This is the best year for music quality wise that i've ever seen...there's so much great music coming at me from every corner this year! Let's hop right to it.
Album #1: Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away. No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Lets Wash Away
This album is as awesome as it's title is long. Simply put, this album is a beautiful piece of work, much too vast for my words to actually give it justice. It's a very happy album with beautiful and creative instrumentals, much like Sigur Ros but less icelandic and more dancy and full of very pretty and catchy riffs.
Comments/Complaints: Really, this album doesnt need alot of introspection because it's full of beautiful bassy, dancy riffs, and lots of creative beautiful sounding atmospher and very catchy awesome vocals.
Ranking: 9/10 because this album makes me smile and nod my head and hug my grandmother
Album #2: Keelhaul - Triumphant Return To Obscurity
Keelhaul is a very very heavy, very very awesome band. This album opens with an incredibly heavy, dillinger/converge with colin marston on bass vibe. Keelhaul play a very unique type of heavy music that has alot of converge meets dysrhythmia riffs on it. Basically put, these guys remind me alot of these arms are snakes, and other post metal bands with a rock n' roll aesthetic...but it's alot stranger than most of those bands and played with alot of anger and a hint of a southern rock attitude. Nevertheless, the riffage is absolutely amazing, especially the bass and the drums, the basslines are very heavy and the drums are very fast and technical, the guitar riffs have a very post metal sound to them. Basically Keelhaul manage to take about 2 different styles that i'm fond of and lump them in together to make them a big rock n' roll/post metal monster that will eat any puny planet that tries to get in the way...on the downside though...until the album grows on you...it gets old after about 5 or 6 songs.
Comments/Complaints: This album is a grower...it's hard to get into at first, but you know once you really give it a chance, you'll really really like it. But admittedly because it's got so many different directions it can possibly go in sometimes the songs wear a bit thin on the ears and you find yourself wondering "when is it going to be over?" which is not good.
My Ranking: I'm going to give this album an 8.5/10 because i respect how awesome it really is and the effort put behind this album...despite the fact that it does take a bit to really soak in
Album #3: Band Of Skulls - Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
The song death by diamonds and pearls off of this album gets played pretty regularly on the radio and that's how i discovered this band, i mention this because rarely do i hear something on the radio and think to myself "i have GOT to check this band out!". Needless to say, after checking this album out i'm very glad i did so...it's got a very bouncy, indie/blues-garage rock vibe to it. There are alot of awesome basslines on this album which make the dirty bluesy guitar riffs sound even better. This album is very radio friendly, in fact one of the songs even reminds me of franz ferdiand. The female singer in this band is actually pretty good too.
Comments/Complaints: Very radio friendly bouncy indie rock with a bit of a blues and garage rock type vibe to it.
Ranking: I give this album a 7/10 because it's a good solid album, but doesnt give itself a whole lot of reasons to be listened to for any song other than the radio single...which is in fact an amazing song.
Album #4: The Used - Artwork
Now, i'd be lying to you if i said i didn't used to be a huge fan of the used...their first album is just absolute genius! It's a fine piece of work and i'm still glad i bought it. But they let me down with the 2 albums after that, i mean they had some pretty good singles, but the albums themselves were kind of boring, however, i'll give them credit for having a distinctly distant style on each album which is good. On this album i have to say i'm pretty impressed with it, i mean it has that same vibe they've had over the years but with a sound that's very catchy, but also incredibly heavy. Dare i say, that this album is heavier than their first one which got them on ozzfest that year. There are breakdowns located on this album, and a ton of pent up anger but not as much of the lame annoying pop crap so heavily prevalent in their last 2 albums. I can certainly find the merit in listening to this album more than once, it's heavy, catchy, and has a familiar sound, it's also got a very anthemic vibe to it. I think that the used have finally put out an album to satisfy the people that have been with them since 2002 and that's a pretty good thing.
Comments/Complaints: If you're a fan of the band, or even if you just liked their first album, you'll dig this album alot because it's got a familiar sound, but it's slightly less radio, and more like a good album to listen to in the summer time while on a road trip.
My Ranking: I give it a 7.5/10 the 7 is because it's managed to rise above mediocrity but didn't land among the ranks of "really awesome, solid albums" but the .5 is to show that it's close to that status.
Album #5: Modest Mouse - No One's First And You're Next
Oh man, Isaac Brock truly is one of his generation's best songwriters. This album has all of the things that made me love modest mouse when i first heard the song float on on vh1 one day, but it also has all of the elements that made people fall in love with the lonesome crowded west and the rest of their entire back catalog. Songs like Satellite Skin have that familiar modest mouse stomp and lots of isaac brock's signature vocal hooks...but this album also has some incredible guitar work. Johnny Marr and Isaac Brock have teamed up to unleash a hellacious barrage of awesome guitar riffs written in a catchy, but non-commercial vibe. You can tell they weren't trying to capitalize on their huge status and sell more records with this album, this one is most definitely just for their own enjoyment as well as their rabid fanbase. There will be elitists who say "i hate them now because they are commercial and gay" but disregard those people because this album contains nothing but awesome songs written with great artistic intent and lots of catchiness to make itself very much worth listening to next to the rest of their discography.
Comments/Complaints: Touche' Mr. Brock and Mr. Marr and the rest of Modest Mouse, because this album rules alot.
My Ranking: I'm givin this one a 9 because a 10 would be a bit too much praise..however the album definitely rules and has alot more redeeming qualities than the last 2 albums.
Album #6: Spinnerette - Spinnerette
This album has been getting a ton of playtime in my cd player, and for good reason! It's awesome! It seems that not only was Brody Dalle impregnated with Josh Homme's child, she was also impregnated with his musical ability because on the new album, it sounds very much like queens of the stone age at times. It's got a real awesome, bouncy vibe to it, but also a hint of sexiness. I find it weird that she used to make annoying punk rock when she was married to tim armstrong but now that JoHo is in the mix she's making sweet ass dance rock! There are of course a few songs on this album that fall short of the mark of excellence...but most of those are post track 9...everything from tracks 1-9 is AWESOME!
Comments/Complaints: a sweet dance rock album by brody dalle that shows that the new qotsa album will be awesome, because if momma is feelin sexy and dancy...everyone is feelin sexy and dancy!
My Ranking: This one will get a 9/10 because of how rapidly increasing my enjoyment of this album is everytime i hear it.
Album #7: Sweethead - The Great Disruptors
This is an ep put out by Troy Van Leeuwen's new project Sweethead...which is him and some random people...it's very qotsa in nature, which is cool...i mean it's dancy, and sexy...but really it's just kind of like qotsa but without all the awesome stuff contributed by everyone else...Troy Van Leeuwen is kind of like a good tight end in the nfl though...sure, he's awesome...but if he doesnt have a good quarterback to throw to him or at least one other good receiver and/or a good running back to draw attention away from him then he's kind of useless. By that i mean...the guy's a great guitarist and stuff...but without other really good musicians around him like JoHo and Dean Fertita on guitar and Mikey Shoes on bass, and The Sexy Mexi on drums he just kind of comes off as a little bland you know?
Comments/Complaints: Instead of putting this out, troy should have probably just saved these riffs for a new qotsa album instead of pouring them out into a generic dance rock album that will fall to the bottom of his discog quality wise
My Ranking is a 6.5/10 really...i think there's alot of potential here...but he probably should have just used that on the new qotsa record
Album #8: Municipal Waste - Massive Aggressive
Let's see, this is a tricky review because...their music has been done to death before. So lets just say...this album is really really fast awesome thrash metal with a very dri intensity...it's really gnarly thrash that would be a great soundtrack for a night with friends a few 100 beers and a beer bong. This band is thrash metal for the kids that listen to deathcore and mallcore who are too cool for metallica and slayer and anthrax and sepultura and megadeth but like to thrash
Comments/Complaints: Simply put...this album is just awesome, gnarly, party thrash with a familiar vibe...but it won't have you throwing reign in blood away yet...
Ranking: I'll give it a 7/10 because though it's generic...it's really talented punk thrash and i like it...but i know there's plenty out there better
Album #9: Cave In - Planets Of Old Ep
Man, Cave In is such a great band with so many different sounds and possibilities...their newest ep actually showcases 4 completely different Cave In sounds basically.
Track 1: Starts out with a very isisy intro then comes in with a heavy as hell bassline and the vocals are very voivod in nature and full of super super heavy riffs, this song is very similar to old isis/old cave in...which as i'm sure you can tell...is awesome.
Track 2: Starts out with a riff that reminds me of a dropkick murphys song but it sounds really cool...the vocals come in still reminding me of voivod while some really cool riffs dance in and out over really cool punk rock type drumming.
Track 3: Starts out running at full speed! Very punk rock as hell! The drums are really really fast, the vocals are reminiscent of nick oliveri and has a really sweet bassline stomping around on it over some creative post-punk/hardcore riffage, the breaks where the guitars and screaming stop and it's just double bass kicks and that awesome bassline with guitars kind of peppering a bit of noise in and out is SO AWESOME!
Track 4: Starts out with more voivodian vocals and lots more punk rock drumming, but this song has a different vibe...more like newer cave in...but less poppy. But still very punk rock and very catchy that chorus "air escapes our lungs every day we won't lie, we don't say, air escapes our lungs every day" with the guitar riff matching the rhythm of the vocals...it's just awesome and then the slow sludgy breakdown part with the same rhythm is just awesome.
Comments/Complaints: This album shows a renewed vigor by these guys. The album is very very heavy, and very very very punk rock, but the vocals remind me alot of voivod...which isn't a bad thing...they just have kind of a weird robotic tone to them which is cool
Ranking: I'll give this a 9.5/10 if it were longer and kept with the same vibe this would definitely be a 10/10 no question. This album rules alot!
Album #10: He Is Legend - It Hates You
Wow, so this one came from way out in left field...
First of all i'd like to say that i absolutely loved loved loved i am hollywood when it first came out.
Second of all, i'd like to say that my heart broke the day i heard "suck out the poison" that is one of the worst excuses for an album i've ever heard...i literally listened to the beginning of the first song on that album and then immediately hit delete.
With that said, this album absolutely rules. It has all of the elements of I Am Hollywood that made that album excellent, creative riffs, excellent melodic vocals, catchy riffs and vocal hooks and whatnot, however, the basslines are really good, and it has a very Faith No More vibe at times. There's a few breakdowns here and there...but in a tasteful way. This album is really catchy, really heavy, and very very rockin. There actually isn't 1 bad song on this album which is pretty cool..but i just don't understand how they did a complete genre/sound/fashion overhaul and then decided to jump right back into their old sound and act like suck out the poison didn't even happen...which is cool...but you know...if you're going to sink the ship you should at least go down with it...not jump into a lifeboat and go back to your old ship that was really awesome.
Comments/Complaints: This album is incredibly surprising, heavy, awesome, rock n' rolling, non crappy.
Ranking: This puppy gets a definite 9/10 because it's really really good...you know..if you liked i am hollywood you'll think that anyways.
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