f13.net

Got any favorite albums from this year?

Ladyhawke - S/T

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN8HwUxFouM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN8HwUxFouM)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYQgBy7sJt4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYQgBy7sJt4)

Unlike every other retro 80's artist, she doesn't channel new wave so much as Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar, Phil Collins, and Flashdance. Heh. But she makes it sound new. Plays all instruments. Cool shit :awesome_for_real:

Second link is geborken. First song is cool. Reminds me of Liz Phair more than Stevie Nicks, but its all good.

I hate when youtube vids do that.

Here's another try at the second song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUyuEyVb6KU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUyuEyVb6KU)


Love that synth intro. Sounds like something from one of those "introspective" montage sequences in a Rocky or Van Damme movie.  :awesome_for_real:

If you know what I mean.

She makes groovy videos.

Also, Cynic's (who hasn't made an album in like 15 years) Traced in Air.


Integral Birth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdmTwAFm5OQ)


A prog metal band that isn't.... what's the word I'm looking for? ...Shit.

If you like Dillinger Escape Plan (and you should), then you'll like it.  :-)

OK, a greatest hits album probably doesn't count, but Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. I revealed just how consistent Everett's songwriting has been down through the years.

I really enjoyed the Last Shadow Puppets' album The Age of the Understatement (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XGV8xCkpXjE).  Alex Turner mixes his Artic Monkeys sound with a large portion of the Byrds.

And I was going to say the Wombats' A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation (with the great song "Let's Dance to Joy Division (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gyCi4CMD29w)") but it turns out I just didn't pick up on it for a couple of months after release :(

This year's big disappointment will almost certainly be Faith No More's reunion, although some of Patton's recent work has been pretty much the Faith No More we'd really want (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9pcvBFFflEc), anyway.

I don't like Peeping Tom that much, to be honest. A couple of songs. Definitely dig Fantomas and Tomahawk though. Like all the band members from either too.. already a big Denison/Jesus Lizard fan here, so Tomahawk is a natural progression from the Lizard to me more than FNM.

Dug his shit with Dillinger too.

Umm.. anyways, I suppose it won't be bad. I've been wanting to see him just do something a little more straightforward rock again, and FNM was always his band for that.

Great year for music. Buddy Guy released a great album, Skin Deep. Lots of good sit-ins, like Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Robert Randolph and Clapton. Hard to believe he's 73. Lyin Like a Dog is amazing, his rebellious spirit rips into the mix. He's always best when you can almost hear the producer bitching in the booth. Because my only gripe about Buddy is that his albums are often way too produced for my tastes, but I've long been panned for my love of raw "production" (I mostly buy live albums).

Susan Tedeschi also released a nice album (Back to the River), lots of soul and funky stuff on it. Her best since her debut (which is a phenomenal album you should own). Trucks appears, of course (they're married) and so does Doyle II, who is another great modern talent.

Skepticism - Alloy is the 'underground' metal release of the year, no doubt. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTrragxQNms

New Cynic sounds pretty much like Focus.  Nothing wrong with that at all, considering Focus was quite cool.

Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple.

You're kidding, right?  It sounds like a garage band.  I can say in all honesty that I recorded higher quality stuff in highschool.

Nope.   Certainly my favorite album this year, much better than say, this shit:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-x95Q0SJfY   Although, I will say that the actual 'Alloy' cd production quality is much better than the video suggests, although still likely not up to your high standards.

Regardless, it's not a genre where production sounding 'like a garage band' is necessarily a bad thing. 

Anyways, I'd love to hear your high school stuff if it's of similar quality to Skepticism.  I can't think of many bands that compare favorably to them.

I was in high school in the early '80's.  Trust me when I say that you don't want to hear it.  I was more commenting on the recording quality.  With the ready availability of low cost, high tech production methods I was a bit disappointed by the mix.  I may have also knee-jerked do to style issues.  It's not fair to criticize them for talent... they have that.  Just not my thing, I guess.

Heh, no problem.  I was just givin' you shit, I wrote music in high school as well.  Unless if you're Mozart, it doesn't usually stand the test of time too well  ; )

Again, the video is muddied compared to the actual album, but there is certainly some very intentional lack of clarity and blending of instruments on the album that is essential for atmostphere.  A review I read went something like 'The lead guitar acts like a fish jumping up a waterfall.'  Ah, more complete quote:  "Often three melodies are at work at once, as keyboards pluck notes from the thunderous backwash of distorted guitar, while another guitar nimbly interlaces a lead melody through the harmonic space created like fish jumping through a waterfall, each changing in sequence so that as the song rotates between its elements added in staggered order to produce layers a new direction emerges from the collision of past forays."

There was a reunion?  Also, thanks for that link. I know what CD to ask for this holiday, now.

It's still a bit up in the air, but some venues have been told to keep slots open for a FNM tour.  Here is a link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/02/faith-no-more-reunion

There was a new Motörhead, Priest, and Opeth album out this year.  That was enough to satisfy me.

I really like Underworld's Oblivion With Bells this year, very good album with a couple of stunning tracks - Beautiful Burnout stands out strongly.

Its not a song, but Songbeat (http://www.songbeatplayer.com) has been proving incredible for me.

It's seeqpod but w/ downloads.  MP3 downloads.

If you prefer the post-Angel Dust FNM then Tomahawk are also pretty good: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JMjIhEQ6L08 and http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt856_nRxQk

Mirror's Edge Theme, Still Alive from Lisa Miskovsky or whatever.

Death Angel put out a new CD that just rocks my socks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWy1kFe2oCs).

Pendulum - In Silico is the best album I've heard this year, with honorable mentions for Ladyhawke and Vampire Weekend's S/T discs.

I also enjoyed We Are Scientists and The Ting Tings quite a bit. And the new Killers is growing on me. First release song based on a Hunter S Thompson quote? ftw

The new Cynic gets my vote for Album of the year.  It was worth the wait.

The new Boris album and the new Autechre are close runners up too.

The Killers are fucking retards. Are we human or are we dancer? My sign is vital? Your fu is fucking weak, moron. Invest wisely, it's almost over, kids.

I like them alright.. catchy for awhile, but they are easy for me to get bored with.

To those of you not posting links, fuck you.  Here's a short list off the top of my head of stuff I've enjoyed this year.

The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UX0p7uAW2s)
The Ting Tings - Shut Up And Let Me Go (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StP-yIQeT2o&feature=related)

Panic At The Disco - Nine In The Afternoon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCto3PCn8wo)
Panic At The Disco - That Green Gentleman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f3K2sEHuIM&feature=channel)

The Kooks - Shine On (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOHCmr8shWc)
The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln_qHyGD9zo)

Old 97s - Dance With Me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDDyD0Hj5n0)  (this one is far from my favorite song on the album, but the video is pretty cool)

Katy Perry - Hot N Cold (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5CD7-nduP8)  (I don't want to like it, honest I don't!)

Turns out a lot of the music I liked this year came from late 2007 or the list would be longer.

You will not find a bigger Old 97's fan at this site than me ... But I must say, I'm not really feeling the new stuff. Sounds more like Rhett's solo moves into pop. He still has the misery and all of that, but I miss the scuzz. That is one hell of a band that should have gotten a break with popular music videos and stuff long ago. Too Far to Care (1997) is an excellent album.

sgt. - Stylus Fantasticus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFJxW-R107Y)
These guys are pretty crazy eclectic, mixing jazz action into some pretty intense post-rock.

Ayreon - 01011001 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRy0jpkGYY8)
Arjen Lucassen pulls in favours from every metal musician of note ever. This is his seventh album, all about the unvierse and the dawn of time and stuff. Very proggy metal.

School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuKlw5l9BM8)
This was apparently formed by a member of Secret Machines, which means not much to me but might tell you something. It's electronicky and fuzzy and I like it a lot.

Black Mountain - In the Future (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxOh2-g80vk)
I love the blues influences this band brings to their grungy (not grunge) rock. Sometimes I think they are like Led Zeppelin returned but only sort of. Either way they're a lot of fun to listen to and really get into their music.

More to come later. 2008 was a good year for music.  :drill:

I saw the Old 97s play a free show in Pittsburgh a few months ago and Rhett Miller did a pretty good job of summing up his songwriting: love sucks, it's phony and he hates it.

fantastic album, still prefer focus, but a great album.   
However, DEP exists in a very different universe from Cynic.  For what its worth due to their roots Cynic is generally considered death metal.. which yeah, i know... i know.

Have you checked out Enslaved's new album Vertebra?  While it doesn't sound like Cynic, for the pasts few albums they have been introducing more and more elemants of Pink Floyd in a very good way.


Didn't get into it that much, but absolutely love Testament's release this year.

For me the top releases this year have been (no linkeys, at work)

Origin - Antithesis  (John Longstreth is simply a drumming god)
Torche - Meanderthal
Jesu EP - Why are we not perfect
Hail of Bullets - Of Frost and War (Death metal the way it was meant to be played)
Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Russian Circles - Station (my god this trio is amazing live, if you like Isis, Red Sparrows, or Tool you should check them out)

I think I've come across a little bit, but I'll check it out again. Thanks.


Heh. Yeah.. *sigh* Probably bad for my health to listen to that guy... but he always does it so well.

I was really hoping to get more out of this thread.  Come on guys!

Murder by Death's album Red Of Tooth And Claw was my personal favorite of this year. I don't want to get banned for linking to a myspace page, but Murder by Death's page has the entire album up to listen to (as well as thier previous 3 albums).

I hate trying to label a band that doesn't fit easily into one genre, but the terms alt-country, or "country gothic" seem to get used often to describe them.

Liiink iiiiiiittt.  Seriously.

Also, I listened to country gothic 20 years ago (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=twLp9bChmIY) :D

Can't find a tube to my favorite song of Buddy's new album, so I'll just post a recent clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcal8jBYTHA The man is 73 goddamned years old. Nice full circle in this clip, since he was a huge influence on Jimi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg_D6barsag That clip also gives a vibe of his live shows, which are so much fun.

Here's Susan this year doing a tune from her new album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOtUzj8xI-0 Same outfit she wore when I saw her from the front row this year, it was transcendental watching this beautiful woman in high heels and evening dress rip the shit out of a guitar solo and belt her amazing vocals. And my favorite song of hers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5WqPSDvjoA

I may have a major thing for Susan.

So anyways, there are some links for my previous post.

Forgot that myspace is blocked at work, had to wait till I got home.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=2317389 (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=2317389)

Seconding the Torche love. I just recently became acquainted with them, with Meanderthal, and like them very much (check out Parts & Labor below). Here is the second part of the post I never finished.

Klimt 1918 - Just In Case We'll Never Meet Again (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VawSHadukms)
This album was made by a couple of Italian death metal guys, which is sort of surprising because it does not include any yelling or screaming. It's just good riffy indie rock that's heavy on the guitars, best listened to at high volume.

Parts & Labor - Recievers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSVFOGCqeQw)
I think this is what the music of ten years from now will sound like. Noise rock with computer sounds, almost chiptuney, with, again, riffy guitars and catchy hooks. Very cool.

M83 - Saturdays = Youth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Pg-2LP76g)
I'm not sure how to describe this, but I think it might best be described as an Impressionist painting about the summer, done on the computer. Which is of course a bad description, but give this a listen, it's marvellous.

Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onQVSiDe57o)
Scottish post-rock. Dynamic and catchy as fuck but never boring. Every song on this album has the capability to get stuck in my head for a period no shorter than 24 hours. My favorite Mogwai album yet.

Gojira - The Way of All Flesh (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xEYz74bMHA)
After making an album about whales from space and how the planet is going to die these French death metal folks have decided to tone the theme down a bit and just sing about life and death. This is just about the only death metal I can listen to because the production doesn't suck ass and it's compositionally quite interesting.

Opeth - Watershed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQlTFr1vy1o)
After replacing their lead guitarist they haven't really lost any of their awesome. In addition to their great bluegrass-influenced metal there is some pretty quirky shit going on here, and it's really fun to listen to.

So after driving around the city for a few hours unsuccessfully trying to find a store that sells Ladyhawke, it turns out that the album itself isn't being released in the US until next month.  Super.

Just get it from Amazon.

The new Ohgr (http://www.myspace.com/bigohgr) is really fucking good.  After a week of listening I'm ready to call it my album of the year, perhaps album of the damn millennium. 

I must be getting old.

Yeah. I listened to the sample songs on that And I was WTF? Random noise with some guy ranting about niggers or something? If you want to call it a form of poetry, fine, but music? Not on your life.

I've only purchased one really new album (I've bought quite a few Compilation albums and second hand stuff) this year - Sarah Brightman's "Symphony" The rest of the album is ok but the first song completely blew me away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asnv69MrS5c

 :awesome_for_real:

I'm old too.  You guys just have shitty taste!  Wheee!

There's no accounting for taste. That's why I try not to remark on the garbage that tends to get posted in these kinds of threads.  :why_so_serious:

I'm all about the New Kanye, Britney, and GnR CDs.  They're better than everything else listed here.

[/color]

fify

I can't believe nobody has finally siezed the chance to use  :geezer: here

Ookii isn't kidding, he just has shit taste in music.

The rare occasion where you and I agree on musical taste? He has to have been kidding.

He's not.

I can believe this.

Ladyhawke does everything they do -- at the same time.  :grin: And is hotter than Britney in some kind of strange 80's tomboy delinquent way.

So kidding!  Those three CDs right there are the trifecta of shit.

Let's not talk about Schild's horrible musical preferences.

That's change I can believe in!

I'll defend Schild here and say that he has pretty good, eclectic taste. Especially for a non-musician.

I can't be suspicious of anyone whose contribution to this thread was Gnarles Barkley.

Daddy's Gone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uSdQxKaBfU) - Glasvegas. They couldn't play instruments a few months ago (see drummer in the live version (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scHAGj1PXOM)). But the sound is epic.

If you like 80s revivalism you might wanna check out Ladytron (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yaEwcmrR4Q&feature=channel)

Portishead - Third (video: The Rip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPJJSCFdVd0))

Burnt Friedman & Jaki Liebezeit - Secret Rhythms 3 (video: live stuff clipped together (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ojMh-tWIE))

No-man - Schoolyard Ghosts (video: Truenorth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkDOXuGtB_o))

Meshuggah - obZen (video:Bleed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc98u-eGzlc))

Chase & Status - More Than A Lot (video: Pieces (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A92qgDSFsGE))

I put both Radiohead's In Rainbows and Fish's 13th Star in my 2007 lists because the special editions were available from the artists last year. Both had their general releases in 2008. This year, Steven Wilson released his first solo album under his own name in a lavish special edition. The general release will be next year. It's a good album

Steven Wilson - Insurgentes (video: Harmony Korine (excerpt) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krtkPF1OpOU))

Always liked em. A hallmark of my "Fembot" mix tape. For fembots. :roll: 8-)

Actually I dig their stuff but admittedly haven't listened to them anywhere but the internet, more M83 for the uninitiated I love driving/travelling with this blaring M83 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_zL2_rcTMg&feature=related) or M83 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQEE6mwOlr8) seriosly awesome band.

Youtube recommended this from the Ladytron link:

Uh Huh Her - Explode (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSJI0o7T4sk&feature=channel)

Couldn't find any info on Wikpedia because it's also the name of a PJ Harvey album, but they're apparently British?

OMG Ladyhawke!!! There's monters in ur house!

P.S. I love you.

I need to stop clicking on this thread.  :oh_i_see:

He's quoting me from the very first post here.

She's cool. Plays a Tele. I could only hope to write a song like that.

I was going to see Ladyhawke this weekend at the NeverEverLand gig, but the line-up has been slashed in half and I really hate the venue. For Muscles, Ladyhawke, Tame Impala et al I would have made the trip; for Ladyhawke (who is on first anyway) it just isn't worth it.

Interesting news on the FNM reunion, but Patton doesn't need the work, Roddy's been doing other musical arranging / Imperial Teen, Puffy is (still?) Black Sabbath's tour drummer and Billy is a music producer. I'd love to see them once live, but I don't think any of them are desperate to get back together (and who'd be the guitarist, anyway?).

Fantomas is out for the Big Day Out, so I'll probably see them there.

Also, I probably should come back to this thread when Triple J does their Hottest 100. It's a good way to remember what came out the previous year.

I've heard Patton mention before that he stopped being interested in FNM pretty early on. Standard rock forms bore him or something. He only did that Peeping Tom album, poppy as it was, because it was a different form of pop (y'know, with more grooves and danceability to it), and he felt like experimenting with that.

Of possible interest:

http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/the_best_music_of_2008

The only one from that list that I went out to get a hard copy of was Third, from Portishead. Everything else I bought this year was single tracks through iTunes. The Gaslight Anthem & TV on The Radio sounded alright.


Nothing wrong with talking shit. Just don't let the dingles get caught in your beard.

Didn't know American Music Club had a new album. A cool band.. sometimes. Dreary, somber, elongated shit for the most part though. Just like some other stuff on that list (not all). Especially Sigur Ros.

I just want to put it in this thread: MGMT sucks.

I *discovered* P!nk only recently  :awesome_for_real:  For pop/dance whatever they call it this is catchy as fuck... and yea after reading about her on Wiki I realize I am about 10 years and 23 million albums sold late to the party.

So What  http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=RXfO09me3v4&feature=related

Ghengis Tron's Album Board up the House is one of the best this year.  http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=GMJWgInNEfQ&feature=related  not sure what you call this Daft Punk meets Grindcore?

Drive By Truckers - do yourself a favor see this band live if you get the chance. http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=vWGOvToxNXY

Not sure how I feel about Ladyhawke... I keep thinking of Liz Phair back in the 90s when i listen to her

PINK?

Are you kidding?

Fuck, man. Just fuck.

Exactly my thoughts.  Who the hell couldn't get away from that lame "get the party started" song she did several years back?  I don't even listen to the radio to know new songs yet I still couldn't get away from it.  I've disliked her ever since.

Deeds of Flesh's new album is pretty insane for those who like technical death metal.  Blows Cryptopsy out of the water IMO.  Exhausting as hell and sometimes cheesy but often fascinating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SwhGYvZLkQ&feature=related

This.

I find I'm liking Girl Talk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Talk_(musician)) a hell of a lot.

I bask in all of your love. I can babble on and on about underground metal, but somewhere along the way between not owning a television or listening to commercial radio i missed the Pink train.  Though I do remember "get this party started"

To add fuel to the fire I like Aqua and just picked up their two albums used  :drillf:

In effort to build up some street cred, here is my most anticipated album for 2009

Dälek - Gutter Tactics
Some preview tracks here:  http://www.myspace.com/dalek

Trias_e  if you like Deeds of Flesh, have you checked out Brain drill?  cover art is pretty 3rd grade stuff  but if fast and technical is your thing this was a nice 2008 release  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wJF1Z4SNRU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyTQlZt98Tw&feature=related

edit


oh fuck yes, thank you, thank you... never heard this before and love it.

Here's what I'm rockin in my truck: http://www.amazon.com/Swingin-Christmas-Tony-Bennett/dp/B001EYGOG0

That, another Bennett xmas album and a couple Setzer xmas albums. But the new one really swings, and it came out in 2008, so it counts for the thread!

Guilt-free feelgood twee from a couple with indie cred:

Get Better (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdoYK9jOltQ) - Mates of State
My Only Offer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeVfiJ-ea6Y) - Mates of State

Ok I think I am getting in touch with my inner Furry. I  Like the music and I am digging bunny woman big time.

Liking them on stage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37wftYijUSQ) and backstage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL-NrDlQKao).

Fuck, I missed these dudes.

Go, go Aussie land. Lot of cool electro outfits coming out of there recently.

Presets (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8di8L2I2Hk)


[edit[ Should add Miss Kittin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cRDEHnD3Bs) too. I think I'm finally a dance fan (hah).. She somehow taps into the irony that Peter Murphy and other goth punks had back in the day. Love it. So many others try to be "dark" with dance, but they just come off like Rob Zombie or Reznor emo wannabes (and only Reznor can only off emo in a good way).

Her Frank Sinatra track from several years ago is still one of my favorites.

Yeah, I wasn't familiar with it until much later. It's hilarious.

I will say one thing about a lot of new wave-like/electronic/pop shit -- a lot of it is crap. Schild mentioned MGMT - I guess they're one of them. I don't like anything too steeped in disco-y shit like that. Fuck their funny tight pants, their vintage Nike Terminators, and (admittedly) impressive break dance routines, and basically being some pasty ass hipster nerd who thinks he's Rick James. I'm not down with it.

Probably a great majority of this stuff is like that.

The second category is almost as bad -- bands who are reenacting the look of Kraftwerk. Trying to win a staring contest or some shit. Fuck them. Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, et al

Yeah, those bands have good songs, but still....

The look of Kraftwerk without the sound. Common, unfortunately.

If you want to get on the way far side of nerdy, you could track down some S.P.O.C.K. I'd explain it but a full neckbeard would burst from my face and I just can't have that.

Pretty good, thanks!

Great! Thanks for this!

Edit: I guess I should mention some stuff I found this year that I enjoy.

Both are space music.
Deepspace (http://www.last.fm/music/Deepspace)
AlienHand (http://www.alienhand.dk/)(Website is down ATM)

Triple J is doing its annual Hottest 100 - best 100 tracks from the previous year. (http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100/)

Australian focused, obviously, but the suggested voting list (http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100/downloads/hottest100list_track.pdf) is a good way to look back over some of the tracks from 2008.

I think Kings of Leon "Sex on Fire" is going to come in at #1 this year... and I really don't like Kings of Leon.

I don't like them either. Firstly, for actually writing a song called Sex on Fire. And being serious about it, instead of going full on Warrant Cherry Pie. What a waste of a sleazy song title.  :roll: :-P

Seriously though.. .. umm.. Well, they seem like an "indie rock" version of Candlebox or Collective Soul or some shit (i.e. "bandwagoners"). Something tells me that they wouldn't even sound like they do if the Strokes never came around. They'd be covering Michael McDonald songs or something.

Just heard the new GnR song, "Better". 

Wow.  That sucked.

the album is soso.  If you tell yourself hey this is some random new bands album then it is ok.  If you tell yourself this album cost over 13 million dollars to make, took more than a decade to record, and this is the same *band* that recorded Appetite for Destruction.... it blows rabid peruvian mountain goats.

I still haven't heard any of it. The main complaint I hear is that Axl lost his voice, and can't do the high screams anymore. Which makes them not exactly GnR.


I'm pretty sure Slash is fine though.

Only if Ween and David Bowie having a sexah lovechild sucks.  :drillf:

Dear Science is a fantastic album, The Odd Couple is amazing too. I really like In Ear Park by Department of Eagles, but a track from it was on Gossip Girl last night so they're on the verge of being dead to me.

Slash is fine, you just won't find him on this recording.  The guitars on the album are mainly Buckethead, and some guy name Bumblefoot.  And yeah, decades ago a singing friend told me that one thing that annoyed him about Axl's singing was that he was abusing his voice and using poor vocal technique which would result in Axl losing his voice.  Hmm, as I remember he also said Bono was doing the same, don't listen to U2 but i have heard people mention he can't hit the highs he once did.

Dude, don't even use Bowie's name here.

I can see the Ween comparison though.


Oh? This is one of those GnR reunion deals without Slash? I figured with the press it got, he was a part of it. Shows how much I know. How is this any more significant than Axl's solo career then? I mean, Buckethead is cool and all, but..

[edit] A lot of rock singers do that to themselves, unfortunately. Either that, or smoking gets to them (sometimes smoking seems to work out for the better though, oddly).

Apparently it does. Ween? REALLY? Comeon.

No, it's Axl Rose and no other members who were on any other recording. Even Duff McKagan left a decade ago. Do try and keep up. Hell, most of the musicians on the album aren't even in the band any more. Buckethead left five years ago.

Bono's voice is fine. During the Rattle & Hum period he damaged his voice due to poor technique, over-exertion and performing while he had throat infections. However its now actually better than it ever used to be and he has more control over his full range. That's what expensive vocal coaching will do. Of course, back when he was belting out that raw sound in the early days, U2 were writing more interesting songs. Glad I got to see them on the Boy & October tours before they became mega-huge.

Well, what the hell.. Why all the hubbub then. It's just a band with a voice stressed Axl Rose basically?


I don't think Bono's the best example of a weakened singer either -- he might have sounded higher and more youthful or something, I guess.. like in Sunday Bloody Sunday.. but being youthful is only natural. I mean, he was younger.

Chris Cornell is a better example of a singer who's been weakened. He's still a cooler singer than many, I think, but not as cool as Chris Cornell himself. Heh. He croons far more than he used to.

Crooning a lot when you didn't is probably the first sign that a singer is hurt.

Strangely though, Iggy, Cave, and Bowie croon more and more as time goes by, and just sound cooler with age.

Yes. But at least it manages to scrape into second last position for heavy-rock comeback albums this year compared to Metallica's Death Magnetic. And They don't have that excuse. On the other hand they probably spent two hours and fifty dollars making their heap of shit, not ten years and 20 million dollars.

Don't say I didn't warn you. (http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=gnr%20better&rls=com.microsoft:*&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv#)

Well the song sucks, but his voice isn't bad as I thought. Still Axl, just chilled out, like he was on Mr Brownstone.

I've listened to the previews of Death Magnetic, it's just not doing anything for me. And I don't get the shit people give to St. Anger, I think it's the best Metallica album since ...And Justice. So much rage and tension. The guitars were just mean, James was passionate and the drums were actually interesting. I do like the snare sound, though.

Lazy drummers bum me out. Lars seems like he took a few albums off in the 90s and was playing almost straight rock beats. Same thing happened in Korn, David was a great drummer for the first album or two, and then that was it. Just shitty lame beats forever after.

People give St. Anger shit for two reasons.  No Kirk solos at all and the lazy boring drumming is front and center on almost all the tracks, drowning out the vocals and guitars entirely.   You could have called the album Lars Ulrich and a few other guys play a drum kit.

I've enjoyed DM because there's some good songs on there.  Unforgiven III sings to me and where I'm at in life and Suicide & Redemption is a pretty good instrumental. All Nightmare Long is a really catchy tune that pulls me in for the duration, unlike the Day That Never Comes which loses me about 2/3 of the way through when it changes.  Cyanide is pretty strong musically but piss poor on the lyrics which really breaks the whole song for me.

 Too bad they chose to release the latter two instead of some of the other tracks.

Its hard to believe that Ulrich is the same guy that played drums on Ride The Lightning. Its not just lazy drumming, he's apparently lost all feel and technique, and there are parts of the last two albums where his timing is off and they didn't even bother to do a second take. I assume he's on some form of narcotic drug, and that the band and their producers are so confident that people will buy anything with Metallica's name on it that they just don't care what he sounds like.

There's something about becoming a collector of fine art that sort of ruins the Metal.

There was an interview with Lars I saw back sometime around S&M's release where they were talking about how he had to play some of the old songs again.  His comment at the time was he was listening to Lightning and Justice and couldn't believe he had ever played that fast and wasn't able to replicate it.

I'd put part of it down to drugs and alcohol allowing him to ignore pain, another part down to giving up on being as in-shape as a tennis player would have been and part of it down as just being too damn old now.

I cut several demo tapes back in the 80's with three different working bands.  Most of it I can't even come close to replicating today.  Youth, amphetamines, and playing a lot are a powerful combination. 

The album is terrible if you are expecting a GNR album, because without Slash, it's just not Guns and Roses. The songwriting is pretty pedestrian. It really is mediocre as a random album, but horrible as a GNR piece that we've waited a decade for.

EDIT: As for Metallica, I fucking hate St. Anger. Not only does it not sound like Metallica, it sounds like shit. The drum production is so overpowering, the songs are uninteresting and the guitar playing is boring. The songs just seem to drone on and on with no fucking point. Death Magnetic is MUCH better than anything they've produced since And Justice, and that includes the black album, which I always felt was rather mediocre.

If only it were just age and fitness though. It would be stupid for me to compare Ulrich to great octogenarian jazz drummers because he was never anything truly special, but there are plenty of decent metal drummers who are well past their prime - at least a decade older - who can't match the speed of their youth but who don't hit the toms like they're tenderizing meat or lose track of their own timing. Most of them "cheat" by using double-kick and double triple-kick pedals and similar tools to keep some of the speed, but most don't have any problem maintaining accents on the toms. At this point, were I to pick a drummer from the Metallica members, Ulrich would be my last choice. Certainly most bass players would do a better job with a couple of hours to get used to a kit. I'd rather listen to a Roland TR-808 than Ulrich today.

This is strange. I don't see Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder God mentioned even once in this thread. I'm confused and a little sad.

Shitty MySpace, but hey, it works! (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=6805476)

I expect the vocalist, Hegg, to be fully mute by the time he turns 40.

And yeah, Ulrich never was much of a drummer, on any album. But mass exposure and fanboys certainly seem to have earned him some additional credit.

Yes.  The C# tuning is about as interesting as it gets, and tons of other bands have written catchier and more memorable songs than anything on St. Anger.  I dislike the snare sound personally, but can appreciate it for what it is on a good album it works with (not this album in my opinion).  But then I never was a rabid Metallica fan nor have I been a semi-serious fan of them in well over a decade and a half, so my opinion may not count to some people.

As far as metal drummers not aging well, Dave Lombardo is still going after almost 30 years and is still pretty damn impressive.  All of the others I can think of have either accepted their age and adjused accordingly or haven't recorded anything in a while for me to judge.

Mikkey Dee of Motorhead is 45 - the same age as Ulrich, was always much faster and is still as astonishingly fast as he ever was. Though for the award of "absurdly fit for their age" I'd consider Nicko McBrain, 54 of Iron Maiden. He still won't use a double-kick pedal, and he doesn't appear to have slowed down at all. Of course, he's fucking sensational, way beyond the level of ability of most metal drummers. Here's hoping Tomas Haake can keep going at least as long because he's just amazing.

I was given Death Magnetic for Christmas and have been listening to it while I drive, etc. to let it sink in. It's not the old stuff, but they aren't the old band. That's just how it is and I can accept that. I don't like most of their work over the last decade, but I didn't let that taint the new CD's chance with me.

In my personal view, it's a very good CD for Metallica at their current age. The songs are good, and I get some of them stuck in my head, and for the first time in 20 years they are playing something that I'm considering picking up a guitar to learn. Just for the fun of it. They haven't done anything like for me since ...and Justice.

I give it a passing grade. Even if they are showing signs of age and the pleasures that wealth brings.

After those two albums, he has only ever played the same beats for years now.

The best part about Mikkey Dee is that he goes in, learns his drum tracks in a day, and lays them all down in a few hours.  Then reproduces them with considerably more energy live than on the record.  Quite amazing when you hear about some bands spending months getting tracks laid down.

Nicko is in a class all of his own, no doubt.

I'm in no way saying Lars is good or has an excuse, I'm just postulating.   I've always been of the opinion that if you were listening to Metallica for the drums you were doing it wrong.  There's a reason they never had extended drum solos like they did Kirk's guitar solos, and you all have covered them.   I accept his mediocre presence because I know "the band" was always him and James and they (or at least Lars) have only seen Kirk and Bassist_of_the_year as filler.  Which is stupid in its own right.

Oh you had to bring up bassists. It reminded me of Sunn O)))'s drone 'interpretation' of For Whom The Bells Toll, entitled "F.W.T.B.T. (I Dream of Lars Ulrich Being Thrown Through the Bus Window Instead of My Mystikal Master Kliff Burton) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGHPRapeyko)". Unkind, but amusing.

I don't really like the new Metallica stuff either, but there's something about all of those later albums where I can kind of dig the direction they're going for (kind of a slower tempo biker metal thing, i guess), but they haven't executed it nearly as well as they did their old stuff. They were popular back in the day, even as a metal band, because they had so many hooks. And that's pretty much all their lacking now. The change is sound is nothing I'll complain about though.

The Abigail band is one of my favorites from the day, though I do favor the original Mercyful Fate lineup. Nicko is also consistently amazing, the first of our two 'main' drummers favored the single foot method. And let's not forget ye olde Dave Lombardo!

On Metallica, another strike against them would be replacing an amazingly talented and visionary bass player with a fucking douchebag who plays crappy metal with a pick. Then again, perfect fit for Lars. Maybe if they can rediscover the passion James put into St Anger, having Trujillo around might revive them some. Then again, I had pretty high hopes for that with this new album, given Trujillo + Rubin. Maybe I'm most disappointed by Rubin for greenlighting so much of that and not kicking Lars' ass.

Well, they didn't exactly "replace" said visionary bass player.

Newstead was pretty mediocre though. But.. I came to the conclusion that they just didn't want much of a real band member.. someone who wouldn't assert themselves much. And perhaps, by doing so, they also limited themselves to mediocre bass players. He happened to be the pick of the litter.

Then he asserted himself anyways, and got booted.

How could you tell?  It's not like he was ever in the mix enough to hear!  Might as well have just not had his amp turned on =P

Sadly, that's the case for most metal. But you can kind of tell when a bass player has some decent chops within metal structures/production.. the odd fill-in will sneak through. The lesser talented bass players are lost in the mix because they're also just choosing to follow root notes.

And then, when you do get a few glimpses of his bass coming out front, it's not mind blowing or anything. Just a simple arpeggio run here and there.

I thought Newstead was a decent bass player, but yeah, after And Justice, they didn't really let him out of his cage. Justice had enough songs written by Burton to bring him in the mix a bit more, but after... not so much. Of course, Bob Rock's playing on St. Anger DEFINES phoning it in.

Listening to Suicide & Redemption off of DM today I paid closer attention to the bass line.  Trjullio isn't exactly stellar in regards to playing anything other than a mirror of the rythm track himself.  This is an instrumental where there's several bits that its just Bassline and all we get is a constant repetiton of the same chords and beats as if he's the band's metronome... something the drums are more than capable of doing, and is all Lars has done for a while anyway.  Methinks it's a symptom of the band leadership more than the bassist themselves.

If that's the case, then it is the band leadership. Because Trujillo funked it up in Infectious quite a bit. link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RufhnThbX8g).

[edit] I actually haven't listened to that in a looonnng time.  :grin:

Wow, I haven't heard that in ages, either. Brings back a lot of memories of living on the west coast in that period. There were /so/ many slap players back then, which was actually cool for a more Cliff-style guy like myself.

I agree with the band leadership thing, there's not really much doubt there. But Cliff's stuff speaks for itself, and I've seen both Newsted and Trujillo play and there's no contest as to which is the better bassist imo.

What makes me angry: Hillary Duff sampling "Personal Jesus" for her song (http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=F9bR3_OHv6c&feature=related).

I wouldn't have minded if it was a good song. It really isn't.

At what point does sampling turn into an indicator that you have no creativity?

What does Diddy do?

She seems to be doing the Britney thing now. The end is near.

Fuck's sake, you can't even call that a new song. It's just "Personal Jesus" with bad mixing and new, shitty lyrics.

I hear what you're saying, but Personal Jesus was more than just those parts looping over and over and over. However, there's more Depeche Mode than new content in it. We're past the age of 'sampling' at this point - this is the sort of suck that is a product of the 'mash up' generation. It can all go to hell along with Kid Rock.

There was some goddamned mashup on tv the other night. Somehow I've avoided that particular brand of stink up until now. Go pick up a guitar, kid.

I think there's an art to sampling.. especially scratching.. but mashups aren't really it.

I'm gonna dip my toe into this pool, though I have to admit most of the prevailing taste around here is.... not shared by me, to put it nicely.

The second Cold War Kids album was good, I thought. The songwriting got a lot better from their first album, maybe at the expense of slowing/dulling down their sound a little. Also loved Portishead's Third (well... probably half of it). Honorable mentions for something fun and unexpected to Flobots, Gogol Bordello (oops, this came out in '05), and Delta Spirit.

The stuff that I really liked this year, though, was old. Otis Redding Live in Paris and London is a freaking fantastic album. And the Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall is also awesome... and I can't understand a single word of Spanish.

Looking at my music library sorted by year, I'm starting to see 2007 was way way waaaaaaaay better. Or maybe I still have to get through catching up with '08 releases.

I would agree.. But then, most of the great stuff of 2007 for me were undiscovered gems that I didn't catch in 2007. Perhaps it'll be the case for 2008 as well. In fact, a lot of new shit I'm digging is from early 2008... I just didn't hear about it then.

I totally agree: I really do think that 2007 had a better lineup than 2008.  It happens: for every 1991 you're going to get a 1990 (don't say "wah wah what about Ritual de la Habitual/Rust in Peace/Bona Drag/Stone Roses/Heaven or Las Vegas?" as every year has some good stuff in it...).

1990 worked for me, probably more so than 1991. At least that's what the essential albums in my online iTunes library suggest.

However, I'd agree that 2007 was stronger than 2008 for me too. 2008 started out much better then it ended. But sometimes its like this just after a year has passed - I found half my favorites from 2007 in 2008 anyhow - particularly the less well-known ones. Maybe there's a heap of 2008 gems that I still haven't heard.

We voted for change, Pop Champagne. (http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/audio/id.6077/title.ron-browz-f-busta-rhymes-pop-champagne-for-obama)

Flobots was '07, so take that one off your short '08 list :( I do think your description of 'fun and unexpected' is spot on for them though. Some songs on Fight with Tools were just great, and I enjoyed Platypus. Hopefully they stay around a while.

And I think I'm mostly in your area of differing taste with the majority on these boards. But it's also fun going through this thread as I'll probably listen to a couple of the songs and maybe find something new I do like.

For 2007 vs 2008:
Overall, I agree that '07 was much much better then '08 but I don't think 2008 was bad. Most notables in 2008 in my opinion would be the latest from Rise Against, Offspring, Apocalyptica, Floggin Molly, One Day as a Lion (fuck yes Zack De La Rocha), and Weezer. So with these bands, along with many others, I can't call 2008 a bad year. I just think of it as not a better year compared to 2007.

2007, in addition to about 15+ good to great albums, has produced two of my favorite side projects of recent years. Those being the first Puscifer studio album and The Night Watchman. You know it's a good year when Maynard gives you an album, I don't think anything else needs to be said about Puscifer. The Night Watchman, which is fucking amazing to see live, was just something I really enjoyed. Tom Morrello + friends, and yes, there are lots of friends, just bring nothing but a great time. He brings enough friends to have both a folk show and a rock show at the shows he put on during the "Just Tour", all for $10 dollars aka "The people's price". If only One Day as a Lion snuck into 2007 so I could feel good dubbing this the Year of the Side Project, oh well.

I really liked bon iver's album this year. Not that much into a lot of indie rock like I used to, but I thought that album was pretty neat. Then I found out it was absurdly popular too and I felt a bit deflated.

I just now realized that Hillary Duff and Miley Cyrus aren't the same person.

Speaking of side projects, my hope is that Maynard James Keenan will make good on his hints and record a new A Perfect Circle album this year.  Also speculative would be Team Sleep's second album, supposedly already underway, but given how long the last one took to record, I'm prepared to have to wait to the end of the decade for that, too.

I didn't see it mentioned anywhere, but to I had a little surprise in that I really really began to like Volbeat by the end of '08.
And that although I normaly am more of an electronic/downbeat guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90mYNqZ1XY4

I heard about the A Perfect Circle album that is due out as well, I'm anxiously awaiting that one. I did hear it was just going to be a few tracks at a time via itunes and other internet sites. Can't remember exactly, but it was something along those lines. I didn't hear about Team Sleep's upcoming album though. So at least there are 2 albums to look forward to. Going back to One Day as a Lion, their album was due last fall and it's still not out. So here's hoping for a 2009 release.

Any other decent side projects due this year? WTB a 20 year younger Al Jourgensen so there is always a side project, somewhere!

Fuck, why didn't I hear that One Day as a Lion was Zack from Rage and the drummer from Mars Volta? I am so out of touch with music.

It's really the one good thing about just streaming music at work instead of listening to CDs, otherwise I'd probably still be about 10 years behind the times. Although for some of the bands that don't age well, that might be a good thing.


Just heard something on the radio reminding me to at least mention them, that being The Airborne Toxic Event (the song that is playing on radio stations now is probably a bit too slow for most around here as it would seem) and Anberlin.

Now that I think about it, maybe the music thread should follow in the footsteps of the 'What Are You Playing Now' thread and instead of doing a last minute/end of the year type of thread, do an up to date contribution in the way of 'What are you listening to now' type of thread? Maybe follow up with a 'Best of Year 20xx" thread? Even though it is fun to try to remember what I listened to 12 months ago, when I can actually remember those that I enjoyed that is.

I've been listening to An Anthology of Big Band Swing (http://www.amazon.com/Anthology-Big-Band-Swing-1930-1955/dp/B000003N3T) in the kitchen and Live in Boston v1 (http://www.amazon.com/Live-Boston-Dig-Fleetwood-Mac/dp/B00007FZGA) by Fleetwood Mac (the real mac, not the rumors crap :)) in the truck. Actually I think I just jumped over to one of my Basie or Jelly Roll discs.

Today at work was Freddie King, then Thorogood, then a bunch of preview stuff on amazon.

Although it's a waste of a post since nobody listens to much stuff that I do.

If we want to take a democratic spin on things, Last.FM says Coldplay's was the best album of the year, and MGMT was the best new band of the year.

http://www.last.fm/bestof/2008/album/1

http://www.last.fm/bestof/2008/artist/1

There are some good mashups, but there are a hell of a lot of lazy ones. Most of 2 many djs are good, as is Girltalk.

The Duff "Personal Jesus" isn't a mashup, it's low creativity based on a good (or: well known and catchy) sample. A number of pop girls are doing it - Rhianna did one to Tainted Love which sold huge numbers.

The people who rated their albums on rateyourmusic.com disagree:

http://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/2008

No more 'valid' but it'll give you a different view because it tallies votes and then applies a weighting rather than simply counting listens.

Metacritic says... http://www.metacritic.com/music/bests/2008.shtml

1     Welcome To Mali by Amadou & Mariam
2     London Zoo by The Bug
3     Fed by Plush
4     Dear Science, by TV On The Radio
5     Exit by Shugo Tokumaru
6     For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver
7     Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes
8     Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
9     Hercules And Love Affair by Hercules And Love Affair
10     Sugar Mountain: Live At Canterbury House 1968 by Neil Young

One of the main Chicago station's does what's called 16 years in 16 days during the holidays. If i remember right, it's not based on sales, but rather listener requests for the year. Here's the link to the 16 years and the downloadable playlists.

WARNING THOSE AT WORK: Upon loading this page there is sound, so those at work be warned if not allowed to browse/need to turn down speakers
http://www.q101.com/16Years/index.aspx

Their top 10 for 2008 is as follows:
10 Staind Believe 
9 Offspring You're Gonna Go Far, Kid 
8 Foo Fighters Let It Die 
7 Kings Of Leon Sex On Fire 
6 Weezer Pork And Beans 
5 Metallica The Day That Never Comes 
4 Avenged Sevenfold Afterlife 
3 Linkin Park Given Up 
2 Apocalyptica I'm Not Jesus 
1 Disturbed Inside The Fire 

It's definitely great to have this during the holidays as it's like a trip down memory lane of music for the last 16 years. Check out some of the older years as well, good times when you see certain songs and sit in awe of A) how great that song was B) how shitty your taste in music was a few years back

That list makes me seriously sad.  I've been old for too long.  Damn kids.

Being sad over that list isn't showing your age, it's showing how crappy their list for 2008 is. I really enjoyed 2, kind of 3, songs on it. The rest of it truly is crap and doesn't really represent 2008 as well as it could have been. But, that's what you get when it's done by "most requested". Sadly it's about the best thing I get to listen to for about 9-12 hours per day and believe I've grown accustomed to it. Fuck

I like a good few of the tracks on that list, but only the Kings Of Leon one seems to be arguably top-tennish.

Anyway, for a slightly more leftfield list, here are Andrew Womack's top ten albums of the year (http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/albums_of_the_year/the_top_10_albums_of_2008.php).  His taste in music matches mine startlingly precisely, so I will pick up some of the ones I'm missing from this.  The fun thing for me (on a personal level) about his older lists through the 80's, for instance, is that he was in the US listening to awful hair metal at the time, and I was in the UK listening to the stuff that he later discovered.  Yet his later rediscovery matches tons of albums in the top tens that I, as a little geek, kept in my diary in the later 80s.

(That said, how can he put New Order's Technique above The Stone Roses, Paul's Boutique and Disintegration?  Just take that number one out entirely and insert a new number ten (I'd stick the inimitable and easily mocked (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HgWp5Ee8JGg&feature=related) Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine's 101 Damnations (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aM__XvVDvH4) in there, myself), but De La Soul's 3 feet High and Rising or the Jesus and Mary Chain's Automatic would work.  Off Topic section ends.)

I went to a barber to get a haircut. Some music is playing on the background that catches my ear, so I ask the girl who's doing my hair what it is:

Glasvegas - Geraldine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAEJBpoxeVY)

 :heart: it.

Yeah, decent band. They also did a pretty good type of doo-wop number last year. I guess it was a hit everywhere except the US. ???

Daddy's Gone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uSdQxKaBfU)

I called it - Triple J Hottest 100 results (http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100/#) (over 800k votes):

# #1 - Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
# #2 - MGMT - Electric Feel
# #3 - Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
# #4 - Empire of the Sun - Walking On A Dream
# #5 - MGMT - Kids
# #6 - The Presets - Talk Like That
# #7 - Pez - The Festival Song(feat. 360 and Hailey Cramer)
# #8 - The Presets - This Boy's In Love
# #9 - The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
# #10 - Drapht - Jimmy Recard

There aren't enough people in the world to make MGMT and The Ting Tings even passably worth listening to.

I've been listening to a lot of Gogol Bordello lately.

Think locally, fuck globally amirite?

Looks like the 1995 list.

I posted Glasvegas' "Daddy's Gone" a few pages back. Buy the album, it's amazing. Big sound, powerful songs on unusual topics, mostly scenes from a tough childhood in Glasgow - a parent's loss of a child, a social worker, a deadbeat dad, moonlight shining into a prison cell, fighting a bully, frustration with sectarianism, etc.

Behind the hype is an unusual band. Two brothers who hung around at their childhood friend Caroline's house, and they all decided to learn instruments. One brother writes the songs and sings, the other brother plays guitar, one of their mates plays bass, and Caroline stands up to play drums and looks like she can't play, but she never skips a beat.

Two other songs from the album:
Glasvegas - Flowers and Football Tops (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CFyP-nrlkg)
Glasvegas - Go Square Go (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gr2YrjWXZk) <=== EPIC WIN LIVE - the chorus at the end becomes "HERE WE, HERE WE, HERE WE FUCKING GO!" (imagine being in this crowd (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-4pojZ9zg8))

I could really see them, but I heard them live in 2008.  Way too much metal or whatever in this thread, do you still get cred for liking metal in Europe?  Gross.  Did appreciate a couple more best of 2008 links I hadn't looked over.

Your brain, it does not work properly.

Good metal is few and far between though, imo. New metal I mean. We just spent the last 10 years getting our ears raped by nu-metal shit everywhere, and I can only think of one band that was *sort of* in that vein, but also kicked ass: System of a Down. There is other cool shit like Meshuggah or that new Cynic album, I mentioned - but in a way, that's almost like musician's music. "Math metal".  :awesome_for_real: Otherwise, Europe just keeps cranking out silly black metal stuff that should, for the most part, be embarrassing to even listen to, let alone like.

Slipknot? Lamb of God? Avenged Sevenfold? Coheed and Cambria? Opeth? As I Lay Dying? In Flames? Trivium? Dragonforce? Gojira?

Nu-metal has been dead for a long time! There's still a bit more throating than singing for my tastes, but there's some fucking amazing metal getting waxed out there these days. Almost wish I was still a metalhead!

Slipknot? some ok..
Lamb of God? less, but still some ok...
Avenged Sevenfold? shit
Coheed and Cambria? never heard of
Opeth? awesome
As I Lay Dying? eh...
In Flames? never heard of...
Trivium? never heard of...
Dragonforce?  eh, guitar is cool in that "it sounds like nintendo games" sound, singing hurts my nuts.
Gojira?  never heard of...

i miss candiria...

My main gripe with modern metal is the singing. C'mon, ffs. I grew up with your Dio and your Tate and your Dickinson.

I also like Mastodon, forgot to mention them. Don't really like some of those bands you mentioned though.

I almost got in a fight with Slipknot!  :grin:

[edit] Or so people say.

I love Mastodon.  I saw them supporting Tool in Glasgow and they put on a great show, as well as being just weird enough to fit in.  Of course, I had a couple of their albums already by then.

This precisely.  I cannot stand almost every new band out there now, cookie monster and screaming gutterly is some of the most no-talent hack shit I've ever had to deal with.  I used to put up with it for the music and "le art" of it, but I'm too jaded and cynical to be pretentious enough to care anymore.  If you can't sing or at least make an attempt to be understood, you aren't doing it well enough for me.  Lemmy and Tom Araya can't sing, but they sure can be understood.

I'm still as anti-Slipknot as it gets ;-)  The rest of the bands you listed... half are great and the other half are kinda meh for me.  Something about As I Lay Dying, Avenged Sevenfold, Coheed and Cambria, and Lamb of God just doesn't gel for me.  I don't deny they have fans and decent moments, but I just can't be bothered to get any deeper than the 3-4 songs I've heard on satellite radio because it just isn't drawing me in.

Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" won the Grammy for best rock album. So congratulations Joe Satriani.