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Viking's Choice: The Year In The Loud And The Weird

NPR | By Lars Gotrich
Published December 27, 2016 at 9:00 AM EST
From top left, clockwise: DƠWN, Sarah Louise, Pure Disgust, Oathbreaker.
Courtesy of the artists
From top left, clockwise: DƠWN, Sarah Louise, Pure Disgust, Oathbreaker.

All year long in my Viking's Choice column, I attempt to simultaneously crush and widen the ears of All Songs Considered fans. As is now tradition, Bob Boilen and I get together on this last show of the year to discuss all things metallic, psychedelic, synthetic and exploratory. You'll hear about a 20-year-old metal band's most feral album ever, synth artists imagining a dystopian society and mimicking ocean waves, an Afro-futurist cutting the dance floor into cubist shapes and more.

We also announce — spoiler alert — that I will be joining All Songs Considered full-time in 2017 as a writer, producer and contributing guest on the show. So expect a sonic wrench in your podcast feed from time to time, or at least an attempt to convince everybody that Young Thug is a total pop deviant.

If this is a realm you wish to enter on the regular, it's best to follow me on Twitter and Bandcamp. I've also updated my oh-so-official Spotify playlist with over 100 of my favorite songs of the year. --Lars Gotrich

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Perturbator, <em>Uncanny Valley</em>
1 of 9  — Perturbator, Uncanny Valley
Perturbator, Uncanny Valley
/ Courtesy of the artist
Oathbreaker, <em>Rheia</em>
2 of 9  — Oathbreaker, Rheia
Oathbreaker, Rheia
/ Courtesy of the artist
Sarah Louise, <em>VDSQ Solo Acoustic Vol. 12</em>
3 of 9  — Sarah Louise, VDSQ Solo Acoustic Vol. 12
Sarah Louise, VDSQ Solo Acoustic Vol. 12
/ Courtesy of the artist
Suzanne Ciani & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, <em>Sunergy</em>
4 of 9  — Suzanne Ciani & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Sunergy
Suzanne Ciani & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Sunergy
/ Courtesy of the artist
Pure Disgust, <em>Pure Disgust</em>
5 of 9  — Pure Disgust, Pure Disgust
Pure Disgust, Pure Disgust
/ Courtesy of the artist
Zao, <em>The Well-Intentioned Virus</em>
6 of 9  — Zao, The Well-Intentioned Virus
Zao, The Well-Intentioned Virus
/ Courtesy of the artist
Ulaan Passerine, <em>The Great Unwinding</em>
7 of 9  — Ulaan Passerine, The Great Unwinding
Ulaan Passerine, The Great Unwinding
/ Courtesy of the artist
Pinkshinyultrablast, <em>Grandfeathered</em>
8 of 9  — Pinkshinyultrablast, Grandfeathered
Pinkshinyultrablast, Grandfeathered
/ Courtesy of the artist
Dawn Richard, <em>Redemption</em>
9 of 9  — Dawn Richard, Redemption
Dawn Richard, Redemption
/ Courtesy of the artist

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Lars Gotrich
Lars Gotrich is the editor of Tiny Desk and Tiny Desk Radio, a nationally broadcast program based on the beloved live concert series. He’s produced performances at the Desk by Paramore, GWAR, Amy Grant, Turnstile and Goo Goo Dolls.
See stories by Lars Gotrich

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Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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