Animation Revelation Forum

Yeah, we're only halfway through the year and all, but I thought this would be an all encompassing thread of any year of music. What would you consider the best album of *insert year here* or maybe what you think the best album of the year currently is?

IMO, last year was a wash for me, but this year contains a few gems already and I'm hoping we get a few more by years end. So far I'd vote for Rolling Blackouts by The Go! Team and Rock n Roll Submarine by Urge Overkill as being the albums of 2011 so far. How about you guys?

Smoove & Turrell's Eccentric Audio is amazing and features some really fun and groovy funk. Tracks like Higher, In Deep, and Hard Work are damn near unbeatable by anything else out today. I think I preferred 2009's Antique Soul overall, however, but only by a slight margin.

Still waiting for the new That Handsome Devil album to drop (should be sometime next week), as well as American Style Cardboard's first EP and the inevitable Electric Six and The Brains releases before I declare anything as the year's finest, though.

Any links?

I've been trying to hype up Rolling Blackouts everywhere I go, but I'm not sure how to do that since it offers something different in every song. For instance, this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Wpyj1QcfQ&feature=related), this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rVEiREJUQw&feature=related), this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVhj91pxagQ), this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqrAwbz5l9o&feature=related) and this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4cAkW7z_FI&feature=related) offer a pure variety in sound that I just don't hear anymore. Especially on the radio.

So far that's easily my favorite album released this year.

Here are some of my favorite Smoove & Turrell songs! Unfortunately, I can't really find anything from their new album for free online. Take my word for it, though, it's all great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsrSECWZFIw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsrSECWZFIw)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnahB3SYN84 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnahB3SYN84)
http://www.we7.com/#/song/Smoove--Turrell/Latin-Groove (http://www.we7.com/#/song/Smoove--Turrell/Latin-Groove)
http://www.we7.com/#/song/Smoove--Turrell/Slow-Down-Radio-Edit (http://www.we7.com/#/song/Smoove--Turrell/Slow-Down-Radio-Edit)

Quote from: Desensitized on July 31, 2011, 05:32:28 PM
I've been trying to hype up Rolling Blackouts everywhere I go, but I'm not sure how to do that since it offers something different in every song.

Sounds like That Handsome Devil and Electric Six. Both groups are talented as hell and capable of playing all different types of music. THD actually spans multiple genres across each album while E6 mostly encompasses different shades of weird on an album-to-album basis (but they never cease being awesome... coulda' done without most of Flashy and Sexy Trash, though). I have a hard time recommending them to people, since not everyone likes combinations of rock, jazz, and hip-hop or funk rock and dance-pop. :lol:

Here's some examples from each!
That Handsome Devil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfrThZcz7G0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfrThZcz7G0)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wVaoUVw8qk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wVaoUVw8qk)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjMcOcJqhcE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjMcOcJqhcE)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT3uz3uOTvA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT3uz3uOTvA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-f1ZqUxfC8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-f1ZqUxfC8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-jnifOrDOc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-jnifOrDOc)

Electric Six - You've probably heard some of their songs before, like Gay Bar or Danger! High Voltage. But those are just their hits, they completely fell off the map after their first album. The stuff that came after it is much different, and far, far better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXhiyQ-yT2I (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXhiyQ-yT2I)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq07Q4CtA4I (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq07Q4CtA4I)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo6uuzTttKo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo6uuzTttKo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsbceA53R8E (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsbceA53R8E)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNG6htLcJsA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNG6htLcJsA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ66lecCs8U (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ66lecCs8U)

I'll check out Rolling Blackouts while you give these fellas a listen! :joy:

I have a definite top 5 for now. Not sure if I want to share it yet, though.

You guys think I should?

Oh, I know That Handsome Devil and Electric Six. But, have you listened to the Pietasters? Totally overlooked, and Willis from 1998 is one of my all time favorite albums.

Check it out:
Trust Yourself (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfZJSVbPTqs&feature=related)
Crazy Monkey Woman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRyxI0m9Az8)
Fat Sack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcDzXmqyqmk&feature=related)
Night Owl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNGhH_2-MPc&feature=related)
Dollar Bill (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR365-IMmu0&feature=related)
Crime (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKGpex5Gd9Q&feature=related)

And sure, Avaitor. I'd like to see it.

Pretty much sold on The Go! Team now. Good shit, especially The Running Range and Yosemite Theme. I also checked out Back Like 8 Track, which was totally kickass. Can't say I enjoyed Buy Nothing Day, though. I'll check out Pietasters later, then report back.

Quote from: Desensitized on July 31, 2011, 06:07:14 PM
Oh, I know That Handsome Devil and Electric Six.

Being in Guitar Hero and Rock Band certainly helps with that. ;) Not many do, though. A shame... they're both criminally underrated.

Quote from: Avaitor on July 31, 2011, 06:00:18 PM
I have a definite top 5 for now. Not sure if I want to share it yet, though.

You guys think I should?

Do it!

Oh yeah, also check out the first Go Team album "Thunder Lightning Strike" if you liked that stuff. One of my favorite albums.

Good stuff overall, Foggle.  :awesome:

5- The Mountain Goats- All Eternals Deck

I love John Darnielle so much. Every interview, editorial, and piece of info I read up on him makes him sound so amazing, and his taste in music is extraordinary. And his Twitter is great. Surprisingly, the new Mountain Goats only makes it to fifth on my list. It has great replay value and like most of his work, tells a fascinating story, but I've found other albums that simply intrigue me more. It's still really worth checking out, though.

"(Damn These) Vampires" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOVhMbjy18I)

4- Ghost- Opus Eponymous

I'm shocked that something like this not only turned out to be completely incredible, but is actually catching on in the metal community! A group of unknown Swedish metal musicians put on corpse paint and robes, while the lead singer rocks a cardinal and mask, and play Blue Oyster Cult-meets-Mercyful Fate style heavy metal. But hey, mystery aspects have worked for bands numerous times before, and I could make a whole thread on the comeback of traditional heavy metal, so it shouldn't be that surprising.

There's also the fact that the album is just REALLY FUCKING GOOD, whether you're a huge fan of this type of music or not. The production values are very good, and it hits that fine line between having a vintage sound and not feeling too ancient. This is just the type of music that I want to hear more of, and it seems like that is going to be very likely before long. There's a few other albums in this vein already out, but nothing sounds as fresh or catchy as Ghost.

"Death Knell" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJy-hdKT5wM)

3- Cold Cave- Cherish the Light Years

I've gushed about Love Comes Close, their debut, a bunch, and this is a worthy follow up. A lot more danceable, it doesn't lose LCC's melancholy, and sounds a lot bigger than before. The songwriting is out of this world, too. Can't recommend both enough.

"Confetti" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=686K_X9C5qU)

2- PJ Harvey- Let England Shake

This is considered to be Polly Jean's Zeppelin III, and I can see the obvious comparison. The thing is, like Harvey's other stuff, the rest of this album is just unclassifiable. There isn't anything really like it, nor will there likely be in the years to come. It has such a huge sound, and achieves everything it aims for.

The title track (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV3Soul18iE)

1- The Kills- Blood Pressure

Fucking VV needs to stop being so fucking hot and making such awesome music. It's been a while since the last Kills album, since Alison's been focusing on Dead Weather and Jamie Hince just married Kate Moss, but they returned with what I consider to be a masterwork of an album this year. The two have amazing chemistry together, trading off vocals, Alison's brooding, and Jamie adding some light into the music. There's some unusual post-punk and blues influences in here missing in other Kills albums, but it works much better than anything they've done yet. If you're lamenting the lack of "real" rock, as in down-tuned, Stonesy stuff, you need to check this out.

"Satellite" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNFYoC7ZFe0)

Holy estrogen! My top 3 each have major contributions from women in them.

The rest of my top 10 has a lot more metal, but since you guys aren't really big/as familiar with that as I am, I decided to give you my first half of the list. I'll post a full 10 when the year ends.

It's so hard to believe that PJ Harvey is still going strong after so long. That's some true talent there. I didn't even know the Kills had a new album out! Good stuff Avaitor!

Yeah, this is her first album in a while, and it's going to be her last in a while, too. Eh, if long periods between release dates are what it takes for her to remain fresh, I'll take it.

I still want her to make the soundtrack for one of my movies, though. I think she'd be perfect for it.

You didn't know about the new Kills album? I've been seeing a lot of advertisements for it on YouTube and even Watch, which really surprises me. Still am, too.

This has been a pretty good year so far. 2009 was my favorite in a while, but this is building up to top it. And there's still a lot for me to explore for now, as well.

And I don't think I posted my top 5 from last year.

5- Toro y Moi- Causers of This
4- High on Fire- Snakes for the Divine
3- Alcest- Écailles de Lune
2- Iron Maiden- The Final Frontier
1- Agalloch- Marrow of the Spirit

I need to go back into digging to recall the rest of my list.

I haven't noticed the ads at all. I guess I've just tuned them out.

I honestly don't remember much music-wise from last year. I'd have to remind myself.

Oh yeah, TYM have a new album out this year, as well. It's pretty good too. It's on my list for now.

I dunno, I love the first 3 to death and a bunch of others, including the other 2, to lesser extents, but 2010 doesn't really stick out in my mind as well as recent years has. Chillwave was really picking up in 2009 but kind of stagnated last year and is slowly starting to get back into its own thing, metal was stuck up its high ass in terms of wankery, and indie was boring as shit.

Everything is off to a good start as of now, though.

I just remembered one of my favorites. 2003 Album Of The Year is easily Mad Caddies' Just One More. Yeah, a ska album as album of the year? But shit, it's true. It's easily the best ska album of the last decade that manages to be fully original and even have some moving lyrics. I have yet to enjoy another ska album even remotely, they all sound so uninspired next to this one. IMO, after this released, the genre just seemed to fall to shit. Such a shame. Judge for yourself:

Leavin' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoBMamwaWW8)
Drinkin' For 11 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdODGz4Q9NI)
10 West (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LG4gl71qUw)
Last Breath (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baZ_blT12ig)
Villains (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tkyjEGbiPQ)
Spare Change? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24V03tIZ9gU)

Such a fantastic album regardless of genre classification.

That's pretty chill. Love the drums. And yeah, good ska is hard to come by these days.

One of the tracks from the new That Handsome Devil album was just released. At the bottom of the page, press Play on The U & I In Suicide. (http://thathandsomedevil.net/fr_home.cfm) It's fucking insane and flip-flops genres multiple times throughout. Good stuff; can't wait for the full CD.

Just got done listening to The Heart Goes To Heaven, The Head Goes To Hell (That Handsome Devil's new album), as well as a bunch of rare/unreleased songs they sent me for donating money to pre-order the CD.

It's just excellent, in every way. All the tracks are either groovy, beautiful, or both. The standouts are definitely Adapt, Twist The Knife, Charlie's Inferno, and Inside You, but they're all amazing. The lyrics are as well-written as the music is listenable, and the whole thing just oozes intelligence and style. It's dark stuff, though; MUCH more so than their previous releases, which already had some pretty unsettling subject matter. The titles are pretty eye-catching, as well, featuring such gems as The U & I In Suicide, Karmakaze, and My Pen Is A Shiv.

Listen to Charlie's Inferno (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NenbXsLXuo) if you need any further proof that this is an awesome record. But please buy this album instead of listening to it on YouTube if at all possible; support this great music and talented band!!

For some reason, every time you post about this band this song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGYZwSb7GeY&feature=related) pops into my head... I don't know how they're related, but it always seems to happen.

Good shit! Mad Caddies are great, but I've never really gotten around to listening to more than a few of their songs. It's been at least 7 years since I first took a liking to 'em, so I really better get on that...

The rare and unreleased songs I got with my pre-order are fucking brilliant, too. Chicken Claw instantly became my favorite hip-hop track of all time while Marilyn Loves Heroin easily slid into my top 10. Their cover of Talk Dirty To Me is also absolutely perfect and at least 10 times better than the original (not that it's difficult to be better than Poison) and their rendition of I'm Too Sexy is good for some laughs while actually being pretty damn catchy.

Quote from: Avaitor on July 31, 2011, 07:32:58 PM
4- Ghost- Opus Eponymous

I love Ghost, but that album came out in 2010. :P

Time for my 2 cents, I guess. Nothing is in a particular order.

Septic Flesh - The Great Mass

Okay, it's Septic Flesh and I'm a huge Septic Flesh fangirl by default. The orchestrations are superb, as always, and the music remains pretty memorable (especially the first half of the album). The only complaint I would have is that it isn't as riff-oriented as their earlier works, but hey, it's Septic Flesh.

"The Vampire from Nazareth" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BJqlcNX9dE)

Jungle Rot - Kill On Command

Jungle Rot's straightforward style of death metal is something I can't resist. I just want to be a stereotypical metalhead while listening to it; headbanging, moshing, describing it as "crushing," "heavy," and/or "brutal." I love albums that make me feel that way. Plus, those riffs!

"Their Finest Hour" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-TtScLdBwY)

Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction

I think he's god no matter what, but I always liked the extremeness Strapping Young Lad more than anything he's done. Glad to see him return to that side for a bit.

"Poltergeist" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouoXdO49_hk)

Some honourable mentions include Surtur Rising, by Amon Amarth and Ghost, also by the Devin Townsend Project. I'm still awaiting the releases of the new Manilla Road, Opeth, and Skeletonwitch albums, and still need to hear Fleshgod Apocalypse's newest.

I have way too many favourites from 2010, I'm afraid. :P

Quote from: azureskies on August 12, 2011, 08:55:23 PM
I love Ghost, but that album came out in 2010. :P

Kinda maybe sorta. I distinguish it so much as a 2011 album myself, since we just got it in January and it started to pick up hype shortly after.

But yeah, it is technically a 2010 album.

Here we go. (http://www.toonzone.net/forums/showthread.php?287211-Opeth-s-quot-Heritage-quot-Talkback)

I have decided to add a few more albums to my best of list, and I feel the need to bump this thread as 2012 gets closer.

Fleshgod Apocalypse - Agony

I like symphonic metal. I fucking love death metal. Sure, I have Septic Flesh to help bridge the two loves in my heart, but when there is yet another band that puts their own spin on it, I'm in. Plus, Fleshgod is one of the few bands my brother and I agree on 100%. Agony is a hugely bombastic assault on the ears, a clusterfuck of sounds, and a damn solid album only beat by their Mafia EP from last year.

"The Violation" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjKyzwqIT7s)

Blut Aus Nord - 777 - Sect(s)

Holy fuck I love this album.

To be more specific, it's like they did exactly what I wanted them to. The Work Which Transforms God was an amazing album, but I wished for more of the melodic and mournful guitar leads that punctuated songs like "Our Blessed Frozen Cells" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSnB5wjynGs) and "Procession of the Dead Clowns" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKsYnHPX6Ns&feature=like-suggest&list=UL). 777 - Sect(s) nailed it. They found the best way to balance dissonant black metal and the melodic riffs with a Godflesh-esque industrial beat and sense. It looks like they will be keeping this up for 777 - The Desanctification, so expect that on the list during another edit.

"Epitome II" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRRvBr6RPSE&feature=related)

I'm still waiting for the release of Nightwish's Imaginaerum. I'm biased, but reviews from listening sessions and a few samples have really gotten my hopes up. If they can keep the the catchiness and melody of Dark Passion Play up, but deliver more variation (and the reviews are definitely indicating that's the case), then it's in the top five this year, for sure.

Apparently, there was another G. Love album released this year; Moonshine Lemonade. Holy shit. My disappointment with Fixin' To Die doesn't even come into play here... this might be his funkiest record yet. Good shit!

So I just tried listening to Fixin' To Die again... Maybe I was in a bad mood or something when I heard it the first time, because it's actually pretty damn good. It is quite different from G. Love's other albums, but it's definitely a lot more awesome than I remember. Motherfucker is talented; every album is classic, though the first two are kind of iffy.

This is why we are better than them. (http://www.geekcastradio.com/?p=7927)

Nickelback? Alter Bridge? PHINEAS AND FERB SOUNDTRACK!?!?! The fuck?

I'm pretty sure four of those are really just the same album, so in reality he only named two albums as his favorites from the year.

as for me, I don't think I've even listened to a full album of anything this year, just not a lot that interests me right now.

I think that was the worst list I have ever read.

Quote from: Foggle on December 13, 2011, 01:46:46 AM
Nickelback? Alter Bridge? PHINEAS AND FERB SOUNDTRACK!?!?! The fuck?

I'm convinced that's some half-hearted trolling on their part.

...or maybe I'm not. Phineas and Ferb is, without a doubt, one of the single most overrated pieces of animation I have ever seen ("instant classic" my ass), so I guess if people are going to start heaping praise all over a soundtrack as mediocre as what that show puts forth, maybe their taste really does suck that badly. After all, they did mention Nickelback.

Terrible list, by the way. Although to be honest, in all fairness to them, I'm not really up to speed on much in the way of new music from this calendar year (all I really hear on a regular basis is LMFAO, and fuck LMFAO), so I can't exactly go out and nominate a whole laundry list of better albums. Still seems rather pathetic that was the best they could come up with, though.

Still fixing the kinks on my albums of the year list, but here's my undeniable single of the year. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_8ydghbGSg&ob=av2e)

This is a close runner-up. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNFYoC7ZFe0)

Silversun Pickups did it. After some much-deserved success following two great albums and a classic EP, they could have easily fucked up their new album by going formulaic or adding in too weird of an influence into their sound. But their new album is just fucking incredible, and my early runner for album of the year.

Some serious electronic influence added into their shoegaze and hard rock-oriented sound was a step in the necessary direction, and they don't lose a bit of their anger in Swoon. It's everything I could've asked for, and more. :swoon:

Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 12, 2012, 12:28:35 PM
Silversun Pickups did it. After some much-deserved success following two great albums and a classic EP, they could have easily fucked up their new album by going formulaic or adding in too weird of an influence into their sound. But their new album is just fucking incredible, and my early runner for album of the year.

Some serious electronic influence added into their shoegaze and hard rock-oriented sound was a step in the necessary direction, and they don't lose a bit of their anger in Swoon. It's everything I could've asked for, and more. :swoon:

I actually just bought it today. Very curious to hear it, as a bunch of my friends said it was awful. But I tend to like a lot of things they hate.

Do they like their previous stuff?

"It's not like Swoon." was pretty much the main reason. Personally I don't care if a band changes its sound as long as the songs are still good, so if anything they piqued my interest.

I still like their debut the best.

Having finally heard all of it, I'd say while I don't like it quite as much as Swoon, I still think it's a rather good record. The chorus in Bloody Mary is frickin' awesome and has been stuck in my head for days now.

Truth be told, Pikul is still my favorite, but I  really like all their stuff.

So I just heard "Somebody I Used to Know" for the first time. I don't hate it. I actually kind of like it. But it just feels a lot like Peter Gabriel leftovers. In every regard. His voice. The music. The artsy video. Even some of the lyrics would fit in with his work.

I was thinking of making the song a last-minute addition to my list, but it hits too close to Gabriel's home for me. It really isn't that bad, though.

The video's up! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxSWj5bou9M)

Whaddya think?

Figured I should bump this. What were your favorites from last year?

This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7St2Gz3PTc) gets my vote for best song, no question.

I was mostly catching up on things I missed this year. I don't think I got any new albums.  :sweat:

I found my top 12 albums of 2012. I'll c/p it.

12)Deftones - Koi No Yokan
11)The Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania
10)Tetrafusion - Horizons EP
9)Foreign Fields - Anywhere But Where I Am
8)The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet
7)Rush - Clockwork Angels
6)Serj Tankian - Harakiri
5)Muse - The 2nd Law
4)Silversun Pickups - Neck Of The Woods
3)Coheed And Cambria - The Afterman: Ascension
2)Yeasayer - Fragrant World
1)Gazpacho - March Of Ghosts

1- Torche- Harmonicraft
2- Silversun Pickups- Neck of the Woods
3- Pallbearer- Sorrow and Extinction
4- High on Fire- De Vermis Mysteriis
5- Alcest- Les Voyages de l'Ame

Did not listen to much this year. :sweat:

Pretty sure the only new albums I picked up last year were:

Galactic - Carnivale Electricos
Vividblaze - Mirai Music
Alaskan Fishermen - Alaskan Fishermen
Max Anarchy (Anarchy Reigns) Original Soundtrack
That Handsome Devil - The Jungle Book
Brother Ali - Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color
Evil Cowards - Moving Through Security
Huey and the New Yorkers - Say It To My Face

All of which were excellent, btw.

I only heard one album last year. And I'd rate it 3.5/5. I'm guessing there was something better out there.

I'd give Gotye my vote for best single. Was there any real competition?

I swear, "Somebody That I Used To Know" has got to be the first top 40 hit in years that everyone but the main demographic that supports the charts- teenage girls- generally likes.

Or at least the first to be the highest-ranking song of the year. Talk about a crazy fluke.

Just finished My Bloody Valentine's new album.

Loveless it ain't, but I wasn't expecting it to be. It's still pretty good, though. Good enough for me to look out for a physical copy.

The only album of last year I bought that was actually FROM last year was Gotye's Making Mirrors. Which I love and still listen to a lot since buying.

Oh wait, and Led Zeppelin's Celebration Day came out last year and it was pretty damn awesome, too. I went without dinner one night so I could buy it and it was so worth it.

Is there a good free place you can hear albums anyway? I'm not too keen on piece-by-piece from YouTube and having to watch goddamn ads on nearly everything if you don't embed on certain message boards. Oh, and, I know record companies want people to buy everything but I'm never going to pay money to test drive anything (unless I decide I want to).

The whole album was available in one vid on YouTube, but it looks like that was pulled.

This was supposed to stream on their site, but it crashed almost instantly when it was revealed, and I don't think it's back up yet. Looks like it's either the torrents or a physical copy for now, unless NPR is streaming it and I didn't know.

Edit: Nope, not on NPR. Their stie does tend to stream a lot of good albums around the time they should come out, but not MBV.

Mediafire and torrent, usually. Then I buy the good stuff. :thumbup:

Quote from: Avaitor on January 29, 2013, 11:41:17 PM
1- Torche- Harmonicraft
2- Silversun Pickups- Neck of the Woods
3- Pallbearer- Sorrow and Extinction
4- High on Fire- De Vermis Mysteriis
5- Alcest- Les Voyages de l'Ame

Did not listen to much this year. :sweat:

Definitely putting Neurosis's new album to the top of this list, and Ensiferum's Unsung Heroes might or might not make it in the top 5 as well.

2012 wasn't a super year, but there were some real gems.

This (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mbxe33BYW8) still gets my vote for album of the year. It's pretty much everything I was hoping for in their follow-up. Bigger sounding, stronger production, more varied musical influences. The lyrical content is basically the same as always though (Satan Satan Satan), but lyrics are the least important part of music anyway.

And this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frtslKbrokg) is my runner-up choice. Again, a necessary evolution that just continues to add to the band's legacy.

Still need a week or two to decide my top ten. There's a few lingering albums I've had for months that I haven't gotten a chance to get through yet.

Massively unpopular, but I'm going to throw my vote in to the Paramore album. I've never found anything they did particularly great, but the album had some great songwriting and lyrics (though the lyrics to Crazy Girls are fairly out of place) and is the first 17 track album where I've enjoyed about every song. I'm still listening to it, too, so I guess that has to count for something.

I know most aren't too big on the album, but I really am. To a surprising degree, really.

Remember that I still haven't listened to almost Any Full Albums this year...

But, I still think Miley's Bangerz is worthy of consideration in a top 10. Even if we're being abstract and considering it a memorably odd or shockingly unexpected career move. But, the more I've listened to it, the more I've grown to respect the brains behind these lyrics and - yes - Miley's vocals.

So, uh... I made a top 16, not a top ten. Pretty much just a ranking of everything I enjoyed this year in one form or another. Will probably edit in reasons later. Or not.

1. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
2. Haken - The Mountain
3. Panic! At The Disco - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!
4. Gold Fields - Black Sun
5. Coheed And Cambria - The Afterman: Descension
6. Queensryche - Queensryche
7. Spock's Beard - Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep
8. Alter Bridge - Fortress
9. Atlas Genius - When It Was Now
10. Fates Warning - Darkness In A Different Light
11. Arctic Monkeys - AM
12. Alice In Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
13. Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing
14. The Strokes - Comedown Machine
15. Capital Cities - In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery
16. Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt

2014 has barely just started, but 2 of my favorites have pulled out worthy contenders for AOTY- Cynic and Alcest. Both are steering away towards the heavier styles of music that made their names (death and black metal, respectively) and have been focusing almost exclusively on the style they've mixed with their music since day 1 (jazz fusion and prog rock; shoegaze and post-rock) for the betterment of their music.

As far as I'm concerned, this is a great thing, and I can't wait to play both of their albums dozens of times over.

Oh, and I got around to a particular 2013 holdover of mine- The Winery Dogs. This is a super group featuring Mike Portnoy, who I've always found to be talented but have constantly felt disappointed whenever listening to Dream Theater; Billy Sheehan, who rocked with David Lee Roth and Mr. Big, yet the general songwriting from these acts have always left me cold; and Richie Kotzen, who kicks ass as a guitarist and blues singer. Together, they made a hell of a super group. It's always hard for me to get into a super group's first album, since there's usually some stylistic differences that takes time to settle and hone, but they knock it right out of the park here. There isn't any hair metal pandering material like what Mr. Big became known for, there are jams which last appropriately long enough, and Kotzen's voice reminds me of pre-blown out Cornell. Good stuff, do recommend, especially for fans of bluesy hard rock acts or traditional metal fans. Think Cream and Zeppelin meet Maiden and 70's Priest.

Awww yeah, so ready for the new Cynic. I loved Traced In Air, but I've tired of the EPs they keep releasing. I just found out today that Animals As Leaders has a new album out next month as well. Huzzah!

Quote from: Nel_Annette on February 15, 2014, 01:04:01 AM
Awww yeah, so ready for the new Cynic. I loved Traced In Air, but I've tired of the EPs they keep releasing.

I did really like the EPs, but it has been time for a full album for a while now. And I still say that it delivers.

The EPs certainly aren't bad, but Re-Traced is just four remixes and a cool new song. Carbon-Based Anatomy is six tracks, but only two of them feel like actual songs, as the other four tracks just feel like transitions to make the whole thing feel like a medley. The Portal Tapes I bought but never really gave a chance to once I read that they were old demos.

I was introduced to the band through Traced In Air. I know Focus has this big place in metal history, but... I really don't care for it that much.  :sweat: It's the one I listen to least.

Focus is my favorite non-Maiden album period, and I still listen to it regularly. In my eyes, it's about as perfect of an album as you can get. But I do very much like all of their stuff.

I didn't post a top 10? Let me remedy that.

10- Steel Panther- All You Can Eat
9- Agalloch- The Serpent & The Sphere
8- Cynic- Kindly Bent to Free Us
7- Ne Obliviscaris- Citadel
6- Opeth- Pale Communion
5- Weezer- Everything Will Be Alright in the End
4- At the Gates- At War With Reality
3- Alcest- Shelter
2- Pallbearer- Foundations of Burden
1- Triptykon- Melana Chasmata

Man, what a great year, even if Agalloch's new release was mostly a disappointment in my eyes. Also, I really need to get back into some more non-metal music. Still, I can't wait to see what 2015 promises!

I'm still trying to make it through 2014 albums I meant to listen to, but I do know that my two favorites were the records by Broken Bells and Foster The People.

I didn't think that anything could beat "Cirice" for single of the year, but then this came out. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F7A24f6gNc)

It's been too long since Maiden's last, and they haven't lost an ounce of their power. I can't wait to see how the album turns out!

Now seems like a good time to post my top 10, or at least what I think it will be.

10- Faith No More- Sol Invictus
9- Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp a Butterfly
8- Lucifer- Lucifer I
7- Ghost- Meliora
6- Paradise Lost- The Plague Within
5- Horrendous- Anareta
4- The Mountain Goats- Beat the Champ
3- High on Fire- Luminiferious
2- Refused- Freedom
1- Iron Maiden- The Book of Souls

I was going to write a little about each, but I started running out of things to say. But there's a lot of good stuff that could have made it here.

An early top 10

10- Insominum- Winter's Gate
9- PJ Harvey- The Hope Six Demolition Project
8- A Tribe Called Quest- We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service
7- Cobalt- Slow Forever
6- Blood Incantation- Starspawn
5- The Kills- Ash & Ice
4- Childish Gambino- Awaken, My Love!
3- Beyonce- Lemonade
2- Khemmis- Hunted
1- Nails- You Will Never Be One of Us