Albums of the year, part III

Part I
Part II

#3 Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
M83

The single most atmospheric album of 2011. It delivers exactly what the title promises. This record most of all reminds me of The Suburbs from the last year, in terms of grandiosity, anticipation and achievement. Even if you're not a fan of electronic pop, close your eyes and let the music sink in. It will grow on you, I promise.

Best tracks: Midnight City, My Tears Are Becoming a Sea, Splendor



#2 Neighborhoods
blink-182

Just when I was beginning to fear that the album would never come out... Blink took their time, didn't leave anything to chance and it paid them off big time. Neigboorhoods eventually surpassed any expectations, if it's even possible, and people showed they still cared about Mark, Tom & Travis. The best thing about the whole album, though, is its lasting value. I can still spin Neighborhoods endlessly and never get bored with it. This will be the landmark album of 2011 for me.

Best tracks: Natives, After Midnight, MH 4.18.2011



#1 Welcome Home Armageddon
Funeral For a Friend

For weeks preceding the release, the number of rave reviews giving the album 9 out of 10 stars had been rapidly increasing. No wonder my expectations had been pretty high, if not unrealistically. That fact, of course, lead to me being a little underwhelmed by the final product at first. But it's not uncommon, that the best albums take time to grow on me. In the course of the following weeks, I slowly started to appreciate Welcome Home... more and more, and it eventually turned out to be that killer record I'd hoped for it to be.

It's perhaps their heaviest album to date, most of all reminding of their debut, Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation. Screaming vocals and heavy guitar riffs mark yet another change of direction for the band, who turned away from the more mainstream sound present on their last two full-lengths. The answer to whether this was a good decision or not is a resolute and loud yes.

Their last album also hit the top spot on my list of that year, so I might be a little partial here...

Best tracks: Front Row Seats to the End of the World, Sixteen, Welcome Home Armageddon

Albums of the year 2011, part II

Let's move on to the second part of my list, the quality rises, the curiosity culminates...

#13 Endgame
Rise Against

Prior to the release, there had been rumours about Rise Against splitting up. Fortunately, they didn't turn out to be true and so fans could enjoy the band's latest output. And here's to hoping that Endgame won't be their last either. Because Tim McIlrath & Co. still haven't forgotten the craft of writing urgent and powerful songs. Again, I may be "a little" biased here, because they're one of my all time favourite bands, but Endgame proves they're still one of the best punk rock bands out there...
Best tracks: Architects, Satelite, This Is Letting Go

Merry Christmas

It would be no christmas without Jimmy Eat World. Enjoy the holidays, my friends, and see you all soon :)

Albums of the Year 2011, part I

Here we go again. This is the first part of my list. Hopefully, I'll write something more meaningful later on...

#23 You & I
The Pierces

I had never heard of this female indie duo before, but that doesn't matter at all, because honestly, their newest album blows everything else out of the water. The girls possess amazing voices. Add great melodies and rich production to the equation, and what you get is an irresistible indie pop beauty.
Best tracks: You'll Be Mine, It Will Not Be Forgotten, Glorious

Immigrant Song

Watch Trent Reznor and Karen O cover of the Led Zeppelin's song. It will be featured in the upcoming David Fincher movie, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.


Did you know, that the original Swedish title means "the men that hate women"?

Turning Page

This should've made it to its own post straight away... Watch Sleeping At Last perform Turning Page live. Their/His Yearbook project is still one of the best things we've been able to witness this/last year.

Introducing: Alpha Rev

After months of wondering what to post about, trying to find the right band and the right amount of time needed to post something, I have finally figured out who to share with you guys. I figured from time to time i'd drop in with a band I enjoy that I hope you guys will enjoy as well. Some you may have heard of, others of them you won't know anything about. So, here is the first installment of st. tropez section titled "introducing".

Alpha Rev: In 08, during the myspace boom, they were ranked as one of myspace's top unsigned bands, and were even given the crown of top unsigned band in all of Texas. In 2010, Alpha Rev released their first major label CD, New Morning, to critical praise. The lead single, "New Morning" saw success on VH1, peaking at 7 on the countdown, and peaked at 100 on the Billboard Top 100. However, due to horrible push from their record label, Hollywood Records, the disc went unseen by many, even though a number of the songs were picked up by American television shows, and even the computer game The Sims. The band, since the release, has opened up for acts like Pete Yorn, The Script, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Staind.

"New Morning"


"Phoenix Burn"