Don’t be fooled by the dudes walking in to the gym in t-shirts and basketball shorts, it’s actually winter and the year closes out once again with a stack full of awesome music. Never been to be a best of, these selections are not based on album sales or popularity, they are just some of our favorite albums of the year. We definitely like to celebrate El Paso talent on this year’s list, plus some undeniably good stuff from across the board.
Part Time: Spell #6 (Tough Love Records/Burger Records)
Davida Loca and company give us more of what we love on Spell #6—catchy hooks, heartfelt lyrics and pop perfection. If you’re already a fan of these El Paso cats the album is a continuation of their already amazing discography, surfing on that 80s romantic wave; if it’s your first time be blown away like the first timers did this past Thanksgiving at Love Buzz.
facebook.com/parttime623 | partime.bandcamp.com
Dos Santos: Logos (International Anthem)
Fusing together the classic Latin sounds of cumbia and chicha with experimental jazz and psychedelia, Dos Santos (from Chicago) provided a vibrant and undeniably soul stirring experience with their album Logos. With plenty of good vibes, heavy percussion, sweet horns and cosmic riffage, the music is only complimented by the hypnotic vocals of Alex Chavez sung in both Spanish and English.
SRSQ: Unreality (Dais Records)
What’s best about Kennedy Ashlyn’s solo project SRSQ (pronounced seer-skew) is that it sits alone without any heavy cliché tags, and is a full on creative masterpiece. With hauntingly beautiful vocals grieving over a crystal labyrinth of sound, the dark and slow moving shoegaze textures twist and turn melancholy harmonies atop drum machines and ethereal synths. Truly timeless.
facebook.com/ssrsqq | bandcamp.com/album/unreality
Holy Wave: Adult Fear (Reverberation Appreciation Society)
These Austin psychedelic wizards began their chops here in El Paso, and continue to deliver audial voyages into reverb heaven on their latest album Adult Fear. The band expertly fuses elements of the past, switching instruments and vocals around creating different dimensions—heavy on 60s psych, keeping the extended 70s kraut-rock groove and peek into 80s waves.
facebook.com/hlywave | holywave.bandcamp.com
Noname: Room 25 (self-released)
Don’t let all the sweet neo-soul fool you, there’s some twisted lyrics in there that switch from serious social political, to funny explicit sex stuff. Overall smooth lines with killer flow skills, and lyrics are dope (it does help that she’s a poet). Step into some spacey jazz breaks with some 90s east coast familiarities but modernized. While many popular rappers have a few simple words, she has a lot to say, with style.
facebook.com/nonameraps | nonamehiding.com
Portal: Ion (Profound Lore)
Avant-garde Australian death-metal band Portal provide another slab of experimental noise and horror on their album Ion. Confusing ambient time signatures, chord crunching riffs and machine gun drumming embody the signature core of Portal, pushing the limits of the ever pounding sound incorporating heavy elements of black-metal, deconstructing and redefining the genre.
Kamasi Washington: Heaven and Earth (Young Turks)
The second studio album by Los Angeles, CA jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington is conceptually driven, channeling duality and spirituality. The mind and body unite on this double album (just over 2 hours long) as Washington and company take us on a jazz journey covering full on freak-outs, smooth improvisation and serious instrumentation.
The Smoking Trees: The Adventure Continues…(Burger Records)
Soothing sounds of 60s pop-psych and baroque instrumentation carry the sound of The Adventure Continues…by multi instrumentalist/producer Martin Nuñez (aka Sir Psych) project, The Smoking Trees. Like a lost band from London’s UFO club, Nuñez creates magical landscapes that may carry over from his night job (in charge of sound at Disneyland’s Tomorrowland and Frontierland).
Geometric Vision: Fire! Fire! Fire! (Swiss Dark Nights)
With a heavy resurgence on dark-wave and post-punk, it’s hard to weed out the good stuff. Luckily Geometric Vision (from Naples, Italy) have always complimented the genres and kept it interesting. Gloomy overtones, miserable lyrics and steady drum machines fuel Fire! Fire! Fire!—dark-wave and goth done proper. Good for the dance floor or sitting in your room in the dark.
The Chamanas: Nea II (Los Maxicos/Cosmica Records)
El Paso folk-indie band The Chamanas have mastered their sound incorporating influential elements of their environment, current social/political issues and musical history, molding together and producing their own vision. Nea ll unleashes electronica, Mexican romantic-pop influences and Pink Floyd style movements, with the vocals switching from Spanish to English, border style.