5: Cartel- “Cycles”
Cartel’s comeback this year was one I didn’t expect. I was one of the few people I know of who stayed loyal to the group after the “Band in the Bubble” fiasco of their last, self-titled album. I’m glad I did. The number of catchy songs on this album is so great that every time I put on one song I listen through the rest of the album entranced in the catchiness.
Check out: “27 Steps”
4: Ace Enders & A Million Different People- “When I Hit The Ground”
As a big fan of The Early November my disappointment from their split left me a little disinterested in the various projects that came out of it. Then I slowly but surely became a fan of Ace and his new band. This album is one of the best collections of Solid melodic rock that the “Warped Tour” scene has received this decade. The tracks cycle between acoustic, heavy and everything in between leaving me satisfied with every listen. A Million Different People will most likely be a band that will follow me through my 20s like The Early November did with my teen years.
Check out: “Leader”
3: Brand New- “Daisy”
I would be the first to admit that this album is not as good as everyone expected. Then again the expectation was basically that Jesse Lacey and Co. would make a Radiohead album, and seeing that they aren’t Radiohead they were unable to achieve that hope. There are a few duds in this batch but the songs that succeed really stuck with me. From haunting muted tracks to screaming melodies that would put most current hardcore bands to shame Brand New is the best at what they do. While “Daisy” may not be their most successful effort it is still a solid record in a catalog that not only revolutionized the genre but also made millions of people admit that they not only love “emo” music but if you have a problem with it they’ll kick your ass.
Check out: “Daisy”
2: A Day To Remember- “Homesick”
ADTR is the only band on my list that I started listening to in ’09. I had heard their previous effort and I was not very impressed. With “Homesick” the Florida based band went with pop infused hardcore and the result was a “best of both worlds” hybrid that pleased the old fans and brought in hoards of followers from the neighboring genres. There aren’t many other bands out there that boast countless 15-year-old girl fans and still have the street cred to get a shout out by a band like The Acacia Strain. I’m not sure if the band has the durability to create a lasting career but for now plenty of fans (including me) are enjoying this mashing of styles.
Check out: “Welcome to the Family”
1: Paramore- “Brand New Eyes”
Yes, I definitely wanted this album to be awesome and kept playing it through the first disappointing listens. Then I realized that this disc was ridiculously good. There’s a batch of songs for the old school Para-fans to enjoy and a bunch of new style songs that have better guitar parts and more intense drumming than either of the previous full lengths. Plus, I can’t leave out the fact that whether you love her or hate her Hayley Williams has the best vocals of any band in the scene. In “Turn it off” she throws a note out there that she would have never hit two years ago. She also hit it when I saw them live this fall so get the T-Pain auto-tune theory out of here. Paramore is for real and one of a handful of bands that are not only keeping pop punk alive but also feeding it to the masses through your mom’s top 40 radio station.
Check out: “Turn it off”
…And it seems every year more and more of my favorite bands bite the dust. Some claim to be on “hiatus” and others are officially done. Either way these are some who I have enjoyed listening to throughout the years. I miss them already.
-Armor for Sleep
-Copeland
-Cute is What We Aim For
-Fall Out Boy
-Houston Calls
-The Matches
-MeWithoutYou
No comments:
Post a Comment