Journal

I remember most of the top album lists last year started out with music snob crap like "well it was a pretty lousy year for music, but i guess SOME good things came out." 2008 wasn't a goldmine, but come on - a lot of good stuff came out! Granted, the albums by TV on the Radio, Portishead, Cut Copy, Elbow, and the like were all ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE, but some stuff didn't suck! Like that Coldplay album. Boy oh boy, wasn't THAT a gem!

There's no arguing that this year was abundant with great music. In fact, I wanted to just make a list of 20 or 25, but I just couldn't do it. Even 50 was hard for me! Anyway, without further rambling, here is my top albums list for 2009. I must warn you in advance though that it is quite long, and if you really want to sit and read all about what some random guy on the internet thinks about the year in music when it's such a beautiful day outside, well.. it's your life.

50. Röyksopp - Junior
I was pretty excited when I heard about a new Röyksopp album, but I wasn't expecting this. There's a lot of the smooth downtempo you'd expect, but a lot of it is just so damn bouncy and fun! The opening alone is fantastic, and a lot of people criticize Happy Up Here for trying to be another
Eple, but if you're going to do that you may as well go ahead and make fun of how similar the choruses in Muse's last two singles sounded, too.
Favorite tracks: The Girl And The Robot, This Must Be It

49. Caustic - This Is Jizzcore
This is such a furious affair from start to finish. It sounds like it can't decide whether it wants to be pounding industrial, almost danceable dark wave, or psychotic breakcore. Either way, the pummeling beats and clever use of samples make it absolutely hypnotizing.
Favorite tracks: Cock Blockin' Beats, Pull the Pin

48. Cold Cave - Love Comes Close
A very aptly named band. Right from the getgo, Love Comes Close gives off this incredibly icy and detached aura with its distorted vocals and dark, fuzzy synths. The gloomy hooks can sound very eighties at times, but they never come across as derivative; hell, if the New Order-covering-Goodbye Horses sounding title track manages to not only avoid it, but still sound damn good, that's quite a good sign.
Favorite tracks: life magazine, Heaven Was Full

47. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
Ambivalence Avenue is startlingly inventive. To be honest I was expecting more of a simple, ambient sound on this but what I got was way more intricate and diverse. Some songs are kickback to be sure, but some have a cleverly chopped up, almost folk as idm (got I HATE that title) sound. Very pleasant surprise.
Favorite tracks: Fire Ant,, The Palm Of Your Wave

46. Faunts - Feel. Love. Thinking. Of.
Basically what indie pop would have sounded like in 1983. Though again, like Cold Cave, impressively able to avoid being completely generic, which these days is WAY too easy to do when you mine the eighties for inspiration.
Favorite tracks: Feel. Love. Thinking. Of., Lights Are Always On

45. Girls - Album
On top of the fact that most of what Pitchfork says is to be taken with a grain of salt, naming your album "Album" isn't going to do much other than make you look either unimaginative or smug. Despite that, this interesting, hook-filled indie/surf rock blend is actually pretty damn good. It's especially good if you're looking for a breakup album you can mope to while bobbing your head.
Favorite tracks: Hellhole Ratrace, Summertime

44. Boxcutter - Arecibo Message
Textbook dubstep. Great, chopped up rhythms and great progressions. Complex, disjointed, and very intriguing.
Favorite tracks: Sidetrak, Free House Acid

43. Micachu - Jewellery
I seriously can't wait until the next new music genre comes out; since we're at the end of a decade, I can't help but imagine it's a mere couple of years away. I like indie and eighties revival as much as the next guy, but.. I dunno, I'm ready for something new. Which is why artists like Micachu are so great - they toy with the current sound until it resembles not quite new, but close enough to be completely unique. Very quirky stuff.
Favorite tracks: Vulture, Golden Phone

42. Real Estate - Real Estate
Again, surfy sounding indie pop recommended by Pitchfork. But again, it's surprisingly on the money. Nice and spacey sounding without getting overly psychedelic, with great melodies to boot.
Favorite tracks: Beach Comber, Pool Swimmers

41. HEALTH - Get Color
It's very impressive to think that a noise rock band could yield more good ideas than simply "damn, it's so loud! Isn't this great??" but there's so much more here than that. There are really good melodies here and there, but it's the layering and transitions that really sell it.
Favorite tracks: Die Slow, Death+

40. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Narrowly beating out Passion Pit for that whole indie dance thing they've each got going. Both bands put out great albums this year, but Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix just has more heart to it.
Favorite tracks: Love Like A Sunset Part II, Armistice

39. Zoot Woman - Things Are What They Used To Be
What is this, six years after their last album? Well for better and for worse, it doesn't sound like it. They pick up more or less where they left off and their energy is in tact, but they've got a bit more poppiness to their sound, as well as a few great hard hitting dance numbers that would've been out of place on the first two albums.
Favorite tracks: Lonely By Your Side, Things Are What They Used To Be

38. A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head
Maybe not the biggest step forward to follow their debut with, but it's pretty sweet nonetheless. These guys have not only put out some of the loudest shoegaze this side of the early nineties, but harmonies Robert Smith would kill for as well.
Favorite tracks: Keep Slipping Away, Smile When You Smile

37. Basement Jaxx - Scars
From the Timbaland-sounding opening to the weird flamenco-house end, for as diverse Scars is, it always sounds unified. The production masterfully matches each track's guest vocalist (the album is LOADED with them) with the only real misstep being the uh.. TOTALLY HOT one with Yoko Ono.
Favorite tracks: Raindrops, Feelings Gone

36. Priestess - Prior To The Fire
Yeah, it's not released in the U.S. until mid to early 2010, but it was released this year, so fuck it. Basically what Wolfmother would sound like with more personality. I mean I'd like to see them make a dorky ode to Robocop sound as good as Priestess did!
Favorite tracks: Raccoon Eyes, The Gem

35. Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport
How many ten minute long songs do you know where when upon first listen, after not even two minutes you already know you're not going to be bored? And that's just the opener. Like if a post-rock band tried doing trance or something.. just freakin' awesome.
Favorite tracks: The Lisbon Maru, Phantom limb

34. Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
Intensely seductive. Seriously. With such lush and dark music backing that soft, breathy voice... I mean if you didn't want to bang her by the time you were halfway through this album, well... well.... well YOU HAVE BAD TASTE!
Favorite tracks: Glass, Pearl's Dream

33. Boys Noize - Power
After Simian Mobile Disco's good-but-nothing special sophomore effort, I was kinda nervous waiting for the new Boys Noize.. but all concerns were immediately gone. It did exactly what the former failed to do - yeah, to add new layers, but keep that back end strong! And my god, is it strong here. ...and no, I'm not working up to some lame pun about the album's title... I had the POWER to resist! ....oh wait...
Favorite tracks: Jeffer, Sweet Light

32. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Even at its most aggressive, The Ecstatic never sounds anything but smooth and controlled. Clever beats with an even more clever flow over every single one. What's not to like?
Favorite tracks: Priority, Quiet Dog Bite Hard

31. Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care
Speaking of smooth... damn. Maybe their last one was slightly better, but they're still sooo good at letting their songs breathe (these eight songs still make Begone Dull Care about as long as any twelve song album) without getting too repetitive. As simple as they can get, they're still nice and chill. And make you want to make out with the nearest attractive person.
Favorite tracks: Bits & Pieces, Hazel

30. Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
Yet another band I would have no idea existed without god damn Pitchfork. I was very very surprised with their unabashedly psychedelic sound, but even more so with how little they limit themselves to the tag, opting rather to take the tag with them as they explore different facets of alternative music. Bears in Heaven. Yeah. YOU LIKE THAT?? BEARS.
Favorite tracks: Wholehearted Mess, Fake Out

29. The xx - xx
I fell in love with this album immediately, and not just because the desire to sing "come, my lady, come come my lady" when the intro's drums kicks in makes me giggle. The dark atmosphere is so inviting, and not even because of how catchy the songs are, or how sultry the female (now that I think of it, they both are really) vocals are... it's just so well established, and doesn't even overtake any of the songs. It's got such a sexy sound.. in fact, I wonder how many people are fucking with this on right now...
Favorite tracks: Crystalised, Basic Space

28. Dent May - The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
This looked like it was going to be about the most pretentious piece of crap I'd ever heard, but probably the first thing I noticed when listening to it was just how startlingly genuine it sounds. There's a cute early-They Might Be Giants feel to it at times (namely with the opening) and it never feels postured throughout. Very inventive backing to him and his..... I'm not calling it a magnificent ukulele, but it is pretty sweet.
Favorite tracks: God Loves You, Michael Chang, I'm An Alcoholic

27. Eminem - Relapse
Dammit! I was doing so well with avoiding any mainstream artists... and I had to go ahead and put fuckin' EMINEM here. In front of twenty-three totally sweet albums, no less! Well it's here, and it's god damn good, easily his best since The Marshall Mathers LP. I would argue that it's got the best opening of the year with the half funny/half disturbing introductory skit, and he seems the most comfortable he's ever been with making fun of himself, ("oh boohoo! I HAVE A DRUG PROBLEM") which is a must for someone like him. Brilliant rhymes, great beats, and he just flat out sounds more confident than he has in almost a decade.
Favorite tracks: My Mom, Underground

26. Atlas Sound - Logos
One of the best examples of the year of psychedelic pop being unexpectedly accessible. It has such a warm, pleasant sound that he even makes an eight minute song seem like a sublime slice of pop that ends too soon. Diz-amn.
Favorite tracks: An Orchid, Shelia

25. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
It was pretty exciting when they came back a few years ago with their original lineup, but who expected that to only be the beginning? Er... re-beginning? They really feel like they haven't missed a beat since 1990, and yet still sound just as relevant nearly twenty years later. Hell, singers who need to learn how to sing with a pained voice but without sounding like a little bitch could benefit the most from Farm! Lo-fi grunge is here ta STAY, yo.
Favorite tracks: Plans, Over It

24. Baroness - Blue Record
Bash them as a part of the whole so-called "scene-metal" genre all you want, but there's no denying their raw talent and lack of contrivances. The southern sounding progressive metal sounds great on its own, but when that commanding roar armed with such catchy vocal patterns(yeah, he doesn't even growl! I know, what BULLSHIT) steals the show. And the guitar solos? Forget about it. Game over, man! GAME OVER!
Favorite tracks: Jake Leg, The Gnashing

23. Moderat - Moderat
Danceable melancholic electronica? Damn straight. For some reason they pull it off so well that the music (and especially the vocals, when Apparat sings) sounds downright penetrating. Hell, even if the whole album didn't sound great, it boasts Rusty Nails, which is easily one of the best songs of the year.
Favorite tracks: Rusty Nails, Out Of Sight

22. Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels
"These guys sound like total wimps! You tellin' me they swim in the Great Lakes?? HAH!" ...okay, nobody ever said that. This band is one of the most consistently gorgeous/heartbreaking active bands that I know of; the rich folk sound is powerful enough, but the gentle, yet pained vocals never fail to get to you. Loves it.
Favorite tracks: Everything Is Moving So Fast, Stealing Tomorrow

21. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
I've always been a Pearl Jam fan; even throughout their hazy little experimentation phase, but I'm really glad that's all over. I was blown away by their self titled, but this is even better. It's such a tight and entertaining rock record, but they haven't lost any of their poignancy either. Can you believe they'll be eligible for induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in another couple of years? Scary...
Favorite tracks: Got Some, The Fixer

20. Slayer- World Painted Blood
Slayer is another band I've loved for a long long while. I didn't want to admit that after Seasons they'd gotten pretty damn... well, redundant, but I still loved them anyway.. until Christ Illusion came out and I just couldn't take that faceless brutality anymore. So no, I wasn't too excited about this album, but I got it anyway... and my god, I'm glad I did. Finally, a Slayer album with more Jeff Hanneman written tracks!! I mean, not to discredit the writing skills of the man who wrote the poetic line "I'm the one who's gonna rip your fucking face off," (Kerry King), but it's so nice to hear the clever time changes and transitions take over instead of the three or four minutes of them playing as fast as they can. Easily, their best in a long ass while.
Favorite tracks: Beauty Through Order, Psychopathy Red

19. The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
Alright, I don't care what anybody says, because I seriously do not get why this album has gotten so much disapproval. It really blends the few good qualities of Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned with their early work, which was basically three consecutive masterpieces. What's even better than the fact that it recalls those albums is that it's waayy worth listening unto itself. Aggressive but with strong, strong groove, and it just sounds so fucking fun.
Favorite tracks: Take Me To The Hospital, Piranha

18. Vitalic - Flashmob
Speaking of electronica follow-ups that have taken forever but proved well worth the wait... this is some flooring progressive house. Intricate, but always with a sick beat to propel it. The hooks are seemingly endless, and the music's power seldom relents, though cleverly sets up for harder hitting tracks fairly often. If you've heard better house music this year... seriously, tell me! Fuck, man... I wanna go raving now.
Favorite tracks: Poison Lips, Still

17. Mastodon - Crack The Skye
I have to be honest, I flat out didn't like this album the first time I listened to it. As they say though, it's more of a grower than a shower, and it wasn't long before it snared me in with its quick flow and severely complex instrumentation. I don't care how many other douchebags like me are on this bandwagon - you give Crack the Skye a few listens, it will give you some damn-near flawless metal.
Favorite tracks: Divinations, Crack The Skye

16. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II
Speaking of flawless, have you heard the flow on this fucking thing? God damn. It's nonstop, and the beats are maddeningly simple, but equally maddeningly addicting. As the musical goes, who could ask for anything more?
Favorite tracks: Black Mozart, 10 Bricks

15. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Don't you love how many bands successfully tweaked up their own different brands of strange yet poppy indie? Choppy melodies, fucked up time signatures, mismatched choruses.. the fact that all this works so well is amazing as it is, without the songs themselves being amazing as well.
Favorite tracks: The Bride, Stillness Is the Move

14. The Antlers - Hospice
Like Bon Iver's from last year, The Antlers' sophomore album has quite the sob story behind it. I imagine next year we'll be treated to another guy isolating himself from the world to write and record an album as well... not that I'd mind, mind you, if it's anywhere near this good. I love how Hospice's heartbreaking theme is left just flimsy enough for personal interpretation, and it's all the more powerful for it. Not to mention the lush feel, intoxicating sounds, and all that other stuff music critics say.
Favorite tracks: Kettering, Thirteen (just for the end. MY GOD.)

13. Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
Unbelievably rousing. Alternately energetic and moving, Journal for Plague Lovers is about as spot on as post-Blur/Oasis britpop gets. If by the time the third track has come and gone and you haven't moved once... well, you know what they say. Good thinking, because that shit kills.
Favorite tracks: Facing Page: Top Left, Marlon J.D.

12. Dan Deacon - Bromst
I think that probably the most impressive thing about Bromst is just how it builds on itself. The whole album flows remarkably, and each song is continually layered over with tons of sounds that should be weird but all somehow fit wonderfully. More than a few of these songs I was too mesmerized on my first listen to formulate an articulate opinion.
Favorite tracks: Padding Ghost, Woof Woof

11. White Rabbits - It's Frightening
This one I fell in love with right away. In fact, I think it's the highest album I've ranked with the least amount of listening time, but hey - I'M STANDING BY THIS BITCH. From what I understand, Britt Daniel of Spoon produced this, which would help explain the somewhat Spoonish sound, but that's ultimately reductive. It's far better than just something to listen to while waiting for the next Spoon album; every song has such texture to it but with such apparent effortlessness, and it's a shame more run-of-the-mill indie bands don't sound anywhere NEAR this good.
Favorite tracks: Rudie Fails, The Salesman (Tramp Life)

10. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Speaking of ungodly addicting indie pop... man, I could not let this one go for a long, long time. It sounds like it should just be derivative Belle and Sebastian wannabe shit, but.. it's just so well written, and all the elements are so cleverly woven together, it's impossible to hate. Every poppy hook and every kitschy melody against that melancholic backdrop just makes me want to fucking melt. Great fucking album.
Favorite tracks: Away With Murder, Swans, Careless Love

9. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
I still haven't decided whether or not I like this better than The Knife, but it's always a good sign when a solo project is neck and neck with the original group. Not only is this intricate as shit, but it's overwhelmingly atmospheric - tell me this isn't creepy ass music! I mean don't get me wrong, it's infinitely charming, I love how freakin' dark it is, but... whatever, I don't know what I'm saying.
Favorite tracks: If I Had A Heart, When I Grow Up, Concrete Walls

8. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Yeah, I know... everybody else has already been shitting their pants over this album for nearly the entire year... so I won't get too bad with it. There's just something to be said for something so sophisticated and psychedelic to be so listenable.
Favorite tracks: My Girls, Summertime Clothes, Brother Sport

7. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
It's kind of funny to envision what is essentially folk music to have so much stuff going on. Everything clicks brilliantly, and does so all throughout the album. This edges out Merriweather Post Pavilion for me simply because it's just so much easier to love, but still rewards repeated listens every bit as much as the former album does.
Favorite tracks: Southern Point, About Face, While You Wait for the Others

6. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
Most placed Memory Tapes higher than Neon Indian, and I can totally understand why. But this album is just so artfully weird, it was irresistible from first listen. It sounds like eighties pop thrown into a blender, then the blender being thrown into a washing machine. Then the washing machine gets hoisted up by a tornado. You get the idea, I mean this shit is just plain WEIRD. But its pop sensibilities are so strong, everything is so catchy.. it's so abstract but so attractive, I'm surprised there aren't more people who love it as much as I do.
Favorite tracks: Laughing Gas, Should Have Taken Acid With You, Ephemeral Artery

5. Major Lazer - Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do
Listening to this, you wouldn't think a couple of white guys produced it; if ever they were out of their element while putting this together, you'd never know it. This stuff seriously pumps you up. It's got energy and charisma to spare, and is a great introduction to dancehall, a genre I know jack shit about. This shit makes you move, dude.. such a ridiculously fun album. It's really hard for me to imagine any non-uptight people not loving this.
Favorite tracks: When You Hear The Bassline, Can't Stop Now, Mary Jane, Pon De Floor

4. St. Vincent - Actor
I don't think there's a single indie-loving guy who's familiar with St. Vincent and doesn't have a ridiculous crush on her. Um... not me though. Never. And even if I did, her insane creativity would have nothing to do with it. Outstanding melodies with interesting instrumentation... she makes indie sound refreshing again... ahh, I sure am not smitten in the least.
Favorite tracks: Save Me From What I Want, The Neighbors, Actor Out of Work, The Bed

3. Depeche Mode - Sounds Of The Universe
Yeah, yeah, I love Depeche Mode. I honestly believe that people who put this album down would be praising the shit out of it if it were some newer band and sounded ever so slightly less DM-ish. I'm not going to get into that whole game so many DM fans do, the "BEST ALBUM SINCE VIOLATOR" bullshit (because it really isn't) but my god it's still pretty fucking good. I just think it's so remarkable how after so many years they still turn out consistently good material. Everything about this album, except maybe the dumb title, is absolutely mindblowing.
Favorite tracks: Wrong, Fragile Tension, Peace, Perfect

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
You know, you hear the singles, and you think "god damn that sounds fucking good!" but you never realize just how consistently jaw dropping this is until you listen to It's Blitz! as a whole. There is not a single weak song in this tight set, and the decision to go electronic this time around was incredibly inspired. I mean, anybody could, but they make it work so so well; energetic, fun, well textured, a total knockout from start to finish.
Favorite tracks: Zero, Heads Will Roll, Soft Shock, Dragon Queen

1. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Absolutely god damn stunning. Not immediately, though; when I first heard this, I didn't exactly hate it, but I was somewhat disappointed. I still liked it of course, so I kept listening to it... and it didn't just grow on me, it crept under my skin and is still there. My whole idea on why it's called Embryonic is that it is never complete to you when you first hear it, it reveals more and more of itself each time you listen, and it's almost as though the album is in a constant embryonic state in your head. Every single time you listen to it, you catch new things, certain melodies resonate more, and so on and so forth. I really can't praise this album's intricacies enough, I fucking love it. And that is my top album of the year.
Favorite tracks: Convinced Of The Hex, The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine, Evil, Aquarius Sabotage, See The Leaves, If, Gemini Syringes, Your Bats, Powerless, The Ego's Last Stand, I Can Be A Frog, Sagittarius Silver Announcement, Worm Mountain, Scorpio Sword, The Impulse, Silver Trembling Hands, Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast, and Watching The Planets.

.....I'm only half-joking when I list all of the songs as my favorite.

So now that that whole thing is done, why not just go through a couple more things real quick. I mean you've read this much, right? WHY THE HELL NOT.

-GUILTY PLEASURES-

Lights - The Listening
To steal a comment a character played by Jon Stewart once said, Valerie Poxleitner is a bottle of pancake syrup with legs. I haven't heard more saccharine loaded, pop bloated shit in a long long time. And I love it.

U2 - No Line On The Horizon
Despite the fact that the second half sputters out, the first half was surprisingly good. Yeah, passionately singing lines like "II WAAAS PUUNCHIN' IIIN THE NUUMBEEERRRS ON THE AAA TEEE EEEMMM MACHIIIIIIIIIINE" isn't exactly the most romantic thing imaginable, but hey, it works.

Chris Cornell - Scream
I remember it was this big thing about how he was collaborating with Timbaland, and everyone was extremely curious... until the album dropped, and about 90% of Cornell fans promptly vomited wherever they were. But... I kinda liked it. A lot, actually. I know this will sound sarcastic, but I think he sings "That bitch" quite well!

Discovery - LP
....you know, kinda like a non-artistic Passion Pit. It's damn fun, though. IIIIII-III-IIIII wanna beee youurr boy-boooyyyyfrieeend....

Weezer - Raditude
The Weezer fan who hasn't yet come to terms with the fact that they will NEVER put out anything remotely close to their first two albums is a very sad person indeed. I actually liked the Green Album and Maladroit, though Make Believe's insulting pandering had even my colon clenching. The Red Album was better, because at least they were trying something new, but here... at least it sounds like they're having fun, and not trying toooo hard to interest all of Weezer's original fans' younger siblings. Oh Rivers Cuomo, you fuckin' creeper.

Calvin Harris - Ready For The Weekend
Quite possibly the most obnoxious dance music I've heard in a while.. and I can't get enough of it.

-OVERRATED/NOT REALLY VERY GOOD/WHAT THE HELL??-

The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love
Why are people so impressed with this album? It seriously sounds like they can't decide what kind of music they want to make, so they'll just mimic styles from all their favorite bands all throughout. I mean I do like it, but more because it sounds like a mix tape of bands I actually DO like, not because it's genuinely good. And how seriously can you take lyrics like “If you really love him then tell me that you love him again” when they come not a minute after a triumphant declaration that “these girls fall like dominoes”? Yeah, sounds real genuine.

Editors - In This Light And On This Evening
You know, it's not even the blatant rip off of New Order's sound that bothers me, I mean that's no big deal really, it happens all the time.What really gets me is how overly dramatic this thing is! I mean there are a few very very good songs in this mess, they do deserve credit for that, but.. god! It's like they were trying way too hard to be sweeping and epic... and that's Muse's job. Speaking of which...

Muse - The Resistance
Is it just me, or is Matt Bellamy incapable of writing a chorus without the word "we" in it? As if he's trying to hard to rouse his legions of fans. "IT'S US AGAINST THEM YOU GUYS!!! YEAH!!!" God. And what was with that shit when in some interview a while before The Resistance's release, they were asked about a new album, or how they might go about any release at all. The response? "Not that we're against the concept of releasing an album in the traditional format at all. It's just the way the world and technology is evolving, it's presenting a canvas to do whatever you want and just release music as and when it is ready to release. It can happen much more organically."

...wow. WAY TO ANSWER A QUESTION. Jesus christ, I guess "we're not sure" was just too simple.

Alice in Chains - Black Turns to Blue
Actually it's kinda unfair to call this a disappointment, it's still quite good... it's just that it's ultimately on par with Jerry Cantrell's solo stuff, which again, is quite good, but just not Alice in Chains. I've been listening to them for a long long time, and for fourteen years the idea of them putting out new stuff was always lingering somewhere in my head. So when it finally happened... I guess I just expected too much.

Owl City - Ocean Eyes
Are you serious? "Yeah! Postal Service with a poppier sound, and some gratingly whiny vocals! What a great idea!"

I've tried time and time again, I cannot get into this guy. Funnily enough I liked Lights' music right away.

Air - Love 2
Man... my faith in them is gone, and it makes me really sad.

Marilyn Manson - The High End of Low
You're out of ideas, dude. Just take a break or something... or maybe finish your movie, or one of the many projects you never complete.

....alright, I've tortured you enough. For those of you who read all the way through... damn. You've got some patience. Skillz. Thanks for sticking around.