This is part of Creative Loafing Tampa's new issue, The Year In Music. See and listen to the rest of our top albums here.
Tycho, Epoch (Ghostly International) It took a decade, but the rest of the world finally caught up with Scott Hansen. The Northern California-based producer and designer not only plays music under the Tycho moniker (and produces super-clean design via his ISO50 handle), but also faithfully recreates it with bandmates who’ve joined him onstage since 2010. On Epoch (surprise-released in September), Hansen’s foray into meticulously crafted instrumental rock crescendos in a meditative, 42-minute record with an expansive, almost scenic sound that doesn’t sacrifice the nuance and detail of previous albums. Hansen’s unexpected reward? It debuted at no. 1 on Billboard’s Electronic/Dance Albums chart and was just nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album Grammy. —Ray Roa
This article appears in Dec 22-29, 2016.