(Some of) The Best of The Rest

A few weeks ago I posted on Facebook about my top 5 albums for 2012 (so far) and then realized I haven't discussed three of them on this little blog of mine. That changes today.

Two of those five have already been featured and you can read about fun. and Alabama Shakes at their respective posts. Now, I have to reiterate that we still have plenty of time left in the year so this could all change. But for now, here the selections to round out the top 5.

Neon Trees - Picture Show (***1/2)

Let’s start with admittedly one of my favorite releases this year, one that I had “anticipated” since January. Neon Trees had one of the best debuts in recent memory with 2010’s Habits, spurring a few radio friendly singles with “Animal” and “1983.” But it contained a deceptive pop sound to it as deeper cuts on the album proved the band was more than one that could provide a hit for a movie based on teenagers dancing. With “Everybody Talks,” the first single off of Picture Show, it seemed like they were going to repeat the same success. But the same deceptiveness came into play and Show opened up a world of the Trees moving forward while nodding to the past. A majority of the album could appear on movie remakes of those that were popular in the 80s. “Touch” is the definitive track on the album, featuring synthy beats and cocky vocals straight out of a time when Tom Cruise was on the cover of teen magazines. If you like that track, then the album is for you. If not, you may want to pass on this one. Personally, the whole thing has gotten repeat listens from me, particularly with its attention to detail and how each song could be its own movie. Check out the released movie posters that go with each track and go back to the future with one of the best releases of the year.
Check out: Trust, Lessons in Love, Teenage Sounds

Jack White - Blunderbuss (***1/2)

If we're being honest, this album does get some recognition based on the name alone. It was the first solo release from a man who seemed content to just join/organize as many bands as he could. On Blunderbuss, you can see that Jack White's genius can still shine through, but it does much in a way of a Picasso piece. You know that you have art in front in you, even though you may not understand half of it. Take the schizo approach to the first two released singles. "Love Interruption" was a light guitar-picker while "Sixteen Saltines" was an absolute blaze of a track that ranks up their with "Demons" by Sleigh Bells as my favorites of the year. However, ask me to tell you what the hell he is talking about in that track and I do not have an answer. The rest of the record is a little more of the same. Some of the stories connect - "Missing Pieces" - while some just sound cool with elements of folk, ragtime and rock and roll thrown in. "I'm Shakin" is a fun song that showcases White being born in the wrong decade. Of my top 5, Blunderbuss is one that is the most likely to get knocked out, especially with a strong September (Green Day, Muse, etc) coming up, but for now it's sitting pretty as a release that for once lived up to expectations.
Check Out: Sixteen Saltines, I'm Shakin, Freedom at 21

Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods (*****)

I saved the best for last and at this point I'm glad I saved the time on the review. If I would have written about it when it came out in April, I would have discussed how I felt it lacked a punch to really connect. Now that I have spent some time with it (and I mean a lot of time with it) I feel I am able to see more clearly what the band was trying to do. The album resembled a listening structure of climbing a mountain - low valleys at the beginning ("Make Believe") a peak in the middle ("Mean Spirits") and a climax at the end to bring it all together ("Out of Breath"). Why this album got rated so high is that it's hard to pick out any one track to identify it. In order to look at the entire scope of Neck of the Woods, you have to look at the entire track list. The album cover works here as well - a seemingly ordinary house taking residence in a seemingly ordinary neighborhood. But listen to the lyrics in tracks like "The Pit" (a standout track with nods to Joy Division) and you can tell the album carries somewhat of a theme as music videos to all the tracks could take place in the same neighborhood. Last year, Manchester Orchestra released a third studio album that I felt could put them on their way to being one of the biggest names in alternative rock. This year, Silversun Pickups did the exact same thing with Neck of the Woods.


Check out: Skin Graph, The Pit, Gun-Shy Sunshine

Also noteworthy:

Motion City Soundtrack - GO (***)

The group seems to step off the momentum they were developing with My Dinosaur Life, but still come through a solid release. Check out: Son of a Gun, The Coma Kid


Say Anything - Anarchy, My Dear (**1/2)

Max Bemis spouts lyrics that are as nonsensical as ever with an album that doesn't really go anywhere, but the ride is enjoyable nonetheless. Check out: So Good, Peace Out


Linkin Park - LIVING THINGS (***1/2)


A band that had the potential to be written off came back swinging in a (near) return to form. Check out: Lost in the Echo, Victimized


B.o.B. - Strange Clouds (**1/2)

At times a rap album with infused pop, at times a pop album with infused rap; Strange Clouds either gets hurt or helped by the mashup. Check out: So Good, Both of Us featuring Taylor Swift

Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour (***1/2)

A surprisingly strong effort from a band that did a nice job mixing today's alternative with yesterday's "classic" sound. Check out: The Devil Takes Care of His Own, Lay My Head Down


The Used - Vulnerable (*1/2)

When you're not expecting much, it's easy to meet those expectations. Check out: I Come Alive, This Fire


lostprophets - Weapons (***1/2)


Almost ten years (and two albums) after the breakthrough success of Start Something, lostprophets show the harder alternative airwaves have been missing a certain Welsh band these last few years. Check out: We Bring An Arsenal, Jesus Walks


The-All American Rejects - Kids in the Street (***)


Hats off to AAR for sticking around much longer than anyone probably expected of them and doing so while bringing the experience to a damn good fourth studio release. Check out: Someday's Gone, Walk Over Me


Maroon 5 - Overexposed (***)

Unsure whether or not this would be considered a guilty pleasure, but it can definitely be called catchy and a good fun time. Check out: One More Night, Lucky Strike

Top Album of 2011

When starting a blog, one always has a long list of ideas and plans to execute. Unfortunately, life sometimes gets in the way.

So that is the main reason why this post, which should have been scheduled for January, is just now seeing the light of day. However, in my busyness/procrastination, a new thought came to mind.

More often than not, the first few listens of an album tell you what you need to know. But every once in a while, a second look can open up your eyes and ears to a view you didn’t have previously.

So I wanted to try something different this time around - giving myself some time to really dive into the material. The review of my pick for the best album of 2011 will come six months after its release.

Back when Mylo Xyloto first entered my life.


Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto (5 stars)

Call it love at first listen. The first time I stuck my headphones in my ears and let all 14 tracks found on Mylo Xyloto play the first time, I could do nothing but smile.

But to fully understand how I got to that point, we must first go back a few years.

I was late to the Coldplay train, but when I arrived at the station I rode that thing non-stop. My first introduction didn’t come until after X&Y, but in the months that followed I immersed myself in all things Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head.

In the time that passed, “Yellow” became (and remains) my favorite song of all time. But it was the range of emotions I could feel from Chris Martin and company (“Talk”; “Warning Sign”; “Clocks”) that made me become a full-fledged fan.

Then Viva La Vida came into the picture and I was able to witness my first Coldplay concert. That night will forever go down as one of the best of my life (no exaggeration), even though VLV remains my least favorite Coldplay album, though it was still a solid release.

I give that background for two reasons: one) so you know upfront where I’m coming from as a Coldplay fan and two) to address the “old/new Coldplay” comparisons I’m going to have to bring up later.

After rolling out the marketing campaign for the band’s fifth studio album, Coldplay released “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” in the summer of last year. It was a unique release, as the lyrics were revealed before the actual song.

Turned out the mood of the song was nothing how I pictured it after reading the lyrics, and I wasn’t alone. ETIAW was met with mediocre reviews and doubts about the album began to sneak in, even after the booming bliss of "Paradise." Namely it became - what kind of direction will the band go in?

Martin had hinted in earlier previews that the album would be mostly acoustic. Another report was that it would follow the story of the couple first portrayed in “Wedding Bells,” a song that Martin played at an Apple event that was never officially released (though some feel the track “Christmas Lights” that was released in December 2010 is the finished version).

Turns out, neither of those were true. Well, the couple thing wasn’t far off as some theories suggest. Instead, Mylo Xyloto became a mixture of political undertones and graffitti art set to a Disney landscape, a la “Fantasia.”

Some of the clips of unreleased songs made thier way to youtube as they were debuted at concerts. I was able to catch some of them myself when I attended the Music Midtown festival in Atlanta in September 2011. It was the first time I heard “Hurts Like Heaven” and everytime I listen to the track now it takes me back to that moment.

Same with “Charlie Brown” and besides a few plays on the radio it was also the first time for “Major Minus.” This concert was outdoors, in the dark, and set to an imagery of lasers and fireworks spectacles that made for a fantastic experience.

I’m honestly not sure if I would love Mylo Xyloto as much if not for that concert. It completely changed my mind on “Waterfall” and I can practically feel myself back in Atlanta when I hear certain songs.

The new tracks I hadn’t already heard upon my first listen included “Don’t Let it Break Your Heart,” “Princess of China” and “U.F.O.” I know the guest vocals of Rihanna were met with criticism, but I feel the two artists truly completed each other on Coldplay’s first song on a studio album that included a guest appearance.

So, can fans who hold on to Parachutes as the defining Coldplay album come to love Mylo Xyloto? The answer seems to be... maybe. Some will like it, some will want the band to stay with the tried and true basic piano and guitar sound - the one that defined them.

My take is this: The sound on MX is different than the previous albums, yet it’s still the same at its core. Heartbreak, inspiration, hopelessness and hopefulness - Coldplay have always intertwined these settings in all of their music and they do it beautifully with their latest effort. The one request I have to fans is to not knock it until you try it - you may find out that some of the themes, though presented much more stylistically, are still there.

Going in to making my list for the best albums of 2011, I had to step back for a minute with MX. I admit my bias so I needed to figure if it really was the best, especially in a year in which so many big names released material.

And the answer, at least for me and in my own personal opinion, was yes. Mylo Xyloto is a five-star album from beginning to end and is an experience throughout the whole thing, an attribute that is rare nowadays.

As much as a lot of people think otherwise, Mylo Xyloto is not that far off from the band’s previous records. And I know I’m in a lesser opinion when I say this, but I truly believe the band focused all of their talents into making the biggest and most colorful album of their discography and (one of) the best in their career.

Alabama Shakes - "Boys & Girls" review

Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls (5 stars)

In the early part of this year, I was washing clothes and to pass the time I was flipping through the pages of Rolling Stone magazine. In the first few pages of this particular version, there was a piece spotlighting lesser-known artists. The name of one band, Alabama Shakes, caught my attention because it contained the state I reside in. I don't remember details of what the writer said, but I remember there being praise for their live performance. I remembered the name but didn't think much of checking them out because I wasn't sure if I would like their music. And that turned out to be a big mistake.

A short time after reading that article I saw that Jack White's Third Man Records label was putting out a live release of Alabama Shakes. Admittedly, I became intrigued in a "Well, if he likes them I really need to check them out" kind of deal. I spent the next few weeks obliterating the replay button on any videos I could find featuring the band on YouTube. At the time, they only had a four song EP out and I kick myself for not picking it up because it is no longer available.

It contained four tracks: "Hold On," "I Found You," "On Your Way" and "You Ain't Alone." It was a small sample, but it was just enough to show that the band had all the ingredients to make them stand out. For one, the music doesn't pigeon-hole itself to one genre, but it's not all over the place either. If you had to describe it with musical tones, maybe the best would be classic bluesy southern rock for the 21st century.

The EP left me and a plethora of other fans (including Hayley Williams and anybody who has had the chance to see them live) waiting for the release of a full length album, which came just a couple weeks ago. There were fears that the album wouldn't live up to the hype, which is crazy when you think about. Most bands breaking in have to spend years touring on a debut album before you start to get recognized, but the Shakes seemed to be working in reverse.

Those fears were gone not even ten minutes into Boys & Girls. A non-EP song doesn't make it's debut until track 3 but the presence of "Hang Loose" is definitely felt as the band turns it up a notch. "Rise to the Sun" and "Heartbreaker" are also stand out tracks that show the vocal range of Brittany Howard, who is clearly the star of the show. It's too early to tell if that's going to be a detriment to the band as a whole, which would be a shame because the three guys rounding out the Shakes are obviously talented.

But Howard pulls you in with the strain in her voice and her storytelling, even namedropping herself in "Hold On." An early favorite for me was "Be Mine" where an F bomb is subtly dropped toward the end of the second verse, the only time the band takes the vocals beyond a PG level. But it's used so well that it only gets you even more wrapped up in the song.

A lot can be said that in an 11-track album there is only one weak song, "Going to the Party." Even more can be said that its main weakness is its length, clocking in at just under two minutes. But in the grand scheme of things it serves as sort of a breather in an album full of powerful tracks.

Part Janis Joplin, part Black Keys, part Otis Redding and part Led Zeppelin (click the text for an amazing cover), The Alabama Shakes combine similar sounds to make a whole new one themselves. From beginning to end, Boys & Girls is an album that you absolutely feel when you listen to it, which is rare in music nowadays.

Also, admittedly there is a bit of bias because the band resides only a couple hours from where I live. When "homestate" artists get on a national spotlight, it's vital to support them. It's nicer when those artists are this amazing. So if you haven't already, pick up this album and prepare to go on a musical journey. You won't be disappointed.