These are my picks for the top ten albums to have come out since 2000. This is probably the only top ten to look quite like this, but that is why it is even more important that i come up with this. To quote Rivers "if you don't like it, you can shove it... but you don't like it, you love it".
10. Postal Service "Give Up" - Death Cab singing over great electronica... how can this go wrong? Who did not like this one though? This inspired more than a few.
9. Taking Back Sunday "Where You Want To Be" - i was worried about the line-up change but boy did it deliver. A genre classic which i still regularly skate and snowboard to. They never really matched it again.
8. Dashboard Confessional "The Places You Have Some To Fear The Most" - Another genre defining classic. Spawned a score of imitators not seen since 90's era Pearl Jam. Acoustic with punk sensibility? i am in.
7. Fugazi "The Argument" - Unfortunately the last Fugazi album barely squeaks into the new millennium. This one really gives "13 Songs" a run for it's money as the best Fugazi album.
6. Angels & Airwaves "I Empire" - Some grown-up atmospheric punk. Rite of Spring has become one of my favorite songs, sneaking into many of my playlists. Creating a new genre.
5. Dropkick Murphys "The Meanest Of Times" - Definitely their best album since Sing Load, Sing Proud. The Kid's influence has been missed ever since. A little bit of everything you like about DKM. If they took a little more time in between each album they probably would all be this good.
4. Rise Against "Siren Songs Of The Counter Culture" - Like 90's hardcore amped up for the new millennium with good musicians. Why has his throat not blown out? And a ballad? Even hardcore kids cry sometimes... even hardcore kids cry. Like TBS they never quite matched it again.
3. Rival Schools "United By Fate" - What would Walter do? Gorilla Biscuits, Youth Of Today, Quicksand... now this. i feel like i have been growing up with him and he never fails to deliver.
2. Thursday "No Devolution" - Most bands peak at some point (see many on this list) but occasionally there is a band that continues to amaze and grow. Thursday have become my absolute favorite band. i have been known to follow them like the Dead. All done on their own terms. Always creative, always artistic, and always passionate. Stay true!
1. Rancid "Let The Dominoes Fall" - AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE! A graceful, mature punk album from elder-statesmen of the genre. Ever since it came out it has remained a consistent regular in my listening cycle. Finally a punk album for those of us who are getting old but not giving up on our ideals.
Oct 3, 2011
Review: Blink 182 - Neighborhoods
It cannot all be Black Flag and Minor Threat. Otherwise i might end up curb-stomping the guy in the express line in front of me with twenty seven items. We are complex creatures, with many emotions and need many styles in our musical libraries. Sometimes i really need the up-beat undertones and tempo of California punk.
i have thoroughly enjoyed Blink 182 for some time now, ever since seeing them in their earlier days when they opened up for Primus. Just a few days in i am really having a good time with their new album "Neighborhoods". Instantly i can hear track influences sounding much more reminiscent of Boxcar Racer and Angels & Airwaves (two bands i like even more than Blink). There are greater variations in tempo and expanded use of synth sounds. This should come as no surprise however, as when you listen through their albums in order this has clearly been the direction they have been heading in. And this is a good thing.
Too often, especially within the punk genre, bands seem to get stuck in a position where they seem to be making the same album over and over again where you could put their catalog on shuffle and have difficulty telling songs from one album to the next. This is clearly not the case with Blink. Ever since the addition of Travis (indisputably the best drummer from the punk genre and arguably one of the top drummers overall in any sound) the musical skill set has been improving within the band. Although their music is still easily accessible for any teenager, their evolving sound and pushing of themselves has kept it fun and interesting for those of us aging along with them. i am sure they can still sing about Mother's Day but there are also increasingly mature moments in their music now.
"Heart's All Gone" is very reminiscent of older Blink 182 material if that is what you are looking for but the initial stand outs for me are "Snake Charmer", the very AVA sounding "Ghost On The Dance Floor", and of course their first single a very Boxcar sounding "Up All Night". The members' time away on other projects has definitely added to the evolution of the sound of Blink 182. Making it all the better in my opinion. If this is their last album it would make a fittingly strong finally for a band that has brought a lot of musical joy to me. If not, i look forward to seeing how they will push their sound in the future.
i have thoroughly enjoyed Blink 182 for some time now, ever since seeing them in their earlier days when they opened up for Primus. Just a few days in i am really having a good time with their new album "Neighborhoods". Instantly i can hear track influences sounding much more reminiscent of Boxcar Racer and Angels & Airwaves (two bands i like even more than Blink). There are greater variations in tempo and expanded use of synth sounds. This should come as no surprise however, as when you listen through their albums in order this has clearly been the direction they have been heading in. And this is a good thing.
Too often, especially within the punk genre, bands seem to get stuck in a position where they seem to be making the same album over and over again where you could put their catalog on shuffle and have difficulty telling songs from one album to the next. This is clearly not the case with Blink. Ever since the addition of Travis (indisputably the best drummer from the punk genre and arguably one of the top drummers overall in any sound) the musical skill set has been improving within the band. Although their music is still easily accessible for any teenager, their evolving sound and pushing of themselves has kept it fun and interesting for those of us aging along with them. i am sure they can still sing about Mother's Day but there are also increasingly mature moments in their music now.
"Heart's All Gone" is very reminiscent of older Blink 182 material if that is what you are looking for but the initial stand outs for me are "Snake Charmer", the very AVA sounding "Ghost On The Dance Floor", and of course their first single a very Boxcar sounding "Up All Night". The members' time away on other projects has definitely added to the evolution of the sound of Blink 182. Making it all the better in my opinion. If this is their last album it would make a fittingly strong finally for a band that has brought a lot of musical joy to me. If not, i look forward to seeing how they will push their sound in the future.
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