dad

i miss you so much dad. not in a sad way. everything is a little less reasonable without you.  despite EVERYTHING that was always stacked against you, you really were something for me that no one else could ever be. 

top 5 albums of 2011

what a ridiculously great year for music. 2011 was musically incredible for two big reasons. first, there were simply a lot of good albums that came out. many of my favorite bands released albums this past year, and even if a lot of them didn’t come close to the top of the list, the anticipation of everything was a lot of fun and the over-saturation of new releases that kept coming just made it feel like there was no end. the second reason 2011 was so incredible for me was that i noticed a substantial shift in my tastes for the first time in a very long time, which was both rejuvenating and challenging as a listener all at the same time. i believe my top 5 will reflect some of the shifting in my palate, as well as provide some standard rock and roll fare one would expect from uncle johnny.

before we get started let me just offer two disclaimers: narrowing down my list was extremely difficult - i was set on the top 4 pretty easily but number 5 could have been any of about 5 or 6 albums. also, i feel far from confident that other albums released this year i didn’t get to quite yet wouldn’t oust a few of my lower ranking choices.  that said, here we go…

5. Obscura - Omnivium

i must admit that this choice comes more from my head than my heart, but this album has to be recognized. it would be very easy to be so technical and fail miserably but somehow, these guys pull it off tremendously. a challenging listen at first, it’s also not too terribly difficult to find “the song” in every track in my opinion. 5 or 6 years ago, i was lauding between the buried and me for making great technical metal songs - but these guys take that idea to an entirely new and intense level that’s much truer to death metal than to hardcore/metalcore (as with a lot of btbam). there’s just so much to listen for, but there’s also much excitement, continuity, and brutality at the same time on songs like “septuagint” and “ocean gateways”; the end of the latter being such a fine example of a technical death metal band knowing when to lay down a thick, unforgiving chug part and keeping it interesting and fresh. i’d be lying if i said that i’ve thoroughly explored every corner of this album from top to bottom, but i’m enjoying the journey and can’t imagine what more a heavy band would have to do to be recognized as a “tops of the year” candidate. one of my favorite things about this album is the good balance between death metal and old-school melodic metal elements/thrash style riffing. not to mention the classical-music calibre musicianship. getting so much more into metal this year, there’s an awful lot i’ve become very interested in based on guitar work alone. “celestial spheres” is no exception to this! incredible!  [edit 01.18.11: i felt compelled to add that, after digesting this wonderful album a bit more, my acclaim stands firm but i am NOT a fan of track 07 - velocity. particularly the chorus. much MUCH too much like music that sounds like it should be the soundtrack for wizards casting spells. you could make that same argument for other parts of this record, but no moreso than at that point. cheers!]

4. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

music has been an inseparable part of my core being my entire life. the older i get though, the harder it is for me to FEEL something - for something to be so powerful that it sort of breaks through my outer shell, if you will. i went through a very difficult period when i first got this album, and i must say that it flat-out haunted my soul when i was spending some time alone, reflecting. look, everything that surrounds justin vernon is repellant for me: i hate the “indie rock/critic scene” and all the hype therein, but there’s nothing touching me about this guy’s songwriting other than the magic inside of it.  the brilliance of “perth”, “minnesota, wi”, “holocene”, “michicant”, and “beth/rest” -  a track which i almost always have to play 2 or 3 times in a row - is just plain devastating in the most personal and pleasurable way possible. i came into this record skeptical, expecting nothing - but i must say: A+, outstanding.

3. Decapitated - Carnival Is Forever

at some point in the mid to late 90s, meshuggah put out some albums that seem to have polarized metal fans the way that hot water music’s catalogue has polarized punk rockers. now, if any punk rock band comes along with a gruff vocal, they’re HWM part twenty-five. hey, i’m not a metal expert, but a lot of people hated on this record and to me some of the write-offs were unwarranted (to be fair, the album HAS received a fair share of acclaim).  in my opinion, this band has done something killer with their genre here, it sounds fresher and more urgent than i’ve ever heard it. this may be because of the fact that, while i’m familiar with metal - i’m all but a novice to the death metal world.  that said, between the bending almost-melody at the end of “the knife” and the absolutely killer, seemingly out-of-nowhere celestial solo in “homo sum”, the spastic riffing into rolling chorus of “a view from a hole” - there is more than enough here to keep this death metal release punishing AND interesting. besides, the heavy parts are so good! the rhythm is addicting, and the guitar work is played with such an undeniable fluidity - a total pleasure.  even beyond the guitar work, the musicianship as a whole on this album is completely stunning. a perfect, balanced marriage between the complexity of the rhythms, disciplined, natural playing, and outstanding production. all of this without mentioning the incredible story behind this record which was released only after the death of Vitek - an immense talent, vital songwriting element of the band, and BROTHER to guitarist Vogg.  i have no words to capture the amount of respect i have for a man who has such a passion for his own music that he would overcome what he did in order to re-channel and rerelease his passion and craft - ESPECIALLY with a sound that is much less accessible than the sound of other artists. i love this album, and have a tremendous respect for how it ACTIVELY got me back into metal - exploring more of it, asking more of it, everything. i have a lot of praise to give this album, but i’ll finish with this before i ramble too long: if you are a fan of heavy music - GET THIS.

2. Half Hearted Hero - Running Water EP

i’ve decided that it’s better to go straight to the source to experience HHH, rather than try to describe them to someone. earlier in the week, the band posted something about what they “poured into” this release, and although it’s just an EP - the fact that they’re receiving some recognition for it has been satisfying for them because of all the hard work. normally i wouldn’t put an EP in my “best albums of” list, but one listen to this record and you’ll see why it’s here. these six songs will lay such a heavy statement on your heart with every single listen. much like other albums on my list, a band could attempt to do what this band does and just be so destined to fail miserably. HHH’s ability to make pop songs that incorporate smart technicality, blistering speed, and the warmest sincerity make them one of my favorite bands in the whole world. an EP - yes. but this release is a moment in time, a huge musical statement - something that may wind up as their defining moment. i’d guess that they may never top it but they outdo themselves every time they release new music. i can’t wait to hear what’s next from these new england underdogs. thankful for this record, and enjoying every minute of the ride.

1. Polar Bear Club - Clash Battle Guilt Pride 

while this will probably surprise no one, i have to admit that while i was of course a fan of 2009’s “chasing hamburg”, for me it was a low point in the band’s catalog. the songs were great but they lost a sort of shining brilliance that the band effortlessly swayed into so often on their earlier releases. it was an album based more on face value elements of power and hooks.  coming away from that, i had mild expectations for CBGP but i mentioned to a friend that i sort of suspected something epic from PBC this time around.  as soon as i heard “pawner” open this album, i was smiling like a kid at christmas: i knew i was indeed in for something very special. and one after another, the songs deliver and do so very deeply. there is not a bad track on this album.  the guitar parts that this band comes up with seem to sort of map a path around my musical heart.  between the riffs that flow and the ones that deliciously stutter a bit, each note seems to tear at me all while allowing me to enjoy the song as a whole.  very difficult to pick standout tracks, because they are ALL excellent.  i will have to mention “screams in caves”, the anthem of the record, of course, as well as “i’ll never leave new york” (what an AWESOME touch from the somber, tempered verse to the bleeding-heart chorus) and the WONDROUS closing trilogy of “slow roam” (an early favorite when digesting this record), “religion on the radio”, and “3-4 tango”.  i continue to brag about this band as ”punk rock for grownups”. it’s ironic that they’re actually a few years younger than me, because on this record more than ever the band sounds and feels like they were formed to create music just for me. 

mentionables:

living with lions - holy shit

origin - entity

the horrible crowes - elsie

touché amoré - parting the sea between brightness and me

ulcerate - the destroyers of all

revocation - chaos of forms

skeletonwitch - forever abomination

kids icarus - s/t EP

daytrader - last days of rome EP

machine head - unto the locust

counterparts - the current will carry us

moving mountains - waves

5 of the best songs from 2011

half hearted hero - samaritan pact

living with lions - regret song

the horrible crowes - ladykiller

the swellers - best i ever had

decapitated - the knife

6 or 7 other songs you should check out

touché amoré - ~

the offseason - 15 minutes of lame

origin - conceiving death, purgatory

revocation - conjuring the cataclysm, chaos of forms (title track, last two minutes)

transit - i’ve never told that to anyone

daytrader - kill my compass

5 favorite newly discovered artists of 2011

nasum

daytrader

obscura

origin

skeletonwitch/revocation (tie)

1 really great album that just isn’t my favorite style

deafheaven - roads to judah