sharon jones and the dap kings

I know I’m far from the only person on our staff capable of writing an end-of-year Rainbows in the Dark post, but I guess I called “dibs” first? So here we are. As you may recall, I made a point to keep my 2017 metal recap strictly metal. So now that 2018’s here, we’ll take a look back at 2017-in-Non-Metal, and keep it strictly non-metal. And don’t worry, this one will be a much shorter read than the metal list. (That’s not to suggest that these aren’t as good, or are less worth of extended written rants; it’s to suggest that at this point, I’m just kinda tired of writing about music from 2017.)

One stipulation: again — despite what the title may imply — I’m not suggesting these are the Best of 2017. I can’t make that call. These are just some albums I enjoyed from outside the metal spectrum. Okay. That’s it. Let’s get started… Continue reading →

HornsUpTop25 — I know this is the metal edition logo. Fucks given? Zero.

It’s the last Tuesday of 2014 and I…don’t have any new albums to share with you. I know, I know, “welcome to December,” right? By now, you’ll all be well aware that Corey and I spent the better part of this month recapping our favorite metal albums of 2014 in a long, incoherent manner. (Hence the graphic you see at the top of this post) That was fun. I’m not sure I’ve done so much writing since my journalism days in college, but…gotta get back into gear somehow, right?

Anyway, with all that said, I did occasionally find time to listen to new non-metal albums in 2014, though Horns Up duties did force me to be a bit picky on that front. The following list (and accompanying Spotify playlist) highlights some of my favorites, and will be just that—a list. (Because I’m busy at the day job and because of the aforementioned load of writing I’ve already done for #Bestof14 and because shut up.) This one’s mine and mine alone—Corey? Listen to non-metal? Fat chance—so let’s jump right into it:

Continue reading →