Best Albums of 2014

Oh boy,
Was 2014 a good year for music?  Well, if you were looking for some big name album drops, then likely you were disappointed by most of what came out this year.  A lot of well-established bands put out albums that at best were mediocre during the course of this year.    However, a lot of good bands put out really excellent debuts, and newer bands have established themselves as becoming formidable forces.    There was not necessarily the most obvious choices for this year-end list, but it should be noted that sifting through all the great albums that had been released was quite the task.

2013 was quite a good year for music, even for the bit of it that happened to make its way into the radar.   Since writing up my previous post, I have come across a few more excellent albums that I missed out on the first time through, and I suspect the same will happen for this year as well.   The question is whether or not 2014 was a better year, and the answer is not necessarily obvious.   However, I can say that there are definitely a lot of stand out albums from new and unexpected sources that give rise to a few reasons to be excited about the state of music again.

Unfortunately, choosing the best of this year meant leaving out a lot of good albums in the top 10, and interested parties should refer to the honorable mentions area at the bottom.


10. Eagulls - Eagulls

First on the list is the surprising debut from the British post-punk indie-ish shoegaze-ish band that blipped on the radar earl this year.  With an unbashed sound reminiscent of Joy Division (and not to mention that vocalist George Mitchell even acts like Ian Curtis), the band may not be the most original, but they provide a fresh take on the post-punk formula, and have enough energy to make it worth your while.   Combined with a heightened talent for hooks, this album is certainly catchy, even if you can't understand anything that's being sung (which is done purposefully).   The album ends up being about a song too long, and there a few missteps, but this is otherwise and impressive debut providing a very interesting sound that could potentially continue to distill into something quite special

Rating - 7.0/10

9.  Circa Survive - Decensus

Continuing down the dark progressive road, Circa Survive's fifth album it not necessarily their best, but it continues to solidify the band's talent and unique sound.   Vocalist Anthony Green displays one of his best performances yet throughout this album, and the songs have become harder, stronger and more complex.  This album is definitely one that grows on you throughout multiple listens, and may not be as immediate as some of their earlier material.   This album represents Circa Survive masterfully combining post-hardcore, indie rock, progressive rock, and enough of a melodic punk/emo core to latch onto.

Rating - 7.0/10

8. Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright In the End

Here is something that I never would have expected to have happened - not only is there is a post 90s Weezer album that could have made its way up onto a top list, but it actually ends up being perhaps the band's third strongest album overall.   Taking the time yet again to "rethink" and reinvent themselves, River and crew managed to, for the first time in years, tap that something personal and real that made their first two albums such classics.   Musically, much of the material on this album, aside from a few missteps in the first two songs, that would have fit perfectly along side tracks from the Blue Album.

Rating - 7.0/10

7. Damien Rice - Favorite Faded Fantasy

With his last album having come out in 2006, I hadn't really expected to hear anything again from Damien Rice at this point, especially considering the general lack of output or news that had come out over this time period.   However, after all this time, Damien Rice has managed to perfect an 8-album track of what is his strongest output yet.   On his third album, he has managed to make perhaps his darkest, most complex album, using his perfected style of melodic, dark and strongly progressive folk/indie rock.    Perhaps topping as one of the most depressing albums of the year, highly recommended.


Rating - 7.5/10



6. Crosses - Crosses

It may not necessarily be accurate to state that the self-titled crosses album is actually their debut.   Two-thirds of the album is comprised of material that was released as EPs previously in 2013 and 2012, and the album is essentially just the addition of 5 new songs that would have possibly comprised a third EP.    Likewise, Crosses is the brainchild of Chino Moreno, vocalist behind the powerhouse of the Deftones, and features members of previous 90s hidden gem Far.   Therefore its members are not new to the scene.

Crosses offers a wicked combination of Chino's dreamy rock vocal stylings combined with electronic and alternative elements.   The Deftones ability to combine dreamy structures and melodic pop elements can be heard through some of the compositions as well.  Although just a musical side project, there is a lot to digest in this album, and it ends up being quite catchy and infectious.


Rating - 8.0/10

5. Death From Above 1979 - The Physical World

Coming back 10 years after their debut album, Toronto's revolutionary bass & drum indie dance-punk band is back with a second album of thumping bass guitar-driven tunes.   This second time around they've honed their craft, and while it may not have the raw energy and edge that the first album had, their follow up 10 years later is a much more melodic and tight sound.   Fortunately, the band has not grown up too much, and manage to make the album still quite fun and raw.  A lot of people might disagree with me when I say that this album is actually better than their debut, but at the very least I'll say that it's a strong contender.

Rating - 8.0/10

4. The Horrors - Luminous

Coming off the groundbreaking streak of their last two albums, Luminous marks the band beginning to build upon that ground.  On their fourth album, The Horrors have established themselves with their unique brand of 80s influenced dreamy psychedelic indie rock, and continue stepping forwards.  Much of the music on this album is similar to Skying, and the band continues to build onto the structure and sounds they established on that album, further distilling their own style.   While nothing on this album is quite as immediate, the album as a whole is a fantastic experience, and many of the songs are long-lasting growers.  Too bad they keep cancelling all of their US tour dates.



Rating - 8.3/10

3. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream

If you've ever wished that The Boss was retrofitted with some alternative and shoegaze, then Lost in the Dream is the album that you have been looking for.  The sheer number of influences and aspects to the sound that is created on this album is all the more impressive upon realizing that this is only their third release.   Many of the songs are slower burners, and continue to build upon themselves into a beautiful mess of americana style, psych-out shoegazing indie explosions, all wound together with a strong sense of melody and style.  An album that is essentially all killer and no filler with the sheer density of the music, combined with a killer sense of melody and timing, makes this a top contender for sure.

Rating - 8.8/10

2. Nothing - Guilty of Everything


In what is definitely the best debut album of 2014, Nothing combines the raw energy of punk with a slightly metallic shoegaze shine.   Almost all of the album's 9 tracks (Bent Nail is mostly uninteresting) pound away on the listeners ear drums with a heavy fuzzed out intensity reminiscent of early 90s shoegaze, with a modern twist.    There is enough melody in the music to grab onto, and enough mystery and cloudiness to appease the psychedelic senses of the listener for enhanced appreciation.  A band to continue to look out for.

Rating - 9.0/10

1.  Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden (Best Album)

Yes, there are two top albums for 2014.   I thought I would make the distinction between what I think is the "best" album, as opposed to the one that I spent the most time listening to, or "the favorite."  The best award goes to Foundations of Burden, the second album from the Arkansas Doom/Post-Metal band Pallbearer.   Don't let the term "metal"scare you away from this album in this case, because despite the title, the band mostly bears its influence of Black Sabbath and stoner rock.  With their notable debut in 2012, Sorrow and Extinction, the band has significantly tightened up their grip and focus on their second outing, as well as creating a sound that further pushes the band's genre-breaking boundaries.   Despite the doom and gloom mood established on this album's five generally 10+ minute songs, the songs never feel too downtrodden or too long to enjoy.

Perhaps most notably is the sound of the album itself, which is a significant outing compared to their debut.   The first album sounded like it was recorded in a room filled with mostly marijuana smoke - on that album you could feel the influence on the band itself.   However, the much clearer and sonically grands sound of Foundations allows the listener themselves to feel as though they are the ones in the room, as opposed to just the band.   This distinction is important in delineating the many reasons why this album is just so good.    Some of the other reasons include just how "tight" the band's sound is on this album; both the sonic perfection and the guitar tones themselves are actually more reminscent of late 70s arena rocker perfectionists Boston, as opposed to the doom and stoner heritage much of the album would suggest.

Frankly, everything about this album is impressive and definitely worth a listen.

Rating - 9.5/10


1.  Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else (Favorite Album)

In contrast to the long-winded Foundations of Burden, Cloud Nothing's barely half an hour 8 track, third album proper, is definitely my most played 2014 album at this time. Compared to 2012s' Attack of Memory, Here and Nowhere Else is stripped down, both in band production, as they gone from two guitarists to one.   However, the scope and heights that these scrappy Ohio rockers attempt to aim for in their garage is astoundingly large.  Equal parts the aggressive energy of Nirvana and the fuzzed out psych of the Silversun Pickups, the power of this trio is quite impressive.   Perhaps of particular note is the band's drummer, who plays an agressive style similar to that of Grohl on the Foo Fighter's The Colour and the Shape, which was before he stepped back from the kit to the front of the stage.

Here and Nowhere Else is a perfect representation of why rock in its simplest form is still effective.   The album burns on both ends through its brief 8 track length, and the number of hooks and melodies is packed quite densely.  Vocalist Dylan Baldi's Cobain-esque park has gotten even better, and the constantly pushing-forward drum work helps keep each track energetic and fresh sounding.   Perhaps the one weak link is the bass guitar, not necessarily in playing, but some of the defined quality of the melodies are lost in the mild lo-fi, in your face production.

Everything on this album stacks up as well to their previous work on Attack on Memory, and frankly its the most fun spin you'll have in a while.

Rating - 9.3/10

Here's a just few more albums worth noting that just didn't quite make the list, but are all definitely worth a listen.

Honorable Mentions:
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - IX
OK Go - Hungry Ghosts
Agalloch - Serpent and the Sphere
Alcest - Shelter
EMA - Future's Void

And a few worth mentioning for being not quite so interesting

Dishonorable Mentions:
Stars - No One is Lost
Warpaint - Warpaint
Anathema - Distant Satellites
Pink Floyd - The Endless River
Opeth - Pale Communion
Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways


Notable exceptions:   I still haven't had the chance to really listen to Brill Bruisers, by the
New Pornographers, so I am unable to add it to any sort of inclusion in the ranking here.

The Best of - 2013

Last year I started making a blog post about the albums of 2012 that I considered the "best."  However, I never completed that post; not necessarily because of a lack of time or anything, but rather simply because I could not come up with enough albums to really "justify" making a post.   Of course, at the time there were many albums that I am now aware of that I was not aware of at the time, but the result of such a knowledge deficit led to that post never being completed.   However, the case is different this year.

So at this point, the astute reader might notice that I'm writing a post about the best albums of a year that has not been completed yet, but let's be realistic about this. At this point, there are not really any albums coming out this year worth noting, so we can skip the whole waiting thing and just jump into what happened this year in retrospect. First and foremost, 2013 was a significantly better year than the last two combined, and for the first time in a long while, I actually had to think about what albums would constitute a top 10 list, especially since some would actually have to be removed. Much like the dilemma that faces the academy awards, often there are years where so many good films are made, that work that would have won a best picture award in any other year get pushed to the wayside simply by the saturation of good filmography. The same happened this year with albums.

It's a shame too; there were a lot of pretty good albums mixed in with the really great albums this year that most likely will fall to the wayside from most people's radars. However, without further ado, here goes.


10. Rogue Wave – Nightingale Floors

While tracks Sirens Song and College alone are strong enough to earn this album an honorable mention in my book, this surprisingly mature and yet exciting album from Rogue Wave. In addition to the aforementioned stand-out track, this albums beautiful combinations of indie-ish mid-distorted guitar riffs, acoustic backings and hard drums is perfectly exemplified in the jam-out 5+ minute Everyone Wants to Be You. It’s the kind of album that should be boring on paper, but really works well in real life.

7.5/10

9. Phoenix – Bankrupt

Bankrupt is a strong and consistent album whose biggest faults are losing momentum in the middle of the album, and simply being the album after 2009's smash Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Bankrupt! finds the band with a slightly more electronic edge, but largely retaining their own unique style of essentially being the European version of The Strokes. Coupled with fantastic lead single Entertainment, and other standouts like Trying To Be Cool, and Bourgeois, the album benefits from being seen in a live setting. Not the band's best album, and nothing soars as high as Armistice or 1901, but still a worthwhile listen for any fan of the band.  Highlights include Bourgeois, and Entertainment.

7.5/10

8. The Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law



Wolf's Law is reminder of just how good things could have been if Nu-Metal hadn't come around in the late 90s to destroy the brief space-rock momentum that was started by bands like Failure and Hum. Secondly, the album is a reminder of how important studio production really is. This otherwise great album, while never soaring to the heights of tracks like Whirring from their debut, has a much more consistent sound, and is overall a good album, as opposed to the "hit-or-miss" nature of their previous. The compressed production saps the energy from tracks like This Ladder is Ours, and Cholla, but sounds fantastic in a live setting. Finally, can we get over the whole "hidden track" thing? The closing title track is a fantastic song that easily could have replaced the lackluster The Hurdle.  Highlights include The Maw Maw Song and Cholla.

8/10.

7. Biffy Clyro - Opposites

Opposites represents the few times that the non-concept album double album actually works, even if it is more Stadium Arcadium than it is Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The album is a lot more melodic and surprisingly focused for its length - and frankly a lot more fun than anything they've done in a while. If you're on a budget, take the first disc over the second, although missing out on standout, more experimental tracks like Spanish Radio, and Victory Over the Sun manages to recall their earlier days, and are album highlights, as is the title track. A third disc was released two months later, under the artist name Frightened Rabbit's - The Pedestrian Verse.   Highlights include Biblical and Opposites.

8/10.

6. The Strokes - Comedown Machine

Comedown Machine has the honor being the third best Strokes album, therefore making it the best album that the band has released in a decade. Despite its stripped-down look, this album is far more consistent than Angles, and shows the garage-rock band having fun for the first time in about 7 years. Standouts include Welcome To Japan, and Chances.

8.5/10

5. Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks



When Trent announced his “retirement” from touring with NIN, it really wasn’t to many people’s surprise when he starting touring again 5 years later. In between he started another band that he shortly toured with, (although that album is a different story) and has contributed to multiple soundtracks. Hesitation Marks is not only the best NIN album since Year Zero, it’s also the most one of his best overall. This album combines the more metallic nature of earlier albums with the more streamlined sound of The Slip. Highlights include All Time Low, Satellite, and Various Methods of Escape; both from the album’s stronger second half.

8.5/10

4. Arctic Monkeys – AM

Ever since the fantastic lead single Do I Wanna Know was debuted on YouTube, this has probably been the most anticipated album of this year that people knew about. It’s for a good reason too; this album delivers in almost every way. Once again, the album finds the Arctic Monkey’s continuing to evolve their sound, presenting their most “groovy” album released to date. With only a few lackluster songs in the middle of the album, it retains the band’s devotion to the joy of guitar rock, combined with a Josh Homme/Disco inspired groove. Highlights also include Knee Socks and R U Mine; and what is probably the best song of the year, Arabella.

9/10

3. Queens of the Stone Age - …Like Clockwork

Few albums and few artists are able to manage and live up to the expectations that were set for this one, including the all-star guest list. However, …Like Clockwork represents the rare modern triumph for rock music; a small hope in that someday rock music would be relevant again. A 10-track whirlwind of melodies, guitar solos and intertwined mixes containing Elton John, Alex Turner and Dave Grohl, in what is Homme’s best since Songs for the Deaf. Highlights include I Sat By the Ocean, and I Appear Missing.


9.0/10

2. My Bloody Valentine – MBV

For an album that nobody thought would be released, shoegazing Irish pioneers released their third album 22 years after their masterpiece Loveless came out. So when the seemingly extraterrestrial perfectionist Kevin Shields stated that an album would come out in a few months, most scoffed and rolled their eyes. However, with what is most likely the most important album to be released this year (and musically the strongest), MBV manages to push their envelope forward, while continuing to prove why their last album is still worshiped all these years later. Melodic, torturous, and so seemingly out of this planet, MBV secures their place in rock history. Highlights include Only Tomorrow and Who Sees You.


9.5/10

1. Local Natives – Hummingbird

The line between the terms “best” and “favorite” a slightly blurred in this post; as even though Hummingbird may not be the “best” album released this year, the fact that this young band has managed to put out such a strong, consistent, powerfully good the whole-way-through album is perhaps the most impressive feat of this year. This strange combination of folk, indie rock, drum circles and Talking Heads comes back with an intensely personal and melodic album that greatly improves upon their already well-developed sound on their debut. This album is so consistent and strong throughout, it is almost impossible to stop it once started. Highlights include Breakers, You & I, and Mt. Washington.

9.5/10

So there you have it.

Here are some additional albums that are worth noting in some form or another from this year. Combined with the honorable mentions is a Top 20 list, all of these albums deserving some significant attention, and are definite must-listens from this year.


Honorable Mentions  (click on the appropriate link for an album YouTube highlight as available)

The Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us Is the Killer
Grouplove - Spreading Rumours
The Naked and Famous - In Rolling Waves
Frightened Rabbit - The Pedestrian Verse
Pelican - Forever Becoming
Palms - Palms
Sigur Ros - Kveikur
Clutch – Earth Rocker
Karnivool - Asymmetry
IAMX - The United Field

Best “Surprisingly Good” Albums:
Pearl Jam – Lightning Bolt
Dream Theater – Dream Theater

Biggest Disappointments
Atoms for Peace - AMOK
How to Destroy Angels - Welcome to Oblivion
The Flaming Lips – The Terror
Glasvegas - Later... When the TV Turns to Static  (kinda)
Bosnian Rainbows - whatever the album was called (It was so boring I forgot.)

The Strokes - Comedown Machine

It's hard to move forward when all your biggest critics complain about the fact that you refuse to stay in the past.  For The Strokes, its hard to move forward when everytime you release an album, it gets detracted.  Fans lament that Is This It was not released again, and despite the fact that there have been a lot of good material on the albums that followed (and not to mention, I would personally argue that Room on Fire is far superior to that of the band's 2001 debut), it is fair enough to say it seems as thought so many people already have the band "pegged."

For those of us who were rightfully willing to move on, the checkered past of the band since its far superior 2003 sophmore release has been a bit of a blemish as well.  The band attempted to expand its sound on its First Impressions of Earth 2006 release, and after a long, drawn out pause with a lot of side projects, name-calling, and refusal to appear together in the studio at the same time of each other, 2011's Angles.  Both albums found the band to be floundering, both with themselves and with the sound that they proved only a few years earlier that they were able to perform and create like masters of their own domiain.   While both of those albums had strong moments in their own right, there is something that should be said about the fact that maybe, just maybe, those detractors who seemed unable to appreciate the band attempting to move forward with their sound, were right.  

When The Strokes live-debuted the final track on Angles, Life is Simple in the Moonlight on Saturday Night Live, we were all excited about what this would mean for the future of this band.  The song was strong, had a lot of the classic Strokes sound, and saw the band performing together for the first time in a long time in a way that seemed to matter.  Of course, this made the studio recording on the album, a Pro Tools Frankenstein that sounds like the song was recorded in five different studios and put together by a Freshman music production class was a shock, and representative of the rest of the album as a whole.  It was a joyless affair that hardly sounded like a band, but rather five individuals who used to be in a band, approximating what it sounds like to be in a band over teleconference.

In so many ways then, Comedown Machine, to be released on the 23rd, seems like the proper follow-up to both Angles and Room on Fire.  That isn't to dismantle the importance of the third and fourth proper albums, but they lacked the cohesion, the joy, and the importance that is present on the band's debut and follow up, and finally, on their fifth album that is up and coming.  The fact that only one studio is listed on the album's production credits is a good sign, and present are all the players who made The Strokes great so many times before.  Listening to the fantastic pre-release track One Way Trigger, and to the lesser but still great, All the Time reminds us of the band that was performing only a few years ago.  It seems like after actually meeting up with each other after recording (because they were all in seperate rooms and what not during the recording) Angles, they were actually able to remember what it was to be in a band, and remember the joy of the music that they used to have.

So in a way, this album is call back to their previous glories, but at the same time, manges to push the band forward in a direction that does not sound detracting, forced, or simply for the sake of attempting to please the critics (as much of the third album was).    The band develops a much funkier, much broader sense of style on this album, and the inconsistent, but strong production of the album helps emphasize each of the stylistic changes.  Album stand out tracks, such as Tap Out,  Welcome To Japan,  50/50,  and Slow Animals, are all fantastic harbringers of the expanded style of the band.  The songs are full, funkier, and seem to bring out the best qualities of the instrumental portions of the band (which have always been strong) and are pushing Julian's vocals into new territory that he manages to excel at (and not to mention, do not sound like he recorded them in the morning after a week of binge drinking in his bedroom, as most of Angles boasted).   The album manages to keep the later half from becoming filler, and

That is not to say that the album is perfect, weak lead single All The Time is literally about 30 seconds too long (it has a 30 second fade out that is absolutely, mind-numbingly dumb), and the three and half minutes spent listening to  Call It Fate, Call It Karma are better spent rewinding the album and starting over from the opening track.   The album artwork is strange in that it appears as a promotional piece for RCA records, a relic that reminds us of just how big and reaching the Strokes used to be, and really, still are.

 However, the album is strong as a whole, and represents the best consistent work that the band has done since Room on Fire.    There may not be a single stand out track that soars to the absolute height of the band's best song, Electricityscape, and it won't "redefine" the rock world like Is This It will, and there will be plenty of people who complain that the band should stick to what it did in 2001.   However, for the interested mind who is capable of letting a band go into the future, and is capable of appreciating the strong pop-sensibility with the strong guitar interplay, with enough of a throwback to keep the band true to its sound, will love Comedown Machine. 

So here is how it boils down:  Comedown Machine is best enjoyed when you take it for what it is, the fifth Strokes album.  There is no ignoring anything in between, calling it back to anything before, or letting it be anything else other than at its face value.  The album is fantastic rite on its own, and calls the band on its best while moving the band forward in a direction that makes sense.  Welcome back.

8.5/10.

Muse - The 2nd Law.

I don't know if anybody has felt this way, but the last 2 months (September, and the beginning of October) have shown just a lot of new releases in a year where interesting new music has been harder to find than the plot in a Michael Bay movie.    Maybe I've just gotten increasingly jaded with the current music scene and the current musical trends, but I've felt like even the most anticipated, sure-fire albums of this year have been pretty much duds.  

So, how about the new Muse album?  I still swear by the fact that Origin of Symmetry is one of the greatest albums ever released, and is by still and far, remains their best work to date, new album included.   I would not say that it's necessarily fair to judge a new album to a band's older album from its younger, wilder days, but one cannot help but think of such comparisons when listening to The 2nd Law.   This is not because the two albums have anything in common, but rather because they have absolutely nothing in common. 

Inherently this is not a bad thing.  Anathema's Weather Systems, one of the few notable releases of 2012, has nothing in common with the band's first albums back in their gothic/doom metal days (Anathema is a progressive rock band with gothic and indie flourishes for those who have not experienced them), and yet it remains perhaps their most powerful work to date since 2003's A Natural Disaster.  In fact, the ability for a band to move beyond its roots into something new is something that is not inherently bad, even though I strongly disagree with the sentiment that many critics claim; that change is necessary for the sake of change.  Many bands have released some of their best work polishing their sound rather than experimenting into new territory, and the decision to do so is not necessarily a detachment from the band's ability.

The 2nd Law, however, can be summed in its glorious, bombastic, over-the-topic, zenith-clutching glory in a rather strange mix of ennui and flaccid static.   For the simple matter of the point, this album gives us the thing that Muse promised to never do, and we all hoped would never happen.  Despite that the album is full of perhaps what is the most experimental age of the band, they've accomplished something that you would have never expected:  Muse went boring.

For the truth of the matter, aside from the two tracks that feature excellent vocals from bassist Chris, there really is nothing that you have not already heard on previous albums.  (I will talk about why this experiment ends up being by the far the best, and most listenable part of the album later.)   Opening track, Supremacy is basically a b-side from Black Holes and Revelations with a little bit more "cranked to 11" guitars that Muse use (heh!) to try and tell the world that we haven't sold out yet (but we totally have), and end with a rather surprisingly decent track that never soars, but stays stable on the updraft.  It even features the same kind of trumpets that you heard at the end of that same album, and pretty much goes through all the same motions.

And it mostly goes downhill from there.  Madness is a track that you really don't want to like, just because it is infuriatingly catchy, and Panic Station confuses 80s tributes with poor taste.  I guess this song is for those people who actually thought that Supermassive Black Hole was a "good track."   For those of you have not seen a Muse concert, complete with massive lasers and fantastic performances from the band (and let it be known that I will never ever doubt or call into question the talent of the band members), and hearing the difference between the quality of previous songs and tracks that "try" to be something trendy, you'll know what I mean when I state that Panic Station is one of the most infuriating things you'll hear this year.

Survival, the theme for the 2012 olympics, is most notable for being the anthem of the 1 time every 4 years that I pretend to care about swimming, so I don't think I'll bother trying to care about this song.  It's basically Uprising, but without all the fun.

The middle section of the album though, despite the rather hackneyed nature of the first quarter of the album is perhaps the most frustrating part of all.  Every single one of these songs until Big Freeze has absolutely nothing to add to the Muse canon, and have nothing to say other than being "big filler."   You can maybe remember Follow Me as the first of the dubstep experiments on the album, but you'll be hard pressed to remember the melody otherwise.  Animals's most notable feature is that absolutely nothing interesting happens in the song until the very end, and that the choice to blow the interesting riff that Matt plays with random yelling and what I can only imagine to be somebody watching a Manchester U match in a crowded bar.  Explorer's is even worse, with absolutely nothing interesting happening in the song.    Sure it has a piano part, but there is no riff, no hook, and certainly no catch.

Big Freeze succeeds in the sense of being an experiment because it is interesting, and recalls some of the finer moments of Black Holes and Revelations without becoming to bogged down in its own self-importance.    For better or worse, it is not particularly different than the rest of tracks on this album, but at least the chorus rocks.   It has a crunchy sound and everything; and if it weren't for the big album polish that this album was given in the mastering studio, you might even pretend that you want to play that riff on the guitar sometime when you're rocking out in the living room.

Save Me, and Liquid State are the two biggest success of the album, and that is not because the bassist Chris proves himself as a formidable vocalist, but simply because by stepping back from the vocal position, and just being the guitarist, Matt remembers what it means to be in a band.   These songs remind me of Muse, and in some ways hark back to better days in Absolution.  The second of which is a more uptempo rocker, and the first is a more quiet, almost early 90s Radiohead.  (Not to mention that Muse began its existence as a media-herald Radiohead worshiper).  Regardless though, these songs feel like the band is back on Earth, and they've remembered that a hook is more important than trying to throw falsetto into every other sentence.  (And they did that on Origin of Symmetry, and it was good then too!)

The two title tracks then, are perhaps the least interesting part of the album in its entirety.  The first track is notable only for being rock meets dubstep, and I don't even remember what happened in the second track, and I just listened to it.  That's how boring they are.


I love Muse, I really do, and honestly this album falls into the same category as Black Holes and Revelations did.  They finally found themselves on the cusp of fame then, and tried to pull out "all the stops" by bringing everything but the kitchen sink.  However, like on that album, only a few of the songs really fall into the right mark, and the rest are just kind of there to remind you of how good Origin of Symmetry, or heck, even The Resistance were.

6/10

The Year 2011 - Part II - The Worst Of

First off, a note:
I realize that this post is coming to you about 4 months too late, and nobody really cares about what happened in 2011 anymore.    I still do actually care about 2011, but that is only because I am sort of crazy about music and nobody bothers to talk to me. I started writing this list up in January, but didn't get around to finishing it, as I was unfortunately busy with college-related activities and what not. So without further ado, here is a short list of things that I didn't think were the best for 2011.

Nothing is all fairies, sunshine, and happy days. The unfortunate truth of life is that some things are going to just not work out the way that you planned them, and that not everything that glitters is gold. Take that for whatever you want, but at this point I'll just stick to talking about the music of 2011 that disappointed me, because [insert deity] only knows that talking about anything else at this point is going to send me off a cliff or something like that.

I feel as though the main problem that 2011 suffered from, was the lack of anything that really tried to be anything different from anything before it. 2011 was a year of being comfortable, of being nothing surprising, and a year of looking at what was going on in the mainstream world and saying, "Yeah, I guess I'm okay with that." Few things changed, and its hard to say that an objective good or bad, but some things just are not meant to be.

Please be aware of something in this post;  these are all artists that I like.  I could write entire dissertations about the releases and bands/artists that I didn't like from 2011, but that is something that is not the same topic at all.  They cannot dissapoint, since I had no expectations from them to begin with in the first place anyways.

So here are some of the major releases that ended up floundering, going against the grain of what is reasonable, and in some cases, just simply faltering and falling flat on their faces in 2011: And of course, remember that is all coming from my limited experience and background with the current and full stylings of the current musical landscape. Let's be honest, I'm the kind of person who really doesn't understand most of the things that are happening these days. I'm not nearly as hipster as you think I am.

Glassjaw - Coloring Book EP

Here's the thing about this EP. The unfortunate truth of bands that have earned themselves the cult status in that they are the sort of band which has developed its own dedicated fan-base, that is more than willing to take and accept anything that the band does as being excellent, simply because they have been shunned from the mainstream for being too "complicated," or "misunderstood" in many ways. If you aren't familiar with the history of Glassjaw, you might find them to be a bit like the musical equivalent of relationships with their record labels, as Joss Wheddon and Firefly had with their distrubuting network (FOX). They were dropped from Roadrunner after their first album simply because the label failed to promote the album in anyway, and after eventually signing to Warner, their contract was used up through legal battles because of how the record label didn't properly utilize the band either. For most people, Glassjaw is far more of a complex machine than most people are looking for, especially when it comes to terms such as "hardcore," a genre that has mostly been associated with brainless frat-boys and the sort of people who go to class wearing that same green floursecent beanie all day long. Even when it is the middle of September.

Glassjaw made this sound unique and clever. Their first two albums, were some of the most unique and clever pieces of mainstream hardcore combined with almost jazz qualities, and bit of the avant garde placed into everything they did. They were willing to get creative, messy, and a surprisingly important part of their sound, the sheer power that the band had when they played at full force. Coloring Book takes everything that the band has made from that sound, and puts it all into left field. I'm not one of those people who is going to yell heresy and fire everytime a band makes a drastic change, but it is perfectly okay to be honest about when that change comes from a bad place, and doesn't nearly do the band justice for what its abilities are, or the bottom line, creates good music. Coloring Book sounds like a light version of the Deftones, which in its own way is a very harsh dissapointment.

 The fact that Daryl Palumbo squanders his vocal talents on the boring electronic inspired drum loops and poorly recorded guitar parts only frustrates this equation more. Don't bother listening to the cult masses who are behind the band on this, this album is just a poor experimentation, that tries to make up for the lost time since their last full-length album back in 2002. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.

Radiohead - King of Limbs
Oh well jeez! I thought you were one of those hipsters who reads pitchfork daily and has bookmarked the Kid A review which floundered about how a perfect score was not nearly enough for an album that is apparently so groundbreaking that it relates to an IMAX theater and stillbirth. (Pitchfork's words, not mine). For the better part of the 2000s, though, I have mostly been disappointed with the output that Radiohead has made since the 90s. I won't go ahead and say that I disliked In Rainbows, but that was also a major disappointment for me when it came out. (I paid free for that album, and despite the unique model that surrounded it, I am glad that I paid nothing more for the album). However, Kid A was a decent album, and Hail to the Thief was certainly the best thing that the band has done since OK Computer and The Bends. It's hard to be objective about Radiohead, because just about everybody has their own opinions of the band anyways, and there are even more opinions flying around about the people that listen to Radiohead, and blog about Radiohead on the internet.

King of Limbs unfortunately, continues down the glitchy, electronic, and poorly moaned route that In Rainbows started. What do those words mean? The sound that Radiohead had is nothing that is particularly bad in any form on this album, but its the lack of inspiration, and a failure to cover any sort of new ground, as well as the failure to understand the best talents of the band in terms of songwriting. To be frank, if I were any of the instrumentalists in Radiohead, I feel as though I would have been fed up with the shtick I was given as a result of this album. I'm sure it works great in a live setting, but that isn't something that I have daily access to on my iTunes.  My dislike of this album is almost enough to deter me from the possibility of seeing them in the near future (and a quick glance at the setlist.fm database seems to suggest that they are going to be playing tracks from this album for quite a while).


Incubus - If Not Now, When

Incubus is of course, perhaps known as establishing themselves during the late 90s, early 2000s when just about everything that you heard on the radio was terrible.  They managed to get associated with most of these sorts of bands, partly through the association of each others acts and that sort of thing, but also because they shared similar values in terms of the sound and aesthetic that they went for.  Of course, they were nothing of the nu-metaling, or alt-grunge that most of people think of during that time period, but the fact of the matter was that they were a rock band with a harder edge, and suffered the same cultural associated fate that other bands such as the Deftones suffered from.  

The truth of the matter though, is that Incubus became a stellar band, fronted by one of the best modern rock vocalists and one of the most creative guitarists in today's modern rock scene.  They are far from hipster, or anything indie, and tend to lean towards the prog-rock side of things.  Their two breakthrough albums were interesting and well written, but then the band released two fantastic albums; A Crow Left of the Murder, a fantastic modern rock tribute that was far more progressive rock than anything else, and Light Grenades, which is one of the most fantastically experimental albums you can find on a mainstream record label.

Unfortunately, the band 5 years later came out with this album, If Not Now, When?  Perhaps the most interesting part of this particular disappointment, was the fact that in an attempt to diversify themselves further, and keep themselves separate from the rest of the pack that they have been trying so hard to deviate from, they've managed to revert to a more generic sound than anything else.  This album misses all the firing's in the pistons, and simply comes off sounding wishy-washy, false, and rather boring.   The only interesting part of this album is the lead single Adolescents, and that is because it sounds like it should be on one of their previous albums rather than this one.  The entire experience of this album as a whole still continues to point towards the talents and abilities of the band, but does nothing to say a continuation of the legacy that previous albums have established; shaking the ground that Incubus had to stand on as being one of the few good alternative rock bands left.

Oceansize Breaks Up

This one is not related to any sort of album in particular, but just rather the fact that one of the best post-rock/prog rock combination bands decided to call it quits in 2011.  

I should preface this statement with a short note about the fact that although I didn't like the band's last album in 2010 (Self Preserved While the Bodies Float Up, which is a real shame, because that is just a FANTASTIC album title), Oceansize was still one of my favorite upcoming indie-ish bands with real talent and an appreciation for the long winded and progressive.    For anybody who hasn't heard the band before, think of a hybrid act between Explosions in the Sky and Tool.   That probably isn't the most accurate description of the qualities of the band, but its something that I was able to come up with on short notice anyways.

I guess what I found really disappointing about this break-up, besides the fact that one of the best young British bands breaking up in the first place, was that they never had any sort of exposure outside of Europe, and it would be truly unrealistic to think of anything otherwise now, considering the fact.   However, if you are reading this, and you are intriguing by the possibilities of epic indie post-rock songs sprawling with spacey guitars, hard riffs, and some triple guitar harmonies being played over post-rock soundscapes with a bunch of British-isms being sang over top, then you definitely need to check out the albums Everyone Into Position, and Frames.

Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist

I feel a little bad about including this album on a list of disappointments, considering the fact that most people, well I'm pretty sure anyways, would have considered this album a disappointment regardless of what had happened with it.  I haven't run across many JA fans who were particularly excited about the existence of the album, especially with the subsequent loss of the band's bassist.   The fact that Perry is in his 50s, and does more with his time managing commercial festivals rather than singing or making the band the quirky way that they so established back in the late 80s, early 90s, there really was no way that this album could have properly fired on any of the right times anyways.

And of course, the album is just as bad as you probably think it would be.   I never really listened to Strays much when it came out 10+ years after the band's pinnacle, and I can imagine that this album is only slightly worse than that.  There are still many of the same elements present that made the band special way back when, but as just about any album that comes out late after the fact, those elements remain calculated rather than the spontaneous and natural state that most of us would prefer.  

Perhaps the biggest fault on this album more than anything else, is just that it simply tries too hard to establish itself as important.  The songs themselves remain a little generic, but you can tell that this is likely the same people that penned the "classics" way back in the day.    There are no tracks that are non-listenable, and generally the songs are at least passable.    Sometimes however, when you have legacy to live up to, that isn't enough.

 
Pure Reason Revolution Breaks Up

Interestingly enough, Oceansize was not the only young, British, progressive rock influenced indie band that decided to break up in 2011.  Pure Reason Revolution, perhaps most interesting for their rather unique combination (that surfaced more in the later work rather than their earlier work) of electronica and progressive rock influenced indie bend alternative cocktail.

Pure Reason Revolution managed to release 3 albums in their rather short lifespan, each one unique, and fantastic in its own way.  My personal favorite was Amor Vincit Omnia, their very impressive and unique sophomore release.  I think what was really unique about this album, was that it felt so organic, even though the majority of the album was based around electronic beats and movements.   The way that the band combined the style of progressive rock vocals that you remember from the early 70s, with the electronic soundscape of trip-hop artists, and the more organic feel of bands such as Rush, made the album a smashing success in my book.  Their first album was a little bit more generic, progressive rock flair.  However, the band is worth listening to for their harmonies alone, and the fact that they have plenty of great songs to boot is another fantastic quality.

Likewise, the band will likely never get any sort of recognition outside of Europe, and so this is likely the last you will hear of them.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You

Few bands get the appropriate second-wind in their career like the Red Hot Chili Peppers did back in the late 90s, early 2000s.  They had previously already had a hey-day back in the early 90s and late 80s, but they managed to re-establish themselves as being a relevant rock band with that sort of funk element that has been missing from the alternative eras of the 90s.

While I still have yet to really get into anything the band has done pre-Blood Sex Sugar Magik, I really enjoyed the band's 90s and early 2000s work.  I'm by simply admitting that I think Californication was one of the best albums of the 90s, and that I personally would prefer to listen to it over their 1991 masterpiece already ruins most of the indie and hipster credibility that I have.  However, the pure nostalgia and what not that is associated with that album (not to mention, it was one of the very first albums that I ever owned that wasn't from an admittedly terrible knock-off Christian band) is a bit special to me.

However, the reason that the Peppers were able to successfully stay around despite their age and the fact that most of their audience was new fans by this point, rather than the old ones (I think most of them died due to heroin overdoses), was because they managed to create a unique and relevant sound.  For better or worse, this was mostly because of their guitar genius, John Frusciante.  Here's the thing about John.  Some band's are simply not the same without certain people being in them.  Faith No More would not have survived if it had lost Mike Patton after Angel Dust, and likewise, after the (underrated) bust that was One Hot Minute, the Red Hot Chili Peppers would not have surived if Frusciante had not decided to rejoin the band.  His presence is not unlike that of Graham Coxon in Blur.  His personality, even though it does not remain the dominant force (and we have our equivalent egotistical narcissistic personality Anothy Keidis to thank for this), the unique element of his voice in the music pushed the band from being interesting, into the unique category.  It's not unlike the Tom Morello effect.

I'm With You suffers from the same problems though that post By The Way Chili Peppers suffers from.  There is simply too much material on this album, (even though it isn't a double album unlike their previous release) and there is too much that simply sounds the same.  This album is still umistakeably RHCP, but there is one more element that you may or may not be aware of.   John Frusciante is no longer in the band, and they have this young little whipper-snapper who's name sounds like something you would make up for a new tween vampire novel.  The fact of the matter is, the rest of the band does their best to make these songs interesting, and to be honest there are some winners on this album. Brendan's Death Song, is just a fantastic cut, no matter how you look at it.  On the whole though, this album is far too dense to stand alongside the legacy that albums post- By The Way,  or even post BSSM  have to live up.

dredg - Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy

There is really no way around the fact of the matter; this is by far one of the worst albums that has been released this entire year, let alone in the last 5 years.   What makes matters worse is the band that released it.  I remember when I was 12 or 13, I found out about dredg for the first time. I was into things that were far angrier, far heavier, and far less interesting, but I still managed to discover the masterpiece that was El Cielo.   Beyond the angry screaming music of the early 2000s, dredg managed to establish  themselves as a lush, progressive rock band with a very strong indie sensibility.  The songs were beautiful, the arrangements appropriate, and aside from the rather gimmicky pretense of their first album, dredg has managed to do no wrong.

Until now.  

Imagine the sound that you have spent years perfecting; the lush arrangement of textured guitars, subwoofer worthy basslines, and the fantastic crooning of vocalist Gavin Hayes, abandoned and replaced by "beatz" and "trackz" created and perfected by Dan the Automater.  If you know anything about dredg, then you should know that this can only just be terrible.  

This album is awful.  Its not interesting to listen to.  The songs themselves are ruined by the fact that the band has abandoned what they do best for generic beats, auto-tuned vocals, and a further move towards generic, pop-stylistic songwriting.   Just go back to their previous albums, this one is not worth your time.

Still Waiting for the new Tool Album

Obviously, writing about this "dissapointment" brings up all sorts of issues regarding the sense of entitlement that fans feel they have when it comes to bands releasing music.  The fact of the matter is though, this is really not so much related to that, rather so much as it just relates to the fact that I'm just a bit bummed out from having to wait a while longer.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the most recent trends from Tool, (probably because you are all more hipster than I am), they have only released 2 albums in the last 11 years, and both of those albums came with a rather long 5 year wait between them.  Of course, since those two albums were Lateralus, and 10,000 Days, the wait between albums was worth it.   I have no intention of amping up whatever the new material the alternative prog rock masters are working up this time, but I'm sure its equally worth the wait.  Its just sort of disappointing to see all these side-projects from members of the band (mainly the most mediocore Puscifer) and having nothing to show for it.    

Likewise, looks most likely to be a major dissapointment for 2012 as well, as most sources seem to indicate that based on what little information that there cryptically is, we won't see anything from them until 2013.  

So there you have it!  A long list of things.   I'll write an article sometime this summer, talking about 2012 and the things in it that you should check out, and the things that you should be looking forward to in the rest of this year.  So far its been a rather dull year with only a few good releases, but we'll see how things look over the next month or two.

The Year 2011 - In Music - Part I - The Best of

These sort of retrospective and reflective looks on an entire year of music usually end up being sort of trite, and divulge into pointless lists that stem from somebodies narrow viewpoint on the entirety of 365 days of music. I don't really have that much of an intention to point out a long list of albums that I thought were the "best" of this year, nor do I intend to point out all the albums that didn't just quite fit into my musical library either. I understand that this post comes from my own, narrow understanding of what all was released this year, and from looks of a quick glance around the pitchfork, and thankfully narrow understanding, and I take full responsibility for not having access to every sort of musical trend, whether mainstream, independent, or thriving up on the tubes of the you, sloshing soundly to the waves of the Google ocean that is slowly incorporating itself into our lives to the point where soon we will all become dependent on what used to be the only decent search engine on the internet.

I think of 2011 and I realize that most of the music that I associate with this year are either experiences that I had from my attendance at Lollapalooza in Chicago in August, as well as realizing that most of the albums that I was anticipating at ended up being not very good, and the albums that I didn't realize were being released, ended up being the bigger surprises that have become more permanent mainstays in my music library, and listening habits for the remainder of the year, and have carried over into 2012 as well. This of course, is not to say that some albums that I was counting on being excellent ended did not actually end up excellent, and nor was every new experience at Lollapalooza a good one (and in fact, some were just downright awful. Seriously, who could possibly like Smith Westerns?) either. I'm just glad I didn't end up at seeing something that would have been truly awful, like Coldplay.

The state of music as it is now in 2011, remains a continued fall in the curve of what passes for reasonable these days. I'm fine admitting that most of what I'm saying comes from the kid who grew up listening to his dad play Pink Floyd, Boston, Queen, and Zeppelin on the stereo, and fell in love with the chug and detrimental grind of the early 90s. Of course, I only realized these influences and understandings of what I enjoyed about 7 years too late, as I was only a 2 year old when my friends in the alternative nation began spiraling towards its better demise. I've continued to work myself past the gems that I exalt, and move towards the more modern sound of the indie camps, the pitchfork readers, and trying to get a grasp on the modern hipster movement from a location that isn't particularly ideal breeding ground for anything other than country pop, and strangely enough, glam metal.

I freely, and gladly admit that I am less of an indie kid than I may appear to be. My musical snobbery stems from the ideas that are concurrent, and are woven deeply into the doctrine of the indie camps and sensibilities, but my understanding of the music itself is far more archaic. My viewpoint on most of 2011 falls into my opinion of what I have heard, been subjected to, read about, and for better or worse, actually tried to incorporate into my musical library; the indie movement has gotten bogged down in its ideals, sensibility, and has forgotten about the movement in which it stemmed from in the first place. Unfortunately optimistic, and driven more by pop-reference catch phrases than guitar licks. Groups like xx (which are not the worst I've ever heard) are forerunning a movement of "indie pop." As if to say, "I'm okay with simple music that all sounds the same, just not if you can talk about it to anybody on the street." It doens't have to actually "sound" any different to simple, earworm, corproate mainstream music anymore. Corporate mainstream found its way into indie music long ago when people started thinking that Vampire Weekend was good music.

So here is what I liked about 2011

IAMX - Volatile Times

Volatile Times is far from the best release of 2011, but this album represents something that I don't think really has been particularly present throughout most of this year. IAMX once again represents to the most unfortunate degree of a band trying to do something absolutely unique getting looked over for things that are absolutely and simply, ordinary. As perhaps one of the most cynical and dry humored album that I have heard since Mike Patton stopped releasing 3 albums a year, its a nice contrast to the light and fluffy that most of the Top 50 Spin albums seemed to incorporate for this year. Dark, brooding, electronics and an undeniable pop-sensibility that stems more Trent Reznor than it does Portished, this is a standout album despite a few musical hiccups (I didn't really like "Dance With Me" or "Into Asylum" very much) and enough clever and unique instrumentation to boot.

Standout tracks: Volatile Times, Fires and Whispers, Oh Beautiful Town

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Tao of the Dead

Despite the best efforts of The Smashing Pumpkins, prog rock was pretty much sealed to its fate of becoming non-commercial commodities at the advent of the first Linkin Park album. That is not to say it isn't dead, but you aren't going to here anything beyond 4 minutes long on any radio station that isn't a classic rock station advertising the fact that it is "special" because it plays the entire outro of Layla. ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead continues in the vein that the Smashing Pumpkins burnt out on (and never recovered enough to continue, because who really cares about Billy Corgan now that Jimmy is out of the picture), and Tao of the Dead is perhaps the best release that they have come out with so far. I saw this band back in 2009 during the "Century of Self" tour, and compared to that album, Tao represents a much more stripped down, and truly unapologetic tribute to bands like Yes and Rush. One of my early favorites from 2011

Standout tracks:
"Pure Radio Cosplay" "Ebb Away" "Strange News From Another Planet"

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See

Why should you care about this band? The Arctic Monkey's are pretty much the best thing that the indie community has for guitar driven rock (a term that is generally frowned upon now, once again, thanks Vampire Weekend), and they've pretty much established themselves as the best you can get without looking into bands that crossover into the alternative category. Suck It and See is a little bit more reserved than their first two albums, but is much more guitar driven than Humbug (in the more traditional sense at least). They put on a fantastic live show, and this album in particular shows that they're going to be one of those bands that just does what they do best, and does not care whether or not you like it. Also, their drummer just rocks so much.

Standout tracks: "She's Thunderstorms," "The Hellcat Spangled Shalala," "All My Own Stunts," and "Suck it and See."

Joy Formidable - The Big Roar

One a pure, track-by-track album, The Big Roar doesn't quite match up with some of the other contenders that I have mentioned so far, but for a relatively new band, and for the unique sort of presence and energy that this band has is one of the most refreshing experiences that I've had in a while. I first heard of this band when on a whim decision, I ended up seeing them on a Sunday afternoon slot while at lollapalooza. They only played a half-hour setlist, but managed to bring one of the best performances of the festival during that time slot. The album itself has a little too much of what it advertises; big. The album doesn't take breaks, and for the most part that is good, but a few tracks drudge on without a guiding melody, and for the most part, could have used a little quality control. However, for the most part, their unique combination of shoegazing, hard rock (as influenced by Sonic Youth), and an absolutely fantastic rhythm section which you cannot truly appreciate until you see some of the things the drummer can do live. This band could be a hard one to appreciate if you aren't okay with songs jamming on for 3 to 4 minutes, and don't have a hardwired appreciation for feedback, but for those who can manage, this is one of the most rewarding rock albums of the entire year.

Standout Tracks:
"Everlasting Spectrum of a Lie," "Abacus," "I Don't Want To See You Like This," and "Whirring"

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

I don't think I could put this album into my top 5 for 2011, but I'm adding this to my list of one of the most important releases of 2011 anyways. The best selling artist for the year 2011 was Adele, and Wasting Light was the album that finally knocked whatever her album was called from the charts. It's also the best album that they've put out since the 90s. Its not the hard hitting excitement of The Colour and Shape, nor is it the experimentation and the darkness of "There Is Nothing Left to Lose," but Wasting Light represents a band that, after faltering around for the last 10 years (for the most part), has released a refined album that does everything that modern indie music does not. Three guitarists, thick distortion, overdubbing, and boosted up, distorted bass lines? What more could you ask for? Didn't really like "White Limo" all that much though. Sorry Dave.

Standout tracks
"Bridge Burning," "Dear Rosemary," "Arlandria" and "Miss the Misery"

Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning

"The Incident" was a mediocre album at best. Well, maybe that isn't true, but after what Fear Of a Blank Planet gave the prog community, you think that maybe Steven Wilson would have tried to make some ideas that were sustainable for more than 2 minutes. For an album where the best tracks were the interludes between the actual songs, The Incident was hardly anything to write home about. Grace For Drowning however, Steven Wilson's second solo project (seperate from Porcupine Tree only in name really, as much of what is on this album could have been put into the heavier sections of some of the early 2000s Porcupine Tree), allows him a bit more room to breath. On Grace For Drowning, Steven Wilson proves that his ability to write the soothing, dream-lush pop that he has always had incorproated in the sound of Porcupine Tree is a strong as ever. His darker side also comes out, and sometimtes it is a little trite and conceited on this album, but it certainly is a much heavier and more experimental take than what he has done before. Never before has Steven Wilson flirted so much with the sounds of drone metal and ambient metal before, and the results are rather interesting. This is a difficult album, and the time commitment between some of the tracks make you wonder if there maybe could have been a little bit more quality control, but for the most part, this is a diverse, challenging, and excellent album.

Standout tracks:
"Postcard," "Deform to Form a Star," "Remainder the Black Dog," and "Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye"

Glassjaw - Our Color Green [EP]

It is a sad state of affairs when one of the best releases is not only an EP, but its an EP of songs that were originally released back in 2010, and only came out in an full format form on the first of the year. No, literally, this album came out on January 1st of 2011. Part of my inclusion of this album on the list is because, it is frankly a fantastic release, but also to remind myself that Glassjaw is still relevant, despite their second release this year which ended up being terrible except for 2 songs. (I'll talk about that more sometime later) Anyways, while this is not a full release album, it represents what should come on a Glassjaw album following the currently 9 year gap between Worship and Tribute, and whatever the hell Glassjaw are going release as their third album. It is raw, absolutely driving, and features instrumentation that pretty much blows away any other hardcore band without the words "Dillinger," "Escape," or "Plan" in their name. By far the best hardcore release of 2011.

Standout Tracks:
"All Good Junkies Go To Heaven," "Jesus Glue," and "Stars"

The Strokes - Angles

Here is an album that nobody really knew what to expect for. Of course, the single that was released before the album actually leaked to the internet community (which voices its opinions so often, although who am I to really comment about that one?) was the most "Strokes" sounding song you could possibly think of. And while it was one of the best songs released all year, it failed to truly represent the album under the best of conditions. In some ways, this was a bit of a disappointment, as I'm okay with admitting that I was hoping more Room On Fire than I was a 2000s tribute to The Cars, but I can still confidently say that this is one of the best albums of 2011. Its a bit jagged around the edges, and for the most part, The Strokes have overcome any sort of notion that they are this "garage" band anymore (although I really do appreciate that there is nobody on backing vocals in their live show, and that it's all Julian, which in a strange way is rather refreshing). They're a bit overblown, and it seems inappropriate to think of them as a worldwide band rather than a distillation of New York City, but if you are okay with getting your hands dirty on a little bit of tribute to the 80s and a little bit of grungy Julian Casablancas trying his best to become the most swaggered vocalist since Liam Gallagher, you'll love this album as much as I did.

Standout Tracks:
"Machu Pichu," "Undercover of Darkness," "Taken For a Fool," and "Metabolism"

The White Stripes - Breaking Up
No, this isn't an album, and I'm pretty sure that the White Stripes didn't actually release anything in 2011, but that is pretty much the reason why I am including this little post about them. The fact that one of the worst bands that has ever existed, (and probably my personal least favorite band ever) broke up in 2011 is enough of a reason to get excited about music again.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Unlike other years where I have thought back upon what all was released, there really wasn't any album in particular that struck me as the "best" album of 2011. That being said, I think the album that has stuck with me the most, and has impressed me the most, although for a lack of understanding as to why I should have been impressed (in the paraphrase of Noel, he doesn't write bad songs), was Noel Gallagher's solo release. Certainly its a bit of a different beast without the swagger of Liam as everyone has noted, but the more important thing about this album is understanding that it was Noel the whole time really. One review I read claimed his voice was pedestrian at best, but that is perhaps from a more British source, a land that has produced far more Mick Jaggers and Roger Waters than it has Brad Delps. The beauty of this album, is the simplicity of the music that Noel has created. Its only 10 tracks long, and judging from some of b-sides that I have heard, it should have included a few more songs (because once again, Noel has released some of his best material on b-sides, an ancient practice that should be abolished immediately), but what we have here is its purest form of everything that the indie community currently lacks. Experience, thick guitars, and the downtrodden passion of a man truly in love with music.

Standout tracks:
"Everybody on the Run," "Dream On," "If I Had a Gun...", "AKA... Broken Arrow," and "Stop the Clocks." Also download the B-side "A Simple Game of Genius"



Next time:

I'll talk about my disappointments of 2011, and my general disenchantment with many of the reasons behind said disappointments in another blog post sometime. This one is already a bit too long and convoluted, but until then, happy listening~