#musicalbears

I always lie. I said I would have this out before the years end but that didn't happen. I was busy, you know, watching Netflix and continuing my alcohol diet. But who cares! Lets wrap this up. 

6) The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past: This album caught my attention when someone quoted the line "I will fuck this up, I fucking know it." Shortly after listening to the album "Gates", "Good Things", and "Sun Hotel" became rotation regulars for the rest of the year along with pretty much the entire album. Meeting the gentlemen of the band after the Taking Back Sunday Tell All Your Friends 10 Year Tour only solidified what I imagined they would be like; a bunch of friends growing up together playing punk rock from the heart.

*Favorite Track: "Ava House"

5) Title Fight - Floral Green: Give "Head In The Ceiling Fan" a listen and if you don't come back to tell me that it isn't a fucking jam then I'm not too sure we can hang out. However don't let that be the indicating sound of the album. A little more raspy, a little more punk, and a lot more thump to just about everything and you have Floral Green. There are very clear elements of what some may call "90's shoe gaze" but breaking down genres gets old quick. Again, another group of kids who believe in what they are doing and are really growing into their own sound.

*Favorite Track: "Secret Society"     

4) Japandroids - Celebration Rock: This was the fucking soundtrack to the summer. It had me fist pumping the ceiling of my car and singing along to every "wooaahhh" at the top of my lungs on every ride home from work. Two guys, a drumset, a guitar & amp, and what could be the biggest sound of the year came from this duo straight out of Canada. I don't care if it's winter. At your next party put this on and if you aren't at least 5 beers deep by the end of *"For The Love Of Ivy" then you have lost faith in rock n' roll. Long live! *A quite excellent cover from the 1981 album Fire of Love by The Gun Club **Favorite Track: "The House That Heaven Built"

3) Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind: Are you a fan of utter brutality? How about unrecognizable vocals? Double bass? Guitar riffs upon riffs? If you answered yes to any of these questions do not fucking sleep on this release. Chances are if you already listen to Converge then I don't need to say much more. Hailing from Salem MA, these guys have established enough credibility and respect throughout the metal and hardcore community that I don't need to back them up any further. Tracks likes "Viscous Muse", "Trespasses", "Empty On The Inside", and "Coral Blue: really show why Converge continues to be some of the best at what they do. 

*Favorite Track: "Shame In The Way" 

2) Deftones - Koi No Yokan: When translated from Japanese, the English title of this album means "Premonition of Love". It couldn't be a more perfect fit. Now I'm not saying this is a Deftones love album by any means but it is bar far one of the most beautiful sounding albums they have ever written. Now becoming the second album without former bassist Chi Cheng (still recovering from a coma induced car accident six years ago) the Deftones show no sign of slowing down and producing amazing music into their 7 album career. I mean c'mon, seven fucking albums and they are still absolutely killing it. I must admit it's no Diamond Eyes, which in my opinion is the best thing they've done since 2000's White Pony. But that doesn't even matter. Chino Moreno's voice still soars and even though there aren't the usual howls and pterodactyl like screams on this one, he makes up for it in delivery and sexiness. Tracks like "Entombed", "Rosemary," and "What Happened To You?" show the range Chino can achieve. They also all showcase the unsung hero of the album, keyboardist and sampler Frank Delgado. Listen carefully and you will realize the lush texture Delgado adds to every track, making each one that much better. This band continuously blows my mind and now I have a even a larger archive of songs to choose from. Godbless the Deftones.

*Favorite Track: "Gauze"  

Number Fucking One) Every Time I Die - Ex Lives: This should be no surprise to anyone that knows me. This is THE band to be in the music scene right now. I swear by the book of Buckley and this only furthered my beliefs. Prior to its release, singer Keith Buckley described this album as dark and when writing it he "wasn't in a good place". Yeah, he made that pretty clear when the opening line of the album was "I want to be dead with my friends". It's all downhill from there on a path fueled by whiskey, loss of faith in the human race, and nastiest guitar licks and death by drumming that you could think of. As with every Every Time I Die album (yikes that looks shitty to say out loud) there are always a handful of lyrics that really stick with out but on this one there are too many. Just check out "Holy Book of Dilemma", "Typical Miracle", and "Revival Mode" and you'll see what I mean. This album is also the first release with their new drummer, Ryan "Legs" Legger. I was always a fan of their previous cohort "Ratboy", but holy shit, does Legs add a whole new dynamic to their sound that lets them really get down into the heavy territory of metal core or whatever they fuck you want to call them. "A Wild, Shameless Plain" and " I Suck (Blood)" would be great example of the intensity of drumming he adds. As for the rest of the gang, they'll give you want you've wanted out of an ETID album. Great breakdowns, fantastic guitar work and the occasional shredding. Upon my first few listens I almost thought I was going to be disappointed with this album. Boy was I wrong. I only took one night of total chaos at the restaurant I work at to appreciate the dark place Keith went to. From there on out I knew that nothing else this year could possibly top this one. I guess it's safe to say these guys have an unfair advantage though. 

Even though I pretty much put this list together weeks ago I've still been putting it off for no good reason. But it's about time to start being productive so here we go. First off here is my disclaimer that should go along with ever other end of the year list and every publication of best of's. These are MY picks and MY favorite albums put together by my general knowledge of a very small spectrum of music. There is no way that these are "the best" nor can anyone EVER determine that they are "the best" albums to come out this year. I still don't agree with picks on every major music publication, Pitchfork is always too pretentious, SPIN throws in a couple of stinkers here and there and leaves out some killer stars, and then Rolling Stone just tries to keep the masses happy. So all bullshit aside, the real reason for this is that for the very few who do happen to come across this, I hope you find something new and enjoyable. Now let me begin. 13) The Chariot - One Wing: There has always been something about frantic chaos and non-structure that has pulled me into the metalcore genre. I usually find myself playing along with my massive air instrument ensemble kit but with these guys I just couldn't keep up, at least not at first. After seeing this buzzing around the internet for a few weeks I checked it out and immediately after hearing the first track I bought the album. And any band who can incorporate a Western epic into their middle of their album has my full support. *Favorite Track: "Forget"

12) Stars - The North: Here's part one of two acts associated the Canadian super group Broken Social Scene. With a female/male singer trade off and indie pop influences this isn't much to dislike about this album. Relaxing but still keeps you taping your foot. Plus it has easily one of my favorite songs of the year on it. *Favorite Track: "Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It"

11) Fang Island - Major: Happy noise! I suppose that might be one of the easiest ways to describe this band. While the don't shy away from shredding here and there and making sure there are more than plenty of instruments to be heard they never make it an unpleasant moment. If I could think of a tour that would only attract positive people to headline it would be these guys and Andrew W.K. 

*Favorite Track: "Seek It Out"

10) Metric - Synthetica: Now here is the second half of the groups associated with Broken Social Scene. Emily Haines sure knows how to deliver on this one, with the opening line of the album being "I'm not as fucked up as they say". Very electronic and "synth" heavy, this album layers sound upon sound giving it a very large landscape at times. It's also not everyday that you get Lou Reed as a guest vocal on your album. 

*Favorite Track: "Artificial Nocturne" 

9) P.O.S. - We Don't Even Live Here: Heyooo, hip hop made it on here! One of the few acts from the genre that i genuinely follow is Stefon Alexander (but better known as his surname). From sampling underOath to writing what might be the most beautiful hip hop song I've ever heard ("Purexed"), with his fourth follow up P.O.S. brings in the beats of fellow Doomtree member Lazerbeak and guest spots by fellow members Mike Mitclan and Sims. By the real shiners are the outside guests that include Astronautilis and Justin Vernon (for all of you Bon Iver fanatics). What really impresses me about P.O.S. is his anarchistic views and his ideals on what isn't "hip and popular" but what matters to him personally without being drawn into fame and money. *Favorite Track: "Bumper"

8) The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten: Leave it to these guys to try and keep rock n' roll alive. Always channeling their inner Springsteen and New Jersey sound, Brian Fallon and the gang manage to keep writing solid track after track and expanding their fan base one album at a time. While not really changing up what they do on this one I still couldn't help but get sucked in by the majority of this album. I can even say that the best song, "Blue Dahlia", was included as a BONUS track on the deluxe version. Now that is fucking impressive. *Other Favorite Track: "45" 

7) Baroness - Yellow & Green: Double albums are a hard pill to swallow so lets consider a double album by Baroness a horse pill (supposedly they are massive). Sticking with a similar color scheme like their first two albums (Red Album and Blue Record), Baroness choose to double up on their third effort and they did one hell of a fucking job. Beautiful instrumentals littered throughout, heavy hitters that set the old standards, and minimalist beginnings from a band that won't limit themselves to just southern heavy metal, Baroness really shone through the rest of the muddy waters of American metal and proved to everyone that they have so much to offer. Just give this one some time, it's completely worth it.