Best Albums: Animals as Leaders, Liars, Glenn Kotche, Owls
Animals as Leaders: The Joy of Motion
Liars: Mess
Glenn Kotche: Adventureland
Owls: Two
Music
Best Albums: Dead Rider, Tycho, Dex Romweber Duo
Dead Rider: Chills on Glass
Tycho: Awake
Dex Romweber Duo: Images 13
Best Albums: Wild Throne, The Unsemble, Nick Waterhouse, Spirits and the Melchizedek Children, Alexandre Desplat
Wild Throne: Blood Maker EP
The Unsemble: s/t
Nick Waterhouse: Holly
Spirits and the Melchizedek Children: So Happy, It’s Sad
Alexandre Desplat: The Grand Budapest Hotel soundtrack
Best Albums: St. Vincent, Beck, Davidge, The Notwist
St. Vincent: s/t
Beck: Morning Phase
Davidge: Slo Light
The Notwist: Close to the Glass
Best Albums: Phantogram, Junius, Angel Olsen, John Zorn / Abraxas, Empty Flowers
Phantogram: Voices
Junius: Days of the Fallen Sun
Angel Olsen: Burn Your Fire for No Witness
John Zorn / Abraxas: Psychomagia
Empty Flowers: The Air You Found
MP3 Premiere: Empty Flowers’ “I Get to Know Its Name (Iconaclass / Deadverse Remix)”
With its radically re-imagined remix album, post-punk band Empty Flowers tabs a star-studded list of collaborators to transform its material.
Best Albums: Atomic Ape, Helms Alee, ††† (Crosses), Whispered
Atomic Ape: Swarm
Helms Alee: Sleepwalking Sailors
†††: †
Whispered: Shogunate Macabre
MP3 Premiere: The Unsemble’s “Waves”
The quintessential example of an album that can’t be assessed on hearing just one track, the self-titled debut from The Unsemble blurs the lines between soundtrack noir, new wave, musique concrète, chamber drone, experimental jazz, and rock with deceptive ease.
Best Albums: Have a Nice Life, Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang, Sunn O))) & Ulver, Bohren & Der Club of Gore, Xiu Xiu
Have a Nice Life: The Unnatural World
Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang: Four-Foot Shack
Sunn O))) & Ulver: Terrestrials
Bohren & Der Club of Gore: Piano Nights
Xiu Xiu: Angel Guts: Red Classroom
Mike Patton, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Chino Moreno, Megan Massacre in ALARM #41 — out now!
Like a resilient virus, ALARM Magazine is back on newsstands, determined to share its genetic information with the world on a quarterly basis.
Best Albums: Mogwai, Reverend Horton Heat, Step Brothers (Alchemist & Evidence)
Mogwai: Rave Tapes
Reverend Horton Heat: Rev
Step Brothers: Lord Steppington
Best Albums: Pixies, The Dead Weather, Sax Ruins, Silent Lions, Grass Is Green
Pixies: EP 2
The Dead Weather: Open Up (That’s Enough) / Rough Detective
Sax Ruins: Blimmguass
Silent Lions: The Compartments EP
Grass Is Green: Vacation Vinny