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.