The year in rearview: 2010 edition

Good grief.  I am slow.  I am lame.

I have though many times about writing this post, about what I would say, what music I would discuss.  But I never let myself get around to it.  Well here it is.  Only 4 months late.  Sweet.  Also, I'm not doing the top ten thing here.  These are just some albums that, in one way or the other, I thought worth mentioning.

The Disappointing
Okay, let's start with the few things that let me down.  There really isn't going to be much here, as I just didn't spend time with music that didn't wow me.  I mean, I do this as a hobby.  I'm not getting paid, so I won't subject myself to unnecessary pain.

Joe Satriani - Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards
Oh Joe, what happened to you?  I mean, I sill have an undying love for his older music, pretty much up until Engines of Creation.  There are still some really great songs on Strange Beautiful Music and Is There Love in Space?  But since then, I'll just pass.  Three albums in a row that aren't even worth listening to, let alone buy.  Not a positive trend for who was, for many years, my absolute favorite guitarist.

Kamelot - Poetry for the Poisoned
I really fell in love with Kamelot with the release of The Black Halo.  But I don't know if it is me or the band, but nothing since that albums has really grabbed me.  Their latest was no different.  There were some great parts, but not enough to make me want to come back regularly. 

Deftones - Diamond Eyes
This album started out so strong, but then just quickly lost me.  For whatever reason, I just don't like these guys that much anymore.  I was really left kind of feeling meh after this one.


The Good
There is a fair bit here, for good reason.  I'll just give you a quick run down.

Fear Factory - Mechanize
Fear Factory has been releasing albums for years since their groundbreaking second full length release, Demanufacture.  And I think it is pretty universally held that they hadn't met up to the high bar that release set.  That is until 2011.  I personally think that with Mechanize they not only reached that bar, but set it even higher.  There is a full review here for my thoughts.  It is sufficient to say that I still think it is a brilliant album, and their very best.

Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy
Here is the thing, Jeff Loomis is THE MAN.  He has an absolutely uncanny ability to play heavy, fast, techincal and yet astonishingly beautiful music.  He can take a ridiculous riff, play it so fast that your head is spinning, but still make it lovely and musical.  That skill was evident all over his solo album, and is firmly entrenched on Nevermore's latest.  These guys are one of the greatest American metal bands.  This is another fantastic release from them.

The Ocean - Heliocentric/Anthropocentric
We have reviews here and here for these albums.  They are awesome, and taken together are very powerful.  They are inventive, evocative and fascinating musical experiments.

Coheed and Cambria - Year of the Black Rainbow
The story for which this album is a prequel is too silly, too overwrought in the worst way of comic stories could possibly be.  But the music on this album is consistently great, and consistent is the one thing that Coheed and Cambria have not been up to this point.  They have been moving that direction with each album, but didn't realize that until this one.  My favorite of theirs, it is a great place to start exploring these guys.

Soilwok - The Panic Broadcast
These Swedes know what they want to do, and they do it very well.  Adding a bit of a groove feel to the "Gothenburg metal" sound, they manage to not sound too samey to their compatriots.  The Panic Broadcast is probably the best example of this in many years.  They riffs are massive, manic and melodic in that particularly Swedish way, but with a healthy dose of Pantera mixed in.

Alter Bridge - ABIII
I have a confession to make.  I really, I mean really liked Creed back in the day.  Okay, now that I got that off my chest, I feel better.  Even though I really can't listen to them anymore (Scott Stapp rubs me so wrong), I still really like the sound of Mark Tremonti's guitar.  So I have been a big fan of Alter Bridge since their debut album.  Now on their third, it is probably their best yet.  This is also their darkest album to date.  Even the songs that start off sounding like butterflies and rainbows (I'm exaggerating a bit here) turn dark at some point.  It is an interesting, if minor, evolution of the sound of this band.   

Star One - Victims of the Modern Age
Again, no surprise this is on the list if anyone read my review.  This is just another shinning example that Arjen Lucassen is brilliant.  Seriously.  Go, find something this man has done and listen.  Now.  Really.

Hans Zimmer - Inception OST
I'm a sucker for Hans Zimmer.  His overwrought, distinct style just gets me every time.  It didn't hurt that this soundtrack was for such a great movie.  But the music helps the movie be even better.  Taken alone, I find the soundtrack a compelling listening experience.  If you like the movie, it is even better.

Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini
Yes, I love this album.  If you had told me in January that my favorite album of the year would come from these Norwegian Viking/Black/Progressive metallers, I would have balked.  I would have believed it would have been in my top ten.  However, I was absolutely not prepared for just powerful, dynamic, and impressive this album would be.

Daft Punk - Tron: Legacy OST
So here was the biggest surprise.  Obviously, I am a bit of a hard rock/metal head.  Out of nowhere, Daft Punk came and smacked me upside the head with a fantastic melding of electronica and orchestral soundtrack goodness.  I seriously obsessed over this album and still love nearly every minute of it.

Essentials of the last decade: Progressive Metal

It's time for another installment of essential music of the decade.  

While I may have cut my music-loving teeth on progressive rock and alternative rock, it was metal that introduced me to the wider world of heavy, crushing music.  I've spent years listening to and enjoying it, and there is a veritable cornucopia of great albums that I've adored as time has gone by.  While I don't listen to heavy metal nearly as often as I used to, it remains the music that I've heard the most and probably the type of music I own the most of.

Since there is such a plethora of essential recordings in heavy metal, I've chosen to split the sizable list into two - one for progressive metal and one for more vanilla heavy metal.  (And to be perfectly honest, these divisions are rather arbitrary - something you may call progressive will end up on the other list, and vice versa.)  They're not in any particular order, so just make sure to pick them all up.  As such, today's list is going to focus on the progressive greats!

Essentials of the last decade: Alternative Rock

It's time for another installment of my series of articles dealing with the best albums of the last decade.  Today, I wanted to focus my attention on my first true love in music - alternative rock.

I cut my teeth on alt rock - the local alt rock station, x96, has been basically the only thing I've listened to over the airwaves other than NPR.  Like, ever.  Consequently, I have a lot of love for this genre, even if it's not one I listen to much these days.

Regardless, there have been some resounding efforts that have impressed me in the last decade.  (Keep in mind, I still have to do indie rock, so it could be that what you think may be missing from this list could show up there.)  But enough lolligagging!

My top albums of 2009

Much like my brother said, 2009 was a huge year for music. There were so many outstanding albums it's taken me a fair amount of time to synthesize a list that reflects my favorite offerings in a year filled with awesome acts. Moreover, there are so many that I've loved so intensely, it was difficult to get the list down to a bare ten. The honorable mentions list is enormous, and the best thing to do would be to look at this top ten my brother did and check out all the things I neither have space nor predilection to mention again. He does have impeccable taste, after all...

But here's my top ten, after considerable trouble deciding.

Honorable Mentions: Everything on this list

Fever Ray: S/T

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

Dethklok: Dethalbum II

The XX: xx

10. Muse: The Resistance

Muse have a lot going for them - they're ridiculously popular, they supposedly put on one of the best live shows you'll ever see, and (most importantly) they're awesome. 2006's Black Holes and Revelations has some of the best hooks you'll ever hear in a rock album. While The Resistance might not be as formidable an album as their previous effort, its concept album feel gives it a leg up on its predecessor. It's an album where everything belongs and has its place, and when it's good, it's ridiculously good. The last three tracks (an imposing three-movement song) give hope to me that perhaps popular music isn't as far gone as I feared.

9. The Mountain Goats: The Life of the World to Come

While The Mountain Goats have been around forever, it's only been in the last few months that I've really heard them, but it's got to be said - you might not enjoy the slightly nasal delivery of vocals that John Darnielle sings with, but he writes some of the most literate, engaging, worthwhile lyrics you'll ever hear. His latest outing has everything one expects from a later-period Mountain Goats release - poignant, autobiographical wordsmithing, simple, warm guitar work, minimalist instrumentation. But its incorporation of themes from biblical scripture make it a more personal, spiritual effort.

8. Devin Townsend Project

Devin Townsend is probably the artist that consistently makes my "Top Albums of XXXX Year" list more than any other. His inventiveness and constant reinvention make him usually engaging, sometimes off-putting, and always worth a listen. Or ten. And his two albums last year are no exception. Ki is by far the stronger of the two albums, a huge departure from Devin's usual style, but Addicted has plenty of great hooks, too. Also, the addition of Anneke van Giersbergen as a vocalist on Addicted makes it that much better (I honestly believe she may have my favorite female voice in rock). Devin is changing as a person and as an artist, but when change results in releases of this calibre, I'm grateful for it.

7. F*** Buttons: Tarot Sport

Pay no attention to the name of this band. It's the most offensively nonsensical name I've heard all year. But that stupid name belies the talent and greatness of the music. This is electronica of the highest order; sure, it takes ten minutes to venture through one of their songs, but the ride is so crazy it's worth every minute of it. It's the first electronic album since Daft Punk's 2001 album Discovery that makes me want to listen to electronic music. It is almost like carefully packaged epilepsy - but the seizures last only as long as you want them to.

6. Kylesa: Static Tensions

This album is huge. The dual drumming is stellar, the grungy production hits all the right spots, the whole thing erupts in your face for forty minutes without letting up. It's been a constant play in the game Audiosurf, and has kept me entertained for hours.

5. OSI: Blood

The Matheos/Moore combination hits its sweet spot with their third release under the moniker OSI. It is heavy and progressive in all the right spots; it fades to calm and foreboding just when it needs to. The drumming is top notch (no need for Portnoy's ego this time around), the guitars are as slicing as ever, the programming and keyboards add the perfect level of ambience to every measure. Creepiness made perfect, this is a must-have for the rocker in all of us.

4. Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion

I've listened to this album a couple of dozen times, and I still don't know what to make of it. I can't figure out how to describe it, what words or phrases might make you understand what is going on here. And I've had an epiphany - I don't have to explain it. The music explains itself, even if you don't know what to make of it. This is a strange, beautiful thing.

3. Riverside: Anno Domini High Definition

I've been listening to Riverside since the release of their second album, and while their following release was worthwhile, I didn't feel it came close to what Second Life Syndrome had done. Anno Domini High Definition doesn't come to that previous level - it demolishes it, becoming by far their best release.

2. Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

This album makes me dance. And dance. And then dance some more. It will probably make you do the same. That is all.

1. Mew: No More Stories...

This album is a constant barrage of progressive awesomeness, from its some-of-it-is-backwards-and-some-of-it-is-forwards opener to the jarring guitars and subtle melodies that weave throughout the disc. Right when you think you know where Mew is going to take it, they go another direction - and make you enjoy every minute of it. This is the natural evolution of progressive rock, and I can't help but smile every time I hear the album. It feels equal parts prog, indie, electronica, and chutzpah - and is my favorite disc to come out in 2009.