Let's start off by saying that this year there were phenomenal records released, whether they were re-issues of ten year anniversary albums (The Postal Service, for instance), or, well, albums written to be released this year. I'll focus my list on the albums that were meant to be released this year as newcomers, so with that said, let's start it off:



13. Spring Songs EP by Title Fight


The reason this brilliant extended play didn't chart any higher on my list is because of the simple fact of the length. The songs are extraordinary, the whole concept is genius, but four songs didn't make it up for me this time.

12. The Hurry And The Harm by City & Colour



Dallas Green always makes it up into my favorite releases, always. His harmonies are beautiful, his lyrics are probably some of the best poetry I read/listened since Jesse Lacey, yeah, they are that good. 

11. Live By The Code by Terror



Terror have to be one of the best hardcore bands in the scene ever since they started back in oh-two. They show what hardcore means, they embody the definition of hardcore. Terror have been doing it for plenty of years now, and the best part is that they still deliver the same genius music they did when they released One With The Underdogs.

10. The Things We Think We're Missing by Balance & Composure



This album is probably one of the purest forms of what creative music is. It delights us with creativity, it is really, really, unique. The music that Balance and Composure deliver us on this LP is totally ineffable- undefinable.

9. Revolt EP by Hundredth



Another EP on the list. The reason of why this extended play climbed so high on my list in comparison to Title Fight; is probably because of the perfection it contends. The way the lyrics make their way through the music, the definition of what "complementary" means. If it were, per se, three songs longer, this record would definitely be number one on this list.

8. My Shame Is True by Alkaline Trio



Alkaline Trio released an LP (My Shame Is True), and an EP this year, which shows us how they literally work their guts off. My Shame Is True happens to be a recollection of what the band has done over the years: their pop punk sound derived from "From Here To Infirmary," the experimental influence taken from "This Addiction," and their powerful side, which can be heard also on "Good Mourning." 

7. Jar by Daylight



The reason of why I absolutely loved this record, is the simple fact that it takes me back to the late nineties and early oh's: when I discovered the music I love now. The power of grunge and the role it can play on developing a new music taste. The brilliancy on writing a record. This album just remembers me what music really is, it's music in its essence.

6. Talon Of The Hawk by The Front Bottoms



The Front Bottoms have been setting a name for themselves for a couple of years now. They show us how music can be so simple instrumentally-wise and still be brilliant. They take a different spin on writing happy, mellow, and yellow tunes.

5. Tape Deck Heart by Frank Turner



Frank Turner has to be perhaps one of my all-time favorite songwriters. The themes he approaches are genius and relevant, just like a bildungsroman novel. Turner talks to us, delivers great stories and messages, and if you ask me, Tape Deck Heart is definitely the best album he's done.

4. Youth by Citizen



Citizen is a band that made a name for themselves quiet quickly, I might say. They released a bunch of EP's, splits, and singles on the last couple of years and this year they put out their debut LP: Youth. Without doubting much, I'll say that the reason of their sudden success is definitely their talent. Mat Kerekes way of composing is mind-blowing. Youth is the type of record that you listen and feel so depressed and angsty that you just wanna listen to it again. Genius.

3.  Anonymous by Stray From The Path



This record fuses two of my most beloved personal interests: music and politics. We already heard this combination on plenty of other bands, on the nineties, mostly. But the difference with this album is that Anonymous is delivering something that hasn't been heard on a decade. They are here to bring back one of my favorite definitions of music: to change the world, to be the voice of the people, to be the revolution the world needs.

2. Aware by Front Porch Step



Front Porch Step has to be one of my definite favorite bands/musicians. Jake writes profound music straight from his heart. The album is a roller-coaster of emotions, which mostly gets a grip rather on the bluer side than on mellow tunes. The way Jake sings is perhaps the most mind-blowing singing I've heard ever; I'm telling you, he sings from his heart-highway and is here to take you with him.

1.  1. The Difference Between Hell And Home by Counterparts


On number one we have The Difference Between Hell And Home by Counterparts. What is music? What is the idea of music? Let me answer you with this record. It contains all the ambiguous answers to those questions, it delivers emotions that can't be expressed through language, it makes us realize who we are and were are we standing, it destroys our inner core only to force us to recreate ourselves based on who we really are. The whole album is a concept that forms itself like a jigsaw puzzle, a jigsaw puzzle that perpetually destroys itself, allegorizing the effect it creates on us, the listeners. It's a roller coaster of feelings, a new way to see what life is, it makes us see sounds and hear images. A mere masterpiece that will lay it's mark on history, mark my words.  

Honorable Mentions: Signed and Sealed In Blood by Dropkick Murphys, Fade Away by Best Coast, Drugs Destroy Dreams by Comin Correct, Sunbather by Deafheaven,The Weatherman by Gregory Alan Isakov, and Dead Horses by Evergreen Terrace.