As much as I love Douglas Adams and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I'm gonna be talking about All Time Low's newest album right now. As you may know, the band is one of my guilty pleasures. Even though, I mostly listen to Bob Dylan, George Harrison and other masters of classic rock nowadays, it doesn't mean I can't still enjoy me some good pop punk/power pop/whatever every now and then. And that time came again, not with Green Day, but with the supposedly less talented and accomplished band. Don't Panic is simply fun and furthermore, you can listen to it on a youtube stream.
After the rather bland Dirty Work, there comes quite a surprising follow-up. Opinions?
Sometimes, I tend to forget just how great some bands are. Right now, I've realized that with Travis. Somehow, I stumbled upon one of their songs and remembered I hadn't listened to them in a long while. To be honest, it's also partly their fault becuase the Glasgow quartet hasn't released any new material in four years. Fortunately, they plan to release a follow-up to Ode to J. Smith sometime in the first half of 2013.
By the end of 2008, The Killers had released three albums, each one great in its own way. Personally, I've always prefered their sophomore effort to the unbalanced debut. With the excessive amount of massive hooks and infectious choruses, the springsteenesque Sam's Town still remains to be a shining example of a near perfect album to me. Where Hot Fuss loses its breath, Sam's Town shifts to the second gear and continues to serve one gem after another.
Day & Age, on the other hand, felt at first like a complete misstep. The Killers tossed the guitar-band image away and became a full-time pop act. Many fans were repulsed by the new electronic sound as well as the famously ridiculous "Are we dancer?" line in the lead single, Human. Against all odds, however, Day & Age proved to be a relentless grower of an album and even went on to receive its fair share of well-deserved rehabilitation. Or at least from some people. And with Battle Born, it might be a similar case.
This is a serious contender for the artwork of the year.
Preceding the release, The Killers had promised no small things. They announced a return of rock'n'roll to their music along with the Sam's Town era sound. If that alone hadn't set the expectations incredibly high among their fans, the lead single, Runaways, certainly did. But the band never rests in one place and never makes the same album twice. Thus, anyone expecting Sam's Town Part II will be vastly disappointed. Rather, this is a logical follow-up to Brandon Flowers' solo stuff. The songs might just as well have been taken out of Flamingo and given a full-band treatment. The result sounds bigger and better than ever before.
Every guitar riff, every breakdown, every sound effect, every echo just falls into the right place. As a whole, the record might be the most cohesive work The Killers have ever created. Which is a rather surprising fact, considering how many producers participated in the final product. Furthermore, if it's somehow possible for Brandon Flowers' voice to get even better with time, then it certainly hits its all time high on Battle Born.
Without a doubt, The Killers had a clear vision of what they wanted to say and how they wanted to say it, and released one of the best albums of the year. Battle Born carries a sufficient amount of huge choruses for big stadiums and is still subtle enough for long winter evenings. It's no easy task to pick just a few best songs out of the whole bunch, because every single one of them is captivating in its own distinctive way. With that being said, Battle Born is easily one of the best closing tracks you'll hear this year.
I've spun the album approximately thirty times by now, and still can't get enough of it. That speaks for something.
Best tracks: Runaways, Deadlines and Commitments, Battle Born
Although I've been a huge fan of The Byrds for over a year, it wasn't until recently, that I have finally "acquired" all of the band's studio albums. This whole time, I was spinning their 1997 best of compilation almost constantly, and it gradually became one of my all time favourite CDs.
Notice the trademark glasses of the frontman Roger McGuinn :)
I haven't grown tired of the band's versions of the Dylan's classics, for which they became famous in the first place, such as their first single ever Mr. Tambourine Man, or Pete Seeger's adaptation of the Book of Ecclesiastes Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) featured prominently on the Forrest Gump soundtrack. The Byrds crafted some of the best covers in the history of rock music. With richer intrumentation and Roger McGuinn's distinctive vocals, they had the ability to take those already brilliant songs to a whole new level. Not to speak about their originals, such as I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, Chestnut Mare or perhaps the first proper psychedelic rock anthem Eight Miles High.
Not unlike The Beatles, The Byrds introduced a unique amount of talent in each of its members. Most of whom found new success in their subsequent careers and inspired countless musicians of the generations that followed. Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby (of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) or Gram Parsons were all highly influential personas in the genres of psychedelic rock, country rock and folk.
The band's unmistakable sound owed a lot to Roger McGuinn's jangly guitar, the twelve-string Rickenbacker. The main reason I was hooked instantly, though, were the ethereal melodies. The Byrds were masters at crafting them, and were true equals to their contemporaries, The Beatles and The Beach Boys.
The CD is a selection of 27 songs from the first five years of the band's career (1965 to 1970) and really doesn't miss anything essential. Although the band's style changed significantly over the course of the years, from blending the folk revival and Beatlesque rock to psychedelia and country, the whole compilation still feels like a cohesive album. I'd even go as far and say that The Very Best of The Byrds is what "1"was to The Beatles. The ultimate collection. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone with at least a vague interest in the '60s music. (Or anyone, who still thinks today's indie folk rock bands do something special.)
Well, I had to get this out of my system. Since the first time I heard Turn! Turn! Turn! to this day, my love and respect for The Byrds have been only growing. They are one of the reasons why the music of the '60s was the best. And that's not an opinion, it's a fact.
What Did You Expect From The Vaccines arrived about a year and a half ago. And although it wasn't all that groundbreaking and innovative in the way of the Arctic Monkeys' or Franz Ferdinand's debuts, it was nevertheless a great fun ride from start to finish.
This time around though, the aim to entertain masses is replaced by musical ambition. The songs are far more sophisticated, both musically and lyrically. The Vaccines have slowed down significantly and settled down for more introspective themes. But that doesn't mean they've lost their natural ability to write extremely infectious tunes. And in the end, Come of Age comes off as the better album.
Most of all, I'm just glad to see that The Vaccines are no one hit wonder. They're obviously here to stay and if they don't lose their creative stride, then we have much to look forward to.
The frontman of my favourite Israeli pop punk band Useless ID will be releasing his solo debut, Distant Lover, on October 3rd. I really like his vocals so I thought I'd share it with you. It sounds pretty much like a slower version of his band, perhaps with more introspective lyrics. Thoughts?
Pitchfork has recently published a reader's list of the best 200 albums in its 15-year-long history. And it actually isn't that bad, considering how much I often disagree with their opinions and reviews. Take a look for yourself, maybe you'll find some of your favourite albums there too. It's no wonder Radiohead seized the first two places, but personally, I'm glad that all three Arcade Fire albums made the cut, as well as Weezer's Pinkerton, The National's last three outputs or Interpol's Turn On The Bright Lights and Antics.
I thought I'd do a post about one of my favorite Christian Speed/Thrash/etc Metal bands, Tourniquet. They just released their 8th album, Antiseptic Bloodbath. Here are a few of my favorite songs from their most recent release:
Antiseptic Bloodbath
I love the intro to "Fed by Ravens, Eaten by Vultures". Nice use of cello and violin.
And no Tourniquet album would be complete without a song about their strong stance against animal abuse. Here's their song "86 Bullets" about the killing of an elephant named Tyke. (Wikipedia article here)
At the moment, the entire "Antiseptic Bloodbath" album is uploaded on their YouTube account. I recommend checking it out, and as always, support the artist if you like their music.
The brightest and shiniest moment in the band's career is also their biggest setback. The Gaslight Anthem have already released their best album and I don't see how anything they'll ever produce in the future could top The 59' Sound. With that being said, Handwritten is, of course, a great piece of work in its own right.
Their sophomore effort took the world by surprise with its perfect combination of punk rock tools, retro imagery and Brian Fallon's irresistible growl. All its components were refined to the point of near perfection, supplying listeners with a monthly (at least) dose of nostalgia. American Slang only continued the trend, more or less, and so does Handwritten.
The lyrics have never spoken more urgently and the instruments have never sounded better or bigger, as they reliably send shivers down my spine on several occassions (the ending of Mullholand Drive for example). Handwritten is no short of grand moments as well as honest statements, with themes being more personal than ever before.
However, there are a few obstacles along the way. Using the same old formula, The Gaslight Anthem couldn't avoid repeating themselves. Not that they even tried to, because this is everything the band is about now. Heart on sleeve, catchy riffs and a great deal of sentiment. You either play along, or you don't. But let's be honest, if they'll stick to what they do so easily come their fifth album, there's a chance the audience may become increasingly indifferent.
Pretended or not, the band's sincerity largely makes up for any of the album's flaws or the lack of progression. And while being a bit ponderous at times, Handwritten is still a fine example of good old rock'n'roll craftsmanship. Within the span of the last three albums, The Gaslight Anthem have gone a long way from being punk rock's best kept secret to having #3 album on Billboard and selling out shows across the ocean. Nevertheless, The 59' Sound will remain the band's defining work for a little longer.
Best tracks: "45", Handwritten, National Anthem, (Blue Dahlia - bonus track)
By the way, I just realized, they might as well call themselves ABBA... :)
This was actually one of the ideas I had on my mind when I was writing the first paragraph of the Nada Surf review back in January. I was planning to do this as a part of the "older albums revisited" section but it was st. tropez who finally forced me to get down to it. It took me three months...
I got into music much, much later than most of you. It wasn't until I discovered the secret of downloading. Yes, big surprise, I'm a pirate. Therefore almost all the albums mentioned here will be from the noughties. I may not listen to many of them anymore, but these records had a tremendous impact on my life and I'll always have a soft spot for them. Let's start with 21 albums that didn't make the final cut. I'm pretty sure I'll revisit them one day too.
AFISing the Sorrow Arcade FireThe Suburbs AshMeltdown Avenged SevenfoldCity of Evil Biffy ClyroOnly Revolutions Blink 182Enema of the State The CureDisintegration FightstarBe Human The Gaslight AnthemThe '59 Sound IdlewildBroken Promises JourneyEscape The KillersSam's Town LostprophetsLiberation Transmission MuseBlack Holes And Revelations OasisWhat's the Story Morning Glory? Rise AgainstThe Sufferer & the Witness SaosinSaosin Silversun PickupsSwoon Snow PatrolEyes Open Story of the YearPage Avenue Taking Back Sunday Louder Now TravisThe Boy With No Name
The Beatles Help!
I think it's safe to say, that the Beatles have been with me all my life. I digged all of their songs when I heard them on the radio. But it wasn't until the 2009 remaster, which offered a great opportunity, that I checked their whole catalogue out and discovered there's a lot more to love than just the notoriously known singles. I could easily choose any Beatles' album, but I chose Help!, because the first track of the same name was literally the very first song ever to gain the title "my favourite song". Although, I was in elementary school and probably didn't even know any other band at that time. But that's not the point. I love the Beatles, period.
