How’s about a bit of a round up then.
So twenty-eleven draws to a close I thought it would be an ideal time to do a roundup of the CDs that I thought were rather spiffing these last 12 months.
2011 has, contrary to popular myth, been a pretty good year for music. Festivals seem to have been popular despite our shoddy British weather and the naysayers pronouncing their death.
Bands still seem excited about making records, certainly in the field of Rock & Metal which I prefer to listen to, and Michael Jackson is still dead. So all in all a positive year I’d say.
In no particular order here are my top 10 albums of 2011. If I was forced to choose a favourite it would have to be the Vintage Trouble CD.
Black Spiders have been building up a solid reputation on the live circuit for a couple of years now but in 2011 they seemed to accelerate into the stratosphere with the release of their debut album in February and appearances at both Sonisphere and High Voltage festivals. The album builds on the previous EPs that the band have released since 2009 and is in the same traditional hard, bluesy rock vein. The songs on this album are powerhouses with catchy chunky riffs and must sing-a-long choruses. Tracks like the opener "Stay Down", with its crowd pleasing line "fuck you and this one horse town", "Just Like A Woman" and the set closing anthem "St Peter" will have you singing at the top of your voice and only when the song ends you realise that you are on the top deck of the bus and not your local sweaty gig emporium. My favourite track on the album has to be the tongue-so-far-in-cheek "KISS Tried To Kill Me" with its proclamations that it was Gene not Paul and wasn't Ace's fault. A fantastic album and if you could get to see them in 2012 get me a ticket and I'll rock out with ya.
Actually Joe could have been in my top albums 3 times this year as he has been possibly the most prolific guitarist on the planet with this album, The second Black Country Communion album and a Collaboration with Beth Hart called Don't Explain that is a collection of classic soul and blues covers. I decided that, whilst I applaud Mr B's prolific output I can not have him dominating this list. Whilst the BCC2 album and the Beth Hart collaboration are both particularly good albums, I have chosen Dust Bowl as the one to feature in the list as it has elements of Rockabilly in it :-) (Yes I am that shallow). The title track has some classic, easy laid back Joe playing with a rolling groove that will have you humming it all day. John Hiatt lends his hillbilly style to his own "Tennessee Plates" that would not sound out of place on a Dave Edmunds or Brian Setzer album. The rest of the album has plenty of styles too, from the upbeat R&B of "You'd Better Watch Yourself" to the American folk styles of "Black Lung Heartache". Vince Gill, Glenn Hughes and Beth Hart also lend their vocal talents to make this one of Joe's most accomplished albums to date. With the promise of a new solo album and a new BCC one in 2012 we have much more to look forward to.
I am quite a new convert to the Skindred cause having only become aware of them at the Sonisphere festival in 2010 where they held court to about 5000 metal heads at 3pm and tore the fucking stage a new one and had everyone of the punters there well and truly on their side. This year saw the release of their 4th studio album and probably their finest (to date). Blending metal & punk with heavy doses of dub, reggae and hipedy hopedy they come up with a sound that is totally and unquestionably Skindred. The album has classic tracks that will certainly have you bopping and bouncing at your local sweat pit. "Cut Dem", "Own You" and "Game Over" will probably become Skindred classics and Gun Dem could have slid right off of Sandinista (if Sandinista tapes had been mixed in with Led Zep II)
UVM are starting to make more of a noise this year. Tipped as leaders in the new British rockabilly revival? I do not see it personally, to me they have more of a Romany, burlesque sound to them more than rockabilly. Think Gogol Bordello mixed with The Pogues with a hint of Ennio Morricone and you'll probably be nowhere near them.... In Black N Red is their 2nd album and picks up exactly where the first one, 2009s Bourbon Soaked Gypsy Blues Bop'n'Stroll, left off. Disc opener "Go East" sounds like it could slip nicely into an Alex Cox western and has a fairly upbeat lilt to the lyrics this rapidly starts to go down hill with songs like "I'd Rather You Shot Me Down" and "Heroin (Put My Brothers In The Ground)" and "Alone In The City" all have a pretty grim and realistic view of inner cities in 2011 UK.
Wasting Light is the Foo Fighters best album since "The Colour & The Shape" FACT. Agree or disagree you are either right or wrong. The Foo's have written some great songs over the years and their live shows have always been amazing but their albums have always failed to impress this listeners ears since their sophomore effort of 1997. This may be because one Pat Smear is now back as a full time member of the band and hasn't been so since TCATS or maybe Dave Grohl has just remembered how to write great rock songs. I could go on at length about the best songs on the album but to be honest all 11 tracks are fantastic. The album has poppy/catchy songs (Bridges Burning, Rope) slow/ballady songs (I should have known) and heads down/nose bleeding out and out screamers (White Limo). Basically buy it now mofo's.
Ahh Viking/Battle/Pirate metal call it what you want, I love it. Songs about Norse Gods, battles, drinking wenches and whoring ales are always fun. There have been a few really good Viking Metal albums out this year: Korpiklaani, Turisas and Amon Amarth all released mighty fine albums but I have to say I love Alestorm's latest album. Hailing from Scotland these boys sing exclusively about Pirates all with a bit of fun. The title track "Back Through Time" pokes a little fun at our Scandinavian brothers in metal telling the story of a band of pirates that travel back in time to kick the shit out of the Vikings. Lyrics like "You put your faith in Odin and Thor, we put ours in cannons and whores" certainly tell you the theme of the album. Songs like "Rum" and "Buckfast Powersmash" tell tales of high drinking and debauchery whilst the two bonus cuts on the special edition are high octane covers of The Wurzels "Oi Am A Cider Drinker" and Lazy Town's "You Are A Pirate" that are a must for a drinking and dancing METAL party.
This band hail from Los Angeles CA and play rocky/bluesy/souly type stuff, rather well actually. Their debut album The Bomb Shelter Sessions features 10 blinding tracks from the infectious upbeat bounce of opener "Blues Hand Me Down" to the mellow shuffle of "Nancy Lee" and the soulful Stax sound of "Not Alright By Me". The album sends you on an roller-coaster of a ride that doesn't stop pounding your emotions until the final notes of "Run Outta You" which as a set closer is quite spectacular, with the band leaving the stage one at a time until only the drummer is left. An old trick but still effective.
Fuck me, this band snuck under the Magoo radar for far too long. Their third album, released in October this year, is an absolute blinder. Crunchy riffs in a Pantera style and growly vocals that are not too aggressive to make you not want to listen any more. The title song has a catchy chorus that will have any metal head shouting along at a festival, "Under and Over It" has an almost rapping style to it but not quite giving it an instant pull on the ear. Token ballad "Remember Everything" is not too sentimental to make it redundant on this album but still has enough saccharin in it that you can squeeze your best gal or guy and not look a cock. For fans of Slipknot and Avenged, definitely, but Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance fans may also be sucked into the FFDP family.
Third official album by Kentucky's finest (The Live At The Astoria album was strictly Ltd edition from Concert Live so doesn't really count). It has been two years since "Folklore & Superstition" and the boys needed to really impress for the difficult third album. And boy did they. Album openers "White Trash Millionaire" and "Killing Floor" are both dirty southern rockers. Won't Let You Go" could be pure Skynrd and the so-popular live favourite "Blame It On The Boom Boom" has every member of the audience shouting at the top of their voices in the chorus. The band played The Waterfront in Norwich earlier this year and ripped the place a new one. An impressive feat when the support bands were The Treatment and The Black Spiders, both of whom have albums in this top ten.
Bringing back "traditional" Heavy Metal to the UK. The Treatment's debut album, that has been released twice this year, is a stonking heads down metal album and that is metal spelt METAAAALLLLLL!!! Tracks like "Departed" and "The Doctor" get your fists in the air giving it large just like you did to Saxon or Maiden in 1982. They have an element of Kiss to their swagger but without the make up or extreme capitalist attitude. There isn't really a ballad on this album so your better half better have their rocking boots on, "Just tell Me Why" gets the closest but if you are looking for that Bon Jovi - lighter in the air moment, get the hell outta here and grow a pair. "Nothing To Lose But Our Minds" will be an anthem in the future or there is no justice in the world. This band are here to Rock your socks off... They will be bigger in 2012.
A special mention to The Adrenaline Mob's debut EP and to Mad Dog's Album Sampler that did make me listen and salivate about what is to come when the full albums come out this year.
Also I would like to have included Blast Tyrent by Clutch and the deluxe edition of the Slash album but they are reissues.
There are far more albums that could have made the top ten if only I'd actually listened to them more:
King Blues - Punk n Poetry
Machine Head - Unto The Locust
Mastodon - The Hunter
Rival Sons - Pressure & Time
Within Temptation - The Unforgiving
Social Distortion - Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes
So for 2012 I am going to make an effort to listen to more music that I have not listened to that much. Next year you may even get two lists: A list of best albums released in 2012 and a list of albums most listened to in 2012.
All the best for the new year
Eams
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