Music, books, ideas.

Release Date: 3/24/15

1) Pulp 2) Rose Hips 3) Modern Saints 4) History 5) Wounded Sirens 6) Bone Scraper 7) Trilogy 8) Synesthesia 9) Animals 10) Broken Skeletons 11) From Toxin 12) Surface Tension

Hidden Hospitals rose from the ashes of a previous band I adored, Damiera.  They released a couple EPs that were very strong and when they put up their first full-length to be crowd-funded, I absolutely had to hand over some money to help produce the album.  The result was Surface Tension, an album that has remained in constant rotation this year which puts it at #1 on my list.

There’s a spacey, almost ethereal quality to many of the songs on Surface Tension.  Also aptly titled, there is a feeling of tension that seems to exist within the music that keeps the listener focused on what’s being played.  David Raymond’s vocals are a real pleasure, from the whispers of certain songs to the songs where his vocals soar and are more reminiscent of the bands in his past.

Hidden Hospitals excels on two different fronts.  A driving song like Bone Scraper or Trilogy shows a bit of the bands heavier side and that they would fit alongside a band like the Deftones in concert.  A song like Wounded Sirens soars with an almost epic feeling in parts, while keep that tense undertone I mentioned prior. Title track and album closer Surface Tension is probably the highlight for me.  “We’re all skin and bones...”

Release Date: 2/3/15

1) Afraid Of Ghosts 2) I Love You 3) Chrissie Hynde 4) Still Drunk 5) How Are Things, Love? 6) Bed On Fire 7) 21+ 8) Autumn Leaves 9) Father’s Day 10) The Dark

I’ve always had a passing interest in Butch Walker and his music, but it wasn’t until my first listen to Afraid Of Ghosts that everything clicked for me.  It was then that I understood why he meant so much to so many avid fans.  Though the overarching theme of the album isn’t something I could relate to, I realized why others could and it was is the honesty of his lyrics and his music that draws people in.

I’ve read several reviews of the album and the circumstances of Walker losing his father the year prior and that being what many of the songs are about.  Music is his release and his willingness to be so completely honest in his story-telling is captivating.  I went from Afraid Of Ghosts to older albums like Sycamore Meadows and realized what I had missed prior.

Bed On Fire is the song that has stuck with me the most from this album.  His vocal delivery is magnificent, a bit haunting and just flows over the music.  Father’s Day is probably the most poignant song on the album, especially considering the circumstances with which it was written.  21+ is a solid rock song and even includes guitarwork from of all people, Johnny Depp.

Release Date: 4/21/15

1) Boxcutter 2) The Hereafter 3) Hospital Handshakes 4) Royal 5) White-Knuckles 6) Rumi 7) A New Son 8) Sawdust & Shavings 9) So Unexpected 10) This Is My Work 11) The Finish Line

Rocky Votolato is hands-down one of my most favorite singer-songwriters.  His last album, Television Of Saints, was my number one album in 2012.  He writes meaningful, catchy songs that manage to get stuck in my conscience.

Hospital Handshakes is a fantastic work from start to finish.  They are Votolato at his vocal finest in my opinion and there is enough musical variation here to keep the listener from feeling as though they’re listening to the same song over and over again.

The title track is probably my favorite on the album.  It’s the type of song I wish was on the radio, something a bit more intelligent.  A New Son is a rocking track, a definite pace-change in the middle of the tracklist.  The most emotionally charged track in my opinion is Sawdust & Shavings.  There’s a passion to the simplicity of the song and vocals that gets me.

Release Date: 9/4/15

1) Rebirth 2) The Old Haunt 3) Waves 4) At The End Of The Earth 5) Remembered 6) A Night On The Town 7) Is There Anybody Here 8) The Squeaky Wheel 9) The Bitter Suite IV And V: The Congregation And The Sermon In The Stilt 10) The Bitter Suite VI: Abandon 11) King Of Swords (Reversed) 12) If All Goes Well 13) The Line 14) Wait 15) Ouroboros

I’d have to go back and look, but I am quite certain that every release The Dear Hunter has put out since I started this list in 2009 has made the Top 10 for the year it was released.  Casey Crescenzo in my eyes ultimately does no wrong.  No matter the group, no matter the style, the man just gets music and what makes a great song.

Act IV: Rebirth In Reprise is a continuation of a much larger series of albums that Crescenzo is putting out.  Act III was released in 2009 and so it had been a few years where Casey took to other musical endeavors before returning to begin the second-half of a six act story.  The style of music is very much akin to the three previous acts, very theatrical, yet very catchy.  The music with no words would still tell the story.

King Of Swords (Reversed) is a very interesting song.  Totally 80′s in style, it’s something you could have heard alongside Duran Duran long ago.  Put it on and a bad day goes away!  A Night On The Town is also a strong track in my opinion with all the twists and turns clocking in at 9 minutes.  The most interesting song to me though is The Bitter Suite IV And V.  Lots of references to past songs in the story and there’s an almost carnival feel to it that I really enjoy.