Top Albums of 2011

Without further ado, here's my top albums of 2011.





10.
Bon Iver
Bon Iver






When I first heard For Emma, Forever Ago a few years ago, I was startled by how lonely the music was. It was as if there was a single fire burning in the middle of a barren tundra, and that fire had one hell of a falsetto. With his sophmore release, Bon Iver still has that fantastic voice, but instead of a frigid atmosphere, he gives us a heaping helping of straight up indie, while still holding onto everything that allowed For Emma to be such a strong record. You can even hear some cautious optimism this time, and for that we are thankful.





9.
Radiohead
The King of Limbs






It's never blatantly obvious exactly what Radiohead is trying to acomplish. Leaning more to the electronic side of their sound, Radiohead surprised a lot of people with The King of Limbs, especially when it followed the wildly successful In Rainbows. Yet it's not what comes before or what comes after that an album should be judged by, but rather by what it is in and of itself. And by that logic, The King of Limbs is a fantastic (albeit brief) collection of electronic-laced alternative rock that could easily stand out even among a discography as heavy as Radiohead's. And I'm not just saying that because Thom Yorke's dancing in the Lotus Flower music video is gorgeous.





8.
The Dear Hunter
The Color Spectrum






This was hard to digest at first. It seemed overwhelming, the sheer volume of material released at once. But when you really started to break it down, you could see that each one of these EP's, each color, was terrific. Couple that with the fact that there was 8 (!) in total, and you can really see that The Dear Hunter did something special here, and despite it's enormous size, it really deserves repeated listens.





7.
Foo Fighters
Wasting Light






"Oh, the Foo Fighters released another album? News to me. And it's good? Well, shit, I guess I'll listen to a little bit of it." Best decision I made all year. Not only was the new Foo Fighters' album good, it ranks right up there with the best albums they've released. Not one single track sticks out as mediocre, something that has plagued the band in the past. Hard rock done right, the Foo Fighters succeed where other bands in the genre fall short. Plus they have Dave Grohl. That helps.





6.
Chevelle
Hats Off to the Bull






There's something to say here about progress. Following Chevelle through the years has been rather predictable, as with every 11 track release we get the same Chevelle, heavy riffs with Loeffler wailing his cryptic lyrics giving each song a much needed melodic base. This is no different. Yet with the lack of progress we get quite the refinement in songwriting. The maturity of the band is clearly evident throughout, and it allows for that lack of progress to be overlooked, and even preferred. Hats off to sticking to your guns and learning to draw better.





5.
Thrice
Major/Minor






Being around the block as long as Thrice has, it's natural for a band to get tired of trying to be something else every couple of years. Sometimes you just want to sit back and make some tunes, and not reinvent the wheel. That's what I see Major/Minor as for Thrice, a relaxing of the constraints for a band that really just wants to make some rock music, and the result is wonderful. The passion is back and the music is tight. It's just Thrice being Thrice.





4.
Manchester Orchestra
Simple Math






When Manchester Orchestra released the title track from this album, Simple Math, I was taken aback. It was an indie masterpiece, and certainly foretold of an LP to match, right? Unfortunately, not quite. What Manchester Orchestra delivered was an excellent album, nothing more, nothing less. It cements them at the top of the alternative indie pile for years to come, to be certain, it just didn't quite live up to what a few of the highlights suggested it would be. Maybe next time.





3.
La Dispute
Wildlife






This is so freakin' depressing. It takes your soul and sucks it out, steps on it a few times, defecates on it, and hands it back to you. And after all that, you still can't help but thank it for being so damn wonderful. The musicianship and cohesiveness has improved vastly from Somewhere at the Bottom, and their story telling has elevated them to places few bands dare to reach. This is one of those bands that at first repel with their abrasiveness, but if you can see past it, there is a treasure underneath.





2.
Frank Turner
England Keep My Bones






I can't really put my finger on the reason I was hesitant to give Frank Turner a shot. Something about his name I guess, reminded me of some old, washed up "rock" star who was far past his prime. And there, my friends, is where we finally find out that I'm a fucking idiot. He truly is a gifted songwriter, and his folk-tinged rock'n'roll is clearly something that deserves to be admired. While with this release he seems to move away from his music-off-the-cuff style of previous albums and his development of songs becomes more apparent, it still astounds me how real and geniune he sounds. Of all the rock stars in the world, there is not one person I would rather have a beer with than Frank Turner.





1.
Fair to Midland
Arrows & Anchors






RIKKI TIKKI. Even I laughed the first time I heard that, so don't be too worried if you couldn't stifle your own. Regardless, this album was far and away my most anticipated album of the year, and it sure as hell didn't disappoint. It took all the expectations left by Fables and left them in pieces on the floor. From start to finish, Arrows & Anchors is an ingenious venture into alt, metal, and progressive euphoria that I have never seen rivaled. Each song is crafted to perfection, creating a whirlwind of activity that re-emerges new and exciting upon every spin. There is no way I could try to describe it and do it justice, other than to say it is amazing. To put it simply, it's the best album of 2011.


Thanks for taking time to read this. Hopefully next year can live up to what this year has so easily accomplished.

-Caleb, aspiring awful pro video game player.

A Lesson in Genres

When someone asks you what kind of music you like, how long does it take you to answer? I'm sure for most of you it's pretty easy, with the "Oh, I'm a metalhead" or "Hip-hop 4 life". What if I said that my favorite music included Alternative Folk and Post-Hardcore. What the hell does that even mean? Are those actual genres? Are they even necessary, who listens to stuff like that anyway? Well the thing is, when you start do delve deeper into music, the lines between various types of music starts to blur, and the only way to accurately seperate different types from each other is to create smaller, more specific genres.

Now, I completely understand that not everyone cares all that much about genres. That's fine. I have absolutely no issue with ignorance over this often obscure way to classify music. However, I do have an issue with people trying to claim that a certain band is of a certain genre without even knowing what that genre actually entails. That brings me to a thesis statement of sorts, and it's something that I've been preaching for years now.

Just because a band has harsh vocals, doesn't mean it's @#$%ing screamo.

In fact, there is probably nothing that contributes less to the genre classification of a band then the vocal style. Sure, it's the first thing most people who listen to mainstream music listen for in an artist, but theres only so many ways to successfully sing/scream to differentiate yourself. That's when you turn to the rest of the music, you know the guitar and stuff (go figure), to figure out what the hell you're listening to. So now I'm going to take you on a little journey to give you a small insight into why these genres are, in fact, needed, and in the process maybe introduce all of you who don't like screaming in music to some form you could actually enjoy.

The punk rock movement is really where the idea of harsh vocals began. If it wasn't for the early days of punk, there is a reasonable chance that screaming wouldn't even be included in music. Hardcore punk, or just hardcore, began by using the standard punk guitar tones and song structures and speeding them up, and in the process added a certain level of ferocity. This was a perfect place to funnel anger, and gave screaming a real solid foundation to build upon. Hardcore punk is still around today in full force, and one of the leading bands in the genre is Touche Amore.

After awhile the Hardcore genre could be seen flagging a bit, and this is where we get the seperation that leads us to the music we have today. There is Post-Hardcore, which keeps the standard guitar tones but slows down the overall music a good bit, and adds in clean (singing) vocals to help eliminate the edge. Here's a brilliant example of this balance, Emery.

The most popular offshoot of Hardcore is Metalcore. And it does exactly what the name suggests. Takes the standard of Hardcore and adds in the metal elements of guitars and drumming styles. A lot of the popular metal bands at this time (Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium) started as metalcore bands before transferring to a much more mainstream metal sound. Currently one of the most popular metalcore bands is August Burns Red.

As you can see, none of these bands actually sound the same, regardless of their harsh vocals. It's like comparing Rhianna to The Tallest Man on Earth just because they both sing. And to top it all off, none of these bands are ACTUALLY screamo, which is another genre in and of itself. So next time you go to call a band "screamo" just because they SCREAM, don't. It just makes you look silly.

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Follow me on twitter at @calebuseswords and tell me what genres you hate when people mislabel. Next week I should be reviewing the new Chevelle, and at some point before the end of the year I'll be releasing my albums of the year list. Thanks for reading.

-Caleb, he who found out that when life gets you down, all you have to do is just keep swimming.

Covers

Hey everyone. And by everyone I mean those few people who actually read this damn thing. And by few people that read this damn thing I mean that guy who was just randomly searching for a band I mentioned on the internet and found my blog and said "Heh, that's cool" before moving onto the next website and not bookmarking me. That bastard.

But it's really no big deal. This is kind of a way for me to channel my thoughts for awhile and do something creative in my set-in-stone life. It's nice to be able to express myself through a means that really is different from the everyday routine. Yet by allowing myself this it also creates a bit of an expectation. An expectation to actually make myself to sit down and write something new and fresh every week so that I can keep my readers entertained. And by readers I mean myself and that bastard.

I guess it's the same way for bands. At the beginning it's fun, a way to express themselves and let loose. Spread a message and share feelings. Yet everytime they are forced to go back to the drawing board to write some fresh material, it gets harder and harder. This creates an interesting gap between musical passion and it actually being their "job". Then something frightening starts to occur, because when that passion is lost, there are times where the uniqueness and thrill of the music starts to go with it.

It's a wonder that more bands haven't tried covering things. It satisfies the fans of the band by giving them more material to salivate over, as well as giving the band themselves the new perspective of taking something already established and changing it around enough to make it something truly their own. It's a new challenge that can hopefully open the eyes to see what others have done in the past, as well as possibly breaking through barriers that had been pigeonholing a band into a certain genre. This is the sort of progression that bands need to see to stay relevant, as well as keep from becoming stuck in a routine.

If a cover is done right, the song should become a completely seperate entity. For example, when Johnny Cash did a cover of Nine Inch Nail's song "Hurt", people began to forget that it was even a cover at all, some going even as far to as claiming falsly that NIN's version was actually the cover. Then of course Christian hard rocker's RED covered "Ordinary World", the classic from Duran Duran, and brought in a sadness that wasn't really prevalent in the original, while still keeping close enough to its roots as to not forget them.

Some songs were just made to be covered over and over again. Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen has been covered by hundreds of artists over the years (most famously by Jeff Buckley), and has stood the test of time as one of the greatest songs ever written. This version is done acousticly by Alter Bridge's lead singer Myles Kennedy, and is my personal favorite.

Remixes are another thing entirely. I was never sold on them until recently, when Radiohead offered up their entire new LP to electronic artists to be remixed as they pleased. The results were astounding. I recently discovered that a song from last week's blog post was remixed by Polaris at Noon, to astounding results.

Are there any covers you guys adore? As always, please feel free to share anything with me as I would love to have any feedback at all. I'm on twitter @calebuseswords and feel free to add me on facebook. Oh, and if that bastard comes back, f#$%ing bookmark me.

Use Your Words

Back again. No need to explain absence, seeing as it was as a result of laziness more then anything. So recently I made a twitter (follow me if you like @calebuseswords), and I noticed that I could include a blog/website in my biographical info. Thus, I'm back here and hoping to be around for awhile. My first post in my great return will be the first in a series of excursions into the land of lyrics. I'm gonna call it Use Your Words.

First, I'll talk about man I've been whoring out for the past couple of weeks who mixes brutal honesty with subtle imagery in a way I really didn't think was possible. Hailing from Australia (another great Australian!), Paul Dempsey is the lead singer of a band called Something about Kate, and has also released a rather successful solo effort. Each song on his debut LP is tremendously well-written, but there are just some moments that stick out far above the rest. One of my favorites is from the debut single from the album, that blatantly spells out emotions we've all felt at one time or another.

"Cause I know no quicker way, dear

To the shiny gates of hell

Than a room full of handsome devils

Comparing everything to everything else

They just keep coming on

Like a driverless train

I can think of nothing adorable to say

It's half past the hour, looks like rain

Do you like me? Can I go now?"

Of course, it's not always about emotion. Sometimes bands like to tell a story. With lyrics typically resembling poetry, La Dispute has some of the greatest single song stories of the last several years. With the release of their most recent LP Wildlife, La Dispute has added several of these such songs to their repetoire, and none is more abrasive and jarring then the epic King Park. It tells the story of a drive by shooting gone horribly tragic when the gunman misses his mark and hits an innocent bystander. The climax of the song sends chills down my spine every damn time I hear it.

"Can I still get into heaven if I kill myself?

Can I still get into heaven if I kill myself?

Can I ever be forgiven cuz I killed that kid?

It was an accident I swear it wasn't meant for him!

And if I turn it on me, if I even it out, can I still get in or will they

Send me to hell?

Can I still get into heaven if I kill myself?"

Last but not least is Thrice. Thrice has always been terrific with their songwriting, and Major/Minor was no exception. The standout track, Words in the Water, speaks in a metaphor of being drowned under the weight of something bigger then yourself. Upon the resolution of the narrator's perdicament, he details the feelings of the removal of his strife.

"I felt white and black reverse

And the lifting of a curse from my heart

Then like one receiving sight

I beheld a brilliant light in the dark"

Rise Against - Endgame Review

After a very long hiatus from the world of blogging, I feel I should step up to the challenge and try once again to help people drop the terrible music infesting their lives and show them to the world of good tunes. I will be changing my setup a bit from the previous incarnation, hopefully allowing me to add more to my repertoire. I will be posting a new blog post each week (or close to it) which will contain either a) a review of a recently released album, b) an introduction to a new emerging band that you have most likely not heard of, or c) address a music based argument/misconception/idea that has come to me recently.

As always any feedback is appreciated, and any ideas for reviews (or anything else for that matter) would be sweet.

This week I’m going to start with a review of Rise Against’s newest LP, called Endgame.

When it comes to a band like Rise Against, it’s a pretty decisive split between those who enjoy their old sound versus their new sound. With every subsequent album released by the band, they move in a more mainstream direction. Appeal to Reason saw Tim McIllrath adopting a “nicer” vibe, leaving the screams of past albums for a much catchier, smooth-edged vocal delivery that was only hinted at previously. As the follow up to Rise Against’s most successful album, The Sufferer and the Witness, Appeal to Reason was seen as a bit of a disappointment to longtime fans. So with the release of Endgame, their new LP, the question was would Rise Against go back to their origins, or forge ahead in the realm of the mainstream?

Well, it’s been made pretty clear that no retracing of steps will be happening here. Throughout all of Endgame, McIllrath’s vocals are almost identical to that which laced its predecessors. It’s due to this that Endgame seems to be a lot of what we have already heard before. As with Sufferer and Appeal, the vocals are really the focal point of each song. The chorus lines are still very catchy, although maybe not as much as in Appeal, and tend to stick in your head for days after listening. Yet without the change of pace presented by McIllrath’s former delivery style, each song starts to blend together, leaving us without any clear distinction between them (although, there is a good bit more screaming here then there was on Appeal). This also causes some of the passion of previous releases to be lost, making some of the sentiments displayed in the lyrics seem less impactful.

That’s not to say Rise Against doesn’t mean everything they say. Each album they try to tackle some of the issues of the time, standing up to the man as it were. It’s through these avenues that Rise Against show that they aren’t giving in to the music industries demands. In “Desparity by Design”, they attack those who have received a hand up in life with really working for it, asking “Is this a handout undeserved or a just reparation?” Then in “Make it Stop (September’s Children)” they take a stand for the LGBT community by calling for an end to the hate based on sexual preference and (in a very emotionally powerful move) list off some of the names of young men who committed suicide due to the bullying.

Guitar work and drumming have remained a constant throughout the years for Rise Against. Both keep a fairly constant, frenetic pace throughout the album, which helps up the tempo and excitement that is lost through the slower, steadier vocals. Sometimes certain riffs come off as copies of previous ones, leaving us wondering if the idea train might be slowing down a bit, yet it’s not enough to detract from their infectious nature.

Rise Against’s Endgame may not be what older fans of the band are looking for, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad album. Song after song is well constructed to do exactly what Rise Against wants: call attention to something important in the world, and give us something to sing about along the way. While it may not stand out among one of Rise’s best releases, it’s definitely another solid one from the quartet that leaves us with enough good material to merit a few occasional spins in the stereo.

Recommended Tracks:

This is Letting Go

Disparity by Design

Satellite

3.5/5