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Is guitar music out of media-decreed crisis now? - 2013's best 'guitar albums'

sean [Edit] [Delete] 84 replies 09:15, 19 November '13

Been a while since one of those 'guitar music is dead' pieces has run and there are a lot of albums with guitars on in your year-end lists. What are some of your favourites?

p.s. who's coming to see Icarus Line with support from Future of the Left on Thursday at Netil House?

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  • all music has guitars in it.

    Unless it doesn't.

    I'm not sure anyone really cares that much about the presence of guitars in the forefront do they? If they do their opinion doesn't count.

    Can we not do a Best Piano Album thread?

    GoatmeatMF | 19 Nov '13, 09:32 | X
    • best piano album thread would be too easy...

      Nils Frahm. End of Thread.

      sean @GoatmeatMF | 19 Nov '13, 09:44 | X
      • Moonface would like a word ...

        JaguarPirate @sean | 19 Nov '13, 13:05 | X
        silverfoxqpr, cronenberg, ThingsThatFly, and the-breacher this'd this
        • Listen to 'Spaces' then reconsider that

          mfmcd57 @JaguarPirate | 19 Nov '13, 20:14 | X
          • moonface is much better than spaces

            Jordan_229_2 @mfmcd57 | 19 Nov '13, 21:05 | X
            ThingsThatFly and the-breacher this'd this
            • Can't really disagree with this

              (Presumably you're talking about Julia...), but Says is the best song either musician has produced this year.

              wonton @Jordan_229_2 | 22 Nov '13, 16:19 | X
  • nope it's still dead

    people are holding up Parquet Courts as one of the bands of the year

    desperate-trolling | 19 Nov '13, 09:35 | X
  • Was going to start a thread but might ask in here:

    Has there been an indie 'hit' in recent years? This probably says more about where I go on nights out, but the only jump-up-and-down indie songs are from almost 10 years ago (well, 6 or 7 at least). Can't remember a gap this long. Is it all Animal Collective style bollocks or have I missed some *proper* tunes?

    Royter-Hatfood | 19 Nov '13, 09:45 | X
    NickDS this'd this
  • Reckon this year's best guitar albums have been from older bands

    Suede, Superchunk, MBV among the top for me.

    Newer bands? Sleigh Bells, Parquet Courts, No Age, Connections, The Thermals all put out fine records

    orangejuice | 19 Nov '13, 11:14 | X
  • Pissed Jeans - Honeys

    chadders | 19 Nov '13, 11:34 | X
    SCROTUM, ClamingToBeOnTele, ma0sm, and Puds this'd this
  • just want to remind everyone that this album, released this year and featuring guitars,

    is much, much better than most music
    but not better than every music
    http://herparents.bandcamp.com/album/happy-birthday
    just most music

    alcxxk | 19 Nov '13, 11:36 | X
    ma0sm this'd this
  • QOTSA, Thee Oh Sees, Suede and Hookworms albums

    are all excellent.

    Pegfeet | 19 Nov '13, 11:41 | X
  • Audacity - Butter Knife

    snot nosed punks from Orange County.
    good LP

    Gorkys_Forever | 19 Nov '13, 12:02 | X
  • Also Mikal Cronin, Kurt Vile, Medicine, Deerhunter

    and the Phoenix album had guitars and was good imo
    does waxahatchee count?

    furio | 19 Nov '13, 12:06 | X
  • Jetplane Landing - Don't Try

    NickDS | 19 Nov '13, 12:26 | X
    plasticniki, shucks, penny_racer, justanothersheeldz, and gromulant this'd this
    • End of thread, really.

      plasticniki @NickDS | 20 Nov '13, 07:57 | X
      shucks this'd this
  • PARAMORE

    ---expected reply--- Can you shut up about Paramore/can you people stop pretending to like Paramore now

    Yesiamaduck | 19 Nov '13, 13:21 | X
    • hush it, quackers

      they're great

      jeanpierre_papin @Yesiamaduck | 20 Nov '13, 08:41 | X
      • oh, hang on, yeah, i thought you liked them, so was surprised by what i thought i read

        then i noticed i didn't read it and i'm still half asleep.

        continue as normal.

        jeanpierre_papin @jeanpierre_papin | 20 Nov '13, 08:42 | X
  • surprised no one has mentioned Savages yet

    feedthecollapse | 19 Nov '13, 13:25 | X
    • also adding

      Purling Hiss - Water on Mars
      Fuzz - s/t (though I think the second half isn't as good as the first)

      though I guess I'm somewhat disappointed that all these releases are fairly pastiche of other, older sounds.

      feedthecollapse @feedthecollapse | 19 Nov '13, 13:31 | X
  • I'll add Major Arcana by Speedy Ortiz

    Stringly | 19 Nov '13, 13:31 | X
    • loved this at first but it soon felt a bit hollow and only a few tracks held up, think i deleted it and just kept their first couple of singles that weren't on the LP

      yuggy @Stringly | 19 Nov '13, 21:05 | X
    • Definitely up there

      Wasn't sure at first - the tracks they released before the record came out were infinitely more accessible than anything else on it - but it grew on me like a bastard.

      Caesurob @Stringly | 21 Nov '13, 14:09 | X
  • Mumford and Sons bigger than ever

    Guitar music ain't dead!

    hanshotfirst | 19 Nov '13, 13:33 | X
    • That ain't guitar muisc

      it guitosser muisc

      Yesiamaduck @hanshotfirst | 19 Nov '13, 14:01 | X
      subjective this'd this
      • banjo music

        icecreammachine @Yesiamaduck | 20 Nov '13, 15:58 | X
  • This Town Needs Guns - 13.0.0.0.0

    Tera Melos - X'ed Out
    Humanfly - Awesome Science
    Dead In The Dirt - The Blind Hole
    Deafheaven - Sunbather

    Never been a case of 'the death of guitar music' its always been there if you wanted it. it all depends on what you want to find in new music, there's going to be a style of music you'll never have a love for (reggae for me).

    ClamingToBeOnTele | 19 Nov '13, 13:42 | X
    • The Tera Melos album needs far, far more love

      It's great

      ThierryEnnui @ClamingToBeOnTele | 20 Nov '13, 11:02 | X
      ClamingToBeOnTele, Comaboy, and bruised_blood this'd this
  • I wonder will Foals - Holy Fire

    get many mentions come the end of year

    furio | 19 Nov '13, 18:44 | X
    • yeah

      I'm going to have it really high. don't understand why people don't think it's an incredible album. it really is.

      GoatmeatMF @furio | 19 Nov '13, 20:47 | X
      • Because it's not incredible. It's average, boring indie pop in the vein of

        Bombay Bicycle Club, Two Door Cinema Club even Snow Patrol in parts.

        I never get why people think they're this incredibly creative, unusual, arty guitar band when everything they've done since their first singles and bits of Antidotes has been average indie-by-numbers wank.

        The first track on that album is more wannabe U2 than even Coldplay would dare to do...

        jigglypuff @GoatmeatMF | 20 Nov '13, 14:07 | X
        • Bombay Bicycle Club..

          have done some interesting stuff in the past.

          icecreammachine @jigglypuff | 20 Nov '13, 16:01 | X
          emmettcruddas this'd this
          • Admittedly so.

            They're better than Foals anyway.

            jigglypuff @icecreammachine | 21 Nov '13, 13:12 | X
            icecreammachine this'd this
  • Dillinger Escape Plan's One Of Us Is The Killer

    is the gift that keeps on giving. Best album from them in a while and and as usual it makes you wonder what most other guitar bands think they're playing at.

    DeadJames | 19 Nov '13, 20:52 | X
  • Can anybody recommend me some

    sugary stuff that's not shit but still smart and ting? Anything like Wild Beasts or The Antlers I may have missed?

    yuggy | 19 Nov '13, 21:06 | X
    • In defence of 2013 'guitar music'...

      great albums from Midlake, Metz, The National, Money, Parquet Courts, Local Natives, Dutch Uncles, Deerhunter, Eels, Savages, Villagers, Widowspeak, Franz Ferdinand, Nadine Shah and Gary Numan. Ah, I think most my favourite stuff this year was guitary.

      yuggy @yuggy | 19 Nov '13, 21:17 | X
    • yeah

      Black Swan Lane. Wonton recommended them to me, been listening to them a lot.

      that's pretty much all I got in that vein

      GoatmeatMF @yuggy | 20 Nov '13, 08:10 | X
      • Seconded

        As for others, well I'm a big fan of the two examples, but finding similar bands is hard. Maybe:

        Fun Adults. Only got singles out so far, but they show a lot of WB meets Grizzly Bear-esqe promise. https://soundcloud.com/funadults

        Arrange. Has a few album releases now, all slightly varying in styles. Always emotionally involving though. http://arrange.bandcamp.com/album/plantation

        Ivory Seas. Just singles again, these guys are really impressive and have a lovely sound...but could do with more individuality for a record. http://ivoryseas.bandcamp.com/

        Daughter. You probably know these guys, but they're favourite new UK band since WB. There's a touch of Silberman in the lyrics too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnkzvAXWV-0

        wonton @GoatmeatMF | 22 Nov '13, 16:49 | X
  • I like the sound of the guitar a whole lot.

    Aside from the human voice, the guitar is the most diverse musical instrument that exists. But I think that the sections of the music press who view guitar music as existing in a kind of binary opposition to non-guitar music are talking bollocks.

    I don’t want the future of British music to consist of a repeated cycle of five years of lumpen lad-rock followed by five years of spangly X-Factor pop. I hate the fact that modern pop music seems to be run with the mindset of a senior buyer at Topshop, i.e.; “drop all your guitar bands, electronic beats are back in”. Just give us good music, dickheads.

    MotherShabubu | 19 Nov '13, 21:09 | X
    jigglypuff this'd this
    • "Aside from the human voice, the guitar is the most diverse musical instrument that exists"

      nah

      WhiteLightWhiteCity @MotherShabubu | 21 Nov '13, 18:48 | X
      Comaboy this'd this
      • I reckon there is a case for it, can't think of another instrument that has as many variations (its like the dog of the instrument world), and the sheer range of sounds and genres that have guitar as the base is pretty diverse even if most of the time it is used for a fairly narrow range of sounds. I guess synths are more diverse but they have an unfair advantage in that they can sound like anything, but then I guess a lot of guitar sounds are a result of effects so

        ThingsThatFly @WhiteLightWhiteCity | 22 Nov '13, 00:07 | X
        MotherShabubu this'd this
      • "nah"

        Well that was certainly a WhiteLightWhiteCity response. Truly your reasoning is water-tight, good sir.

        MotherShabubu @WhiteLightWhiteCity | 22 Nov '13, 11:32 | X
  • my favourite

    http://blackoutbeach.bandcamp.com/album/blues-trip

    dont let the word blues put you off. Its got that twin peaksy not quite rockabilly not quite surf sinister tremoloey guitar sound. It is actually a re-recording of the songs off 'fuck death' also great but less guitary.

    im sure this sentence appeals to others as much as it did me " played Dante's old Jazzmaster, into a tape echo, and then into a tube record player, hooked up to a 60's 15 inch alnico speaker".

    I think this is the best album he has ever done, even more than frog eyes, which is weird seeings as it was a quick rerecord of old songs.

    ThingsThatFly | 20 Nov '13, 00:41 | X
    bruised_blood this'd this
  • makthaverskan

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO-UyFL5cxY

    basically if you like The Cure you'll probably be into this

    gonad | 20 Nov '13, 00:47 | X
  • I really want to hear a good new power pop guitar record

    the last one I can think of was that first Mazes LP.

    but people always try and claim that dull indie rock is power pop, sure someone said that Mikal Cronin was power pop... nah. I want sugar sweet melodies and a heavy dose of irony.

    not really on topic but still.

    calumlynn | 20 Nov '13, 01:46 | X
  • Johnny fuckin' Marr

    ThirstyDog | 20 Nov '13, 02:42 | X
  • I'm surprised Satellites haven't had a Dis mention being slightly nationally an all

    others I think worthy of a mention

    The world is a beautiful place and I'm no longer afraid to die / And so i watch you from afar / Appleseed Cast / Enemies / Overseas / Foxing / H-burns / Radar Bros / Crash of Rhinos / Holograms / Dismemberment Plan / Hospital Ships / This is Your Captain Speaking / Houses / Team Ghost.

    I think there's little revivals in emo and math rock whereas other scenes are definitely on the quiet. I definitely find it harder to find guitar albums I like, I think it's perhaps 30% decline in amount of solid guitar bands 70% me tastes being more picky.

    static | 20 Nov '13, 09:49 | X
    • Crash of Rhinos

      Absolutely. So feckin' good.

      Caesurob @static | 21 Nov '13, 14:22 | X
  • dudes vs bad dudes by cowtown

    best album i've heard in years. i expected it to be good but it's bloody amazing

    cat_race | 20 Nov '13, 09:58 | X
    • his is good

      cheers

      furio @cat_race | 22 Nov '13, 17:12 | X
  • the Velvet Underground meets the Grateful Dead.

    Guitar music, you say?

    Desert Heat and their Cat Mask at Huggie Temple 12" is all you need,
    https://soundcloud.com/miemusic/sets/desert-heat-cat-mask-at-huggie

    M-I-E | 20 Nov '13, 10:48 | X
  • Icarus Line - Slave Vows

    Hands down the best guitar record of the year imo.

    Sullivan | 20 Nov '13, 12:41 | X
    • This was such an unexpected pleasure

      I never really got into them growing up, but gave this a go earlier this year and was hooked from the off. Amazing stuff.

      Caesurob @Sullivan | 21 Nov '13, 14:25 | X
    • totally agreed

      sean @Sullivan | 24 Nov '13, 15:39 | X
  • Been a while since one of those 'guitar music is dead' pieces has run

    Yep. And with this thread, you're in danger of fucking ruining it. It's such a stupid question.

    Is the 3/4 time signature dead?

    Is 'singing' the new chillwave?

    Is music with drums in making a come back in 2014?

    Arcade Fire announce new album will see a return to using verses.

    sadpunk | 20 Nov '13, 12:45 | X
    • who let sadpunk back in the commentary?

      shucks @sadpunk | 20 Nov '13, 13:30 | X
      • It's ok, I'm getting out, I'm getting out...

        Jeez, you slag off one pissawful band and no one lets you forget it.

        sadpunk @shucks | 20 Nov '13, 13:34 | X
        • :D wuv oo xx

          shucks @sadpunk | 20 Nov '13, 16:14 | X
          sadpunk this'd this
  • Forest Swords - Engravings

    Is my favourite album with a guitar in it by some way this year. But I also liked Dirty Beaches, These New Puritans and Hookworms, Deerhunter was a bit disapointing but I think I need to revisit it, same with MBV prob. Dose the Dean Blunt album have real life guitar in it? So like four albums in a year with guitars in that I like is a pretty big step up from the last few years yeah maybe it isn't dead. Forest Swords and Dirty Beaches are the ones for me out of the lot, any more recomendations on that tip from you guitar goons?

    jimitheexploder | 20 Nov '13, 12:57 | X
    • You like the Darkside record, surely?

      Seems like it'd be right up your alley.

      brainfeedr @jimitheexploder | 20 Nov '13, 13:24 | X
      • I've heard clips and it made me cringe

        it was a bit of a flashback to my Mum and Dad playing Mark Knopfler when I was young and no one needs that in their life again even with a slightly house beat. It was all a bit boat shoe for me.

        jimitheexploder @brainfeedr | 20 Nov '13, 13:31 | X
        p_a_u_l this'd this
        • Best live instrument/dance hybrid this year has been Archie Pelago

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPqUutoEz_E

          Madness. No guitar though, sorry thread.

          jimitheexploder @jimitheexploder | 20 Nov '13, 13:34 | X
          jarock87 this'd this
          • this is great

            like a Venetian Snares record you can dance to

            brainfeedr @jimitheexploder | 20 Nov '13, 14:18 | X
            • They're brilliant

              that is a pretty out there one of theirs, they also do a good like in jazzy deep house and all that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGsaB-q_adk live sets too: http://www.sonicrouter.com/2012/02/sr-mix-121-archie-pelago-car-crash-set/ / http://vimeo.com/36465648

              If they put out an album next year they'll prob make more waves and crossover a lot more.

              jimitheexploder @brainfeedr | 20 Nov '13, 14:23 | X
              • Man, if someone described that music to me I would assume I would hate it

                but it's just really fucking great. Weird!

                brainfeedr @jimitheexploder | 20 Nov '13, 14:32 | X
                • I feel exactly the same

                  live jazz house, fuck off. But they do it in a really fun way. There are load more live sets on vimo and youtube now too.

                  jimitheexploder @brainfeedr | 20 Nov '13, 14:38 | X
                  brainfeedr this'd this
        • I thought that for a while too

          and posted to that effect. Was won round on a late-night bus trip listen though. Give it a proper go!

          brainfeedr @jimitheexploder | 20 Nov '13, 14:09 | X
          • May well do

            If I can get over the prog of it all, nice one.

            jimitheexploder @brainfeedr | 20 Nov '13, 14:24 | X
  • I don't think it was ever in crisis

    There have been some great guitar albums this year, probably more than last year. But most of my favourite releases have come from older groups. I do struggle to find new 'guitar' bands that really interest me because a lot of the time they just sound like a pastiche. Look at shoegaze for example, despite remaining a popular a lot of the contemporary bands just sound derivative of older bands. The sound in general has regressed to sounding like My Bloody Valentine circa 1988. This is not to say there aren't bands doing interesting things within the genre, there are group from Portland called The Slaves who combine the ethereal guitar of MBV with the amplifier worship of Sunn. It's not totally original but at least it is something a little different.

    Anyway guitar releases I have enjoyed
    Dead C - Armed Courage
    Brainbombs - Disposal of A Dead Body
    Body/Head - Coming Apart
    Dirty Beaches - Drifters
    Grouper - The Man Who Died
    Haino/O'Rourke/Ambarchi - Now While It's Still Warm
    Desert Heat - Cat Mask
    Grails - Black Tar Prophecies
    Mainliner - Revelation Space
    MV & EE - Fuzzweed
    Magik Markers - Surrender to Fantasy
    Thought Forms - Ghost Mountain
    Cuntz - Aloha

    PerfectSoundForever | 20 Nov '13, 13:29 | X
    matthewdrury this'd this
    • lot's of stuff I need to listen to here

      esp the new Dead C, Brainbombs and Mainliner

      what's Body/Head actually like?

      noise_ramones @PerfectSoundForever | 20 Nov '13, 15:41 | X
      • Really good

        It is pretty dissonant but beautiful at the same time. Kim and Bill create these noisy schizophrenic guitar driven soundscapes that are maybe a little reminiscent of the Dead C. It is a cool record, easily my favourite post SY release.

        PerfectSoundForever @noise_ramones | 20 Nov '13, 17:03 | X
  • I also forgot to add to my list

    Destruction Unit - Deep Trip

    psychedelic rock that moves beyond the otherwise enjoyable, but fairly cliche 60s (or 60s-as-seen-by-Spacemen 3) worship and inject a more punk rock flavoring into their Psych-Rock. It's somewhat samey, but always enjoyable.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JVvHyvW9ZE
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYHYDsQFlPM
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI6Xdqs9IUU

    feedthecollapse | 20 Nov '13, 14:07 | X
  • There has, as over the last couple of years

    been a glut of great American primitive-influenced records which are built around guitars.

    Cian Nugent & the Cosmos - Born with the Caul (bit Irish-folk at times though so don't listen in front of e.g. chicks you're trying to impress)
    Daniel Bachman - Jesus I'm a Sinner ('purer' than his last couple - mostly very spacious and relaxed)
    Marisa Anderson - Mercury
    Chrisy Forsyth - Solar Motel (mentioned somewhere else that this is more Glenn Branca-esque guitar escursions than AP but seems to get lumped in with this stuff)
    Desert Heat - Cat Mask at Huggie Temple (feat. the aforementioned Cian Nugent)
    Bill Orcutt - A History of Every One (batshit)
    William Tyler - Impossible Truth
    Glenn Jones - My Garden State (very stereotypical but beautiful AP)
    Danny Paul Grody - Between Two World (more in the vein of James Blackshaw)

    In other areas there've been a bunch of good BM records
    Deafheaven, obviously
    Goatmeat's mentioned Fauna who're awesome
    Stara Rzeka
    just a shitload of great stuff.

    Not sure why I bothered replying to this thread 'cause it's kind of a tired topic but it was a nice distraction thinking about all those records.

    brainfeedr | 20 Nov '13, 14:17 | X
    marke this'd this
  • but talking about my "favourites" would legitimise those articles

    and make them something other than utterly stupid

    guntrip | 20 Nov '13, 15:27 | X
  • It was never in crisis anyway.

    "Guitar music's dead" is the "PC gone mad" or "country's gone to the dogs" for insecure trendy people who can't look beyond white, middle-class music.

    PowerCorruptionNPies | 20 Nov '13, 17:53 | X
  • I always feel sorry for the poor, humble guitar.

    People really lay into it when it's actually a pretty cool instrument.

    Ableton / Logic presets are a much bigger contemporary crime.

    jigglypuff | 21 Nov '13, 13:25 | X
    • That sawtooth synth

      icecreammachine @jigglypuff | 22 Nov '13, 16:11 | X
      jigglypuff this'd this
      • Omnipresent

        jigglypuff @icecreammachine | 24 Nov '13, 01:27 | X
  • Diarrhea Planet?

    'I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams' is probably my favourite record this year so far, guitars or no guitars (but yes, it has lots of guitars).

    Caesurob | 21 Nov '13, 14:20 | X
    • Oh shit yeah!

      What an album. Especially 'Kids'. Definitely one for anyone that likes Fang Island.

      brainfeedr @Caesurob | 22 Nov '13, 00:12 | X
  • Monomania was out this year wasn't it?

    It's got guitars an that.

    Mandela | 22 Nov '13, 11:19 | X
  • I've decided to drift in here and sing the praises of Yo La Tengo's Fade once more

    that's a pretty rad gtr record

    ThisTemporaryLife | 24 Nov '13, 12:23 | X
  • Thee Oh Sees

    bitches

    _fake_blues | 24 Nov '13, 17:58 | X
    brainfeedr this'd this
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