That sounds like something I would like... will check it out. Thanks, Sphinx!
I've spent some time with some of the suggestions on this thread and have been fond of both Parquet Courts and Snail Mail. I did *not* like Neko's new album, which was disappointing because I typically enjoy her stuff.
I've had a love-hate with Parquet Courts going back to about 2012. They have some great tracks on this new album, but I don;t know many other bands that can make a 2-3 minute song a labor to get through. They often fall into a formula that gets very repetitive very quickly. Pronounced Bass line... light-to-moderate rhythm guitar... shout-speak-singing... lather-rinse-repeat. And it works a lot of the time (Before the Water Gets Too High) and sometimes it's awful (Violence). Then they come out with some more melodic fare like Mardi Gras Beads or Total Football (which keeps getting better every time I listen to it).
Anyhow...
I'd put both of those in Top 5 at the year's halfway point, along with Courtney Barnett and the odd-yet-delightful whimsy from Sydney Gish, some random northeastern singer-songwriter I read about in Pitchfork back in January. I'm inclined to give the last spot to Dr. Dog out of loyalty - they've been one of my favorite bands for 10+ years, and this newest release is the closest thing they've done in years to the record that made me a fan all those years ago.
