Tropical Fuck Storm

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Tropical Fuck Storm channel the broody and menacing sound of Nick Cave as well as leader Gareth Liddiard's previous band, the Drones.
TROPICAL FUCK STORM ARE MORE THAN JUST YOUR AVERAGE SUPERGROUP.


ps. Probably one of the best albums for this year.

AOTY #11. Protomartyr - Relatives In Descent

Protomartyr immediately stood out from the rest of the anguished post-punk pack when they first emerged four years ago with their debut album All Passion No Technique. They went from strength to strength over their next two albums, twisting Joe Casey’s mantra rants over caustic punk, dark indie guitars and tumbling drums before arriving at their most realised set of recordings to date....

AOTY #14. Priests – Nothing Feels Natural

 In a time where there seems to be a constant feeling of uneasiness, restlessness, and anger about the current state of political affairs, there’s art being molded out of these very feelings to combat the turmoil. Washington D.C. punks Priests let out every drop of their personal and political distress on their raucous debut full-length album Nothing Feels Natural

AOTY #17. METZ - Strange Peace

“Their whiplash of distortion is made with precision, a contained chaos. But you would never talk about them like that. Because METZ are not something you study or analyze,” wrote Liisa Ladouceur in Exclaim! “They are something you feel: a transfer of energy, pure and simple.” In other words: to feel something, fiercely and intensely, but together, not alone.

AOTY : #20. Police Des Moeurs - Dedales

When you think of 80s post-punk and synth-pop bands you probably don’t associate them with contemporary cold-wave band Police des moeurs. Nonetheless, Dedales is a lively look back at a genre whose legacy seems to have gotten lost. The band has succeeded in retaining the spirit of the once feared and revered genre. A trully great album.

The Product

The Product were a minimal wave duo from the small villages Kvistgaard and Espergaerde, in the north of Denmark. They met in the Autumn of 1982 and recorded their sole album "Alive Again" over a weekend. It was self-released on cassette in 1983 and limited to 50 copies. "Alive Again" features 11 songs recorded in two short live takes directly onto one cassette. The Product employed a basic set up of Micromoog, Roland JX-3P and TR-606 Drumatix. With these three instruments they crafted melodic, icy electronic rhythms with detached vocals. They were influenced by UK post-punk bands Second Layer, This Heat, Wire, Gary Numan, Fad Gadget and most noticeably The Cure's Pornography album. Lyrics revolve around growing up in broken homes, alienation and romance. Each song has been carefully remastered from the original cassette master for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. "Almost afraid of it" is a sneak peak into the world of Danish post punk bedroom cassettes.

Jessica93

French one man project Jessica93 is a powerful and emotional force of hypnotic loops, grungy riffs and cold beats, all wrapped up in an impressive sense of delicate and to-the-point song writing. Even Paris, hosts its bleak and dingy suburbs. With the promise of magic so close within one’s reach, the lack of it becomes even more evident. In the midst of this space of hope turned disappointment, Geoff LaPorte goes on an escapist trip and takes on the moniker of Jessica93. Where others see beauty, he sees the rats. But Jessica is the coolest chick in class. She’s desirable and she has ability to transcend the mundane reality of Paris’ dirty streets. Jessica stands for all that we wish to be, but can’t. Instead, let’s embrace the dark humour of the universe. As one man playing all instruments, along with a trusty drum machine; Jessica93 builds his music with layers – balancing the raw and minimalist with a trippy warmth. This sense of dream and romance is present in all his songs, sometimes numbed in an opiate high, sometimes as matter-of-fact melancholia.

Malaria!

Malaria! was an experimental electronic band from Berlin formed in 1981 by Gudrun Gut  and Bettina Köster following the dissolution of Mania D with Karin Luner, Eva Gossling later Die Krupps and Beate Bartel (of Liaisons Dangereuses). Other members included Manon P. Duursma, Christine Hahn, and Susanne Kuhnke (also a member of Die Haut). They are most often associated with Neue Deutsche Welle and post-punk.

The Black Ryder

The Black Ryder are an alternative band that originates from Sydney, Australia. This is music to soothe your soul with songs of loneliness, compassion, despair, transcendence and ascension. They are unfucking the world!

The Black Ryder - Sweet Come Down
The Black Ryder - Outside