2007: BETWEEN THE BURIED & ME - COLORS. Esstential release. Between the Buried & Me rose from the ashes of From Here On, and quickly gained notoriety for their vicious live shows and pummelling breakdowns. After releasing their debut on Lifeforce Records, the North Carolina outfit signed stateside with Victory Records. Their Victory debut, "The Silent Circus" was so much more complex with their debut followed by the more straight forward "Alaska." All of the aforementioned releases were thoroughly enjoyable, and I was looking forward to hearing "Colors." It is a 65 minute piece, broken up into eight tracks. The complex rhythms and chaos still exists throughout the release, but the band has quite the bag of musical tricks, incorporating blue grass, jazz, acoustic folk. Tommy Rogers clean singing voice has improved considerably, one full display in the opening track or at about the 8 minute mark of "Sun Of Nothing." It literally sounds like Radiohead. "Sun Of Nothing" starts off three tracks that comprise the meat of the album (33 or so minutes on three tracks). "Sun…" leads into the sprawling "Ants Of the Sky," my favourite 'track' on the album, followed by the epic "Prequel To a Sequel." After catching your breath during the sombre bass lines in "Viridian," talk about epic… "White Walls" closes the album with a fourteen minute whirlwind that seems significantly shorter in length due to a) there isn't a dull second and b) it really really awesome.
Honourable Mention: Chuck Ragan - Feast Or Famine. Hot Water Music frontman's debut solo effort. Gruff vocals intact, Chuck is armed with a guitar and little else.
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2008: FUCKED UP - THE CHEMISTRY OF COMMON LIFE. Arty street punk. Who knew? And in my own back yard. Toronto's Fucked Up have been putting out more 7"s than almost any band ever, mostly on Vancouver via Toronto based Deranged Records. The band finally recorded a proper full length in 2006 for Jade Tree Records called "Hidden World." It wasn't what I was expecting from the band. They had been known for their short fast songs so the last thing I expected to hear was the just-shy-of-seven minute long opener "Crusades." They slowed down the tempo and let the songs stretch out for a bit and was of the most surprisingly amazing releases of the year. Two years passed and then band put out their second album "The Chemistry Of Common Life" which doesn't stray too far from the bands formula while continuing to explore new areas. And to describe the band to anyone who hasn't listen to them is tough.. because it doesn't sound like anything special, but my God listen to "Magic Word" or "Black Albino Bones" (Dallas Green provides some guest vocals). Great band who don't appear to be slowing down anytime soon!
Honourable Mention: Young Widows - Old Wounds. Sophomore jinx is not evident anywhere on the Widows' second album.
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2009: GALLOWS - GREY BRITAIN. UK's Gallows first major label album is significantly heavier than their debut 2006's "Orchestra Of Wolves." The took the money and ran in the great rock & roll swindle part 2. Warner weren't too pleased with the heaviosity (stole that word from Annie Hall) and couldn't hear a single on the album, and despite releasing the record, they dropped the band shortly after. Fools! "London Is the Reason" and "I Dread the Night" are two excellent singles/videos, while "Death Voices" has a great sing along chorus and "Leeches" is a great piece of fury that even makes the British accent sound tough. This is last release to feature vocalist and spark plug Frank Carter, who left the group due to creative differences and made way for former Alexisonfire guitarist/sometime vocalist Wade McNeil taking over the mic for their two subsequent releases. This album "as daunting as blow drying your face in the evil ghost-gas that Indiana Jones unleashes from the Lost Ark." Excellent review of the album, and that quote is awesome. The new Gallows is heavier and angrier now with McNeil at the helm but it lacks the sense of social injustice and youthful energy that Frank Carter brought to the table.
Honourable Mention: Big Business - Mind the Drift. The duo became a trio on this record and sound more atmospheric than ever while toning down the noise factor.
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2010: DAUGHTERS - DAUGHTERS. The final Daughters release. They actually didn't even tour for this record, their third (if you count their debut 'full length' "Canada Songs" that lasts all of 11 minutes). Their second album "Hell Songs" was quite the change for the band, who all but abandoned the grindcore elements from their debut and Alexis Marshall who describes his vocals on the record as "the sound of Elvis Presley being tortured." The third record by Daughters is easily their most accessible, with the release actually coming close to the half hour mark. Considering ever song is over two minutes and all but one over three you know that the band has changed. Change wasn't fun for Alexis apparently though. Guitarist Nick Sadler has been playing more groove based songs, growing tired of the high pitched swirling guitars from the bands previous work. Alexis noted "It's so easy to steer it and try to be accepted, and do this because this is what's good, and this is what's going to make our band popular. That's no good. That's not art. That's shit. It's not even shit. It's less than shit. What's less than shit? I don't even know. Trying to be other bands… that's less than shit." The band did not tour in support of the release and the band other than Alexis and drummer Jon Syverson, who are currently working on new material. It's too band, because these songs would have been great to see live and Daughters never sounded better.
Honourable Mention: Bad Religion - Dissent Of Man. Maybe the best of their 2000s Epitaph releases… Pros at work.
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2011: FRANK TURNER - ENGLAND KEEP MY BONES. UK songwriter Frank Turner's fourth album is all about England. Everything about this release feels English. Frank Turner tours excessively and must have grown tired of being away from home. The lead single "Peggy Sang the Blues" is a great choice as a single with its catchy chorus and great lyrics. "I Still Believe" was featured in the London 2012 CD as the lead track and gave the song and Frank quite a bit of exposure, despite being fairly well known, at least in an indie capacity in the UK. "Rivers," "Wessex Boy" and "English Curse" are blatant tributes to his homeland, all of which come off as honest as Dylan in his early years. Speaking of Dylan, one of the albums best tracks "I Am Disappeared," chronicles Frank getting pickup up by Bob Dylan while driving. Equally good is "Redemption" which starts off very quiet and builds and builds, the lyrics dealing with a pretty brutal sounding relationship. And to close out the album, a good old fashioned atheist song, a real toe tapper actually called "Glory Hallelujah." Great release by a great artist!
Honourable Mention: Dropkick Murphys - Going Out In Style. Boston's favourite Irish punks kill it on their seventh record. One of the funnest live bands ever capture the energy of their live show.
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2012: HOT WATER MUSIC - EXISTER. They're back! Hot Water Music are back with their first album since 2004's "The New What Next." This is the bands eighth full length and it ranks up there with classics "Fuel For the Hate Game," "No Division" and "The New What Next." Taking time off from the band and working on his solo project would have you thing Chuck Ragan would have toned it down it bit but as soon as the opening scorcher "Mainline" kicks in you know that isn't that case. Other than the albums second track "Boy, You're Gonna Hurt Someone," every track ranks up there with their best work. And that song isn't even that band. Chuck sounds masterful on the single and standout "State Of Grace," as well as the pre-release track "Drag My Body." And I'm not sure if he sounded any more angry than on the disc's closer "Paid In Full." Jason Black lays down a great bass line on "Pledge Wore Thin" and is probably my favourite song on the record. The hypnotic "No End In Sight" is another highpoint on the album despite being the slowest track on the album. The title track rages as does "Drown In It." A welcome return of a much loved band.
Honourable Mention: Propagandhi - Failed States. Sixth album by Canadian punks is realllll good. Tight, fast and intelligent.
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Alright, so that is that. As it turns out I seem to be pretty biased to hard rock, punk rock and metal. Who knew? I guess I do now. I'll put something newsworthy up soon... I promise.
