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Hello fellow Monochronians! Here's my End-Of-The-Year list of 26 albums that I enjoyed in 2016. To be honest, there weren't a lot of Japanese albums that caught my interest last year so it'll be practically non-Japanese. As you'll see, it's a little synth heavy (as I really got into that genre last year). But, there's a little bit of everything so take a look and don't be shy to leave any comments! *I organized albums alphabetically and I put more of a focus on genre for my list. JAPANESE Babymetal - Metal Resistance [Pop/Metal] A super solid sophomore release by the cute but deadly trio. Metal Resistance is a more serious take on the pop and metal infusion, but equally as enjoyable as their self-titled. The instrumentals are excellent and there are many catchy melodies to be found. Yui-Metal and Moa-Metal are also featured a bit more prominently. There were quite a few surprises sprinkled throughout as well like the dreamy yet hard-hitting From Dusk Till Dawn and how the ending of Tales of the Destinies seamlessly transitions into THE ONE and perfectly ties up the album. Highlights: KARATE / YAVA! / Meta Tarou / From Dusk Till Dawn / Sis. Anger / THE ONE ----- born - Abnormal Head Machine -Remastered- [Visual Kei/Indie Rock/Industrial] I never imagined born would remaster and release their first album in its entirety. This album has remained a favorite of mine with it's dark, industrial and raw sound, but the muddled mixing has always left me wishing for a remaster. If you liked Abnormal Head Machine the first time, you'll like it even more. It isn't drastically different, but a lot of the density has been removed to allow for a cleaner and crisper sound. Highlights: Extemly waltz / Tragedy / white harmony / Innocent Bullet / Rotten cherry / -tHiNk- / THE END ----- Dezert - Saikou no Shokutaku [Visual Kei/Indie Rock/Hardcore] Saikou no Shokutaku ranks among the top of favorite Dezert releases for me. It takes the musical groundwork that the band has built and twists it into something a little stranger. The result is a delightfully quirky and fun album. While it may be lighter in tone as a result, their heavy and rough sound is still present. Highlights: 「あー。」/「君の子宮を触る」/「ここにラブソングを」 /「問題作」 /「追落」 /「排泄物」 / 「 おいしい脾臓は笑わない」/ 「セイオン」/「宗教」 /「ピクトグラムさん」 ----- Kiki Hitmoi - Karma no Kusari [Electronic/Dub/Reggae/Enka] Karma no Kusari was a surprise hit for me. I listened to the album based on the cover art alone and am I sure glad I did. This album mixes Dub Electronic, Enka, and even some Reggae to create a uniquely Kiki Hitmoi sound. You'll be listening to her sprite-like rapping over funky bass lines one moment and Japonesque melodies swirled with sonically rich electronics in another. Everything was recorded analog so the audio has a warm lo-fi quality to it that gives the album a more personal feel. Highlights: Nightwalkers / Yellow Story / Pink No Kimono / Yume No Hana ELECTRONIC Andy Stott - Too Many Voices [Techno/Experimental/Downtempo/Abstract] A more lighthearted follow up to the bleak and violent Faith In Strangers, Too Many Voices is Andy Stott's fourth full album release. It still features Stott's signature dark and grimy sound but it is more straightforward and, with the inclusion of more vocals and elements of hip hop/RnB, gives off a more laid back and downtempo feel. Highlights: Butterflies / New Romantic / Selfish / On My Mind / Too Many Voices ----- G.H. - Housebound Demigod [Drone/Experimental/Ambient/Dark/Industrial] This was another artist I gave a try based on the cover art. The cover looked dark and foreboding and gave off a feeling of a bad omen. And, much to my pleasure, the music reflected the tone of the cover. It's industrially monotone but at the same time savage and primal. Through drab drones and pulsating subbass the album churns out its front of black and nefarious sounds making for a mechanically surreal listening experience. Highlights Screamin' Demon Pickups / Mickey Cosmos / Angels and Doormen / Yorkshire Fog / Bikini / Housebound Demigod ----- Com Truise - Diffraction [Downtempo/IDM/Synth] Com Truise has already made his name in the retro synth scene, but this is the first release by him I've listened to. His latest EP features 5 rhythm-driven tracks with intricate synth melodies that play off the percussion. The bass kicks and snare are punchy and the synth parts sound crisp and perky making for some lively and refreshing head-bobbing compositions. All the tracks hit this sweet balance of sounding math-y but also being danceable. Highlights Sunspot / Diffraction / du Zirconia ----- Tycho - Epoch [Postrock/Chillwave/Ambient] If I'm being honest, Tycho albums are all kind of the same. They're all chill and easy on the ears, but it's hard to tell one song apart from the other. However, there are notable changes in style with each new album, and with Epoch it's the band's greater focus on technical performance that stands out. I really have to give props to the drummer. He lays down some amazing drum work that really brings life into this album. In general, there are more lively compositions, such as Glider and Slack and these are the tracks that I find myself coming back to most often. Highlights Glider / Horizon / Slack / Local ----- In Love With A Ghost - Let's Go [Chillwave/Electronic/Downtempo] Let's Go is probably the most low key release on this list. It's written by a French artist and released by a small Slovakian indie cassette tape label called Ztapes. It's a very short EP too with only 4 tracks that aren't very long, but it manages to woo me with its sweet and delicate melodies and interesting use of pitch distortion on vocals. The simple use of piano adds a cute factor and the sampling of soft noises, like gently sifting water, placing something in a bowl, or moving dishes, makes the album feel cozy and inviting. Highlights we've never met but, can we have a coffee or something / flowers (feat. nori) / sorry for not answering the phone, i'm too busy trying to fly away ----- FM-84 - Atlas [Synthwave/Retrowave/Synth-Pop/Dreamwave] Atlas is full of dreamy sun-soaked melodies that'll take you back to the 80's. The compositions are lush with radiant synth notes and filled with a sonic warmth that sends chills down my back. The album is a mix of instrumental tracks and tracks with vocals, but I enjoy the tracks with vocals more. There are a lot of featured singers but I especially love powerhouse vocalist Ollie Wride. His voice is electric and he adds so much emotion to the songs he's featured in. This is the kind of album you listen to driving through the night at high speeds with windows down while shouting the lyrics like a teen. Highlights Running In The Night (Feat. Ollie Wride) / Tears / Let's Talk (feat. Timecop1983 & Josh Dally) / Arcade Summer / Wild Ones (feat. Ollie Wride) / Jupiter / Goodbye (feat. Clive Farrington) ----- Gost - Non Paradisi [Synthwave/Slasherwave/Darkwave] Non Paradisi is a loose musical adaptation of the epic poem "Paradise Lost" by John Milton which is about Lucifer's fall from heaven and ascent from the Lake of Fire. This is Gost's first more conceptual work and he really captures the essence of the poem. There's a greater focus on atmosphere than on his past works and you feel like you're taking a dark and gritty journey to the gates of hell. The album is full of hellish explosive moments that'll have you headbanging like a fiend and, by the end of this whole thing, you'll have felt like you've seen the face of Satan. Highlights Commencement / Lake of Fire / Supreme / 4th / Arise / Maleficarum / I Am Abaddon ----- Perturbator - The Uncanny Valley [Synthwave/Darkwave] *Artwork features nudity NSFW If you like post-apocalyptic cyber punk darkwave synth music, look no further than Perturbator. His latest work is full of hard-hitting compositions full of pulsating synth lines, relentless and percussive rhythms, and dark and sinister atmosphere. He makes excellent use of several featured artists, like Greta Link and Hayley Stewart, who greatly enhance the songs they're featured on with their vocals. And, the mix of hard, dance-y, and ambient tracks leave no dull moments on the album. It's probably his most complex album to date and, consequently, my favorite release so far. Highlights Neo Tokyo / Weapons For Children / Venger (feat. Greta Link) / Disco Inferno / She Moves Like A Knife / Sentien (feat. Hayley Stewart) / The Cult of 2112 / Souls At Zero (feat. Astronoid) ----- The Midnight - Endless Summer [Synthwave/Retrowave/Synth-Pop] The 80's may be long past but The Midnight won't let you forget. This album is ripe with synth-soaked pop melodies, amazing vocals, and even a healthy dose of saxophone. It goes in between tracks with vocals and instrumentals, but I like the vocal tracks more. The range of emotions this album makes me feel is wide. Songs like Jason and Vampires get my blood pumping while songs like Synthetic and Comeback Kid move my heart with their deep lyrics and powerful vocal performances. Only 80's kids will remember the 80's like they do, but only twenty-tens kids will remember the 80's like we do. (btw, I couldn't find an official term for the years 2010-2019. Chose what sounded best to me from my google-ing!). Highlights Sunset / Synthetic / The Comeback Kid / Vampires ----- Tommy '86 - Transhumanism [Synthwave/Darkwave] A dark and electrifying dark synth album about A.I. taking over humanity, Transhumanism features lots of blood pumping compositions and gritty buzzsaw synth lines melded with bleak melodies. This has quickly climbed to the top of my favorite synth albums of the year because of the story it weaves through its music. Much like Gost's Non Paradisi or Perturbator's The Uncanny Valley, Transhumanism's conceptual conception gives the album a very strong sense of direction from beginning to end. Each track feels necessary in building up to the final moments of the album with songs like Command and Control and Doppelganger building desperation and suspense and songs like the despondent and desolate No Man's Earth preparing the way for the dramatic closer Transhumanism. In this vast sea of synthwave, Tommy '86 manages to stand out with his own brand of sounds and I can't wait to see what he does next. Highlights Citymulation / Sequential Slavery (feat. Dan Terminus) / Animus and Assimilation / L.V.T.H.N. Central Unit / The Shutdown of Humanity / Transhumanism ----- Trevor Something - Soulless Computer Boy and The Eternal Render [Synthwave/Retrowave/Chill/Synthpop] Trevor Something is a unique artist as I find his music to tread a fine line between synthwave and r&b/hip hop. While his music is unmistakably synth heavy, his lyrics and singing style are often times similar to a lot of pop/r&b artists. As a result, I didn't initially enjoy his music. But, with more listening I've really grown to like Trevor Something and even find him to be special. His fourth album is a dreamy and ambient entry with much more atmospheric tracks featured than before. In fact, the first half of the album are vocal tracks while the second half is instrumentals. As one of his song titles accurately details, the second half is like experiencing a "digital cleanse". That isn't to say that he's completely left behind his pop sensibility. Tracks like Do It Again and The Real You are catchy and a lot fun to listen to. It's a more serious direction for him but a welcome exploration into what else he's capable of. Highlights Girlfriend / Do It Again / The Real You / Digital Cleanse / I Came Back For You / Waiting For The Cold / Beyond The Infinite ----- Waveshaper - Station Nova [Synthwave] 2016 was a great year for dark and atmospheric space themed synth music, but Station Nova stands out as the galactic dance party of the bunch. It nails that sense of space travel but in a much more lighthearted mood. You can help but dance to tracks like Future Vision, Pixel Stars (feat. Robert Parker) , and Hardware Passion. What really makes this album memorable are the melodies. Waveshaper has great melodic sense and every song is catchy and memorable. You really can't go wrong with a retrosynth space disco album. Highlights Future Vision / The Engineer Part II / Vector Dream / Pixel Starts (feat. Robert Parker) / Hardware Passion / Airlock Love / Escape To Eternity ----- Shoutouts Dynatron - The Rigel Axiom [Synthwave/Extraterrestrial/Darkwave] Fantastic space-like synthwave to give you intergalactic chills. Atmospheric and immersive. Highlights Contact / Stones ----- Dynatron - The Legacy Collection Vol. I [Synthwave/Extraterrestrial/DarkwaveRock] It's like The Rigel Axiom but a lot more upbeat and more on the rock side with prominent use of electric guitar. Highlights Throttle Up / 37 Million Horserpower / Intergalactic Highway / Zero Gravity ----- Makeup and Vanity Set - Brigador Vol. I [Synthwave] Fantastic space-y and atmospheric synthwave album with plenty of upbeat compositions and fantastic percussion and rhythm. Highlights Solo Nobre / There is No Law Here / No Way Out / March / Great Leader Has Fallen / It's Our Rules Now ----- Orax - Cometa [Synthwave/Italo-Disco] Synthwave but with an Italian Disco twist. There's a lot of dance rhythms to be found but also an underlying tone of benevolent darkness. Also, there's a fantastic use of a narrator, Tom O'Bedlam, on "Alone" who has a wonderfully deep and ancient sounding voice. Highlights Broken / Stay / Roof of Love / Empty / Alone ROCK eskimeaux - Year of the Rabbit [rock/lo-fi/bedroom pop] This is a sweet little EP with simple and lovely melodies spoken through pensive melancholy lyrics. The themes presented here are all too relatable whether it's about being so busy that you lose track of time or feeling good about a new year but not really believing it. But the tone is always upbeat and presented in a bedroom-pop/rock style that makes listening to the album fun. Highlights Year of the Rabbit / What The Fxxx / Power / Drunk / Bulldog ----- The Fall Of Troy - OK [Math Rock/Post Hardcore/Progressive Metal] OK marks an interesting time in the band's history as it's their first album in 7 years since their disbandment in 2009. The album was also self-released. While it doesn't stack up to its predecessors (minus In The Unlikely Event), OK manages to be an enjoyable listen and even pull some surprises. After their over-produced last album, It's a much needed return to form focusing more on slick and technical guitar lines and solid song structure. Songs like Inside Out and A Single Word even sound reminiscent of their earlier works using similar phrases or melodies. One thing the album does better than their earlier works is balancing their harsh and chaotic play style with more melodic passages. As a result, Its easy to listen to the album on repeat. Highlights 401K / Inside Out / A Single Word / An Ode to the Masochists / Auto Repeater / Your Loss ----- Setentia - Darkness Transcend [Black Metal/Avantegarde/Ambient] I haven't listened to much black metal, but Darkness Transcend is the first album in the genre that really caught my interest. Its destructive precision softened out by gloomy ambient passages creates a chasm of chaos that swallows everything in its path. Anything in the way will be ripped to shreds and assimilated. However, it's the incorporation of melodies and how the band balances that with the harsh thrashings that keeps me engaged. Highlights Throne Of Thrones / Beyond Myopic Blame / Seeds Of Death (Departure) ----- Show Me A Dinosaur - Show Me A Dinosaur [Black Metal/Post Rock/Ambient] Unexpectedly, another black metal album made it onto my list. This time it's by Russian post rock/black metal band Show Me A Dinosaur (although there are a few more genres you could smash in there). While the music is aggressive and relentless, its tone is tragic and desperate. This is most notably expressed through the vocalist whose unrestrained shrieks tear through the whirl of guitars and flurry of drums. With the harder moments also come the more soft and ambient moments with tracks like Ochag and Hearth which are darkly somber and desolate. Highlights Rakev / Vjuga / Ochag / Lights / Gone / Wojna SOUNDTRACK Over The Garden Wall [Jazz/Blues/Classical/Folk/Country] The soundtrack to the hit mini-series Over The Garden Wall features a sweet collection of folk and bluesy medleys. They're cute and cozy compositions that have an antique sound and feel like they belong in another time period. Much like the cartoon, this lovely soundtrack will warm your heart. ----- Stranger Things [Synthwave/Score] Not only is this show amazing, but the soundtrack is too and greatly interested its listeners to the synthwave genre. Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein did a superb job in creating music that complimented the shows throwback to the 80's. There were nostalgic tracks that brought back feelings of being a kid, ambient and foreboding songs for tense and suspenseful moments, and gritty and hardcore nerve wracking tracks for moments of danger and peril. I can't wait for Season 2 to see what new compositions the two composers will bring to the series.