Best of 2010:
2010 was a weird year for me in the sense that I wasn't really able to keep up with alot of new music that came out, mostly for lack of money. The pickings were a little slim for me to come up with a top ten like I traditionally would, so I'm just going to talk about my favorite albums of the year instead. Granted this list will probably change as there were many releases by bands/artist that I really enjoy whose releases I never even got to listen to all the way through. Bands such as: Mogwai, Tera Melos, Maserati, Nachtmystium, The Ocean, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Enslaved, Julie Christmas, Madlib, and probably some others that I'm forgetting. Those all would have a place on this list for sure, but since I don't really feel as if I can review them for the limited number of songs I've heard this list will have to do. I do still have an album of the year however, which I will point out when I get to it. If this list seems to cater to the "stoner" variety then sorry, it seems strange to me too.
High on Fire - Snakes for the Divine
Few things slay quite like a High on Fire record, they are one of the few extreme metal acts thats managed to appease their hesher fan base and still create a brand of music that is widely accepted by heavy music fans from all different walks. Its hard to wonder why on Snakes for the Divine, an album that continues the band's formula of gut-pounding, drum-circle like percussion, bass guitar that hits so hard its downright concussive,and Matt Pike's awesome riffage bumping up its harry bro-fist with his "Lemmy after a carton of cigarettes and a fifth ofbourbon" vocals. The opening (also title) track is one of the best HoF have ever done, and not only do you get classic stoner thrash pit-starters like "Frost Hammer", but some more down-tempo tracks like "Bastard Samurai" and "How Dark We Pray" harken back to Pike's days in legendary stoner-metal outfit Sleep. High On Fire have some past albums like Blessed Black Wings and Death Is This Communion that are pretty hard to top, but Snakes for the Divine certainly gets close.
Mouth of the Architect - The Violence Beneath
As Pelican have proven, post-metal can work in EP format just as well as in LP in some cases, especially since the genre usually deals with very long, drawn out compositions. Mouth of the Architect's 2006 LP The Ties That Blind was truly stellar display of post-rock and sedated prog-metal, but their 2008 LP Quietly seemed to lack a little inspiration and drift on in areas that should have been cut short. The Violence Beneath cuts right to the chase with the opening track that is probably the most up-tempo song that MotA has ever done. With crushing Neur-Isis style riffs that give way to some nice duel harmony licks, its certainly a less shoegazy affair than before. The second track incorporates more clean-singing with great results, and the ending buildup is carried out well by Intronaut bassist Joe Lester's smooth fretless lines. "Restore" is classic MotA goodness while the last track; the suprisingly beautiful cover of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" fits the band's intense post-metal dirges perfectly. Mouth of the Architect seem to have found a good balance for now, lets just hope they can hold onto it for the next full-length.
Kylesa - Spiral Shadow
Whether it was from a fit of inspiration or perhaps an increased budget (as it takes a nice pedal collection to conjur up this kind of rich, sonic vortex) as a result of their last album, it looks like Kylesa have finally started putting their money where their mouth is with bringing in more diverse influences and ideas. Where they've always been considered a combination of crust punk, sludge metal, and psychedelia, they still always had a sound that was pretty easily indentifiable as sludge. Merely a year and a half after their best release yet Static Tensions, Kylesa have come forward with their most vibrant, psychedelic, and surprising work yet. Of course the heaviness is still there, but this time its accompanied buy enough melody and effect layering to make this band feel like a new animal. Not to mention stronger song writing , even trippier stereo headphone effects, and Philip Cope and Laura Pleasants' strongest and most indentifying vocal performances yet. There are some downright ballsy moments as well. Case and point; the major-key leaning "Don't Look Back" which features a riff poppy enough to pass for the Pixies. And while I can't say the aforementioned track is my favorite, I still respect Kylesa for having the kind of audacity to piss off so many of their heavily-bearded fans. The only down-side to this new experimentation is an occasional lack of focus such as on "Crowded Road". Despite having an awesome middle-easternesque guitar solo halfway through the song, once its over you realize that there is only one repeating riff that bookends the song, and thats it. And hell thats not even that big of a draw-back for me, especially when the title track is probably the best song Kylesa have ever written.
Torche - Songs for Singles
Torche set the bar for themselves extremely high with 2008's full-length album Meanderthal. It was the quintessent look at what makes this band so good, and while Songs for Singles returns to the shorter format the band's accustomed to, it still gives us a shorter, more focused dose of awesome. The opening song "UFO" is yet another prime,fun, stoner-pop singalong that combines Steve Brook's memorable vocal melodies with warm, distortion-coated riffs. Songs like "Lay Low" and "Arrowhead" continue to expound upon the band's Melvins-esque freak rock weirdness that they flexed a little on Meanderthal. The two tracks making this release most worth a purchase in my opinion are the last two: "Face the Wall" features an almost Justin Broadrik style shoegaze quality while "Out Again" is yet another triumphant Torche rock anthem. It might not pack as much bang for your buck as Meanderthal, but short and sweet seems to be how Torche really likes it.
Carolina Chocolate Drops - Genuine Negroe Jig
If there's not really a folk revival going on in North Carolina you now have another reason to believe otherwise. While groups like the Avett Brothers have been busy garnering mass appeal with their style of folk-rock, The Carolina Chocolate Drops have been roughing it playing all styles of old-timey music the only way they know how. Genuine Negroe Jig shows the Durham, NC trio's versatility and ability to channel various emotions through traditional southern music. Some of my favorite moments come in the form of up-tempo bluegrass singalongs like "Trouble In Your Mind" and "Cornbread and Butterbeans", but the trio covers a wide enough range to also include darker ballads such as "Kissin and Cussin" and "Trampled Rose". And I'm not sure if "Reynadine" is a traditional spiritual or not but the Carolina Chocolate Drops are convincing enough to make it all more than pass. There's a genuinity here that is essential to this group's greatness, there is no concern here with hipness or appeal, just real songs presented in earnest fashion. In other words Genuine Negroe Jig might not be your choice if you've spent alot of time growing that beard out for some Austin indie-folk festival, but if you want something good to listen while you sit on your rocking chair out on the porch drinking whiskey, it may be just what you're looking for.
Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
So unfortunately the 17 minute prog epic "Bright Light" from Black Mountains last LP In the Future was not exactly a sign of things to come as their new album Wilderness Heart features some of the shortest and most to-the-point, accessible rock songs they've done. On the positive side the are proving more and more that they still write timeless songs that are undeniably good. Wilderness Heart starts off with the fun and highly singable hooks of "Hair Song" but also expect some of the heaviest Sabbath worshipping Black Mountain has ever done. "Roller Coaster" features hazy pentatonic grooves while you could probably convince someone that the uptempo riffs of "Let Spirits Ride" were from Iommi himself. But thats far from all you'll get; the beautiful blend of acoustic guitar work and mellotrone/organ/synth domination on tracks like "Buried by the Blues" and "Radiant Hearts" create a vehicle for Stephen McBean and Amber Webb's strongest vocal performances yet. The songs like these are moving and memorable and prove that Black Mountain are truly exceptional at writing easy to love rock songs that are real and without cliche.
Titan - Sweet Dreams
Titan were one of my new discoveries for 2010, and easily my favorite new discovery. As it makes sense that many modern hard rock musicians are rediscovering the magic of 70's prog, Brooklyn, NY's Titan turn to the spacey yet active realms of krautrock, and its about time someone did. Titan may be on Relapse but they're not as much metal as they are a reeling head-trip of epic synth-driven prog and psyche. Although opening song and title track "Sweet Dreams" does have a bit of a galloping 80's metal riff, you're more likely to compare the vintage sonic buffet of songs like "Highlands of Orick" to the likes of Van Der Graaf Generator, Hawkwind, and maybe some Pink Floyd, Eloy, and Baroness all thrown together. In other words; total skull-banging, cosmic-vomitting eargasm. And although some may be tempted to cry "hipster!" at some of Sweet Dreams' slightly tongue-in-cheek song titles like "Synthasaurus" and "Maximum Soberdrive", Titan are simply a band making good music for those who may fancy taking a drug-addled voyage to realms beyond. Nice to meet you.
Wu Massacre - Self-Titled
Before any of us even had time to recover from the thoroughly pleasant beating that we all took last year from Chef Raekwons' Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. 2, Rae and Ghost decided to drop yet another piece of hip-hop gold with Wu affiliate Method Man early this year. Wu Massacre is what we've come to expect from some of the world's most talented emcees, its hip-hop for those that love hip-hop. Criminology 2.5 is a vicious reworking of a Cuban Linx Pt. 1 classic but doesn't overstay its welcome, a common theme on an album thats surprisingly short for a hip-hop LP. Superior sampling combined with the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" rhyme scheme of these three emcees is what makes tracks like "Smooth Sailing Remix" and "Miranda" along with plenty of guest spots of course. The fact that its a short record may leave some fans disappointed but it also leaves one thing for sure: there is absolutely no filler on Wu-Massacre.
Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
Trying to summarize my thoughts on this album quickly after only two weeks of listening to it will be difficult, but I think it deserves to be on here. I think its safe to say two things about American songwriter Sufjan Stevens. A: he's always pretty much just going to do whatever the hell he wants. B: As long as he's doing that we can be assured that its going to be good. Whether that means showing little concern for continuing his beloved states project or making a new album largely based of synthesizers, its really just him. Not that The Age of Adz is the first time that Sufjan has relied on electronics, as the far more abstract Enjoy Your Rabbit would tell you. Although some fans will not relish the thought of a mostly synth Sufjan album, the technology certainly hasn't quelched his creativity. The Age of Adz shows him as inventive as ever, as usual bringing seemingly simple melodies to life with rich arrangements that draw on a variety of instruments and voices. He represents some odd voice fluctuations this time around to compliment the unfamiliarity as well, or at least enough so that it differs from his usual deliveries. Most of the songs on The Age of Adz are not remotely simple; the title track brings forth an orchestra of synths and keyboards as well as stately woodwind flutters and brass reinforcements. The opening song "Futile Devices" is a brief, beautiful glimpse of the more subdued Sufjan that many are used to, and mostly features hushed vocals along with piano and guitar. The contrast being that songs like "Impossible Soul" are among the most ambitious and complex that Sufjan has ever written. Plenty of vocal indulgence can also be found on the ascending and descending lines of "All for Myself", while on one track Sufjan even takes on a little vocoder auto-tune. But in the end this is the artist we know and love, and the Age of Adz might just be the best thing he's put out since Illinois.
Intronaut - Valley of Smoke
Those who are in the know about Intronaut know that to not expect progression from them would be nothing but idiotic. For those of you who aren't in the know, my album of the year pick for 2010; Valley of Smoke is a good place to learn everything you need to know about one of metal's (and progressive music's) most promising bands. Intronaut have continued to expand and build upon their blend of progressive metal, sludge, jazz fusion and middle eastern influences that they brought to a dizzying level on 2008's Prehistoricisms, and if Valley of Smoke boasts the addition of anything, its a larger use of melody. Valley of Smoke augments a unique style of clean vocal from guitarists Sacha Dunable and Dave Timnick that supports this. Although while normally the quickest way for a metal band to sellout is to implement clean vocals, Sacha and Dave present a tough, quasi-melodic style of singing that is unrefined and helps add layers of melody to the already rich compositions. With unpredictable chord progressions that always keep you excited to see where the song heads next, polyrhythmic meters that are incredibly complex yet easy to groove on, and effects pedals that are used more as instruments than for excess, Valley of Smoke defies genre classification altogether. It may be considered prog, but if it is then its for those who prefer their prog deeper, spacier, and less about musical masturbation. And as for the rhythm section? I don't think I can think of a better one in modern heavy music. Danny Walker's drumming combined with the god-like fretless lines of bassist Joe Lester are an unbeatable combination, and just wait until you hear the album's second to last track when Justin Chancelor from Tool joins in on a double percussion and bass onslaught. If you care about this kind of music and thats not incentive enough to buy this album then I can't even imagine what must be wrong with you. Its heavy, beautiful, and smart all at the same time, to me its simply music that penetrates farther into the realms of the mind.
Shows of the year (of the few I saw this year):
Braveyoung at the Milestone in Charlotte, NC
Back when this Greensboro group was Giant, they admirably struggled to find their identity amongst the rising Neur-Isis bands of the time, but as Braveyoung they seem to blossoming into a truly relevant band. Not that I had a problem with their previous post-metal dirges, but Braveyoung's performance at the Milestone this particular February evening had a decidedly more "arty" air about it, despite it being in the dingiest punk venue in town. Braveyoung played a 30 minute set that consisted of two unreleased songs complete with timpani crescendos, acoustic breaks, bows, and other things not typically found in a room full of punks and metalheads. Braveyoung demanded reverence with their moving performance, the crowds devotion to each note played was unwavering even after the raucious performances of hardcore bands Torche Runner and Young and in the Way. As always they balanced dynamics and created building tension the way a good post-rock band should, it was worth the trip.
Eyehategod, Nachtmystium, Joe Buck, and Withered in Spartanburg, SC
Despite the fact that Eyehategod have played Ground Zero numerous times, the turnout at this show suggested that there certainly are some newer fans that understand the band's importance. Decently well-attended for a Ground Zero show, Withered played first due to Graves of Valor's absence. Their blend of doom, death metal, and black metal was just as ear punishing and unrelenting as one would expect from listening to them on record. Withered may not be for everyone, but they certainly don't mess around. Next was the band I was just excited to see as EHG, Nacthmystium. Being a huge fan of Assassins; Black Meddle Pt. 1 I was really looking forward to their performance, although their song choices leaned more towards the band's black metal side and shied away from prog. They still kept things interesting with choices like "Ghost of Grace" and a song off their new record which had just been released. They played a song off of Instinct: Decay and the Doomdsay Derelicts EP before more great cuts from Assassins such as "Your True Enemy". Although I dare say that Ground Zero's downstairs sound didn't complement them like other venues would, the reverb on Blake Judd's vocals still added a nice pinch of psychedelia to the surprisingly metal set. Eyehategod's performance was eagerly anticipated by everyone there, and whether its because they're clean or because they've been doing this for a while, their sound was airtight. After a prolonged feedback drone, with no lead in or count off the band struck one colossal chord that set the mood for the rest of the show; loud, earth-shaking southern sludge by one of the genre's forefathers. The band played until late, with cuts from each album, and since there was indeed some Take As Needed for Pain, I got what I came for. Indeed, many heads had a good reason to bang that night.
Black Mountain and The Black Angels at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC
Best show of the year, I already went into detail on this one so I'm not doing it again.
R.I.P.
Isis
The demise of Isis this year was not a normal band breakup. This was not a mere bummer to be shrugged off because of a vacant hole that could easily be filled with imitators. This was the loss of a band whose influence and impact have been felt tremendously since their beginning. A band that more and more people were getting into each year and having their minds greatly expanded because of it. No, this was not a normal breakup because Isis were not a normal band. The music of Isis straddled enough lines to make some very unlikely fans who appreciated very different things, they also served as a gateway to many like myself. I may have only started hearing about the band around 2005 due to the press from Panopticon, but in the few years I've been listening to them they meant more to me than most bands ever have. Sure I had encounters with the likes of Mastodon, Converge, Botch, Neurosis, etc. All bands that challenged my boredom with heavy music and molded me into a different person, but Isis still did it differently than anyone else.
Isis began in 1998 and gained more notoriety each year until they became the go-to band for individuals breaking out into different musical territory. Soon enough metal-heads that usually went for more typical listening were introduced to an entirely new world, while indie/shoegaze types would find one of the few heavier bands they loved. Fans of sludge, prog, post-rock, even ambient electronic music would soon find some common ground, and while many have varying opinions on which years the band put out their best material, I think its all brilliant in its own way. And oh have there been imitators. I'd be lying myself if I said I wasn't one of the many that heard Oceanic for the first time and said "thats exactly what I want to do". But perhaps they were in the right, the band believed that they had milked Isis dry and that anything further from this point would just be repeating what they've already done, so honestly more power to them for having the respect for their fans to stop before their hearts were no longer in it. Now what we all need to do is just reflect on and enjoy their music, I know I myself and making sure to get my hands on all the LPs, CDs, MP3s, or whatever I can find Isis related this year to truly pay tribute. To one of the most influential bands of the past decade: Farewell, you guys had a hell of a run and I can't wait to see what directions you go in next.
In memorium: Ronnie James Dio
Being at the age I am its bitter reminders such as these that let you know that alot of the musicians you look up to might not be around much longer. The passing of Capt. Beefhart this year Pink Floyd's Richard Wright two years ago were such reminders as well of course. Many know Dio as the singer for Rainbow and the second incarnation of Black Sabbath, with him we lost not only an iconic figure that may as well have made one of rock's biggest contributions with his patented horn throw, but an amazing singer and someone who just seemed like he would be a cool guy. And sure I love Ozzy-era Sabbath as much as any self-respecting rock fan, but I still look at Heaven and Hell as being one of Sabbaths finest albums. A sad loss indeed.
Nujabes
A truly profound artist that I wish I would have discovered sooner to say the least. Nujabes was a Japanese hip-hop producer that was most known for having a strong jazz influence in his production/beats. Collaborating with some truly great underground rappers and putting together some really beautiful music, I can truly attest to the work of Nujabes as healing to the soul and I hope that more people continue to discover his music. I've been playing his album "Metaphorical Music" for the past six months and reflecting on how good that it is makes it even sadder that he's no longer with us, due to a traffic accident that took his life in February of last year. One can only hope that somewhere, him and Dilla are working on something amazing.
