To our old hands…welcome back! There is time for speech
making, and this is not it. Tuck in!
I hope that everyone had a great
2011 and as I sit here and reflect on this past year I am reminded how very
long and crazy it has been. I know that some of you have not had such a great
year and it is my hope and wish that 2012 will be a better year for all!
Either way, it is nice to know that there is
one constant in our lives that we can count on - MUSIC. Whether we are
on top of the world or in great turmoil, music can help us take the pain away
and help us to make it through. Music is the one companion that will never let
you down when all others have, as it is all around us.
2011 has been a fantastic year for
all musical genres. This years Rock & Roll landscape has seen some new
break through artists and some old familiar faces get back into the game. It
has been said by some of the critics, that Rock music got a little screwed this
year by the music industry and has gone underground. Isn't that what makes Rock
music what it is? Rock goes against the grain and will never die. Rock will
just be reborn over and over again like the phoenix, getting stronger and
stronger.
This year’s release of albums were
some of the best in several years. I find it difficult to come up with a Top 10
list. Especially if you are like me and your mood changes for what you want to
listen to on an hourly basis. After researching some of the “other” Top 10
lists, I found that most were too generic with what is on the radio only, and some
are what I'd like to call too "Indie-credible". Just because it's
underground, super obscure and indie, doesn't mean it's worth a listen or
anyone’s time. I believe the same goes for mainstream music. But that is why
our opinions are just merely opinions. That
is also why I love talking music. So what's your Top 10? I would love to know.
Just throw it up here or on The State of Rock Review Facebook page.
Well let's get down to business. Choosing
a Top 10 list was beyond difficult. As I reflect back at my 2010 Top 10 list I felt
as though it was a little incomplete, but my stuck to my guns. Sorting through
this year's reserve was an amazing ride that carried me all over the map of
Rock music and several albums on the list, will go on my all time favorites
list.
*(If you would like to hear a cut
from an album, just click on the green link below each review.)*
Can anybody tell me what the hell Dubstep is?! Well whatever it is, James Blake takes it to
another level. On his debut album James Blake brings his bag of tricks to full
length LP. Known for his riveting remix
singles and EP’s over the past couple years James Blake finally gives what
people were begging for. His eerie vocals and mashed up electronica R&B
creations give way to a laid back rock tinge. Yes this is Dubstep which throws
everything together in a blender and spits it out. Blake shines here and leaves
you yearning to call up a friend, turn the lights down low, and grab a drink
and well… Use your imagination.
9. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds- Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
It was really hard for me first to fathom Oasis breaking up
seeing that the Gallagher brother’s constant fighting and wonderful Beatles
rip-off hits made them one of the 1990’s greatest bands of the era. Since they
split, Liam taking the old band with him and Noel going it on his own, it was
really hard deciding which asshole brother to put in the Top 10. Both artists
have put out some great stuff this year, however, Noel won out with his new
band and the album by the same name.
Both brothers maintain that 60’s rock sound, or their pompous limey way
of going at it with each other. But for all the bad press and never ending
stories of being a dick, Noel‘s album has just a little more bite. His tasteful
sound and uber Beatles lyrics make this one a keeper. Nothing too flashy, just good 60’s via old
Oasis guitar riffs which make for a great album. Most critics seemed to like
Liam’s solo better but I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the High
Flying Birds, if you were an Oasis fan. *Bloody Brits at it again!*
8. Arctic Monkeys- Suck It and See
From the cheeky album title to the simple album cover,
Arctic Monkeys 4th LP offers up another British rock hit. Taking a short break
from all the huge success in the UK they came back with an album
filled with great lyrics and catchy guitar riffs that mesmerize you into
singing along while everybody stops to stare.
With a swagger all their own, Arctic Monkeys show us why the U.K went
ape shit over them back in 2005. On “Don’t Sit Down Because I Moved Your Chair”
and “Brick by Brick” the fuzz tones and silly witty lyrics truly show what
Arctic Monkeys are all about - Making good British garage rock.
7. Ryan Adams- Ashes & Fire
Ryan Adams has been bringing his version of Alt-country to
us for the last 12 years or so and he is still one of the most underrated
musical talents in the industry. With his latest endeavor since coming off a 3
year hiatus from the now defunct Ryan Adams and the Cardinals band, Adams gives us another great songwriting experience.
While the great critics give it lukewarm reviews and no praise, this writer
feels the exact opposite. Ashes &
Fire shows a return to his Gold
days but just a little more laid back throughout the tracks. Track 3 “Come
Home” is the perfect example of the melancholy sound layered with alt-country
vibes with a side of slide guitar. Adams may never for one reason or another get
what he deserves but, his devout fan base, including myself, will listen to Ashes & Fire round and round over
and over again and again.
6. My Morning Jacket- Circuital
My Morning Jacket known for their fantastically addictive
live concerts have again put out another wonderful album. Their 6th
LP to date, these Kentucky boys, stick with the eclectic, spacey, experimental
southern rock that they have done on the last 2 albums 2005’s Z and 2008’s Evil Urges. This time they
get a little more refined and the musical hooks are a little more polished
while still keeping that crazy alt-country southern rock feel. Tracks like “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” and
the stylistic “Circuital” truly show the power of this album and this amazingly
talented and underrated band. Jim James
silly lyrics and melodic vocals solidify Circuital
as an album worthy of being in the Top 10 of any list for 2011.
5. The Black Keys- El Camino
Sitting on top of the world and sitting at the top of 2010’s
Top 10 album list you would think the Black Keys would take a break or put out
an album that couldn’t compare to its predecessor. Well you would be wrong.
Then why are they at number 5 you ask? Because that is how awesome Rock was
this year. If El Camino was out last year it would be clearly number 1. This
raging monster of an album clearly shows the solid powerful genius of The Black
Keys, not to mention the best producer in the business right now in Danger Mouse.
Everything he touches damn near turns to gold. With dirty fantastic blues-rock
guitar hooks and a more retro soulful feel than any other album, El Camino is
going to be listened to well into the year of 2012. They don’t give up anything
here. They are just adding to their already legendary catalog of greatness.
The Black Keys create a record that is an all out raucous party. I am just
waiting for the ticket to that party to arrive.
The Black Keys- Lonely Boy
4. Foo Fighters- Wasting Light
4. Foo Fighters- Wasting Light
Since the untimely and senseless death of Kurt Cobain to the
beginning of greatness, David Grohl has never let the years stop his tour de
force of hard rock consistency from turning into a boring cliché’. The Foo
Fighters have been a fixture in Rock & Roll now for over 15 years, and this
is their masterpiece. Or should I say,
Grohl’s masterpiece. Wasting Light produced
by Butch Vig, the genius who brought us Nirvana and is the drummer for
Garbage, takes this album to a level
other Foo Fighters have not been able to achieve. Grohl went into the studio
using old recording technology giving this album a stripped down feel. The Foo
Fighters other albums, like the first self-titled album Foo Fighters and The Colour
and the Shape, have fantastic singles on them and are commendable but Wasting Light from beginning to end is
the best. With fantastic special guests like Bob Mould of Husker Du and Sugar
fame and Krist Novoselic bassist for Nirvana, all of Wasting Lights tracks create a convoy of, in your face and give you
a big ass hug Rock & Roll goodness. With horrible tragedy there can be new
and better beginnings. The Foo Fighters have proved that time and time again.
3. Bon Iver- Bon Iver
What is there to say about Bon Iver? You either love ‘em or
hate ‘em. The mastermind of Justin
Vernon, Bon Iver has received critical acclaim and critical outrage because of
his approach to his craft and the albums produced. Everybody went nuts over Vernon’s first album For Emma, and Ever Ago and thought he
was super Indie-credible. With his second endeavor, the self-titled album Bon Iver Justin Vernon changes it up and
shows the he is not just one sided which aggravates the hipster critics.
Bon Iver second venture proves the critics wrong with its
oddly titled tracks, stacks of layered guitar effects, and horns a plenty. Vernon’s falsetto voice
capture’s commands your attention and leaves you wanting more. My favorite
track Holocene, sums the Bon Iver album up as a true dreamy folk gem. I love
this album because it is unlike any other album out there. This album is
blowing up all over the place. Is Justin Vernon the next Rock genius or is he
just another one of many indie rockers that need to be themselves? Meh - who
cares…I say.
2. Atlantic Fadeout- Better Run of Bad Luck
About 2 years back I met a server named Abigail Henderson at
a local bar I frequent, who told me I should come see her and her husband play
music sometime. That chance encounter turned into witnessing the birth of a new
band with other great Kansas City
musicians. They went on to create a Rock & Roll album of Heavenly
proportions. The band is Atlantic Fadeout and the album is Better Run of Bad Luck. I am going to go out on a limb and will
fight anybody on this subject. Atlantic Fadeout is bar none the best band in Kansas City. Better Run
of Bad Luck weaves a web of stories that read like an old classic and Abigail
is the narrator. This masterpiece of
music Americana
fills the soul with positive and happy memories of, fantastic drunken nights,
and wonderful trips to the city that keep you wanting more.
The amazing guitar riffs of Chris Meck and the back bone
timing and beats of bassist Dutch Humphrey and drummer Amy Farrand make
Atlantic Fadeout a true American Rock band.
With tracks like the title track “Better Run of Back Luck” a gritty
story of the city and crazy ass nights, Atlantic Fadeout shows you how a real
raw and pure Rock & Roll record should sound. If you hadn’t heard of Atlantic Fadeout until
now, you have to get a copy of Better Run
of Bad Luck, go to their website, or if you are lucky, a concert. Do it
your life may just depend on it!
1. Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues
I knew right off that this was the number 1 album of 2011 as
I can’t stop listening to it. The Fleet Foxes are pure folk rock goodness that
cannot be out done. This masterpiece of fantastic lyrics, amazing guitars,
haunting harmonies, give Helplessness
Blues a sound of pure magic. Many have said that, this is like listening to
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young or even The
Beach Boys, and I couldn’t agree more.
It has a slight Celtic feel to some of the songs, but singer Robin
Pecknold is an unstoppable vocal master.
From the first time you hear the first song “Montezuma” to the last
song, the epic “Growing Oceans” you will have gone on a great adventure. These guys
have created a classic Rock album. Fleet
Foxes first self titled album took us on a more Americana southern folk journey, but with
‘Helplessness Blues’ they take you on a journey into the mind, body, and soul.
I find it difficult to come up with the right words to explain why this album
makes perfect sense. No I am not smoking
anything. I am just getting high on
Fleet Foxes.
