Feature / Music / Year End 2016
Pass The Mic: Artists on 2016

December 30, 2016

Pass The Mic: Artists on 2016
Pass The Mic: Artists on 2016

Seth Gile (Arms Aloft)

1. What are your top five albums that were released in 2016? (In order 1-5)

I think most of these are from 2015, but they were *my* top 5 from 2016. Every record’s a “grower” on me, so I’m late to everything. 

  1. Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion
  2. Idle Empress - S/T EP
  3. Mauvaise Pioche - Premier Tirage
  4. Gouge Away - , Dies
  5. Hyuna - A’wesome 

2. What band did you discover in 2016 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?

The podcast "Chapo Trap House" might’ve contributed more to saving my life and/or sanity more than any music this year. If you’re sick of Daily Show liberal civility, and want to hear someone just call the right, "Fascist fucking freaks" or whatever, recommended listening.  

3. How will you remember 2016? (In terms of music)

Well, it’s the best year we’ve had as a band by really any measure. Had so much fucking fun, put out a record we thought we’d never finish, got to do some insane gigs… I’ll mostly remember it for Arms Aloft shit, I guess. Call me selfish. It’s been a really exciting year to be in this band.

4. What can we look forward to from you in 2017?

Headed to Europe with our French brothers Guerilla Poubelle in the spring and then I think we’re going to do an EP when we get home. But that second idea’s about 80 hours old.

5. What records are you looking forward to most in 2017?

Propagandhi if it’s out this year. Dillinger Four (yeah right). Sylvan Esso. Maybe new Carly? There’s supposed to be a Dead To Me LP, right? That would be wonderfully welcome.

6. What would you like to see more of when it comes to music coverage websites (such as ours)?

Don’t be so fuckin nice all the time. I get that everybody wants to write about stuff they’re excited about, but it’s refreshing to see somebody get called on bullshit every once in a while. It can be us, even. Somebody do a thinkpiece about how shitty our haircuts are or something.

Skip to page View as a single page

— words by the SPB team • December 30, 2016

Main photo by Daniel Gable.

Pass The Mic: Artists on 2016
Pass The Mic: Artists on 2016

Pages in this feature

  1. Opening page
  2. André Foisy (Locrian)
  3. Bobby Hussy (The Hussy/Fire Retarded/Cave Curse/Kind Turkey Records)
  4. Dead Bars
  5. EORÐESLAJYR
  6. Frank Turner
  7. J. Wang (Shallow Cuts/Chagrin/Fast Crowd Records)
  8. Justin Pearson (Retox/Head Wound City/Dead Cross/Three One G)
  9. Kid Tsunami
  10. Mark Glick (AJJ)
  11. Matt Scifres (Not Half Bad)
  12. Nathan Martin (HANNAHBAND)
  13. Real Numbers
  14. Seth Gile (Arms Aloft)
  15. Shane Handal (Set and Setting)
  16. Stephen Brodsky (Mutoid Man/Cave In)

Series: Year End 2016

Our annual round-up of the best music of the year 2016.

More from this series

Related features

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: Year End (2016)

Music / Year End 2016 • January 16, 2017

As years go, 2016 was a cruel one. We lost tons of musical heroes: Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, Sharon Jones and other iconic performers departed. Before they left us, though, we were treated to a few final pieces of music. Likewise, once-dormant bands returned to prove that their best wasn't … Read more

2016: A Year In Review

Music / Year End 2016 • January 16, 2017

Every year we ask record labels and artists what they thought of the last twelve months; we tell you the best albums of last year; and finally we offer you this, our roundup of other great music-related stuff you may have missed. In this year's instalment we share our favorite grower albums, … Read more

Pass The Mic: Record Labels on 2016

Music / Year End 2016 • December 19, 2016

Now in its tenth year, Pass The Mic is a SPB tradition where we ask the artists and record labels producing some of our favorite music to comment on the year in music: what albums they enjoyed, what bands they discovered, what their label released and what they're excited for … Read more

More from this section

Guest List: Panopticon's definitive crust / hardcore / punk classics

Music / The Set List • April 24, 2024

Panopticon may be more widely known as a "metal" band - I use that term loosely because Panopticon is a lot more than the black metal base genre it derives from - yet founder Austin Lunn finds his inspiration from many different genres, punk and hardcore being one aspect of … Read more

Guest List: 10 Songs That Are Core To DeeCracks

Music / The Set List • April 8, 2024

Twenty years is a long time – much longer than many relationships last. So it’s an accomplishment when a band can stick together through life and social changes. DeeCracks, a poppy punk band from Austria, threw a two-day festival last year and released a 28-track retrospective to mark their anniversary … Read more

Only Death Is Real #24

Music / Only Death Is Real • April 8, 2024

Acathexis – Immerse (Amor Fati/Extraconscious Records) Acathexis’ self-titled debut from 2018 is one that still bears repeated listens, personally, many years later. With some of the best known and hardest working musicians within black metal behind the band, it was always clear that this is a band to watch. Featuring Jacob Buczarski, … Read more