The Meltdown 58

The Top 30 Of 2011

The Top 30 Of 2011

It's that time of year again. After rocking a Top 25 last year I figured that was as high as this countdown would get but at the end of this year I ended up with 34 records that got 5 stars and so we have a Top 30 this year.

As always this Top 30 is completely biased and is really my favorite albums of the year, chosen on enjoyment, number of spins, and whatever other schemes I come up with to decide what album is better then another. So here we go!

30. The Hawk in Paris – His + Hers EP

The electronic side project of Dan Haseltine is full of catchy pop songs that didn't take long to find a place in my rotation. Put Your Arms Around Me is one of my favorite songs of the entire year.



29. Matthew Mayfield – Now You’re Free

Now You're Free was one of those records I downloaded on a whim from Noistrade and I'm glad I did. Matthew Mayfield delivers a record of solid, super soulful songs that are easy to fall in love with.



28. Ironwill – Unturned

Blood and Ink put out some amazing records this year! Ironwill's Unturned was my favorite release of the label's. Reminds me of the mid-late 90's Florida hardcore scene.



27. Dynasty – Truer Living With a Youthful Vengeance

Speaking of old school hardcore, Dynasty's Truer Living With a Youthful Vengeance is everything that is fun and good about hardcore!



26. A Plea For Purging – The Life and Death of A Plea For Purging

I've had some public beef with A Plea For Purging in the past and while the guys are amazing people, their music never stuck with me. The Life and Death changed all that. Best record of the guys career. Heavy, brutal, raw.



25. Believer – Transhuman

One of Christian metal's Big 4 turns their sound on it's head with Transhuman. Great prog metal record. And someone taught Kurt Bachman how to sing!



24. Sainthood Reps – Monoculture

Sainthood Reps is Tooth and Nail's best signing in years. If Nirvana had been from DC and then spent a couple years in New Jersey they might have sounded like Sainthood Reps.



23. Mat Kearney – Young Love

I've never really dug Mat Kearney. He had some nice songs but I wasn't a big fan. Young Love breaks free from a traditional singer/songwriter approach and plays with hip-hop beats. In changing up his sound a little but Kearney created a record of super catchy tracks that I love.



22. Sleeping Giant – Kingdom Days In An Evil Age

Sleeping Giant is one of the best current hardcore bands but I somehow always sleep on their albums. Well not this time around. Kingdom Days In An Evil Age is another great record from Sleeping Giant.



21. Deas Vail – Deas Vail

Deas Vail picked up where they left off with Birds and Cages and delivered a more mature record their self-titled album.



20. Hope For the Dying – Dissimulation

Hope For The Dying's Dissimulation is a crushing metal record that destroys whatever else passes for metal these. It's guitar solo heaven.



19. Maylene and The Sons of Disaster – IV

Maylene and The Sons of Disaster really threw their fans with a loop with IV. Leaving behind their heavy hitting southern metal with a slower, grungier sound that I absolutely love.



18. Hundredth – Let Go

To be honest the only reason I downloaded Let Go was because the video for the albums first single was inspired by the movie the Sandlot, which is awesome. The album is perfect for fans of hardcore/punk who like to sing-a-long.



17. Falling Up – Your Sparkling Death Cometh

So apparently ignoring Falling Up after their rapcore inspired debut album was a bad idea. The band has matured into a great ambient rock band. Your Sparkling Death Cometh came out of nowhere and was one of the great surprise records of the year.



16. Thrice – Major/Minor

Major/Minor was one of my most anticipated albums of the year. Thrice delivered. While I didn't enjoy Major/Minor as much as Beggars, it's still a killer record.



15. The Famine – The Architects of Guilt

Great lyrics, killer music, death metal at it's finest. It's sad that the Famine couldn't make it through 2011.



14. Close Your Eyes – Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts

Great band. Great record. That is all.



13. A Hope For Home – In Abstraction

Taking the epicness that was Realis and adding a post rock element, A Hope For Home continues to release great music.



12. Overcome – The Great Campaign Of Sabotage

Everything about The Great Campaign of Sabotage makes my heart happy. Overcome reunites and sounds exactly like they did in 97. I love it!

Overcome - Seeker Sensitive from Justin Koleszar on Vimeo.

11. Times Of Grace – The Hymn Of A Broken Man

Times of Grace is a tiny picture of what Killswitch Engage could've been. AT times Hymns of a Broken Man plays like KSE lite but there's more depth lyrically and the music is far less standard metalcore then KSE.



10. New Found Glory – Radiosurgery

Pop punk is not dead!



9. Blindside – With Shivering Hearts We Wait

Blindside returned in 2011 with a killer record! With Shivering Hearts We Wait is perfect. Couldn't have asked for a better album.



8. Oh, Sleeper – Children Of Fire

Children of Fire might be the most evil Christian record ever released. Dark lyrics, great music.



7. Lights – Siberia

In 2011 I built a subtle love for more radio friendly pop music. Lights isn't an artist you'll hear alongside the likes of Kesha or Katy Perry and musically Lights is more electronic focused but Siberia is a stellar pop record.



6. Eisley - The Valley

The Valley packs a lyrical punch, which is the biggest and most noticeable improvement for Eisley.



5. Moving Mountains – Waves

Thrice meets The Appleseed Cast? Kind of. Waves blew me away the first time I listened to it. Amazing record!



4. Kye Kye – Young Love

Young Love was out for almost all of 2011 and I only heard it a few weeks ago. Beautiful record that I'm upset I missed out on most of the year. Better late than never.



3. The Make – This Box

This Box is 5 songs of some of the best pop rock I've heard in years. Catchy melodies, great guitar lines, just all around solid music. If Aaron Rodgers likes the band, shouldn't you?



2. Emery – We Do What We Want

Emery usually delivers quality tunes but the move to Solid State seemed weird at the time and having lived with the record for months now is still a little perplexing. Either way, We Do What We Want is a stellar record that is both the heaviest album of Emery's career without losing any of the great melodic qualities that makes them such a great band.



1. Hands – Give Me Rest

Give Me Rest is perfect. Lyrically challenging, musically moving and interesting. Everything about Give Me Rest is awesome. As soon as it hit my stereo it was my favorite album of the year and nothing was unable to change that.

Saving Grace - The King Is Coming

Saving Grace impressed me with their Strike First Records debut Unbreakable. Just a solid heavy record and I loved it. I even said Saving Grace was a bright spot in a weak Christian hardcore scene. Now 2010 proved to be a great year for Christian heavy music but Unbreakable was the first one of the year.

The King Is Coming picks right up where Unbreakable left off. The King is Coming might actually be heavier. The title track launches the album off, an intro with the gang repeated phrase "The King Is Coming." Shekinah comes blazing in with blast beats fully loaded before jumping into a breakdown. While there are more breakdowns on The King is Coming, Saving Grace does throw in some pretty solid guitar solos. Which leads to my complaint.

Unbreakable seemed to be more hardcore driven. It was catchier with some killer gang vocals and felt more like a hardcore record. The King is Coming has a more metal vibe. Which isn't bad but the breakdown deathcore scene is pretty played out at this point and the minor deathcore vibes that were on Unbreakable run the show on The King is Coming.

Saving Grace deliver another solid record. And while it doesn't click on all my musical tastes, fans of the band's debut should be happy with this record.

Chevelle - Hats Off To The Bull

To quote my brother-in-law, "Chevelle is like the peanut butter and jelly of rock. You know exactly what you're going to get and you know it's going to be good."

While there have been subtle shifts in Chevelle's music the band has been pretty consistent over their career. Each album is full of enjoyable hard rock with catchy hooks. Hats Off To The Bull is heavier then the band's previous two record. While there are a couple misses on the record, most notably the album's first single Face To The Floor and the title track Hats Off To The Bull, the album is full of great rock songs. Same Old Trip, The Meddler, Piñata, and Clones are some Chevelle's best songs to date.

Hats Off To The Bull is, in my opinion, Chevelle's best record since Wonder What's Next. Great songs, killer record!

The Attending - Are You Watching Closely

I tweeted last week that if bands sound like a mid-90's emo band, I'm probably going to be a fan. I was speaking of The Attending, one of the newest member of the Blood and Ink Family. Well Are You Watching Closely is self-described as post-emo, The Attending channels everything that was good about The Promise Ring and the midwest emo scene.

Are You Watching Closely is the perfect blend of great melodies with just enough off rhythms for diehard fans of the genre. What the Attending do best is creating catchy hooks. They aren't just catchy and singable, but they ring as familiar, like a song you've heard before. La Jetee lulls you in slowly, catching your attention before Pin the Sidewalks and Smoke On A String (the best tracks on the record) kick in and steal your attention. As with most Blood and Ink releases, Are You Watching Closely is far too short but the songs are strong and catchy and hitting the repeat button isn't hard.

With all the great releases Blood and Ink has put out this year, Are You Watching Closely might be my favorite. The Attending do emo (or post-emo) right.

With Increase - Sign Of The Time

I've said all year that Blood and Ink Records is releasing the finest hardcore period. It rings true with my nostalgic spirit. The bands are raw and passionate and good. In a heavy music scene that's overrun with over compressed guitars, digitally sampled drums, and more breakdowns than anyone wants, the Blood and Ink is a breathe of fresh air.

Blood and Ink's latest band, With Increase have released an ep that will make any old school hardcore fan's heart rejoice. Sign Of The Time could very easily be mistaken for one of the classic Solid State spirit-filled hardcore albums. With Increase instantly reminded me of Unashamed and Focused. It's Florida hardcore at it's finest. From the vocals to the way the songs move, it's old school all the way without feeling dated.

Sign Of the Time is a passionate, aggressive hardcore record and my only complaint is that it's too short. This is an ep that you'll want on repeat for multiple listens.

Free Music Friday: Facedown Records Winter Sampler

Facedown Records have a new sampler out for your listening pleasure. This one features great new tracks from A Hope for Home, A Plea For Purging, We the Gathered, Saving Grace, and more. Not sure if downloading this sampler requires a Facebook like or not (as I'm already a fan of theirs).

You can download their Winter Sampler for free here: http://www.facebook.com/facedownrecordsinc?sk=app_213173445359798

Of Virtue - Heartsounds

Things I'm not sick of yet: Bands that sound like Misery Signals. Insert Of Virtue, a band Hands posted about this week on Facebook. I checked out 1 song and instantly downloaded the record.

Heartsounds is a fantastic melodic hardcore record that I honestly like more then We the Gathered's Believer and Your Memorial's Atonement. It combines the richness that Believer had with the melodic variation that was on Atonement.

An Absence of Clarity is an instrumental intro that's nice but just like the title suggests, is an absence of clarity. Great guitar riff that builds so nicely and perfectly that I was excited for the opening track but then the build just ends and the track is over. Damaged is a great song but could have been killer if the intro had been build into it better. Tracks like No Light and Isolation are really what help make this record stand out. It's just enough of a break from the hardcore onslaught without losing any intensity that give In Virtue a lift over some of their melodic hardcore peers.

If you love melodic hardcore, I highly recommend checking this record out. I'm super impressed with Heartsounds.

Kye Kye - Young Love

Kye Kye's Young Love has sat on my computer untouched for a couple months. While Relevant Magazine and other media sources talked about how great the record was, I ignored it. Until the other night when I finally popped the record on in iTunes and gave it a spin.

It took all of about 30 seconds for me to realize that I have been missing out on one of the best records of 2011. I can't believe this came out in January and I missed out on it all year.

Young Love is a beautiful pop record, with lovely melodies and catchy hooks. From low key simple refrains like the album's opener Reach and Peace Song, to more (slightly) upbeat tracks like Broke and Introduce Myself. Rooftops might be the best example of Young Love as an album. Super simple and catchy hook over an acoustic guitar with some electronic elements and strings swirling in and out as the track progresses.

Kye Kye have created what is instantly one of my favorite records of the year and I'm mad at myself for having missed out on it for so long. Great pop songs that don't get old.