Monday, January 28, 2019

TRCK Archives: Top Albums of 2012



From the archives, here's a list I made of my top albums and EPs of 2012

Alright I'm just going to start by listing the 10 best EPs of 2012:

#10:  William Beckett - Walk the Talk EP
William came out with three separate four-song EPs this year, all of them worth checking out for any fan of The Academy Is...  The songs are definitely more pop-centric than rock-leaning TAI stuff, but it's good enough to dull my pain over the breakup of The Academy Is...
Check out: Compromising Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIurJbZjRKE


#9:  William Beckett - Winds Will Change EP
This one is my favorite of the three EPs. It has my two favorite songs of his young solo career, Warriors and Dig a Hole. 

 #8:  Cassadee Pope - Cassadee Pope EP
The songs are solid and catchy, if not extremely pop-y. My only gripes are one or two questionable lyric choices and all of the songs pretty much revolve around the same subject. As she grows and matures, her music will only get better.

#7:  Marriages - Kitsune
A project from three of the members of the phenomenal Red Sparowes. You can definitely hear the carryover, very atmospheric, at times serene and other times very heavy. But this is certainly a departure from Red Sparowes, for one there's vocals.
Check out: Ten Tiny Fingers  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBpvwhpC3Jw

#6:  Pelican - Atraxia/Taraxis
The newest release from the mighty Pelican. I'm a sucker for good instrumental post-rock/post-metal and sludge metal. Pelican blends all of that for a familiar sound, but still manages to keep evolving.
Check out: Parasite Colony http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bao4e91VAk4

#5:  The Pretty Reckless - Hit Me Like a Man EP
This would be ranked higher if it included more than only three new songs, the other 2 tracks being live cuts of their first album. The three new songs are very solid, though. Cold Blooded showing guitarist Ben making his lead singing debut.
Check out: Hit Me Like a Man http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogDnZFbkBxY

#4:  With Knives - Schadenfreude
The new project of Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy and The Damned Things and Josh Newton of Every Time I Die and The Damned Things. It leans towards Stoner Rock almost in the vein of bands like Sleep.

#3:  Anthony Raneri - New Cathedrals
The lyrical genius of Bayside but less rock, with a slight tinge of country.
Check out: The Ballad of Bill the Saint http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9VAGgubq_s

#2:  The Calefaction - Whales of Pearl Peak Pt. 1
An extremely underrated release from a great local band. A must listen to for any Coheed and Cambria, 3 or The Dear Hunter fan.

#1:  This Providence - Brier EP
This Providence's comeback after a long wait does not disappoint. It has more of a classic rock feel to it than their previous records, but with the same high-quality lyrics from Dan Young. A very strong independent release.




Alright, and with that we come to my top full-length albums of the year. There was a lot of good, bad and awful music released this year. Out of what I listened to, this is what I think were the best albums of 2012. I'll say a little bit about each one, some I'll have more to say about than others.

First a few honorable mentions. These were some solid albums that I just haven't really listened to as much as the others but are worth checking out if you haven't already:
Jack White - Blunderbuss
Baroness - Yellow & Green
Torche - Harmonicraft
The Khaki Scouts - 12 Days

On to the real list.

#25:  Tenacious D - Rize of the Fenix
This was the first release from The D since The Pick of Destiny in 2006 and for the most part it was worth the wait. There are some tracks that don't really work (Most notably "39"), but the ones that do are fantastic. The skits are enjoyable, the songs are funny and rocking, and it definitely leaves you wanting more music from The Greatest Band In the World.

#24:  Flyleaf - New Horizons
Sadly, vocalist Lacey Mosley-Sturm left the band after the completion of this album. She has since been replaced by the amazing Kristen May (Formerly of the band Vedera). The album starts out with probably it's best song, Fire Fire. The album gets a little bit weaker in the second half, but it does remain solid with songs like Green Heart and Saving Grace. Listening to this album is a bittersweet experience for a long-time Flyleaf fan since it was Lacey's farewell. If you've ever been into Flyleaf's music, this album shouldn't disappoint you at all.

#23:  High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
I'm not sure what I can say about this album. It's High On motherfucking Fire. If you like thrash, stoner, doom or sludge metal, you most likely already know how awesome this band is. They aren't re-inventing the wheel here. It's the iconic High On Fire sound, heavy and fast with great musicianship. There isn't quite anything as awesome as the main riff in Snakes For the Divine off of their last album, but that's not to say this album won't rock your face off.
Check out: Madness of an Architect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWgZ59_J1ZE

#22:  Gloriana - A Thousand Miles Left Behind
I'm not quite as in love with this release as I was with their last album, but it's not far behind. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the departure of Cheyenne Kimball from the group, the harmonies do seem to be a little bit lacking (though still very good). I was very surprised to see Soldier Song make it's way onto the album. I think the sentiment behind the song is honorable, but the execution is just very poor. Extremely clunky lyrics and some how Tom's normally solid vocals come off sounding whiny and obnoxious. Thankfully that is just one song and it doesn't carry over to the others.
Check out: Doing It Our Way https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Humj3djiEW8

#21:  Buckethead - Electric Sea
One of Big B's more mellow releases. This was his first of SIX full-length albums released just in 2012. I haven't had time to give them all a thorough listen yet (It's hard to keep up with Buckethead), so perhaps I'll update this and jam one or more of them in here somewhere. Electric Sea is a very calming record, a stark contrast to a lot of his music which is chaotic and eccentric. This album even features a few classical pieces: La Gavotte and Batchethead by Johann Sebastian Bach and La Wally by Alfredo Catalani. This album also include's Buckethead's previously released tribute to Michael Jackson, the superb The Homing Beacon.

#20:   Green Day - ¡Uno!, Dos! and Tre
So yes, this is three separate albums. But seeing as there is little distinction between them, I think it's fair to lump them all together as one triple-length album (that's basically what they are anyway). Green Day decided to move away from the rock opera thing and go back to a more old-school Green Day sound. For the most part, it does work. But nothing here even begins to rival the genius of tracks like Jesus of Suburbia or East Jesus Nowhere. Most of the songs are strong, though some of the lyrics are questionable. The biggest miss here is the song Nightlife, which is probably one of the worst tracks Green Day has ever created. I'm not sure there is really enough Grade-A material here to warrant a triple album, a lot of it seems like filler. But only one truly bad song out of 36 is a much better ratio than some of the albums that are coming up on this list.
Check out: From ¡Uno! - Let Yourself Go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKepg6zw2_k

#19:  Stolen Babies - Naught
I only discovered this band back in September when they opened for Devin Townsend Project despite them having been around since 2002 (This being only their 2nd full-length), but man are they great. You'd be hard pressed to find a band that sounds like them. They're dark avant-garde and very theatrical. They mix dark cabaret-type music with progressive metal and even some death metal. They're just about as weird and unique as you'd expect a band named Stolen Babies to be. It's really quite something. The album is 12 tracks of creepy brilliance. Vocalist and accordianist Dominique lays down some incredible melodies and mixes her clean vocals with her amazing growl vocals. High points include Second Sleep, Splatter, and the relatively subdued Swimming Hole. The atomosphere of this album is hard to match, if you were to inhabit Halloweentown from Nightmare Before Christmas, I'm sure you'd hear a lot of music like this.
Check out: Never Come Back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PIqJkPfUkI

#18:  fun. - Some Nights
This is probably the album with the most contrast on this list in terms of quality. Some of the songs on this album are pure genius, and others are complete and utter garbage. It doesn't help that it's only a 10 song album (which is BS unless the songs are all 5+ minutes), so the bad songs really bring down the overall quality level. But like I said, the good songs are really good. Some Nights (Intro) and Some Nights are definitely the strongest tracks on the album. Of course you already know We Are Young, which is a pretty good representation of the album as a whole, as the verses are really strong and the chorus is really weak. Carry On and Why Am I the One are also very strong songs, the buildup in Carry On is very well done and Why Am I the One is the song on this album that most reminds me of The Gambler from their debut album. But... It Gets Better is just a truly awful song, the grating and unneccessary use of vocoder completely ruins a song with a good message. Stars really shouldn't be considered a bad song because the first third or so of it are superb, but then Nate goes back to the vocoder and wails for about 4 minutes and destroys what was otherwise a great song. Hopefully these were just experiments and not a sign of things to come for a band as great as fun. The strength of the album lies in Nate Ruess' fantastic lyrics and story telling ability.
Check out: Some Nights (intro and song) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNktS-7B03c

#17:  Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion
The long awaited collaborative project featuring two of the greatest musicians alive, Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth and Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree. Now, if you know either of those bands, don't go making assumptions about this record because it is familiar but very very different. For one, it is not metal. Second, it features practially no traditional rock instruments besides guitars. There are virtually no drums on the album. It relies heavily on atmosphere and tone, using a lot of strings. It is beautiful, yet haunting. It's definitely one of the most unique on this list, and perhaps one of the most unique albums of the year. A must listen to for any fan of Opeth or Porcupine Tree, and anyone with patience that digs ambient, atmospheric, non-traditional music.

#16:  Rush - Clockwork Angels
The first studio album from the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Famers since the solid Snakes & Arrows back in 2007. Though they've been far from stagnant in that time, they've released two live films and albums (as well as a best of compilation) and toured continuously. Rush teased fans with a little taste of this album on their last tour the Time Machine Tour where they played two songs, BU2B and Caravan, and released them digitally. Both songs being fantastic, we could not wait for the album to come out. Well it finally did and boy does it rock. It is also a return to the concept album for the band. The story being translated into a novel, being described by the author as, "In a young man's quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy, with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life."
A somewhat new twist was the use of strings on the album. It adds another layer of depth to the already rich sound that is typical for Rush's music. Huge, massive, dynamic, intricate songs with brilliant lyrics. I'm sure you already know Rush and how much they rule, so I don't need to go into great detail describing all of the songs. Just go get it and enjoy the hell out of it.
Check out: Headlong Flight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcFGrWjOX0E

#15:  Eric Hutchinson - Moving Up Living Down
Eric's first release since 2008 and it is every bit as catchy and fun as Sounds Like This. Eric's influences of Motown, classic pop, soul, rock 'n roll and R&B really come through. The strength of the album comes from his great songwriting ability, such as the heartfelt Breakdown More or the funky and playful The Basement. Eric's soothing and soulful voice is really refreshing in today's pop music scene, as are his intelligent lyrics. If only people that wanted to listen to music they could dance along to would put on a record like this instead of some crappy, trendy, vapid made-for-radio BS.

#14:  Circa Survive - Violent Waves
This album was a little bit different sounding than Blue Sky Noise, but it still has the trademark flowing, cascading style they usually have. This album isn't as perfect as Blue Sky Noise, but what is? There are a few parts that just drag a bit, such as Think of Me When They Sound. Then there's high energy tracks like Sharp Practice and The Lottery that you can't help but move to. I don't have that much to say about this album, if you like Circa, you'll like it. If you don't, this won't change your mind.
Check out: Sharp Practice http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYw_WodzORs

#13:  Go Radio - Close the Distance
Few vocalists convey more emotion than Jason Lancaster does. I'm a fan of Go Radio's penchant for soaring choruses, which is frequently on display here. Jason writes such honest and sincere lyrics, it's difficult to not connect with them. The production on this album is excellent, it's feels very cohesive. Go Radio continues to expand their sound while still remaining true to their roots. Virtually all of the songs here are solid, especially Lost and Found, What If You Don't, The Ending, and I Won't Lie. 

#12:  Devin Townsend Project - Epicloud
Well if you know anything about Devin Townsend, you know you're in for a crazy, weird, nerdy experience. Devin does not disappoint with this album. Some of the songs do get a bit repetitive at times (Particularly Lucky Animals) but it doesn't really detract from the enjoyment you get from the record. It's hard to describe the sound of Epicloud, but it's pretty consistent with Devin's discography in that it's completely inconsistent. There are a few mellow and honestly gorgeous songs such as Where We Belong and Divine, and then there are the in your face crushingly heavy and over-the-top tracks like Liberation, Kingdom, More!, and Lucky Animals. Even the songs that are really repetitive are enjoyable to listen to because of the ridiculous amount of layers of sound Devin puts into them. If you were searching for a true definition for "Wall of Sound," most of the songs here fit that description more than almost anything else out there. I adore what Devin has done with the new version of Kingdom, a song previously featured on his album Physicist way back in 2000, and re-worked and used on Epicloud. If you are unfamiliar with the genius of Devin Townsend, this album wouldn't be a bad starting point as it encompasses a lot of his different sounds. Since the album is so all over the place, I'm going to put a few "Check out" songs to give you more of a feel of the record.

#11:  Muse - The 2nd Law
Muse clearly wanted to explore some new sounds with this album. I'm sure if you know anything about The 2nd Law, you know they incorporated dubstep elements into several of the songs. Most of the time it's just used to accentuate certain parts. Except for the song The 2nd Law: Unsustainable, where it is a full on dubstep track. This song was influenced by Skrillex...that's pretty much all you need to know. That is obviously the weakest link on this otherwise brilliant album. Dubstep shouldn't ever be the main focus, especially in music as epic and melodic as Muse's. However, it does work well as one of the layers, such as in Madness and Follow Me. The opening song, Supremecy, is one of the strongest, the use of strings really helps add to the atmosphere. Panic Station is funky and has a 70s vibe to it. The closing track, The 2nd Law: Isolated System is mostly instrumental with some spoken sound bytes. It's a beautiful song and it really leaves you feeling reflective about the experience you just had listening to The 2nd Law.

#10:  John Mayer - Born and Raised
John's follow up to 2009's Battle Studies, and just as he did with the previous 2 albums, he reinvents his sound for Born and Raised. This time he goes for a more folk and "California country-rock" inspired sound. The textures are rich and the lyrics sincere. You can hear the soul and passion he puts into his work. While this does have a more mellow feel than some of his previous work, it doesn't get boring by any means. John is proving himself as a true artist by continuing to grow and expand his musical horizons, pushing himself to try new things. All of the songs have a feeling of warmth to them that's hard to describe. You can still hear the sound of his previous albums, but it's new and fresh. He adds some new instrumentation into the fold, such as banjo, harmonica and slide guitar. During the recording of the album, granulomas were found next to his vocal chords, delaying the album. After it's release, the granulomas returned and he was forced to take an indefinite break from performing live after requiring further surgery. Here's hoping John heals up soon so he can get back out on the road and I can see some of these great songs live.
Check out: Something Like Olivia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXfbKdMXIPo

#9:  The Sword - Apocryphon
With 2010's Warp Riders, The Sword experimented with a new sound. They decided to go in a more hard rock direction as opposed to the doom metal of their first two albums. With Apocryphon they sort of blend it all together in a heavy, delicious mix of headbanging glory. The album starts off magnificently with The Veil of Isis, then tears right into Cloak of Feathers, my favorite off the record. You'll find yourself air drumming along to the Mastodon-esque drum fills and headbanging along with the pounding, driving guitar rifs. There were few metal albums released this year that are as enjoyable to listen to as this one. If this album doesn't make you move and groove, you're doing something wrong. For anyone who is even slightly into doom, sludge, stoner or heavy metal, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Apocryphon.
Check out: Cloak of Feathers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVkrh9fihFk

#8:  Taylor Swift - Red
Red is a tale of two albums. The core album is 16 tracks long, not including the bonus tracks, and it does feel a little bloated. There are some very weak songs to say the least (22, Stay Stay Stay, Sad Beautiful Tragic, I Almost Do) and there are some masterpieces. I get the feeling that some of the weak points were influenced by the producers and co-writers that Taylor worked with on this album. Where Speak Now was written entirely by Swift and produced by only her and Nathan Chapman and was absolutely fantastic from start to finish with only a few minor weaknesses, Red definitely feels like there were too many different sources of input. Even on the songs she wrote entirely herself, I'm sure the different producers influenced the final product. But, for all of the misses, there are real gems. The title track is stunning, once you get past the "Re-e-e-ed" in the chorus. I Knew You Were Trouble uses dubstep elements to enhance the chorus and the restraint makes it a fantastic addition. The Last Time, which features Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol is a good song, however it feels as if Taylor is the guest performer on her own song. All Too Well features her painfully honest lyrics and builds up over the course of the song to a strong finish. The smash first single We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together has gotten a lot of flack for being a shameless radio-friendly pop song, but that is what it was designed to be from the beginning, it's fun, catchy and includes such mundane details it can't not be an accurate account of true events. The album opener State of Grace is another departure for Taylor, it has a U2 and even a slight Tom Petty vibe. I don't need to go in depth about the bad songs, if you don't like her, you'll hate them. I love her and I strongly dislike some of them. The album closes on a quiet acoustic number, Begin Again. It's solemn, yet hopeful, depicting the low of a relationship ending but the excitement of experiencing a new one blossom. The themes on this album aren't a stretch from her previous work, sure a critic can say it's just more songs about relationships, but the honesty and sincerety she puts into her work makes it relatable and believable.
Check out: I Knew You Were Trouble https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRMevGc3934

#7:  Blaqk Audio - Bright Black Heaven
The long awaited follow up to 2007's Cexcells, apparently this album had been almost entirely finished since before AFI's 2009 album Crash Love. But they sat on it for a while and then when they felt ready to release it, they had difficulties with the record label and it took longer for it to be released than anticipated. Since early 2010, Blaqk Audio slowly leaked songs out one by one, until about half of the album was floating around the internet. Well it finally did get released this September and it more than made up for the long wait. I do feel some of the best songs were among the leaked tracks, my favorites being Ill-Lit Ships, Bon Voyeurs, and Bliss. While Blaqk Audio is an electronic group, they are a different breed than most of the electronic acts that are popular now. They are much more heavily influenced by 80s synthpop and electronic acts such as Depeche Mode and even goth bands like The Cure. Some of the tracks are more dance-oriented, such as Everybody's Friends and Let's Be Honest. Other tracks are much more lyrics-focused, such as Deconstructing Gods. There are few weak points on this stunning album. 

#6:  Foxy Shazam - Church of Rock & Roll
There aren't many bands like Foxy Shazam. They land somewhere between Tenacious D and Led Zeppelin, awesome old fashioned rock & roll with some humorous lyrics mixed in ("That's the biggest black ass I've ever seen...and I like it...I like it a lot."). Like a lot of the albums on this list, this one comes firing right out of the gate. Welcome To the Church of Rock and Roll is one of the best intro tracks of the year. They add a lot of humor to their music, such as the ending of Holy Touch (Just go listen to it), but they do take their art seriously and there are some heartfelt moments such as Forever Together, which vocalist Eric wrote about the struggles of being on tour and away from his son. This album feels as if it could exist anywhere in time, it doesn't cater to any trends. If you're a fan of good 'ole fashioned rock & roll, give this album a listen. 

#5:  Anberlin - Vital
Like with many of the artists on this list, Anberlin took some risks and tried new things with the direction of this album. One of the best things about them as a band is that they're constantly evolving and changing, as all great bands do. No two Anberlin albums so far are the same. They experimented more with electronic elements, weaving them into their songs brilliantly. This album is probably one of the heaviest overall out of their current discography, but that's not to say it isn't diverse. The album starts off in high gear with four high energy rock songs in a row, then moving into the electronic-tinged Intentions and Innocent before diving right into one of the heaviest song on the album, Desires. After the instant classic that is Modern Age, the album closes with the atmospheric and moody God, Drugs & Sex. Vital will no doubt go down as one of Anberlin's finest works, I am excited to see how they follow it up in the next few years.

#4:  Children of Nova - Impossible Landscape
I had been anxiously waiting for Children of Nova's followup to their debut EP The Complexity of Light for what seems like forever. Despite having heard almost the entire thing live before the album was even finished, I was astounded by how amazing it turned out. For the first half of the year this was the album to beat, and as you can see, it didn't go down without a fight. Less than ten seconds into the first track, you know you're in for a wild ride as the song fades in then a "WOO!" and it puts it's foot on the gas pedal. Until the last note, the album never lets up. There are crazy energetic, intricate songs like Erratic, and the soft and gorgeous Silhouette, showcasing the strength and range of Teo's vocals. If there's one thing Children of Nova how to do exceptionally well, besides everything, it's outros. Most of the songs crescendo quite dramatically, especially Moments of Clarity, Feel Alive, Erratic, Kaleido and of course the closing track It's Just a Ride. Children of Nova borrow elements from influences like Coheed and Cambria, Circa Survive, Muse, and others, but they blend it into something entirely unique. Getting back to It's Just a Ride; if I were to make a top songs of the year list, this song would most certainly be near the top. It starts off slow and omninous, slowly building up to a breaking point then goes all out for the next two minutes before slowing back down to a mellow, groovy, almost jazzy section with exceptional instrumental work from each member, after that it builds itself back up and finishes strong and feverishly. This is a perfect album from the first note to the last. 
Go buy it and support an independent band. http://childrenofnova.bandcamp.com/album/impossible-landscape
Check out: It's Just a Ride http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w58NyZklB1o

#3:  The Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania
Oceania is probably the biggest journey of all the records released in 2012. This is essentially an album-within-an-album, as it is part of the ongoing 44 song concept album Teargarden By Kaleidyscope. Sonically, practically nothing released this year can compare to this. Right from the start of the opening track, Quasar, you're drawn into the musical landscape that Billy Corgan and company have formed with the use of guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, synthesizers, strings and more. There's something to please every Smashing Pumpkins fan, the songwriting complexity of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the psychedelia of Siamese Dream and even some softer tracks similar to Adore. Unfortunately Oceania still gets written off by a lot of older fans, either because the only remaining original member is Corgan, the mess that was Zeitgeist or they're too nostalgic to admit a band can make an album on par with their favorite albums of the '90s. While they manage to blend together the sound of Smashing Pumpkins past, they use new technology and techniques to move the sound into the new era of Smashing Pumpkins. There are very guitar-centric tracks such as the opening tracks Quasar and Panopticon, and then later on The Chimera, Glissandra and Inkless. There are also some more synthesizer/keyboard-heavy tracks like One Diamond, One Heart and Wildflower.
The band sounds tighter than ever and it shows as they put out what is probably the most cohesive album of the year. I think Violet Rays and The Celestians are perhaps two of the greatest Smashing Pumpkins songs ever, Violet Rays perhaps being the best song of the year period. This album will give you chills and evoke emotions at almost every turn. Every guitar riff and drum hit are exactly where they should be, it is everything it aspires to be.
I'll stop blathering on, just listen to this complete and utter masterpiece for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoaZ3PAHjmg&list=PLA46A37AABE9D683C&index=1
If you really only want to listen to one album...

#2:  Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence
The sequel to the 2011 three-song, 30-minute long EP The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues, and this album is what a progressive metal album should be; a band exploring and experimenting with their sound while still being entertaining and relatable. It would be easy to get carried away with all of the crazy time signatures and technicality, but Between the Buried and Me have crafted a masterwork that will enthrall the listener for the entire 72 minutes of it's running time, providing them with new things to discover even on the 20th listen. With five tracks clocking in at over or around ten minutes long, the many interludes not only help transport you into the world that the concept takes place in, but they help provide the album with breathing room. Like the last two BTBAM albums, this is meant to be listened to from front to back as it is for all intents and purposes, one piece of music. It's nearly impossible to get bored while listening to this record as the band does a masterful job seamlessly weaving together progressive and death metal, jazz, hardcore, and even a few influences from world music. With the track Telos, BTBAM has created one of the best songs they have made as a band, which is saying something considering they are the creators of the greatest song ever written in my opinion, White Walls. Future Sequence only gets better and better with each listen, as all the best albums do, so expect to find yourself listening to it on repeat for days at a time. With this heroic effort, Between the Buried and Me have cemented their legacy as one of the greatest progressive bands to ever grace the planet.

#1:  Coheed and Cambria - The Afterman: Ascension
This may not come as much of a surprise to anyone that knows me. But despite my obvious bias, I do feel this was the greatest album of 2012. While it isn't necessary to understand the story of the album to enjoy it, I believe it helps you appreciate it that much more. So for those of you who may be unaware of the story aspect of this album, I'll talk about it a little bit. Every one of Coheed's album tells a part of a story called The Amory Wars, and this album tells the first half of the tale of it's namesake Sirius Amory and his expedition to uncover the mystery of the Keywork (the force that holds all of the planets of Heaven's Fence, where the story takes place, in alignment). He discovers that the energy of the Keywork is comprised of souls of those departed from the realm of the living. The album switches point of view between Sirius (The Hollow, Mothers of Men and Subtraction), his wife dealing with the assumed loss of her husband (The Afterman and Goodnight, Fair Lady), and Sirius' visions of the lives of souls that possess him after he enters the Keywork (Domino the Destitute, Holly Wood the Cracked, Vic the Butcher and Evagria the Faithful). 

Every sound element furthers the story, and that is one of the things that is so fantastic about Coheed records and this one in particular: The dialogue in the beginning during The Hollow between Sirius and the All Mother (a computer program he created). The sound of the bell ringing and the boxing announcer during Domino. The powerful pounding and crushing sounds after Holly Wood, which represents Vic the Butcher violently wresting control of Sirius' mind away from Holly Wood. The All Mother listing off Sirius' vitals after Vic's possession nearly kills him. Everything means something and knowing what everything represents makes you appreciate it that much more. 

From the album's intro, which is an amalgam of sorts of previous Coheed album intro tracks, you know this is going this is going to be a journey into the future of Coheed's evolution, while still giving nods to their past. The In Keeping Secrets-esque Goodnight, Fair Lady and the Good Apollo-like Mothers of Men being prime examples. They have also written some of the most epic songs of their career with Domino, Vic the Butcher and Evagria the Faithful, which is quite an achievement for a band that makes a living off of epicness. 

For the second time in the last three albums, the band went through a lineup shakeup. Drummer Chris Pennie left the band and was replaced by his predecessor, Josh Eppard, to the fans' delight. In addition, bassist Michael Todd was replaced by Zach Cooper. The influence of Eppard is apparent throughout the entire album, the drumming is much more musical, for lack of a better word. Josh just has a groove that syncs up perfectly with the way Claudio and Travis write. Zach Cooper is a welcomed addition as he is a tremendous talent and it comes through on every track he's on, particularly Goodnight, Fair Lady. 

This is simply one of the best Coheed and Cambria albums to date. From the ominous and eerie opening of The Hollow, to the heavy and epic Domino the Destitute, to the dark and bombastic Vic the Butcher, to the gorgeous and solemn Evagria the Faithful, this album must be heard to be believed. I maintain this is one of the best albums made in recent history. I mentioned earlier that this is the first half of the tale, that's because this is only the first half of a double album. The second half comes out on my birthday, February 5th, 2013. From what I've heard of that so far, it could be just as good as this...if not better.

Check out: Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destitute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRoN4_kG6XM
Key Entity Extraction III: Vic the Butcher http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDnzT-8JOZg
Key Entity Extraction IV: Evagria the Faithful http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siUaA8qxbS4

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