Top 25 Albums of 2011: 10 - 1

Top 25 Albums of 2011
10 - 1

Well, 2011 is finally over and good riddance!  It was a crappy year.  Death took one of men I admire most in Christopher Hitchens, and things here in Puerto Rico couldn't be much worse.  Thankfully, these 25 albums have helped to soothe the fact that it was one lame year.  Hope you enjoy this list.  Even if only one of the albums of the list reach someone who had never heard it before then my job is done.  Remember, this is just my list.  I love music and there will be different kinds of genres represented here, leaning more towards rock than anything else.

10)

I'm With You

by Red Hot Chili Peppers

I have to admit.  It took me a while to get into this album.  The first time I heard it, I was incredibly unimpressed.  The Chili Peppers sounded tame.  I understand it now, they just sound like they have all matured.  With guitarist John Frusciante out of the picture once again, the Chili Peppers have made their most complete album yet.  Is it the best?  It's too early to tell, but you can tell from listening to these tracks that the guys seem to be in a different place in their lives than say a Californication or a Blood Sugar Sex Magik.  In a way, I'm glad.  I didn't want to listen to Stadium Arcadium (even though I like that album) part two.  Flea really shines here.  The bass lines are just a sweet reward for anyone that dares to go on this journey with the guys of the band.  Anthony Kiedis' vocals are never overpowering of the music itself and he really does sound wonderfully here.  I was worried about the guitarist they would pick to replace Frusciante.  Relative unknown (at least to me) Josh Klinghoffer does a pretty good job fitting in with the rest of the band.  As always with the Chili Peppers, the rhythm section is probably one of the best in rock.  Chad Smith and Flea have this chemistry about them that is hard to ignore.  Listen to this album.  Don't give up on the first listen.  You will be rewarded by a mature album that is smart and entertaining.

9)

Going Out In Style

by Dropkick Murphys

Fucking Massachusetts.  How I dislike thee!  I never thought a band that sings about Fenway Park would ever be in a list I made of anything (except maybe things that suck... all of Massachusetts would apply).  I remember that the first time I listened to them was when their song "Tessie" was used as the main theme of the baseball game MVP 05.  It was a fun song to get pumped up to, but it wasn't until I heard "I'm Shipping of to Boston" that I got really hooked with the Dropkick Murphys peculiar style.  The Murphy's mixture of punk rock and Celtic folk music really sets them apart from most of the bands out there.  This new album doesn't really change the style that has already made them big.  And why should they?  Their formula works.  The constant use of bagpipes, mandolin, accordion and other unusual instruments for their fast and intense style of punk, really give the music a dimension that you can't really get from any other band out there.  I'm hoping to see the band play live, because I'm sure they are amazing when they do their stuff live.  So, instead of changing their usual style, they decided to do something that is rarely seen in the punk world... they created a concept album.  This music makes me want to drink whiskey, pump my fist in the air and be a little bit more like Cornelius Larkin, the central character of the story.

   

8)

Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody

by Al Di Meola

Al Di Meola has been making music with his guitars for more than 30 years now.  He has mastered many styles throughout the years, from the blazing jazz fusion, to Latin jazz, to the sort of world music he is now making.  With this album, the guitar virtuoso ties some of his jazz fusion chops with the more mellow and sublime style of his later records.  It will not take anyone long to hear the influences of other cultures on this record.  The Latin influence abounds with bassist Charlie Haden and pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba giving this record a decidedly Afro-Caribbean centric feel.  This is definitely an album that should be listened to intently many times in order to catch all the intricacies to the instruments that are being played (almost caressed).  The whole album is a nice piece of not only virtuosic guitar, but of music in general.  Di Meola also plays covers of The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" and Harold Arlen's "Over The Rainbow".  Again, if you don't like instrumental stuff, then this is not for you.  Otherwise, you have to listen to this.

7)

Ghost

by The Devin Townsend Project

I have spoken about the genius of Devin Townsend before.  This album is the last in a tetralogy with The Devin Townsend Project.  I did a review for the blog a few months back of the first album (Ki) and wrote of how unusual it is compared to Townsend's past discography.  It was mellow and always seemed to move towards that wall of sound approach that Townsend has exemplified, but never got there.  This one is even mellower.  There are no harsh vocals at all.  This is Devin Townsend at his most prog/experimental stage.  The music in this album is ethereal and beautiful.  The words sung on the background seem like distant ghosts (if you will) calling for you to listen to this album and the vocals really complement the different instruments and the ambient music that is so beautifully displayed here.  It's so different from what Townsend usually does but at the same time it seems like the perfect step in his musical evolution.

6)

Worship Music

by Anthrax

It's been a while since Anthrax released their last album.  About 8 years since their last album with vocalist John Bush.  After recording the album with new vocalist Dan Nelson and their quick parting of ways, this album was in limbo.  Bush didn't want to re-record the vocals of the songs and so the band went back to Joey Belladonna.  The last studio album they released with Belladonna was back in 1990.  And while they have toured together, this is their first album together in 21 years.  This album is probably their best since that last one that Belladonna was in (Persistence of Time).  While Belladonna had nothing to do with the creative process, the songs seem to fit perfectly to his singing style.  He sounds really great in this album.  While the album sounds much better in terms of production and it does lose some of Anthrax's original grittiness, they sound like a much mature outfit.  The songs aren't as fast as the songs that made Anthrax famous back in the day, but they are basically well constructed and pretty catchy. The duo of Rob Caggiano and Scott Ian on the guitars has always worked for me.  So this is a really good album with really catchy songs.  Check it out.

5)

Let Them Talk

by Hugh Laurie

I know what you are going to say.  What is a comedian/actor doing in a top album list?  The answer is easy.  This is some amazing music.  Hugh Laurie, besides being TV's Dr. Gregory House, has always had a penchant from anything he could get his hands on in the entertainment business.  From playing piano and guitar to writing novels, he has done it all.  While it would probably be disingenuous of me to say that I would have heard this album if he had not been one of my favorite artists, I can really say that I would definitely have loved this if I didn't know who Laurie was.  During the show House M.D. he has shown his penchant for the blues of New Orleans.  These aren't his songs, but his interpretations on some well known blues classics.  What I really like about it is that Laurie has a unique voice and vocal style.  I really like it.  And unlike other actors (wannabe blues singers), Laurie sings the songs with passion and intensity.  Although it is pretty hilarious to hear him singing songs like "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho".  In a couple of songs, some big names of the NOLA scene lend their support.  Irma Thomas and Dr. John give this album some NOLA cred.  Also, Tom Jones makes an appearance and the great Allen Toussaint helps with the horn arrangements.  I think the album's name is fitting.   

4)

Hisingen Blues

by Graveyard

I already wrote a pretty long review about this album for the blog, so I won't really bother with this too much.  Hisingen Blues Review.  All you need to know is that their style of blues rock influenced by bands like Led Zeppelin is pretty great.  Read the review!

3)

National Bohemian

by The Bridge

This album was probably the first I heard in 2011.  A friend told me about this "jam" band from the Baltimore area and I immediately YouTubed them and to my surprise, their music really impressed me.  They describe themselves as a mixture of blues, folk, funk and bluegrass which is a pretty eclectic mix.  This is a pretty eclectic band.  This album makes a great job of fixing the really funky and entertaining tracks with some of the more mellow material.  You can't help but enjoy the lyrics of songs like the fun loving Geraldine with Dave Markowitz's deep basslines perfectly complementing Patrick Rainey's sax.  Cris Jacobs does a fine job with the vocals in the album.  While the funky songs are the more entertaining songs, the more mellower ones like "Colorado Motel" really give Jacobs a chance to shine, while the bluesy "Stranger in my Own Home" gives the band another dimension.  You can really tell that they took influences from all over the music spectrum and implemented them on this National Bohemian (and their prior albums are pretty good as well) to make a complete and fulfilling album.  It was incredibly sad to learn that the band had called it quits the same year they released this gem of an album.  I will definitely miss wherever the band was heading to after the release of this album.

It was hard for me to pick between these next two albums.  They are both things of beauty that should be listened to for years to come.  So depending on the day, these two would probably interchange their places back and forth. 


2)

Heritage

by Opeth

Opeth is probably my favorite band right now.  From the first moment I heard their album Blackwater Park, I knew that I had found something special.  Even though they were still a band that had a strong death metal base, they never wanted to become stale and with each album, their more heavy influences gave way to the band's progressive tendencies.  While they have already released an album that was pretty much prog rock with a very dark feel to it, Damnation was too simple for them.  With their first foray out of the death metal scene, they knew they had a winning formula with musicians like Mikael Åkerfeldt, Per Wiberg, Martin Mendez and Martin Axenrot.  And with prog rock mastermind Steven Wilson behind the mixing table, this album could not have been less than a masterpiece of music in general.  I will tell you something, Mikael has some of the most awesome death metal growls in the scene.  I am glad he doesn't have to rely on them exclusively.  I don't understand those that have criticized this album only because it is not heavy enough or metal enough.  That is a pretty sad stance to take and they are missing one of the most interesting musical experiences you will hear this past year.  To anyone that had been listening to Opeth's previous albums, it should have been obvious that this was the direction they would head it.  Their obvious natural progression was this album.  This album is incredibly complex and it takes multiple listens in order to appreciate everything that it has to offer.  There is no radio friendly stuff here.  Just pure musical awesomeness.

1)

The Hunter

by Mastodon

The last album, but certainly not least is Mastodon's The Hunter.  I never in a million years would have thought that Mastodon would be able to create two of metal's most fantastic albums in the span of two years.  Crack the Skye is one impressive album, and while I think this one doesn't surpass its predecessor, it is still a fantastic album.  While the last one was more experimental, with this one, the band decided to go back to their more metal roots and forgo the longer and more complex tracks for a more straight forward approach.  That is not to say that the music here is simple.  One of the things I have always loved about this band is their versatility when it comes to the vocals.  Three of the four can sing lead and the other is pretty good at doing backup.  That is pretty impressive.  That makes each and every song a different experience that you can immerse yourself in.  It is only their second non concept album since their first album ever, Remission.  The album in its entirety is just impressively well done.  This is why this is my favorite album of the year.  Listen to it.  You won't be disappointed.

10) I'm With You by Red Hot Chili Peppers

9) Going Out in Style by Dropkick Murphys

8) Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody by Al Di Meola

7) Ghost by The Devin Townsend Project

6) Worship Music by Anthrax

5) Let Them Talk by Hugh Laurie

4) Hisingen Blues by Graveyard

3) National Bohemian by The Bridge

2) Heritage by Opeth

1) The Hunter by Mastodon

Well, that is it... my Top 25 albums of 2011.  It's probably the least metal list I have done in a long time.  We'll see what albums 2012 will bring.  Until then... enjoy.

Top Ten Most Horribly Misnamed Bands/Groups

One of the most important thing about starting your new band is the name. It will be what people will eventually chant whenever your are around. It is what will define the members for the rest of their careers with said band. Names are important. Most bands got this. Most bands named their bands according to what genre of music they played. Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax are hard names for hard bands. Coldplay, Maroon 5, and Hoobastank tell you exactly how crap their music really is without having to kill your neurons with their lame ass music.

This list, though, is about the bands that didn't get it. So without further ado, here are the:

Top Ten Most Horribly Misnamed Bands/Groups


10. Smash Mouth

What does it sound like? It sounds like a New Wave of American Heavy Metal a la Hatebreed. It sounds like music that will grab your face and punch it in while it drinks whiskey and fucks a stripper.

What does it REALLY sound like? If you had images of stripper fucking, whiskey drinking, face punching music..... you better call Phil Anselmo cause this ain't it! In the late 1990's there was a hole in the music business that sucked all good taste and left out all the pop punk, surf rock, whatever bands that we all know. Smash Mouth came on the scene with singles like "Walkin' On The Sun" and "All Star" which showed the world once more that white folks should stop trying to rap. Truth is, everyone that grew up with MTV during this generation would remember the lyrics to their songs. But boy, are they the farthest thing from Mouth Smashing that I could think of.

9. Def Leppard

What does it sound like? What the hell happened here? What is a Leppard? What does Def mean? Apparently they changed it from the original Deaf Leopard... which is still a terrible name for a band. This sounds like a kid with obvious learning issues wrote it down for them and in they were too high to apply reason.

What does it REALLY sound like? It's very surprising to me that a band with a name like this one could become as big as they did. During the early 1980's the New Wave of British Heavy Metal took the world by storm and at one point, Def Leppard was at the forefront. That is even though they are not metal at all. I read someone at one point call them the love child of Jon Bon Jovi and AC/DC and it seemed like a fitting description... even though the mental image will forever stay with me... In 1983 they released Pyromania and in 1987 Hysteria to popular acclaim. There is not one band that is as catchy as this one. The songs are just memorable even though their name is probably one of the worst in existence.

8. Graveyard

What does it sound like? The name immediately brings up images of black metal. Emperor, Mayhem and Immortal come to mind.

What does it REALLY sound like? Graveyard is a retro rock/blues band from Sweden (not far off with the black metal thing!). Their style is nothing like the name entails. A band called Dead sounds dark and ominous... The Grateful Dead sounds like it could actually be your friend. Maybe they should have added something to the graveyard to make it feel more like what they sound. Don't get me wrong, I love this band (as you can probably tell by my review of their last album) but they picked a terribly generic name that might turn off prospective fans before giving the music a chance.

7. Young Black Teenagers

What does it sound like? It sounds like a hip hop group from Compton with politically conscious music that deals with living in the inner city and racism.

What does it REALLY sound like? No. It can't be. This name would be perfectly fine for a 1990's hip hop group. There is just tiny problem. One teeny tiny defect in this thing. THOSE MORONS AREN'T BLACK! Phew... had to get that off my chest. How anyone could think that naming yourself Young Black Teenagers when you are not black was some sort of message is beyond me. It's stupid. You are not black, whitey. Live with it! Also... "Tap the Bottle (Twist the Cap)"... ugh.

6. King Diamond

What does it sound like? Fuckin' Neil Diamond. Other than that, this sounds like something from the 80's glam metal scene.

What does it REALLY sound like? King Diamond is none other but the painted face vocalist for Mercyful Fate and the band King Diamond. His vocal style can range from the growly to the really high falsetto that is really hard to find anymore. His career has served to give us some of incredible songs and albums, but the name is still the one thing that doesn't seem to fit. Look at his face somewhere and tell me that you see someone named King Diamond somewhere in there. I don't.

5. Strapping Young Lad

What does it sound like? The name always reminded me of those New Wave-y synthpop groups like Tears for Fears and A Flock of Seagulls.

What does it REALLY sound like? It's definitely not New Wave or synthpop. Not at all. Devin Townsend is known for his wall to wall heavy sound. Strapping Young Lad where a heavy band through and through. While Townsend was always experimenting with different styles and concepts, SYL always kept at its core the sound that made them successful. I guess its the Young Lad part that throws me off, but I'm sure Townsend could have come up with something more creative.

4. House of Pain

What does it sound like? Metalcore to its oompth degree. It feels like someone is about to get murdered in a mosh pit.

What does it REALLY sound like? Would you believe it if I told you that this is three white boys rapping? Two Irish-Americans (I guess I got the part about fighting right) and a Latvian-American teaming up to.... jump around... I guess. I had to find out why they named themselves like they did and found that it is actually in reference to H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau. It still makes absolutely no sense. I guess it could be worse.

3. Extreme

What does it sound like? German traditional metal fronted by Udo Dirkschneider.

What does it REALLY sound like? I will completely look over the fact that they actually were the reason that the song "More Than Words" exists because otherwise Chiko will get a seizure. Other than that, there is nothing extreme about Extreme's music. Sure, the band has probably one of the most talented guitar virtuosos in Nuno Bettencourt, but this band is not really extreme unless you are talking about their overuse of hair spray, makeup and spandex.

2. The Killers (Tie)

What does it sound like? It sounds like something from the extreme metal genre. Something hard and violent and intense.

What does it REALLY sound like? As you probably surmised from the picture above, this is nothing like that. If I where to open my dictionary in search for a replacement name for this band, it would be Inane. The Killers are this sort of indie-ish new wave band that asks questions like "Are we human or are we dancer?". Whatever happened to actually interesting questions in music? This is what we get? Also, it seems like lead singer Brandon Flowers is kind of a douche. I guess I should have realized when you hear a song like "Human". Terrible stuff. Also, a waste of a good name for some other band.

2. The Darkness (Tie)

What does it sound like? This gives me a vibe of a goth or doom band that is incredibly depressed.

What does it REALLY sound like? Nothing like what the name implies. Don't get me wrong, I like The Darkness. These British retro rockers came to the attention of the world in 2003 with their single "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" and the funny music video that accompanied it. What I liked about them was that it was obvious that they were talented, but they weren't taking themselves too seriously with the video and comparisons to bands that came before. Too band they took a name that could have been used by some generic band. There is nothing generic about this band and it deserves a name to go along with it.

1. Slaughter

What does it sound like? Fuck yeah! This sounds like one of the big dogs of thrash. Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, Megadeth, Exodus, Testament and SLAUGHTER!

What does it REALLY sound like? You gotta be fuckin' kidding me. A band named Slaughter should be powerful and strong and kickass. Instead, what you have here is the pussiest of the glam rock bands. Pink and lame go hand in hand if you are a member of Slaughter. Probably their biggest hit was the sub par "Up All Night" and that is one of their best songs... you can imagine the rest of this pink colored turd of a band's repertoire. A bunch of whiny and unimaginative power ballads that are better off not remembered.

If you know any other bands or groups that you think are horribly misnamed. Let me know in the comments!

I don't get the Delta Blues; I get the Hisingen Blues!

Hisingen Blues by Graveyard

I have been a fan of hard rock/heavy metal for years. My love for heavy metal and hard rock (and the memories of the music my father would play) sort of inspired me to turn back and listen to the old classic rock of the 60s and 70s. While The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers Band and Creedence Clearwater Revival were mainstays of my youth, it wasn't until I discovered Led Zeppelin that my love for classic rock was set in stone. After that small sidebar, I think you might understand why I feel like I feel for this album.

In March of 2011, the Swedish retro rock/blues band Graveyard released their sophomore album to the world. Hisingen Blues was released by heavy metal independent record label Nuclear Blast. I was surprised by that, because Graveyard is the farthest thing from Heavy Metal. Graveyard is (like my friend Yhann called it) a Led Zeppelin worship band. That might sound bad and sort of dismissive, but it doesn't have to be.

Graveyard feels like a time capsule. It feels like listening to a band that is contemporary with throwback speakers. Like watching a modern band with 1960s glasses. Sure, it's a little bit faster than most of the blues rock that inspired it, but the influences are there. While they might not be the cup of tea of fans of the modern heavy metal scene, for those that can feel the roots of these modern day bands, and can trace them back to that bygone era that has never been forgotten socially, culturally and especially musically... this band is a breath of fresh air in these tried and true times of generic and soulless rock.

Truth is, I really hate to compare this band with those bands that came before it, but our brains are designed to find the patterns in things and while this band knows what it is, I can't help but be impressed by each song that passes on the album. While "Ain't Fit To Live Here" and "Hisingen Blues" are faster bluesy rockers, songs like "No Good, Mr. Holden" and "Uncomfortably Numb" show inventiveness in their doom and slow, almost ballady southern styles respectively.

They look like they hopped on a DeLorean and couldn't get back home.

So, while I compare this band with many bands that came before them. I don't want it to sound like I am pigeonholing them into one genre of music as it is clear to me and to anyone who listens to their whole album that their influences are incredibly broad. This album has everything you want or need. The aforementioned songs are accompanied by the weirdly fun and entertaining "RSS" and the very interesting instrumental "Longing" that cries of spaghetti westerns, Clint Eastwood and Ennio Morricone.

I have to admit to never having listened to this band's first album before my friend Rocky suggested I listen to this album. When he said I had to listen to this band Graveyard, I have to say I kind of groaned. I thought it would be one of those generic metal bands that play good music but don't really have much to them.

I think all those songs are amazing but I think "The Siren" is the most amazing of all. The rhythm section really shines. The blues is really heavy in this track and they do a little bit of everything. If you want to know what they are capable of doing, this is the track that you have to listen to. Rikard Edlund and Axel Sjöberg on bass and drums are fantastic and at their best, while Joakim Nilsson's vocals are crisp and clear while still sounding raw and Jonathan Ramm does his thing with the guitar.

Call this band what you will. Worship band, retro band, blue/rock band, stoner rock, psychedelic rock or whatever other sub genre you can find. They are all of those things and more. Even their album art is cool. It is really a little window as to what they have to offer in the album without having to listen to them. Give them a try.



9 out of 10