This is not a Best-Of. This is a list of albums i discovered/re-discovered/enjoyed over the course of the past year. Feel free to post your soundtrack to the year, either songs or albums, in the “Comments” area.
Converge – Axe to Fall: i've been a fan of Converge since Jane Doe and this album continues the lineage of excellent albums released by Converge. This band is worthy of the hype and the praise they receive. They sound unlike any other band in the bloated metalcore/hardcore/whatever the heck genre they want to be.
Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come: i have to confess that i had not heard this album until early this year, and boy was i dumb to sleep on this. A legendary album in the punk/hardcore genres, and for good reason. Refused bring in jazzy and electronic influences and meld them with punk beats and hardcore attitude to create a masterpiece that influenced your favorite band.
Between the Buried and Me – Colors/the Great Misdirect: i can’t pick between these two albums; both are incredible examples of progressive metal/every-damn-genre of music melded together to create an excellent piece of art. Colors plays as one long, complex piece of music, and the Great Misdirect just slays.
Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown: Although not the band’s best album, it is still much better than most other contemporary pop/rock bands. Just a fun, emotional American rock and roll album.
Harvey Milk - A Small Turn of Human Kindness: Worlds apart from the party rock of Kings of Leon, we have a funeral rock album here. One long, slow, sludgy song with depressing lyrics and dirty guitars, start-stop drumming, and straight-from-the-gut moan vocals. A must hear.
Jimmy Eat World – Clarity: The pinnacle in independent guitar rock albums, this collection still holds up after all these years. Hear it if you haven’t yet.
mewithoutYou – Catch for Us the Foxes: Thanks to Gilead Media’s vinyl re-press of this album, i was finally able to listen to my favorite album by my favorite band on wax. Brimming with songs of spiritual and emotional turmoil, longing for GOD and love, and more literary allusions than your college literature class, this album is another example of a must-hear, if only because it doesn’t sound like anything else.
Thrice – Illusion of Safety: My friend once called Thrice “the most talented band,” and this album tends to back up his claims. This is post-hardcore/punk/whatever the kids call it done very well. The band mixes heaviness with catchiness and technicality better than most. Thoughtful lyrics and themes only add to the beauty and power of this album.
Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde: My favorite album from Dylan; legendary for a reason.
the Smiths – the Queen is Dead: You could really put any Smiths/Morrissey album here, as i love everything they’ve done. Another example of incredible lyrics and songcraft. Emotional, humorous, depressing, beautiful.
Other bands i'm digging lately:
Between the Buried and Me
the Number Twelve Looks Like You
Fear Before the March of Flames
the Chariot
Copeland
Thrice
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