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Twisted’s Best Of 2017 Part 1: EP’s/Albums

So, Who thought 2016 sucked? 2017 had SO much potential, Just when we didn’t think things could get much worse.  In retrospect, 2017 most definitely had it’s ups and downs.

On The political spectrum, all kinds of crazy stuff happened. Movie-wise, We finally got a version of spider-man that was AWESOME, Wonder Woman finally graced the silver screen (And killed it!), while the Justice League did Not, AND we had another adventure in a Galaxy far, far away as Star Wars: The Last Jedi certainly changed the landscape of the entire franchise.

That all being said, there was also a LOT of really good music this year, so much so that I’m going to be giving you TWO lists – The first being, my top 10 releases for 2017 – And so I don’t miss anything, I’ll be continuing with a top 10 NEW FINDS for 2017! So, Here we go!

There are a few things I’d like to point out – First of all, while it’s a “top 10” list – these albums are all absolutely equally badass in their own right. To make this list, it has to be material that I can throw on repeat and not get tired of – And there are a few of you out there that could probably vouch for me when I say – THAT is a challenge in itself.

Now with More Embedded Videos!

The Dead Deads – Flying Saucers EP
What can I say? I love The Dead Deads and am always excited by new music from them – “Flying Saucers” is a 4-track EP that was released on July 4th 2017 on Tishimon records. The lead single was “Nothing Will Be Fine”, which is catchy as all hell. The whole release is solid, and I can’t wait to see what comes next – Be sure to pick  it up, and definitely go check them out if they happen to be playing in Your city, as their Live shows are just as good – if not better – than the records.

Sweet Tooth – Live Fast, Die Young EP
Color me biased, But Sweet Tooth has quickly become one of my favorite bands in general. It’s even cooler that I can call them my friends – But I gotta say, their debut EP – which they released earlier this year independently (And we had the honor of hosting their CD Release party with fellow rockers Thrilldriver & Convincing Adam) – “Live Fast, Die Young”  – is absolutely killer. I’d try to pick a favorite track out of the 4, but that’s not happening. If you haven’t listened to it already, understand that I am absolutely judging the hell out of You right now!

The Hawkins – Ain’t Rock ‘n Roll
Every now and again, a band comes along and I have to do a triple take because something about them just caused my brain to put a hold on everything else – so when I heard The Hawkins’ “Fuck You All, I’m Outta Here” – I had to investigate.  A few months later, They released their Debut full length album – “Ain’t Rock ‘n roll” and, It’s every bit as glorious as that first single. Standouts include “Rat Race” and “Shaking Ground”, but there is legitimately not a single bad song on the album – every single track has the potential to be a runaway hit. Check it out!

Craving Strange – Careful Of The Landmines
There’s absolutely no way I could go without mentioning my pals in Craving Strange, as they celebrated the release of “Careful Of The Landmines” back in March of this year (And we were excited to have been able to broadcast it live!) – The whole album is wonderful – and you can find a more in-depth review of it here!

Nax – Heart Fire Home
The New Shining remains one of my all time favorite bands – and while I was sad when they went their separate ways, it wasn’t too long before frontman Xander started promoting a solo album.  “Heart Fire Home”  is a brilliantly written – and produced – work of art, “Late Bloomer” and  “You Can’t Fix Me” are standouts, but honestly I can listen to the whole album cover to cover multiple times over and Not hit skip once.

Scandroid – Monochrome
Believe it or not, I had a tough time deciding which Scandroid release this year I wanted to put on this list – While yes, I’ve become somewhat of a fanboy for the project – he is CONSTANTLY putting out new material/remixes/etc. The follow up to Last year’s self titled debut, if that was the concept album, “Monochrome” is the proof that it fucking works.  You can find a more in-depth review Here!

Thrilldriver – Thrilldriver
This is the one band on this list that, I didn’t find on my own (And they’re NYC based!”) I have to thank The Iceberg himself for these cats – Their Self-Titled Full length album is one hell of a statement that says “We’re Here.” So of course we HAD to get them on a live showcase (Which happened back In August as they performed at the Sweet Tooth CD release party!) – and man did they not disappoint. Looking forward to what we can do together in the future!

Dance With The Dead – B-Sides, Vol 1
So,  This year I’ve kind of gone through a small transition, music-wise – I’ve fallen completely in love with the Synthwave/Retrowave genre – And I have to say it’s partially due to Dance With The Dead and their remix of Scandroid’s “Neo Tokyo” – B-Sides is an amazing album – I almost want to call it “Horror Movie Montage Music  You Could Dance To” – “That House” and “Awakening” are standouts here.

Ghoultown –  Ghost Of The Southern Son
Ghoultown is another one of my all-time favorite bands – And this year they released their 5th album of new material – “Ghost Of The Southern Son” is Classic Ghoultown – If The Misfits and a Mariachi band teamed up and started writing soundtracks for Spaghetti Westerns, it probably wouldn’t be too far from what you might find on a Ghoultown Record. “Ghost Of The Past” hands down has the best Steel guitar solo I’ve heard in a LONG time, and makes me wish more hard-rock bands would incorporate ‘em.

The Midnight – Nocturnal
I’m an 80’s baby – so of course in today’s day and age, I’m all about that Nostalgia. However, You won’t find me looking out for the next Cindy Lauper tribute band – I’m into finding stuff that is New – and I really can’t say enough good things here about The Midnight and the whole retrowave genre as a whole. “Nocturnal” is an album  that gives you that nostalgia – but again,is something you haven’t heard a whole lot of.  “River Of Darkness” Screams of 1985 new wave – and had it come out then, it would probably be a staple of 1980’s culture. It also features another retrowave act I’ve become quite fond of, in the way of Timecop1983.

Made it through the article? SWEET! Thanks for checking it out, and if You’re wanting more, Here’s The Sequel!

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