' 1970 jam "Any Way that You Want Me" a must listen.  It's been one of my go-to songs all year long.



All of these songs made 2016 better...even if they came out years before.  Stay tuned tomorrow for my favorite album covers of the year.

Sonic Advent Calendar: Day 21 - What Child Is This?

Though i am an atheist, i do love me some Christmas music, and particularly the hymns.  Maybe it's a little odd that i go for the religious songs this time of year, but there's just something so melancholy and lovely about so many of them.  Take a listen to noted curmudgeon Mark Kozelek's solo acoustic take on "What Child Is This?" below.

Childish Gambino - Redbone

When compiling my favorite songs of the year list yesterday, i included a new jam from the always entertaining Donald Glover, otherwise known as Childish Gambino.  But, i had yet to post here about it.  "Redbone," taken from new album "Awaken, My Love!," is a silky and funky jam to get down and groove to.  Never underestimate Glover.  His "Atlanta" series is supposed to be fantastic, and here's hoping his Lando Calrissian is awesome too.  Listen to "Redbone" below and get the new album from Glassnote.

Favorite Songs of 2016

A whole lot of excellent music floating around out there this year, and i'm sure i missed a ton of it. Anyway, here are 105 (a completely arbitrary number) songs in no particular order that did their absolute best to make this year not quite so shitty.

1. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me
2. A Tribe Called Quest - We The People...
3. Run the Jewels - 2100
4. S U R V I V E - Wardenclyffe
5. Solange - Cranes in the Sky

6. Federale - All the Colours of the Dark
7. Moby and The Void Pacific Choir - Are You Lost in the World Like Me?
8. Temples - Certainty
9. Ashtray Navigations - Spay Two
10. Kim Gordon - Murdered Out

11. Danny Brown (with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Earl Sweatshirt) - Really Doe
12. Carly Rae Jespsen - Higher
13. Molly Burch - Downhearted
14. Blood Orange - Augustine
15. Las Kellies - Summer Breeze

16. Hazel English - I'm Fine
17. Chromatics - Dear Tommy
18. The Body - Prescience
19. Thee Oh Sees - The Axis
20. Frankie and The Witch Fingers - Get Down

21. Whitney - Red Moon
22. Dent May - Face Down in the Gutter of Your Love
23. Cassius (with Cat Power) - Feel Like Me
24. Blanck Mass - D7-D5
25. Julee Cruise - Animal

26. Drugdealer (with Weyes Blood) - Suddenly
27. The Saxophones - If You're on the Water
28. Preoccupations - Degraded
29. Cloud Cover - Cannibalism
30. Ultimate Painting - Set Me Free

31. Negative Gemini - Don't Worry Bout the Fuck I'm Doing
32. Still Corners - Lost Boys
33. Bernardino Femminielli - Plaisirs Americains
34. MOONKNIGHT - The Tsirku
35. The Wytches - Who Rides?

36. Merchandise - Flower of Sex
37. Zeal and Ardor - Devil Is Fine
38. Psychic Ills - Baby
39. Exploded View - Orlando
40. Father John Misty - Real Love Baby

41. Radiohead - Daydreaming (possibly my favorite of the year...maybe)
42. Brian Eno - I'm Set Free
43. Xeno and Oaklander - Marble
44. DJ Shadow (with Run the Jewels) - Nobody Speak
45. BADBADNOTGOOD - Speaking Gently

46. Parquet Courts - Human Performance
47. SUMAC - Rigid Man
48. Charles Bradley - Changes
49. Black Mountain - Mother of the Sun
50. Bleached - Wednesday Night Melody

51. Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers / Killer Whales
52. Sturgill Simpson - In Bloom
53. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Rings of Saturn
54. Xiu Xiu - Falling
55. Feels - Bird's Eye

56. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - Gamma Knife
57. Kristin Kontrol - X-Communicate
58. Mitski - Your Best American Girl
59. Jozef Van Wissem (with Zola Jesus) - Ruins
60. Prince Rama - Your Life in the End

61. Marissa Nadler - Janie in Love
62. Odd Nosdam - Sisters (Boards of Canada remix)
63. A Giant Dog - Sex and Drugs
64. PJ Harvey - The Wheel
65. Weyes Blood - Be Free

66. Troller - Storm Maker (also possibly my favorite of the year...maybe)
67. HAERTS - Eva
68. LUH - I & I
69. Iggy Pop - Sunday
70. Mass Gothic - Soul (or maybe this is my favorite of the year...possibly)

71. Cross Record - Wasp in a Jar
72. David Bowie - I Can't Give Everything Away
73. Frank Ocean - Pink + White
74. Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein - The Upside Down
75. ANOHNI - 4 Degrees

76. Astronoid - Up and Atom
77. Pye Corner Audio - Ganzfeld Effect
78. Gonjasufi - Carolyn Shadows
79. Umberto - Awakenings
80. Perturbator (with Hayley Stewart) - Sentient

81. Childish Gambino - Redbone
82. Jenny Hval - Period Piece
83. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled 1
84. Dreamboat - Aftershock / Face to Face
85. M83 - Solitude

86. Minor Victories - A Hundred Ropes
87. Teen Suicide - Alex
88. Cullen Omori - No Big Deal
89. Beach Baby - Bug Eyed and Blonde
90. The Pattern Forms - Don't Le Me Dream

91. Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker'
92. Ramin Djawadi - Black Hole Sun
93. Delicate Features - The Sun Tangled in Your Hair
94. Marching Church - Lion's Den
95. Ty Segall and The Muggers - Candy Sam

96. Laure Briard - Je vole
97. Marie Davidson - Naive to the Bone
98. Wojciech Golczewski - She Comes
99. Uniform - Ghosthouse
100. GosT (with Kriistal Ann) - Arise

101. Necro Deathmort - Capsule Sickness
102. Eagulls - My Life in Rewind
103. Huerco S. - Promises of Fertility
104. Kvelertak - Nattesferd
105. Lush - Out of Control

There you go.  If you wanna check any of these song out, that's what the internet is for.  Stay tuned tomorrow for a (much more manageable) list of songs i loved in 2016 that did not come out in 2016.

Sonic Advent Calendar: Day 20 - Christmas

Here's a loud and heavy shoegazey Christmas carol from one of my favorite bands Jesu titled appropriately enough, "Christmas."  Listen below.

Favorite Albums of 2016

 By unpopular demand, here are my very favorite albums of this very trying and often heartbreaking year.  2016 will probably not be remembered fondly, but it did spawn some great music.  So much so, that it was kind of hard to narrow my list down to 25.  Some of my runners up, who did not make the final cut for whatever arbitrary reasons i concocted were new albums from the likes of Iggy Pop, Car Seat Headrest, Perturbator, Umberto, Jenny Hval, a gut wrenching effort from The Caretaker, and one hell of a debut from Zeal and Ardor.  In a perfect world, all of these wonderful records would have made the cut, but as 2016 has insisted upon showing us over and over again this year, we do not live in a perfect world.

Anyway, here's my list in alphabetical order...

1. ANOHNI - Hopelessness
The newly minted ANOHNI (fka Antony and the Johnsons) produced a work of heartbreaking fear, sorrow, and anger with wunderkinds Hudson Mohawke and Oneohtrix Point Never.  Climate change and the end of the life as we know it never sounded so beautiful.

2. Ashtray Navigations - To Make a Fool Ask, and You Are the First
The latest from Ashtray Navigations fuses elements of surf rock, krautrock, kosmiche, and synth wave into something akin to a soundtrack for an 80's film Michael Mann forgot to make.

3. Astronoid - Air
The duo behind metal band Astronoid somehow manage to simultaneously sound like every band you've ever loved and completely unique unto themselves.  They may wear their influences on their sleeves, but no one else sounds like them.

4. BADBADNOTGOOD - IV
Toronto Jazz band BADBADNOTGOOD continue to sound years ahead of everybody else while traversing decades old sounds.  Everything these guys touch, be it hip-hop collaborations, remixes, or their own style of jazz is absolute gold.

5. The Body - No One Deserves Happiness
My favorite record of the year.  Dark.  Ominous.  Defeated.  If you needed a mantra to tie 2016 together, "No One Deserves Happiness" is so fitting, it hurts.

6. David Bowie - Blackstar
I love David Bowie and i still can't believe he's gone.  And on his final record, he manages to turn both his life and death into stunning works of art.

7. Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
A Tribe Called Quest may have made the most important hip-hop album of the year, but Detroit's Danny Brown made the freakiest.  Combing sounds from all over the genre spectrum, i can't think of another rap album that sounds anything like this one.  Dark, icy, and ambitious, but also playful and bouncing at times, "Atrocity Exhibition" comes off like some kind of hip-hop/post-punk hybrid, in mood at least.

8. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree
I'm an ardent fan of anything Nick Cave gets his hands on (music, film, literature), but the somber experience that is "Skeleton Tree" still managed to hit me harder than i could have imagined.  While it's not necessarily about his son's passing, an air of grief hangs over everything, and it's impossible to separate that emotion from the record.  Make sure your heart is ready.

9. Cross Record - Wabi-Sabi
Dripping Springs representing with an absolutely wonderful dark folk (among other things) album from the duo of Cross Record.  Fans of Finders Keepers Records should definitely check this one out.

10. Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein - Stranger Things OST
Having been a fan of Austin synth wave band S U R V I V E for several years, it's been awesome to finally see them break into the national consciousness with Kyle Dixon's and Michael Stein's Carpenter and Tangerine Dream inspired score for the sci-fi sensation "Stranger Things."  I was borderline obsessed with everything about this show over the summer, and the music was one of the main reasons.

11. Gonjasufi - Callus
I was not expecting to like the latest from Gonjasufi as much as i do.  "Callus" is actually kind of a difficult listen, but i just kept coming back, unable to get it off of my mind.  The whole thing plays like some kind of Lynchian soundtrack in a parallel universe.  Yeah.

12. Heimat - Heimat
And while we're on the subject of strange and difficult records, the self-titled release from French band Heimat.  Described by their record label as "John Carpenter, RZA, and The Slits making a record together," there was just no way i could ignore it.  And you shouldn't either.  It's challenging, but such an interesting listen as well.

13. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity
I should just go ahead and get used to including a record by this Australian fuzzball garage rock band on every year-end list for the foreseeable future.  They're prolific, and amazing, and have somehow become my go-to band for all things garage or psych, even above such luminaries as Thee Oh Sees or Ty Segall.  Get on the Lizard Wizard train now.  It does not slow down.

14. Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered
Some one-offs that either didn't make the cut on last year's "To Pimp a Butterfly" or were just recorded in different sessions still somehow sounds better than 90% of the other albums out there.  Amazing.

15. LUH - Spiritual Songs for Lovers to Sing
Former WU LYF member Ellery James Roberts, visual artist Ebony Hoorn, and producer Haxan Cloak created one of the most stunning albums of the year with "Spiritual Songs for Lovers to Sing."  I don't know how to really describe the record, a combination of post-punk, darkwave, and Americana, Roberts' gravelly, strained, and scratchy voice somehow pulling everything together in beautiful harmony.

16. MOONKNIGHT - Zhora
Crunchy, dramatic, sprawling, lo-fi black metal.  Give me this everyday.

17. Frank Ocean - Blonde
Frank Ocean's sophomore release was probably never going to live up to the hype (or the label shenanigans) that surrounded it, but i think it will stand the test of time.  Honestly, i think "Blonde" is going to be one of those records like "Kid A" or "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," a completely game changer that we can't possible understand until years of hindsight.

18. Angel Olsen - My Woman
Angel Olsen is a national treasure.  Her albums just keep getting better and better.

19. Preoccupations - Preoccupations
The latest from the band formerly known as Viet Cong continues the group's string of awesome post-punk records, a dark and leery echo chamber, shrouded in grays.

20. Psychic Ills - Inner Journey Out
If you're looking for the perfect companion and soundtrack for treks through middle America, rolling fields of grass waving along the side of the road, and moonlit, cricket-filled nights in dusty, old motels, have i got the album for you.  The latest from Psychic Ills combines Jesus and Mary Chain reverb with all the best parts of old Americana to delightful effect.

21. Pye Corner Audio - Stasis
A late entry onto my list (i just procured a copy a couple of weeks ago), Pye Corner Audio's brand of synth worship is always good for whatever imaginary film you have running through your head.

22. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Arguably one of the best albums the long running British critical darlings have offered up, "A Moon Shaped Pool" is undoubtedly the most beautiful and heart wrenching.  Replacing abstract paranoia with more personal reflections on love and loss, as well as pushing Jonny Greenwood's string arrangements into the foreground created a Radiohead record like no other.

23. S U R V I V E - RR7349
As i mentioned earlier, it was a big year for the boys in S U R V I V E, and they certainly deserved it. Here's to many an amazing synth wave record in the future, as well as some more killer music on "Stranger Things."

24. A Tribe Called Quest - We Got it from Here...Thank You 4 Yours Service
Who would have thought that the first record in almost two decades from a group who lost one of their founding members earlier this year would be the most important album of 2016?  And that's no hyperbolic statement.  With everything that has been troubling this nation leading up to the unfortunate events of November, Tribe tap into it all with prescient accuracy and try to make sense of it all.  Everyone needs to listen to this right now.

25. Troller - Graphic
And finally we have the excellent sophomore album from Austin's gloomy darkwave act Troller. "Graphic" sounds like dark metal band threw out all their instruments, and then sat down with a bunch of synthesizers to make a pop record.  It's icy and awesome, a tonic for a long and often agonizing year.

And there you have it.  Is there anything particularly egregious that i left off?  Let me know.  And be back tomorrow for a list of my favorite songs of the year.