Come of Age

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.

Best tracks: No Hope, Teenage Icon

Yotam Ben-Horin

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's People's List

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.

Christian Metal Corner: Tourniquet

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.

Handwritten

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... :)

Influential albums

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.

AFI Sing the Sorrow
Arcade Fire The Suburbs
Ash Meltdown
Avenged Sevenfold City of Evil
Biffy Clyro Only Revolutions
Blink 182 Enema of the State
The Cure Disintegration
Fightstar Be Human
The Gaslight Anthem The '59 Sound
Idlewild Broken Promises
Journey Escape
The Killers Sam's Town
Lostprophets Liberation Transmission
Muse Black Holes And Revelations
Oasis What's the Story Morning Glory?
Rise Against The Sufferer & the Witness
Saosin Saosin
Silversun Pickups Swoon
Snow Patrol Eyes Open
Story of the Year Page Avenue
Taking Back Sunday Louder Now
Travis The 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.