Elijah’s Top 5:

A Bleeding Tree Hanging Self Destruction, Arise From Worms (Church Road). How frustrating that a death metal supergroup would charge full price for a full length album when it only contains 20 minutes of new and unique music. And how frustrating that the music is so special and so incredible that I would gladly spend that 15-20 dollars to own this album. Every instrumentalist has a distinct voice that is represented powerfully across the album, simultaneously eliciting memories of a distant, mythological past and imaginings of some far-flung, technological future.

Cogwheel, Altarage (Sentient Ruin Laboratories). Real darkness dwells here, in the hearts and minds of a Basque death metal trio that have maintained their lineup across ten years and seven albums. On this release, what I would call their second true masterpiece, they lean in to the efficacy of simplicity. Static noisescapes create a framework around crushing rhythms that never work harder than they need to, like a hydraulic press to the center of the earth, meeting no worthwhile obstacle.

Lágrimas de Oro, Jehovah on Death (I, Voidhanger). Sounding like a 70’s rock band with modern production and sensibilities, the opening track’s flamenco inflections demand further listening, and you won’t regret it. Señora Dolorosa’s haunting vocals lead the way through the brightest spots of a shaded realm. Make Satanism catchy (and better than Ghost) again!

Nowhere Speaks, Emptiness (Season of Mist). This seventh release being an explicit sequel to their fourth album, the creative powerhouse that is Emptiness may well have outdone themselves. Airy, grumbled vocals and spiraling atmospheres invoke an involuntary state of hypnosis that would make a vampire blush. Keep your lava lamp close to your severed sheep’s head for this one.

A Stranger to You, Loathe (SharpTone). One of my most highly anticipated releases of the last six years, I am pleased to find not an ounce of disappointment here. The UK unit remains the gold standard of extremely heavy pop music, proving that absence does not have to beget stagnation.

Adriane’s Top 5:

Afro-Disco Makossa, Adrian Younge (Linear Labs). Producer and composer Adrian Younge continues his characteristically unbelievable proliferation of releases with Afro-Disco Makossa, which, per its press, tries to answer the question of “what would a Ghanaian producer in ’76 have made if he set out to create an American disco record for his hometown?” It certainly could be this rhythmic blend of highlife and funk, which I’d dance to in any decade.

América!, Orquesta Akokán (Daptone). The analog soul sounds that make up the Daptone catalog find particular purchase in the hands of group Orquesta Akokán. América! sees a reworked lineup (singers Miriam Elhajli and Carolina Oliveros are especially outstanding) and more vivid mixes of boogaloo, salsa, mambo, and other jazzy sounds with an emphasis on styles rooted in Cuba and other areas of Latin America.

I Can See, Nick Hakim (Stem via Earseed). To me, the best of 2010s electropop felt like swimming through a nostalgic haze of soul shifting between the 60s, 70s, and 90s. Nick Hakim brings that kind of ethereal vibe to the 2020s on his latest album of vaporous quiet storm-slow jams. Strong and delicate.

Sounds of Malawi Volume 1, Various Artists (Hen House). An astounding undertaking by ethnomusicologist Waliko Makhala, NGO director Luc Deschamps, and producer Harlan Steinberger, Sounds of Malawi is a thrilling showcase of styles and artists based in the titular nation and recorded locally. Pop, folk, blues, jazz: it’s all there and then some in this abundant celebration.

Tarabesque, Firas Zreik (Maqām Records). Nimble-fingered kanun virtuoso Firas Zreik brings together a stunning jazz-takht ensemble to make expansive music based in Zreik’s Palestinian roots. This is a truly energetic exploration of the concept of tarab, an affective state of ecstasy or enchantment in certain Arab performance contexts, and Maqām is quickly becoming one of my favorite jazz labels.