Phosphor Glow
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Jan 11, 2012 17:42:15 GMT -5
Well, just like last year, I am late again this year. But in my defense, I am incredibly lazy. And I don't have the opportunity to get on the interwebs very much these days. But mostly lazy. ANYWAY, 2011 was an awesome, awesome year for music. So awesome that I actually had to make my list 30 albums this year. So, on to the list. Gonna provide REALLY short reviews for each album. If anyone's interested, I'll be posting full reviews for each album on Reviewin' Thangs later on. 30) The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient This is a fantastic little modern shoegaze album. These guys create an incredibly lush atmosphere and write some seriously beautiful music. 29) My Morning Jacket - Circuital I dunno that I need to say a lot about these guys, as they seem to be fairly big, at least among the indie scene, but they're a pretty awesome band that write some cool kinda psychedelic stuff. Fun album. 28) Last Chance to Reason - Level 2 Actually already reviewed this one, so not much more for me to say than I already have. You can read it here. reviewinthangs.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/last-chance-to-reason-level-2/ 27) Emo Side Project - The End of Something Now this is a band that probably no one on this forum has heard of. Mostly because it's one of my friend's bands. But there's no nepotism here, this is just a brilliant emo record in the vein of stuff like Algernon Cadwallader and Joan of Arc. If you like that sort of thing, you owe it to yourself to check them out. You can do so here. www.facebook.com/emosideproject26) Joan of Arc - Life Like SPEAKING OF emo in the vein of Joan of Arc...Joan of Arc released a new album this year. Wasn't really expecting that, but it was definitely a good surprise. If you're not familiar with them, they formed in the wake of the breakup of legendary emo band Cap'n Jazz. Great, great stuff. 25) Zechs Marquise - Getting Paid That's right, Miliardo Peacecraft finally released his long-awaited album. Or, y'know, it's a band named after him. Whatever. Anywho, these guys are an awesome progressive rock band. Mostly instrumental stuff, but not entirely. Dunno who to compare them to, really, but you should totally check them out. 24) Doomtree - No Kings These guys are a hip-hop collective, sort of in the same vein as the Wu-Tang Clan, in that there are a bunch of members who all do their own solo stuff, and occasionally come together to release one collective album. The reason I even know these guys exist is due to P.O.S., my personal favorite rapper. Everyone involved with this record is insanely talented, and there's not a bad song to be heard here, really. 23) Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues Indie folk is really iffy with me, and honestly, I wasn't very big on these guys when they first started getting notable. However, I gave them another shot with this album, and they just clicked with me for whatever reason. I dunno, I'm a sucker for vocal harmonies, and all the harmonies in this album are just superb. Beautiful stuff. 22) The Get Up Kids - There Are Rules These guys are a pretty legendary 90's midwest emo band. Sadly they'd broken up in 2005, but decided to reform in 2008. However, they didn't get around to putting out a new album until 2011 however, but it was totally worth the wait. It's a little different from their old stuff, and sounds a lot more post-punky and experimental than their older stuff, but it's still a damn fine record. 21) Warship - Supply & Depend Warship is a post-hardcore band formed in the wake of From Autumn To Ashes, after they broke up, featuring the drummer and bassist/guitarist of FATA. This band is a whole lot heavier than FATA was, featuring significantly less clean vocals, and just generally heavier music. Awesome stuff. 20) Wu-Tang Clan - Legendary Weapons I certainly don't need to introduce these guys to you. Outstanding album beginning to end, and it's heavy on the Ghostface, which I am totally cool with. That man is incredible. GO LISTEN. Alright, there are the first 10. Second 10 to come soon! EDIT: Got busy last night, and then between then and now, made some revisions to the list after further thought. So yeah, edited this part a bit.
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Post by Alucard on Jan 11, 2012 19:23:43 GMT -5
It's about time Milliardo put that damn album out.
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AFN: Judge Shred
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Wanted to change his doohicky.
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Post by AFN: Judge Shred on Jan 11, 2012 22:31:06 GMT -5
I am so far behind on music the past few years.
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Post by DSR on Jan 12, 2012 2:58:36 GMT -5
Hey, someone other than me has actually heard of Last Chance to Reason. I saw them play a show with my boys Look What I Did. They played a song called "She's My Bloody Pie" and that has stuck with me...I wanna say 4 or 5 years now.
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Post by sludgehammer on Jan 12, 2012 3:47:04 GMT -5
the new Social Distortion album has to be on this list
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Phosphor Glow
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Is a real girl!
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Jan 12, 2012 19:01:09 GMT -5
Hey, someone other than me has actually heard of Last Chance to Reason. I saw them play a show with my boys Look What I Did. They played a song called "She's My Bloody Pie" and that has stuck with me...I wanna say 4 or 5 years now. I have indeed! Just kinda found them by chance, and ended up digging them quite a bit. Haven't heard "She's My Bloody Pie" though. The only real complaint I have with them is that their lyrics are often really lame.
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Phosphor Glow
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Is a real girl!
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Jan 12, 2012 19:43:55 GMT -5
ALRIGHT, got a little busy last night, so I didn't end up getting to post the rest of my list. Now, however, I will.
19) The Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chain
This album ended up a lot lower on my list than I was expecting it to, but that does not mean it was bad, by any stretch of the imagination (obviously, considering it made it on my best of list). These guys will always be insanely hilarious to me, even if this one didn't quite live up to Incredibad. "Trouble on Dookie Island" is easily one of their best songs, however. I was in tears the first time I heard it.
18) They Might Be Giants - Join Us
Here's another one that didn't quite make it as high as I figured it would, but it's still awesome. In large part, this album feels a lot like 80's TMBG, but with slicker production. This works REALLY well, even if it feels like they're treading water just a tad. Still, really enjoyed it. Such a fun album, from guys who still haven't lost it after all these years.
17) Dir en Grey - Dum Spiro Spero
DeG always finds ways to surprise me. This is probably their heaviest album to date, which is saying a lot, considering they've been getting consistently heavier with every album, almost. There's a lot of death metal influence here, which I absolutely wasn't expecting. But, like always, they totally make it work. Awesome stuff.
16) Protest the Hero - Scurrilous
From what I understand, a lot of people didn't like this one very much. While I feel like it's not as good as Fortress or Kezia, I think it still stands up very well in comparison to them. Really awesome album, and honestly, Rody is a pretty decent lyricist. Not as good as Arif, but pretty good. It's definitely their most progressive album to date, but it hasn't lost the crazy edge of their earlier stuff.
15) Weerd Science - Sick Kids
Josh Eppard is a genius. He's one of the most underrated and underknown rappers I can think of, and he deserves so much more. This album is a brilliant and depressing look into substance abuse. Often both depressing and hilarious, Josh takes us on that horrible journey with him. If you like hip-hop even a little bit, you owe it to yourself to listen to this album.
14) Mastodon - The Hunter
If you thought Crack the Skye was different for Mastodon, this one was even more vastly different. It's a little faster and heavier than Crack the Skye, but the general sound is a lot...I dunno, brighter. It's hard to describe, but it was a really cool album.
13) Radiohead - The King of Limbs
While it's not Radiohead's best album, it's definitely interesting. It sort of feels like it spans their entire career in the span of one album, stylistically. Like, pretty much every album prior mashed together. It works really well, and I liked it a lot. Great listen.
12) Animals as Leaders - Weightless
Tosin Avasi is a genius. Animals as Leaders is more or less instrumental metal/djent (if you consider djent a genre. I do.). There's a lot more electronic stuff going on in this album than the last one, and the production is a lot better. Just, all in all, great stuff.
11) The Human Abstract - Digital Veil
A lot of "not as good as earlier stuff" has been happening on this list, but quite the opposite happened with The Human Abstract. Digital Veil is significantly better than Midheaven. The songwriting has stepped up quite a bit. It's heavy as shit, and that classical influence in the songwriting just never gets old. If you like metalcore, you definitely need to check this one out. One of the best in the genre, at least in the past few years.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2012 19:56:12 GMT -5
You guys know me and my rap....is that Weerd Science album really worth it
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Phosphor Glow
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Jan 12, 2012 20:02:29 GMT -5
You guys know me and my rap....is that Weerd Science album really worth it Oh yes, absolutely. Find some songs on Youtube and see for yourself...but I think you'd dig it quite a bit.
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Post by ThereIsNoAbsurdistOnlyZuul on Jan 13, 2012 1:28:51 GMT -5
I've been listening the HELL outta Animals as Leaders. And East of the Wall, but that's a whole 'nother thing.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2012 14:24:49 GMT -5
It sucks that I doubt the Childish Gambino or Gym Class Heroes album didn't make Top 10
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Post by anticonscience on Jan 14, 2012 22:13:08 GMT -5
My top 3 for the year were 3) "The Family Sign" by Atmosphere 2) "El Camino" by Black Keys 1) "D.R.U.G.S." by Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows
And niiiice @ Weerd Science. I've been meaning to check out his stuff since I saw him with MC Lars on Warped this summer.
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Phosphor Glow
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Jan 31, 2012 20:45:13 GMT -5
Alright, sorry guys. For some reason, I thought I had already posted this, but apparently I did not. Sorry about that. ANYWAY, here's the top 10!
10) A Lot Like Birds - Conversation Piece
So, thanks to BKWV for pointing out this mistake to me. Put The Human Abstract on here twice. Anyway, this album is great post-hardcore (nope, it's not one of my favorite genres. Not at all.)
9) Bjork - Biophilia
Great, great atmospheric album. Not her best work, but there are some incredible, beautiful songs on here.
8) Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne
Wasn't quite as good as I was expecting it to be, but considering it is Jay-Z and Kanye, it was still absolutely incredible. "Lift Off" is the only real disappointment on the album. Great stuff.
7) Blink-182 - Neighborhoods
I don't know what the general consensus is on this album, but I thought it was really good. I'm glad that they didn't decided to "go back to their roots", when there was so much interesting territory to explore following their self-titled. I really liked how Neighborhoods turned out, even if it did take a couple of listens to really grow on me.
6) Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys
To me, this album is the definition of a headphone album. There's lots of little stuff going on here that's tough to hear, and it just has that mood that begs to be heard on headphones. Great stuff.
5) Childish Gambino - Camp
Donald Glover is just such a talented dude. Great actor, funny as hell, and a pretty damned great rapper. I can't tell you how impressed I was with this album. Every single song is just awesome. I do wish he went a little harder on more of them, but as it stands, still great stuff.
4) The Dear Hunter - The Color Spectrum
What a massive undertaking. This album is technically not so much an album as it is a collection of 9 EPs all themed after different colors, with music in different styles on each one, ranging from progressive rock to more laid-back electronic stuff. If ever there was a doubt in my mind that Casey Crescenzo is a genius, that doubt has been removed. Outstanding.
3) Scale the Summit - The Collective
Been listening to these guys for a few years now, but they didn't fully click with me until I saw them with Fair to Midland last year, and this album came out. What an experience. If you like metal, or instrumental music, or djent, you owe it to yourself to hear this. It is an unbelievably great album.
2) Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
This is probably the best Foo Fighters album since The Colour & The Shape. And this is coming from someone who's adored every single album since. Even One By One. Wasting Light is just absolutely tremendous, top to bottom. Their songwriting has come back full force, and the presence of Pat Smear is very welcome. And Bob Mould. I love that guy.
AND THE NUMBER ONE ALBUM...
is a tie, actually.
1) La Dispute - Wildlife
Very, very few albums actually leave me breathless and cause me to say "wow" after every single song, but La Dispute absolutely pulled that off. This album tells an incredible story, and the lyricism present here is just absurdly beautiful. And if you like post-hardcore, then this album is for you. Some of the best stuff I've ever heard from the genre. There is no reason not to check this album out.
1) Fair to Midland - Arrows & Anchors
I knew this album would top my list before it even came out. These guys are one of the best bands around, and quickly becoming one of my favorites. I already reviewed it, though, so all I can really say is that if you like music, get it. Just...get it.
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chazraps
Wade Wilson
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Post by chazraps on Jan 31, 2012 20:48:18 GMT -5
"Lift Off" is such a celebrity circle-jerk abomination of a song. Can't believe that was the second single. I'm so proud of the rap public at large to have made the b-side "N****s in Paris" the hit.
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Phosphor Glow
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Jan 31, 2012 20:49:07 GMT -5
My top 3 for the year were 3) "The Family Sign" by Atmosphere 2) "El Camino" by Black Keys 1) "D.R.U.G.S." by Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows And niiiice @ Weerd Science. I've been meaning to check out his stuff since I saw him with MC Lars on Warped this summer. Hell yeah. Weerd Science is the shit, man. One of the most talented rappers in the business today. Also, shit, I didn't even know Atmosphere released a new album last year, but I am sad that I missed it. I will have to track it down. ALSO ALSO, regarding D.R.U.G.S., I like Craig, and the music's okay...but it just didn't really do it for me like Chiodos does. I just like their music a whole lot better.
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Post by moneyman20 on Jan 31, 2012 20:51:49 GMT -5
I'd have the Wu-Tang album just a tad higher. All in all though, great list.
You're right, any Wu-Tang album must be heavy on the Ghostface for it to work perfectly. Nothing against RZA, GZA, and anybody else in the group, but Ghostface is the best of them all.
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Phosphor Glow
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Jan 31, 2012 20:54:07 GMT -5
I'd have the Wu-Tang album just a tad higher. All in all though, great list. You're right, any Wu-Tang album must be heavy on the Ghostface for it to work perfectly. Nothing against RZA, GZA, and anybody else in the group, but Ghostface is the best of them all. Agreed completely. I love them all, but Ghostface is just on a completely different level than most rappers. And he's not even one of my favorites, really.
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chazraps
Wade Wilson
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Post by chazraps on Jan 31, 2012 21:02:12 GMT -5
You guys should all check out the Action Bronson album 'Dr. Lecter.' My favorite rap release of the year.
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Phosphor Glow
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
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Post by Phosphor Glow on Feb 1, 2012 17:16:03 GMT -5
You guys should all check out the Action Bronson album 'Dr. Lecter.' My favorite rap release of the year. I will definitely do that. Thank you for the recommendation, sir!
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BK From WV
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Post by BK From WV on Feb 1, 2012 18:35:21 GMT -5
So The Human Abstract album is so good,it was posted twice(at 11 and 10). Good list. I was the same on the Blink album. I liked it on the first listen but was kind of mixed on it. After several listens it grew on me. Also,Wildlife is a great album. Wish I had made it to Krazyfest to see La Dispute last year but did not.
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