Let's be honest, I hardly listened to anything new this year, let alone remember it enough to discuss. My most listened to song this year was easily "Concerto In X Minor" by BRAND NUBIAN, if that helps put you in the headspace I'm in. The older I get, the more time I spend as a freak rocker, the more I put value on live performances and experiences in DIY rather than generic 4-song demos fast hardcore with flirtations of a d-beat riff. So with that I'm gonna hit you with my top ten moments of RO...

In no particular order: * PHYSIQUE @ Scorched Earth (Vancouver, BC) * YELLOWCAKE @ Scorched Earth * FUCKIN' LOVERS @ Search For The Sun (Montreal) * DECEPT @ Batiment 7 (Montreal) * WARKRUSHER @Batiment 7 * UNCLE @ PEI Farm Center * DEVIATED INSTINCT @ Scorched Earth * BASTARD IDOL @ Sotterenea * ONE TRACK MIND's Ontario run * CONTAGIUM @ Scorched Earth...

I hate this kind of list, but I'll do it for The Counterforce. I do not always discover the music of the current year, many times I find it too late. And I can't say I really loved albums I listened a couple times if they were released in December (or discovered at the end of the year). Also, I forget about music I discovered in January! How can you do this in a proper, relaxed way? I just can't. It stresses me out to decide whether an album is better or not, but I definitely enjoyed some album...

Contributed by Bee Every time I make my year-end best-of list I struggle to remember what the hell even came out in the last 11.5 months. After pouring through my “recent acquisitions/to-be-shelved” pile of records and tapes, revisiting label websites, or what photos I took, I come up with a list that, immediately upon publication, I realize is missing crucial selections. And year and year again I lack the foresight to just write down what I liked that year. Here’s my crack at it this year. ZY...

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