Two artist whose albums this year were among the most cathartic releases I experienced. I need to think of a creative descriptor name for acts like Zola Jesus and King Dude.The Sigbefia Five/Formal Defect was especially epic as prices for the OG were skyrocketing in value. If you missed them the first time around now is your chance for rediscovery. Essential reissues from Front Line Assembly and Delerium, Portion Control, Mentallo and the Fixer, and Dive were great to see.The Serfs and Kubler-Ross get special mention for assiduously nailing the minimal analog industrial/ebm dance sounds of yesteryear with a modern touch.New Noise Unit came as a surprise and was a mish mash of styles/ideas that didn’t always work in my opinion but a track like “Alone Again” was a real gem. New X Marks the Pedwalk was another sensational example of that projects superiority with future-pop. The old industrial genre still churns and occasionally my ears will listen.Alternative, Pop, Shoegaze, Post-Punk records from Hatchie, Placebo, Mint-Julep, The Present Moment, were welcome listens.My most favorite in this category included the “We Were Never Lost” album from Causeway that included an awesome cover of New Order’s “Your Silent Face”. Synthpop and Wave continued to be robust this year with releases from Minuit Machine, Figure Section, Boy Harsher (that “Machina” track was EVERYWHERE!!!), Sacred Skin, Handful of Snowdrops and more.Tracks from Infravision, Fractions and Normal Bias all astounding. His own solo material and his collab with Hayden of Phase Fatale as Soft Crash were both remarkable. Pablo Bozzi remains such a skilled and incredible talent. That new beat/Italo/future-synth sound had some absolute bangers.In that genre, enjoyed the new releases from General Dynamics, Comfort Cure, Konkurs, GBxCL, Maedon, Yansyet, and Damaged Clock amongst others, Techno-ebm still ruling the majority of what I listen to and purchase.Events and life moving in multiple directions with music so often in parallel to that That elicited a mild chuckle, but sure, I get it - It’s a weird time. A friend of mine said earlier in the year “I liked listening to music before my anxiety ruined it for me!”. Yet there was still that feeling of uncertainty and something else I can’t quite put my finger on. Parts of it felt like maybe, just maybe, there was some progress and rebuilding being made from the fallout of a global pandemic.
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