There's something really nice about Kylesa's Spiral Shadow that wasn't there on Static Tensions. It's more melodic, toned down. While Static Tensions was an enjoyable listen, it just wasn't very memorable. Spiral Shadows isn't catchy memorable, but musically it's more appealing sonically. Each song has something different going for it, and the album moves so nicely and so beautifully, that it's just a great listen.
Tired Climb is the most straight forward sludge metal track of the album. A good kick off to the album and nice track that won't throw fans of the band for a loop. Cheating Synergy is my favorite track on the album. An upbeat track with a killer guitar/synth riff in the middle of the song. Drop Out is a cross between Isis and Mastodon, very heavy with intricate, beautiful guitar lines. From Don't Look Back to the end of the album, the tone changes. The songs aren't as heavy. All the tracks have a melodic undertone. Don't Look Back has a Foo Fighters style intro riff. Back and Forth is a super poppy song, the plays more like the latest indie rock craze then anything metal.
The Spiral Shadow isn't the best record of the year and as far as metal records go, it isn't the heaviest record you'll hear. But the songs have their moments, and it's just such an enjoyable listen that I do recommend picking this album up.
Tumbledown's self-titled debut was a solid throwback country album. It made my Top 20 albums of 2009 list. Tumbledown's follow-up, Empty Bottle, while retains a lot of that classic country sound from the bands debut, Mike's punk roots aren't invisible on this record.
As the name suggest, Empty Bottle is a record about drinking. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The record starts with Arrested in El Paso Blues, which starts like something that would've been on MxPx's Secret Weapon. It's that rockabilly sound that Tumbledown had on the Atlantic City EP. It's a great kickoff to an album and really unexpected. Bad News continues the more upbeat, rock version of Tumbledown. It's MxPx with a slide guitar.
And then we get into the country heart of the record. Dead Man Walking, Drink to Forget, Empty Bottle, and Great Big World are all in that old school country music vibe that made Tumbledown's first record so good.
Meet the Devil might be one of the best songs Mike Herrera has ever written. It has no hint of being a country song whatsoever. It's just a good old rock and roll drinking song. You'd imagine being in a bar with a bunch of your friends singing this song at the top of your lungs.
No Hung Over has a real nice classic Johnny Cash feel, while Places in This Town would've fit in on the bands debut. St Peter is a face paced rockabilly track. The closing track, A Thousand Times More is a country ballad and another nice track.
While the albums theme is about drinking and the word bitch is used on the album, a lot of MxPx's christian fans might be offended if they pick this record up. While it's not as strong a country album as Tumbledown's debut, and maybe even not as solid an album as their debut, with each listen I do enjoy the songs more and more and there are a handful of just really awesome songs. If you have to listen to a country record, Empty Bottle is a good option.
For those who don't know, Brian McBride is one half of the ambient duo Stars of the Lid. The Effective Disconnect is his second solo record and The Effective Disconnect is a thing of beauty. Brian McBride has really outdone himself on this record. I liked When The Detail Lost It's Freedom but it doesn't come close to being nearly as good The Effective Disconnect.
The Effective Disconnect is more orchestral then When The Detail Lost It's Freedom. It flows better and is an all around enjoyable experience. It sounds like something you'd expect from Brian Eno if he worked with strings more. It is such an easy and enjoyable listen. Fans of Brian Eno's Discreet Music or Echo Broke Alone's Heart Condition will absolutely love The Effective Disconnect. It's an amazing ambient album. My two minor qualms are that the record is short and it doesn't have a strong ending.
It's only 43 minutes long, which isn't terribly short but it's such a nice album you really wish it was longer. The last 2 tracks are ok but not great. I Know That You Don't Like the Future Like I Do is a little thin and sparse compared to everything up to that point, which would be ok if it wasn't the second to last track. It does have a nice piano ending. Chamber Minuet is just too short a piece to end the record. It's a beautiful string arrangement that I just wish had more.
If you're looking for an ambient record and you already own Hammock's Chasing After Shadows, Living With the Ghosts go pick up The Effective DIsconnect. It's a beautiful album and one of the best instrumental records I've heard this year.
I discovered punk in junior high. Punk and skateboarding always went together for me. I used to sit around and watched skate and snowboarding videos set to a punk soundtrack and then go out and skate to my own punk soundtrack.
10. MxPx – Life in General While Teenage Politics turned me onto MxPx, it wasn’t until Life in General that I really got into the band. The songs are catchy on Life in General. Its pop punk at it’s finest. Mike’s has always been a fantastic songwriter and Life in General holds as some of his best work. Middle Name, Do Your Feet Hurt, Doing Time, Freaking Chick Magnet! The lyrics are smart and catchy, and it’s a great record.
9. Face to Face – Face to Face Face to Face’s self-titled third record has something different to it that stands out in their discography, and really is different from their first two records. I wouldn’t say it’s darker, but it has a darker tone. Face to Face’s sound is a sound I find a lot of the early 2000’s Tooth and Nail bands copying (Off the Record, Shorthanded, All Wound Up). I won’t Lie Down is such an amazing song and my favorite from Face to Face. A solid punk record.
8. Fugazi – Repeater + 3 Songs Fugazi is as DC as the White House and the Redskins and being a part of the punk scene in DC not knowing about and listening to Fugazi is wrong. It was hard for me to pick a Fugazi record. I’m a big fan of their entire discography but Repeater is the one I find myself grabbing to listen to more then the others. Not that Fugazi’s later albums were polished by any means but Repeater has a different rawness and fury to it.
7. Dogwood – Through Thick and Thin Dogwood might have been the first punk band I really loved. Maybe because they were connected to P.O.D. and NIV. I remember watching G-Rock and seeing the video for Preschool Days for the first time. While all of Dogwood’s records are solid, Through Thick and Thin is as catchy or polished as the albums they put out on Tooth and Nail. It’s just straightforward, play the songs fast, punk rock. Plus it has the great hardcore song at the end, Joy Through Movement.
6. Slick Shoes – Burn Out While Slick Shoes hasn’t been a band I’ve been a huge fan of, Burn Out is an album I love. It teeters on being a catchy album but never crosses the line. The songs are solid pop punk songs and Burn Out is such an enjoyable listen that it’s a shame the songs never find a way to stick in your head.
5. Ghoti Hook – Banana Man Is Banana Man universally everyone’s favorite Ghoti Hook record? I love Two Years to never but Banana Man can’t be beat. My Bike, The Box, Cowboy, Love By Numbers, At the Zoo… The whole record is amazing.
4. The Huntingtons – High School Rock While the Huntingtons will always be called a Ramones rip-off band, and it might be a fair assessment, I’ve always loved the Huntingtons. I originally owned High School Rock on cassette and wore that tape out. The Huntingtons had the ability to write short, catchy punk songs. Often I will find myself singing their songs without know it. High School Rock is 16 songs, each one just as catchy and good as the last.
2. Squad Five – O – Bombs Over Broadway I was already a huge Squad Five-O fan when Bomb’s Over Broadway came out. While Bombs Over Broadway as an album are the best songs of SFO’s career, this album had to be experienced live and I saw them perform this album live 4 or 5 times. The speed and intensity on every song was jacked up and really made the songs so good. The album itself is almost a throwback to more glam rock then punk but the attitude is punk. Great songs, amazing album.
1.MxPx – Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo I know a lot of people see Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo as the beginning of MxPx’s decline; I always viewed it as the beginning of their maturity. While Life in General was catchy and full of great songs, it’s also the last of the “teenage” MxPx records. The songs are Slowly Going the Way are more mature lyrically and the music compliments that nicely. The production on SGTWOTB was the best of their discography to that point and might be the best sounding record of their career to this day. While they’ve put out some great records since Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo, I don’t think MxPx has come close to putting together a complete record as good as Slowly Going the Way was.
So it was requested that I do a Top 10 Blue Note Records list and I was more then willing to oblige. But going through my massive collection I found that I don’t have a lot of Blue Note albums. Sorry. So instead I’m going with a Top 10 favorite jazz records. I love listening to jazz. It can be both soothing and chaotic. This list will seem a tad repetitive because while I love and can listen to jazz all day, I really have only ever bought record from a handful of artist whom I absolutely love. So here we go.
10. Cab Calloway & His Orchestra – Volume 2 1935-1940 I got this box set for Christmas one year. And it took me a while to really dig into it. 4 cds featuring 107 songs I s a lot to digest. I don’t know if it’s the greatest introduction to Cab Calloway but it’s a fantastic collection of songs.
9. Dizzy Gillespie – For Musicians Only For Musicians Only is jazz played at a break neck pace. 5 songs of frantic jazz. It’s not out of control or chaotic, just played fast.
8. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington – Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington Listening to Duke Ellington play is a great way to unwind. His trumpeting is so smooth and relaxing. Combine that with the vocal stylings of Louis Armstrong and you have a great combo. This is their first recording together and it’s such a nice and laid back listen. Very chill, very good.
7. John Coltrane – Blue Train As far as Coltrane records go Blue Train might be one of the more subdued albums. It’s not as frenetic as some of his later recordings.
6. Thelonious Monk – Underground While Underground is a very chill record, there’s something off about it musically. It’s off kilter just slightly. The musicians never seem to be in the same room. The piano and drummer are almost always playing in different time signatures and the bass player just takes his bass for a walk that doesn’t always seem to fit. But each piece compliments each so nicely and fills your stereo with a nice array of sound that unless you’re giving a critical listen, you’ll just hear a beautiful album.
5. Miles Davis – Birth of The Cool Birth of the Cool is one of those classic must own jazz records. With minor exceptions it’s not a fast tempoed, get on the floor and dance album. The songs all come in under three and half minutes giving each song it’s own space. It’s nothing long-winded or repetitive, just a quality jazz album.
4. John Coltrane – A Love Supreme A Love Supreme is a variation on a theme. It plays like something you might hear from Phillip Glass or Steve Reich if they were jazz musicians. This is the frenetic Coltrane I was talking about. A Love Supreme has fantastic movement and flow. It’s intricate and interesting. And the album’s closer, Psalm, is so sexy. Coltrane’s finest.
3. Ornette Coleman – The Shape of Jazz to Come Whenever I asked for recommendations of jazz records to check out, The Shape of Jazz to Come was always a record I needed to have. So I got it. It’s completely out of control. Ornette Coleman slays on the saxophone. Eventually is just pure chaos. The albums moves from beautiful jazz standards to complete destruction of anything resembling jazz.
2. Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas While I might take some flak for having this record on this list and this high, it still ranks as one of my favorites. It’s a simple record full of joy. A Charlie Brown Christmas is the greatest Christmas special of all time and it’s soundtrack still holds as a standard for Christmas music. Linus and Lucy has to rank as one of the most iconic pieces of music ever written.
1. Miles Davis – Bitches Brew Bitches Brew is the Dillinger Escape Plan of jazz music. While it might be one of the hardest jazz records to listen to, I think it’s also one of the most rewarding. The songs are all long, with wanky guitar parts and crazy blasts from horns coming out of nowhere. It’s a trippy album and it pushes jazz to the limit and completely rewrites the book on what jazz has to be. People hate it, I love it.
Pigeon John has been a part of my two favorite hip-hop albums (Brainwash Projects - The Rise and Fall and Pigeon John - The Summertime Pool Party). His work with LA Symphony is great and I've loved his solo records. He's been my favorite hip-hop artist ever since I saw him open for Rod Laver.
Dragon Slayer is up and down. Pigeon John isn't the worlds greatest mc, so beats and his cleverness have always been important. That's what made The Summertime Pool Party so good; The production was super strong. The production on Dragon Slayer is different than Summertime Pool Party. It's more low key. Which I guess is what you'd say about Dragon Slayer as a whole. It's really low key for a Pigeon John record.
Dragon Slayer is more reflective in tone and lyrical content. But it's also less of a hip-hop record. There's more singing, more soul and rock influence. The album starts off good with The Bomb (best track on the album), Buttersoft Seats, and Dude It's On. Rock Bottom Again is where things change. Musically it's a horn and piano song, not completely upbeat. It has something of a 1930's type feel... But that doesn't really capture the song properly. Before We're Gone and Davey Rockit are more pop songs (although Davey Rockit has more of a hip-hop verse). Hey You is my second favorite song on the record and likeThe Bomb has great energy. The last four tracks on the record... I just don't care for.
It's not your typical modern day hip-hop beats... But there's something different about this record. It probably appeals more to a younger hip-hop fan and that's fine. You have to be relevant to the buying market and I can't fault Pigeon John for that. There are a handful of really great moments on this record, but from start to finish it just doesn't stick with me.
The Grammatrain reunion has been one with a lot less fanfare then I would think. Flying was a big record when it came out and I don't know it's because the band has kept it quiet or if because Pete Stewart isn't a christian anymore that people don't care. Whatever the reason, Grammatrain has been keeping a low profile. So low that I had no idea they put out a new record. So of course I downloaded it.
Imperium is actually pretty good. While it's not Flying or Lonely House, Grammatrain was still able to write a good hard rock record. The album tends to fall into the category of your generic radio hard rock at times but I find myself being a little more forgiving because Pete Stewart's vocals keep me thinking that this is Grammatrain. All 4 songs from Kneeling Between Shields are on Imperium, which is fine. I didn't listen to their 09 ep enough to notice the songs (minus Damaged).
The album kicks off with Damaged, a solid rock song. It's heavier then any of Grammatrain's previous work. Not more intense, just heavier. It's clear from the start that this band has evolved. Forever, With My Hands, Firing Lines, and Straight Down all have really chunky, heavy guitar riffs, something that wasn't in Grammatrain's sound back in 1998. The Hive has the same feel as Spiderweb from Flying. It's very much a classic type song. Controlling Me and Child of Angels are really low key tracks. On this record where you have so many hard hitting riffs and heavy rock songs, the acoustic tracks are a welcome breathe of fresh air. Enemy is the best hook on the album. It would be a rock radio gem. Very catchy, very nice. The last song on the album, Atmosphere, while not a direct throwback or old school sounding song, sounds like an updated version of Grammatrain. It's what you'd imagine the band would have sounded like if they had never broken up.
While its a good record, I think the nostalgia of listening to Grammatrain keeps me more interested in the record then if it were any band on the radio. It's nothing groundbreaking but it's a good purchase for fans of the band.
Sometimes an artist needs to make changes in their music for their own sanity. It's understandable that bands and artists want to break out of their mold and try something different. Sometimes it's a successful venture. Sometimes it's a tragedy. Sufjan Steven's latest confuses me.
I liked most of the All Delighted People ep he released earlier this year. The experimental and more electronic pieces weren't my favorite and didn't make a ton of sense at the time but they weren't bad. I'm starting to wonder if All Delighted People was released to get fans used to an electronic version of Sufjan.
The Age of Adz has all the makings of an excellent Sufjan Stevens record. The songwriting is the same and you can hear how the songs should sound. But instead of the great lush instrumentation that we're used to hearing from Sufjan Stevens, we get a mostly electronic record. Where banjos, guitars, and rich horn sections would've filled the stereo we now get a cold synth sound. Wherever there is live instrumentation, it's overtop these drum machines and synth bass lines.
While the songs are fine in and of themselves, the instrumentation really throws me for a loop. I really would love to hear these songs given the normal Sufjan treatment. This album could've been amazing and a record of the year contender but Sufjan was his own worst enemy on The Age Adz.
When I first heard Insomniac Daze I fell in love with Envy. Their combination of hardcore and post rock was so beautiful. I quickly downloaded the rest of their discography and listened to their transformation from chaotic hardcore band to beautiful post metal band. Their latest, Recitation, is a continuation in the exploration of post rock. While leaving some of the hardcore elements behind, Envy has created an absolutely beautiful record.
Recitation starts with Guidance,a simple piano and female spoken word, which moves into Last Hours of Eternity. Last Hours starts more like a song you'd hear on a Mono record then Envy as the first 4 and half minutes set a beautiful tone that explodes when the vocals kick in. Musically it's Mono with screaming. The trend continues as the more upbeat and moving Rain Clouds Running in a Holy Night starts.
The album is a post rock album. If you stripped the vocals one wouldn't think they were listening to Envy at all. Dreams Coming to An End and A Breath Clad in Happiness are the exceptions but even moments of those songs are so beautifully played out that it doesn't feel like a hardcore record.
Recitation has more genre crossover appeal then Insomniac Daze had, and post rock fans loved that album. Envy is no longer a hardcore band. They have moved and matured into a great post rock band with screaming vocals. Recitation is an absolutely beautiful record. The music ebbs and flows in so many directions with so many crescendos and beautiful guitar parts that it takes numerous listens to capture everything that's happening on this record. It's a beautiful record that I don't see myself getting tired of anytime soon. Even if you're not a fan of hardcore music, check this record out. I bet you'll enjoy it.
Despite the tilt of most of the music reviewed on this blog there was a three year span where I had fallen out of love with heavy music and listened to mostly indie rock. Velvet Blue Music is a label run by Jeff Cloud, formerly of both Joy Electric and Starflyer 59. Velvet Blue Music has quietly and consistently put out the best independent music I’ve heard. These are my top ten favorite records from the label.
Honorable Mention: Richard Swift - The Novelist The Novelist gets to be an honorable mention because it was released and rerelease so many times that it's not really a VBM release, but at one point VBM did put out the Novelist. The Novelist is 19 minutes of 1930's throwback music. It's one of the most original pieces of music one will ever hear.
10. Suffering and the Hideous Thieves – Real Panic Formed Jeff Suffering was already a punk rock legend when Suffering and the Hideous Thieves hit the scene. He had fronted Ninety Pound Wuss and the controversial Raft Of Dead Monkeys. Real Panic Formed had all the punk rock attitude but was tuned down. Taking a not from the like’s of Nick Cave, Suffering and the Hideous Thieves unveiled their slow, brooding orchestral punk rock on the masses. The opening track, All My Friends Are on Prozac, set the album off on the right foot. The Other Side of the Moon and Sex is Dead are other stand out tracks.
9. Denison Marrs – World Renown for Romance The first record I ever got from Velvet Blue Music was the Stavesacre/Denison Marrs split ep. Which of course moved me to get World Renown for Romance. Like I said in the Top 10 Emo records post, this is just a beautiful record. Great songs.
8. LN – Dirt Floor Hotel 1 Gary Murray already had a reputation for being a great songwriter and LN’s Dirt Floor Hotel took his song writing to a new level. While the two ep’s before Dirt Floor Hotel had shown a shift in LN musically, it wasn’t until Dirt Floor Hotel’s release that the more acoustic, singer songwriter side on LN would full emerge. The opening track, Nerves Left Exposed, is just one in a long list of absolutely beautiful songs that Murray has written. It gives me chills. The album top to bottom is full of indie folk gems.
7. Ghoti Hook – Self-titled Ghoti Hook had one last batch of songs in them after they left Tooth and Nail. Their final outing was an ep that was the next progression from Two Years To Never. The ep is full on Arena Rock. If Drop Dead doesn’t get you on your feet with your fist pounding the sky, then nothing will. Six great songs and a great way to end your musical career.
6. The John Wilkes Kissing Booth – A Threat in the Broadcast Before Derrick Brown was a poet I loved, he fronted The John Wilkes Kissing Booth. A Threat in the Broadcast has something likeable about it. It’s just a good rock record. It’s never to complex but never boring. Derrick Brown’s poetic side shines through on the lyrics and music has almost a DC feel to it. Gogirlkillswitch, The Voyeur and The Black Sea, My Most Hated Love Song, and Dons Turf Motel carry the middle of the album and are the meat of the record.
5. Lassie Foundation – California Lassie Foundation was born out of the break-up of the Prayer Chain and although it seems wrong to say, The Prayer Chain breaking up was a great thing for music. The Lassie Foundation debut ep, California is a shoegaze dream. It’s just fuzz rock at it’s best. I Can Be Her Man is still my favorite Lassie Foundation song. California has the best version of I’m Stealing To Be Your One in A Million (I don’t know why they ever rerecorded the song). Only 5 songs on California but it’s just a tremendous shoegaze record.
4. Pony Express – Becoming What You Hate Besides running Velvet Blue Music, being in Joy Electric and Starflyer 59, Jeff Cloud also had his own musical project, Pony Express. Pony Express was a quirky little indie pop outfit. Their first couple of eps normally featured fuzzed out guitars to Jeff Cloud’s less then pitch perfect vocals. Becoming What You Hate was less fuzzed out, more polished musically. It featured the talents of Frank Lenz, Jason Martin, and Richard Swift, with songs written by all four. Becoming What You Hate is full of great pop songs. There’s something slightly offbeat about Becoming What You Hate but that’s what makes it such a charming album.
3. Map – Secrets By the Highway If you’re an indie band the key to success is working with Richard Swift and Frank Lenz. Josh Dooley did and turned out the beautiful Secrets by the Highway. Great songs of lost loves and friends. Secrets By the High is Map’s best record and it’s was the most commercially sounding record VBM had released at the time. Great, great pop songs. I know Dooley went instrumental with Map’s last full-length but I hope he can get back to putting out fantastic pop music.
2. Frank Lenz – Conquest Slaughter Although Lenz has admitted to not being completely thrilled with Conquest Slaughter, fans agreed that it was a hit. Frank Lenz put together a fantastic batch of songs. Conquest Slaughter is full of catchy hooks and standard 4/4 rock songs but also has a splash on weird arrangements and instrumentation to keep one guessing. It’s a lo-fi masterpiece.
1. LN – Novel Slo-core, dream pop, or shoegaze,. Whatever you want to call LN’s Novel genre wise, you won’t argue that it’s a true beauty. Whether it’s songs like Cars Must Burn where Murray sings in a whisper over lush guitar tracks or And the Angels where he belts out over an acoustic guitar, Novel is hauntingly beautiful. It was Cloud’s favorite record when he put it out and I think it still might be. For years he would offer Novel for free with another purchase. The cover of Softly and Tenderly at the end of the record sends chills up my spine. A great album.
Tooth and Nail's Happy Christmas compilations have been hit or miss. Volume 2 was the best of the bunch, while the rest good songs, just not great as a whole. So 5 years since Volume 4 was released, the Nail has given us a 5th Volume of new and old christmas songs.
Hawk Nelson kicks off the album with their take on The Chipmunk Song, making it a nice compact pop punk song. Demon Hunter's "The Wind" doesn't have your standard christmas feel but it is a fantastic ballad for DH. Fans who were looking for more ballads on The World is a Thorn should give this track a listen. Ivoryline and Copeland run into the same problem. Ivoryline's version of O' Holy Night is nice but Seven Day Jesus' version from the first Happy Christmas compilation is still the hands down best version of that song. Copeland, who ends the album with Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas , while putting their own weird spin on the song, they don't match the simplicity or beauty that Starflyer 59 had when they did the song.
Thousand Foot Krutch takes on Heat Miser from A Year Without Santa Claus. Their alter ego FM Static does Snow Miser. Heat Miser is although a standard rapcore track it's so upbeat and fun that I found myself bobbing my head and enjoying the track. Snow Miser is a low key piano track that's done so nice. August Burns Red delivers another metal instrumental track, O Come O Come Emmanuel, that makes me continue to want a full length christmas album from ABR. Emery's track musically is nice but a little forgetable, but lyrically it's one of the best songs Emery's ever written.
Family Force Five is the biggest surprise on the album. Their track, It's Christmas Day, I liked so much that I hit replay instantly when the song was done and was shocked to see it was Family Force Five. Just a beautifully great song. Bon Voyage gives us a nice little indie pop song and Sent by Ravens does a nice job with Happy Christmas (War is Over), although their version doesn't make me like the song.
The quirky songs have always been the best part of the Happy Christmas Compilations and volume 5 doesn't disappoint. Queens Clubs puts an amazing dance spin on You're A Mean One Mr Grinch. It's so good. Then Neon Horse, an already eccentric band, delivers on Zat You Santa Claus.
Happy Christmas Volume 5 is a solid outputting of quality Christmas music. The mix of classic Christmas songs that everyone knows and brand new tracks written for this album are nice. If you're looking for some new Christmas music, Happy Christmas Volume 5 is a good album to get.
While the genre of emo has (almost) always come with a stigma, there was a moment before Fall Out Boy and emo as the latest teen MTV craze. While all these records may or may not fall under what people think of emo as, each of these has a connection to the scene and a time when emo was a big thing in my life.
10. Dashboard Confessional – Swiss Army Romance Before MTV unplugged and huge success and even before leaving Further Seems Forever, Chris Carrabba released Swiss Army Romance, the Dashboard Confessional debut album. It’s the most simple of all the DC records, just Chris and a guitar. The songs aren’t as bitter as The Places You Have to Come to Fear the Most, and Chris’s heartbreak hadn’t consumed Dashboard Confessional. The songs are light, the songwriting is great and while the album is on the shorter side, it’s a nice hint at how good Chris was going to be.
9. Brandtson – Fallen Star Collection Brandtson formed out of the ashes of Christian hardcore band Six Feet Deep. Fallen Star Collection was Brandtson second full-length. Fallen Star Collection still maintains some of the rawness that the band’s debut, Letterbox, had but the melodies, harmonies, and hooks were so far improved. While the first 3 songs on Fallen Star Collection are nice, it’s not until Things Look Brighter that the really catchy and memorable songs start. Summer in St Claire is such a beautiful song and really showed the potential that the band would hit on their next ep, Trying to Figure Each Other Out. The Fallen Star Collection walks the line between beauty and heartache so well. There is a pain in the vocals that ring true to the listener. Fallen Star Collection is one of those records that really shows what emo used to be about.
8. Elliot – False Cathedrals While US Songs is looked on as an emo classic, it’s Elliot’s False Cathedrals that I’ve always loved. False Cathedrals was more polished, more piano based then US Songs. False Cathedrals has moments of being super catchy (Calm Americans, Drive Onto Me) but it’s the dark undertones that make it such a great record. It’s almost stereotypical with so many quiet to loud moments that used to define the emo genre. I heard Superstitions in Travel on mp3.com and fell in love. The record is emo in the year 2000.
7. Denison Marrs – World Renown for Romance World Renown for Romance put Denison Marrs on the map. A very small indie map but a map nonetheless. Released right after their split with Stavesacre, that split gave the band more exposure and Denison Marrs had some small radio play. World Renown for Romance was catchy and poppier then Denison Marrs’ debut. It’s a love record. The songs are great. The New Droan, Love and It’s Grand Scheme, Let’s Dance, Twilight:Eyelight. It’s a fantastic record.
6. Further Seems Forever – The Moon Is Down It seems wrong that The Moon is Down is only number 6 on this list. I don’t think I’ve ever fallen so head over heels in love with a band and a record then I did with Further Seems Forever’s debut. The Moon is Down has been called Strongarm’s melodic next step and it’s might not be that far a cry. Steve Kleisath drumming is intricate on each song. Nothing is stuck in standard patterns. The Moon is Down never falls into strict song patterns. There’s no consistent verse/chorus/verse/chorus progression. Chris Carrabba’s vocals never sounded better and the songwriting, although never as personal as his Dashboard Confessional work, is some of his best. Shortly after the albums release, Carrabba left the band to do Dashboard Confessional full time and the bands second album, How to Start to Fire, had me fall right out of love them. The Moon is Down is a classic record and I’m glad the guys have reunited with Chris.
5. Thursday – Full Collapse I didn’t love Full Collapse when it came out. Although I thought Understanding in a Crash was a great song, the song didn’t click with me for a while, but there’s something charming about Full Collapse that has endeared me to this record as time as gone by. It’s a great post hardcore record. It’s truly a record of the New Jersey underground that had no business being as popular as it got. The success of Full Collapse brought Thursday a major label deal and that’s a testament to the record. Full Collapse isn’t perfect. Geoff Rickly’s vocal sing out of perfection on every song but that realness captured the hearts of everyone who heard the record. Paris In Flames is such a killer song. Full Collapse might not be recognized over time for being a great record but it was something special when it came out.
4. TwoThirtyEight – Regulate the Chemicals I don’t remember what made me pick up Regulate the Chemicals. It was probably an album I got just because I had become obsessed with Takehold Records. Regulate The Chemicals is a quirky little album. It’s not the most pop based album in the world but the songs are still fantastic. While songs like Hands of Men and Coin Laundry Loser are stellar songs with great hooks, the album has more of a post hardcore kick. There Is No Dana and Songs Will Write The Words are just killer sing-a-longs that were awesome live. This Town Will Eat You is such a heartfelt song. Tooth and Nail re-released this album with 2 new songs added on but I never picked up the re-release and have still never heard the two extra songs. Regulate the Chemicals broke free from poppier emo of the bands first two records and created a truly unique sound and album.
3. Jimmy Eat World – Clarity The first time I heard Clarity was driving back from a youth group retreat. I was in Mike Garcia’s car and he introduced me to Jimmy Eat World. You want to talk about an emo classic. Clarity is so good. From Table For Glasses to Goodbye Sky Harbor, the record is great. Jimmy Eat World’s always been great at crafting memorable songs and Clarity is by far their most memorable record. So many great songs; Lucky Denver Mint, Just Watch the Fireworks, For Me This is Heaven, Clarity. Jimmy Eat World has written great songs and released awesome records since but nothings been as perfect as Calrity.
2. Sunny Day Real Estate – Diary Another emo classic. If you’ve ever looked on wikipedia or read any book on the genre of emo eventually you come across Sunny Day Real Estate’s classic Diary. It’s the album the band is known for. Jeremy Enigk wrote some of the most poetic lyrics on Diary. It’s just an outstanding record all the way around. Although Enigk had yet to find his perfect falsetto yet, his almost straining to sing is what makes Diary hit emotionally and what gave it it’s emo status.
1. The Juliana Theory – Emotion is Dead I can thank Napster for Emotion is Dead. After Brett Detar left Zao he formed The Juliana Theory. While Understand This Is Just a Dream was a nice record, it wasn’t Zao and thus I wasn’t super thrilled with it. Thanks to Napster I was able to download Emotion is Dead and give it a listen before spending my money on the album. And one listen through Emotion is Dead I went out and bought it. Emotion is Dead is the perfect balance of rock fury and pop sensibility. You Always Say Goodnight, Goodnight hit me like a ton of bricks when I first heard the song and still today that song kills me. Everything from the band name, the album name, and even the cover screams emo. Emotion is Dead might be the most emo record of all time and it’s by far my favorite.
