_________________

10. Nathan King – Frost*

Though I had some reservations about the new Frost* double album Life in the Wires, Nathan’s bass stood out for the powerful, impeccable roller coaster ride it is.

_________________

9. Bjørn Riis and Kristian Hultgren

– Airbag

Both of these musicians laid down some truly sassy and vibrant bass lines on the latest Airbag album, The Century of Self. While the album has some problems, their incredibly groovy performances stuck with me.

_________________

8. Morten Strypet – MEER

Morten’s strong performance on Wheels Within Wheels is perhaps underrated. There are so many flashy and incredible elements to this album, but Morten’s performance is the springboard for quite literally all of them. I love the class and power behind his sound, and how he elevates everything else.

_________________

7. Crisanta Baker – Lo Moon

Crisanta is similar in how she is the foundation for so much of what happens in Lo Moon’s music. Just watching her play in some of their live videos, you can see how busy and stylish she is in what she does, and I always notice.

_________________

6. John Holden

John is primarily a guitarist, but his bass performance on Proximity & Chance is what really made me stand up and take notice. The way he composes and performs terrific bass lines in conjunction with the rest of his moving pieces really stayed with me.

_________________

5. John Niemann

– Evergrey/Hollingshead

Johan is easily one of my favorite bassists, and I was impressed yet again by not only his Evergrey output, but also his more prominent and lumbering Hollingshead performance. The man knows how to craft truly musical bass lines that are a song unto themselves.

_________________

4. Joachim van Praagh

– Nine Stones Close

This might seem like a random inclusion, but it isn’t. Joachim’s bass on Diurnal is truly wonderful and powerful. I should mention, too, that Adrian (mastermind of Nine Stones Close) plays some of the bass, as well. Either way, the bass is classy, roaring goodness.

_________________

3. Gregory Spawton – Big Big Train

Greg does so much for BBT, but his bass is always what I notice the most. His golden, harmonious style really sells the new sound, and still feeds me nostalgic feelings.

_________________

2. Kornel Popławski – Amarok

Polish bands always tend to have great bass, and Amarok is no different. Kornel’s riveting, rip-roaring style is the foundation for so much experimentation by the band.

_________________

** 1. Simen Daniel Børven – Leprous **

What can I say? Leprous is so good at jaw-dropping grooves, and Simen’s bass is a big part of that. There are grooves on Melodies of Atonement that seem completely untamed, but are in reality quite calculated and executed flawlessly. One big moment on “Faceless” really took my library music club for a headbanging ride, and it’s almost all because of Simen.

_________________