10. Vasaeleth - All Uproarious Darkness (Profound Lore)
I have always been able to count on Profound Lore to bring killer new metal bands to my attention, as was the case with the second EP from the Georgia/Colorado death metal duo Vasaeleth. All Uproarious Darkness tears by in a tight 20 minutes, with each song clocking in just under four minutes, meaning each song gets in and gets out without ever overstaying its welcome. The perfect taster for wherever they may end up on their eventual sophomore full-length. I'll certainly be paying attention.
9. Demon Eye - Shades of Black (Self-Released)
This North Carolina heavy metal band made a hell of an impression on me with this self-released debut EP (as any good band named after a Deep Purple song should). Apparently I wasn't the only one, as they were quickly snatched up by Soulseller Records for the 2014 follow-up full-length. This is fairly traditionally minded heavy metal/hard rock with a healthy does of occult influence, but that doesn't mean this isn't fresh or exciting. They mix their razor sharp riffs with even sharper pop hooks, reminding me at times of Thin Lizzy.
8. Deceptor - Chains of Delusion (Shadow Kingdom)
Two things sold me on this British thrash metal band's second EP - the fact that it was released on Shadow Kingdom and the fantastic Judas Priest inspired cover art. Fortunately, the music within nicely lives up the high expectations set in my mind by that robot dragon. They stir together the best parts of thrash, power and speed metal to make a pretty interesting racket topped off by Dickinsonian vocals. I really hope these guys have a full-length in them soon.
7. Whirr - Around (Graveface)
Around was Bay Area shoegaze band Whirr's stop-gap EP between their two full-length albums, it was also where I jumped on as a fan. Modern day shoegaze can be a really hit-or-miss preposition, but these guys are much more hit than miss to my ears. I think what helps is the metal and Northern California alt-rock influences. The former makes a lot of sense, considering the guitarist used to be in Deafheaven, and the latter feels like a bit of Deftones in the mix. Not everyone's cup of tea, to be sure, but it brought me on board.
6. Wild Nothing - Empty Estate (Captured Tracks)
Especially in 2013, Captured Tracks was, much like Profound Lore was to metal, a label that I could really count on to give me some really good young indie rock bands to be excited about (as few and far between as those are these days). Empty Estate followed closely on the heels of the excellent 2012 album, Nocturne, and found Jack Tatum pushing his sound further into 80s derived electro-pop territory.
5. The Gates of Slumber - Stormcrow (Scion A/V)
It's kind of hard to write much about this EP, now that it has officially become the band's swan song following the 2013 departure of bassist Jason McCash, and more depressingly his 2014 overdose death. After five well received full-length albums, the band felt on the verge of breaking through to even bigger audiences when this was released. And for a free EP, it was a hell of a trip through the band's well-refined and spartan doom sound.
4. Killer Moon - Tunnel Vision (Self-Released)
Although it was released in June of 2013, this EP became a late year discovery for me that I couldn't get enough of. Considering it clocks in at damn near 40-minutes, it's hard to believe this is "just" an EP, but that's what you get when you mess with long-winded psych rock bands. The Chicago trio self-defines as "twenty first century psychedelic rock band that sounds like Black Sabbath and the Doors have melted into one another", which feels pretty accurate - though I wouldn't let that Doors namedrop scare you off, there aren't any long-winded pieces of poetry here. This was an impressive discovery and I can't wait to hear what comes next.
3. The Flaming Lips - Peace Sword (Warner Bros.)
If you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you won't be surprised to see The Flaming Lips appearing again on one of my lists. This was originally born out of the band being asked to soundtrack the long-gestating film adaptation of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, though only one of these songs ended up being accepted by the movie's producers. Not ones to hold anything back in the vaults, Wayne Coyne and his band officially released all of this material as an EP. A diversion from the outre and haunting work they've done on their recent full-lengths, this was more of a throwback to the uplifting anthems of the late 90s/early 00s.
2. Parquet Courts - Tally All the Things That You Broke (What's Your Rupture?)
I'm still not entirely sure what makes the releases under Parkay Quarts different from the ones under Parquet Courts, but rest assured that this won't be the bands only appearance on my 2013 lists. This was the year ending stop-gap EP that shows off a few slightly different flavors of the band's unique indie rock, including a slacker rap Beck homage about delivering weed via bicycle. Fear not, the other four songs fall more in like with the melodic, guitar centric Television inspired rock that they are better known for.
1. Thee Oh Sees - Moon Sick (Castle Face)
These four tracks were recorded during the same sessions that produced Floating Coffin, but there is nothing tossed-off or half-baked about any of these four tracks. The first three tracks are the kind of killer garage rock stompers that Thee Oh Sees are known for and each of them would have been just as fitting on any proper full-length. The finale is a mellower pop tune that brings you back down to earth nice and gentle.
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