For years, Mike Kinsella's one-and-done trio, American Football, were an afterthought to his other legendary group Cap'n Jazz. After 17 years, they followed up their single self-titled album with another, but now the trio are the predominant influence on a wave of young emo-leaning bands. Labels like Topshelf, Run For Cover and Tiny Engines are packed with artists who directly and indirectly owe a debt to AF's twinkling guitars and plaintive lyrics. Here are five albums that honoured that legacy this year.
![](https://assets.exclaim.ca/image/upload/intoitoveritstandards.jpg)
Into It. Over It.
Standards
Evan Thomas Weiss continues to hone his voice on third album Standards, pushing his snaking, Kinsella-esque guitar lines to new heights.
![](https://assets.exclaim.ca/image/upload/You-Blew-It-Abendrot.jpg)
You Blew It!
Abendrot
AF played their guitars with open tunings to convey space, accentuating the size of their sound. This Orlando quartet adopt a similar style, imbuing this third LP with an oversized sound and a sense of catharsis.
![](https://assets.exclaim.ca/image/upload/tinymovingparts.jpg)
Tiny Moving Parts
Celebrate
Minnesota's Tiny Moving Parts marry impressive guitar work with massive pop punk hooks. The trio's third LP injected some much needed joy into a scene caricatured for its sadness.
![](https://assets.exclaim.ca/image/upload/ModernBaseballGhost.jpg)
Modern Baseball
Holy Ghost
Previously known for their wry one-liners, Philadelphia's Modern Baseball took a more earnest turn on Holy Ghost, taking personal turmoil — mortality, mental illness — and molding it into confessional art.
![](https://assets.exclaim.ca/image/upload/hotelier_2.jpg)
The Hotelier
Goodness
Though mostly a studio project, there's a pastoral peace to AF's music that the Hotelier took to its inevitable end on Goodness, which both looks and sounds like the Worcester, MA crew left the modern world for a life in nature.
![](https://assets.exclaim.ca/image/upload/intoitoveritstandards.jpg)
Into It. Over It.
Standards
Evan Thomas Weiss continues to hone his voice on third album Standards, pushing his snaking, Kinsella-esque guitar lines to new heights.
![](https://assets.exclaim.ca/image/upload/You-Blew-It-Abendrot.jpg)
You Blew It!
Abendrot
AF played their guitars with open tunings to convey space, accentuating the size of their sound. This Orlando quartet adopt a similar style, imbuing this third LP with an oversized sound and a sense of catharsis.
![](https://assets.exclaim.ca/image/upload/tinymovingparts.jpg)
Tiny Moving Parts
Celebrate
Minnesota's Tiny Moving Parts marry impressive guitar work with massive pop punk hooks. The trio's third LP injected some much needed joy into a scene caricatured for its sadness.
![](https://assets.exclaim.ca/image/upload/ModernBaseballGhost.jpg)
Modern Baseball
Holy Ghost
Previously known for their wry one-liners, Philadelphia's Modern Baseball took a more earnest turn on Holy Ghost, taking personal turmoil — mortality, mental illness — and molding it into confessional art.
![](https://assets.exclaim.ca/image/upload/hotelier_2.jpg)
The Hotelier
Goodness
Though mostly a studio project, there's a pastoral peace to AF's music that the Hotelier took to its inevitable end on Goodness, which both looks and sounds like the Worcester, MA crew left the modern world for a life in nature.