Every year tells a story, whether we want to hear it or not. Sometimes, that story opens our eyes to new worlds, wherein we learn about ourselves as we hadn't before. Other times, the story is one of finding buried treasure, bathing in the riches of discovery. And still other times, the story is one of disappointment, as the happy ending slips through our fingers as the sweat of effort makes our grip too slick to hold on to what we consider most dear.
This year was a combination of all of those stories, but the theme I most took away was the one of disappointment. I don't know if I was finally feeling burnout from doing this for over a decade without taking anything resembling a real break, if my tastes have changed in a way that wasn't aligning with the records I was coming into contact with, or if my head is finally full of so much music there isn't room for anything but the absolute best anymore. The questions will remain unanswered for now, but this is preface to say that while these are the best records the year had to offer me, this list is one I must admit is disappointing.
Every year, even if there are albums that make the list I still have concerns about professing my undying love for, the top spots have gone to records that bowled me over in some form or fashion. That isn't quite as true this year, as none of these albums stuck out to me as an obvious top-of-the-list entry the way my winners and runners-up in past years have. This was an odd year for not having at least one album that dominated the year for me, and served as a benchmark for everything else to measure up to.
Let's talk about the albums that came closest to doing that.
EP Of The Year: Rise Against - Nowhere Generation II
Picking up where they left off with last year's fantastic album, Rise Against are on a roll. They continue to produce a blend of punk and alternative that is strident, powerful, and damn memorable. Usually, if there is a companion release that comes along in short order, it is rather obvious why most of those songs didn't make the main album. Not here, as these songs not only keep the quality right on par, several of these could have made "Nowhere Generation" even stronger as an album. That's not an easy thing for an EP to do, and Rise Against did it easily. Though it's short, it is mighty.
10. Avril Lavigne - Love Sux
I shouldn't like this record. Avril presents the whole thing from the perspective of a bratty teenager, dropping f-bombs (and spelling 'sucks' as 'sux', as though it's an original thought) all over the place, and trying to make us forget she's in her thirties. She should be well past that immature crap, but even with that massive flaw staring me in the face all throughout, the record is executed so well I can't say I don't like it. She captures the feeling pop-punk excels at, and delivers sticky songs all throughout. Her duet with Mark Hoppus is way better than Blink's own comeback single, so that's another feather in the cap.
9. Nordic Union - Animalize
I have grown rather disenchanted by the put-together 'project' bands, but this one is an exception. They don't sound that much different than everything else Erik Martensson does, but Ronnie Atkins' vocals hit me far harder than when Erik himself is singing this stuff. Album number three is the weakest of them, but is still the finest heavy melodic rock of the year. Erik certainly knows how to write songs that become anthemic, and Ronnie is the right voice to give them the necessary grit to avoid schmaltz.
8. Elvis Costello - The Boy Named If
It's an adventure being an Elvis Costello fan, but it is clear to me I am happiest when he is in 'return to form' mode. I can't help it, I like Elvis when he decides to play straight-ahead rock and roll, as opposed to his more artistic tangents. This record, then, is the true follow-up to "Momofuku" in his oeuvre of rock records. Like that one, It focuses on Elvis and the band bashing out songs focused on his storytelling and melodies. A song like "My Beautiful Mistake" is one of his late-career gems, and even if he feels a bit like he's phoning it in when he explains the wordplay of the 'pray' and 'prey' line, there's still plenty to remind me of the influence Elvis has had on me.
7. Origin Of Escape - Shapes
It's hard to make moody music that is still engaging. When you wander in the darkness, getting lost becomes rather easy. Origin Of Escape find their way on this record, blending bits of Soen's rhythmic metal with Katatonia's lush depression. It turns into an album that hangs in the air like your breath on a frigid night, a wondrous bit of frozen time. It's a record I have to be in the right mood to be fully immersed in, but when I am, I'm rather captivated by the way melancholy can feel so comforting. Also, it's likely my favorite album cover of the year, as well.
6. Allen/Olzon - Army Of Dreamers
When the first Allen/Olzon album came out, I only had one complaint; let the two singers voices blend together more often. They did that with this second effort, which is a true duets album, as opposed to the half-and-half quality of the first. They didn't catch lightning with another song quite as good as "What If I Live", but this is a more consistently engaging album, because it lets Russell and Anette's voices mix and mingle on every track. That is the magic of a record like this, and it's why it turned out as my favorite (melodic) metal album of the year.
5. Halestorm - Back From The Dead
This record sounds like "Vicious", boiled down and condensed into a thicker molasses. The band is focused on sounding live, and alive, which comes through in spades. I'm not sure wanting to recreate the live experience is the best decision, as it makes the record feel a bit one-note, but Lzzy's voice and the songwriting are still more than worth listening to. I appreciate the honesty of Lzzy lyrics, even if they make me cringe at times, and her voice makes it obvious how much this record was necessary for her. It isn't their best, not at all, but they're good enough that even their b-game gives the mainstream a boost.
4. The Spider Accomplice - The Venomous Montage
The album is still an important format, because it's how you dig deep and discover all the facets of a band's personality. A diamond cannot sparkle if it is flat and one-sided, and neither can a band. The singles that are included here were all great as they came out, but there's something uniquely satisfying about hearing them in succession, packaged with new songs that reveal the story of creativity. Like the track's title suggests, this record is a kaleidoscope of fragmented rock genres, somehow coming together in a jeweled pattern of color that forms a unique rainbow. In this case, The Spider Accomplice is the pot of gold waiting for us at the end.
3. Valleyheart - Heal My Head
If I was struggling to find albums that truly wowed me this year, perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise one that came close is the record that reminded me more than any other of Jimmy Eat World, who I spent most of the year listening to more than anyone else. This was my 'emo year', and Valleyheart was able to echo those feelings with an album that made melancholy punch with real weight. The quiet tones set us up for when the band digs in and shows us their power. There is pain and beauty to the melodies, as hints of screams bubble up in the vocals. The experience is an ebb and flow, like the blood being pushed through our arteries, then washing back when there isn't anything for it to paint lifelike. It delivered more of the emotional connection I am looking for than almost anything I heard this year. Almost.
2. Cold Years - Goodbye To Misery
I've
loved the last two Rise Against albums, and Green Day's "Warning" is
one of my all-time favorites, so an album that sounds to me like a
combination of the two is just about perfect. The mix of classic
power-pop with angsty alt-rock creates a lovely blend of emo colored
brightness. The record is chock full of big hooks and anthemic choruses, buoyed by more crunch and power than pop-punk can muster. These songs burn with the fiery heat of a sugar rush, a blue flame that reminds you to enjoy what you have, because it is a temporary escape from the usual emptiness. Of all the
albums on this list, it is the one that is the most fist-pumping fun of
the lot. It does indeed say goodbye to misery, because it's nothing but a
good time.
1. The Wonder Years - The Hum Goes On Forever
I'm often caught off-guard when an album grows on me over time. I like to think I've gotten good at sizing things up quickly, but every so often a record will sneak up on me. That's what happened with this one. I was initially wary of the handful of slower songs that didn't speak to me, but repeated listens have shown me the push-and-pull, ebb-and-flow is necessary to have the explosive songs hit with the power they do. The record is a roller-coaster, taking us on a journey that rises and falls like our shifting moods. Life is a twisting road, and these songs soundtrack those images. At times sounding like crying, at times sounding like screaming, there is something primal about this record that hits me harder than anything else this year. No other music captured the fun and the sorrow, the pain the the joy, that music can speak in ways we cannot with our words. The power to feel is paramount, and nothing made me feel like "The Hum Goes On Forever" this year. That is why it ended up having to be my Album Of The Year.
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