The Fashionably Late Top 101 of 2018: Mass Gothic

2018. What is there to say? It was another year full of terrible, horrible things on a grand scale. But as with 2017, which was also a year full of terrible, horrible things, there seemed to be an abundance of really, really good music. And thank the heavens for that.

This year I had an even harder time coming up with my list than I did for the 2017 version of the list, which is probably obvious given there's 101 records in this year's batch (and that's after whittling about 30 off that total). But I just couldn't leave any of these hundred and one records off my list.

As with my 2017 picks, I've gone in alpha order from A-Z and nothing has a number ranking. Partially, that's because I'm pretty indecisive and it also just feels wrong to do anything other than just share the love equally. 101 ways. As always, the list ended up surprising me. Some records I thought might end up on my list are absent, and happily there were quite a few previously unknown bands that ended up stealing my heart and getting themselves in on the list. I truly hope you'll be reminded of some music you enjoyed last year, and I also hope you'll perhaps find new favorites to swoon over from here on out. My sincere and endless thanks to each and every band/artist on the list, because thanks to them 2018 was a little less insane.

Who: Mass Gothic

What: I've Tortured You Long Enough

When: August 2018

Where: Sub Pop

Why: A tour de force from a Sub Pop power couple. The husband-wife partnership of Noel Heroux and Jessica Zambri is obviously a fruitful one creatively, as Torture is sheer dynamite. Mixing together gauzy, opiate-induced haze with ferocious bursts of noise, the album shapeshifts with a deftness that stems in no small part from long-time intimacy. Songs feature vocals from both Noel and Jessica, sometimes solo and sometimes unified, each lending its own strength to these urgent, dynamic songs. Joining forces for a full album for the first time, one can only hope they continue to make beautiful music together.

[posted 5.11.19]