Jesus Christ, it’s almost March. I hope nobody had developed hope that I’d forgotten about this just-a-little-overly-long countdown, as I hate to disappoint. But in any case, after a long, chaotic month, I’m pleased to continue with this Best-of-2011 list according to some random guy you’ve never met. As we all know, however, the only thing better than reading pointless pop culture countdowns is not having to read the even more pointless paragraph that precedes it. So… let’s continue, shall we?

75. Amon Tobin – ISAM

When a guy can not only make an album out of random samples he put together himself (and we’re not talking vocal hooks from old, obscure R&B songs, I mean shit as random as electrical feedback and painstakingly recorded movement of insects), but make it absolutely phenomenal as well, you know there is some ridiculous talent on your hands. Or in your headphones, rather. With ISAM, Amon Tobin has toned it down just a bit, keeping the adventurous, wild beats but with a bit less of the eccentricity. Which is not to say that the random nature has been completely thrown out the window of course (this is still about as leftfield as it gets), simply that it’s just a bit more accessible. And leave it to someone this clever to pull the juggling act off without a hitch.

Recommended Tracks: Kitty Cat, Dropped from the Sky

74.  Skindred – Union Black

It only took seven years and more than a few iffy efforts, but Skindred have finally mastered their reggae-metal blend, and sounds as good as anybody could have hoped. The Welsh quartet haven’t lost any of their aggression or heaviness to achieve this, either; just some serious tightening in the songwriting department, and having a few more tricks up their collective sleeve this time around, particularly their dabbling with electronics. The fist-pumping choruses of stompers like Cut Dem and Bad Man Ah Bad Man are tremendously rousing, not just in how animated the music is, but how much soul is behind it.

Recommended Tracks: Warning, Living a Lie

73. Ulver – Wars of the Roses

Probably the most diverse band in existence with such consistent success, and albums embracing genres as disparate as trip-hop and black metal, Ulver has proven themselves to be impossibly good at just about everything they try their hand at, and this time around Garm and co. have got their fingers in a few different pies. From the unexpected poppiness of opener February MMX to the haunting ambience of closer Stone Angels, Wars of the Roses is a thoughtfully crafted piece of work, not only with shades of nearly everything they’ve done up to this point, but making a cohesive unit of it all to boot. Even without the beautiful songs, that alone is a massive triumph.

Recommended Tracks: Providence, Island

72. Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation

Something about The Year of Hibernation feels as if it should be permeating sadness. And indeed, melancholy is abound in the dreamy waves, but there’s just something so life-affirming about Trevor Powers’ debut under the Youth Lagoon moniker; just how gentle and fragile this album is. Lines like “When I was seventeen, My mother said to me, ‘don’t stop imagining, the day that you do is the day that you die’” can be found up and down the eight stellar tracks, and one can’t help but smile at the charming innocence behind it all. Powers has an endearingly childlike wonder in how he expresses himself, both lyrically and musically, and that is what makes this such an audible treat.

Recommended Tracks: Cannons, Montana

71. Loss – Despond

As heavy with its guitars as it is with its melancholy, funeral doom act Loss’ long awaited follow-up to 2004′s Life Without Hope… Death Without Reason has proven more than worthy of its predecessor (as well as the teasing splits released over the past seven years). Taking a bit more of a melodic path without sacrificing any of the unyielding bleakness, Despond is a cohesive and pitch-black slab of sorrow, yet with songwriting and production so sharp that aurally speaking, it’s tremendously enjoyable. Like taking a trip through the nether regions of the soul with excellent in-flight service.

Recommended Tracks: Cut Up Depressed and Alone, The Irreparable Act

70. Deaf Center – Owl Splinters

Cleverly blending neo-classical with ambient, Owl Splinters places gorgeous piano pieces alongside captivating soundscapes to create a downright haunting package. Then there are moments where the two elements are combined, namely on the wonderful The Day I Would Never Have, with its astonishingly powerful build-up and fiercely morose atmosphere. This isn’t rainy day music so much as it is end-of-the-world music; at times it practically paralyzes the listener in its tenebrous beauty. Sounds a bit dramatic, I know, but… fuck, just listen to the thing.

Recommended Tracks: Time Spent, Close Forever Watching

69. The Kills – Blood Pressures

2008′s Midnight Boom was a certainly an enjoyable affair in its own right, but Blood Pressures finds the duo back at what they do best; good old fashioned gritty, bluesy rock. This is the dirtiest and most aggressive Jamie Hince’s guitars have sounded in a while, and it’s a large part of why The Kills came out head and shoulders above The Black Keys this year. Not to mention that Alison Mosshart’s vocals are as venomous and sexy as ever; maybe it was their time apart, maybe it was Mosshart’s time with The Dead Weather, but whatever the reason, the duo is back at the top of their game.

Recommended Tracks: Satellite, Pots and Pans

68. Arms and Sleepers – The Organ Hearts

Like so much of the trip-hop of old, Arms and Sleepers’ latest has a sweetly dark way about it. The charm doesn’t lie so much in traditional hooks or melodies nearly as much as in how alluring it all sounds. At times it can be a bit despondent and at others a bit swelling, but there’s never too much of one thing going on at any given time to disrupt the cool, wispy air about it. Everything is smooth and controlled, with just enough liveliness to keep things from getting dull.

Recommended Tracks: A Smile in Sofia, Airport Blues

67. Bill Callahan – Apocalypse

A sardonic baritone can make just about anything (in this case, “Oh America!” comes to mind) sound brilliant, but Bill Callahan’s witty lyrics and laid back delivery already do that to the man’s music all on their own. Not to mention the masterful subtleties sprinkled throughout Apocalypse‘s delightfully americana-drenched brand of folk, from seemingly random tempo changes to startling musical progressions, all of which can be found on early album highlight Baby’s Breath alone. Callahan’s soothing voice is enough, but the broad instrumentation and gentle sound brings it all together quite nicely. A lovely listen.

Recommended Tracks: Baby’s Breath, Riding for the Feeling

66. Jehst – The Dragon of an Ordinary Family

As he asserts on the closing Two Point Four, “Yeah the kid spits flames, you’ll have to call the fire brigade to fix this place.” With his latest, Jehst places himself comfortably alongside Orphans of Cush and Klashnekoff as the premier voices in modern UK hip-hop. Clever line after clever line fly from this guy’s mouth, the least of which off the top of my head is how he uses A Tribe Called Quest’s infamous call-response “Can I Kick It?” only to respond “no, you can’t” on The Illest just to illustrate how lyrically untouchable he is. And really, any listener would be hardpressed to disagree.

Recommended Tracks: Zombies, England

65. Wormrot – Dirge

One of the joys of listening to grindcore is that if you’ve got eighteen spare minutes, you can listen to a fantastic album in its entirety. Which is exactly what Singapore based trio Wormrot give us with their second full-length; eighteen blistering, screaming minutes. More importantly, however, is the (relative) versatility shown. Yeah, it’s harsh and in your face and all that, but the mere fact that these guys don’t have to limit themselves to simply thrashing away as fast as they possibly can for the entire duration of the album says more than anything else – after all, when you can tell the songs apart on an album like this, that alone is a huge step forward! As the shortest song here not to be a Napalm Death reference proclaims, “Fucking fierce, so what?”

Recommended Tracks: Overpowered Violence, Principle of Puppet Warfare

64. Austin Peralta – Endless Planets

Despite the lack of electronic influence, Endless Planets fits right in on the label that Flying Lotus calls home; the meticulous layering, the prodigious songwriting, and that knack for capturing a mood and not letting go until the album’s dying strains. As stunningly clean and beautiful this smooth, jazzy affair is, it’s all the more impressive when you consider the fact that the man behind the piano leading this lovely music was a tender twenty years of age at the time of recording. When I was twenty, I remember (vaguely) writing term papers, waiting tables, and finagling alcohol by whatever means were available to me; not exactly much of a comparison there.

Recommended Tracks: Capricornus, Ode to Love

63. 2562 – Fever

From the get-go, Dave Huismans shows off a remarkable skill with manipulating samples on the third release under his 2562 moniker. Playing almost like a dubstep equivalent of a Pollack painting, Fever takes a good few listens to digest; there’s a constant sense of familiarity, yet without being able to easily place the origin. The styles implemented range from disco to eighties pop to nineties rave along with numerous others, and Huismans makes them all work together far better than anyone would ever expect. As scattershot as the overall album feels, everything begins to make sense in its own way, and all while keeping the listeners nodding their heads.

Recommended Tracks: Aquatic Family Affair, Brasil Deadwalker

62. Septic Flesh – The Great Mass

The Philharmonic Orchestra, the Choir of Prague, and gothic death metal, a combination which normally spells out an overly bloated, symphonic mess. And to write off Septic Flesh’s latest as such would be completely understandable, but a gross oversight as well. Not only does the band avoid the cheesiness that bands like Cradle of Filth (I’m a fan, but let’s be honest here) are infamous for, but there is such attention to detail in balancing the metal, neo-classical, and melodicism, and fantastic interplay among all these elements. Too often do extreme metal bands’ efforts collapse with overwrought ambition, but here it’s quite possibly been done as well as it’s ever going to be.

Recommended Tracks: Five-Pointed Star, Apocalypse

61. Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise

Another absurdly talented young man, Nicolas Jaar’s debut album takes funky basslines, garage rhythms, chopped up samples, and a harrowing ambient feel to create an atmosphere entirely his own. The middle portion of the record alone, from the gloomy, Ray Charles sampling I Got a Woman to the strangely danceable-yet-unsettling Space Is Only Noise If You Can See, exhibits just about everything Jaar has to throw at the listener, all bundled up in a tasteful little package. It serves as a great sample of its parent album, as it’s probably the best ambient music of the year to not even really be ambient at all.

Recommended Tracks: Colomb, Keep Me There

60. Ash Borer – Ash Borer

The mere fact that forty minutes of black metal crammed into three densely packed tracks doesn’t get old after the first five minutes is proof enough that Ash Borer’s self titled debut LP is something special. But beyond that, there’s so much going on here; for one, the raw, ear-scraping production lines up perfectly with the intense emotion driving the music, as opposed to the poor production so many black metal acts fall victim to, presumably under the impression that that’s simply what it’s supposed to sound like. The music is crushing, the vocals are piercing, and everything is just so fucking loud. As nature intended.

Recommended Tracks: In the Midst of Life We Are in Death, My Curse Was Raised in the Darkness Against a Doomsday Silence

59. Steffi – Yours & Mine

Quite possibly the best love letter to early house music since Zomby’s near-classic Where Were U in ’92?, Steffi’s first full-length release has a delightful no-frills approach. Both pretty and fun, while being deliberately dated to the point of sounding modern, Yours & Mine is too inoffensive to dislike, yet carries none of the boredom that an adjective like “inoffensive” often carries. This is just an extremely adept DJ doing her thing, spinning modestly crafted house music that wriggles its way into your ear and gets you dancing before you even have a chance to think about how inherently lovely it is.

Recommended Tracks: Yours, Mine (yes, I realize this looks like a lame joke)

58. fLako – The Mesektet

Trippy, and almost sad. Almost, because you can just imagine the half-baked freestyle sessions that this album has likely played host to since its release. A charmingly mixed bag of instrumental hip-hop, The Mesektet is something that any J Dilla fan would do well to give a listen; a hodgepodge of thirty mini-tracks, all with their own allure yet unquestionably all parts of the same entity. With all the different styles and moods that fLako visits here, nothing ever feels out of focus or forced, but rather a smooth, fun trip through the imagination of its creator.

Recommended Tracks: Wedjit, Shake It Harder

57. A Winged Victory for the Sullen – A Winged Victory for the Sullen

In a word, breathtaking. Ordinarily, music that sounds as tragic as this is only able to convey so much beauty, but A Winged Victory for the Sullen’s self-titled debut exceeds overwhelmingly on both counts. The music is so delicate, so fragile, and almost seems to tell a tale so heartbreaking that it could only be told through something this arrestingly gorgeous. It’s no surprise that half of the duo which crafted this ambient work of art hails from Stars of the Lid; in fact, what would be a surprise would be if it had been produced by two no-names just putting out their first piece of music. There is so much emotion, so much power behind Sullen that, well to be perfectly frank, I wouldn’t judge you if it made you weep a little bit.

….pussy.

Recommended Tracks: We Played Some Open Chords and Rejoiced for the Earth Had Circled the Sun Yet Another Year, Requiem for the Static King, Part One

56. Dela – Translation Lost

Mainstream hip-hop isn’t quite as bad as many purists would have you believe, however it’s undeniable that there are a few too many so-called MCs getting by with simply mumbling like an idiot over bad techno, calling it rapping, and collecting a paycheck. A source of frustration, to be sure, but when a guy who grew up listening to all the right hip-hop comes along and does it right, it’s all the more rewarding. On Transition Lost, Dela employs the best things about the nineties east coast sound: impeccably placed samples, a smooth, jazzy sound, and gentle melodies with an upbeat presentation. The tracks that don’t already feature somebody on the mic are begging to be rapped over, underlining one of the most important qualities one can have in the game, whether a rapper or producer – just being hungry.

Recommended Tracks: Lucy’s&LooseLeaves, Jay Electropietricus

55. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972

Where A Winged Victory for the Sullen seems to mourn the loss of beauty, Ravedeath, 1972 seems to revel in its destruction. So much of this album is warbled, distorted, and with more than a hint of menace, yet with the strains of a sense of longing dying underneath it all. And with as densely packed as this ambient tour de force is, the imagery conjured up by these sounds is hardly set in stone; several people I’ve discussed this album with have walked away with something entirely different. This is largely what makes Ravedeath so remarkable, that there is so much being said here, yet not enough to cleanly define it. Not exactly, anyway. And really, that’s one of the best things a piece of music can offer.

Recommended Tracks: Analog Paralysis 1978, In the Air: II

54. Roman Flügel – Fatty Folders

Rarely is such adventurous house music this lovely. Everything about Roman Flügel’s first full-length is an absolute pleasure to listen to, from the laid back moments awash with gentle synths to the more complex tracks ridden with almost haphazardly paired melodies. Then there are the most aggressive moments, particularly The Improviser, a bass-heavy number with a definite animosity bubbling just beneath the surface, yet subdued enough to keep it fitting in smoothly with the rest of the album. Everything ties together quite nicely on Fatty Folders, and its greatest strength is that gentle sound woven into the music’s inherent ability to make you want to dance.

Recommended Tracks: How to Spread Lies, Krautus

53. Demdike Stare – Tryptych

A compilation of three vinyl-only releases from the previous year (though it does contain a fair amount of bonus tracks), including Tryptych is probably cheating just a tad, but the dark ambient here in this sprawling set is just too good to be excluded. This isn’t haunting so much as it is downright frightening; there are horror films with scores that have nothing on the Forest of Evil disc alone, much less Tryptych in its entirety. And while there’s over two and a half hours of meandering, uneasy ambience, there’s always something new being thrown in to keep it from growing stagnant… though to be honest, the music has such a presence to it that it probably wouldn’t have been necessary anyway. Fun trick to play on your roommate #427: just as they’re drifting off, put this on, then in the morning listen to them go on about the weird dreams they had.

Recommended Tracks: Forest of Evil (Dusk), A Tale of Sand

52. Maybeshewill – I Was Here for a Moment, Then I Was Gone

Maybeshewill has always been a band who does post-rock that gets right to the point, without sacrificing any of their intensity in the process. Their ability to condense ten to fifteen minute songs to a length of about five has always been a calling card, and with as rapidly as this band has progressed, it’s great to see that they haven’t lost this. While I Was Here for a Moment isn’t perhaps the largest leap forward, it finds them honing their skills just a bit more, with the only real loss being the movie samples which popped up rather frequently in the past. Those were always a nice touch, but when compared to a superior flow and song layers that compliment one another better, it’s hardly much of a loss.

Recommended Tracks: Farewell Sarajevo, To the Skies from a Hillside

51. Radiohead – The King of Limbs

The King of Limbs has drawn quite a bit of flak from fans old and new, what with its brevity and somewhat minimalist sound. And following the somewhat sprawling In Rainbows, it’s not a complete surprise. But if this band has taught us anything, isn’t it to not expect the same thing twice? No first listen to a Radiohead album has ever bored me; I remember loving trying to wrap my head around the uncompromising bizarreness of Everything in Its Right Place and Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box, getting a little startled when the distortion kicked in halfway through 2+2=5, and finding my head bobbing along to the infectious rhythm of 15 Step. So when the shuffling piano and drums against that pitch-black backdrop of Bloom filled my headphones, there was only one thing I expected: another great album, and that’s exactly what we got. At the end of the day, Limbs is a flat out fantastic record. Yes, even by Radiohead standards.

Recommended Tracks: Little by Little, Lotus Flower

Rejoice, children, for the Coachella 2012 lineup has finally been released.

Headlining both weekends (Fridays April 13 and 20, Saturdays 4/14 & 4/21, and Sundays 4/15 & 4/22) will be the Black Keys, Radiohead, and Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, respectively.

Not too shabby, right?

In terms of the rest, there are really a few BIG HUGE highlights: REFUSED and AT THE DRIVE-IN.

Both  of those seminal punk/hardcore acts of the late 1990s/early 2000s revealed reunions today, and BOTH are on the lineup. Commence with your shit-losing.

So yeah, this looks like a pretty balls-to-the-wall fantastic Coachella, no?

Some more highlights:

Kasabian (yes!), Kaiser Chiefs, Bon Iver, Pulp, Girls, Arctic Monkeys, Mazzy Star, Explosions in the Sky, Jimmy Cliff & Tim Armstrong, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Madness, Yuck, Atari Teenage Riot, Gotye, Manchester Orchestra, The Shins, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, fIREHOSE (featuring Mike Watt), Le Butcherettes, Feist, Andrew Bird, Justice, Florence & the Machine, The Growlers, & Greg Ginn of Black Flag.

For those of you into the whole dance music thing, Kasksade, Avicii,  Swedish House Mafia, DJ Shadow, La Roux, David Guetta, and Afrojack are some of the notable names who will be lighting up the dance tents.

So yeah, this will rock. See you there!

Visit Coachella.com for more info.

We were first introduced to this must-have album by way of my dear friend Forest C., who’s a friend of Mr. Adam Finkel. His moniker/band name is Alek. Fin, and his debut album, Better When Seen From Above, was released late last year. If the production is familiar to you, and Radiohead crosses your mind, there’s good reason for it.

Diehard Radiohead fans may recall Philip Selway (drummer for Radiohead) holding a remix competition for Selway’s song Beyond Reason, off of his solo album, Familial. After sifting through the 300 plus entries to the contest, Finkel emerged as the victor. With dozens of hours put into the remix, it was a trophy well won.

Alek. Fin’s debut is a true manifestation of what it means to put your soul into music. While the programming and mixing on the album is minimal, the vocals carry the album to an infectious height. After streaming this album from his website for a week straight at work, I knew it would be a Behind the Hype featured article. We obtained a copy, and here are my favorites from the collection. Right off the bat, I will say that his work is very reminiscent of old Radiohead, meets a bit of Nine Inch Nails.

Hindsight, the 3^rd track, had the simplest (just one word) chorus, but easily the catchiest one on the entire album. The upbeat drum and snare, with the heavy organ and spooky piano effects carried the song quite a ways, giving room to smooth head-bobbing before the beautiful bridge a little more than halfway through the song.

The 5^th track, Wrong Door contains mainly live instruments, with a heavy guitar floating overhead throughout, coupled with a solid bass line, and second guitar, whose effects reminded me of 1901 by Phoenix. A vicious breakdown, with a mighty bass guitar interlude drops in at about 1:45, and brings the beat back to something along the lines of something Michael Jackson could have dropped in the Captain EO dance scene.

With a simple breakbeat loop, and soft electric guitar intro, the 8^th track, Filling Silences was the best song on the album. The bass guitar brings in a heavier tone to the songs perfectly sung, echoing verses. The guitars in the chorus will most likely remind you of something Minus the Bear has done, while the nerdier ones may have Super Metroid effects on the brain if you listen closely to the background keys.

The only thing I don’t like about this album, is that fact I didn’t get a hold of it before releasing my Best of 2010 Mixtape on Facebook. Adam clearly has a robust collection of music, with an even larger understanding of the production process, and how to make things fit. For a first time solo album, this is stellar work, and I hope to review a live show of him and his crew of musicians.

The album reminds me of several other musicians, without making one think he is just a copycat. He is very much his own entity, and the sophomore album couldn’t come soon enough. The album is available to purchase on several platforms, so support this powerful newcomer, and as Drake says, thank me later.

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

Bet you didn’t see that coming.

Two days ago, Radiohead ambushed us all by saying that they will release a new album, entitled The King of Limbs, this Saturday (digitally, at least).

An expansive deluxe special fancy fan edition is currently available for pre-order now, and will come with a digital download that goes live on Saturday the 19th.

As the pre-order site details,

Radiohead’s new record, The King Of Limbs, is presented here as the world’s first* Newspaper Album, comprising:

• Two clear 10″ vinyl records in a purpose-built record sleeve.
• A compact disc.
• Many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradeable plastic to hold it all together.
• The Newspaper Album comes with a digital download that is compatible with all good digital media players.
• The Newspaper Album will be shipped on Monday 9th May 2011 you can, however, enjoy the download on Saturday 19th February 2011.
• Shipping is included in the prices shown.
• One lucky owner of the digital version of The King Of Limbs, purchased from this website, will receive a signed 2 track 12″ vinyl.

*perhaps

It’s cool enough that Radiohead, arguably one of the world’s best musical entities, decided to ambush us all with a previously unannounced album this quickly, but this pre-order package makes it even sweeter.

Stay tuned for more Radiohead news here, even if we’re a couple days late on reporting it.

As 2010 draws to a close, I feel obligated, as a blogger-slash-”music journalist”, to stand atop my Internet soapbox and tell you, the Web-surfing public, what I deem to be the year’s highest achievements in music.

2010 was a year of absurd hype (Kanye West) for various musical projects, and some of them lived up to the hype, incredibly. Others failed. But since I try to keep an optimistic leaning to my writing, I offer you this list of my top albums of the year, in no particular order. Let’s get started!

Fang Island – Fang Island

If you were looking for an album that will inspire you to high-five strangers on the subway, then search no more. The band’s debut on Sargent House Records is absolute bliss: energetic, upbeat, and absurdly fun, with relentlessly catchy guitars and sporadic vocals that often appear in a chorus, creating a euphoric sound that, frankly, sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard. The album begins and ends with fireworks, a fitting bookend to a collection of songs that capture the joy and celebratory nature of music.

Deftones – Diamond Eyes

When bassist Chi Cheng was in a terrible car accident in November 2008 and Deftones subsequently scrapped their in-progress album Eros, it was easy to assume the band would never release another album. Suffering a tragedy like that would take the wind out of most bands’ sails. True to their nature as enduring, passionate pioneers, Deftones re-grouped and wrote Diamond Eyes, arguably one of their strongest albums to date. While the production by Nick Raskulinecz mucks things up a bit, the album still made its way on this list. Chino Moreno‘s fury and trademark soft/quiet singing style are on full display here, and allows Diamond Eyes to basically serve as a fantastic “comeback” record for a band whose future was questionable just a couple of years ago.

Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz

When my friend (who admittedly holds Weezer‘s opus Pinkerton close to her heart)  tipped me off to this album by calling it “What Weezer could have been after Pinkerton”, I nearly spit out my PBR. That got my attention, to say the least.

I generally hate the things that trendy tastemakers like Pitchfork cream their pants over, but this time they’re on the right track. They gave this record an obscenely high grade of 10.0 (a grade normally reserved for only Radiohead albums). While that may be a tad too much, this album is flat-out DRUGS, in the best way possible. The mindfuckery that Stevens releases on this record is a far cry from his usual jangly acoustic quirk-pop. And yet, somehow, it works exceedingly well, in a Talking Heads-kind of way. It sounds as if Sufjan traded in his guitars for space keyboards and a trunk full of illicit drugs, and that’s BEFORE you get to the breahtaking 25-minute album capper Impossible Soul. It’s really a mini-album itself, and combined with the other songs on the record Sufjan has really created his “masterwork”. That’s really saying a lot for me, considering I hate that term.

So yeah, buy this record, turn off the lights (or leave them on, I’m not your boss) and let this album make you its bitch like it did to me.

The Black Keys – Brothers

If you hadn’t heard much from the Black Keys before 2010, chances are you have by now. This was their “breakout” record, used in quotes since “breakout” here means “album that put their songs on the radio and TV ads”. I can probably say I’ve heard Tighten Up hundreds of times on the radio in the past five months, and I don’t even listen to the radio.

The album, a true, authentic, rock & roll record, packs more grit and sleazy rhythm into fifteen songs than most bands do in their careers. And while Never Gonna Give You Up sadly isn’t a Rick Astley cover, its slow burn and singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach‘s sensual vocals make up for it.

I’d been a casual Black Keys fan before 2010, respecting their records but not really appreciating them for the visionary dudes they are, but with Brothers, I have finally come full circle.

Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns

Yes, yes, I know you’re ready to click out of this page because I’m offending you with Linkin Park. Yes, I know, nu-metal sucks. I know, Linkin Park is trendy and popular. Yes, I know, any self-respecting and customarily snobbish music critic (such as I consider myself) should have NO PART in saying anything positive about Linkin Park, because they suck or whatever.

But the fact of the matter is, A Thousand Suns is a fantastic record.

Mostly leaving behind the angsty rap/rock sound that catapulted them to stadiums around the world, LP instead decided to challenge themselves and create something that stands alone on its own, which this album definitely does. It’s long, has a bunch of interludes and only nine real “songs” (most being midtempo and atmospheric), but the end product is a cohesive experience that would be considered on most “Best of 2010″ lists were it by anyone other than Linkin Park, a band everyone loves to hate.

If you already hated LP, you probably won’t ever come around, and that’s fine. That’s, like, your opinion, man, and you’re entitled to it.

But if that bias keeps you from enjoying A Thousand Suns, then too bad for you.

Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

2010 was a huge year for this upstart British group, with the single Little Lion Man getting all kinds of airplay on the radio in the past few months. They basically employ the same formula as Fleet Foxes, the hush-quiet acoustic folk thing combined with incredible vocals (sometimes group vocals) and a quiet energy that builds and builds into sonic explosions of passion and emotion.

Besides Little Lion Man, songs like Thistle & Weeds and The Cave really make this album shine, and cemented its place on this list.

I’m eager to hear what they do as a follow-up.

Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

This album is a monster.

I’ve always been indifferent regarding Mr. West, usually thinking he was “okay” while getting annoyed by his insane ego and self-absorption. When this album was being hyped by the Internet to levels not seen since…well, the last Kanye record, my interest increased slightly, if only to see if the album would possibly live up to such lofty expectations.

Then, he signed up for Twitter and posted updates about emotional fonts and small-ass jets. The other insane Tweets that followed helped promote the album fantastically, as he seemed more and more out of his mind.

Then, the album actually dropped, and everyone ate it up. Because it’s delicious.

Tracks like the 6-minute star-studded Monster, the insanely addictive All of the Lights (with Rihanna on vocal hook duty), and the Auto-Tune loneliness jam Lost in the World make this album more of a “game-changer” type of album than a “hip-hop” album.

Calling this record a “hip-hop” album is like calling Radiohead albums “BritPop” albums. Not applicable.

And no, I’m not equating Kanye West with Radiohead, although both have been featured in classic South Park episodes….

Ben Folds & Nick Hornby – Lonely Avenue

Much more of a “project” than “album”, Lonely Avenue pits piano man and amazing songwriter Ben Folds with British author Nick Hornby (he wrote High Fidelity, for one). They combined their efforts, with Folds writing music to accompany Hornby’s words, the whole thing adding up to form a story. The deluxe version of the album even comes with an illustrated book, so this whole thing is really neat.

Folds is at his best, doing his quirky piano melodies thing, and Hornby’s lyrics add satire and social commentary to everything. The two of them are a great duo, working well of of each other’s strengths as artists, and that shines through on Lonely Avenue.

Oh, and check out Levi Johnston’s Blues,  a song from the perspective of Bristol Palin’s one-time fiance (and baby daddy). Yay, satire!

Jamiroquai – Rock Dust Light Star

2010 marked the return of Jamiroquai, ending a 5 year absence with Rock Dust Light Star. The record, the first since 2005′s Dynamite, finds front man/focal point of the group Jay Kay at his best. Songs like White Knuckle Ride, Smoke & Mirrors, Hurtin’, She’s a Fast Persuader, and Hey Floyd are destined to incite many a dance party (or head-bob if you’re listening to it alone).

The album hasn’t found a distributor in the USA yet, but I hope that doesn’t hurt Jamiroquai’s chances of releasing it and (hopefully) playing a set at Coachella next April. I can only hope.

Portugal. the Man – American Ghetto

Their sixth album in six years, experimental indie rockers Portugal. The Man released American Ghetto in 2010 as their last album before graduating to Atlantic Records.

Every Portugal record is great, but American Ghetto is one of the more impressive ones. The songs transition seamlessly into each other, from the enthralling The Dead Dog all the way until the MGMT-ish album closer When the War Ends.

I can only imagine how great their upcoming record (and Atlantic Records debut) will be. If they build upon the growth shown throughout their amazing career thus far, it will probably find itself on my Best of 2011 list as well.

Honorable Mentions

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

While I did drink the Kanye Kool-Aid in 2010, I still haven’t quite grasped the “amazingness” of Arcade Fire. That said, The Suburbs is impressive, if overlong. Songs like Ready to Start and Rococo are good examples of why this band gets so much damn attention, but they just don’t put me into “OMG BEST BAND EVER” mode like they do to everyone else. Still, great record.

Weezer – Hurley

Despite the ridiculous cover image, Hurley blew me away, considering I was expecting another “new school” Weezer album – that is, silly pop songs about Los Angeles, party anthems featuring overrated rappers, and a general disregard for the things that made Weezer Weezer.

And yet, somehow, Hurley reminded me of why I ever liked them in the first place. Songs like Unspoken, Hang On, Ruling Me, and Memories are vintage Weezer tracks, and it was great to hear them go back to basics and revisit their glory days.

Eminem – Recovery

Em returned to form in 2010, releasing Recovery, his best record in a long time. He went through some stuff, got over it, ditched the moronic character voices he used, and put out a solid album of songs.

He hadn’t gone anywhere, he just had to fix his shit and get back out there. Now, he’s back in the spotlight, and it’s because of the quality of this record.

The Sword – Warp Riders

These stoner metal gods released a concept record in 2010 about “inhaling deeply of the sacred smoke” on a planet divided, and the protagonist’s battles with the “Chronomancer” and other such ridiculousness.

Not only does the story amuse, but the songs are brutal, sludgy rock awesomeness.

One of the better rock releases in 2010, and arguably the best rock space opera stoner metal concept album ever.

The Budos Band – III

I first discovered this band at 2 am at a party on Halloween, as fatigue-inspired hallucinations set in.

This group’s amazing instrumental jazz/world beat fusion translates very well on record, and I imagine their live show is one big hip-shaking party. There’s no singing, but they don’t need any. The brass and sexy grooves more than make up for it.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album when I heard it, so much so that it ended up on this list.

———————————————————-

So that’s my list, take it or leave it. And leave comments if you want to call me an idiot/jerk/asshole/moron/genius/gay fish, I mean, that’s what the Internet is all about.

Spencer Kent had his album release party on September 10 at the Aura Nightclub in Studio City.

It was the first time he performed his album, The Optimist, with a full band, so spirits were high and everyone had a really good time.

Just this week, he and his crew put The Optimist up on iTunes, so if you were curious to hear the music that I recommended so highly a few weeks ago, it’s now just a few clicks away.

The album starts out with the acoustic strumming of Spoiled Gut, a slamming number that serves as a head-turning intro to the record. The song is very upbeat, and the electric guitar providing the driving melody gives it a vibrant sense of life. Many of the people who heard The Optimist before it was released said this was frequently their favorite song, so it’s definitely one you’ll want to check out.

That song leads into You Never Say Anything Nice, a tender song formed in the wake of a troubled relationship (you know the feeling, I’m sure). It’s a melancholy type of song that reminds me bit of Jimmy Eat World, due to its wordplay and the emotional resonance Spencer’s vocals elicit. It also has an almost country-ish feel to it, thanks to the twangy guitars and Kent’s soaring vocals.

That song in particular represents the personal nature of The Optimist; most of the songs’ lyrical content and themes are loosely (or not-so-loosely) based on things Spencer has gone through in his life. There isn’t any contrived, inauthentic subject matter here, it’s all 100% emotion and grit, packed into relentlessly catchy, well-crafted tunes that have a lot more going for them than just catchy melodies (which are there, don’t get me wrong).

Spencer really shares his innermost feelings and thoughts on this record. Songs like Dead as a Dog and Scalpel have such an introspective feel to them that at times it feels like you’re hearing a dude sing his personal diary to you. It’s like audio-voyeurism, presented by the man himself (so you don’t have to feel guilty).

Must-See TV is one of the album’s best points, a riff-tastic, radio-ready tune with a theme that belies its upbeat and peppy sound. The jarring guitar chords and cascading chorus of voices give it a vibrant energy that make it one of the album’s standout tracks, for sure.

Purpose of Breath and Molly Works the Night Shift are more upbeat songs with darker lyrical content, a combination that Spencer likes to use frequently. Purpose, concerning life’s hardships, and Molly, about, well, Molly working the night shift for dirty transients with “briefcases of blood”, demonstrate Kent’s skill as a lyricist, telling stories that demand attention and setting them to memorable, hooky songs that embed themselves in your head.

Kent and guitarist Bryan Archer from the CD Release Party

The last three tracks on the record, Oblivion, Cliches, and The Optimist, close out the record with a proverbial bang. Oblivion has an Incubus-y feeling to it, with some guitar reverb creating a soundscape that suits lines like I’m a rag doll getting clean/ Spinning around in your washing machine perfectly.

Cliches is my favorite moment on the album; its flat-out gorgeous piano melody creates a haunting atmosphere of music, one where Kent again bares his feelings and allows his voice to be the star. No guitars this time around, the song is a showcase for his voice, and it does so in impressive fashion.

The Optimist, the epic album-closer title track, is another storytelling song adopting the “scorned lover” persona that Kent assumes for the album; strings and violin arrangements play off of his voice effectively, allowing his voice to be the star once again.

With The Optimist, Spencer Kent has really made quite a statement; that a songwriter was capable of something this polished without the aid of a label or much outside help is great. He cites Radiohead, Elliott Smith, Thrice and Brand New among his musical inspirations, and such inspiration is reflected in the songs on The Optimist.

With all the stuff out there being considered “good music”, it’s great to see an artist like Spencer Kent get out there and try to inject some more authenticity and real, honest, emotions into the music world.

Check out his website at www.spencerkent.net if you’d prefer a physical CD to iTunes downloads, and to keep an eye on any upcoming live gigs.

This Friday, September 10, at the Aura Nightclub in Studio City, my good friend Spencer Kent will be performing songs from his new album, The Optimist.

In fact, he and his backup band will be performing the album all the way through.

I don’t expect you to have heard his music before. He isn’t on a fancy label and his music hasn’t been featured in some flashy TV show. Yet.

But the tunes on The Optimist have such an authentic, musically rich feeling to them that I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds a bigger audience sooner rather than later.

Just listen to songs like Must-See TV, The Optimist, You Never Say Anything Nice, and Spoiled Gut and you’ll realize just how talented he is.

Spencer would tell you himself that his music has been influenced by Thrice, Radiohead, Jimmy Eat World, Elliott Smith, and Brand New, among others. You can hear all of these elements in the songs on The Optimist, from the haunting elegance of the instruments in Cliches (which is my personal favorite from the album) to the somber tone of Dead as a Dog.

The album, the end result of about two years of diligent writing and recording at Kokopelli West studios in the San Fernando Valley, is just fantastic. I know I’m his friend and all, but the songs are so rich and powerful that they should be able to resonate with anyone.

If you like the whole DIY movement and talented songwriters who do their own thing without the intrusive hands of big fancy hit-making power music labels, then you’ll dig this.

You would think the album came from one of the big companies, it sounds so good. It definitely doesn’t have that “tinny high school band” sound to it; instead, each song is crisp, full, and powerful, just as it should be.

The album isn’t available on iTunes just yet, but you can either pick up a copy on Friday at the Aura or stay tuned to his official site for information about future gigs and events where you can get a little of his music into your life.

You can also “like” the fan page on Facebook if you wish. And you do wish, trust me.

Harris Grade, the LA rock band I reviewed a while back, is opening the show, so get there early-ish.

Tickets are only $5 at the door, but if you spend $12 you get a copy of the album thrown in too, in a sort-of jumbo bonus pack of fun. Check out the deal here!

So yeah, see you on Friday! And consider yourself informed about the music of Spencer Kent.

Old Hymns of a New Age

With vocalist Bobby Hoerner; guitarists Jack Miele and David Philastre; and drummer Woody Dantagnan, (after recording they added bassist, Graham Robinson) a reflection of a rawness shaped in the early nineties ascends, along with a taste of classic Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and a newer lick of Radiohead and Stone Temple Pilots. The album engages the listener through various realms of music, while at the same time rises to a unique collection of songs that set TML on their own.    Tracks flow together into a unified story of sound, setting a mood and an atmosphere.  If you’re not a lyric person, you can still close your eyes to hear and feel an exploration through TML’s fine musicianship. 

The album begins with Holy Water, a dark track uplifted by intense vocals and guitar with an end leading right into the next track, Die Lullabye, a tune reminiscent of Pink Floyd: slow, haunting and subtly depressing. 

Intermittent instrumental tracks embed the album, delicately linking each song together.  For example, Wake, a 1:32 minute finger-picking melody, transitions smoothly into Heaven Hail.   These two are perfectly married to support the album’s whole connection and if I had a lighter and a friend I would sway dutifully to both.  Track seven, Dublin, a more explosive tune compared to the rest, wakes the listener from a tranquil journey then is followed by a haunting duo of Moment’s Gone and So Far Gone, which gradually evolves back to something more subdued. 

Eleven Plus, track nine, offers a bouncy tone to the mix and Bella, another interlude, which foreplays Terribly Vacant (my personal favorite), reminds me kindly of the era of Radiohead’s album, “The Bends.”  TML’s comes full circle by wrapping the collection with another calmingly eerie melody, Everlasting. 

No George Clooney's, but they sound GREAT

Overall, this album embraces a quality that some of today’s popular music lacks- an experience that immerses the listener through a diverse, yet related chain of songs.  It’s a lot of what I hope for while discovering a new band of today: a breath of a fresh air that slyly transports me back to yesterday. 

The album itself is cleverly bonded to hinder that familiar temptation of fast forwarding from one song to the next.  I can only imagine how it would sound on vinyl!  Aw, enhancing the rawness, the pureness that The Morning Life explores…wouldn’t that be nice?  Vinyl.  

Since that isn’t an option, settle for modern technology and visit www.themorninglife.com for a gander and a listen. 

feel it, bro

Tom DeLonge has a lot of love in his heart. Why else would he release Angels & Airwaves’ new album Love for free? Thankfully for him, the album doesn’t set itself up for “good thing it was free, it’s not worth any money anyway”-type jokes that would otherwise plague some of its reviews.

Angels & Airwaves has always been DeLonge’s “serious” project, quite the opposite from his days in Blink-182. Trading in poop and sex jokes and tongue-in-cheek pop punk tunes for lush orchestrations and over-the-top guitar effects, DeLonge has had to endure some criticisms of this sweeping, creatively excessive project. It doesn’t help that he built up hype for the band by repeatedly saying it’s the best thing ever or that he described Love as a mix of U2, Radiohead and Pink Floyd. Yes, it sounds ham-fisted at times and DeLonge has never really been known to have a ‘good’ singing voice, but Angels & Airwaves compensates for that with some rich melodies and a powerful overall atmospheric style.

I’ve always assumed DeLonge created this project in an attempt to make the total opposite of Blink-182. The result is a style that isn’t entirely original, relying on pomposity and a musical self-importance that veers closely to the same style employed by bands like U2, 30 Seconds to Mars and Muse. I’ve joked a few times that AVA, 30 Seconds to Mars and Muse should go on one massive tour together to see who can be more ‘epic’ and ‘life-changing’ than the other. I’m sure that tour would be quite the spectacle.

As for this album: it’s actually pretty good. After an instrumental kicks off the record (Et Ducit Mundum Per Luce, named in Latin because it’s so deep or something), The Flight of Apollo charges forth with a bouncy, energetic guitar riff (something AVA has missed in the past), but not before a minute and a half of DeLonge’s voice muffled by effects and space noises, of course. His voice, as mentioned earlier, has an out-of-breath, over-enunciated sound to it on these songs that was probably intended to sound more dramatic and powerful but instead re-affirms that his voice isn’t one of his best assets.

After the six-minute emotional burst of Apollo ends, Young London picks up out of its wake and bursts with epic-sounding guitar and drums, with Tom singing about “I’m not the one to admit it’s helpless. I have a sense that we will be alright…I wish for peace with electric silence to keep our hearts beating on our minds. And we will see that we’re all connected when we awake to the tunnel’s light”, appropriately puffed-up lyrics about life and existence and peace and war set to such puffed-up, self-indulgent music.

yeah, this is Tom's project

The rest of the songs are more of the same, but that’s not necessarily a dig against the album. Angels & Airwaves, to me, has always been about style over substance, and it shows on Love. Tom, of course, intends for it to resonate with the listener and be the best music ever, but anything that regards itself that important rarely is. Instead, the songs on this album reflect his desire to craft something that isn’t offensive or abrasive, but rather enjoyable to listen to.

Epic Holiday is another highlight, with a good hook and a little more of a rhythmic energy that doesn’t just rely on effects and space noises. Hallucinations, the album’s first single, was a fitting choice, as it’s also a standout on the album.

Overall, Love is a pretty decent album; I’ve never really cared much for Angels & Airwaves, but this time around Tom and friends managed to create an album that I can listen to all the way through without getting excessively bored. I understand why people hate on the band, as everything has a heavy self-importance that borders on arrogance (especially with Tom comparing it to Pink Floyd and Radiohead). It isn’t as good as anything by those bands, of course, but it isn’t totally boring either.

I’m impressed that Love was released totally for free, in the same style that Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have done previously. This will be re-released in a deluxe physical copy too at some point, but I like to see bands release albums for free like this. Granted, everyone can’t do this, and Tom has enough money to hand out music for free, but it’s still a nice gesture.

There is a companion movie also coming out soon, apparently…I can only imagine how grandiose and sprawling that will be, considering it’s based on AVA songs and the message behind them all, of hope and love and all that. Wow.

While this isn’t one of my favorite records of recent memory, it should appeal to anyone who likes atmospheric alternative rock, and especially anyone who enjoyed AVA’s previous albums.