Alright, now that the year in music has pretty much wrapped up and as critics release their lists, I have to MTGSalvation for their favorites of the year. I felt it was a good year, overall, and will share my top 10. Before I do so, I merely would like to express my discontent with Pitchfork's list, a source that, all the criticisms aside, generally is pretty in-tune with my tastes. Unfortunately, they decided to award two of the worse albums of the year and definitely the worst trend in indie music, that which is known as Animal Collective and its offshoots. Sorry, but I am somewhat frustrated with it and needed to rant. My list:
1. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire: Epic in every single way. In my book it is a classic. I am confident I will be listening to it in ten years; while it is condemnation of our world today, its message really is eternal.
2. Boxer - The National: I think it is probably the best album of the year, even if I did not have the emotional with it as I did with Neon Bible. Musically it is the best thing they have done and the voice can not be beat.
3. The Good, the Bad, & the Queen - The Good, the Bad, & the Queen: It sounds great. Really, really great.
4. In Rainbows - Radiohead: The least challenging thing Radiohead has done in recent memory shows that Radiohead is capable of simply being a good band.
5. Leaves in the River - Sea Wolf: I have no idea why these guys have no been discovered yet, but the sound is pretty impressive and some of the best melancholy I have heard all year.
6. In Our Bedroom After the War - Stars: It has an intimate feel to it and voices that make it the best pop album of the year.
7. Andorra - Caribou: Again, it simply sounds really good to me and has a really lost quality to it that doesn't go too overboard (The Field, much?) but does give you a sort of sublime feeling.
8. American Gangster - Jay-Z: Not relying on inane hooks like pretty much everyone else in hip-hop today, the album actually showcases rapping. The rapping being clever and skillful doesn't hurt either.
9. Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem - This really does go to the two songs in the middle, respectively the third and first best songs of the year. The rest of the album does deliver though, even if the rest does not succeed to the lengths of "Someone Great" and "All My Friends."
10. Graduation - Kanye West - The opposite of Jay-Z, while not as skilled in actual rapping, the technical skill and the production here were amazing.
Black Kids' EP would be here except that it is an EP and all. So, how about all of you? And please don't give me the "there is no good music these days" until you have heard at least my top two albums.
Well, I've only purchased four albums that were released this year, so I'll rank them:
1. In Rainbows - Radiohead: Just a great album, and I wasn't expecting it to be released until next year. All of the songs on the first disc turned out better than the original live versions, except for Videotape. The studio version of Videotape is good, but I much prefer the original. Still waiting for my discbox to arrive though
2. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire: Much better than Funeral. I like the darker tone. I'm glad I listened to this before I bought their debut.
3. Volta - Bjork: Kind of an odd album for her really. Seems much less personal than much of here work. Less moody and more fun.
4. Zeitgeist - Smashing Pumpkins: Kind of a dissapointment. The songs are decent individually, but they're all pretty similar. Nothing really stands out to me from this disc.
SorryGuy, i have to disagree with you. I feel that this has been one of the most dismal years for music in quite a few years. I feel that the majority of new music this year is actually from albums coming out last year and most new music is generally sub par. Though i am not familiar with some of the music you have listed, i will give it a shot in the future. Here is my top ten list.
1. Graduation- Kanye West: this album is what release therapy was last year. It is a well produced album that has a solid mix of dance beats and rap. in a technical sense he is better than Jay-Z, in a Lyrical sense he's not.
2.Sawdust- This CD actually surprised me with The Killer's giving us another view of their variety and range they are capable of.
3. It won't be soon before long- Maroon Five- another solid rock cd, Maroon 5 has certainly advanced and grown as a rock band.
4. Echo's, Silence, Patience and Grace- Foo Fighters- Its the Foo Fighters so you know that the sound is going to be classic but not boring.
5. American Gangster- See SorryGuy's description
6. Exile on Mainstream- Matchbox 20 - though this album is a best of, it's songs are still timeless and the new songs available on the album are worth it.
7. Introducing Joss Stone- Joss Stone- She may be the Joan Baiz or Stevie Nicks of our time. Her voice is angelic and her lyrics are interesting. She needs to get a better producer, but her sound is still great.
8. Lost Highway- Bon Jovi- If Have a Nice day was dissapointing, this makes up for it. "till we aint stranger's anymore" is one of the most soul full songs of the year, i love LeAnne Rimes on it
9. Finding Forever- Common- just like with Be , he is back to his roots. this album is slightly weaker then Be but has a more earthy sound that puts a contrast to Jay-Z on American Gangster and Kanye's Spaz attacks on Graduation.
10. Minutes to Midnight- Linkin Park- this is how bad the year has been. Linkin park makes it back onto the list with their worst album yet (i love linkin park). I respect them for trying the new sound, and this album is still a solid rock cd.
Rap is slowly dying. I yearn for the days when Jay-Z and Nas were actually trying to one up each other constantly. Fifty Cent did not bring the fight this year, The album makes me feel that Fifty has lost it, all his songs sound the same. There only should be 3 albums even in contention for best rap album this year, (kanye, jay and Common). Overall i feel that we are losing a lot of potential in the rap category and may be on the way to losing a valuable form of musical expression.
1. Radiohead - In Rainbows: Hands down the best album of the year. There is not a single bad track on the main album, and the discbox (which I just got today!) is magnificent, even though some of tracks are not as enveloping as the first disc's. [That said, the discbox does have the best song between the two - Last Flowers to the Hospital.]
2. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight: Personally, my favorite of thier three albums, this one stood out because it was toned down, there was less rapping, and there were more melodies. As a fan of softer stuff, it was especially nice to hear Mike sing on In Between - the standout track.
3. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace: A very solid journey through the modern face of rock. Grohl definately has mastered the soft-loud sound, and it sounds suprisingly refreshing after 6 albums. Nonetheless, the album's best track was still its first single - The Pretender.
4. Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High: Emo may be dying (thank god!), but Fall Out Boy has managed to creep into the mainstream pop world. While I would have rather they embraced a more rock or indie side, this album is still a fine addition, and I find myself playing them more than I think I do. Best track - Hum Hallelujah.
5. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank: It seems hard to have imagined that Modest Mouse would ever have an album hit #1 on a large chart, yet this one did. While thier sound is worse than it was pre-huge popularity gains, the album is still very solid. Best track - Little Motel.
I'd write more, but I find myself increasingly disatisfied with the music, unworthy of a top 10 list. Nonetheless, here are the rest of the albums, unworthy as they may be.
6. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
7. Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City
8. The Good, the Bad, & the Queen - The Good, the Bad & the Queen
9. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
10. Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead
All in all, a sad year for music, although I am rather ignorant of most rap and R&B, since I'm not all that fond of that style of music. Hopefully next year will be better, with new albums from Coldplay & U2. (As long as they stay true to thier word.)
QFT.
It's too bad, really, that this will never be a single (they don't want it to be - too personal) - it's likely the best song they've ever done. Great song.
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All list fail for one reason, I see no Daft Punk - Alive 2007
Whats better than Daft Punk mash-ups, Daft Punk mashing there own songs live. Such a great Album.
Though, I shouldn't really comment, since I listen to very little mainstream music and thats all these albums are. Also, the Radiohead cd is bad. I know I'm going to get a lot of crap for that, but honestly, I grew up with creep and Ok Computer and that is good Radiohead.
The list is really: the top ten cds the marketing teams want me to buy.
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Don't mind my posts, they are probably just a product of gang violence
the field "from here we go sublime"
iron & wine "the shepherd's dog"
do make say think "you, you're a history in rust"
battles "mirrored"
m.i.a. "kala"
panda bear "person pitch"
justice "†"
Well, I'm gonna throw out my own, even though it's not rock/pop/rap.
1. One Cello x16- Zoe Keating. Trust me, you've never heard one cello do so much with music, and this woman is easily one of the most talented cello players alive. Yo Yo Ma might be better, but she's more creative. http://www.zoekeating.com/ -it'll play one of her songs just for showing up.
2. Weekend in the City- Bloc Party. What can I say? I'm a real sucker for when these guys do aggressive songs, and The Prayer and Hunting for Witches are two of their best. I'm much less of a fan of the rest of the album, though.
I've not listened to most of the other albums on other peoples' lists, so I can't really say anything for them.
The average lion is approximately 190 cm long and 60 cm wide = 11400 cm2 = 0.00000114 km2
Now, if we take that times a trillion we get 11,400,000 km2 of lion.
Didn't buy too many albums this year and I'm a huge pop junkie, but here's what I thought of them...
1. Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride: The first of two albums this year I bought with the word Carnival in its name, I really enjoyed this one. It had the same type of songs as Some Hearts, but that was such a good album that I couldn't help but love this one too.
2. Wyclef Jean - The Carnival Vol. 2 Memoirs of an Immigrant: This would be the other one. I like how old school the guy is and how he uses the elements of his time to give his hip-hop a fresh sound.
3. Soundtrack - High School Musical 2: No surprises here...it's exactly like you expect. The tracks nearly match up exactly in theme and sound to the tracks on the first movie's soundtrack. That said, it's still a good, light-hearted romp that mixes musical numbers with teen pop sounds.
4. Jordan Pruitt - No Ordinary Girl: The album was quite disappointing. There were maybe 3 tracks I liked on it. It's 100% typical tween pop dealing with tween issues like crushes, breakups and middle school gossip. The one thing that does really intrigue me though is her voice. She's got a very unique voice and I would like to hear it on some better material.
Well, my top 3 is nothing like any above but (would be 4, but one isn't released yet so it won't count >_>)..
01. Underworld - Oblivion with Bells
I am a very “moody” person; to me, music without a mood is like a person without a soul: an empty shell. When I listen to music, I’m looking for both the quality of the music as much as I am the mood behind it.
When I’m angry, annoyed, frustrated, etc and I need to cool down, I reach for Chris Nemmo’s Forbidden Paths, or Craig Armstrong’s The Space Between Us, or anything by Digital Witchcraft, select Delerium, Conjure One, Imogen Heap or Iris tracks, for example. When I am upset, it’s almost always Conjure One’s “Tears from the Moon,” “Extraordinary Way” or Delerium’s “Paris,” “Nature’s Kingdom” or Iris’s “Lands of Fire.” Happy, energetic, I reach for Leftfield, Psykosonik, BT, Burufunk, Crystal Method, Infusion, etc. What I listen to always, always, always corresponds to my mood (and explains the ridiculous play counts in my top 25), which is why I love this album.
If I’m angry or annoyed and need to cool off, I can toss on Crocodile, Best Mamgu Ever or Good Morning Cockerel. Beautiful Burnout takes the ambidextrous route being an excellent upset or relaxing song. My favourite off the album, however, is definitely Ring Road. Excellent track on its own, and coupled with the upbeat and free flowing mood of the song, it’s a definite winner in my book.
The one track I dislike is Boy, Boy Boy. I can’t put my finger on it (save for lack of mood IMO) but I just can’t get into it.
5/5 = Ring Road, Beautiful Burnout, Best Mamgu Ever
4.5/5 = Crocodile
4/5 = Holding the Moth, To heal, Glam Bucket, Cuddle Bunny Vs The Celtic Villages, Faxed Invitation, Good Morning Cockerel
3/5 = Boy, Boy, Boy
02. Ulrich Schnauss - Goodbye
Not much to say besides wow. Start to finish you'll encounter silky, lushy washes of sound, surreal vocals and dramatic chilling elements. Great album.
03. ATB - Trilogy
Another masterful album from ATB. Two discs total, 26 new tracks. This album has two faces though. Disc 1 is what you'd come to expect from ATB: dance-able, up-beat, etc. Disc two, however, is mellow and easy to relax to after a hard day.
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EDH UUU Azami, Lady of Scrolls RRR Diaochan, Artful Beauty UR(U/R) Tibor, Lumia, & Melek (WIP)
I don't have any hard numbers on this, but I'm targeted more often than a black guy driving a beat-up sedan with a broken tail-light and no license plate, and Cy's well aware of that.
I don't think I can order them, really, so I'll just put them up as they come to mind.
Challengers- The New Pornographers
Probably their worst album, but that's a relative term. It's still amazingly catchy and infectious, and they try to get a bit more out of their comfort zone with songs like Myriad Harbour and Unguided. Mutiny, I Promise You makes me want to dance every time I hear it, and I don't dance at all.
Neon Bible- The Arcade Fire
An excellent follow-up to Funeral. Everything that makes Arcade Fire great, it's all still here. Haunting and beautiful.
Happiness Ltd.- Hot Hot Heat
Another gem of dancey indie rock. It captures the energy of their first release, but with the polish and increased complexity of their second, and the singer sounds better than ever.
In Rainbows- Radiohead
They say the medium is the message, so this album said a lot before I even played it. Luckily when I did play it, it was great, a few bad lyrics aside. I especially liked how they messed around with Thom's voice less, like on his solo album, which let it be a lot more open and honest sounding.
We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank- Modest Mouse
I found it really odd how many people didn't like this album. It seemed like it was too "mainstream" for the hardcore MM fans, but too "out there" for the everyday critic. Well, that's exactly where I like my music, so I loved this album.
Hospital Music- Matt Good
A lot of people are going to miss out on this south of the border, and that's a shame. Especially when you know the things that happened to him leading up to this album, you really realize how powerful this music is. It's like he made great music as therapy, and we all benefit.
A Weekend in the City- Bloc Party
Had a few gems on it, and was a solid album overall. It's not nearly up to Silent Alarm, but that might not be a fair comparison. It's still very good.
Wincing the Night Away- The Shins
A bit of a departure for them, the songs feel more like they came from a rock concert instead of a little club. That may turn off some people, but I found it refreshing and there are a lot of good songs on here.
Some Loud Thunder- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
I have to admit I haven't listened to this album as much as I probably should have to put it here. I like what I hear, I just don't tend to listen to the whole thing at once. But as long as you are okay with bands that have punctuation in their name, I don't see you disliking this album.
The Reminder- Feist
I normally hate music like this. But Feist is just so good at making music and singing that I still find myself humming along with her little ditties. A good album for a quiet night.
I haven't purchased enough music this year in order to form a top 10 album list but I think I can manage a top 5.
1. Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead
Without a doubt my favorite album of the year and one of my favorite rock albums to come out in a long time. Serj has shown me that even though SOAD may be on a hiatus, I will have plenty of good songs to listen to until they reform.
2. Neurosonic - Drama Queen
I never liked Jason Darr's other band, Out of Your Mouth, but with their fantastic debut album I have faith that Neurosonic will be a much better band.
3. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Foo Fighters... need I say more?
4. The Used - Lies for the Liars
The Bird and the Worm is one of my favorite songs ever made, it doesn't hurt that the rest of the album is good as well.
5. Modest Mouse - We We're Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Modest Mouse has always been a great band, and this album is one of their best. Songs like Dashboard, Education, and Missed the Boat get stuck in my head so much it's not even funny.
I just realized. Mycoloth perfectly demonstrates the devour mechanic.
Mycoloth: NOMNOMNOM on Dragon Fodder.
One turn later, 1/1 turds come out.
Quote from kalkris »
btw i did it because i could. i was bored and decided to let my little med-free spree go ahead. I am bipolar, explaining all the drama that ensued after. I have problems.
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Jon Finkel can simply walk into Mordor.
"When an artist dies the world loses two lives, that of the artist and that of his unfinished work."
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
With their third classic album out of three releases, I mighty as well say The Shins is the best band in the world right now, along with Muse. "Australia" might just be the best track of the year, and "Girl Sailor" the best lyrics.
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Maybe it's just me, but I thought this was fresher and better than Funeral.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Some Loud Thunder
I don't see why this album's reception was lukewarm, when compared to their debut. "Satan Said Dance", "Yankee Go Home", and absolutely haunting "Goodbye to the Mother and the Cove" are among the best songs in the year.
Kanye West - Graduation
Kanye has got to be the most inventive mainstream rap artist right now. This is a guy who definitely knows how to produce a thriving, rich album and just who to sample.
Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
The first time I heard this album I was like, "man, will the Foos never try anything different?" The second time I listened to it, I was like "you know what, why should they?".
Honorable mention: Life in Cartoon Motion, by Mika. Bubblegum pop with funny vocals, Lion King-like beats and incredibly fun tracks.
Disapointment of the year: The Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist. It lacks the raw emotion and soul of classic Pumpkins albums. I guess Billy Corgan has indeed lost it.
Honestly,I think it's been a pretty decent year for ROCK. Other genres, however, not so much. Being a die hard rock fan, it angers me to see the rising popularity of Rap, Country, and the new "boy bands" (Fall Out Boy being a prime example). I'm pretty sure these were the only albums I bought this year:
1. Fair to Midland- Tales of a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True
- Best Breakout Band of the year by FAR. They have developed their own style of music while maintaining that steady rock feel to everything they write. And Darroh Sudderth's voice can do things so other singer is capable of.
2. Foo Fighters- Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
3. Chevelle- Vena Sera - Truely unbelievable that this 3 member band can make music that sounds so great. The Loeffler boys pulled it off again with another great CD.
4. Queens of the Stone Age- Era Vulgaris
5. Seether- Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces
6. Porcupine Tree- Fear of an Blank Planet
7. Nine Inch Nails- Year Zero
8. Smashing Pumpkins- Zietgeist
9. Sevendust- Alpha
10. Evans Blue- The Pursuit Begins When This Portrayal of Life Ends
Honorable Mentions:
Fuel- Angels and Devils
Puddle of Mudd- Famous
Alter Bridge- Blackbird
Default- One Thing Remains
Sick Puppies- Dressed Up as Life
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“Should I be worried? He does seem dangerously cool, like a young Lando Calrissian, with a dream.”
You know, now that I think of it I don't think I purchased a single new album this year. Sure, some old stuff (Stones, etc.) but nothing new.
If I were to buy any album released this year it would probably be the most recent Foo Fighters. That "Pretender" song is the best thing I've heard on the radio all year.
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I am no longer on MTGS staff, so please don't contact me asking me to do staff things. :|
Talib Kweli- Eardrum: This CD imo is the best Rap CD out this year. I really enjoyed American Gangster and Graduation but Talib outshines them both.
+44- When Your Heart Stops Beating: If you don't like the genre you wont like the CD but it was good nonetheless
The White Stripes- Icky Thump: Jack White is a great guitarist and all of the songs on the cd(except the one Meg White sings) are good. Meg White is talentless though. You have to take the good with the bad
my list, which is going to be very different from everyone's because i don't listen to the radio.
1. Vengeance, Nonpoint. the li'l band from Florida once again explodes onto your stereo. Best track: March of War
2. The Heart of Everything, Within Temptation. Simply put, Sharon del Adel has an amazing voice and every track on this album is stunning. Best track: Our Solemn Hour
3. United Abominations, Megadeth. Dave Mustaine and crew return with more criticism of the world laced with heavy metal. Best track: Blessed Are the Dead
4. Sworn to a Great Divide, Soilwork. Yeah, i'm done explaining my picks. bite me.
Best track: Breeding Thorns
5. The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A, Exudos. Where people like Souza, i like Dukes. If Exhibit B is as good as Exhibit A- then i'm happy. Best track: Iconoclasm
6. Rise of the Tyrant, Arch Enemy. [see #4]
Best track: I Will Live Again
7. Angels, The 69 Eyes.
8. Final Cuts, Soundevice. Independantly released, these guys should have been picked up.
9. We Were Dead Before the Boat Even Sank, Modest Mouse.
10. Angels & Devils, Fuel... They don't sound the same without Brett Scallions, the original frontman. The new guy (Toryn Green) does a good job, but meh...
SELVAXRI! King of Misfortune & Master of Rocket Launchers "Do ya feel lucky? Because you'd better start runnin' while you still can." 375 Misfortune {+3 signed AP's} & 104 Rocket Launcher (41 AQ/ 63 Rev) Edgar Rice Burroughs, forgotten legend of the word.
A Weekend in the City - Bloc Party Neon Bible - Arcade Fire In Rainbows - LCD Soundsystem Not Enough Night - Kubichek! Myths of the Near Future - Klaxons Untrue - Burial Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - Spoon Mirrored - Battles The Good, the Bad, and the Queen - The Good, the Bad, and the Queen Myth Takes - !!!
An Abridged List of Disappointments, for which I'll probably get a large amount of flack:
Editors
Interpol
The Rakes
Rilo Kiley
Modest Mouse
The White Stripes
The Field
Linkin Park
Foo Fighters
1. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire: Epic in every single way. In my book it is a classic. I am confident I will be listening to it in ten years; while it is condemnation of our world today, its message really is eternal.
2. Boxer - The National: I think it is probably the best album of the year, even if I did not have the emotional with it as I did with Neon Bible. Musically it is the best thing they have done and the voice can not be beat.
3. The Good, the Bad, & the Queen - The Good, the Bad, & the Queen: It sounds great. Really, really great.
4. In Rainbows - Radiohead: The least challenging thing Radiohead has done in recent memory shows that Radiohead is capable of simply being a good band.
5. Leaves in the River - Sea Wolf: I have no idea why these guys have no been discovered yet, but the sound is pretty impressive and some of the best melancholy I have heard all year.
6. In Our Bedroom After the War - Stars: It has an intimate feel to it and voices that make it the best pop album of the year.
7. Andorra - Caribou: Again, it simply sounds really good to me and has a really lost quality to it that doesn't go too overboard (The Field, much?) but does give you a sort of sublime feeling.
8. American Gangster - Jay-Z: Not relying on inane hooks like pretty much everyone else in hip-hop today, the album actually showcases rapping. The rapping being clever and skillful doesn't hurt either.
9. Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem - This really does go to the two songs in the middle, respectively the third and first best songs of the year. The rest of the album does deliver though, even if the rest does not succeed to the lengths of "Someone Great" and "All My Friends."
10. Graduation - Kanye West - The opposite of Jay-Z, while not as skilled in actual rapping, the technical skill and the production here were amazing.
Black Kids' EP would be here except that it is an EP and all. So, how about all of you? And please don't give me the "there is no good music these days" until you have heard at least my top two albums.
1. In Rainbows - Radiohead: Just a great album, and I wasn't expecting it to be released until next year. All of the songs on the first disc turned out better than the original live versions, except for Videotape. The studio version of Videotape is good, but I much prefer the original. Still waiting for my discbox to arrive though
2. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire: Much better than Funeral. I like the darker tone. I'm glad I listened to this before I bought their debut.
3. Volta - Bjork: Kind of an odd album for her really. Seems much less personal than much of here work. Less moody and more fun.
4. Zeitgeist - Smashing Pumpkins: Kind of a dissapointment. The songs are decent individually, but they're all pretty similar. Nothing really stands out to me from this disc.
1. Graduation- Kanye West: this album is what release therapy was last year. It is a well produced album that has a solid mix of dance beats and rap. in a technical sense he is better than Jay-Z, in a Lyrical sense he's not.
2.Sawdust- This CD actually surprised me with The Killer's giving us another view of their variety and range they are capable of.
3. It won't be soon before long- Maroon Five- another solid rock cd, Maroon 5 has certainly advanced and grown as a rock band.
4. Echo's, Silence, Patience and Grace- Foo Fighters- Its the Foo Fighters so you know that the sound is going to be classic but not boring.
5. American Gangster- See SorryGuy's description
6. Exile on Mainstream- Matchbox 20 - though this album is a best of, it's songs are still timeless and the new songs available on the album are worth it.
7. Introducing Joss Stone- Joss Stone- She may be the Joan Baiz or Stevie Nicks of our time. Her voice is angelic and her lyrics are interesting. She needs to get a better producer, but her sound is still great.
8. Lost Highway- Bon Jovi- If Have a Nice day was dissapointing, this makes up for it. "till we aint stranger's anymore" is one of the most soul full songs of the year, i love LeAnne Rimes on it
9. Finding Forever- Common- just like with Be , he is back to his roots. this album is slightly weaker then Be but has a more earthy sound that puts a contrast to Jay-Z on American Gangster and Kanye's Spaz attacks on Graduation.
10. Minutes to Midnight- Linkin Park- this is how bad the year has been. Linkin park makes it back onto the list with their worst album yet (i love linkin park). I respect them for trying the new sound, and this album is still a solid rock cd.
Rap is slowly dying. I yearn for the days when Jay-Z and Nas were actually trying to one up each other constantly. Fifty Cent did not bring the fight this year, The album makes me feel that Fifty has lost it, all his songs sound the same. There only should be 3 albums even in contention for best rap album this year, (kanye, jay and Common). Overall i feel that we are losing a lot of potential in the rap category and may be on the way to losing a valuable form of musical expression.
www.bucultureshock.com
www.skidmarkpoetry.blogspot.com
1. Radiohead - In Rainbows: Hands down the best album of the year. There is not a single bad track on the main album, and the discbox (which I just got today!) is magnificent, even though some of tracks are not as enveloping as the first disc's. [That said, the discbox does have the best song between the two - Last Flowers to the Hospital.]
2. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight: Personally, my favorite of thier three albums, this one stood out because it was toned down, there was less rapping, and there were more melodies. As a fan of softer stuff, it was especially nice to hear Mike sing on In Between - the standout track.
3. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace: A very solid journey through the modern face of rock. Grohl definately has mastered the soft-loud sound, and it sounds suprisingly refreshing after 6 albums. Nonetheless, the album's best track was still its first single - The Pretender.
4. Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High: Emo may be dying (thank god!), but Fall Out Boy has managed to creep into the mainstream pop world. While I would have rather they embraced a more rock or indie side, this album is still a fine addition, and I find myself playing them more than I think I do. Best track - Hum Hallelujah.
5. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank: It seems hard to have imagined that Modest Mouse would ever have an album hit #1 on a large chart, yet this one did. While thier sound is worse than it was pre-huge popularity gains, the album is still very solid. Best track - Little Motel.
I'd write more, but I find myself increasingly disatisfied with the music, unworthy of a top 10 list. Nonetheless, here are the rest of the albums, unworthy as they may be.
6. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
7. Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City
8. The Good, the Bad, & the Queen - The Good, the Bad & the Queen
9. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
10. Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead
All in all, a sad year for music, although I am rather ignorant of most rap and R&B, since I'm not all that fond of that style of music. Hopefully next year will be better, with new albums from Coldplay & U2. (As long as they stay true to thier word.)
QFT.
It's too bad, really, that this will never be a single (they don't want it to be - too personal) - it's likely the best song they've ever done. Great song.
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Whats better than Daft Punk mash-ups, Daft Punk mashing there own songs live. Such a great Album.
Though, I shouldn't really comment, since I listen to very little mainstream music and thats all these albums are. Also, the Radiohead cd is bad. I know I'm going to get a lot of crap for that, but honestly, I grew up with creep and Ok Computer and that is good Radiohead.
The list is really: the top ten cds the marketing teams want me to buy.
iron & wine "the shepherd's dog"
do make say think "you, you're a history in rust"
battles "mirrored"
m.i.a. "kala"
panda bear "person pitch"
justice "†"
1. One Cello x16- Zoe Keating. Trust me, you've never heard one cello do so much with music, and this woman is easily one of the most talented cello players alive. Yo Yo Ma might be better, but she's more creative. http://www.zoekeating.com/ -it'll play one of her songs just for showing up.
2. Weekend in the City- Bloc Party. What can I say? I'm a real sucker for when these guys do aggressive songs, and The Prayer and Hunting for Witches are two of their best. I'm much less of a fan of the rest of the album, though.
I've not listened to most of the other albums on other peoples' lists, so I can't really say anything for them.
Magnificent Quote of the day:
1. Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride: The first of two albums this year I bought with the word Carnival in its name, I really enjoyed this one. It had the same type of songs as Some Hearts, but that was such a good album that I couldn't help but love this one too.
2. Wyclef Jean - The Carnival Vol. 2 Memoirs of an Immigrant: This would be the other one. I like how old school the guy is and how he uses the elements of his time to give his hip-hop a fresh sound.
3. Soundtrack - High School Musical 2: No surprises here...it's exactly like you expect. The tracks nearly match up exactly in theme and sound to the tracks on the first movie's soundtrack. That said, it's still a good, light-hearted romp that mixes musical numbers with teen pop sounds.
4. Jordan Pruitt - No Ordinary Girl: The album was quite disappointing. There were maybe 3 tracks I liked on it. It's 100% typical tween pop dealing with tween issues like crushes, breakups and middle school gossip. The one thing that does really intrigue me though is her voice. She's got a very unique voice and I would like to hear it on some better material.
That's about it.
01. Underworld - Oblivion with Bells
When I’m angry, annoyed, frustrated, etc and I need to cool down, I reach for Chris Nemmo’s Forbidden Paths, or Craig Armstrong’s The Space Between Us, or anything by Digital Witchcraft, select Delerium, Conjure One, Imogen Heap or Iris tracks, for example. When I am upset, it’s almost always Conjure One’s “Tears from the Moon,” “Extraordinary Way” or Delerium’s “Paris,” “Nature’s Kingdom” or Iris’s “Lands of Fire.” Happy, energetic, I reach for Leftfield, Psykosonik, BT, Burufunk, Crystal Method, Infusion, etc. What I listen to always, always, always corresponds to my mood (and explains the ridiculous play counts in my top 25), which is why I love this album.
If I’m angry or annoyed and need to cool off, I can toss on Crocodile, Best Mamgu Ever or Good Morning Cockerel. Beautiful Burnout takes the ambidextrous route being an excellent upset or relaxing song. My favourite off the album, however, is definitely Ring Road. Excellent track on its own, and coupled with the upbeat and free flowing mood of the song, it’s a definite winner in my book.
The one track I dislike is Boy, Boy Boy. I can’t put my finger on it (save for lack of mood IMO) but I just can’t get into it.
5/5 = Ring Road, Beautiful Burnout, Best Mamgu Ever
4.5/5 = Crocodile
4/5 = Holding the Moth, To heal, Glam Bucket, Cuddle Bunny Vs The Celtic Villages, Faxed Invitation, Good Morning Cockerel
3/5 = Boy, Boy, Boy
02. Ulrich Schnauss - Goodbye
03. ATB - Trilogy
UUU Azami, Lady of Scrolls
RRR Diaochan, Artful Beauty
UR(U/R) Tibor, Lumia, & Melek (WIP)
Mafia Stats
Challengers- The New Pornographers
Probably their worst album, but that's a relative term. It's still amazingly catchy and infectious, and they try to get a bit more out of their comfort zone with songs like Myriad Harbour and Unguided. Mutiny, I Promise You makes me want to dance every time I hear it, and I don't dance at all.
Neon Bible- The Arcade Fire
An excellent follow-up to Funeral. Everything that makes Arcade Fire great, it's all still here. Haunting and beautiful.
Happiness Ltd.- Hot Hot Heat
Another gem of dancey indie rock. It captures the energy of their first release, but with the polish and increased complexity of their second, and the singer sounds better than ever.
In Rainbows- Radiohead
They say the medium is the message, so this album said a lot before I even played it. Luckily when I did play it, it was great, a few bad lyrics aside. I especially liked how they messed around with Thom's voice less, like on his solo album, which let it be a lot more open and honest sounding.
We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank- Modest Mouse
I found it really odd how many people didn't like this album. It seemed like it was too "mainstream" for the hardcore MM fans, but too "out there" for the everyday critic. Well, that's exactly where I like my music, so I loved this album.
Hospital Music- Matt Good
A lot of people are going to miss out on this south of the border, and that's a shame. Especially when you know the things that happened to him leading up to this album, you really realize how powerful this music is. It's like he made great music as therapy, and we all benefit.
A Weekend in the City- Bloc Party
Had a few gems on it, and was a solid album overall. It's not nearly up to Silent Alarm, but that might not be a fair comparison. It's still very good.
Wincing the Night Away- The Shins
A bit of a departure for them, the songs feel more like they came from a rock concert instead of a little club. That may turn off some people, but I found it refreshing and there are a lot of good songs on here.
Some Loud Thunder- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
I have to admit I haven't listened to this album as much as I probably should have to put it here. I like what I hear, I just don't tend to listen to the whole thing at once. But as long as you are okay with bands that have punctuation in their name, I don't see you disliking this album.
The Reminder- Feist
I normally hate music like this. But Feist is just so good at making music and singing that I still find myself humming along with her little ditties. A good album for a quiet night.
1. Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead
Without a doubt my favorite album of the year and one of my favorite rock albums to come out in a long time. Serj has shown me that even though SOAD may be on a hiatus, I will have plenty of good songs to listen to until they reform.
2. Neurosonic - Drama Queen
I never liked Jason Darr's other band, Out of Your Mouth, but with their fantastic debut album I have faith that Neurosonic will be a much better band.
3. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Foo Fighters... need I say more?
4. The Used - Lies for the Liars
The Bird and the Worm is one of my favorite songs ever made, it doesn't hurt that the rest of the album is good as well.
5. Modest Mouse - We We're Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Modest Mouse has always been a great band, and this album is one of their best. Songs like Dashboard, Education, and Missed the Boat get stuck in my head so much it's not even funny.
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
With their third classic album out of three releases, I mighty as well say The Shins is the best band in the world right now, along with Muse. "Australia" might just be the best track of the year, and "Girl Sailor" the best lyrics.
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Maybe it's just me, but I thought this was fresher and better than Funeral.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Some Loud Thunder
I don't see why this album's reception was lukewarm, when compared to their debut. "Satan Said Dance", "Yankee Go Home", and absolutely haunting "Goodbye to the Mother and the Cove" are among the best songs in the year.
Kanye West - Graduation
Kanye has got to be the most inventive mainstream rap artist right now. This is a guy who definitely knows how to produce a thriving, rich album and just who to sample.
Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
The first time I heard this album I was like, "man, will the Foos never try anything different?" The second time I listened to it, I was like "you know what, why should they?".
Honorable mention: Life in Cartoon Motion, by Mika. Bubblegum pop with funny vocals, Lion King-like beats and incredibly fun tracks.
Disapointment of the year: The Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist. It lacks the raw emotion and soul of classic Pumpkins albums. I guess Billy Corgan has indeed lost it.
*****
ricklongo and RicardoLongo on MTGO
*****
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Check out Rick's Picks, my PureMTGO article series
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1. Fair to Midland- Tales of a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True
- Best Breakout Band of the year by FAR. They have developed their own style of music while maintaining that steady rock feel to everything they write. And Darroh Sudderth's voice can do things so other singer is capable of.
2. Foo Fighters- Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
3. Chevelle- Vena Sera
- Truely unbelievable that this 3 member band can make music that sounds so great. The Loeffler boys pulled it off again with another great CD.
4. Queens of the Stone Age- Era Vulgaris
5. Seether- Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces
6. Porcupine Tree- Fear of an Blank Planet
7. Nine Inch Nails- Year Zero
8. Smashing Pumpkins- Zietgeist
9. Sevendust- Alpha
10. Evans Blue- The Pursuit Begins When This Portrayal of Life Ends
Honorable Mentions:
Fuel- Angels and Devils
Puddle of Mudd- Famous
Alter Bridge- Blackbird
Default- One Thing Remains
Sick Puppies- Dressed Up as Life
If I were to buy any album released this year it would probably be the most recent Foo Fighters. That "Pretender" song is the best thing I've heard on the radio all year.
Talib Kweli- Eardrum: This CD imo is the best Rap CD out this year. I really enjoyed American Gangster and Graduation but Talib outshines them both.
+44- When Your Heart Stops Beating: If you don't like the genre you wont like the CD but it was good nonetheless
The White Stripes- Icky Thump: Jack White is a great guitarist and all of the songs on the cd(except the one Meg White sings) are good. Meg White is talentless though. You have to take the good with the bad
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1. Vengeance, Nonpoint. the li'l band from Florida once again explodes onto your stereo. Best track: March of War
2. The Heart of Everything, Within Temptation. Simply put, Sharon del Adel has an amazing voice and every track on this album is stunning. Best track: Our Solemn Hour
3. United Abominations, Megadeth. Dave Mustaine and crew return with more criticism of the world laced with heavy metal. Best track: Blessed Are the Dead
4. Sworn to a Great Divide, Soilwork. Yeah, i'm done explaining my picks. bite me.
Best track: Breeding Thorns
5. The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A, Exudos. Where people like Souza, i like Dukes. If Exhibit B is as good as Exhibit A- then i'm happy. Best track: Iconoclasm
6. Rise of the Tyrant, Arch Enemy. [see #4]
Best track: I Will Live Again
7. Angels, The 69 Eyes.
8. Final Cuts, Soundevice. Independantly released, these guys should have been picked up.
9. We Were Dead Before the Boat Even Sank, Modest Mouse.
10. Angels & Devils, Fuel... They don't sound the same without Brett Scallions, the original frontman. The new guy (Toryn Green) does a good job, but meh...
King of Misfortune & Master of Rocket Launchers
"Do ya feel lucky? Because you'd better start runnin' while you still can."
375 Misfortune {+3 signed AP's} & 104 Rocket Launcher (41 AQ/ 63 Rev)
Edgar Rice Burroughs, forgotten legend of the word.
Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
In Rainbows - LCD Soundsystem
Not Enough Night - Kubichek!
Myths of the Near Future - Klaxons
Untrue - Burial
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - Spoon
Mirrored - Battles
The Good, the Bad, and the Queen - The Good, the Bad, and the Queen
Myth Takes - !!!
An Abridged List of Disappointments, for which I'll probably get a large amount of flack:
Editors
Interpol
The Rakes
Rilo Kiley
Modest Mouse
The White Stripes
The Field
Linkin Park
Foo Fighters
Experiments Series: #5 (Courtly Intrigue Mafia) | #4 (Drunken Tracker) | #3 (Big Red Button) - coming soon | #2 (Pope Mafia) | #1 (Iso's Inflammable Mafia)
Mini Games: MTGS Mafia Redux II (Invitational, Evil Mirror Universe) | Unreal City
Old Games (bad): The Greenwood Affair | Blood Moon Mafia
1. The Blackening by Machine Head
2. Colors by Between the Buried and Me
3. Fear of a Blank Planet by Porcupine Tree
4. Systematic Chaos by Dream Theater
5. Ithyphallic by Nile
6. Healing Through Fire by Orange Goblin
7. Paradise Lost by Symphony X
8. Wake/Lift by Rosetta
9. Red Album by Baroness
10. Transmetropolitan by War From a Harlot's Mouth
There is probably a lot more I'm forgetting but thats what I can remember off the top of my head. I thought it was a pretty good year in music.