Album Review: The Winery Dogs - III

When the first Winery Dogs album came out, it was a breath of fresh air. With it, we had one of the rare 'supergroup' albums that lived up to the billing, because Richie Kotzen was able to ground the songs with so many catchy melodies it appealed to both people who love immediately gratifying music as well as technically impressive feats of musicianship. Often, the most advanced musicians get bogged down in their own abilities, and the songwriting can't match up to their talents. The Winery Dogs were different, and that first album was everything I could have wanted from a modern rock record.

The second album was not quite so successful. The same thing happened to them as did Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan's other project, Sons Of Apollo, where the two of them became more of a focus, and the heavier rhythmic elements sapped out some of what made the band so appealing to me in the first place. There were still gems, but the record as a whole felt like a step in the wrong direction.

As you can tell from the ever-so-creative title of "III", the band is back together. Album opener, and first single "Xanadu", tries to split the difference between the two records. It reaches for the big choruses of the debut, but is built from verses focused on the rhythm section. It isn't as immediate as "Elevate" was to introduce the band to the world, but this one does grow on me the more I hear it.

One of the interesting things the years between the albums has developed is the band's three-part harmonies, which sound sweeter than ever on this record. Being a three-piece band, the vocal layering is a key element to making the choruses jump out and fill the space where other bands might have added another two or three layers of guitars. That lets the production sound open and live, while playing with the depth to keep things from being too obvious. Portnoy and Sheehan do have a background in prog, after all.

As the record unfolds, the band is comfortable being who they are, and not trying to break new ground. This project was always about getting together and having fun playing song-oriented rock, and that's precisely what they are doing here. The sound is unmistakably Winery Dogs, but perhaps they are more restrained here than usual. There aren't as many big guitar flourishes, nor does the record drive with quite as much crunch and heaviness. It's a restrained record that is assured in what it has to offer, even if that means it perhaps doesn't have quite the same spark.

That is most evident when the record is over, and I start to consider what I've just heard. It's an hour of music that is most enjoyable, but there aren't as many songs that jump out as true highlights the way that most of the first record did, or "The Lamb" did on the second. This is much more of an album experience, which is not a sleight by any means. It simply means this is a different sort of listen.

Also, Richie gets a bit weird with his lyrics on this one. There's a mention of breaking his balls, and then on "The Pharaoh" he sings, "like a pimp, I've got game." Is he really romanticizing the abusive lifestyle of a pimp? It might be a good thing some of his delivery is hard to decipher, because that line alone made me cringe as soon as I heard it.

The band's first album is nearly perfect, and remains their high water mark. The question is where this album sits in comparison to "Hot Streak". That will depend on which experience you prefer; the one with more consistency, or the one with higher high points. "III" rarely puts a step wrong, but its cautious approach could be taken the wrong way, I would think.

Regardless, it's nice to have The Winery Dogs back, and they have acquitted themselves nicely with this record.

Quick Reviews: Lansdowne & Mask Of Prospero

It's time for a couple more records I have something to say about, but not enough to warrant writing more than this. 

Lansdowne - Medicine

It always amazes me how there are periods of time, and within each of them dozens of bands that sound exactly like one another. It's either people with an incredible sense of imitation who also have no shame about possessing no identity of their own, or there is some freak occurrence where a particular sound is pervasive in our micro-evolution. I know which side of that discussion I'm going to fall on.

Lansdowne is radio rock exactly like you would expect it to be. It sounds a lot like Saint Asonia, and all the other bands that do the same thing. It's solid stuff, but not at the peak of what the genre can offer. It's decently fun stuff, and I can't complain about the construction of the hooks. It does what it needs to. What I can complain about are the lyrics, which buy into every stereotype of the genre, where women are there to use after the guys get drunk, because sobriety is treated like a disease. The one that bothers me is "One Shot", where the narrator appears to be hooking up with a woman he knows has a boyfriend, and he has no problem saying yes as she gets progressively more drunk. Maybe I can tell that song, "no means no", and I won't have to hear it again...

Mask Of Prospero - Hiraeth

This record is an interesting case to illustrate that dynamics can be taken too far. For as much as I sometimes prattle on about records that are too loud for too long, we have to also consider the opposite side of the spectrum, where a record ebbs and flows too much, leaving us unable to predict the tides. That's the feeling I got from Mask Of Prospero's new record, which has moments of metalcore fury interlaced with moments of nearly ambient quiet. Taking the loud/soft dynamic to the max is interesting in theory, but not so much in practice.

The type of ambience on this record is the kind that uses washes of soft noise, not quietly beautiful melody. Those sections are a drag on the songs, because they can't even keep the momentum from slowing gently. It's an immediate crash every time the heaviness drops out, and the soft sections don't have enough engaging content to them to keep me interested. The thing that made metalcore so popular was the blend of heaviness and sing-along melodies. This brand of metalcore doesn't have that key element. It plays with both sides, because that's the formula, but neither offers up much of a hook. This is prime 'in one ear and out the other' music. But it does prove dynamics are only important if those elements are all engaging, so at least that makes it a learning experience.

Singles Roundup: Fall Out Boy, Metallica, & DMB

Big names with big(?) new songs this week.

Fall Out Boy - Love From The Other Side

Last year, I went through a period where I was listening to a lot of the emo stuff I was never super into back in the day. "Sing The Sorrow", "The Black Parade", and yes, the three great Fall Out Boy records. There's no doubt about it; this is the first song since they went on their hiatus that even sounds like Fall Out Boy. But does that mean it's good? Ah, now there's a question. On the surface, the answer is yes. The guitars are back, the electronic weirdness of the last couple records is gone, and you can close your eyes and imagine it being 2005 again.

But while this is the best Fall Out Boy song since then, let's not pretend this is as good as their classic stuff. The hook is mid-tier compared to what they're capable of, and the lyrics don't have the pretentious wordiness that came to define them. I was really missing being able to find one or two lines that were so over-wrought they were clever. This almost feels like the band playing it too straight, because it's been so long since they've lived in this identity.

I won't question motives, but to hear this after what could have been a career-killing album like "Mania"....

Metallica - Screaming Suicide

I wasn't won over by the first song Metallica released for this album cycle, and I'm even less enthused by this one. I could talk about how James' vocals in the first verse sound really odd, or how Kirk's solo has all the fluidity of my own lousy playing, but none of that really matters. The song is the thing, and there isn't much of a song to this, which is the case too often. The first time I listened to it, as was true with "Lux Eterna", I didn't even realize the chorus had kicked in, because it doesn't sound like a chorus. There isn't any real hook to the song at all, and I came away from it feeling like it was written in the Metallica style; an assembly line of riffs put together because they were in the same key. Perhaps bands shouldn't be so revealing about the creative process, because knowing how they write, and how they focus group their songs, can sometimes give a hollow feeling about the results.

I think it's pretty clear at this point I'm only going to talk about the record at length if I have nothing better to do. These two songs are not my thing at all, and putting myself through another seventy minutes or so of this is not high on my list of priorities. I know people have said to me before, "You can't like metal if you don't like Metallica." I'm never sure if I'm supposed to be bothered by being accused of not being a metal fan. I'm definitely not, so maybe the only time I'll ever talk about this upcoming record again is when I make my 'worst of the year' list in December.

Dave Matthews Band - Madman's Eyes

This song is certainly a bit of a throwback. The last two DMB albums have been rather quiet and restrained affairs, whereas this song pulls much more influence from "Before These Crowded Streets". I wonder if the fact that record is turning twenty-five this year might have something to do with that. The strings and horns are very much in the vain of "The Last Stop", while the sinister little guitar line after the chorus has some of the feeling from "Halloween". But what is most up-front about this song is Dave's vocal, where he spends the entire chorus in his higher register. I don't like that choice at all, as it sounds rather strained, maybe even painful, and it's hard for a melody to shine through it. Those last couple records took time to grow on me, which they certainly did, and this song might need the same... if it ever does.

My Top Five Bruce Springsteen Albums

Bruce Springsteen has been a running joke in our bi-annual conversations for as long as we have been doing them. It's been long enough I don't even remember how it started, but one of the unexpected things that has happened over the years is that I have found myself growing more fond of the guy. I am by no means a die-hard, nor do I want to listen through his entire discography, but I found myself in 2022 being drawn to aspects of his sound and writing more than I ever had before. I'm not sure how to explain that, but I suppose it means the joke is on me.

As I said, I'm not going to run through his entire slate of records. His five best, in my eyes, should suffice. These would be those.

1. Darkness On The Edge Of Town

Before these last few months, this would not have been my answer. Something happened recently, where an album I always liked somewhat finally hit me from the right angle. The stark atmosphere of the record imbues it with a different sense of power, both emotionally in the slower songs and melodically in the hookier ones. It's a wonderful balance of Bruce the blue-collar poet and Bruce the hit-making songwriter. Perhaps it was as simple as this being a record about finding hope when it doesn't seem to be available, and that was what I needed to hear. Regardless, I can't snark about being a fan.

2. Magic

I'm not sure why this record seemed to get so much less attention than even the inferior records that came after. Maybe people didn't want to hear Bruce having fun anymore, but this collection of songs that took more influence than usual from 60s pop radio is the sort of diversion we needed. Bruce doesn't write enough songs that lean into that side of his personality, but he's more than capable when he does. I absolutely love "You'll Be Comin' Down", especially when he says, "the satin sky's gone candy-apple green". That's the sort of tinge of poetry I can't help but be won over by.

3. The Rising

Despite being too long, there's so much to enjoy about this record. It is very much a piece of its time, but given how much that is burned into the fabric of the public consciousness, it doesn't feel nearly as dated as you might think. We were rebuilding our psyche with the cement mixed from ashes and tears, and this record captures both the triumph of seeing a crane raise our smiles, but also the weariness of how much work it takes to get there. Sometimes I forget.

4. Born In The USA

For the longest time, I refused to listen to this record, simply because of how much I hated the synth from the title track. I'm still not a fan of synths, in general, but I have softened with time. That title track has gotten less annoying, possibly because I like to laugh at how it gets misinterpreted, but it's just one in a long line of hit singles. I'm rather amazed at how successful the record was, as Springsteen's writing is still rather subtle to have been so popular. This is the record that sounds dated, and I seldom want to spend that much time in the 80s, but it's hard to deny it was done better than the majority of its peers.

5. Born To Run

Yes, it's down this low. I know it's considered his undeniable classic, and one of the greatest albums ever made, but it's a three song record. "Thunder Road" and the title track are both legendary for good reason. I'm not nearly as fond of "Jungleland" as everyone else, but I do at least understand why it has the reputation it does. The rest of the record is the problem, as I come out of it every time not remembering anything about what I just listened to. Springsteen was being an artiste, and because of that the record lacked compelling songs. He proved what he set out to prove, but listening to someone tell you how great they are isn't always as enjoyable for us as it is for them. That's what this record is to me.

Quick Reviews: Ten & Issa

It's a two-for-one special today.

Ten - Something Wicked This Way Comes

Recently, I was listening to a compilation of songs from the albums Gary Hughes wrote for Bob Catley in the early 00s. Something struck me as they played, and as I was sucked into just how damn good it was; passion. Gary is a fine singer, but all of these recent Ten albums have lacked passion. His voice is rather flat and tame, but he doesn't write music that plays into that. Something like the first Pale Waves album, "My Mind Makes Noises", uses vocal limitations and flat detachment to build an atmosphere that wouldn't work without it. Hughes is writing what should be big and hooky melodic metal, but his singing is too soft and serene for those hooks to ever be sharp.

A song like "Brave New Lie" should be awesome, and in my mind I can hear it as a gloriously huge melodic metal song. Give it to the right singer, and it can absolutely soar. But with Hughes singing, the hook has no energy at all to it. You would think with guitars saturated with distortion, things would be heavy and epic and awesome, but Ten continues to be less than the sum of its parts. The record comes off sounding like a soft rock record masquerading as something with more 'cred', and I never once feel like banging my head or pumping my fist.

But at least this one isn't overtly religious, or filled with terrible lyrics about movie monsters. That's a relief.

Issa - Lights Of Japan

The big problem with Issa is nothing to do with her, but rather her label. They pump out so much music that sounds just like this that when an album comes along that isn't from their conveyor belt of songs, it's still hard to get excited about it. I enjoyed the first Issa album I heard, and this one is very much in the same mold. But when there are two or three albums nearly indistinguishable from this coming out every month, trying to stand out from any of them is hard. It helps that Issa gets songwriting contributions from outside the usual three writers responsible for these albums, but even these writers have a tangled history with the factory-farming methods.

What that means is the record is perfectly enjoyable melodic rock, but it has no identity of its own. The only thing separating this from all the other similar albums is Issa's voice, and I'm not sure that is enough. Over the course of the year, we're sure to get a glut of melodic rock, as we always do, and my experience with this record doesn't lead me to believe this is going to stand out among that long list of records when everything shakes out. This record is good, and it's perfectly pleasant to listen to, but even in the first weeks of a new year, it sounds played out.

Singles Roundup: Miley Cyrus, Kamelot, As December Falls, & Paramore (x3)

In this week's new singles, we're going to start off with something you probably never would expect from me.

Miley Cyrus - Flowers

I've always known in the back of my head Miley has a great voice, even if I don't really like any of the music she's made. At least for one song, that has changed. Taking more than a little from a Bruno Mars song, Miley does enough to make it her own, and it actually works a lot better for me than the inspiration. She sounds fantastic, with the roughness of her voice sounding like a punk-meets-pop eff-you to the subject, and the production gives her ample space to shine. It's a lovely melody, a great vocal, and production that has just enough bounce to be both up and downbeat at the same time. I'm not holding out that her entire album will follow in these footsteps, but for one song she's everything I could hope for.

Kamelot - One More Flag In The Ground

I've never gotten the appeal of Kamelot, other than them having great vocalists. Their power metal is as dramatic as can be, but it doesn't feel as epic as Powerwolf, or as fun as the cheesier parts of Avantasia. They come across as taking themselves entirely too seriously, and that happens again here. I'm not fond of Tommy's high-pitched intro line, and he doesn't have the right tone for the battle-weary lyric of the chorus. That chorus is also fairly underwhelming, neither soaring nor hooking. Kamelot is one of those bands who is just... there.

As December Falls - Carousel

The line between pop-punk and heavy pop-rock is rather thin, and not always clearly defined. As December Falls is snaking around the dotted line, mixing heavier guitars with a sharp vocal tone and a sugary chorus. There are some parallels to be drawn between this song and some of the tracks from Avril Lavigne's record last year, as the titular carousel is taking the narrator on the same trip, but with a much different viewpoint. Avril was snotty, bratty, and juveline. As December Falls is tackling things with more maturity, less shame for me in listening to it, and a realization that sometimes we take the ride even though we know it's going to be disorienting when we get off. It's as much a kiss-off to ourselves as that other person. I like that.

Paramore - This Is Why/The News/C'est Comme Ca

Having never been a big Paramore fan, I'm not as disappointed in these songs as I could be. I've heard plenty of fans still claiming this is the work of geniuses, but I'm well aware of how people convince themselves their favorites can do no wrong. I've listened to these songs, because I know how much attention the record is going to get, and each one has been worse than the last. "This Is Why" is a decent enough new-wave style song, but it's not a style I like. Fair enough. "The News" was less engaging, more annoying, and the 'tune out' message isn't really a good one. But the last of these singles is infuriating, as it's an annoying as all hell 'na na' chorus repeated far too often, used to break up spoken word passages. I don't even know if I would call it a song, and yet they put it out as a single. It alone has me thinking the record, should I choose to listen to it, will be headed into 'worst of the year' territory.

Album Review: Katatonia - Sky Void Of Stars

Katatonia records are one of the most unique experiences in metal. When you sit down to one, you know you're going to be enveloped in a wash of melancholy no one else can match. There was a record that made my top ten list last year which hit upon similar themes and tones, but no one can make metal that lives in the shadows cast by the moon quite like Katatonia.

That being said, not every version of their musical ennui will be for everyone, even if you are inclined to their view of the world. I was quite enamored of "The Fall Of Hearts", with its cold progginess, but I was less fond of "City Burials", with the extra layers of electronics that came bubbling closer to the surface. The great thing about a band that is always changing things up is that the next album can be the one that finally wins you over. And with the singles leading into this album, Katatonia had me on high alert.

"Austerity" opens the album with a jarring sensation, as if the record started a few seconds later than it was supposed to. That surprise shifts our anticipation, and leaves us more vulnerable to how epic the chorus sounds when it kicks in. It is Katatonia at their absolute best; melodically gorgeous while emotionally devastated. If there was one thing I had been wanting from Katatonia, it was a more direct punch. This start more than delivers on that front.

"Opaline" is another track that is able to pair sparse arpeggios with a monstrous chorus that is the swell of depression as it pressed against our eyes, turning our vision into a dark blur of indecipherable emotions. In moments like that, Jonas Renske has outdone himself in building the perfect canvas for his one-of-a-kind voice. Early on, Katatonia has taken their identity and wrapped it around songs that are more engaging, and dare I say more energetic, than ever before. They crest like the wave we are holding our breath to survive.

The bands dips back into their doom roots a bit with "Drab Moon", but they show us how doom can be done right, as they pump enough melody into the proceedings that the song never gets bogged down in the sludge of a riff. There is always a song lurking there. "Author" adds in some nifty guitar work, taking some of the sound from Soen, a band who has borrowed much of the feeling Katatonia is known for. It all comes full circle on "Impermanence", where Soen's Joel Ekelof joins Anders for a dramatic, doomy affair. Hearing them together shows how similar the two bands can be, even though they are unmistakable for one another. It's akin to when you take two pieces of fabric you thought were both black, you put them side by side, only to discover they are several shades apart.

What was that I was saying about the next album potentially being the great one? Yeah, that's what we're dealing with here. As much as I liked "The Fall Of Hearts", and even some of the albums that came before that one, Katatonia has made what my eyes see as their masterpiece. Cold, but with heart. Mechanical, but with grace. Heavy, but utterly beautiful. "Sky Void Of Stars" is the Katatonia album that finally distills their essence into the perfect blend of metal and emotion.

Katatonia has delivered a nearly flawless journey through metal's haunting countryside, and the bar by which all of 2023 will be judged.

Album Review: Kiberspassk - "Smorodina"

 

One of the trends that’s been worth tracking over the past seven or eight years of music has been the complete breakdown of genre convention.  The walls that separated one genre from another, or indeed, one splinter genre from another splinter genre, are being torn down on an accelerated curve by an increasingly large collection of artists who were raised in the digital musicscape and have had occasion to sample the flavors of a myriad of different styles.  Sure, there are plenty of artists out there who want to live in one world, and do so with great accomplishment and fanfare.  Nevertheless, the horizon is teeming with a wave of musicians who will use any sound, bend any instrument, to find the right tone, the right feeling, the right mix.

Stepping to the front of the stage is Kiberspassk, a Siberian musical epiphany that uses witchcraft, folk arts and no small amount of black magic to at one time be industrial, metal, folk, chant and punk.

The statement of all those ingredients seems awfully definite, so let’s clarify a little – all of these are in the abstract.  Kiberspassk is at once each of them, and also none of them.  And then just when you think you’ve nailed down the ingredients of their new record “Smorodina,” you hear the pure rock-and-roll guitar solo of the title track, and you’re back to square one.

Leading this death’s head parade are Natasha and Anatoly Pakhalenko (yes, the same as from the folk band Nytt Land,) who have built upon their mysterious debut “See Bear” to weave an even more eclectic tale, one with greater depth and emotion and bucking of convention.  

For starters, Natasha, among her other talents, is capable of traditional Mongolian throat singing, like metal fans have only come to know recently with Tengger Cavalry and The Hu.  Her normal singing voice is ethereal but raw and real, full of conviction and spirit, weighted down with the pressures of trying to rationalize a challenging world around her.  The added dimension of her throat singing turns Kiberspassk into something else – something more challenging, less intuitive, more otherworldly.

Challenging may be the key word to the entire experience of “Smorodina.”  The album thrives on both being off-balance and keeping the listener in that same state.  That makes it no less rewarding for those with the patience, but it should serve as a warning to those who think they can dive right in – the album has a lot to digest and can be acerbic; the musical variety and twists and turns do little to minimize that.

For those willing to let the album unfold for them, regardless of the track listing, they should begin with the single “Daleko.”  It is the album’s most accessible piece, but also it’s most accomplished.  The slow build through the strains of a folk song-like beginning evokes visions of sitting around a campfire and listening to the chant of nature in the frozen wastes of the north.  That it then builds into something complex, haunting and beautiful is to the band’s credit.  The sheer amount of layering built into the song creates a wall of warm but fragile sound, concurrently bright but pained.

For the more adventurous, the industrial instrumental “Vii” is a must listen.  Imagine if you will that the opening of Pink Floyd’s “Time” (you know the one, with all the clocks,) was laid over a beat and pounded into a rhythm.  The song runs five and a half minutes, and never really ventures far from that source, but it never feels old or gimmicky.

Everything else on the record falls somewhere in between those two goal posts, though that makes “Smorodina” sound rigidly confined when it is anything but.  If “Daleko” and “Vii” are two opposing points of west and east, imagine that there is no boundary to how far north or south one could go in between those opposing points.

And the album goes in all those directions.  From the near-screaming and vitriolic protest song “Ne Otdam (I Won’t Give You My Son,)” to the excellent punk-rock infused folk beat of “Morozko,” every cut on the album tries a new path and veers off on vectors that seem impossible.

Now listen, it doesn’t all work.  It’s not worth singling out songs that falter, because those with different tastes might be attracted (or unattracted) to different aspects of the proceedings, but it’s hard to imagine that everything “Smorodina” lays out on the buffet table is going to be everyone’s first choice.  

It seems plausible though, that everyone will find four or five cuts that really speak to them, and that’s both a credit to the inclusive genre-bending that was spoken of at the top, and also the talent of the band to seamlessly weave in so many elements that on face shouldn’t work together.

Regardless, those who are looking for something different and are not afraid to color outside the margins should spend some time with Kiberspassk’s new statement.  And spin it more than once – there’s a lot to process, but it’s worth the extra effort.

Album Review: Ville Valo - Neon Noir

How exactly did the Gothic turn into Goth? Was it just that we misinterpreted "Dracula", and somehow bought into the idea that the monsters we perceive ourselves to be are inherently sexier than the meat-bags we appear to be? I'm not really sure, but it's something I used to think about when H.I.M. was a band of renown. The whole Goth culture struck me as being sadness with extra makeup, and not delving any deeper than that surface-level paint. Sadness is fascinating because of what it can unlock in us, how we are able to find in the depths just how shallow we are. In order for blood to shine black in the moonlight, we first have to bleed.

H.I.M. was often referred to as 'love metal', and their heartagram logo did nothing to dispel that notion. It is an overly romantic reading of the Gothic roots. They were there, but it usually bubbled under the surface. It's hard to scream through your own tears.

Ville Valo's new solo outing is in many ways a continuation of H.I.M.'s sound, the cooing brand of rock that never fit in with any style or time. Ville is an original, that much is for sure. I can't think of many people who have ever been more soothing while still playing rather heavy rock, or a voice that could have matched how nonchalant the idea of ripping the wings off a butterfly seemed when he sang it. Emotional violence sounded no different than therapy, and perhaps there's a lesson for us to learn in that idea.

The difference here is that without the preconceptions of the band, Ville dials back on the rock elements just a hair, giving the album more of an old pop sheen than before. The guitars are still there, and they swell with washes of soft distortion, but they aren't as high in the mix, and they are purposely dialed in to have less bite. The title track is a perfect illustration of this. The structure of the opening, with the guitar harmony over the chords, is similar to "Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly", but not only does the lead sound more serene, but the chorus is more of a gentle wave than a roaring white-cap.

I'll be honest; especially with the multiple five and six minute long songs, the mix being primarily vocals and drums became rather tedious. I don't mind softer music by any means, but the mix sounded to my ears like there was too much empty space, which got filled with thoughts distracting me from what I was listening to.

The record also moves along slowly at times, with those longer tracks filling up the time with slower paces and too much ambience. That stops things from ever building up momentum, either for the record as a whole, or within each song. Ville delivers plenty of his trademark velvet melodies, but getting there takes longer than I would like it to. I don't think it's a coincidence my favorite songs tend to be the shorter ones.

That leaves me stuck in the middle. On the one hand, Ville does something unique and captivating. His lush brand of sad rock has a hypnotic sense to it. On the other hand, the record tries my patience, and it definitely could use some more heft to the mix. It's an album I want to love, but have trouble seeing through the faults. Sometimes, a good record that doesn't meet expectations is harder to wrap your head around than an outright bad one. That's what I'm feeling here.

"Neon Noir" has much to love about it. Love is frustrating, after all.

My Favorite Singers (A Baker's Dozen Of Them)

The human voice is an instrument unlike any other. It carries messages, it carries emotions, and it is able to speak to us in ways no guitar or piano ever could. When we talk about the human connection we have to music, it is largely through the voice, because that is where we are able to understand one another. Of course you can have a song without a voice, but seldom has an instrumental ever been able to move me the way a vocalist is able to.

We all hear those voices differently, though. Singers who are beloved to the masses might not even be tolerable to me (in some cases I know they aren't), and my favorites might sound that way to everyone else. I won't get too deep into the philosophical quandary over whether we can ever know we are hearing the same voices the same way as someone else, since the answer to that question is as much opinion as what we're discussing.

For the purposes of this list, I'm judging a singer to be among my favorites both for how their voice moves me, but also their music. While there are singers in possession of voices I love whose music I don't enjoy, I would rather focus on those who both have that voice, and use it in a way that affects me.

With that being said, here are the voices I can't get out of my head.

1. Dilana: When we speak of something being able to pierce our hearts, Dilana's voice is the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe pierce isn't the right word, and the reality is closer to the waves of sound wrapping themselves around my heart, massaging it to beat as it should. There is an electricity I feel, running through my synapses and bridging gaps my emotions saw as too great to jump across. A great voice creates a tingle of overwhelmed senses that presses pause and resets my systems, much like hot water crashing against my skin on a cold winter's day. No one has ever gotten me to stop in my tracks the way she has, realizing the burned-in rings when I close my eyes are ghostly echoes of a halo.

2. Meat Loaf: I wonder if I was drawn to Meat's voice because my own is lacking the size, power, and bravado I could get listening to him. Or maybe it's because Meat was an actor at heart, and he simply knew how to emote and sell a song better than so many others. Whatever the reason, Meat was the first voice I needed to hear more from than what was on the radio, and his was the first one I would imagine bouncing around my head as I whispered along with the record. He had several iterations of his voice over the years, but there was always a Meat-ness to it. I miss that.

3. Lzzy Hale: How many years do we call a generation? I ask, because if the timeline is narrow enough from our age, Lzzy is the voice of our generation. She can do anything and everything with her voice, and they all hit with the power of a stage lined with Marshall stacks. There's this slightly dark, slightly breathy tone that melts me every time I hear it. She's the hot breath on our neck, floating like ghostly clouds in the air as we fight the cold, looking like a heavenly body that dissolves before our eyes.

4. Ronnie James Dio: Few singers have been able to wring as much drama out of their voice as Dio did. Fewer sound like they could overpower a metal band without even needing a microphone, but that's who Dio was. He could croon the softest ballad like "Rainbow Eyes", then turn around and rip your face off with "Buried Alive", all without breaking a sweat. He loved to sing of fantasy worlds, and his voice was certainly magic.

5. Jakob Dylan: I'm sure many will level the same criticism against Jakob as his father, but I don't hear it that way at all. There's a quality to Jakob's voice I love, where even as he sounds like his voice can struggle to form the tones of a melody, it's like the soft focus of an old camera that you know wasn't as good as a crisp hi-res image, but captures a scene with a charm perfection can't quite match.

6. Emerson Hart: If I could explain what I hear in my own head as I am singing to myself, it would be close to Emerson's voice. Now, is that because Tonic has long been my favorite band, and I have simply absorbed his voice into my thinking to that degree? That could very well be the case.

7. Jim Adkins: What is unique about Jim, and Jimmy Eat World's music in general, is how he can sound both forlorn and optimistic at the same time, his voice bristling with youthful energy powering lights that cut through the melancholy fog. He is able to convey both sweetness and a bitter aftertaste at the same time, and that complex flavor is fascinating.

8. John Popper: More than just a singer, his various squeaks, noises, and affectations add so much color and personality to Blues Traveler. Like Meat Loaf, he always sounds like an actor who is making deliberate choices for the character of the song, because merely reading the lines is never as interesting. But we know it's a choice, because he sang "Once You Wake Up", and it's an absolutely stunning vocal.

9. Joakim Nilsson: Graveyard swings from soft blues to thundering rock, sometimes within the same song. Joakim is able to handle it all with aplomb, with clarity to his saddest tones, and the kind of harsh grit to his belting that made people think distorted guitar amps were one of the happiest accidents we ever encountered.

10. Kelly Clarkson: These days, when I think about pop music, my starting point is always Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" album. That's how much it has embedded itself in me. Kelly's voice is the perfect blend of power, expression, and that little bit of breath that I admit I'm a sucker for, if you haven't noticed yet. Behind those hazel eyes is a voice that resonates in both her head and mine.

11. Jorn Lande: He might have the perfect rock/metal voice. Jorn is the modern Ronnie James Dio, a comparison which he has taken to heart more than he should. Only he could have made the absurdity of the "Dracula: Swing Of Death" album work, and his snarl is like the sharpest of cheeses, melted down into a luxurious fondue. If only I liked more of the records he's been on...

12. Anette Olzon: I didn't realize how much I had grown to love Anette until recently. Her voice is unlike anything else on this list, and quite unique among her contemporaries as well. Her tone is high and sharp, a piercing siren that fills the air with a call we can hear from anywhere. Her voice draws me in when I can't explain why, as if it is pulling the barbs taut against my skin, reeling me in without me having even realized I have been caught.

13. VK Lynne: The spidery songstress weaves her web, catching those of us who aren't paying attention to exactly what the glimmering rainbow in front of our eyes happens to be. Whether cooing a song for the late hours of the early morning, or wailing blue(s) murder, her voice is the distilled sweetness of burned-off whiskey; caramel rich with a depth and complexity you'll need time to savor.

The Best Of The New 'Vintage' Rock

As production abilities have progressed, and we are now capable of making record with inhuman levels of perfection, there's something undeniably appealing about the wave of 'vintage' rock bands that take their tones and colors from the classic rock of the past. I love the organic sounds of albums that feel like a band plugging in and playing live in the studio, even though they are still meticulously made records. It's being able to hear the instruments are they actually sound, and not as a wall of obviously processed and quad-tracked distortion, that makes the music special. There's room for the songs to breathe, there's space for the band's personlities to come through.

What I have found is that making such music is far harder than you might think. It's easy to pull out some old amps and get the right sounds, but to write songs that highlight the approach and live up to the standard, is another thing entirely. Only a few bands and albums have been able to squarely hit that bulls-eye. These are the ones I think have achieved that feat.

Graveyard - Graveyard/Hisingen Blues/Lights Out

Of all these bands, Graveyard is the best of them, by a fair margin. We have called them the best rock band of this day and age before, so how could they not be? We here disagree slightly on what their peak has been, but for me it's their first three albums, which perfectly encapsulate everything great about this timeless sound. They are raw enough to sound natural, but played so well they use that to amplify the power and emotion of the songs. They use simplicity to their advantage, and make music that is utterly timeless. From the crystalline chunky guitar tone on "Don't Take Us For Fools", to the scraming passion of Joakim's vocals on "Slow Motion Countdown", there isn't much better in rock than these records.

Blues Pills - Blues Pills

The blues are a tough thing for me, but Blues Pills nailed it on their very first try. Like Graveyard, they use under-gained guitars to set more of a mood, and those give Elin Larsson's voice more space to roar. She is a powerhouse, and it's purely magical when the band drops in and she bellows the final chorus of "Astralplane". The album is full of slow burns and subtle melodies, which rewards coming back to the atmosphere the production is able to conjure up. They haven't been able to match this yet, to me, but it was a hell of an opening salvo.

Lykantropi - Tales To Be Told

Speaking of atmosphere, that is where this record shines. The blend of folk and vintage crunch sets an atmosphere like sitting around a campfire on a chilly autumn night. These songs sound like a group of friends telling each other ghost stories, nervously laughing at those who are scared by them, while feeling slightly nervous themselves. It's a cloudy album, one that wafts over you rather than hit you right in the face. There's a beautiful and delicate nature to the writing and playing, and it's the sort of record that reminds us that the quiet moments are just as powerful.

The Black Marbles - Moving Mountains

I don't remember where I found out about this little gem, but it's a record I have come back to time and time again. With some searing guitar solos, and a voice we didn't get to hear from nearly enough, this album feels the most to me like a reincarnated Led Zeppelin, with a twist of course. Marcia's voice was the star of the show, but even as good as she is, it wouldn't have worked out this well if the band didn't deliver songs up to her talents. With heavy riffs, a balance of blues and folk, and Marcia's powerful voice belting out some great hooks, this one-off combination proved that some stars burn hot and short, and that's ok.

Singles Roundup: The Winery Dogs, Dream State, The Nearly Deads, & Redemption

A new year means new songs. Ok, these songs were all released last year, but they portend albums that will be coming our way in the near future, so that's close enough. Calendars sometimes get in the way, don't they?

The Winery Dogs - Xanadu

With the first song from their upcoming album, the band seems intent on revisiting the spirit of their debut. I fully support that move, as "Hot Streak" felt like a detour that took you to the same place, but did so by taking a road with a much less interesting view. This time, the emphasis is once again on Richie's songwriting, attempting to blend some acrobatic instrumental playing in the breaks with a chorus sharpened to hook us. It doesn't work quite as well as the first singles off their previous albums, but it's still a good sign that the band is going to help get the year off to a good start. I'm not disappointed.

Dream State - Comfort In Chaos

The conflict in me is quieting. I wasn't so sure about the first song this new lineup of the band put out, but I'm coming around rather quickly. It's still a definite shift in tone, but a second dose of it is sinking in. The band is more polished and modern than ever, and the rough-around-the-edges nature of CJ's vocal delivery is missed, but I'm hearing plenty in this song to think Dream State will be just fine. The rust has been polished off the blade, and now they're going for a more surgical kill. I'll be interested to hear what else their EP has in store for us.

The Nearly Deads - Suffocating

They continue to keep on keepin' on. Like the upcoming album's first single, or any of the singles they put out in recent years, they have a knack for writing hooks that become infectious the more you listen to them. The riff almost sounds like sinister surf, and we ride the wave as TJ's melody in the chorus rises and swells before it comes back down to crush us. It's the sort of song that sounds so upbeat, it plays with our expectations as the lyric talks about feeling suffocated. I always love that dichotomy, and it sounds like I'm going to love the album when it arrives.

Redemption - I Am The Storm

Oh, Redemption. They were my favorite prog metal band, but I'm not sure if I can say that anymore. That's a combination of me not enjoying Tom Englund's voice, and also my knowledge of band leader Nick Van Dyk's personal views. Knowing what their old song, "Leviathan Rising", is about does not endear the band to me. I'm giving them another chance here, and it's hard to say what exactly I'm thinking. This is one of their more aggressive songs, which means the chorus section is lacking a bit of their usual melodic flair. That's already a bit of a disappointment, but then there's the issue of Englund. I know so many people find him to be one of the most emotional and poignant singers in metal, but he does nothing for me. Maybe it's just me, and the way his deeper voice blends into the lower tunings sucks all the brightness out of the mix, but like the last album, all I can think listening to this is that it would have been so much better if Ray Alder's voice was the one singing it.