Elijah’s Top 5:

Coronach, Hellripper (Century Media). One of the most organic sounding one-person projects I’ve heard in quite a while, the quality of performance on each instrument is at an exceptional standard in this catchy, straight ahead extreme metal record.

Right Here, Right Now, Our Oceans (Long Branch). Dreamy, floaty progressive rock with impactful smatterings of heaviness, gorgeous vocals and spectacular tones keep this Dutch unit at the forefront of bands to keep an eye on

Sapien, Ram-Zet (ViciSolum). After 14 years, the whimsical, avant-garde metal institution Ram-Zet returns with an album to fill the Unexpect-shaped hole in my heart. The eclectic sextet reminds us that rules in music are really just guidelines and the only rule that really matters is, simply, “don’t be boring”.

Sojourn, Cloven (self-released). A short and sweet classical guitar release with gentle orchestral interjections, emotion cuts through powerfully in the building of simple motifs, carried instrumentally with more power than words could ever hope to convey.

An Undying Love For a Burning World, Neurosis (Neurot). A reunion done right, the Bay Area legends return with the only feasible replacement for their (rightfully) disgraced former frontman and strike the perfect balance between not fixing what ain’t broke and embracing the injection of new blood. Sludge and atmosphere are combined here masterfully.

Adriane’s Top 5:

Başka Bahar, Umut Adan and Zebânis (Six Degrees). Turkish singer-songwriter Umut Adan and Italian trio Zebânis chronicle an adventure through Istanbul, Turin, and Brussels on Başka Bahar, an intensely immersive album recorded on a single laptop. With this DIY spirit, they swirl together strains of Mediterranean rock that hearken back to the 1970s but never feel dated.

Hoggar, Tinariwen (Wedge). Currently unable to return to Mali, Tinariwen recorded Hoggar in Tamanrasset, Algeria, in studios owned by next-generation assouf band Imarhan. It’s the same place where Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Alhassane Ag Touhami, and Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni–all founders and current members–first met in exile and began making music together back in 1979. Maybe this is why it’s some of their most poignant music to date, with moods ranging from gently bittersweet to mournful and more to say than ever.

Iowa, Ohyung (self-released/Trans Music Archive). Striking a balance between reifying the rural Midwest as the American heartland and dismissing it as full of backwards flyover state is no easy thing. Ever the alchemist, artist Ohyung manages it perfectly with field samples and semi-ambient electronics on Iowa, which captures the titular state’s stark beauty while also standing against social and political injustice and violence, especially against local queer and trans communities. Accompanying visuals make it all the more compelling.

Metamorphose, Mativetsky Amiri Pagé (fifth house). Tabla player Shawn Mativetsky, santur master Amir Amiri, and harpist/engineer Sarah Pagé explore new creative territory on Metamorphose, and what emerges is transcendent. These are three masterful musicians who manage to meld an array of dense textures into cohesive and lovely compositions. It’s truly virtuosic collaboration.

Nuevos Ríos, Nuevos Ríos (ZZK). Nidia Góngora’s band Canalón de Timbiquí and Toulouse-based folktronica group Reco Reco take repertoires rooted in the Pacific coast in Colombia and plug ’em in. It’s a familiar concept, but Nuevos Ríos executes it with such presence and aplomb that it feels exciting again. The partnership feels equal, the respect is audible, and the music is beautiful.