Top 50 Albums Of The Year

[YI]

15. "DEATHCONCIOUSNESS" by HAVE A NICE LIFE

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/haveanicelife

INFO: Have A Nice Life are a true definition of a small time, underground band that have ‘blown up’, at least into a trendy indie-whore phenomenon. This double album was Ringmaster’s favourite release of the past year, it falls a little short for me, but it most certainly is an absolutely splendid album. Rumour has it the entire thing was recorded on a budget of $1000, including the instruments that were used, I’m not sure how truthful that is, but I do know that they had to stop selling it on CD and stick to solely digital downloads, as the process of burning and distributing it themselves was too time consuming. The music itself is interesting. It’s basically shoegaze stuff, but it blends into various other genres, with hints of metal and electronics and ambience at times all shining through. The tracks diversify from beautiful to weird, the instrumentation sounds muddy and thick, but in a band like this, it really works. The snare drum however sounds like a gunshot blast, which is pretty cool as well. The standout track on here has to be the 8-minute epic, “The Big Gloom”, which is also possibly their most accessible track given the fact it slowly builds and builds into a big, epic ending sequence to finish. At times, given the fact it’s a double album it can be the pain in the arse to get through, and given its style, it’s not something you really feel like you can pick one or two tracks out and go “Hey, that’s catchy, I want to listen to that” as there’s always other artists on your playlist who seem more appealing with individual songs. But much like Stars Of The Lid last year (although, not as good IMO) if you’re in ‘the mood’ for this album it can be one that completely blows you away.

BEST SONGS: "The Big Gloom", "Hunter", "Bloodhail", "Holy Fucking Shit; 40,000", "Telephony" and "Waiting For The Black Metal Records To Come In The Mail".

IN QUICK: Shoegaze band that encompasses many different genres, from drone, industrial and ambience, to indie, electronica and metal, the 'underground indie-trendwhores' band of 2008, and it's much deserved.

14. "BIM" by BIM

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/bimmusic

INFO: Bim are a two piece, male/female pop band from the United Kingdom. It is mostly the brainchild of Tim Davis, with Rebecca Rosier providing the focal point vocals of the tracks. It’s only a 6-song mini-album, but it is hands down one of my favourite releases of the year. The list of influences and styles you can compare this band to are endless, you have the slightly weird pop niceties of Kate Bush, Imogen Heap and PJ Harvey, all the way to the artistic prog-rock sound of Dredg, which really shines through in “Ready To Love”, a song that sounds like it could have been on “Catch Without Arms”. They blend all these styles and sounds together, but at the end of the day it’s just beautiful pop music. When they have the two voices working together, the male/female dynamic, with Tim really riding over, he has such a strong powerful voice, not unlike Ewan McGregor strangely. Say what you want, about Moulin Rouge and that, but Ewan McGregor has an epic voice. Plus he was in Brassed Off, with Len from Emmerdale and Peter Postlethwaite, now that was a fucking funny film. All in all, beautiful album, the songs are perfectly constructed and stylish. Only downside is that “A Loving Side” is not featured on here. I put it on a Gaylist and Metalman said it was their best song. I know he doesn’t particularly like Bim (or at least nowhere near the level that I do) but I do happen to agree with him, it’s a fabulous tune. But at the end of the day, all these tunes are fabulous too.

BEST SONGS: "Ready To Love", "The Magic of Us", "Stay In My Memory", "The Battle", "Call It A Monday" and "I Dream This World".

IN QUICK: Beautiful, laid back pop music, taking influences from Kate Bush, to trip-hop. Fans of Imogen Heap, PJ Harvey, Regina Spektor etc, should definitely check out.

13. "HOME" by PETER BRODERICK

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/peterbroderick

INFO: This is the first of two back to back, but very different acoustic albums from young artists. This is the third solo album from 21 year old, Danish born, Peter Broderick. Broderick is a live band member of Danish indie-twee/alt-pop act, Efterklang, where he plays violin. Broderick came to my attention in late 2007 with his first release, "Docile". I was looking for chilled out music, in similar vein to Eluvium, maybe with a bit of a more piano vibe, and Broderick was recommended to me. His follow-up, "Float" dropped in early 2008, and was more of the same style, gorgeous piano based compositions, not unlike studies in a way offset with a few minor electronics and string settings. "Float" was a beautiful chillout album, but as you can see, not good enough to make it onto this list. However, as the year was winding down Broderick released his third album, "Home", which was a drastic change in style. It opens with voice, which is heard for the first time on a Broderick album (I can't be arsed to check if that's actually true), and the overlapping and looping "Ah's" and "Oh's" make up the vast amount of 'instrumentation' for the opening track, "Game", before being joined by the occasional strum of an acoustic guitar. What follows is a glorious acoustic album, that would fit snuggly into your collection alongside Jose Gonzalez. It's such a shame that Broderick has kept his voice 'hidden' for so long, and while still great in their own way, that he decides to go back to more experimental, instrumental tracks at points throughout the album. Don't get me wrong, I love "Maps", especially the ending, it's so radiant and triumphant, but tunes like "Esbern Snares Grade 11, 2tv" achieve nothing in the long run.

BEST SONGS: "With The Notes In My Ears", "And It's Alright", "Below It", "Maps", "Games Again" and "Not At Home".

IN QUICK: Intimate album from a young artist that sounds like mix of fellow Scandinavian, Jose Gonzalez and Epic45.

12. "ALAS, I CANNOT SWIM" by LAURA MARLING

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/lauramarling

INFO: Laura Marling seemingly appeared from nowhere to be one of the hottest prospects in British music. Although she never particularly broke into the mainstream crowd, as I’d hoped, alongside the likes of Duffy, Adelle and Kate Nash, in the long run, I think it’s quite good, as to the ‘indie’ fans, she’s still ‘ours’. She’s a soft spoken girl, who does have an aura of cuteness about her, despite looking like David Lee Roth. But she continues the train of thought I have that women who put out ‘amazing’ albums, aren’t pretty (Imogen Heap, New Buffalo, Emily Haines…although Haines is pushing it, she’s alright, but does look like she’s spent time fisting her bunkmate in prison ). Her tunes are generally soft acoustic numbers and lyrically she is absolutely breathtaking. Whereas a lot of female singers these days seem to be going for a Kate Nash style, ‘real’ approach, Marling rather goes for beautiful lyricism that goes hand in hand with her style of music. The most notable case of the musicianship and the words hitting it off perfectly is in “The Captain And Hourglass”, a song where Marling sings about how she became disillusioned by the Christian faith, in what is my personal favourite track of the album. That's a somewhat recurring theme here for the album, and that's part of what really interests me about a lot of her stuff. I mean, I hate the whole "Let's bash Christianity" shit people go through, but as someone who was raised in the church, it's really interesting to hear people's thoughts who's been through similar things you have, and someone who despite everything, has had good times through something and wont just go and say "It's shit". Also in "My Manic And I" there's a lyric; "He believes in the love in his god of all things/But I find him wrapped up in all manner of sins/The drugs that deceive him and the girls that believe him..." BANG!! BANG!! BANG!! I love that. Right on with a bunch of experiences I've come across in my life. Oh yeah, a lot of her songs sound like sea-shanties, that's fucking awesome!!!

BEST SONGS: "The Captain And Hourglass", "My Manic And I", "Tap At My Window", "Failure", "Old Stone" and "You're No God".

IN QUICK: Breathtaking acoustic-folk album from a UK teenager who's talented beyond her years.

11. "IN FLESH TONES" by AZEDA BOOTH

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/azedabooth

INFO: I will come straight out and say it, "In Flesh Tones" is not an album that will be enjoyed by the masses, but for me personally, they're the most intriguing and original sounding bands I have heard in a long, long time. Their sound is weird one. The best way to describe it would be to say, DnTel, with drum & bass style percussion rhythms, ambient drones and 'female' vocals. Only, you know, they're not female vocals. I mean, there's been some weird and wonderful falsetto's in time. From the fabulous styling of Freddy Mercury, the Matt Bellamy nasally warble, the sheer amount of Mika gayness etc, but there's absolutely nothing, and I repeat, nothing that could have prepared me for this. On my first listen through the album I thought "Hey, the bird sounds quite cute"...did a google search that left me wondering, "Okay, which one of those 5-guys is doing THAT!?!?!". And suddenly the album turns from 'cute' to 'warped', and the greatness of it really began to shine through. Like, inside this bloke is the soul (voice) of an 11-year old girl, and the whole thing suddenly gets completely claustrophobic and since then has become one of my favourite albums to listen through from beginning to end, given the emotions that it brings to the forefront as it runs through.

BEST SONGS: "In Red", "Big Fists", "John Cleese", "Ran", "Kensington" and "First Little Britches".

IN QUICK: DnTel style electro, offset against D&B style rhythms, ambient drones and haunting falsetto vocals. An album that just gets to me emotionally.

Edited January 23, 2009 by YI

[METALMAN]

Laura Marling sounds hot as fuck when she sings. Imagine my disappointment when I saw what she looks like. ha. But she's hardly David Lee Roth. >_> She's alright. Not spectacular.

Fantastic, brilliant album though.

[YI]

10. "THE DIFFERENCE" by PENDLETON

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/pendletonmusic

INFO: You know you're in a pop-punk/powerpop/melodic-hardcore/powerpunk band when your name is one of two things; a) a cheesy 3-word 'slogan name' (Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals, All Time Low, All Or Nothing etc.) or, b) a name given to a kid who lives in a mansion on a teen drama (Paige, Pendleton, Clarkson, Atwood, Levin etc.). Pendleton are a band from Manchester, who earlier in the year left the UK shores to be part of the Warped Tour in America. They're a band I don't feel I mention enough, I mean, I tend to just tag them on as an afterthought with other bands, but this album is absolutely top notch stuff. It basically has 8-tracks, excluding the intro and the outro, which just sees the opening riff repeated to close out the album. The intro is huge (not sure how I'd rate it against "The Take Over" by Four Year Strong, but it's close call) and really sets the tone for the rest of the album. They have a very intriguing sound, as they take the best of 90's 'skate punk' (Strung Out, Lagwagon, Cigar etc.), the metal style riffs, guitar solo's and the high tempo's and blends it perfectly with the best parts of the 00's 'powerpunk' (Four Year Strong, Paige, Me Vs Hero, Fall Out Boy) sound, with the catchy as hell choruses and gang vocals. A real shining light on the punk-rock scene, and one of the frontrunners to show that given how things stand at the minute, the UK can really compete with North America, the Scandinavian skate-punkers and the tech-punk bands from central Europe.

BEST SONGS: "Tonight We Pray To Different Gods", "What I've Learned", "View Humans As Cattle", "Shotgun vs Beatdown", "Between The Roc And A Hard Place" and "Give Up".

IN QUICK: One part 00's pop-punk/powerpunk, one part 90's skate-punk and one part Silverstein, when they were fucking badass.

9. "ANIMALS" by THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/thistownneedsguns

INFO: This Town Needs Guns have arguably been one of the best bands of the year. They emerged from seemingly nowhere and completely revitalised my faith in a genre. It's amazing when something like that happens, where one band forces you to dive straight into a genre you haven't given a second thought to in god knows how long. A similar thing happened a couple of years back with Four Year Strong, where one band forced me to change my entire outlook on 'pop-punk' and I've totally submerged myself into the genre. Math-rock is a very weird genre, for one it's defined to many people as many different things. At the end of the day This Town Needs Guns follows on from the style set forth almost a decade earlier by American Football, mixing intricate but highly beautiful guitar riffs with complex drum patterns, all offset against floating vocals across the changing time signatures, that are far from distracting and forced. With bands like this the vocal work is often lost and the music too overpowering, but with TTNG you always feel that they are very much 'songs', and while at times the voice is merely seen as another 'instrument' on here, the guitar work is never too intense and distracting, it's all really 'cool', with no form of guitar distortion, the melodies really shine through. In my oppinion the best indie-rock band out of the Oxford area at this moment in time (Oh yeah, fuck you Radiohead fans...fuck you Foals fans!!!).

BEST SONGS: "Pig", "Baboon", "Gibbon", "Chinchilla", "Lemur" and "Crocodile".

IN QUICK: Cool indie/math-rock, where the vocals, guitar riffs, complex rhythms and time signature changes flow perfectly creating an incredibly melodic, catchy album.

8. "JESUS THAT LOOKS TERRIBLE ON YOU" by A BIG YES AND A SMALL NO

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/abigyesandasmallno

INFO: A BIG YES and a small no are a band from New York, which started life as a one man project, but soon began to grow and grow until this point, the release of their debut album. "Jesus That Looks Terrible On You" see's the band blend together various styles, from; 60's style pop music, jazz, ska and indie, to make their own style of pop music, finished off with a vibraphone riding over the top of the arrangements. From the groovy "Faded Away", with a bassline that could see it on the soundtrack of an Austin Powers film, to the acoustic closer "Looking Over My Shoulder", the delightfully twee "This Doesn't Feel Like Goodbye", the ska/reggae blend opener "I'm Always Manic (When I'm Around You)" and the trip-hop inspired "What A Fucking Mess This Turned Out To Be", there's so much variation here. In fact, that song title perfectly sums this up, this album is a complete 'fucking mess', but it works. This album really goes to show what can happen when people push the boundaries of popular music, without ever coming across as forced or overly quirky. Easily one of the best kept secrets of the past year.

BEST SONGS: "If You Won't Beg", "Looking Over My Shoulder", "Composure", "This Doesn't Feel Like Goodbye", "Faded Away" and "I'm Always Manic (When I'm Around You)".

IN QUICK: Vibraphone and brass play a focal point in this alt-pop album that blends together everything from jazz to indie-twee, wrapping it up in a blanket of 60's pop.

7. "A THOUSAND WORDS" by STYROFOAM

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/styrofoam

INFO: Arne Van Petegem, aka. Styrofoam has been one of my favourite artists for quite some time now. For many "Give Up" (The Postal Service) is the goal that an 'electro-pop' album has to try and beat, but for me, my personal favourite album in the genre was Styrofoam's previous official album, "Nothing's Lost", which actually features Ben Gibbard (The Postal Service/Death Cab For Cutie) guesting on "Couches In Alleys", which I've said on here before, and will say again, is one of, if not my single all time, favourite song. Styrofoam has really matured and come out of his shell as an artist, his early material was very sombre and it wasn't until 2003's "I'm What's There To Show That Something's Missing" that he really started to shine as an artist, more predominately lending his voice to tracks. With "Nothing's Lost" he got in an abundance of guest stars alongside him, which is something he's done again with the far more upbeat "A Thousand Words", although the names aren't quite as 'big' as on the previous album. The big name collaborating artist here is Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World, although the song between the two falls a little flat in my oppinion and is the worst on the album, as it just sounds like a moderately acceptable JEW number, with none of Styrofoam's charm. It's the tracks with the female vocalists that really shine out, Erica Driscoll (Blondfire) on the dancey "No Happy Endings", Blake Hazard (The Submarines) on standout track "Microscope" and Lili De La Mora (The Year Zero) on the catchy as hell "No Deliveries List". All in all, a fabulous album, where Arne really comes out of his shell and writes some upbeat and catchy material, not as good as "Nothing's Lost" but still a fabulous album, and it's great he's getting some recognition touring alongside Death Cab For Cutie and Jimmy Eat World last year. Two things I hope though. I hope we don't have another 4-year wait between albums (although he did do the electro/rap hybrid album with Fat Jon) and he sheds the guest vocalists for the next album. He's competent enough to handle it on the male side of things, and the girl he gets to sing in his live band, as well as being really cute, is also an absolutely fabulous singer, he harmony work in "After Sunset" really set my spine tingling, as here I never really felt the guests 'added' anything to the tracks, here.

BEST SONGS: "Microscope (ft. Blake Hazard)", "After Sunset", "Thirty To One", "Bright Red Helmet", "No Happy Endings (ft. Erica Driscoll)" and "A Thousand Words".

IN QUICK: 4-years in the making, Styrofoam turns his attentions to some upbeat, more song-orientated electro-pop, that given the chance could certainly get the masses dancing.

6. "THE '59 SOUND" by THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem

INFO: Yes, you read that right, The Gaslight Anthem do not crack the top 5! In early 2007, when I came upon a myspace link of some tiny New Jersey band and blasted out a demo of "I'Da Called You Woody Joe" on the player, if you'd told me less than 18-months later I'd be standing in a PACKED tent at Leeds festival (many of whom knew them from the front page of Kerrang! magazine), surrounded by an abundance of fans, screaming out the words to said song and others from their two studio albums and EP, I wouldn't have believed it possible. "Sink Or Swim" was hands down my favourite album of 2007, and is still one of the few albums I really get the shakes from and think "This is a classic". At the turn of the year they dropped the amazing "Senor & The Queen" EP, which actually features my two favourite Gaslight Anthem songs in "Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts" and "Say I Won't (Recognize)". With "The '59 Sound" the band have swayed a bit from the punkier edge of their sound, instead going for a more 'heartland rock' vibe. This, coupled with the production (Brian Fallon singing through a tincan! ) and the band's lyrical style of referencing older songs and movies etc, gives the whole thing a glorious nostalgic effect, even more so than "Sink Or Swim" did. The melodies are simple, but so beautiful, and they pen the kind of tunes that you can't help but sing along to. I can't really say anything about this album that you haven't heard from me a million times before, it's just fucking amazing.

BEST SONGS: "Miles Davis & The Cool", "Here's Looking At You, Kid", "Great Expectations", "Meet Me By The River's Edge", "The '59 Sound" and "The Patient Ferris Wheel (ft. Dicky Barrett).

IN QUICK: If you don't know what they sound like by now, you're a cunt. Let me steal a quote I read somewhere (roughly, can't find the exact thing) "Sink Or Swim sounds like Bruce Springsteen playing punk, The '59 Sound sounds like a punk band playing Bruce Springsteen".

[METALMAN]

Oh very good to see Gaslight Anthem and Styrofoam in that lot. I think I like This Town Needs Guns too coz they did that song about Belle & Sebastian.

You say "hands down" a lot.

Edited January 23, 2009 by metalman

[YI]

......please welcome for the second time, from Oxford, England......

5. "THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS" by THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/thistownneedsguns

INFO: While "Animals" was released later in the year, at the turn of the year TTNG put out the 8-track self-titled release. It's a little different to "Animals", but you can tell that the early part of the sound is there. The guitar work is a less flamboyant for a start (although still technical), the song structures seem more 'traditional', although they are still laced with the irregular time signatures and intricate drum patterns. Also, at this time, the band had a full time piano/keyboard player. Things kick off with "26 Is Dancier Than 4", which is my favourite song in the TTNG catalogue. The the twiddly guitars launch straight in following a drum fill, followed milliseconds later by the riding vocals of Stuart Smith. For me, this song basically encompasses everything that makes This Town Needs Guns' great, in one 5-minute snippet. Everything I brought up before, the technical guitar work, the riding vocals, the time signatures, the outstanding drum work, the mix of loud and quiet, the catchiness and 'danciness' of the whole thing. They're just one of those bands that never ceases to put me in a good mood. I honestly don't think any band before them have got the blend of technique and melody so spot on, not Dream Theater, not anybody. I hope they keep their heads screwed on the right way and while still try and push themselves as musicians, they don't forget that the 'song' is the most important thing, as all the tracks on here are seriously works of art. I actually quite miss the piano in the band dynamic. I mean, it probably wouldn't fit as well into "Animals", but here it really makes some of the good songs, great. Also, despite have less songs, there feels like there's more variation here, with the heavy distortion on the rocky "It's Not True Rufus..." and the acoustic tracks such as "I'll Forget About You Throwing That Rock...".

BEST SONGS: "26 Is Dancier Than 4", "If I Sit Still, Maybe I'll Get Out Of Here", "Japanese Ultra-Violence in D-Minor (The Saddest Chord)", "Want To Come Back To My Room And Listen To Some Belle & Sebastian?", ""It's Not True Rufus, Don't Listen To That Hat" and "And I'll Tell You For Why".

IN QUICK: Cool indie/math-rock, who here are mixing piano's and acoustic guitars into the mix of powerful vocals, intricate guitar work and complex rhythms and time signatures. The band who I feel who has got the best feel between technique and melody.

......#4 will come tomorrow, they're the biggest band left on the list, and are neither English or American......

Edited January 24, 2009 by YI

[YI]

......the one, the only......

4. "MEÐ SUÐ Í EYRUM VIÐ SPILUM ENDALAUST" by SIGUR RÓS

CHECK OUT: http://www.myspace.com/sigurros

INFO: With The Polyphonic Spree and Aqualung trailing behind, Sigur Ros are the number 1 "Have random atmospheric songs played on adverts in England" band. However the lead single, and opening track from the album, "Gobbledigook", was a total departure from their trademark sound, as instead of glistening over the top dream-pop melodies, they instead favour pounding tribal drum rhythms, acoustic guitars and obtuse rhyhtms. It's a near perfect opening tune for a band like this, a band where you've become so accustomed to one kind of thing, it's really a tune to make you sit up and take notice. As the album progresses there's nothing quite as 'left-field' as "Gobbledigook", but it is a slightly different Sigur Ros. While it was never particularly a problem for me, my brother always had a love/hate relationship with Sigur Ros. As he felt that while they had amazing songs, at times they came across as too epic and over the top, and it felt silly. So to him, this is their best album, and I have to agree with him on that regard. The fact that things aren't 'over the top' really helps the natural beauty of their songs shine through even more, plus they're really trying things a bit more differently, with more soft-piano melodies, acoustic guitars, and a song that sounds suspiciously like it could be a Coldplay song in "Við Spilum Endalaust" (you know, if Chris Martin sang in an Icelandic falsetto). But this makes the 'epic' parts of the album, where they layer on the brass and strings that much more breathtaking and beautiful. For example the closing to 9-minute epic, "Ára Bátur" just radiates through so beautifully. Some absolutely glorious tunes on here, "Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust" is Sigur Ros at their very best. Pretty fucking epic live too.

BEST SONGS: "Festival", "Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur", "Góðan Daginn", "Fljótavík", "Ára Bátur", "Við Spilum Endalaust" and "Gobbledigook".

IN QUICK: It's Sigur Ros...you know the score by now, fucking epic, they're the light at the end of the world in musical form.

[YI]

WHY THE FUCK CONDT i GET REPLESI!!!!!!

CUNTS

[BuddyAwesome]

I have not heard of any one of the bands listed so far...

[YI]

Seriously? Whatr teh fuck? Not heard of Sigut Ros??? Don't te;ll me you;re an Audioslave lsieteinng cun>

AAHHH!! shit, I got my clcok upo.

[BuddyAwesome]

No. I hate Audioslave.

I guess this is what happens when I haven't listened to the radio or current day MTV/VH1 in about two years.

I'm kind of surprised that the new Alice Cooper and Judas Priest CD's get no love on here, though. But that's what happens when these kids listen to god awful music these days.

[YI]

Thank fuck.

O aint heard Cooper but "Nostradamus" or however ya spell it was a bit mewh, IMO>

To be fair, half these fuckers wouldn;t, get MTV play;

I kinda forget what;s ovsure and what's not.

Edited January 25, 2009 by YI

[Lowerdeck]

None these people would really get MTV play.

[BuddyAwesome]

Well then that is good! As for Nostradomus, I loved the music on it but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting from Priest. Alice's "Along Came a Spider," was brilliant. Hopefully Death Magnetic at least finds it's way onto here, which to be fair, though, wasn't really all that but it was better than Metallica's last effort. And personally I enjoyed the hell out of Chinese Democracy, I just refuse to call them Guns N Roses...

EDIT: My girlfriend likes Death Cab For Cutie (what a horrible name) and says they do get radio/MTV play... *sigh*

Edited January 25, 2009 by BuddyAwesome

[TheRossWalker]

It's killing me trying to figure out the top three.

Mike Hale is a lock, probably number one, but the other two, I have no idea. Holding out hope for Pedals on our Pirate Ships.

[Gabriel]

Well then that is good! As for Nostradomus, I loved the music on it but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting from Priest. Alice's "Along Came a Spider," was brilliant. Hopefully Death Magnetic at least finds it's way onto here, which to be fair, though, wasn't really all that but it was better than Metallica's last effort. And personally I enjoyed the hell out of Chinese Democracy, I just refuse to call them Guns N Roses...

EDIT: My girlfriend likes Death Cab For Cutie (what a horrible name) and says they do get radio/MTV play... *sigh*

For future reference, on YI's lists, you're likely to find a lot of indie type stuff, and not a whole lot of metal. Which isn't a knock on YI. His Zoli love alone makes him awesome. I personally check out his lists for stuff that he relates to music I already like, and then check that out. About 90% of what he puts up is stuff I either have heard and didn't like, or have no interest in... but the other 10% is well worth the five minutes it takes to read his posts.

To respond to you... I haven't heard the new Priest album, but Along Came a Spider is by far, my favorite Alice Cooper album. The lack of recognition it has received in general is disappointing.

[IAceI]

Mike is a lock at #1 and Pedals are deffos in there. Fuck knows the 3rd though. Will kick myself though when I see it.

Edited January 25, 2009 by IAceI

[Skummy]

Also, "Death Cab For Cutie" is not a horrible name, simply by virtue of being named after one of the best songs by an awesome band. So there.

[Iain76er]

Also, "Death Cab For Cutie" is not a horrible name, simply by virtue of being named after one of the only songs by a joke band. So there.

Fixed.

[Skummy]

One of the only songs? In a thirty year discography? Hmm. And "joke band" is a bit much - there was a lot of parody in there, and more irony than you could shake a stick at, but to call them simply a "joke" band kind of discredits their genuine musical talent (of which there is lots), and implies that humour and music don't mix. They're a comedic band, but not a comedy band. I draw a distinction. Bonzo Dog Band - comedic. Many Frank Zappa songs - comedic. Weird Al Yankovic, Tenacious D? Comedy (allegedly).

[ROC]

I think the issue should be that a weaker band wanted to be referential and referenced a band that 99.8% of their audience doesn't even know inspired the name. And honestly, I just want to bring up more I DON'T LIKE TEH DEATH CAB type statements.