Five Star Songs: Awakening

Well, this was just an idea... Since I am into the whole star ratings business, I thought why not throw in my some of my favourite five star songs every once in a while and express my love for them. So from this moment onwards, expect notorious singles, timeless classics and songs that tend to be kinda overlooked and underappreciated or even unknown.

Let's kick off the new column with Switchfoot's Awakening from their sixth album, Oh! Gravity. This is not the first song that pops into people's heads when they think about the band, nor it is the second, nor the third... But it is by far my favourite of them all. It is the reason why I even listen to the band in the first place. The chorus is just huge and irresistible, and it's an instant reminder of how good Switchfoot have always been. Ladies and gentlemen, behold...

B3

Placebo did release their latest extended play last september, but I didn't pay it much attention up until now. I was actually quite surprised to find it pretty good. In contrast to Placebo's last full-length, Battle for the Sun, it sounds quite fresh and got me stoked for the band's new album, which should be out either in March, or later in the summer... Thoughts?

A Tattered Line of String

The Postal Service's brand new song.

Losers

Damn, this is awesome... I don't usually listen to Robbie Williams, but when I do, it's thanks to videos like this.

Pure Love: Anthems

The english hardcore band Gallows have never been exactly my cup of tea, so when their frontman Frank Carter left the band and formed a new outfit called Pure Love, I didn't pay much attention. Until now. Pure Love's new album, which is currently slated for a February release, is being streamed in its entirety over here. And it's rather awesome and completely different from what I expected. Be sure to check it out.

Weird Shapes

2010's Astro Coast was an astonishing debut album full of infectious tunes. Surfer Blood will release their new album, Pythons, in the summer, and here's a first glimpse at what it may sound like. The lo-fi approach of their first record is gone, but the band obviously hasn't lost its personality. Color me stoked.

Sound City

Sound City is a documentary film directed by Dave Grohl about the history of Los Angeles recording studio Sound City Studios, where he recorded Nevermind back in the day. It will premiere at the Sundance Festival in February.

And now comes the interesting part. The soundtrack will feature eleven new songs from Grohl and an amazing list of collaborators. Check for yourself...

Track listing:

1. "Heaven and All" – Robert Levon Been, Dave Grohl, and Peter Hayes
2. "Time Slowing Down" – Tim Commerford, Chris Goss, Grohl, and Brad Wilk
3. "You Can't Fix This" – Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffee, and Stevie Nicks
4. "The Man That Never Was" – Grohl, Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, and Rick Springfield
5. "Your Wife Is Calling" – Grohl, Hawkins, Alain Johannes, Smear, and Lee Ving
6. "From Can to Can't" – Grohl, Rick Nielsen, Scott Reeder, and Corey Taylor
7. "Centipede" – Goss, Grohl, Johannes, and Joshua Homme
8. "A Trick with No Sleeve" – Grohl, Homme, and Johannes
9. "Cut Me Some Slack" – Grohl, Paul McCartney, Novoselic, and Smear
10. "Once Upon a Time...The End" – Jessy Greene, Grohl, Jaffee, and Jim Keltner
11. "Mantra" – Grohl, Homme, and Trent Reznor

This can't be bad. Thoughts?

Where Are We Now

Let's kick off the year with the best possible news...

So I've been listening to a lot of David Bowie lately. Partly thanks to the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower, in which his song Heroes plays an important role.

Coincidentally, few days ago, David Bowie released a new single and announced his first album in ten years. According to Bowie's producer Tony Visconti, the new album, The Next Day, will have "rock" sound, and that makes me beyond stoked. The video is weird, to say the least, but it's still pretty good. The music, on the other hand, is simply brilliant. Bowie hasn't aged a day. And if this melancholic and retrospective track is of any indication, we have much to look forward to.

Thoughts?

Albums of the Year

After coming up with this list, I realized that I didn't listen to as much new music as I thought I had.  The few new albums that I did listen to were some pretty solid albums.  Like every year, there were those disappointments, a new face, and those that always release a decent album.  In my opinion, this year was the most unpredictable.  The bands that surprised me the most were Swedish House Mafia and Keane.  Two bands that I was always aware of, but never gave a proper listen to.  Had I made my list longer, Swedish House Mafia would be ranked a#11.  

And here we go...

Albums of the year 2012, part II

Without further ado, here comes the final part of my list.

#10 Django Django
Django Django

Having received rave reviews from just about everyone, this album became increasingly harder to avoid. Needless to say, when I finally gave in, I didn't regret it one bit. There's always something fascinating and refreshing about debuting indie bands, and Django Django certainly made quite an entrance.

#9 Born and Raised
John Mayer

When you rate Born and Raised, it all comes down to whether you like folk music or not. Thus, it's gonna be either your most favourite Mayer's album or the least. Considering it's in my top ten, it must be clear where I stand on this. (My review)

#8 Blunderbuss
Jack White

After an admirable 22-year-long career in music, dozens of projects and collaborations, everyone's favourite guitarist finally set off to release his solo debut. And its outstanding moments by far outweigh the few flaws. One of the bussiest and most prolific men in the bussiness hardly ever lets his fans down, even though it may have taken some time for people like me to appreciate the record. I'm only wondering if Jack White will ever run out of the tricks up his sleeve.

#7 Come of Age
The Vaccines

The Vaccines delivered again. Come of Age is arguably and quite surprisingly an even better album than their massively hyped debut. (My review)

#6 Handwritten
The Gaslight Anthem

Despite the lack of progress, this is still a rather fantastic output. It's been always very exciting for me to witness the band's continual rise to fame, and frankly, I hope it won't stop anytime soon. (My review)

#5 Lonerism
Tame Impala

A fantastic psychedelic album, that grabs you and doesn't let go. Expect no stoner music, though, this is a very focused and elaborate set of songs. It was yet another big surprise for me and will be an important entry in every respectable magazine's guide to 2012's essential albums. (My Review)

#4 Celebration Rock
Japandroids

It's hard to resist the raw energy of this album. I may be overly enthusiastic, but it is thanks to bands like Japandroids, that rock'n'roll will never die. (My review)

#3 Given to the Wild
The Maccabees

Compelling third studio album from the UK indie rockers, that clearly shows their musical maturity and a great deal of ambition, which don't go unfulfilled. (My review)

#2 Some Nights
fun.

It's increasingly difficult to avoid cheap puns, but the band's name really says it all. For me, this has been the feel-good album of 2012. I would always come back to it and be amazed by the sheer talent on display. Despite a few missteps along the way, it's simply a great record and I'm glad fun.'s singles dominated the airwaves this year. (My review)

#1 Battle Born
The Killers

Ever since the release, there was little doubt this mammoth of an album would eventually end up seizing the top spot of my list. Considering the long break, we might have doubted whether The Killers still got what it takes to dominate the world. Thankfully, the answer to that is a resounding "yes". Great hooks, grand statements, perfect execution... An instant classic. (My review)