Cali Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 It's that time again, lets see what everybody's top 5 albums this year are. I don't have anymore albums that are on my wishlist this year so this is it. The Final Five are: 5. Thrice "The Artist In The Ambulance" 8.5/10 I'd known about Thrice for awhile, but never really gave them the chance, I decided to check this album out and damned if I didn't enjoy the hell out of it. These guys are great musicians, and they know how to structure a song. Bravo to them. Stand Out Tracks: "Under A Killing Moon" "Stare At The Sun" "Paper Tigers" "The Artist In The Ambulance" " Don't Tell And We Won't Ask" 4. Poison the Well "You Come Before You" 8.9/10 Man, these guys are one of my favorites right now, every album sounds different from the last and I enjoy each one as much as the last. This is their most musically diverse effort to date. The combonation screams and singing are very crisp and cut through the music perfectly. I also got my first chance to see them live, and they did not dissapoint, they had so much energy on stage, it was fantastic. Stand Out Tracks: "Ghostchant" "For A Bandaged Iris" "Meeting Gain For The First Time" "The Realist" "Apathy is a Cold Body" "Crystal Lake" 3. Blood Has Been Shed "Spirals" 9/10 HEAVY. That's all I have to say about that! The mixture of crushing breakdowns and intense vocals this albums delivers on all fronts. Howard Jones, who now also sings for another of my favs Killswitch Engage, leads the onslaught of heaviness on this album. His voice is so dominant without taking anything away from the other guys (If that makes any sense at all) Definately something to put on when your angry. Stand Out Tracks: "Greetings From The Gallows" "She Speaks To Me" "Uatu" "The House of Fist" (Great Song Title ) "Beginner's Luck" "Technicolor Jackets" "Six Twelve" 2. Avenged Sevenfold "Waking the Fallen" 10/10 Man it was so hard to choose between number two and one, but I made my choice. This album rocks, that it's, it rocks and doesn't stop. The mixture of Iron Maiden style old school Metal with Hardcore, Current Metal, and a little punk is a f***ing potent little mix. My favorite thing about this group is the background vocals. All the "Whoa's" etc. are great. These guys actually won me over with their live show. I bought this album, listened to it a little bit, stopped listening, then saw them live and I was hooked. The CD has been in my CD Player for a while now and it doesn't want to leave. Stand Out Tracks: All 12. 1. Lamb of God "As The Palaces Burn" 10/10 The only reason this is number one is that it came out in May, and I've loved it since it's first spin. Lamb of God is the best pure Metal act in America s far as I'm concerned. Uber producer/Mad Scientist Devin Townsend brings out the best in the Richmond, Va natives. The Vocals are great, the riffs are intense. There is not one damn thing I don't like on this album, and seeing them live a few weeks ago only confirmed my love for this band and album. Avenged Sevenfold and Lamb of God will be duking it out in my CD Player for a long time, or at least until the frontrunner for "Album of the Year" 2004 comes out. Stand Out Tracks: All 10 of them. Whew! That's it. Be Sure to be as specific and detailed or more so than I if you please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiff Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 5. Less Than Jake - Anthem - A solid album. It is not Hello Rockview or Losing Streak, but then again, what is. The first four songs are all grade A, especially "Ghosts of You and Me" and the remake of "Look What Happened". Toward the middle it lulls a bit with some decent, but not really catchy songs. "She's Gonna Break Soon" is an abberation, I don't know what possessed them to put it on the album. "Plastic Cup Politics" is an instant classic. 4. Snuff - Disposable Income - Again, not the best album the band has ever produced, but you have to respect that after 17 years they are still trying new things and succeding most of the time. The sounds change greatly from track to track, and while there isn't one song on the album that you can point to as clearly the best (possibly "To Disappoint" or "Boatnick"), but they are all catchy. Snuff also gets bonus points for having the most random album covers and song names (ie: "Pages 42-43" and "Emoticon"). 3. Alkaline Trio - Good Mourning - Call them punk or emo or whatever you want, the bottom line is they kick ass. Alk3's style is so different and compelling that it's hard to find a below-average song on the whole album. They write such unique lyrics, much more vivid than you are used to hearing. "We've Had Enough" and "All on Black" are two really powerful songs, spout energy and emotion. The whole album alternates between sorrow and the euphoria, and strikes a good balance. This is the kind of album you can listen to several times in a row and not get bored, because it's like 12 short stories playing out. 2. Swingin' Utters - Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass, and Bones - Swingin' was another band that wasn't afraid to try new things on their latest album. Sure, there are still up-tempo hits like "No Pariah" and "Elation", but every few tracks there are changeups like the compelling "All That I Can Give" and the lyrically-rich "If You Want Me To" to slow it down a bit. The title track may be the best of the bunch, and the last song, "Shadows and Lies" might be my least favorite, but it is hardly a bad song. This album succeeds because it gives you a little bit of everything and you like all of it. 1. Strung Out - Live in a Dive - I was somewhat of a fan before this album, but decided to buy it anyway. Holy crap am I glad I did. The technical talent of this band alone makes it worth listening to, and the live aspect just adds to it. You can tell Jason Cruz delivers the lyrics with 100% effort, and the crowd feeds off of it. They recorded something like 48 songs in two days, and put 21 on this album, but it's hardly enough. "Bring Out Your Dead" and "Matchbook" are my two favorites, but there are many close behind. The fact that it was recorded live also allows for more creativity; for instance, when they start to go into a heavy interlude until Cruz yells "Psyche!" and goes right into a solo. Speaking of solos, they are some of the best I've ever heard, especially the two in the cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon". This album exhausts me when I listen to it all the way through, I doubt that makes sense to anyone but that is the best way to describe it. Best non-musical album: Dane Cook - Harmful If Swallowed - Now, Cali, do I see what all the fuss was about. There are so many hilarious bits on this album like "Hopped up on the Q" and "Bathroom". I must quote it at least ten times a day, stuff like "I was inside washing a dish, and I came out..." or "I can't hear you B.K. Broiler!!" Cook is the funniest comedian I've heard in a long, long time, and he has a gift for imitating everything from squealing tires to the Speak and Spell (which is probably my favorite bit). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Best non-musical album: Dane Cook - Harmful If Swallowed - Now, Cali, do I see what all the fuss was about. There are so many hilarious bits on this album like "Hopped up on the Q" and "Bathroom". I must quote it at least ten times a day, stuff like "I was inside washing a dish, and I came out..." or "I can't hear you B.K. Broiler!!" Cook is the funniest comedian I've heard in a long, long time, and he has a gift for imitating everything from squealing tires to the Speak and Spell (which is probably my favorite bit). Ah I have this; Dane Cook is so damn hilarious. The bit about the Kool-Aid man has to be my favorite bit on it. OHHHHHH YEAH!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali Posted December 3, 2003 Author Share Posted December 3, 2003 Best non-musical album: Dane Cook - Harmful If Swallowed - Now, Cali, do I see what all the fuss was about. There are so many hilarious bits on this album like "Hopped up on the Q" and "Bathroom". I must quote it at least ten times a day, stuff like "I was inside washing a dish, and I came out..." or "I can't hear you B.K. Broiler!!" Cook is the funniest comedian I've heard in a long, long time, and he has a gift for imitating everything from squealing tires to the Speak and Spell (which is probably my favorite bit). You have seen the light I've been preaching Dane Cooks greatness for a couple of years now and he's gonna be HUGE very soon. I guarentee it. The next step for you is to see him live, which should be pretty easy, he performs in Boston all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 I've bought so few albums... and some of these might be 02, but here goes. 5. Junior Senior - D'D'Don't Stop The Beat - Like the JSBX but with samplers, sequencers and a sense of humor. John Spencer lost his around 1998. 4. Electric Six - Fire - Awesome cover, great first effort by an up and coming Detroit act. 3. Outkast - The Love Below/Speakerboxxx - Need I say anything? 2. Blur - Think Tank - A great picture of a band in flux, perhaps at the beginning of self-destruction. Sweet Song, one of the best post breakup songs ever. 1. Sigur Ros () - Beautiful Icelandic band. Just beautiful. And no, I can't describe it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 5. Less Than Jake - Anthem - A solid album. It is not Hello Rockview or Losing Streak, but then again, what is. The first four songs are all grade A, especially "Ghosts of You and Me" and the remake of "Look What Happened". Toward the middle it lulls a bit with some decent, but not really catchy songs. "She's Gonna Break Soon" is an abberation, I don't know what possessed them to put it on the album. "Plastic Cup Politics" is an instant classic. I used to be a huge LTJ fan... went to shows back-in-the-day when Jessica was in the band. Fireside Bowl Rawks \m/ Bought "borders and boundries" a few years ago when it came out and was severly disappointed. Didn't get "black and Blue" or the newest one... I still rock out to the old stuff occasionally though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiff Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 I used to be a huge LTJ fan... went to shows back-in-the-day when Jessica was in the band. Fireside Bowl Rawks \m/ Bought "borders and boundries" a few years ago when it came out and was severly disappointed. Didn't get "black and Blue" or the newest one... I still rock out to the old stuff occasionally though. Borders, like Anthem, doesn't measure up to the other two, but I like it nonetheless. It's got that ska sound like Losing Streak, where Anthem and Rockview are more rock-ish punk. It has some neat stuff like "Pete Jackson is Getting Married" and "Last Hour of the Last Day", but nothing of the quality of Automatic or Farcas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASHWOUND Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 You have seen the light I've been preaching Dane Cooks greatness for a couple of years now and he's gonna be HUGE very soon. I guarentee it. The next step for you is to see him live, which should be pretty easy, he performs in Boston all the time. Yeah, I've bought Harmful if Swallowed and it's outstanding And have you ever hear Calos Mencia perform?? That guy is f***in funny as hell.. Especially is cd.."Take a Joke America" You gotta get that cd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASHWOUND Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 I've bought so few albums... and some of these might be 02, but here goes. 5. Junior Senior - D'D'Don't Stop The Beat - Like the JSBX but with samplers, sequencers and a sense of humor. John Spencer lost his around 1998. 4. Electric Six - Fire - Awesome cover, great first effort by an up and coming Detroit act. 3. Outkast - The Love Below/Speakerboxxx - Need I say anything? 2. Blur - Think Tank - A great picture of a band in flux, perhaps at the beginning of self-destruction. Sweet Song, one of the best post breakup songs ever. 1. Sigur Ros () - Beautiful Icelandic band. Just beautiful. And no, I can't describe it. Outkast has always put out good stuff..The Love Below/Speakerboxxx is excellent..I have it..listen to it all the time and agree with Blur.. I have Junior Senior's hit single..pretty catchy..haven't listened to the whole album though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sox4lifeinPA Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 believe it or not, I'm generally open to this, especially because this year has been pretty weak album wise. I've not had time to listen to Spiritualized, Blur or Travis, but I'm sure all are solid discs. 5) Rufus Wainwright "Want One" Rufus's voice is amazing and puts him on this list. 4) Coldplay "A Rush of blood to the head" solid, simplisitc disc. Melody, mood, and Chris Martin's voice are what make Coldplay awesome. 3) The Appleseed Cast "2 Conversations" two-sided album bouncing between love and regret. Looping and winding guitars, inventive drumming, and solid melodies make this album an emotional winner. 2) Denison Witmer "Philadelphia Songs" If you've never looked into Denison, then I'm sorry. His lyrics are raw and powerful, melodies simplistic and piercing. 1) Sigur Ros "()" all I can say is "blá nótt yfir himininn, blá nótt yfir mér, horf-inn út um gluggann." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Here's my 5 I love no particular order... I had a hard time putting five together... everything I'm really Digging was released last year. Pete Yorn - Day I Forgot Sophmore album -- avoided "sophmore slump"(read Strokes) -- Kept It original and inventive. My favorite artist to go see at a small venue(read Shubas), since Jeff Buckley. Jack Johnson - On and On It's hard to really apreciate this album, being such a rabid fan, I had already accumulated all but three of the songs off of this record, from live recordings or Kazaa, months before the release. Great summer music, sit by the water with a drink in hand and forget your problems. Entire Record is solid, It just seems to be a few years old to me. Ben Harper - Diamonds on the Inside Ben Harpers best Studio Album. Much like Dave Mathews Band, Ben has never captured the energy from one of his live shows. This is, however, the most polished and finely crafted any of his songs have been. OutKast - Double Album Tough to categorize this one -- innovative. the only bad thing about this album is the two of them didn't work together. I see them parting ways in the future Joss Stone - Soul Sessions This one "shouldn't" be on the list... But I can't get the CD out of my player. So It end up here by default. This WHITE-ENGLISH girl of only 16years, belts out soul like the queen herself, Aretha franklin. I've taken to calling her the Princess of soul. It speaks to her ability, the people she had working wih her on this album. She takes these old forgotten songs and breathes new life into them, while making them her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASHWOUND Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 5. Less Than Jake - Anthem - A solid album. It is not Hello Rockview or Losing Streak, but then again, what is. The first four songs are all grade A, especially "Ghosts of You and Me" and the remake of "Look What Happened". Toward the middle it lulls a bit with some decent, but not really catchy songs. "She's Gonna Break Soon" is an abberation, I don't know what possessed them to put it on the album. "Plastic Cup Politics" is an instant classic. 4. Snuff - Disposable Income - Again, not the best album the band has ever produced, but you have to respect that after 17 years they are still trying new things and succeding most of the time. The sounds change greatly from track to track, and while there isn't one song on the album that you can point to as clearly the best (possibly "To Disappoint" or "Boatnick"), but they are all catchy. Snuff also gets bonus points for having the most random album covers and song names (ie: "Pages 42-43" and "Emoticon"). 3. Alkaline Trio - Good Mourning - Call them punk or emo or whatever you want, the bottom line is they kick ass. Alk3's style is so different and compelling that it's hard to find a below-average song on the whole album. They write such unique lyrics, much more vivid than you are used to hearing. "We've Had Enough" and "All on Black" are two really powerful songs, spout energy and emotion. The whole album alternates between sorrow and the euphoria, and strikes a good balance. This is the kind of album you can listen to several times in a row and not get bored, because it's like 12 short stories playing out. 2. Swingin' Utters - Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass, and Bones - Swingin' was another band that wasn't afraid to try new things on their latest album. Sure, there are still up-tempo hits like "No Pariah" and "Elation", but every few tracks there are changeups like the compelling "All That I Can Give" and the lyrically-rich "If You Want Me To" to slow it down a bit. The title track may be the best of the bunch, and the last song, "Shadows and Lies" might be my least favorite, but it is hardly a bad song. This album succeeds because it gives you a little bit of everything and you like all of it. 1. Strung Out - Live in a Dive - I was somewhat of a fan before this album, but decided to buy it anyway. Holy crap am I glad I did. The technical talent of this band alone makes it worth listening to, and the live aspect just adds to it. You can tell Jason Cruz delivers the lyrics with 100% effort, and the crowd feeds off of it. They recorded something like 48 songs in two days, and put 21 on this album, but it's hardly enough. "Bring Out Your Dead" and "Matchbook" are my two favorites, but there are many close behind. The fact that it was recorded live also allows for more creativity; for instance, when they start to go into a heavy interlude until Cruz yells "Psyche!" and goes right into a solo. Speaking of solos, they are some of the best I've ever heard, especially the two in the cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon". This album exhausts me when I listen to it all the way through, I doubt that makes sense to anyone but that is the best way to describe it. Best non-musical album: Dane Cook - Harmful If Swallowed - Now, Cali, do I see what all the fuss was about. There are so many hilarious bits on this album like "Hopped up on the Q" and "Bathroom". I must quote it at least ten times a day, stuff like "I was inside washing a dish, and I came out..." or "I can't hear you B.K. Broiler!!" Cook is the funniest comedian I've heard in a long, long time, and he has a gift for imitating everything from squealing tires to the Speak and Spell (which is probably my favorite bit). I like Strung Out..I have one of their albums..Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues Actually got that as a gift.. Less Than Jake is good..have a few of their singles that i bought..also Alkaline Trio...a few of their singles.. haven't listened to the rest though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiff Posted December 4, 2003 Share Posted December 4, 2003 I like Strung Out..I have one of their albums..Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues Actually got that as a gift.. Less Than Jake is good..have a few of their singles that i bought..also Alkaline Trio...a few of their singles.. haven't listened to the rest though Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues is probably their best album, with stuff like Firecracker, Never Good Enough and Radio Suicide you can't go wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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