Top 15 Local Albums From the Last 15 Years

Various

Album reviews have been a staple of the Erie Reader's content since the paper's inception 15 years ago. Our regular reviewers compiled a retrospective look at 15 of the best local recordings from the past decade and a half.

Anyone who says Erie doesn't have a booming original music scene simply isn't paying attention. We have (and have had) so much original talent in this town – wave after freshwater wave ushering in new generations of artists and genres. Songwriters, hip-hop artists, rock outfits and everything in between – the Erie Reader has been there, promoting, reviewing, and buoying these artists since our inception. Here is a (far from comprehensive) list of standout local releases of the past 15 years – be sure to check our monthly album review section for fresh cuts, as well as our local events calendar and ER Tix to see who's playing where and get out to support our local music scene!

Reviews by Nathaniel Clark (NC), Nick Warren (NW), Larry Wheaton (LW), Melissa Sullivan (MS), and Aaron Mook (AM)

Johnny James & The Absolutes // 6 Songs (2011)

Great psychedelic garage rock led by the late musician, artist, and friend Jon Miller and featuring musical alumni from the early 2000s Basement Transmissions label. Their fuzz soaked sound could be heard often at the Beer Mug, Crooked i, and Sherlock's, with their songs sounding as fresh today as they did in 2011. – LW

(Cee) C. Brown // Love Tales, Vol. 1 (2011)

One of Erie's most popular hip-hop poets, Cee Brown made a name for himself with his emotionally honest lyrics and willingness to perform with artists outside his genre. Love Tales offered a raw look into his emotions, honest and bold. It was an album that spoke to so many people and helped him gain popularity early in his career. – LW

Mala Sangre // Dark Days Are Coming (2013)

With their first release dating back to 2010, Mala Sangre are Erie's longest-running active punk band, releasing six albums over the last 15 years. They play old-school punk that is faster than a speeding bullet, without compromise and never bending to trends. Mala Sangre is as much a part of Erie lore as our open container law. – LW

Teddy Rankin // Dear Future Me (2016)

The titular track of this album could frame this entire conversation. The debut full-length from Teddy Rankin came in pure and wise beyond its years. Rankin delivered on that promise tenfold. To this day, there simply isn't an Erie musician with a better heart or soul. – NW

Daybreak Radio // Vol. II (2016)

Some aimlessly cruise backroads not for a leisurely Sunday drive, but to test the limits of an engine while blaring music through factory speakers with windows fully down. Rushing wind grabs the breath out of your mouth. The inertia of every turn and the lift of every bump drags you forward faster and faster. Daybreak Radio's release provides the perfect soundtrack for such high-octane rambling. It exercises the freedom for Tyler Smilo to go everywhere, anywhere, and nowhere with ferocity and intention. – MS

Bigg Wash // Infinity Gems (2016)

It's not everyday that poetic genius is so easily accessible. Abdullah Washington's theatrical, spoken word treatise reckons with geek culture and Black identity in the same feverish breaths, building to an innovative work of literary beauty and tone poetry. I dare you to listen to "The Gun" and not recognize this album as one of Erie's best. – NW

Jack Stauber // HiLo (2018)

Born in the midst of an artistic flourish, Erie native and multimedia artist Jack Stauber's fourth album, HiLo, is a tight encapsulation of the creative's inspirations and aspirations. Over 13 tracks, Stauber revels in the lo-fi synth pop space which he calls home – lamenting lost loves, making societal anecdotes, and telling stories. Equal parts quirky and obtuse, HiLo is exclusively Jack Stauber's design. – NC

Fred Oakman // My Gasoline Heart (2019)

It's almost as if Fred Oakman tried to distill himself here, boiling down One If By Land and the Twirpentines in a Flood of writerly emotion and passion. Taking cues from his punk rock heroes, Oakman crafts a pitch-perfect example of why he's perhaps the most authentic musical voice in the history of northwestern Pennsylvania. – NW

Human Animal // False Realities (2020)

Representing the 814 since their Dark Days EP was released in 2013, Human Animal is composed of Erie hardcore music veterans. Erie is known well past the Keystone State for its contribution to the hardcore music scene –our height of popularity hitting in the '90s. Human Animal is keeping that torch burning while continuing to evolve their sound beyond traditional hardcore roots. – LW

This American Song // People of the Stars (2020)

There's probably no Erie band more underrated than This American Song, and isn't that just the quintessential summation of "Erie?" Blending genres like painters mix colors, this long-running collective of brilliant musicians submits their definitive work. Jeff Phillips, John Johnston, and company make urgent and catchy pleas you'll want to spin again and again. – NW

Blunt Guts // Cranberry Blood (2021)

The solo album from former Basement Transmissions owner Bob Jensen shows his love of texture and tone. Jensen is also a visual artist whose drawings, paintings, and sculptures are uniquely personal – much like the music he creates. It's industrial and imaginative, taking you to a place inside your own head where you are encouraged to be yourself. – LW

Elle Taylor // Taken Me a While (2021)

Elle Taylor had years of songs under her belt just waiting to be recorded, a fact that is likely unsurprising to anyone who's heard her debut, Taken Me A While. It's not just Taylor's down-to-earth lyricism and unique crooning that makes her one of Erie's best – it's also her selective collaboration with other local artists that truly brings her songwriting to life. – AM

Optimistic Apocalypse // Above the Land (2022)

Mckenzie Sprague is the woman in the moon, sending iridescent harmonies down in ripples toward Earth like sirens heard over glistening waves. The pull of her gravity creates a shifting within us like tides. While slowly rocketing past her dark side, we learn the satellite is composed of a sweet fortune cookie shell which cracks itself open to reveal Optimistic Apocalypse's complex musicianship and rich lyricism folded within. – MS

Brooke Surgener // Moon Waves (2022)

If you could buy stock in local music, Brooke Surgener would be the blue chip. There is no other Erie artist working as intelligently as she is. Not only is Surgener's songwriting scored here with indie-pop perfection, but it informs the success she would go on to have with her band of Bandits. Brooke is unquestionably one of the best of us. – NW

Brian the Fly // Messengers (2025)

From producing beats for himself and his brother as Articulate Advocates in the mid-late 2010s to being one-third of the indie-rock trio Crooner, Brian Kinney has long been one of Erie's best kept secrets. But after a couple of experimental EPs under his Brian the Fly moniker, over a decade of experience finally came together in Messengers, a varied but cohesive collection of indie-folk narratives that combine Kinney's strong knack for storytelling with his lush, homegrown production. – AM