Here we are - another cosmic trip around the sun is in the books (minus a few days). Rather than simply fire off a "best-of" list for social media consumption, I thought it better to utilize some user-friendly technology & the written word skills of my friends to create a Commonwealth-centric wrap up for the year that most recently was.

Being a fan of opinion & the ability to defend those opinions, I present to you twelve releases that were offered from within the Ol' Dominion since 01/01/2017.

NOTE: these records are ranked in order based on a personal desire to connect, revisit, & shamelessly promote.

#12: Pete Curry, "Night Logic"

OK, so is technically a 2016 release. Thanks to the kind folks at Citrus City, however, the remastered full-length was given a proper physical release (read: CASSETTE) on Independence Day. Cover Art? SCREAMS 1986 throwback. The production is right in line as well. The 808 handclaps, the thin, low bit-rate synths, the super wet vocal...it's all here. I mean, the track "Final Boss" could have made its original appearance on a NES cartridge. Records like this are best served on cassette - the lack of fidelity & range only add to the experience.

Something in Curry's vocal delivery reminds me of Geoff Conley of Roanoke's The Situationalist. But what really drew me to "Night Logic" was the interplay between straight up dance tunes & lo-fi pop. It smacks of the transformative years of Of Montreal. Those records where Kevin Barnes was walking away from his twee glory, trading it for glam glitz. It's all super charming &, given time, nearly every track here will earworm its way into your subconscious mind.

#11: Camp Howard, "Juice"

If I were charting labels rather than releases, Richmond's Egghunt (Opin, Dazeases, Clair Morgan) would certainly make the cut. In 2017, they've gone & done it again by snatching Camp Howard up from the capital city's brimming talent pool. This seven song EP is chock full of earworm-level hooks & a step "beyond" in production from their 2016 debut (akin to the step that Real Estate took from their first LP to "Days").

Most everything about the sound of this EP screams "1981" or "1982" to me. Like a tight-knit pop act that fell into the Talking Heads well. The warbly keyboard leads, the fun time changes, the cultural infusions - they're all here! Sure, several other 21st century outfits have mined this thread in recent history, & there isn't something necessarily unique here. What draws me into this EP is what drew me into EZTV's catalog. There's enough reference to be poignant without feeling cheap. Good time rock music with enough interesting movement to merit repeat visits!

#10: Quick On My Feet, "Quick On My Feet"

There's a special beauty to wearing your heart on your sleeve. That level of vulnerability where, with not much more than a passing glance, "you" are on display, easily figured out, then dismissed. Turn of the century indie rock was ripe with poets & writers ready to share themselves with little charade or clever entendre. Quick On My Feet's latest full-length is firmly (proudly?) rooted in that sonic aesthetic.

Musicianship is what you would expect from any number of EP's or singles from the Pacific Northwest circa 1999. Solid work from behind the standard four piece kit. Cleanly plucked melodies from alternating sides of the stage. Vocals that long for better times while coming to terms with life as they know it.

What marks this collection as different is the angle of storytelling. Rather than playing off fictitious threads or potential, EVERY ONE OF THESE TUNES FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED. None of these tracks come off as contrived. It's like Lee Campbell was taking notes throughout his late teens & twenties so that he could craft these songs now that he wears titles like "husband" & "father". It makes the entire thing super personal. Reminds me of Mike Mantione's work fronting Five Eight.

#9: L.A.Dies, "The Sound Of Everything Breathing In At Once"

2016's "Time & Space" landed L.A. Dies squarely in the Lynchburg original rock music scene. Fans grew accustomed to playful stage banter & youthful exuberance as the three piece bounced through live sets that routinely called for fist pumps, fancy footwork, & crowd sing-alongs. In the midst of dozens of shows around the mid-Atlantic , they turned in this decidedly darker, more mature ten-minute EP on January 1st.

"Still" begins with processed beats & a mid-range lassie vocal a la Lorde or a very, very green Stevie Nicks. Guitars pluck their way into the mix & closed hi-hats throw off their wallflower lean for real estate on the dance floor. The tune comes together like a Cat Power demo cut from her latest (2012's "Sun"). "Calm" plays like a dirge poised for resurrection at any moment. NOTE: Having seen the band perform, I have to think the live version of this tune would explode into an instrumental bridge with bass player Aaron Jacks falling into the crowd from frenetic dancing.

"Earth" is built off a phrase that ends with "I'm as guilty as I sound". While I am sure an element of post-teen angst is (at least, in part) responsible for such a line, I choose to find meaning in the notion of innocence of youth. It's as if the lyric exposes the freedom of trying things for the first time. That moment before your first underage beer. The wind dancing with your hair as the cop clocks you doing 90 on the highway.

All in all, a quality EP from a trio who has been gunning for "hardest working act in the scene" title for over a year now. Rumor has them working on a full-length this winter. Here's one vote for working the electronic vibes into their dance-rock motif as songs are committed to hard drive.

#8: Ships In The Night, "Myriologues"

My first interaction with this project was back in the spring, when I learned that my friend Ben Mauch was playing a show with Ships In The Night. Being the curious type, I scoured the web for any recorded material (audio or video). Thanks to bandcamp, Alethea Leventhal's most recent effort was an easy find. I streamed (what I later learned to be) the first single, "Dark Places". The vocal hook in the chorus of "Dark Places" entrenched itself in my mind for the subsequent months & prompted time spent with the entire record.

In recent years, the resurgence of shoegaze through various "wave" genres has emphasized the use of reverb, echo, & delay to create ethereal vibes. What sets Ships apart is the dry, clean presence of Leventhal's voice. There are typical moments where these effects du jour are employed (the opening of "Elegy", for instance), but the overall delivery seems to be intentionally upfront. It almost feels like she crafted electronics-leaning versions of tunes hiding underneath hazy releases by Chasms or White Poppy.

Nearly everything about this album's presentation says "goth", which makes sense upon learning that Ships runs in the same circles that birthed a strong scene in Charlottesville back in the eighties & nineties. While I don't necessarily get the strong "goth" vibe from this set's sound, the lyrical content could easily steer a listener in that direction. Additionally, the cover art subtly calls back to late antiquity era iconography thanks to lighting effects that highlight what could be asymmetrical facial features. NOTE: I have no idea if this was intentional, but it certainly kept me engaged with the visual.

#7: Lean Year, "Lean Year"

Having been a Spokane fan back in the day (2007's "Little Hours" crushed my soul), I welcomed the opportunity to check out new material from Rick Alverson. This new project (Alverson's first new purely musical endeavor in nearly a decade), plays out with his partner, Emilie Rex. Rex's vocals flirt with references to Mimi from pre-Fridmann Low or the early Cat Power albums.

Most tunes are thick with ambience, as instruments sound like they were brushed up against rather than played. Don't be fooled into thinking that any moment here was unintentional. While core instrumentation dances with the vocals, one gets the sense that the Alverson's intent is to have the space between notes play equal homage to the tune. The album stages many moments where openness gives way to a horn or strings.

"Waterloo Suns" feels like recent records from Widowspeak. The relatively up-tempo numbers ("Earner", "The Louder Voice") feel like an alternate reality where Durham's Mount Moriah steered into chamber music.

#6: Benjamin Mauch, "Finding The Good In Everything"

There's something to be said for progress. That feeling of accomplishment during the process which proves to be what drives past frustration toward an end goal. Having watched Benjamin Mauch's development as a solo artist for the past few years, I am continually reminded that his (like most artists') journey is a long road. "Everything" is the latest mile marker on that sojourn.

If you've seen Mauch perform over the past twelve months or so, the tone of this record should come as no surprise. Glitchy bits popping in & out of serene electronic treatments. What does set this collection apart from his previous efforts is the patient tempo at which new textures are introduced & relieved from duty. The album begins with an appropriate swell followed a piece, "Slowing, Processing", which hearkens to the score for either Blade Runner feature.

After the first two (relatively lengthy) cuts, Mauch settles in to what may be described as elevator music for robots. "Elevator music" because the vibe is one of incident. There is just enough movement to justify either side of the fence (foreground vs. background). "Robots" because most of the tracks seem to utilize process rather than emotion. It's only when the process is allowed to run its schedule that feelings are triggered. Additionally, the transition from one piece to the next feel like they have been purposed to invoke sleep - as if the stated purpose is to allow for dream. Personally, I find this collection to be mesmerizing.

#5: honeybrandy, "Deaf Sharp"

(review by Benjamin Mauch) Simultaneously blending the quieter sides of modern ambient music and avant garde jazz, honeybrandy creates in "Deaf Sharp" an environment of sound that is bucolic in nature, reminiscent of traveling in the country side by night train. What struck me most by listening to this album was the blending of sounds that, while intentionally improvised, work as if they were all composed beforehand, seamlessly moving from one section to the next. I encountered a number of emotions on the trip, including peace, fear, and complete joy, feeling content at one moment and then feeling unnerved at the next. The mixing of atonal trumpet, clarinet, and saxophone throughout with the occasional beautiful melodies of a penny whistle (of all things!) expressed a sentiment of noir, feeling darkly cinematic in nature.

From the growing first track "Opportunity School", the undertones of droning provide inertia that gives the listener a chance to step aboard the ride. A brief stop in the title track "Deaf Sharp" gives an option for rest, with the train up and moving again on "Compensation Machine" and coming to the final stop up at the gorgeous final sounds of "A Great Champion In Time Of Peril". (The album) as a whole provides for an excellent listen, combining musicianship and timbrally complex material, and is a release I will be listening to for a long time coming.

#4: Bedwetter, "Volume 1: Flick Your Tongue Against Your Teeth And Describe The Present."

OK. All things known, I've been into this guy for years. From the CMLK days. Through the Shawn Kemp period. Through the ascension of Lil Ugly Mane. Onward to the present. With "Volume 1", Mane is working under the moniker of "bedwetter". The vocal tracks are delivered in an interesting vibe, driven by intensity rather than simple tempo. The sampling & instrumentation seem to come from an archival place rather than the latest plug-ins.

At just under a half hour in length, the record is easily digestible as a whole. That said, there are a few standouts primed for playlist inclusion:

• "Branches": feels like some lost track that Saul Williams never found an outlet for.
• "Haze Of Interference": feels like a rap battle aimed at a mirror. The Jandek sample adds an eerie element.
• "Man Wearing A Helmet": the first "song" plays off the intro & continues with layers of samples. It's three minutes before the beat drops, which transfixes the lyric from a place of aggression to a place of confession.

Half of the tracks here are vocal free. They really allow Mane's prowess away from the mic to shine. While I would love to hear an entire project of tracks like "Square Movement", these moments are better served as threads woven between bars of vocal battery.

Perhaps my favorite moments of "Volume 1" are the spaces in between. The shadowy corners where ambient noise & appliance hum manufacture an odd balance between calm & paranoia. The last two tracks could be looped & echoed down the halls of a haunted house.

#3: New Boss, "Third Sister"

If there was ever a record deserving of the hashtag "feelgood", it would be this third effort from Charlottesville's New Boss. From the double lead-in at the beginning, the sonic equivalent of a cheesy grin with big eyes longing for ocean breeze buzzes from the speakers.

In no way does "Third Sister" sound like a rip-off, though reference points abound. The guitars on "Back To The Beach" echo back to the Go-Go's "Vacation". More moments than not smack of the New Pornographers (namely the "Carl" songs & the "Neko" songs) or even the Hollies. It's the vocals - nearly gorgeous performances from both the male & female leads - that carry these tunes higher than the pop history lesson that the band can come off as.

The comradery enacted to make this album available warms my soul. When a band can release quality jams, then have one label press wax copies while another dubs cassettes (which come with tons of demos on the b side), a true sense of community is on display!

#2: You're Jovian, "They Were Selected & Divided"

The most latest (read: most mature) effort from the psyche of Elliot Malvas pushes SOOO many nostalgia buttons for me! While I normally quickly escalate to frustration around bands that feel more like a tribute than their own sound, Norfolk's You're Jovian have developed into their own brand of gaze revival.

• "Aemilie": Everything about this tune, from the bouncy riffs to the just off-center wah guitar line to the guy/girl tandem vocals call DC's Beauty Pill.
• "Pieces": I get strong Swervedriver vibes from this piece & can't help but feel like this tune would explode out of its C-86 shell in a live setting.
• "Revelations": The first cut I heard from this EP. There's a strong (perhaps 12-string?) almost Byrds-esque vibe set atop of steady percussive motion & sexy background vocals. This could easily pass as a killer Slumberland single from 1996.

Perhaps it is my disposition to records that sound like this, but there is an attractive tension between feelings of anxiety & calm woven into every track. The tactful tambourine shakes that seem to escalate the tempo while the vocals seem to almost lag behind the rhythm. The way that the vocals are set out in the mix while the cymbals are pushed back to allow just a hint of wash so that the guitars have ample room to dominate the spectrum. It's all executed flawlessly across the entire EP.

#1: Keep, "For Your Joy"

Had things worked out differently across the last 12 months or so, I would have figured out a way for this full-length to be a Harding Street release. While it's a bummer to not have a hand in pushing this record directly, I'm still solidly in the bag for it! "For Your Joy", which is the debut LP from this Richmond-based two-piece, straddles the fence between revivalism & nostalgia (NOTE: to the ear of this 42 year old writer, neither term is to be taken as condescending).

The first thing that must be called to attention: THIS ALBUM SOUNDS GREAT! Producer Jeff Ziegler (Nothing, The War On Drugs, Violens) set up a near perfect treatment for these tunes, with super washed out cymbals positioned atop potent drumming & guitar tones that feel lifted from the sessions for Hum's "Electra 2000". On occasion, warm keys find their way to the front, but never in a way that forces consideration that Keep should add permanent members. Initially a digital release, "Joy" will have an analog version by Christmas (thanks, Citrus City). One can only hope for a vinyl edition in 2018...

The other thing that continually draws me back to "Joy" is its style. It has a swagger that rubs in ways akin to "Turn On The Bright Lights". This is not to say that Interpol would even be listed as an influence by the band. The similarity lies in such confident performances. These tunes feel like what would be turned in as a third or fourth release, not a debut.

other VA releases that I Hope More People Find

• Bong Rodent, "Roanoke Mountain Zion" (self-released)
• DarkTwaine_, "Mind Time" (self-released)
• Demons, "Embrace Wolf" (Spartan)
• DJ Harrsion, "Hazymoods" (Stones Throw)
• Sammi Lanzetta, "For Avery" (6131)
• Monopolyopolis, "Reorient" (self-released)
• Opin, "Opin" (Egghunt)
• The Snuggalos, "Here Lies" (self-released)
• Soup, "Together" (Contemporary Arts Network)
• Voice Of Saturn, "Shapeshifter" (DKA)