viperj's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 30 cd's of year....yeah i can count!! 30. Slick Shoes-Far from nowhere It was a really good release in my oppinion. I feel that they have gone from not being all about the pop punk, and they've shown a more "punkier" side to them and thats good. Their last cd "s/t" was solid throughout, unfortunately, FFN comes no where close. I only like, "nows the time" its solid, and its the only sign of their older stuff. I liked this cd, its better produced and the lyrics prove to be strong, but the only reason this cd makes top 30 is because of nows the time. Slick Shoes are very good at what they do. Fans of fast, “new school” skatepunk (with some choice guitar solos) should check this out. 29. NOFX-The War on Errorism I can sum up this record in three words: sounds like NOFX. It has elements of pop, hardcore, street punk, and yes, they even threw in some ska. There are some politically motivated lyrics,(Franco Un-American, Idiots are Taking Over) some stuff that's pure kitsch (She's Nubs, Whoops, I OD'd) and a few more "hey look at us, we're NOFX" songs along the lines of Theme From a NOFX Album (Mattersville, 13 stitches). It has clever cover art, that being the American flag with a charicature of good ol' Dubya made up to look like a clown. At 14 songs in around 30 minutes, it follows all the rules for a good punk rock album. Overall, its a really solid cd, its really strong,and there really is no major difference in anyhing they've done over the last 5 years, so if you like that aspect, you'll like this. 28.Thrice The Artist In The Ambulance Their hit song with the same name of their title was a main reason it got on my top 30. I like this band, hard, fast, agrgressive, they know how to make songs, and play them. Very good, check them out! 27.Dashboard Confessional A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar Now others would either agree that his old stuff is just way better, and to me thats how it goes. I didnt really like this release at all. In fact, the only reason I really liked it was because of Hands down. I dont really like when you go with a harder direction when your direction should stay the same. It was good, dont get me wrong, i'm a hypocrite, but I woulda preferred a release with less guitars, and more singing. 26 Lagwagon - Blaze Finally… it’s the new Lagwagon album. Joey has been busy with the Gimmes and Bad Astronaut the past few years, and he has come back to the ‘wagon with a fresh outlook. They give us a bit more than usual this time around: 14 tracks, the most they’ve put on an album since “Duh”, and 41 minutes of music, which is really long considering their previous CD “Let’s talk about Feelings” was a mere 25 minutes. They better give us more after waiting four years! “Blaze” was worth the wait, but not quite up to par with “Trashed” for diversity (though Trashed is diverse in different ways, ie: metal) and not quite up to “Hoss” in terms of overall quality, those being their two classic albums. However, it does delve into some unfamiliar areas for the band, while still keeping their edge and trademark sound. It keeps the great lyrics and melodies you can expect from the band, as well as the high energy. It’s a solid album worth a listen, and a must for fans since it may be their last. 25 FM Static - What are you waiting for? FM Static, the side project of Trevor McNevan (vocals) and Steve Augustine (drummer) of Thousand Foot Krutch is an album of well crafted melodic punk with the average song coming in at 3 minutes. It appears to meet all the qualities of a punk album and it delivers. Though songs about girls and the other heartbreaks of life permeate most of the album, they do have a song titled, “Something to Believe In” that is an anthem about the search for truth in Christ in a world of confusion. If you are looking for fun, toe-tapping music to turn on and just enjoy you won’t be disappointed. This album rings of Blink-182 and American Hi-Fi and will appeal to people who enjoy that genre of music. 24 Pennywise- From The Ashes Instead of great songs and high energy, From The Ashes delivers weaker songs than those on Land Of The Free and less urgency than older releases. That is not to say it is a poor album, rather it is simply a workmanlike release. Referential to both the Sex Pistols (Song titles include, "God Save The USA" and "Holiday In The Sun") and even their own previous releases (the words "perfect day" and "society" crop up in the lyrics), this only serves as a reminder that what is on display is nothing new. Instead, we get Pennywise being Pennywise. Some decent songs are present, but this is distinctly unmemorable on the whole. From The Ashes feels simply like further tracks from previous Pennywise albums. Ultimately, this is a well-recorded, well-performed, solid and completely unexciting record.. 23 Mad Caddies -Just One More To their credit, Mad Caddies mix it up admirably. This is certainly not one of those albums where all the songs sound the same. The sound covers the range from the relaxed reggae groove of opener "Drinking For 11" through to the full-on fast rock of "Contraband". The feeling is of a band who are professional and know exactly what they're doing - the arrangements are always nice, the playing uniformly tight and production is exemplary. The drawback is that, whilst the songs are good, there are no standout tracks, nothing especially exciting or different. Just One More is certainly a competent album, and an enjoyable listen, but far from an essential purchase for this very reason. 22 Much The Same- Quitters Never Win Much The Same plays a brand of melodic punk similar to bands such as No Use or Pennywise. The whole sound of the record would fit perfectly on the Fat Wreck Chords roster. They do although have things that make them special in their own light. The songs are fast and catchy while lyrically dealing with self-conflicts and relationships. The music is along the lines of fast melodic skate punk while occasionally slowing down at times. This band knows how to play their instruments. To sum it up this band while sounding simliar to some bands definitely brings their own sound to the table. Bringing skate punk to a new level at which it shoule be played. If you are a fan of Fat Wreck Chords style skate punk with intelligent lyrics and great music then check this band out as soon as possible. One of my top 5 brand new artist releases. 21 Gob- Foot In Mouth Disease Great release from these guys. I like this new direction. 20-Ataris So long, Astoria After the Ataris signed to the big-name Columbia label (home to Aerosmith, John Mayer and Will Smith), many fans of the band wondered how the signing would affect the band's future. Unfortunately, So Long, Astoria is defined by its own overproduction and abandonment of any remaining punk ideals. First, let me make it clear that So Long, Astoria is not a bad album. The melodies are catchy, and the lyrics aren't too bad, especially compared to those of other mainstream pop-punkers (if one can even give them that much credit) like Alien Ant Farm and blink-182. It is, overall, a solid album. One of the better albums of the handful they've released; basically, a landmark in their career. Lyrically matured (for the most part, anyway), musically matured, and forcefully matured. They were due. 19- Billy Talent -S/T The music of Billy Talent will appeal to young punk fans weaned on so much (too much?) of today’s pop-punk, while giving these malnourished ones a lot of needed meat at the same time. As tracks such as “Try Honesty” and “Lies” bluntly illustrate, this is a truth-seeking band. Throwaway punk – as I like to call it -- is one of today’s tasteless flavors of the week. But Billy Talent should not be grouped in with so much of this other garbage. Instead, it’s one spicy keeper. Another good release by a canadian band. 18 Anti Flag-The Terror State Anti-Flag are a 5-piece melodic punk band from Pennsylvania, USA. As their name suggests they are a band with some deep-rooted political ideals. Punk and politics have been linked since the inception of punk way back in the day. AF continue this tradition of protest music, backed up with them actually taking an active role in direct action and protests against the idiot son of an arsehole who currently resides in office in the US. I'm not sure if this is the place to bring up political ideas but with a band like AF the music and the politics go hand in hand. Overall the album has all the ingredients to be a great punk rock album, catchy, hooky choruses, melodic driving guitars, great bass sound, excellent thought provoking lyrics, a production by RATM/Audioslave axe wielder Tom Morello and to top it off you get great artwork and a genuinely informative inlay book. In such an apathetic age it's nice to see the tradition of protest music been continued by people who genuinely give a shit. 17 Cauterize- So far from real Yeah, there's nothing here that you haven't heard before. It's all pop punk rock that could easily be played on most of the so-called "modern rock" radio stations these days. But at least Cauterize has a little genuine attitude to give their music an extra punch. Sometimes they stray too far into pure carbon copy pop punk territory and those songs seem to go on forever. Strangely, they seem to be lumped into the middle of the CD. Better songs up front, a few near duds, and then a couple of good songs close out the CD. Just when you've given up on the band, they regain your respect with strong(er) tunes. If you're looking for pure bone-crushing musical power. 16- Mxpx- Before everything and after MxPx holds a part in our scene as being one of those bands that have paved the way for similar bands such as Blink 182, Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, and just about everything on Drive-Thru Records, but at the same time they maintained some credibility. The band hasn’t changed much since their high school days of playing snotty pop-punk tunes about religion, teenage troubles, politics, and of course girls. Aside from being picked up by a major record label and a natural maturity in their music and lyrics the trio has stuck to the same basic formula that got them where they are today. I also like the direction of this band. I dont know what the future of mxpx holds, but i know for sure,its looking promising. 15 Alexisonfire- S/T The record starts off with the track ".44 caliber love letter." The rhythmic and melodic intro lasts for about 2 minutes but instantly the listener is transported into a hardcore heaven. Other tracks like "counterparts and number them", "A dagger through the hearts of st. angelis", "waterwings (and other pool side fashion faux pas)" and "little girls pointing and laughing" are full of smart, catchy lyrics. Lyrics like "Jennifer, they lied to you when they said you couldn't breathe underwater. I lied to you when I said I was hard, because I'm softer than a thrift store sweater and twice as worn in" are found all over the album. There are two singers in the band and they offer a great contrast throughout the record and make it a a great record to put in your cd player and listen to. This record was amazing and now I'm hooked to screamo. 14 Less than Jake-Anthem Not so fast. “Anthem” is really more of a hard rock record than a pop punk record. The louder moments are far louder than on “Borders & Boundaries.” There is also comparatively more ska and reggae on here than on their previous release. For the record, the radio edit of the single mixes out the horns that the album cut includes. ”Anthem” features the most mature lyrics Vinnie has put to paper and once again his observations on urban life firmly ground the band. Around this the group has turned up the volume from “Borders & Boundaries” and followed the harder rock path hinted at in songs like “Last Hour of the Last Day of Work” and “Al’s War.” Both Chris and Roger vocally sound more aggressive then when we last heard from them. On top of this Chris has developed as a guitarist and thrown a lot more interesting moments into his playing. Vinnie and Roger, already a more than competent rhythm section, follow suit and keep “Anthem” charging forwards. Less Than Jake is not the same band they were in the mid 90s. If that’s the sound you’re looking for then I’m not going to lie to you: you won’t find it here. If you can get over that “Anthem” is one of the strongest albums Less Than Jake has ever written. While they have a poorly chosen and mixed single working against them, this record deserves all the attention it will garner. 13- A.F.I. Sing The Sorrow The first song on Sing The Sorrow, “Miseria Cantare (The Beginning)”, is hot as hell. The awesome spooky sound effect and excellent vocal effects on the group chanting make this song really awesome to listen to. The next track, “The Leaving Song Pt. 2”, is also promising, much in the vein of The Art Of Drowning-style AFI. The next two songs, “Bleed Black” and “Silver And Cold”, are both pretty bad songs, with too much low-key singing by Davey, mixed with unimaginative riffs. “Dancing Through Sunday” is a good song with good bass breaks and a nice guitar part in the bridge, and a rockin’ solo, but the moment is spoiled by “Girl’s Not Grey”, which is an atrocious song, as well as the first single from this CD. “Death Of Seasons” is my favorite track on this CD. This song absolutely fucking rips, with straight up screaming from Davey, and some absolutely awesome musical and vocal effects thrown in. Killer. “The Great Disappointment” is a little better than its title suggests, but it’s definitely not their best work. It seems as if AFI is trying to mix emo and goth on this track, and it just doesn’t work. “Paper Airplanes (Makeshift Wings)” is decent, and “This Celluloid Dream” just bring back the bore. “The Leaving Song” is AFI’s poor attempt at straight-up emo, and it comes off almost laughable. The final track, “...But Home Is Nowhere” brings back the aggressive vocals, and it’s a pretty good song, even though all future closing tracks have been spoiled by the brilliant “God Called In Sick Today” off of Black Sails In The Sunset. 12-Silverstein- When everything is broken. All summed up, this is a really outstanding CD. I don't feel that they have mastered their true talents as a band. The singing could still be tweaked a little in my opinion. All-in-all they have still come a long way since their first release. My main reason for not giving them a full 5 stars was that I feel they could still use some work. They are still fresh and new. They don't sound just like any other screamo band, they need to just work on making that stand out more. Still an awesome album. Check it out if you love such bands as Funeral For A Friend, Senses Fail and Thursday. 11-Story Of The Year- Page Avenue Great release from these guys. They work hard, and most of hte cd is really catchy. Buy it if you have money! 10-Brand New- Deja Entendu I can see some people actually being disappointed by Entendu. But, to me, and many other music lovers, it is the best thing since The Spice Girls disappeared. That means it's one of those must have CD's. The record is simply the sound of a band maturing from their last release faster then most bands do in an entire career.. They put out Your Favorite Weapon, went into a cocoon while touring non-stop and transformed into what you hear on this record. Something very very beautiful. 9 The Rock Band, The This Is Revenge Havent released a cd in a few years, so it was worth the wait. I love these local boys. If somehow you get a chance to hear these guys, make sure you give them 100% of your attention, they are good, and i hope they totally break out. 8 Spitalfield Remember Right Now First off, this is an increadible band. They've got an increadible sound - a mixture of Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, and Brand New - that is hard and driving at times, and passionatly emotional at others. I just recently saw them live, and it was obvious how passionate these men are about their music. It was just increadible. There is no best song on the album. They all are awesome. Also, this isn't one of those bands with one good song... that every other song sounds exactly like. They actually have alot of diversity between tracks. BUY THIS CD. NOW. You'll thank me later. 'CAUSE IT'S REALLY GOOD. 7 Rufio-1985 The 1985 CD by Rufio I feel is their best work yet. It has amazing lightening fast guitar, but they also have nice melodic soothing songs such as Over It. The rhythm guitar has awesome crunch and the lead has unbelievably memorably licks. The drumming is unbelievable with perfect timing and anywhere from an awesome thump like the beginning of White Lights to a nice fast beat like Science Fiction. IT'S THAT GOOD! I even plan to buy another now that it's finally out even though I have a copy, to help support Rufio. If you listen closely to both albums you will notice the singing is a little deeper in alot of the songs which adds a nice change. The bass in this album is also unbelievable like the bass intro to Follow Me. 6 Mest- S/T Mest's 2003 self-titled release engages its audience in something totally new. Don't get me wrong the album is still very Mest, but the band has certainly matured since their last release, Destination Unknown. The album starts out with a rather poppy Mest song called "Until I Met You" reminiscent of "Without You" among others off of Destination Unknown. The song opens with dreary sounds and some church bells or something ringing, which, fit with the lyrics of the song, with Tony singing "I never wished that I was dead, Until I met you." The song manages to sound upbeat and happy though, as Mest is known to do. All in all, this is the best Mest release yet. And for fans of Mest's old stuff, you'll still like it. Unless you only liked the old stuff because your friends did, then I guess it is up to them whether or not you will like this one. 5 Blink 182-S/T The album is amazing. More mature than the others, and i think it is one of the best yet. There is so much meaning in each one of the songs... and i think Travis, Tom, and Mark put a lot into making this cd. Go out and buy it, you won't be sorry, unless you're a stuck up loser. I was quite suprised. compared to previous records this album is much darker, and with a different sound. while i have always loved all blink 182's music, this shows that they are capable of darker lyrics which touch on rather raw issues and a more developed sound. however the trademark blink sound is still there ie. that punk rock sound which everyone loves about the band. i recommend it to anyone its great. 4 Yellowcard- Ocean Avenue Yellowcard's major label debut, is definitely not what i expected. As soon as word got out the YC signed with Capitol and the Underdog EP hit the stores, everyone said YC was headed downhill and turning mello, into your average hit-radio band. Well the guys have totally proved everyone wrong with there brand new release Ocean Avenue. The cd starts off with the solid rocking hit single "Way Away" This song in a way, pretty much shows off all the elements of the entire album. Unique guitar effects, followed by an emotional Ryan Key belting out some melodic yet meaningful lyrics, backed by Sean Mackin playing the most amazing violin playing to date. The violin is used on the cd almost as a third guitar, as at sounds like Sean and Ben fight back and forth from violin to guitar. Then all off these great elements are all kept in time, by the amazing drumming of LP. This cd just can't get any better, take One for the Kids, and the Underdg EP, mix them together, and multiply by about 100! This cd is filled with so much emotion and meaning, and yellowcard still finds a way to make it all get stuck in your head. Ocean Avenue, sends a little poppy vibe, but don't let it fool you, listen to the whole track, the ending solidifies the song. Life of a Salesman is just fast punk rock, reminds me of a NUFAN song for some reason, Only One, the band's allegid second single off the cd is an emotional song that will rock your socks off. Then on TwentyThree, the guys change it up a little, as Sean sings lead vocals. View from Heaven is my favorite song on the whole cd, it's dedicated to Scott Shad, the late drummer for Inspection 12 and extremely close friend of YC. The lyrics on that song are just amazing, and so well written. Believe, is a track about the tragedy of September 11th, and Key somehow again finds a way to perfect the song writting where its soo emotional, yet infectious with melody. The cd is extremely solid from start to finish, oh and don't forget the enhanced portion of the cd as well, it features some awesome footage of the making of the cd, and the video for "Powder" off of the Underdog EP. If you like music, buy this cd. Don't label it punk, or pop-punk, and please don't label it "emo". This cd's genre should be labeled "heart" it's for anyone who lives, has lost, and loves. This cd is truly One for the People. 3 Zebrahead- MFZB Zebraheads new album is an absolutely amazing thing. This is truly a CD where once you start listening you feel you absolutly have to finish the entire CD, there are none of those "skip" tracks or space fillers. MFZB starts with the quick paced Rescue Me, which should sound like anything we hear on popular radio today, but the way in which Zebrahead performs it gives it a unique and excellent sound. Track after track the album never fails to dissapoint. Especially strong tracks include "Over the Edge", "The Set Up", "Blur","Alone" and "Runaway". No song is boring, or a copy of another track with diffrent words, as we see some artists do. MFZB steps Zebrahead in a new direction with refrences to their earlier work. From the Hard Edge Screaming of "Type A" to the acoustic song "Dear You" This CD has something for everyone, although I wouldnt expect less then everyone loving every track! 2- Fall Out Boy- Fall Out Boy is absolutely amazing. Every single song on this album is good. It is perfect music to listen to when you are driving. I definately recommend this cd to anyone that likes good music! Also check out their song, yule shoot your eye out! If you are a fan of good energetic music you'll love this CD. The best way to descrbe it is The Starting Line with some screaming. I Love to play this CD all the way through. My favorite songs are Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy and Calme Before The Storm. Both are excellent energetic catchy songs. So yeah, this is number 2 for the books.....and the best cd of the year is............ 1- Matchbook romance- stories and alibis Matchbook Romance has progressed greatly since being The Getaway. Every song brings so much emotion. The lead singer has a beautiful voice and can really fit this type of music. "Tiger Lilly" is one of the most beautiful accousic songs I've ever heard. The guitars are fantastic and the drumming is aggressive. Their is a little bit of screaming but mostly in the background and only a word or too. The lyrics are beautiful and the instruments fit the lyrics well. it hasnt left my cd player since i purchased it. i dont think there is a bad song on the entire cd. my favorites would have to be the title track, Promise, Shadows Like Statues, and of course the MR classic The Greatest Fall. i also like the acoustic track a lot because it is different and probably one of the best acoustic songs ever by an electric band. if youre looking for more screaming you should def. try West For Wishing but this cd is so good even without as much screaming. the lyrics are just amazing. go buy this cd if you like any kind of emo music. So there you have it! my top 30 cd's of the year!!!!!! 02- The Starting line-Say it like you mean it 03-Matchbook romance- Stories and alibis Songs of the year 5-Grand Theft Autumn by Fall out boy 4-Crash and burn by Simple Plan 3-Rescue me-Zebrahead 2-Quiet things no one ever knows-Brand New 1-Promise or The greatest fall of all time by Matchbook romance Again, it was another great year for music. If you liked my selection, or have to disagree with something, let me know! I hope 2004 is a great year for music!! 11:06 p.m. - January 1.04 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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