Friday, December 31, 2010

Best of 2010 - #1

The Gaslight Anthem are a band from New Jersey. On their first two full length albums, you could hear the influences of the rock patron of Jersey, Bruce Springsteen, covered up in punk rock. On American Slang, the band relaxes / grows up (take your pick) and fully embraces their influences, creating incredible music that recalls but never apes the best rock Springsteen ever put out. Listening to this album for the first time for me was what I can only imagine it was like hearing Born To Run on its initial release. This is music to blast in your car stereo while flying down backroads with the windows open or top down, singing along to each song at the top of your voice, banging your hands on the steering wheel, keeping time with the beat. I can't tell you how good this album is. The first listen is great. The next and all subsequent listens are what cements these songs in your head. I can't recommend this highly enough.

The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
Album Rating - 4.50 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
2. Stay Lucky
3. Bring It On
4. Diamond Church Street Choir
6. Orphans
7. Boxer
9. The Spirit Of Jazz

4 Star Tracks:
1. American Slang
5. The Queen Of Lower Chelsea
8. Old Haunts

Best of 2010 - #2

I considered writing up my own review on this one, but the listing on AllMusic.com is pretty perfect. So here it is:
Superchunk never broke up officially after the release of 2001’s Here’s to Shutting Up album. They played the occasional live show, put out compilations and bootlegs, contributed to soundtracks, and released a couple singles and an EP, but no albums until 2010’s Majesty Shredding. Since they were never really gone, it’s hard to call the album a true comeback, but it is an impressive return to the spotlight as well as a heartwarming return to form. The album casts aside almost all of the experiments the band tried on the last couple albums and forgoes outside contributors, orchestration, and production tricks. Apart from the horns on “Digging for Something” and a viola on “Fractures in Plaster,” the record is just the four members of Superchunk bashing out trademark high-quality indie rock bolstered by loud drums, a thrilling twin-guitar attack, and Mac’s always impassioned vocals. It’s like they traveled back to a time before they started to tire of their sound and began looking for new ways to put the songs across -- back to Here’s Where the Strings Come In, but with songs about kids, nostalgia, and growing old mixed in with the usual anxiety and heartache. They may have planned it or it may have been a happy accident; either way it was a great move to revisit their classic sound. Usually a band fails when trying this, because it feels like a ploy or a marketing decision, but in the case of Majesty Shredding it sounds completely organic thanks to the energy the band invests in the music. Plus, Mac delivered a batch of straightforward songs that lend themselves well to being thrashed out by the group. The moments of calm between the rockers are fine too, never sounding tired or rote, but always spilling over with emotion and real feeling. Just like they always have over the band’s 20-plus years. There are songs here that stand with the best the band has done (“Learned to Surf,” “Crossed Wires,” “Winter Games”), songs that will break your heart with their minute details on human frailty (“Fractures in Plaster”), songs that you’ll want to sing along to at top volume (“My Gap Feels Weird”), and songs that sound exactly how you want Superchunk to sound (“Slow Drip,” “Digging for Something”). They may not be the hippest band around in 2010 but they sound as fresh and important as they did in 1990, 1995, or 2001, and Majesty Shredding is the kind of album that’ll make you glad to be a fan of indie rock.

Not a dud on the album. This is a great album in any year.

Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
Album Rating - 4.45 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
1. Digging For Something
2. My Gap Feels Weird
4. Crossed Wires
7. Learned To Surf
9. Rope Light

4 Star Tracks:
3. Rosemarie
5. Slow Drip
6. Fractures In Plaster
8. Winter Games
10. Hot Tubes
11. Everything At Once

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Best of 2010 - #3

Ben Foster (aka Ben Weasel) and Dan Schafer (aka Danny Vapid) from Screeching Weasel put together the Riverdales back in 1995. The goal was to take the Ramones model and crank out punk rock. The band went on hiatus for years and came roaring back in 2009 with Invasion USA and this year with Tarantula. The band still carries the Ramones sound but really expands upon it with this release, their heaviest and catchiest to date. With Foster and Schafer bouncing back and forth with lead vocal duties, the songs scream by, with the full 14 tracks clocking in at just under 30 minutes. Lyrically the songs carry on the Ramones tradition of sci-fi, girls and minutia and the music and vocals impress. This is one of the best punk albums in years.

Riverdales - Tarantula
Album Rating - 4.36 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
2. The Beginning Of The End
3. Infection
4. Diabolik
5. Volcano
9. 12 To The Moon
11. Stranded In Space
12. I Don't Wanna Live Forever

4 Star Tracks:
1. Bad Seed Baby
6. The Girl In Lover's Lane
10. Crash Of The Moons
13. Master Ninja
14. Time Chaser

Best of 2010 - #4

Ok, I'm a sucker for great harmonies. I'm an even bigger sucker when it comes to boy / girl harmonies. Now you have two guys and two girls throwing down insane harmonies on great songs and ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. This is the fourth album from Little Big Town and their strongest yet. Four 5 star tracks and six 4 star tracks make this one enjoyable from beginning to end. This group should be absolutely huge. If you like harmonies like I do, definitely check this one out.

Little Big Town - The Reason Why
Album Rating - 4.17 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
1. The Reason Why
8. All The Way Down
9. All Over Again
11. Life Rolls On

4 Star Tracks:
2. Runaway Train
3. Kiss Goodbye
5. Why, Oh Why
6. Little White Church
7. You Can't Have Everything
10. Rain On A Tin Roof

Best of 2010 - #5

WOW. This is pop-punk at it's absolute finest. Rufio has put out an album that recalls the absolute best of bands like Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy, and has all of it on one album. Its like a greatest hits album, but just songs you haven't heard before. The songs are all that sugary pop harmony / hooks, screaming fast drums, wailing guitars. You know, all the things that make pop-punk so much fun.

Rufio - Anybody Out There
Album Rating - 4.17 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
1. Little World
2. Drunk In Love
7. Anybody Out There

4 Star Tracks:
3. Under 18
4. What You Wanna Here
5. Deep End
6. Gold And Silver
8. All That Lasts
9. This I Swear
10. The Loneliest
11. Run

Best of 2010 - #6

Pete Yorn left Columbia Records for his fifth album, landing with indie label Vagrant. He also found a producer in Frank Black (Pixies) that pushed his sound to its (relatively) hardest rocking yet. Pete is still writing his straight ahead roots songs, but now they are wrapped with rock guitars and big beats. That's not to say that acoustic guitars don't show up on the album. They are used very effectively on songs like Rock Crowd, as each verse is primarily the acoustic guitar and Pete's voice, still full of emotion, and then swelling up (and pepping up) as you drive into the chorus. In my mind, this is THE Pete Yorn Album to own. If you've heard him previously and liked him, get it. If you haven't tried him out yet, you should.

Pete Yorn - Pete Yorn
Album Rating - 4.09 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
1. Precious Stone
3. Velcro Shoes
8. Always

4 Star Tracks:
2. Rock Crowd
4. Paradise Cove I
5. Badman
6. The Chase
9. Stronger Than
10. Future Life

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Best of 2010 - #7

Alkaline Trio writes songs about dark subjects. Death, break ups, suicide, poisoning, drug addiction, etc. With such dark subjects, it is absolutely amazing that the music is so much fun. Every song has choruses that will get stuck in your head and you'll find yourself humming along with some lyrics that are pitch black. Alkaline Trio had kinda lost their vibe on the last few albums, but this one brings them roaring back. The deluxe edition is well worth your time, adding two great originals, four acoustic takes and a DVD of a live performance.

Alkaline Trio - This Addiction [Deluxe Edition]
Album Rating - 4.06 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
5. The American Scream
6. Off The Map
9. Piss And Vinegar
13. Those Lungs

4 Star Tracks:
1. This Addiction
2. Dine, Dine My Darling
3. Lead Poisoning
4. Dead On The Floor
8. Eating Me Alive
10. Dorothy
11. Fine
12. Kick Rocks
14. This Addiction [Acoustic]
15. Dine, Dine My Darling [Acoustic]

Best of 2010 - #8

White Crosses is a tough album to categorize. Previous Against Me! albums were pretty much punk. This one still has a punk soul, but touches on rock, alternative and really pushes boundaries for the band. Lead singer Tom Gabel, who still writes very political lyrics, refers to this record as his "Florida record". "I spent a lot of time writing this record while driving directionless on my forgotten Florida state roads, highly caffeinated, with albums like [Tom Petty's] 'Full Moon Fever' blasting on my radio". It really shows. This is an album you can drop in on a road trip and pretty much never hit skip. The album is that good.

Against Me! - White Crosses
Album Rating - 4.00 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
2. I Was A Teenage Anarchist
6. High Pressure Low

4 Star Tracks:
1. White Crosses
3. Because Of The Shame
4. Suffocation
5. We're Breaking Up
8. Spanish Moss
9. Rapid Decompression
10. Bamboo Bones
11. One By One
13. Lehigh Acres
14. Bitter Divisions

Best of 2010 - #9

This is the second full length album from the DC based Dead Mechanical. This is punk rock. No doubt. It recalls Jawbreaker, Husker Du, and others without being derivative. The vocals are totally passionate and wailed. The guitars and rhythm section create a wall of sound that finds these great hooks in the middle of the glorious noise. My favorite on the album is the album closer, Under The Leaves. This is an indie band on an indie label. Go buy this!

Dead Mechanical - Addict Rhythms
Album Rating - 4.00 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
6. Watchpost
8. A World Of Mistakes
12. Under The Leaves

4 Star Tracks:
1. Addict Rhythm
2. Sidewalks
3. Baltimore Calling
4. Feathered Creatures
5. Film At Forever
11. Pictures In The Hall

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Best of 2010 - #10

This is an incredible post-punk album. Ted Leo writes songs that have a staccato rhythm, very smart lyrics and hooks galore. The vocals really let you hear the urgency of what he's singing about. That's not to say that every song on the album is all stop start beats. There are songs that are very smooth and almost poppy, but still maintain just a bit of an edge. I can't recommend this album enough. My favorite is Woke Up Near Chelsea, with its big beat and shout along chorus.

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks
Album Rating - 3.92 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
7. Woke Up Near Chelsea
9. Where Was My Brain?

4 Star Tracks:
2. Mourning In America
3. Ativan Eyes
4. Even Heroes Have To Die
5. The Stick
6. Bottled Up In Cork
10. Bartolomeo And The Buzzing Of Bees
12. Gimme The Wire
13. Last Days

Best of 2010 - #11

Motion City Soundtrack bring the pop punk the way Fall Out Boy used to, before they got the big head. Pretty much top to bottom this album has incredibly catchy hooks, gang chorus vocals, and overall songs that make you want to bounce your head or pogo, depending on how you enjoy pop punk! Strangely enough, the song I like best on the album is Stand Too Close, which has piano, hand claps and acoustic guitars. If you like pop punk at all, get this one.

Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
Album Rating - 3.92 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
7. Stand Too Close

4 Star Tracks:
1. Worker Bee
2. A Life Less Ordinary
3. Her Words Destroyed My Planet
4. Disappear
5. Delirium
8. Pulp Fiction
9. @!#?@!
10. Hysteria
11. Skin And Bones

Best of 2010 - #12

Jennifer Nettles has an incredible voice. Jennifer Nettles loves to swing for the fences with that incredible voice. On The Incredible Machine, Nettles and her partner Kristian Bush move away from country and really push into a hybrid country/pop that is designed to fill stadiums. The songs here are all big guitars, big hooks, socially conscious messages all topped off with Jennifer's big voice with Kristian on harmony. In lesser hands, this could come off as incredibly self-indulgent (see some of Jennifer's pre-Sugarland material) but these two pull it off more often than not and end up with a very good album.

Sugarland - The Incredible Machine
Album Rating - 3.91 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
1. All We Are
5. Stand Up
9. Find The Beat Again

4 Star Tracks:
3. Stuck Like Glue
7. Every Girl Like Me
8. Little Miss
10. Wide Open

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Best of 2010 - #13

Cheating a little bit with this one. Technically, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals released a double album, which contains both III and IV. III is good, but IV is great, so I've decided to give it the spotlight. Some of Ryan's stuff can push out there (and this is from a huge Ryan Adams fan), but when he's working with the Cardinals, it tends to keep things a little tighter. It really works on this one. Pretty straight up rockin' album with just two tracks that didn't quite hit home with me. Highlight is P.S. Track two is a really good one as well, but with a chorus of "We're F#&ked", I had a hard time giving it 5 stars, but 4 will work ;-)

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - IV
Album Rating - 3.91 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
9. P.S.

4 Star Tracks:
1. No
2. Numbers
4. Icebreaker
5. Sewers At The Bottom Of The Wishing Well
7. Star Wars
8. My Favorite Song
10. Death & Rats
11. Kill The Lights

Best of 2010 - #14

Can't believe it, but a very unlikely American Idol has put out a very enjoyable album. It is only eight tracks so is it an over-sized EP or an undersized album? In any case, Jason Castro, he of the laid back attitude and dread locked hair, has put out a record of unapologetic pop songs. Not the overly processed pop you hear constantly on the radio with layers of synthesizers and auto-tuned vocals. Just great songs sung with his slightly gravely voice. I'm impressed and can't wait for the next one. Two five star tracks on this one, but my favorite is That's What I'm Here For.

Jason Castro - Jason Castro
Album Rating - 3.88 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
2. This Heart Of Mine
3. That's What I'm Here For

4 Star Tracks:
1. Let's Just Fall In Love Again
5. Closer
8. Hallelujah

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Best of 2010 - #15

Jimmy Eat World has grown up. They were huge drivers in the emo scene with Clarity and Bleed American. Invented slows the tempos down a bit but still contains the heartfelt lyrics Jimmy Eat World is known for. From the opener (Heart Is Hard To Find) with its acoustic guitars and hand claps, you know the album will be a bit different, but is still eminently listenable and catchy. The first 8 tracks carry you along, each seeming to build upon the one before. The album hits my high point on track 10 (Action Needs An Audience) with the guitar out front in the mix and quiet vocals pulsing into the chorus.

Jimmy Eat World - Invented
Album Rating - 3.83 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
10. Action Needs An Audience

4 Star Tracks:
1. Heart Is Hard To Find
2. My Best Theory
3. Evidence
4. Higher Devotion
5. Movielike
6. Coffee And Cigarettes
7. Stop
8. Littlething

Best of 2010 - #16

This is The Maine's first major label release and they push way from the emo pop punk sound from their indie label EP and album. What you find here is incredibly catchy pop, almost pushing into the hallowed power pop region. The peak on the album is the opener (Don't Stop Now), but pretty much the entire rest of the album is crazy catchy ear candy.

The Maine - Black & White
Album Rating - 3.80 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
1. Don't Stop Now

4 Star Tracks:
4. Fuel To The Fire
5. Inside Of You
6. Every Road
7. Listen To Your Heart
8. Saving Grace
10. Color

Best of 2010 - #17

Kenny Chesney is always a mixed bag with me. I either love his songs or really can't stand them. Not much in between. There are always a few gems on any of his albums, but this one is one of his strongest in years. Kenny has moved away from a pure "island vibe" on this album and it has really served him well. The absolutely best song on this album is You And Tequila. If I could give it 6 stars in iTunes I would. The haunting interplay between Kenny and Grace Potter (check out her album as well. Not quite top 25, but a fun listen and certainly not country) puts this one in your head and it will stick there for quite some time. By my take, this album has 6 strong keepers and 7 I don't have much use for. But, when you put it all together, definitely one you should check out.

Kenny Chesney - Hemingway's Whiskey
Album Rating - 3.77 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
2. Live A Little
4. You And Tequila (w/ Grace Potter)
8. Reality
10. Somewhere With You

4 Star Tracks:
3. Coastal
12. Ain't Ever Going Back Again

Friday, December 17, 2010

Best of 2010 - #18

Rhett Miller and the boys in the Old 97's have put out an album that doesn't quite reach the heights of their earlier albums, but this one comes pretty close. With Rhett's vocals out front and the harmonies from the rest of the band, their sound is pretty unforgettable. Highlight track for me is Every Night Is Friday Night. The shouted chorus, propulsive beat and sly lyrics make this one that sticks in your brain.

Old 97's - The Grand Theatre Volume 1
Album Rating - 3.75 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
2. Every Night Is Friday Night
3. The Magician

4 Star Tracks:
1. The Grand Theatre
5. The Dance Class
7. Champaign, Illinois
8. A State Of Texas
11. Please Hold On While The Train Is Moving

Best of 2010 - #19

This is an album that really goes down easily. A little bit of the pop punk sound, some rock thrown in, angular guitars and harmonies as the choruses kick in. Anarbor first album was much more of a Green Day type clone. This one definitely shows growth and the band really finding their sound.

Anarbor - The Words You Don't Swallow
Album Rating - 3.73 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
7. The Whole World

4 Star Tracks:
2. Drugstore Diet
4. Mr. Big Shot
5. Let The Games Begin
8. Carefree Highway
9. I Do What I Do
10. This Can't Be Healthy

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Best of 2010 - #20

Ok, first things first. I'm not sure this one is available generally in the US. You can get it as an import from Australia. Now, let's get to the good stuff. Kasey has one of those voices that once you hear it, you fall in love with it and know it, no matter the song. I guess I'd classify Kasey as "Alt-Country", as she isn't really country and isn't really rock, but fits in the comfortable place in between. The first half of the album gets off to an incredible start with Someone Like Me and just flat out keeps rolling through This Story. The second half of the album didn't appeal to me as much, but sure hits a climax with Train Wreck, a swingin' roadhouse style rocker.

Kasey Chambers - Little Bird
Album Rating - 3.71 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
1. Someone Like Me
7. This Story
13. Train Wreck

4 Star Tracks:
2. Beautiful Mess
3. Devil On Your Back
4. Little Bird
5. Georgia Brown

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Best of 2010 - #21

The Hold Steady keep chugging away, making one amazing album after another. Heaven Is Whenever is their latest, chock full of tales of the average joe / hearbroken slob / lovestruck, all sung / spoken by lead singer Craig Finn. His delivery gives every song almost a feeling of listening to poetry over music through the verses and then the guitars swell up into these amazing choruses. Great stuff. The Smidge and Hurricane J are my two favorites, but several other tracks are right behind.

The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever
Album Rating - 3.70 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
4. The Smidge
7. Hurricane J

4 Star Tracks:
2. Soft In The Center
3. The Weekenders
5. Rock Problems
9. Our Whole Lives

Best of 2010 - #22

Hurley marks Weezer first release for Epitaph records, an indie label that has put a lot of influential punk rock over the past decade plus. It seems to have charged Weezer up, putting out a very strong record that hearkens back to their earlier work. From the incredibly hook filled Hang On (my favorite on the album) to the buzzing guitars and chugging groove of Brave New World, let's hope the energy on this album continues forward.

Weezer - Hurley
Album Rating - 3.70 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
7. Hang On

4 Star Tracks:
2. Ruling Me
3. Trainwrecks
6. Run Away
8. Smart Girls
9. Brave New World

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Best of 2010 - #23

I've been a fan of Jesse Malin seemingly forever (all the way back to D Generation!). He has been putting out incredible records for years and maybe this one will finally get a little him a bit more notice. The tracks All The Way From Moscow and St. Mark's Sunset are the big standouts for me, but there are some other really strong tracks as well. This is a great rock and roll record.

Jesse Malin and the St. Marks Social - Love It To Life
Album Rating - 3.70 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
2. All The Way From Moscow
4. St. Mark's Sunset

4 Star Tracks:
1. Burning The Bowery
7. Burn The Bridge
8. Revelations
9. Black Boombox


Saturday, December 4, 2010

Best of 2010 - #24

Violent Soho is a band from Australia who completely bring back at least the spirit of grunge. It is all big guitars, bigger base lines and pounding drums. Just about the entire album is very solid (tracks 5, 6, & 7 being the only duds for me), but Generation, with its snotty vocals, drumbeat handclaps, and insane groove really got my attention. Jesus Stole My Girlfriend is another cool track, which has a very Pixies kinda sound. Check 'em out.

Violent Soho - Violent Soho
Album Rating - 3.70 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
4. Generation

4 Star Tracks:
1. Here Be Dragons
2. Jesus Stole My Girlfriend
3. Son Of Sam
8. Love Is A Heavy Word
9. Bombs Over Broadway
10. Narrow Ways


Friday, December 3, 2010

Best of 2010 - #25

Bruno Mars got in lots of things this year (including trouble with the law) but this album is loaded with really great pop songs. Or maybe its R&B. Or maybe something in between. In any case, a very good listen!

Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Holligans
Album Rating - 3.70 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
4. Runaway Baby
9. Count On Me

4 Star Tracks:
1. Grenade
5. The Lazy Song
10. The Other Side


Thursday, December 2, 2010

Best of 2010 - Honorable Mentions

As we count down the top 25 Albums of 2010, here are 5 that just missed the cut.

The Wonder Years - The Upsides
Album Rating - 3.67 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
3. Everything I Own Fits In This Backpack

4 Star Tracks:
1. My Last Semester
4. Dynamite Shovel
5. New Years With Carl Weathers
8. Melrose Diner
9. This Party Sucks
11. Washington Square Park



V.V. Brown - Travelling Like The Light
Album Rating - 3.67 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
3. Shark In The Water

4 Star Tracks:
4. Leave!
5. Bottles
6. Crying Blood
9. L.O.V.E.
10. Everybody
11. Crazy Amazing




The Flatliners - Cavalcade
Album Rating - 3.67 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
None

4 Star Tracks:
2. Carry The Banner
3. Bleed
4. Here Comes Treble
7. Monumental
8. Filthy Habits
9. Liver Alone
10. Sleep Your Life Away
11. Count Your Bruises


Court Yard Hounds - Court Yard Hounds
Album Rating - 3.67 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
2. The Coast
11. It Didn't Make A Sound

4 Star Tracks:
3. Delight
5. Ain't No Son
9. April's Love
10. Then Again





Sara Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart
Album Rating - 3.67 Stars

5 Star Tracks:
2. Uncharted
5. King Of Anything

4 Star Tracks:
3. Gonna Get Over You
4. Hold My Heart
6. Say Your Sorry
9. Let The Rain
11. Not Alone
14. Gonna Get Over You (Demo)
16. King Of Anything (Strings Version)