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.

1 of 9  — Perturbator, Uncanny Valley

Perturbator, Uncanny Valley

/ Courtesy of the artist

2 of 9  — Oathbreaker, Rheia

Oathbreaker, Rheia

/ Courtesy of the artist

3 of 9  — Sarah Louise, VDSQ Solo Acoustic Vol. 12

Sarah Louise, VDSQ Solo Acoustic Vol. 12

/ Courtesy of the artist

4 of 9  — Suzanne Ciani & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Sunergy

Suzanne Ciani & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Sunergy

/ Courtesy of the artist

5 of 9  — Pure Disgust, Pure Disgust

Pure Disgust, Pure Disgust

/ Courtesy of the artist

6 of 9  — Zao, The Well-Intentioned Virus

Zao, The Well-Intentioned Virus

/ Courtesy of the artist

7 of 9  — Ulaan Passerine, The Great Unwinding

Ulaan Passerine, The Great Unwinding

/ Courtesy of the artist

8 of 9  — Pinkshinyultrablast, Grandfeathered

Pinkshinyultrablast, Grandfeathered

/ Courtesy of the artist

9 of 9  — Dawn Richard, Redemption

Dawn Richard, Redemption

/ Courtesy of the artist