#31 on the 2016 Bacon Top 31

(The above video is NSFW) Hello everybody. What a year 2016 has been. In many ways, 2016 will go down as one of the worst years on record. But for me, 2016 has also been one of the best years. I got to share another year of life of earth with my son, who grows up much too quickly. In March I met my girlfriend, Anna, whose mere existence pushes me ways I never knew existed.

And where life in 2016 has been complicated by both good and bad, so, too, has the music of the year. We lost far too many musical geniuses (I can’t bare to list them here, lest I be unable to finish this post, lost in bittersweet memory). But the year has brought us some fantastic new music as well.

Personally, life has gotten so busy, I debated whether or not to continue the Top 31. The fact that I’ve written this post and you’re now reading it tells you where I landed, but it won’t be without sacrifice. December is going to be a little crazy for me, and I’m both excited and overwhelmed by that thought. I’m a bit concerned about getting posts out on time, so I’m making some minor adjustments (hopefully unseen by you) to accommodate. Do please forgive the occassional fuck up. The Top 31 lives on, and without further adieu, here’s your #31 of the year:

Preoccupations by Preoccupations

You may have not heard of Preoccupations before, but if you’ve been a fan of the Bacon Review for any length of time, then you’re familiar with this band, as they appeared at #20 in the 2015 Top 31 under the name Viet Cong. According to Wikipedia, the band formerly known as Viet Song received a lot of flack for their chosen moniker, because called racist, insensitive, and I’m sure many other far worse things. They changed their name to Preoccupations, erasing all mention of their former band name, claiming only their first album was titled “Viet Cong.”

Preoccupations, the album, expresses a lot of the same influences their debut album did last year, and it’s all the better for it. This won’t be the only 80s goth revival you hear on the countdown — I grew up in the 80s. Please excuse the nostalgia.

#20 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31

Viet Cong by Viet Cong

The album that ushers us into the Top 20 came out way back in January, so it feels almost like it’s been around too long to be on this year’s countdown. It could also be that this album, the self-titled debut from Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s Viet Cong, sounds a bit like a couple other albums I’ve loved over the past few years — namely, the psych-rock sounds of Cloud Control and Foxygen that featured on the 2013 Bacon Top 31.

But there are other sounds, too: Animal Collective. Dungen. Jangly, dissonant guitar. Excellent use of both left and right channels (this is perfect for the headphone generation we’re currently living through), It’s a short album, only 37 minutes long. I mentioned when I linked to their NSFW video for the song “Continental Shelf” back in February that Matt Flegel’s vocals reminded me of Spencer Krug (from Moonface, Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and others), but listening lately, I’ve been hearing more Peter Murphy. Listen to “Silhouettes” in the video above, and you’ll hear echoes of Joy Division, Interpol, and Editors.

The references for this album are plenty (clearly), and that’s a good thing. You will recognize and love this sound when you put it on. Then let it wash over you, and realize just how good it really is.

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21. The Magic Whip by Blur
22. Savage Hills Ballroom by Youth Lagoon
23. Not Real by Stealing Sheep
24. Beat the Champ by The Mountain Goats
25. Gliss Riffer by Dan Deacon
26. Dark Bird is Home by The Tallest Man on Earth
27. Gunnera by Pfarmers
28. Swimmer to a Liquid Armchair by Ricked Wickey
29. To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
30. Live in Seattle by Moufang / Czamanski
31. High by Royal Headache

What is the Bacon Top 31?
Past years’ Top 31s

Viet Cong — Continental Shelf

(The above video is NSFW) My well-documented love for indie-rock bands from Canada is growing. Viet Cong, from Calgary, sound a bit derivative at times, but overall they’re putting enough “new” into their work to warrant some attention. The song above, “Continentaly Shelf,” is from the band’s self-titled debut album, which came out on January 20. This song sounds so much like Spencer Krug, I looked into it. (Nope, that’s Matt Flegel on vocals. But Viet Cong and Moonface are on the same label, the fantastic Jagjaguwar out of Bloomington, Indiana) Not sure if that’s a positive or a negative for you (it is a positive in my book), but give them a listen. Their use of computer-generated fuzz throughout the seven-song album was surprisingly soothing, given the harshness of the sound. I’m curious if you agree.