Music

[Falcon2001]

Looking back, I've started a whole lot of bad music threads, starting at the Archmage UBB and moving up to The Mighty Pen, and many other places besides, in all actuality.

 

Basically, let's talk about what everyone here is listening to right now and what they'd recommend. As an immediate disclaimer, I listen to 'bad' music - music that is not only in bad taste, but music that is popular or considered 'cool' - I don't care. I listen to what I like to hear.

 

First off, I'm watching the music video for Getting Away With Murder, by Papa Roach. While I've always kind of liked their music, they've slipped to a much more gothic look as of late. Not my particular preference, but 'Getting Away With Murder' sounds really good, and I like it a lot right now. Fairly nice music video as well.

 

Muse - Absolution(album) - ever since my roommate picked up this CD, I've been pretty hooked. Nice music, good guitary riffs, and I just like the gritty high-mid feel of it.

 

Cowboy Bebop OST - as I said in my review of this in the anime thread, I REALLY REALLY like the music to this, so I picked up the OST and have been listening fair-constantly as of late. Good music, solid jazz and blues feel to it, I really like it, go buy it now.

 

Slipknot - Duality - let it be known that I've only ever liked two songs by Slipknot - Wait and Bleed, and Duality. Both of them represent a much more...I dunno...sane and musical version of their style that is a lot easier to digest. The music video sucks, but the song itself is fairly good.

 

Green Day - American Idiot (Album) - while this album is still floating in the same realm as Warning, which many hailed as 'the beginning of Green Day selling out' I still really like it, and have been listening to it a lot. The whole thing's just an hour of good wholesome green day stuff.

 

The Offspring - Splinter (album) - again, friend of mine has it and I've been listening to it a lot lately. I've always been a big fan of Offspring, having made quite a few songs that are on my top 50 list. Splinter's a good release, and I've gotten really attached to it, especially songs like '(Can't Get My)Head Around You' and 'Hit That', both of which are pretty good.

 

OC Remix - Various - Okay, those of you who haven't heard of Overclocked Remix and like oldschool video game music should immediately click this shiny blue link of goodness and start downloading. This is a site dedicated to the remixes of various oldschool (and new school) video game music through any form. They have soft jazz versions of final fantasy themes to death metal riffs of Castlevania 3 and a bajillion different techno remixes of anything you can think of. They offer the first 1000 songs for bulk download on BitTorrent, and the rest can be downloaded manually free of charge. I highly recommend this site, as if nothing else, it's the only place you'll find a song comprised of sound clips from the sims remixed to techno.

 

That's my latest listening pleasure, what about everyone else?

[Peredhil]

In the last 48 hours, Moody Blues, Heart, Beatles, Alanis, Madonna, Justin Hayward, John Lennon (Happy birthday John), techno-remix of Mario Music, R. Kelly, Samantha Fox, Van Halen (with Roth), Heavy Metal soundtrack, Grosse Point Blank soundtrack, Al Yankovich.

[Mira]

I do music too...

 

 

 

What Mira listens to: (Artists/Albums/Songs)

 

Paul Simon - I almost literally worship Simon, especially his ability as a lyricist.

Favorite albums - The Paul Simon Songbook, Graceland, Bookends

Favorite Songs - Patterns, Flowers Never Bend With the Rainfall, Sound of Silence, etc...

 

Bob Dylan - Little explanation needed.

Favorite Albums - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A-Changin', Highway 61 Revisited

Favorite Songs - John Brown, Don't Think Twice, It's Alright, When the Ship Comes In

 

Green Day - While no one ever said Green Day were talented musicians, I feel that too often Billy Joe Armstrong's skill as a lyricist is overlooked due to his overuse of obscenities.

Favorite Albums - American Idiot, Dookie, Nimrod

Favorite Songs - J.A.R., She, Holiday

 

The Beatles - No explanation needed

Favorite Albums - The White Album, Rubber Soul, Let It Be

Favorite Songs - Julia, Across the Universe, Helter Skelter, etc...

 

The Smashing Pumpkins - I've just recently started to listen to SP, after purchasing Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and I quickly realized the shear talent of this group. They could pump out a total metal song like Zero or Bullet with Butterfly Wings and follow it up with a song like Tonight, Tonight or 1979.

 

Nirvana - Kurt Cobain was messed up, and somehow that allowed him to write some pretty amazing songs, if you really listen to them. His ability to convey emotion, exspecially pain or anguish, was simply amazing.

Favorite Albums - Unplugged in New York

Favorite Songs - Pennyroyal Tea, Heart Shaped Box, Lithium

 

 

 

I could go on for hours, and if I get bored soon, I might be back to lengthen this. But for now, I think I'll stop.

[musicevangelist]

Rammstein - Reise, Reise

 

Seems to be darker and more interesting than their previous works. Good amusing single in Amerika (the video is particularly amusing) and plenty of pumping rhythms. Reise, Reise is written primarily in minor keys with almost nothing major thus creating the aforementioned darkness to the music. Mein Teil is another single from the album, relating the the German guy who derived sexual pleasure from cannibalism. Other songs on the album worth a listen are Los; very acoustically based, sounds like the song Rammstein from the first album; Moskau, very cool thumpy industrial metal song, could be played in a club; Dalai Lama has a fantastic eerie chorus with chanting over the top.

 

 

Marilyn Manson - Lest We Forget

 

Manson's greatest hits album. Aside from all the controversy surrounding MM, this proves that he was a great singles artist. Most of his iconic singles from the past are here. There are some more album tracks that I would like to have seen here, but can live without them. The collection comes with a bonus dvd with videos to most of the songs on the album but is missing the (s)Aint video as it was deemed innappropriate. This album contains 3 cover songs: Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode), Tainted Love (Soft Cell, Living End, Gloria Jones) and Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics). Most sound exactly as you would expect them to, although TL does differ a bit from the more disco feel.

 

Will review other music on here later in the week. I don't want evryone to feel that all I listen to is goth/industrail/metal as I am more than that. These albums have been recet purchases so are high in the playlist.

[reverie]

hmm, pretty much anything inspired by the beatles...

 

still love aimee mann for her lyrics... Pure genius...

 

evis costella rates pretty high in my book as well, though I haven't listened to him as much... Veronica's a classic.

 

REM will always be a fav...

 

Hmm, currently looking for a copy of the royal tenenbaums movie soundtrack lots of good stuff in there.

 

'let see i turned 12 in 1990... so I rode the big alternative wave of the early 90's... Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chile Peppers, off spring, green day and dozens and dozens of others... High energy angst at it best...

 

hmm, also love No doubt, out cast, beastie boy's, eminem, Suzanne Vega, counting crows, wall flowers, tom petty, show tunes yes show tunes( though I have limits), Percy Granger(classical band/piano music inspired by drucken irish folk songs: what's not to love?), some interest in the 'the polyphonic spree' and 'G-love and special sauce', driving and crying, lot's of symphonic stuff I can't name but have played, and hundreds of others...

 

fun, fun...

 

rev...

[Aardvark]

Down here, we've got a program called Rage. It's on the government run station on Friday and Saturday night, after 1AM. Music videos, constantly. None of this MTV top 40 rubbish you get everywhere else. I'm talking absolute gold. On Friday nights, it's a lineup selected by one of the presenters of the government run youth radio station. Saturday night, the lineup is chosen by a band of relative fame, who then give commentary.

 

Last night was Jet.

 

Australian band, have one hit song, plus album filler. I haven't heard anything else by them, didn't think much of 'em. Now I know they have fantastic taste in music. Everything from ACDC to Bowie, the Beatles to Travis.

 

Then a solid hour of Ramones videoclips starts playing. One Hour. All Ramones, all the time.

 

Every time I feal the world's music industry is nothing more than the silverfoiled wrapped faeces of some corporate executive, all I have to do is watch Rage and my mind will be put at ease

[Savannah]

Something I never thought I would say. I have never cared for Nelly or any of the other rappers. But the duo he did with Tim McGraw blew me away. Yes I admit I love Tim anyway, but I was prepared to hate this. Cannot do it tho.

 

Also Seger in any form, Foriegner, Air Supply, CCR.

[Mira]

Also Seger in any form...

Would that be Bob Seger, Pete Seger, or another Seger I am unfamiliar with? With the mention of CCR I am incliened to assume Bob, since they are similar styles of music, which is awsome, because Bob Seger rules, and he lives in my home state!

[Merelas]

Hmm--

 

The Eagles, Goo Goo Dolls, Garth Brooks, Point of Grace, Jeremy Camp... I think that's all recently

[LeifTheBunny]

Slipknot - Duality - let it be known that I've only ever liked two songs by Slipknot - Wait and Bleed, and Duality. Both of them represent a much more...I dunno...sane and musical version of their style that is a lot easier to digest. The music video sucks, but the song itself is fairly good.

 

Green Day - American Idiot (Album) - while this album is still floating in the same realm as Warning, which many hailed as 'the beginning of Green Day selling out' I still really like it, and have been listening to it a lot. The whole thing's just an hour of good wholesome green day stuff.

 

The Offspring - Splinter (album) - again, friend of mine has it and I've been listening to it a lot lately. I've always been a big fan of Offspring, having made quite a few songs that are on my top 50 list. Splinter's a good release, and I've gotten really attached to it, especially songs like '(Can't Get My)Head Around You' and 'Hit That', both of which are pretty good.

I have Slipknot's first album and only really liked Wait and Bleed. I haven't picked up their recent album, but it sounds like I shouldn't. The new Green Day album wasn't that impressive. My favorites were Warning and Dookie. Both were pretty good. And The Offspring, Splinter was a good album, not as good as some of their older albums, but still pretty good.

 

I'm currently listening to Obituary - Anthology which sounds pretty good from what I've heard so far (1st time listening to it).

 

My current favorites that hit a lot of rotation through the car's CD player include:

 

Adema - Adema. Awesome album.

 

Adema - Unstable. Not as good but still is pretty good

 

Beatles - 1. I'm definitely a fan of their older work, but they have some of their better pieces from the newer albums on it.

 

Beethoven - 9th Symphony. Excellent piece.

 

Breaking Benjamin - We Are Not Alone. Great album.

 

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory. 'nuf said.

 

Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables. Great album.

 

Death - Individual Thought Patterns. Great album.

 

Disturbed - The Sickness. Very good album.

 

Eminem - Eminem Show. I really like this album.

 

Kreator - EXtreme Aggression. Awesome album.

 

Mozart - various. Mozart has several symphonies that I rotate out. 24th is perhaps my favorite.

 

Sepultura - Arise. Arugably their best album.

 

Sex Pistols - various. Not like they had a lot of original material, but Sex Pistols did some great songs. Even their covers were usually pretty good.

 

Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material. Their best album.

 

Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry. A very underrated album.

 

Vivaldi - Four Seasons. A light piece, but still great.

 

 

I've got a couple of others that hit high rotation in the car as well, but these are just a few of my favorites.

[Mira]

Despite many peoples personal reviews, Green Day's newest album, American Idiot, is a work of art on par with some of the great albums of yore. Its a punk-rock opera, that tells the stories of several characters as they try to survive the chaos of adolescence. The album, as a whole, is also a social commentary on the state of America today as seen from the POV of the characters. There are a number of songs from the album that stand out as singles, namely, American Idiot, Holiday, Letterbomb, Wake Me Up When September Ends, and Boulevard Of Broken Dreams. However, the album is greater then the sums of its parts as the songs build off of each other to tell the story in a magnificent fashion.

 

American Idiot is proof that good bands can make good albums, and anyone who claims Green Day has "sold out" has most likely not listened to the album and contemplated its meaning. The members of the band are all now in their 30's and have decided that its time to start acting like it.

[Wyvern]

I've been listening to a number of CD releases that I considered standouts in 2004 in the last few months, and have come up with a tentative top ten list for my favorite albums of last year. There are still a few albums that I haven't had the chance to listen to which I'd like to, and a few of the lower positions here are a bit shakey and change depending on my mood, but here is my current listing:

 

10) Murs - "3:16 the 9th Edition"

 

Murs makes his mark once again on the scene with a dope EP, backed by the productions of uber-popular indie producer 9th Wonder. Murs is your every day homie who happens to be good at M.Cing, rapping about girl problems, street stories, and racial issues in the music industry amongst other things. 9th Wonder, though overrated in general, backs his sharp lyrics with some soulful production, which is impressive given the way he makes them only using the program Fruity Loops. Overall, the EP is a nice listen front to back, replayable and very down to earth in style.

 

9) The Opus - "Breathing Lessons"

 

The best instrumental hip hop album of the year. The Opus' second opus is a dense collage of downtempo dub, moody instrumentals, and dark drum and bass that wouldn't feel out of place in some edgy science fiction horror flick. While their first album suffered from repetitive programming, they make up for it on this outing with some very elaborately constructed tracks and clever uses of sampling (check out the tornado melodies on the standout track "Whirlwind-Guardian"). Music for insomniacs.

 

The Goods - "4/Four"

 

M.C Kunga 219 and D.J Gordski once again demonstrate how underrated the Canadian hip hop scene is with their fourth disc, this time professionally manufactured on Camobear Records and distributed by Universal Music Canada's Maplenationwide branch. Hailing from Halifax, the hip hop duo demonstrate an infectious upbeat enthusiasm and deliver 18 quality tracks of traditional boom bap. Canadian M.Cs Pip Skid, Birdapres, Tachichi, and Josh Martinez all guest on tracks, and they rip the microphones proper. DMC champ Skratch Bastid also handles the cuts with authority. The CD is sadly unavailable in the U.S due to lack of distribution around these parts, but is well worth searching out.

 

7) Micranots - "The Emperor and the Assassin"

 

Getting into the real heavy hitters now... After a lengthy hiatus and a disappointing side project called Semi-Official, I Self Devine and D.J Kool Akiem Allah return with their third and best full length album to date. The Micranots deliver their own brand of hip hop, which is best described as barrages of street imagery coupled with choppy and original beats. The CD possesses a unique sound courteousy of Kool Akiem, and I Self once again shows why he's overlooked as an M.C by touching upon topics such as the difficulties of being a black police officer in the ghetto. A very solid and consistant album.

 

6) cLOUDDEAD - "Ten"

 

This CD leaves lots of people in a state of bewilderment and confusion. Coming completely out of left field, Doseone, Why?, and Odd Nosdam deliver a delicate record that they've lovingly labeled "American Made Bedroom Music." The album honestly couldn't have less to do with hip hop, and sounds something like Ween doing karaoke pop melodies over Boards of Canada. Startlingly original and seemingly haphazardous, it has a definitive structure below the surface that somehow makes it come across as harmonic and beautiful. Recommended to adventurous listeners with a taste for experimental music.

 

5) Sach - "5th Ave"

 

A very pleasant surprise from L.A native and former Nonce affiliate Sach. The record brings a traditional brand of hip hop with a powerful edge to it, largely thanks to L.A super-producer Omid, who takes a number of chances musically and creates a superb musical background for Sach to spit over. I'd be willing to say that this is some of the best material of both Sach and Omid's lengthy careers, and this CD is the result of a hip hop combo made in heaven.

 

4) Robust - "Potholes in our Molecules"

 

As the title suggests, Robust spits some nerd rap knowledge. However, while Robigga is a good M.C with clever lyrics and rhyme schemes, the real standout element of this CD is the production, which is simply some of the best hip hop production of the year. Chicago heavyweight producers Meaty Ogre, D.J Whitelightning, and Dreas all deliver incredible tracks, and the lesser known producer Prolyphic also comes through with some gorgeous melodies. The CD has a dreary and melancholic atmosphere not normally associated to hip hop, which works marvels with Robust's flow. A musical masterpiece.

 

3) Longshot - "Sacrifice"

 

Coming from a family of six raised in the ghettos of Southside Chicago and having to deal with his mothers own incarceration, Longshot delivers one of the most memorable street-oriented hip hop albums in recent years. Pain is art, and the honesty that Longshot expresses over the course of the album paints a vivid depiction of his struggle. Of course, it certainly doesn't hurt to have beats from Chicago's hottest production squad, the Molemen, either. It should be noted that Longshot's voice and style aren't everyone's cup of tea, but if you can appreciate them you'll thoroughly enjoy this album.

 

2) MF DOOM - "MM... FOOD"

 

Hmmm... how to describe this CD? The tracks are divided into a three course meal, consisting of "Appetizers," "Special Recipes," and "Entrees." On the first track, "Beef Rapp," DOOM raps: "I suggest a change of diet/ it could lead to high blood pressure if you fry it/ or even a stroke, heart attack heart disease/ there ain't no turning back when arteries start to squeeze." Later on "Kon Kueso," he spits: "oh shoot the goosies loose/ couldn't even chase it down with straight fruit juice/ frown like the first time you taste koose koose/ please pass the douce douce/ troops asking 'truce truce!'" Of course, to say the album only covers food wouldn't be doing it justice. On "Deep Fried Frenz," DOOM breaks down the concept of friendship: "I check the dictionary for the meaning of 'Friends,' it says:/ 'Person that one likes to socialize with/ sympathizer, helper' and that's about the size of it/ most of the time these attributes is one sided/ and most of the crime they have to shoot you through your eye lid." In addition to showing culinary expertise, MF DOOM maintains the persona of the metal masked supervillain of hip hop, interspersing his tracks with snippets from old "Fantastic Four" cartoon shows and frequently bringing up references to his metal mask and plots for world domination in his songs. I think it's safe to say at this point that this is a fairly original album... did I mention that the title is an anagram of his name?

 

1) Subtle - "A New White"

 

This album is simply phenomenal. Subtle is a genre-defying six man band consisting of Adam "Doseone" Drucker (vocals), Jeffrey "Jel" Logan (drum machines), Dax Pierson (keyboards, dr. sample, melodica, auto-harp), Alexander Kort (accoustic and electric cello, upright bass), Jordan Dalrymple (drums, guitar), and Marty Dowers (keyboards, bass clarinet, flute, tenor sax). J. Good also joins in on trumpet on a few tracks. The result of this musical collaboration is something that seemlessly blends indie rock and electronica with the outerlimits of hip hop, naturally transitioning from singing to rapping to spoken word to singing again, often multiple times per track. Doseones nasal voice and breath control are like musical instruments in themselves, providing numerous harmonies to compliment the already complex and innovative melodies. His lyrics are fragmented, post-modernist poetry... shards of striking imagery and whispers of insanity conveniently provided in a lyric booklet for better comprehension. Unlike cLOUDDEAD, Subtle presents a more immediately accessible side of Doseone, though it's no less innovative. If there is one flaw with this album, it may be that it can be overwhelming in a single listen if you're not prepared for it. For me, though, this is the best album of the year. You can read more about Subtle at http://www.subtle6.com

[Falcon2001]

Yea, and verily, someone did reincarnate this topic. LO! For he returns, the lord of the morning, coming once more to ramble about his favorite music.

 

Yeah, this is sort of a placeholder so I remember to post in here when I'm done cleaning.

[Equester]

Queen and Meatloaf. Favourite Queen song has got to be Bohemian Rhapsody. Either that or Fat Bottomed Girls, or possibly Somebody to Love...they made so many great songs.

 

Has anyone ever heard Meatloaf when he was singing backed by the Melbourne Symphony Ochestra? Great music.

 

My favourite song from a computer game has got to be a song called "That's Death". It accompanied a game called Discworld 2 (significantly easier than Discworld 1) and was written, I believe, by Eric Idle.

[Savannah]

Also Seger in any form...

Would that be Bob Seger, Pete Seger, or another Seger I am unfamiliar with? With the mention of CCR I am incliened to assume Bob, since they are similar styles of music, which is awsome, because Bob Seger rules, and he lives in my home state!

 

 

 

Sorry-don't know how I missed this

Bob Seger of course. I know there are others but not in his talent range. Yes he rules-ummm when he has a concert I am dedicated to standing outside for weeks if necessary.

Can I stay with you if that happens?

[Mira]

Can I stay with you if that happens?

Sure, though I doubt he'll be touring anytime in the near future, or ever for that matter.

[lumpenproletariat]

Last 48 hours: ACDC, Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Joss Stone

 

Those are the ones that stand out anyway....I have no idea why joss stone was put on..seems a little out of place

[Falcon2001]

Whew- so some people I know compiled this list of the best albums of 2004, and I have been going through and listening to them, and this is my personal opinion on the lot of them.

 

The Arcade Fire This was number one on the list and I have to say I was severely disappointed. The music seems catchy but the lead singer thoroughly ruins whatever sort of possible attraction the music has. It's like walking along a nice flowered path when suddenly some guy walks up and stabs you in the ear repeatedly with a pencil. Not a good thing.

Rating: ** (But only for the music.)

 

The Postal Service - Give Up Wow. I REALLY like this album. From my first exposure on a mix CD my friend handed me, I've been addicted to the sound. It's incredibly good, romantic-esque music that I just love to listen to. A few samples of the lyrics -

 

Such Great Heights - I am thinking it's a sign / that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images/ and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned // I have to speculate / that god himself did make us into corresponding / shapes like puzzle pieces from the sky

 

Nothing Better - Tell me am I right for thinking that there could be nothing better / than making you my bride and slowly growing old together

 

All in all, an excellent CD. Combines elements of Electronica with psuedo emo-rock stuff in an very synergistic mix that always gets to me.

Rating:*****

 

65daysofstatic - The Fall of Math - With songs such as Install a Beak In the Heart that Clucks Time in Arabic and This Cat is a Landmine, I wasn't sure what to expect from this group. However I found a very full-natured electronic sound with multiple influences and styles over the albums. I highly recommend it.

Rating:****

 

Air - Talkie Walkie - I must confess that I didn't listen to this one as much as I should have lately, but what little I have heard has been pretty solid electronic music along the lines of Postal Service but with less emo and more techno or jazz (odd term for it) influence. The song Mike Mills is excellent, as are most on this CD. Check them out if you're into the whole electronic scene, but get Postal Service first.

Rating ***1/2

 

Audioslave - Audioslave - If I recall correctly, this is the musicians from Rage Against the Machine and the lead singer from Soundgarden, which is a combination that just really rocks it, grungy style. I always really liked RATM's flavor with the funkish feeling and while it definately has changed since the breakup, you can still feel the undertones in the heavy bass and drums that drive the music along. If you like grunge and RATM, then you'll probably appreciate this album as much as I do.

Rating:****

 

Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse - Maybe it's just me and the whole musician thing, but I have a serious problem with bands that do odd things with music, like raping it. Sonic youth employs this rather grating 'hey guys let's shift the tone up half a step or something so it distorts and sounds bad 'cause it's cool okay lol' effect that really, REALLY makes my hair stand on end. I guess if it's your thing, then go for it, but listening to the CD just makes me want to smash something, although the music's not bad when they don't do weird stuff like that.

Rating: ***

 

Jet - Get Born - Damn. I don't really know what to say about this. A friend recommended this and I was like 'alright sweet, sound awesome' and MAN am I happy. This song has so many different sounding and cool songs on it I don't know where to start. Cold Hard Bitch sounds so cool and almost classic-rockish that I love it, as well as Are You Gonna Be My Girl, which sounds very old-school and bouncy. Look What You've Done Is another amazing track, and all of the rest just tie themselves together into an excellent cd.

Rating: *****

 

More forthcoming later, I gotta go do homework.

[Degenero Angelus]

Top 10 of 2004? This should actually be hard.

 

#1

Thursday "War All the Time"

Absolutely brilliant album by an absolutely brilliant band. Everything I look for in an album, and I lot I didn't know I liked. Between the harder songs like "Division Street" and the almost tear jerking title track, it's just absolutely amazing.

Best song - "For the Workforce, Drowning"

 

#2

Bad Religion - "The Empire Strikes First"

Another excellent album from one of the best punk rock bands ever. Not as good as some of their other albums, but still definitely worth listening too. Generally directed towards our dear President and his administration.

Best song - "Let them Eat War (ft. Sage Francis)"

 

#3

Voltaire - "Then and Again"

Not too many people have heard of this musician. He fits nicely in the gothic folk category, usually with a dark sense of humor. The first really serious album from him is also his best, I urge EVERYONE to get this, under any circumstances.

Best song - "Crusader"

 

#4

Descendants - "Cool to be You"

The super fast punk band from socal slows it down just a little bit for their first album in a long, long time. It also happens to be one of the best they've ever released. Every song on it is excellent, and it was real hard to pick a favorite.

Best song - " 'Merican"

 

#5

Tub Ring - "Zoo Hypothesis"

Just plain weird rock music. Tub Ring's 5th album that no one has heard of. If you like rock music with a twist you owe it to yourself to pick this album up. They've gotten better and better with every album, and I don't see any way they could possibly top this masterpiece.

Best song - "Vehicle"

 

#6

Mindless Self Indulgence - "Despierta Los Ninos"

Absolutely indescribable, and absolutely amazing. Doesn't top 2000's "Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy", but is nevertheless and excellent album. MSI mixes punk, hip hop, electronica, and everything else into one big hobo stew.

Best song - "Joke"

 

#7

Darkest Hour - "Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation"

Absolutely the hardest, harshest, and just plain best metal album. Ever. I was completely blown away by it's raw power. I've always liked Darkest Hour, but this album is the one that turned me into a die hard fan.

Best song - "Sadist Nation"

 

Phew. I only made it to 7, but you'll have to deal with that.

 

[As an afterthough, Falcon, "Give Up" was released in '03]

Edited February 6, 2005 by Degenero Angelus

[Wyvern]

So, after much patient contemplation, I've come up with a list of my ten favorite albums from 2005. Albums number 9 and number 10 are a bit more shakey than the rest and prone to change, but all of these albums really impressed me and come highly recommended. Of course, my musical tastes tend to differ from most people here at the Pen, but I hope my descriptions spark some curiousity amongst pennites if nothing else.

 

Here it goes:

 

10) Boom Bap Project - "Reprogram" (Rhymesayers)

 

Minneapolis' Rhymesayers Entertainment had quite a year in 2005. Their new distribution deal with Navarre led them to release 6 proper full length albums from talented underground artists, in addition to reissuing two older albums and putting out a ton of vinyl on the side. Boom Bap Project's album "Reprogram" marks one of their finest releases this year. The Seattle-based trio of Karim, Destro Destructo, and DJ Scene make solid, hard-hitting, traditional hip hop music. The real force behind the album is the production, as Seattle producers Jake One and Vitamin D provide some excellent, choppy "boom bap" production for Karim and Destro to rhyme over. This album is founded in the traditions of the hip hop genre and won't appeal to people looking for a brave new approach, but what Boom Bap Project does they do well. Also features an excellent guest appearence by Gift of Gab from Blackalicious. Solid stuff.

 

9) Lone Catalysts - "Good Music" (B.U.K.A)

 

This album was a very pleasant surprise to me since I wasn't the biggest fan of the Lone Catalysts' first album. Rapper J. Sands and producer J. Rawls spent around five years recording tracks for this album, and it really shows in the strong and consistant selection of music. J. Sands and J. Rawls demonstrate excellent chemistry together throughout the album, and the positive and traditional hip hop vibes range from jazz and soul to reggae and funk. Particularly noteworthy is the track "Ones We Miss," which has J. Sands paying tribute to those who have passed away over an absolutely brilliant J. Rawls beat. At 19 tracks and over 72 minutes of music, the album is not free of filler, but a few poor tracks can be forgiven for the strength of the rest of the album. "Good Music" indeed.

 

P-Love - "All Up in Your Mind" (Bully)

 

Stepping away from traditional hip hop for a moment and moving into the field of downtempo electronica, P-Love's album surpasses other excellent instrumental albums of 2005 (ElekTro4, S.E.V.A, etc.) as some of the best downtempo music to be released this year. P-Love has become known as the turntablist for the jazz band Martin, Medeski and Wood, as well as the tour back-up for acclaimed acts like Amon Tobin and Kid Koala. His solo debut is a very quiet affair, driven mostly by keyboards, bass, and drums, but also incorporating a number of other instruments. The elegence of the album reaches it's peak at "Rockland County Dramatics - Allegro," a jaw-dropping track with a powerful mysterious atmosphere that ranks as one of my favorites of this year. Highly recommended, and essential to keyboard fanatics.

 

7) Dave Ghetto - "Love Life?" (Counterflow)

 

A neo-soul type album that I'm actually feeling? Impossible! Dave Ghetto's full length has been a long time coming, with his first 12"s dropping in 2000, and it doesn't disappoint. Dave is an interesting M.C with a natural flow that never seems forced, comparable to a gruffer and ruder version of Mos Def. R'n'B singers such as Erik Rico, Yahzahrah and Cee-Lo Green all deliver hooks over the course of the album, but they come across as catchy rather than corny. The vibe of the album is very interesting, with a half-soulful and half-electronic feel that uses very little sampling. Vibes range from hype and club-worthy to smooth as butter, with plenty of excellent guest appearences throughout. Great stuff.

 

6) Fog - "10th Avenue Freakout" (Lex)

 

Make no doubt about it: "10th Avenue Freakout" is an epic and fascinating journey through Andrew Broder (a.k.a Fog)'s imagination. I've noticed quite a few sources giving this album bad reviews, and there're certainly several things people could hate about it: off-kilter singing/croning, challenging musical approaches, and lyrics about paying one hundred bucks to hunt a wooley mammoth. The album is startlingly original and impossible to classify, falling more along the lines of lo-fi electronic folk music than anything hip hop-related. Andrew Broder's singing seems to border on the edge of mundanity, only to be saved on every track as he takes an interesting and unexpected approach. The album can be an exhausting listen, moving from electro-opera to hardcore avantguard jazz in the blink of an eye, but it never loses its appeal. Fans of Wilco's later work might enjoy this. Superb.

 

5) Daedelus - "Exquisite Corpse" (Mush)

 

The atmosphere that this album gives off is breathtaking. Daedelus is a quirky Los Angeles hip hop producer known for his clever incorporations of 60s easy listening music in his tracks. "Exquisite Corpse" may be his finest accomplishment to date, as he really creates a heart-warming and magical feel for each of the tracks on it. Daedelus spans into a wide variety of genres and guests over the course of the album, including rappers such as MF DOOM and Lil' Sci, electronica wiz kids like Prefuse 73 and Jogger, and even rock singers like Laura Darling and Hrishikesh Hirway of TV on the Radio. What's amazing is that, despite the numerous guests that appear throughout, the album stays Daedelus' show and really demonstrates his own approach to music. Highly recommended.

 

4) Lab Waste - "Zwarte Achtegrond" (Temporary Whatever)

 

This album is the soundtrack to your computer malfunctioning and going haywire with the speakers on full blast. Thavius Beck (a.k.a Adlib) and Giovanni Marks (a.k.a Subtitle) dismiss every common convention of hip hop to deliver this incredible piece of work. "Zwarte Achtegrond" (Dutch for "Black Background," though Achtegrond is missing an 'r') is just as rooted in hardcore IDM glitch music as it is in hip hop. Subtitle raps like a robot in a single monotone voice, which is often used with incredible flow and precision, and which compliments the electronic atmosphere of the album well. The futuristic world of Lab Waste is decidedly dark, and never fails to raise eyebrows. Hands down one of the most original and impressive albums of the year.

 

3) Qwel & Jackson Jones - "Dark Day" (Galapagos4)

 

Qwel is an extremely talented Chicago-based M.C who has somehow never lived up to his full potential on his albums... until now. "Dark Day" finally shows off Qwel's skills at their finest, with the excellent musical backdrop of Jackson Jones acting as the foundation for Qwel's amazing flow and lyrics. How talented is Qwel? To give you an idea: the first track on the album is entitled "The Ladder Builder," and depicts the story of a man working on the Tower of Babel. The man despairs as he approaches the top, and commits suicide by jumping off, only to fall into a crowd of people at the bottom waiting in line for his job. Later on, the track "Vincent Van Gogh Coke Ad" contemplates whether Van Gogh would have used his ear in advertising, and details the impressions of a piece of graffiti depicting the Hiroshima bombings. As these descriptions and the title suggest, the album is very dark and melancholic, and not appropriate for every mood. Having said this, it's musically and poetically jaw-dropping. Art-hop at its very finest.

 

2) Dangerdoom - "The Mouse and the Mask" (Lex/Epitaph)

 

This was one of the most hyped up hip hop releases of the year, and in all honesty, I thought it was going to be awful. The entire concept behind the album struck me as a major gimmick: get one of the most popular M.Cs in the underground (MF DOOM), one of the most popular producers in the underground (Dangermouse) and have them base an album around the T.V shows on Cartoon Network's [Adult Swim] segment, with cameos and voices from cartoon characters. It turns out that what could have just been an album of publicity for Cartoon Network was taken very seriously by all of the parties involved, resulting in one of the funnest and most entertaining albums of the year. I've never been a big fan of shows like "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," but hearing MF DOOM rap about them almost seems to put them in a better light. DOOM continues to bring some of the most absurd and comic lyrics and deliveries in the game, rhyming about how "Zorack used to rub his thorax in Borak" and really using the addition of cartoons to his advantage. Dangermouse backs him up with a number of excellent funky tracks, sampling the opening chords for "Kill Bill" amongst other things. Most surprisingly, the cameos from Space Ghost, Harvey Birdman, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force don't hinder the album at all... in fact, they actually add to the entertainment value! Even if you're not into cartoons at all, there's definitely a lot to appreciate on this upbeat album. A Saturday morning essential.

 

1) The Chicharones - "When Pigs Fly" (Camobear)

 

Pen people that I've managed to hang out with in RL over the course of the last year already know about these guys, because I've been jocking them like crazy. The group consists of Vancouver M.C Josh Martinez and Seattle M.C Sleep, two of the most criminally slept-on forces in hip hop. Josh and Sleep personify melody and rhythm respectively, and produce party-oriented, stylistic hip hop that's funner than a barrel full of hot steaming bacon. The Chichis dismiss the entire notion of "street cred" in favor of not taking themselves seriously, and their full length album lives up to the high expectations I set for them. Some of the zaniest and most danceable hip hop you'll hear all year, with a huge dose of talent and style to spare. Did I mention that they base their moniker on a spicey, deep-fried pork rind dish? FIRE. Hear them for yourself: http://www.chicharones.com

 

That wraps up my list... if there are any CDs other Pen people felt from 2005, be sure to mention them here. I love recommendations!

[Annael]

Its official. I never know any of the bands the Wyvie talks about, lol.

 

Yesterday was a good day for music with me.

 

Suburban Tribe and Charon. Two great bands out of Finland.

 

and Latefallen. Home grown talent (Toronto) that one of my friends is in.

 

Just got into work so it will take me awhile to get my top # of 2005 out. Much thinking needs to be done on this one, that's for sure. There was some really good, and some really crap music released last year.

 

Cheerio!

[Patrick]

Inspired by Wyvern's top 10 here is also my top 10. From a completely different style, as I neither haven't heard of any of the bands Wyvern wrote about. Some of the decisions had been quite hard, but I'm sort of happy with the order. Note that not all of the albums are from 2005, I just acquired all of them last year.

 

Honourable mentions:

 

Salvus - an amateur hungarian band, who haven't released a full album yet, but the demos you can find on their site (3 demos so far) show an immense amount of development and I think in the future can become one of the best Hungarian metal bands.

 

Stream of Passion - Embrace the Storm (2005)

 

A side project by Arjen Anthon Lucassen (more below) featuring recently discovered singer Marcela Bovio. Only barely missed the list.

 

Kamelot - Karma (2005)

 

Also only barely missed the list.

 

 

And now for the list:

 

10. Dream Theater - Images and Words (1992)

 

And with number 10 I'll immediately contradict my statement of having acquired all of the albums last year, as I've had this one since 2003, but I can still listen to it very happily. In my opinion the best of Dream Theater's albums, it's definitely the one, which has aged the best. Tracks like Another Day, Pull me Under and Take the Time are still as good, or even better than when I first heard them.

 

9. Katatonia - Viva Emptiness (2003)

 

Katatonia are a not very widely known Swedish band. This album, which I got my hands on in July was a pretty pleasant surprise to me. Despite the sometimes simple style of the songs, they are all well written and performed, alltogether a great album. If I had to choose then Burn the Remembrance would be the favourite song from this album.

 

8. Ayreon - The Human Equation (2004)

 

A double-album created by dutch multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen, this album has around a dozen singers on it, three of them representing characters of a story, while the others represent the emotions of the lead character, who after finding out his wife has cheated on him drives his car into a tree and is in a coma. A nicely done concept album, the singers are very well chosen (includes James LaBrie from Dream Theater and other well known metal/rock singers), as are the instrumentalists. Favourite tracks would be Love and Loser.

 

7. Evergrey - A Night to Remember (live) (2005)

 

In 2004 and the first half of 2005 Evergrey were my favourite band. I went to see them twice in concert during the spring, and this 2 disc live CD was made during that tour. The songs are superbly recorded, and the whole atmosphere of the concerts comes through in a way, which gets close to that during the concerts. I even bought the live DVD for this one and the video is also very professionally done. Favourite song would definitely be A Touch of Blessing, which is much much better live than on the album version. Tom S. Englund, the singer has one of the most powerful (not shouting-wise, but by the ability to make it carry emotions) voices I have heard in the metal bands of today.

 

6. James LaBrie - Elements of Persuasion (2005)

 

Solo album by Dream Theater's singer, who puts together a great album, which is capable of beating nearly any Dream Theater album (with the possible exception of Images and Words). His vocals are possibly even more powerful than on various Dream Theater albums. The song Slightly out of Reach was my altogether favourite song in the first half of 2005, with the awesome guitar solo and the very well fitting vocals in the middle.

 

5. Orphaned Land - Mabool (2004)

 

I had never heard of Orphaned Land, an Israelian group, when a friend passed me one of their CDs during the summer. They play a very interesting blend of metal and middle-eastern music. The album is a concept album about a flood coming and then an ark, which resembles the story of Noah's ark too much for it to be coincidence. The mixture of instruments makes for a very interesting sound, which made me able to listen to this album on repeat for several hours. An interesting fact is that they sing in five different languages, which are English, Latin, Hebrew, Arabic and I think greek, but I'm not sure of that last one. Lots of favourites to mention.

 

4. Therion - Lemuria/Sirius B (2004)

 

Therion started out as a death metal band and kept that approach on their first two albums but since then have made an about turn and now play progressive metal. Another double album on the list (makes already three). Their most recent album and definitely the best so far. One song especially, The Voyage of Gurdijeff captured some very interesting images.

 

3. Opeth - Still Life (1999)

 

Opeth were nearly the discovery of the year for me (read below for continuation). I had heard of them previously but never bothered to check out their music. I should have checked them out earlier. Mikael Åkerfeldt is a great singer, mastering both normal singing and grunts and the music is really built around his vocal talents.

 

2. Haggard - Eppur si Muove (2004)

 

The discovery of the year for me (thanks Sweet!), a mixture of metal and classical music (the group has some fifteen members). I had honestly thought that they would make number one on my list, but after a listen to both of the top two albums I had to push it down to number two. A concept album about the life of Galileo Galilei, I was blown away by how much I liked this album. The third song of it Per Aspera ad Astra is definitely my favourite song of the end of the year.

 

And finally...

 

 

1. Opeth - Ghost Reveries (2005)

 

Another Opeth one. Their most recent album, and one of the very rare albums in recent years that I bought within a week that it came out. This album is very consistently strong and although none of its tracks can beat the above mentioned Per Aspera ad Astra they are following closely in its heels. Ghost Reveries was voted album of the year or 2nd or 3rd on a lot of metal sites around the world, and has helped Opeth a lot. I recently read an article where metal group bandmembers described their favourite albums of the year and Ghost Reveries figured quite prominently. I could mention nearly all of the songs from this album as favourites, so I won't.

 

 

So that was my top 10 (ok, really 13) of 2005.

Edited January 12, 2006 by Patrick Durham

[Tamaranis]

So good ol' stick recently alerted me to the existence of a couple of metal bands, Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, they're pretty neat, I think I like Iced Earth better than Blind Guardian... "Wolf" is a really cool song about werewolves.

 

...But When Iced Earth and Blind Guardian combine their powers they become Demons and Wizards!

 

The CD "Demons and Wizards" they put out first is probably better than the second one, "Touched by the Crimson King," but if you get the e-version of Crimson King you get the tracks Lunar Lament and Spatial Architechts, both of which have a very neat sound that I think you're unlikely to encounter anywhere else.

 

The odd song there has some anti-religious stuff in it, but that's pretty obligatory for metal. Most of them don't really touch on that though, and a lot of the songs are about some story or legend or some such. I'm fairly certain there's one based on Arthurian legend on Demons and Wizards, and there's a couple about a Stephen King series on Touched by The Crimson King.

 

I'm not sure about whether or not everyone knows about this site or not, but if you're prepared to make a small investement at www.mp3search.ru you can download these albums for about $1.20 each.

[The Big Pointy One]

I don't really have a whole top 10 of 2005, because I don't really buy that many CDs (especially since my collection of about 40 or 50-odd cds were stolen... okay, so it's not very many, but still!) as they come out. However, I do remember picking up a few good ones.

 

 

The Cure - I can't remember the title of this one, as I don't have it anymore, but I think it was self-titled. Anyways, I really enjoyed it. It's good to see that they could crawl over their demons and pump out another awesome set of tracks. Nothing will compare to Disintegration, but hey, I'm not complaining.

 

Foo Fighters - These guys are about the only modern pop (rock) band I like. I only recently got into their newer music, mostly because of their affiliation with Tenacious D, but I've grown to like them quite a bit. Dave Grohl is the man, and he proves it with In Your Honor, the double cd. I think FF has really matured as a band over the years, and this shows them progressing in both their hard rocking and their mellowed-out acoustic tunes. I don't think this cd would be hard for anyone to get into if they like any sort of rock; in my opinion as far as pop goes, this is as good as it gets. Notable tracks include the title 'In your honor' from disc one, and 'Razor' from disc two.

 

Elliot Smith - From a basement on the hill - This was actually released in 2004, I think, but I picked it up later in 2005. For those of you unfamiliar with Elliot Smith, this was a compilation of songs written and recorded just before his suicide and recently released to the public. I think he was a very talented singer/songwriter who didn't really get much of a chance to sign. From what I know he appeared on an episode of Saturday Night Live, but that didn't really go to well. However, he did do the soundtrack to Good Will Hunting, which happens to features some of his best songs like 'Angeles' and 'Miss Misery'. From a basement on the hill is a good compilation as well, and a definite recommend if your in the mood for something a bit more mellow.

 

 

There was some other stuff I picked up, but not much worth mentioning. As for what I'm listening to now, I've gone with a mellow playlist of random songs including but not limited to: Elliot Smith, the Cure, Bruce Springstein's "I'm on fire", Phil Collin's "In the air tonight", and Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails. Sad music makes me happy.

 

Other than that, recent discoveries of last year include Type O Negative- these guys are awesome, if for nothing other than their covers of really sweet songs that they turn into ridiculously awesome metal songs. Number one on that list would have to be Sarah McLaughlin's 'Possession', followed closely by 'Summer Breeze' by Seals and Croft. After that, I really enjoyed the website songstowearpantsto.com, there's some good stuff on there. The premise is this guy takes requests to make up songs of any style using any instrument. He's really talented. Check out 'the touch tone genious' for starters.

[Ayshela]

wow. my "currently listening to" lists tend to make people burst a blood vessel for lack of being able to figure how ANY one song goes with any other on the list, especially since my tastes run from classical to metal. However, my favourite songs on the mix CD that gets the most play would be

 

Stone Sour - Orchids One of my favourite songs on the original Stone Sour CD, this one or Bother make it onto most of my mix CDs. The original finds its way into the player or onto my Lyra, though, when "angry music" is the order of the day.

 

Dashboard Confessional - Carve Your Heart Out Yourself Yes, having these two back to back leaves most people blinking in confusion. Dashboard Confessional has a rare gift for touching the bitter, angry disappointment that hovers just under the surface, and puts words to it where i could not. I would appreciate that alone, even if i did not like the music itself. Fortunately, it's a good package deal.

 

Bowling For Soup - Shut-Up and Smile BFS is just plain fun, with the added benefit of sudden flashes of "My God, i never thought i'd ever hear someone else say that!" One of few bands whose music *always* makes me smile.

 

Lifehouse - Cling and Clatter Rather like Stone Sour, i like their first album (No Name Face) best and it tends to find its way into my player regularly. Good music and lyrics that resonate, for me, make this an unbeatable combination.

 

Linkin Park - In The End This or Papercut end up on about half my mix CDs. Linkin Park is the only band for which i've found i like the remixes as well as the original.

 

and Good Charlotte - Say Anything One of the few GC songs i really like, this one is a masterful blend of music and lyrics which leaves me with the uncommon sense of the song having been done *right*.

 

All too often i find the grammar-nazi part of my brain kicking in so that lyrics frustrate or annoy me. Bowling for Soup's "1985" doesn't make the cut for that reason alone.