2012: The Year In Metal, #40-21

#40: Grave - Endless Procession Of Souls

Death metal has mutated wildly over the years, to the point that there is an entire subgenre of revivalists keeping it "old school". It doesn't get much older than Grave; 25 years in, these guys are still putting out top-notch albums. They have more groove than many of the new breed bands, something I wish the young'uns would pick up on.

#39: Cannibal Corpse - Torture

Speaking of old-school...yep, CC will never die. You know exactly what you're getting here, and that's a compliment. There's also the added bonus of a few Alex Webster bass solos; that guy is a beast.

#38: Panopticon - Kentucky

Bluegrass black metal. Don't ask my how or why, but it works. Really well.

#37: Inverloch - Dusk...Subside

Were you ever in a groundbreaking band that produced a single amazing album, then years later played in a sort-of tribute band to your own band, then decided the other guys in the tribute band were good enough to start a new band with you that sounds almost as good as your first band? Me too!

#36: Fight Amp - Birth Control

This band has been consistently excellent over the course of their existence, and Birth Control continues the tradition of ugly, grooving noise rock. Memorable hooks get filtered through a grimy sieve of abrasiveness, and it all fits together like a demented child's puzzle.

   http://fightamp.bandcamp.com/album/birth-control

#35: Dragged Into Sunlight - Widowmaker

A three-track lumbering beast, Widowmaker lulls you into a false relaxation with a long, ambient Western Gothic passage that abruptly lurches into full blown death metal that also incorporates some thrash and sludge elements. This is not for everybody, and I'd like it to stay that way.

#34: Bison B.C. - Lovelessness

This is a departure from Bison B.C.'s last two albums, with much longer songs and a "less is more" approach. Songs replete with twin guitar leads and instantly headbangable riffs abolish all notions of songs possibly dragging.

#33: Witchcraft - Legend

To be honest, this is a really overrated record. It's great, but it's not "this is my new favorite thing" great. 70s proto-doom is easy to do, and there is no shortage of bands aping that sound right now. Legend doesn't hold up to Witchcraft's previous output, but it's much better than a lot of what passes for "retro" these days.

#32: Black Breath - Sentenced To Life

These guys love Entombed, but who doesn't? Every song on this album is a mosh anthem, and it's really hard not to nod your head or pump your fist at any given second. Don't be surprised if you get caught speeding if you play this in your car.

#31: Municipal Waste - The Fatal Feast

Another case of "yep, I know it before I hear it, and it's awesome." Plus, one of the greatest music videos ever made.

#30: Dopethrone - III

Canadian Sleep/Electric Wizard worship with Iron Monkey vocals. Love it or hate it.

              

#29: Like Rats - Like Rats

They don't sound like Godflesh at all, but they still rule. It's d-beat metallic hardcore that rises above the million other bands with the same descriptor. Push and pull.

#28: Alcest - Les voyages de l'ame

It's weepy, melancholic and Young Werther would have been their #1 fan. But these songs also have threads of uplifting, youthful tones. Happy black metal? Not quite, but close enough.

#27: Overkill - The Electric Age

#26: Testament - Dark Roots Of Earth

#25: Kreator - Phantom Antichrist

I didn't group these because they are interchangeable; to the contrary, each of these thrash institutions established their respective sound and identity decades ago. It's the fact that all three are still capable of producing quality music and finding new fans in a scene with more and more young, cynical know-it-alls.     

#24: Ilsa - Intoxicantations

A late November release meant this album flew under a lot of radars, and that's a shame. A mashup of crust, hardcore, death/doom and sludge, Intoxicantations is simply crushing. 

#23: Samothrace - Reverence To Stone

 Two songs, a galaxy of layers, 100% kinetic.

#22: St. Vitus - Lillie: F-65

No, it's not a fighter jet. It's a few old guys that have seen it all before and still write creative, memorable doom epics like no one else. Wino should be America's Poet Laureate.

#21: Satan's Wrath - Galloping Blasphemy

Everything your parents ever thought heavy metal was, turned up to 11.

   

     

     

2012: The Year In Metal, #50-41

Everything to be said about most of these albums has been by multiple sites and people over the last few weeks. I originally planned on starting this December 14th, but something happened nearby that kinda killed my motivation to write about anything.

Once again, I don't claim that these are the best or most important albums of 2012; they are the albums released over the last 12 months that I enjoyed the most. Have at 'em.

(Some short review blurbs will accompany certain higher-place albums in subsequent posts.)

#50: Murder Construct - Results

 

#49: Superchrist - Holy Shit

 

#48: Nachtmystium - Silencing Machine

 

#47: Hour Of 13 - 333

 

#46: Melvins - Freak Puke

 

#45: Candlemass - Psalms For The Dead

 

#44: Mutilation Rites - Empyrean

 

#43: Cauldron - Tomorrow's Lost

 

#42: The Shrine - Primitive Blast

 

#41: Love Sex Machine - Love Sex Machine

 

2012: The Year in Non-Metal, #10-1

#10: Rush - Clockwork Angels

Is there really anything I need to say here? It's fucking Rush.

  

#9: Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light

A grand, uplifting album that is J Spaceman's best output in a decade, Sweet Heart Sweet Light is full of hope. Not everyone gets it; that's the point.

#8: Mark Lanegan Band -  Blues Funeral

One of the best rock voices of the Nineties puts out an incredible album informed mostly by...synthpop? It's weird to hear Lanegan's gravelly delivery matched with drum machines and keyboards, but it works. Really well.

#7: Murder By Death - Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon

Murder By Death is about as American as a band can get. They weave Western, country, rock and singer-songwriter motifs into campfire stories that recall a much different time than ours. This album is a Faulkner novel in song.

#6: Dinosaur Jr. - I Bet On Sky

A more laid-back approach than 2009's Farm, this album is reminiscent of the band's late 90s output. All the usual tropes are in place, but overall it comes across as a bit more sad than the rest of Dino Jr's post-reunion output. Still, there are plenty of anthems to choose from here. 

  #5: Golden Void - Golden Void

The thrill of discovering a new favorite will never diminish. Led by Isaiah Mitchell of Earthless, Golden Void is full of fuzzed-out guitars, moody keyboards and - most importantly - memorable songs. It recalls both Queens Of The Stone Age and Atomic Rooster, bridging a generational gap with the sheer power of rock & roll.

#4: Those Poor Bastards - Behold The Abyss

This album is meant to accompany the novel it was released with, The Terrible Tale of Edgar Switchblade. The book is a brutal and haunting story, and the album is the aural haunted house to read it in; all Gothic vocals, acoustic guitar, and dread. This is for fans of God or Satan.

#3: Buffalo Killers - Dig. Sow. Love. Grow.

It's flown under most radars, but Buffalo Killers' fourth full-length is a gem. It matches 60s pop sensibility with 70s psych/rock flourishes. The production is warm and full, and singer/guitarist Andy Gabbard's Joe Walsh impersonation is in top form. This is what a "feel good" album is supposed to be.

 #2: A Place To Bury Strangers - Worship

Yes, I am biased. But hey, as someone who wears his influences as badges of honor, how could I not love what APTBS does? You know the drill: fuzzed out, abrasive and LOUD. But with just the right amount of mood and longing. When you gaze deep into the shoe abyss, the shoe abyss also gazes back into you.

#1: - Bobby Womack - The Strongest Man In The Universe

27th studio album. First album in 12 years. Pneumonia. Colon cancer. A lifetime of success, addiction, tragedy, scandal and redemption. He made it. This is not only the best album of 2012, but of Bobby Womack's career as well. And it took a long, hard life to get here.

          
   

2012: The Year in Non-Metal, #20-11

Unlike years past, there was no central theme to my listening habits in 2012. This list, more than my forthcoming Top 40 Metal Albums, reflects exactly where I was this year: all over the place. These rankings will always be subjective, as all "best/top" lists should. Taste is never definitive because it is constantly changing; personally, culturally, etc. One man's trash and all that. On to the picks!

#20: Metz - Metz

Aping the Nineties noise-rock heyday has been all the rage lately, but these guys get it right. Jesus Lizard worship is still fine by me. This is raucous punk rock with a purpose, and we could use more of it.

 

#19: Colour Haze - She Said

This album is a long time coming, and it is a sloooow burn. Eight songs stretched out over 2 CDs (or the double LP) require your rapt attention. This stoner/psych voyage isn't background music; it settles into your bones and stays there.

  

 #18: Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge

A departure from his crooner solo style, this album finds Hawley cranking the guitars and bringing some punk rock sneer into the proceedings. It doesn't always work, but he's managed to create something mostly successful outside of his comfort zone. And the songs rock.

#17: Shooter Jennings - Family Man

There is no denying that true country has lost its way; these days Music Row is full of CMT suits, not heart. With an undeniable last name, Shooter Jennings has born the torch for all the shit-kickers out there. Family Man brings Jennings' rock and soul forays into the mix and the result is an album of varied, fantastic songs. This might not be his daddy's country, but these days, what is?

 

#16: Van Morrison - Born To Sing: No Plan B

In a word: effortless. The man exudes class and cool; even with politically charged lyrics, the songs flow by in a jazz/blues river of calm. Morrison's greatness is still present.

#15: Grizzly Bear - Shields

Can music that recalls the past really be categorized as "refreshing"? Maybe it's the fact that Shields sounds like it was made for a turntable, not an iPod. Regardless, Grizzly Bear know their way around a song, and "Sleeping Ute" might be the best song they've ever written.

#14: Japandroids - Celebration Rock

This album is perfectly titled. Post-Nothing impressed the hell out of me a few years back, and this follow-up is even better. Power chords, caveman drums and a singer so earnest you might think he's being ironic. But he isn't, and these songs are anthems. 

#13: Brian Jonestown Massacre - Aufheben

At this point, BJM could release albums full of Anton Newcombe insults and they would still make my top 20. (They will at some point, I'm sure.) Why? Because the man has the ability to wield glorious Kinks/Stones/Beatles songwriting ability in one hand and outer space, nonsensical head-scratchers in the other. And no one ever knows what's coming. Aufheben, mercifully, is in the former hand. 

#12: The Cult - Choice Of Weapon

This is the best Cult album since 1991's Ceremony. There is a cohesiveness that has been absent in the band's previous efforts, and as an act closely identified with a particular time - the Eighties - it's great to see them still making relevant music. 

#11: Joe Walsh - Analog Man

Walsh might be the most overlooked and underrated American guitarists from the classic rock era. His slide work is easily on par with Duane Allman or Billy Gibbons, and his humorous, idiosyncratic songwriting style has rarely been matched. This is his first solo album in 20 years, and while it might sound goofy or out-of-touch to your typical Pitchfork listener, it has more staying power than any swoopy-haired flavor of the week.

    
     

     

  

Streaming Album, Streaming Thoughts #1: BARONESS - Yellow & Green

This may or may not be the first entry in a series. As new albums are released to music "journalists" (like me) in streaming form, I can jot down my thoughts as said album flows. The score is based completely on my first impressions. Let's see what happens.

BARONESS
Yellow & Green
Relapse Records - July 17, 2012

Looking for metal? You're in the wrong building, try First or Second.

One song on the Yellow side sounds like an unearthed Meat Puppets track.

I hear Jethro Tull and the Byrds creeping through...

"Cocainium" is a great song title. Whoa, total Goblin worship going on!

If you don't like fuzzy guitars, leave the hall. There are lots. What were you expecting, anyway?

For a side called Yellow, they sure do talk about water a lot.

People will want to smoke to "Board Up The House". It's the feel-good hit of the summer. Haha, "Green". I get it.

Do I hear a little Elvis Costello going on?

Man, a lot of people are going to hate this. I take almost as much satisfaction in that as I do in this album so far.

 If the first minute of "Collapse" had a fatter bass line and different vocals, it could be a Brothers Johnson song.

Whoa, whoa, whoa...this is entering Weather Channel background music territory...OK, it's over. And now the first two minutes of are redeemed by a double-tracked theramin-sounding solo!

 "Stretchmarker" might be instrumental, but if Jackson Browne was singing over it no one would blink.

The heaviest song comes next to last, and it's still "lighter" than half the songs on Blue Record. It also contains the album's best guitar solo.

It ends not with a bang, but a pensive shimmery instrumental. The vibrato gives it a Western vibe. Nice and reflective.


Score:
8

5 Talented Actors Who Just Can't Say No

I know, things are tough all over. Even millionaire actors need to eat. Wait, what? Whatever the reason, some thespians feel the desire to shit on their own legacies from time to time. Or, in the case of these five examples, a lot of the time. Here are five actors that need to fire their agents.

BEN KINGSLEY


So, you're Ghandi. You have memorable roles in Schindler's List and Searching For Bobby Fischer. What's your next move? Play a hapless scientist in alien killer sex-babe clunker Species? Sure, why not? It's all good, you redeem yourself by playing one of the all-time great cinematic assholes, Don Logan, in the criminally underrated and unseen Sexy Beast. Wait, who's on the phone? Oh, it's Uwe Boll. He wants you to star in BloodRayne. You know what? Throw The Love Guru in there too. Jesus, man. Stick with Scorcese (Shutter Island, the upcoming Hugo) from now on.

ROBERT DE NIRO



Holy cannoli, where to start? I guess when you star in two of the greatest films of all time in the same year (Heat and Casino) you lose all ability to choose good roles to play. Seriously, what since Ronin has lived up to anything before it? Rocky & Bullwinkle? Righteous Kill? Parents, Fockers, where does it end? Sad, really.

CHRISTOPHER WALKEN


While Christopher Walken has found a new generation of fans with his stints on Saturday Night Live, his film output hasn't been nearly as impressive; it's funny, but in a "your dog has cancer" way. OK, so it's not really funny at all. Anybody catch Click? Balls Of Fury? Gigli??? Walken tempers his bad choices with occasional great roles (Catch Me If You Can, Kill The Irishman) but the man needs more cowbell, less horseshit.

OWEN WILSON


Wilson and his brother Luke started off evenly with the enjoyable and interesting Bottle Rocket; while Owen didn't end up bloated and doing phone provider commercials, his C.V. reads like a bipolar patient's mood swings. For every Royal Tennenbaums there's a Shanghai Knights, for every Wedding Crashers a rom-com Kate Hudson abomination. The voice of Marmaduke, dude? Was that necessary? Other than a great turn in Woody Allen's recent Midnight In Paris, Owen Wilson looks like he might end up joining his brother in corporate-shill hell.

SAMUEL L. JACKSON


If you have to ask, you'll never know.

Show review: Alcest @ Cafe Nine, New Haven CT

Whenever black metal elitist pricks get angry, it makes me smile. Alcest has been doing a good job of that since 2007, with the release of the shoegazey, ambient slice of heaven "Souvenirs d'un autre monde". It's not troo or kvlt, and that's pretty much what I look for when I'm listening to this stuff.

This project is really a one-man band; Neige (also of Peste Noire and Amesoeurs) writes and records all the instruments and vocals himself. For this, Alcest's first American tour, Neige hired some of the guys from his other bands to fill out the lineup.

What I was most interested to see is how (or if) the band could match the atmosphere and ambiance of the album. It's a very "open" record, which is one of its strengths. It's drenched in echo and recalls the countryside, open fields of flowers and all that. Cafe Nine is extremely small, but ironically the tight quarters made the songs better. The drums were loud but not overpowering; Neige and the hired-gun rhythm guitarist complemented each other perfectly. What makes Alcest truly engaging live is how effortless they make everything look. These songs are complex and layered; the band makes it seem easy.

Being French, stage banter was limited to several quiet "Thank you"s from Neige. Even if English was their first language, the post-rock/shoegaze jams don't really lead to cracking one-liners or any stereotypical frontman quips. There was no feedback between songs, only silence from the enraptured crowd. There was a girl in the audience that flew in from Denver for this show; that's what this music means to some people. I'm fairly certain that everyone there knows they were part of something special.

Film Review: Crazy Heart

Everything about this movie screams "Oscar fodder", and maybe it is, but that doesn't prevent Crazy Heart from being a fantastic piece of work. Jeff Bridges owns the lead role; he's not so much acting as living the part of Bad Blake, an aging journeyman country singer trying desperately to hold on to something that resembles a future. Part of the film's appeal is its simplicity; the previous sentence sums up the plot. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's predictable, but from the start this is obviously a redemption story. You might know what happens next, but it's how the characters get there that keeps you involved.

Many people have referred to this as a country music version of The Wrestler, and there is some merit to that. Bad Blake is over the hill, broke, and doing gigs that are beneath him. Along the way he meets a woman (more on that in a bit) that gives him a glimmer of hope, but like everything else in his life it goes wrong.

No one but Jeff Bridges could have played this role. His appearance is full-on Nick Nolte: disheveled, haggard and rambling. The fact that Bridges is a singer/guitarist himself helps tremendously during the band scenes. There's nothing I hate more in a movie than when an actor obviously has no clue what to do with an instrument. Bridges delivers Blake's lines like I imagine he would if you were to meet him on a street corner in real life. Crazy Heart has that '70s indie cinema downer feel, the lovable loser audiences have been rooting for since Paper Moon.

Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell turn in great supporting roles; Farrell was unexpected (he wasn't top-billed and barely glimpsed in the trailers) and only in two scenes but showed that when he wants to be, he can be a great actor. He plays Tommy Sweet, Blake's popular protege and sonic rival. The music itself should be considered a lead role; T-Bone Burnett crafted some amazing songs for this movie, and both Bridges and Farrell sung the songs in the film.

The only gripe I have is Maggie Gyllenhaal as Jean, Blake's love interest. She's an OK actress but, as a friend once put it, her face looks like it's painted on a kneecap. I suppose the bar shouldn't be set too high though, considering Blake is a 57-year-old alcoholic burned-out country singer.

First-time director Scott Cooper has set the bar high for his future; not since P.T Anderson's Sydney has a director shown so much potential right out of the gate. Cinematographer Barry Markowitz must be given his due as well. The large expanses of open country are captured beautifully, giving the film almost a Western feel at times. And really, that's what Crazy Heart is: a lone cowboy, searching the land for redemption.