1. Joyce Manor-Joyce Manor
The light, energetic full length from Torrance, CA’s Joyce Manor speeds by you very quickly, clocking in at only 18 minutes, none the less this power-punk four piece hit something special with this release. This album took a long time to grow on me, and now that it has I constantly feel that its duration is its only disadvantage. This release brings a constant sigh of relief and despite its formally structured songs remains fresh and invigorating throughout each listen. The pains of adolescence are cleverly disguised amongst simple yet elegantly and nasally sung melodies, jumping from morose disdain to agonizing pain. All the while the crunchy brightness of the guitars jump between the playful hits of the drums. Muddied enough to sustain depth, but bright enough to saturate the listener in the bright Southern California sunlight seen through shades of grey.
For fans of: Weezer, Koloacaust, Big Kids, Tigers Jaw
2. Young Love-All Teeth
All Teeth’s brooding tales of heartache and despair began my year with a tremendous wallop of sadness complemented with scorching guitar tones and violent bass licks. The high energy, cameo filled, despairingly neurotic Young Love has remained a stand by throughout the year amongst many more positive records. Displaying the unruly power pain can produce when dispersed through art and especially through hardcore. Ghostly marching numbers, vicious circle pits measures and unrelenting breakdowns litter the album with each piece adding to the looming cloud of darkness that is All Teeth.
For fans of: American Nightmare, Black Flag, Converge, Suicide File
3. Major/Minor-Thrice
How does a band that naturally pushes the boundary of not only their own sound, but of their contemporaries as well, follow up such a momentous projects like The Alchemy Index and 2009’s rock spectacular Beggars. Major/Minor is how and it is perhaps the grittiest yet precise material Thrice has released to date. A demented brother of Beggars, mixing the post-hardcore remnants of their past with the matured groove rock of their present, Major/Minor establishes the band’s dominance in modern heavy music. Raw tones are combined with crystal clear quality to produce a contrast of purity and power, brilliant simplicity and melodious decadence as their words display themes of faith, relationships and depression. The sheer heaviness of this record is almost overshadowed by its cleaner moments, as a soft-loud dynamic is implemented on almost every song and furthermore is pulled off incredibly. Lead by Dustin Kensure’s slightly rough around the edges but still angelically clean vocals the band would make The Pixies proud. Baritone guitars in tow, Thrice managed to yet again wow their fans and the world.
4. Separation-Balance and Composure
At times chillingly melodramatic, Balance and Composure’s debut full length solidifies what the band has been attempting with their handful of EP’s and splits. Produced by Brian McTernan, Separation displays the bands maturity, musically and emotionally and with McTernan’s experienced touch this maturity resonates beautifully. B&C’s transitions in the past have left many as lost and confused as their lyrics suggest. But with Separation’s explosive post-rock entrances and exits, textured alt/rock sequences and thunderous sonic landscapes they powerfully cemented their sound into the ears of 2011.
For fans of: Brand New, Seahaven, Neutral Milk Hotel, Nirvana
5. Winter Forever-Seahaven
A late release in 2011, yet perhaps one of the most anticipated. Seahaven’s second release and first full length took a large leap of faith with its refined sound. Swarming with a darker under current, the soul searching jaded innocence and reassuring warmth of their monumental EP, Ghost, is lost to the chilling matured winter winds. In reality, the only reason this record lands so low on my list is because I slept on it and have yet to receive the actual album. For now bandcamp streams have sufficed and provided me with the ground shaking, Your Favorite Weaponesque, pseudo-goth moments of heartbreak that only Seahaven can provide.
For Fans of: Brand New, Balance and Composure, Crime In Stereo, As Cities Burn
6. Shed-Title Fight
Kingston, PA’s favorite hardcore/pop-punk group takes a refined step towards punk greatness with the release of Shed. An emotional swirl of home sick anthems, guitar bending good times and personal tales of woe and despair kept post-hardcore fanatics on their toes. Despite a slower tempo and tighter recordings their original style is more or less kept in tact on this release. Warm crunchy guitars flowing up and down the spectrum cushion the borderline yells of the dual vocalists, while clouds of darkness are felt throughout the album between mid tempo jams and high energy spurts. Societal norms are dissected, teenage heartbreak is recollected and introverts rejoiced as this album made a strong connection between ourselves and the world around us in the weary times of 2011.
For Fans of: Jawbreaker, Saves The Day, Polar Bear Club
7. Parallax Hypersleep Dialogues-Between The Buried and Me
Enter a world where boundaries are non-existent, genres seamlessly melt together in rhythmic cohesion creating a euphoric sense of confusion leaving listeners dazed and rubbing their necks. This world is the fantasy realm created by BTBAM and their 6th studio release, The Parallax Hypersleep Dialogues. Constantly expanding their trademarked brand of progressive metal, the Dream Theatre disciples take one step further towards metal’s valhalla. Parallax is less of a continuation of past releases as it is a new step forward. While 2009’s The Great Disconnect seemed to be a continuation of 2007’s epic masterpiece Colors, Parallax finds the band stepping into a new state of being, tapping into the unconsciousness of of vocalist Tommy Rogers while a soundscape of brutality and sensibility supports his nightmarish dialogues. Signature BTBAM elements; ferocious blast beats, huge drum tones, scale shredding movements, mind and genre bending sequences and paradoxical clean/rough vocals are all there, yet with a new sense of foundation and experimentation. An electrified sense of enlightenment surrounds the release, lush keyboards frequent the tonal soundscape and ethereal moments of despair and serene peace alike tease the ears. Very much looking forward to the finale to this.
For fans of: Dream Theatre, The Human Abstract, Protest The Hero, \M/
8.Under Soil and Dirt- The Story So Far
Pop-punk. The word makes many shutter in fear. Envisioning hoards of hot topic fitted teenagers, parents credit cards in town, over flowing malls to get their hands on the latest NFG release brings a tear to ones eye. Maybe i’m just stuck in the early 2000’s, but regardless The Story So Far’s debut full length Under Soil and Dirt brought redemption to an otherwise xeroxed genre. Many eyes turned green with envy when observing the bands imminent explosion this year, but with a formula of straight forward heartfelt lyrics, hardcore influenced song structures, infectious pop punk vocal melodies and a strong sense of youthful angst, TSSF created a widely received expression of frustration and energy.
For fans of: New Found Glory, Set Your Goals
9. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care-Explosions in the Sky:
The post-rock pioneers took a great leap forward with their follow up to 2006’s All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone. While continuing the expansive, minimalist experimentations found on the bands previous records, Explosions also implemented new techniques previously missing from their catalogue. The layered, flowing movements that have been cherished by fans and contemporaries alike are continued on this record but along with them are breakbeat rampages and vocal experimentation, bold steps for a band so cemented in their own roots.
For fans of: Radiohead, Pelican, This Will Destroy You
10. In The Pit of the Stomach- We Were Promised Jetpacks
Providing a strong sense of garage rock urgency, along with goth undertones of bands such as Interpol and The Cure, We Were Promised Jetpacks’s In The Pit of the Stomach quickly became the go to record for all my over the pond needs. Channeling the erratic energy of garage indie rock acts such as The Arctic Monkeys and The Killers and infusing it with post-rock ambience proved to be a match made in heaven for the band. Clouded visions of mourning and loss, internal struggle and and regret surround the listener while toe tapping rhythms cover up the sadness. Catchiness and depression, how could a band go wrong?
For fans of: Interpol, Arctic Monkeys, Explosions in the Sky
Honorable Mentions: Letters-Troubled Coast, Dig Up The Dead-Mansions, Little Hell-City and Colour, Monoculture-Sainthood Reps, Daybreak-Saves The Day, Parting The Sea Between Brightness and Me-Touche Amore, Rin Tin Tiger-Rin Tin Tiger, King of Limbs-Radiohead, Part and Parcel-Make Do and Mend, Digital Veil-The Human Abstract, Last Days of Rome-Daytrader
In review I feel there was a lot of good music I missed out on in 2011 due to financial issues, however what I did hear proved to me that 2011 was one of the better years in recent musical history.
On that note....
I'm excited for a quite a few bands and their releases in the coming year, those being: Rise and Fall, Troubled Coast, Owl Paws, Converge, Ceremony, Rancid, Make Do and Mend, All Teeth, The American Scene, Deadhorse,Young Turks, Black Breath. And of course the supergroups Plebeians and Distances will continue to sell out arenas across the nation as well as put out respective releases this year.
Feeling a good year for heavy music.
Hope whoever read this enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. I know I haven't posted anything in a while but I'm looking to change that real soon, in fact a few new reviews are in the works. Also graduation is fast approaching and once I'm released from the organized institution of higher learning that is SFSU I feel my itch for writing will only be cured by nothing other than these posts and my other various projects.
2012 should be a good one.
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