The first six months of 2022 have certainly been interesting. At times, it feels as though there hasn't been any great music. At other times, I'm impressed by how little has made it onto my list of contenders to be the worst. But the end result is that the year has been a perfect bell curve, with the overwhelming majority of the releases I've listened to falling squarely in the middle of the pack. It's been an onslaught of the average, which adds up to less than that, because we tend to grade years on the extremities.
With fewer of both, this has been a rather sedate and boring half of the year. So in alphabetical order, here are my choices for the best and worst I've heard so far.
The Best:
Cold Years - Goodbye To Misery
While many fawned over Spanish Love Songs' "Brave Faces Everyone" a few years back, I wasn't able to go as far as they were, because of a disconnect between myself and the lyrics detailing the effects of drug abuse and hopeless poverty. Cold Years takes a similar sound, blended with some of Rise Against's punk, and gives us a record that does many of the same things in a way that is easier for me to swallow. If Green Day's "Warning" was filtered through the modern sound of emo/punk, it would sound a lot like this. There are threads I hear that keep me tethered and coming back.
Halestorm - Back From The Dead
It feels like Halestorm has been trying to capture their live sound for several records, and this time they may have done it. This is the band at their most aggressive and stripped back, with simple grooves and heavy tones giving the entire spotlight over to Lzzy. This is her most personal album as a lyricist, and if you look at it as almost being a form of scream therapy, I think it all makes sense. It wasn't entirely what I expected, but there is much I appreciate about the album. If nothing else, I can relate to her voice.
Michael Monroe - I Live Too Fast To Die Young
No one lately has been making pure and old rock 'n roll like Michael Monroe. "Blackout States" was a revelation, "One Man Gang" was the follow-up that proved it was no fluke, and this record is the finish to a trilogy that eases us into whatever is next. The band takes a few more chances playing with color and shade, and even if that makes for a record that is a bit less immediate, they have a way of making everything sound like a fun party to be at.
Origin Of Escape - Shapes
I love when a record comes out of nowhere and surprises me. That's what this one did. I stumbled across it, and impressed by the cover art, I gave the music a chance. What I heard was a set of songs that played with the same rhythm and emotion as Soen, but with a bit more haze and depression. It has faded a bit from my listening as the sun has spent more time in the sky, but it's the perfect record for the times when I find myself sinking. It reminds me there are beautiful lessons to find at the bottom of that pit, if I don't obsess over how to get out as quickly as possible.
Valleyheart - Heal My Head
Another record that came out of nowhere, this little gem dips its toes into the waters sailed by Jimmy Eat World. There's a dreamy sadness to this record, where the soft moments are a calm bit of depression, and when the band bursts into a their louder and rocking moments, it becomes something that rather than headbanging is more akin to banging your head into the wall to psych yourself up. It's one of those records I liked at first, but kept finding myself needing to hear again ad again. It was a slower build, but there's something rather magical about the feeling it evokes.
The Worst/Most Disappointing:
Ashes Of Ares - Emperors & Fools
When a record has uninteresting songs, and it sounds like crap on top of that, it's going to wind up as one of the worst of the year. On this one, there are few if any songs worth listening to, but even the good moments are ruined by a production that sounds borderline unlistenable, and vocals from Matt Barlow that are among the worst of his career. It sounds like a record rushed into production, as if everyone involved knows their time left to make music is running low.
Ghost - Impera
Like all Ghost albums except for "Meliora", this one disappointed me by being only half of a good record. I don't know why I was expecting more, but I shouldn't have, because my hopes were dashes as I listened to good songs interspersed with some of the worst of Ghost's career. "Twenties" alone was enough to depress me, but the record as a whole continues to frustrate me, as I want to love Ghost, but simply can't. Not if they're going to keep doing this to me.
Serious Black - Vengeance Is Mine
I knew the loss of Urban Breed would be hard, but not this hard. The so-called 'personal' lyrics on this album have some borderline obscene levels of misogyny, enough that I'm declaring the band officially "dead to me", at least until they piss me off enough next time that yelling about them will feel good.
Slash - 4
This record would be a slight disappointment just on the basis of the songs. It's a good record, but I think it's clearly weaker than the other three Slash has made with Myles Kennedy. The big issue, though, is the production. Recording live on the floor as a band was a bad decision, at least as the end result turned out, because it sounds like a bit of a mess. The guitars are too thin and buzzing, and Myles live vocals are strained in places trying to be heard. It's a rough draft of an album, and it's easy to hear all the ways it could have been better if they just spent a bit of time making it so.
Tony Martin - Thorns
The forgotten of Black Sabbath's mainstay singers, the reason for that is simple; Tony Martin has never been a great songwriter. His work with Sabbath was spotty, which puts his albums down the list, and it has kept him from ever getting a solo career going. He has made plenty of records, either on his own or in various projects, and none of them are brimming with memorable songs. That includes this one, which is rather bland and generic metal. Tony's voice sounds great, but he's singing boring songs, which makes the result boring. He needs to work with a great songwriter, which this album proves.
No comments:
Post a Comment