As I mentioned in my previous journal entry, I have a morbid fascination with my own listening statistics. So let's take a look at some more stats from 2009!
2009 was a good year, certainly heavy in quantity, but what about quality? I'll note now that the order of items below are opinion and will most likely change. Disappointingly, it appears I listened to exactly 49 albums this year - one short of having a top 50. It should also be noted that some of the albums here I do not rate highly, such as albums #48 and #47, and they appear here to give a complete view of last year in music (for me).
10.Cobalt - Gin
For any album, this is outstandingly composed. It's a very varied album, but one with strong black metal roots, which show mainly in the drums and vocals. It's hard to place a name of Cobalt's sound - a popular description on their shoutbox is 'Black metal Tool. Challenging music - and very worth picking up.
9.I Shalt Become - The Pendle Witch Trials
Criminally under-rated. To sum it up - it's very, very good depressive/atmospheric black metal from the UK. The album has no pretensions, just ample amounts of great black metal. Well worth finding, it has all the hallmarks of becoming a real gem.
8.Isis - Wavering Radiant
One of the earliest releases of 2009, and it set the right tone. It's a really great album, gives an excellent atmosphere and the vocals are very well done. My only comment is that the songs become slightly boring as the album wears on. Still, one of their best.
7.Baroness - Blue Record
The follow up to Red Album, this album serves as a showcase for Baroness's talent. The songs ooze with life, and the album carries a vein of vitality throughout that gives it a unique flow. The music is heavy, but not overly so - it forms a perfect back drop for John Baizley's grating vocals. There are some genuine moments of brilliance... Jake Leg!
6.The Axis of Perdition - Urfe
Where to start. It's a huge album - two discs (The Grief of The Unclean and The Great Unwashed). The content is mainly ambient soundscape, with spoken word from Leslie Simpson throughout. Very briefly, the album chronicles a man, lost in what seems to be a hellish, urban nightmare. This man runs, aware of demons at the edge of his reality. He relives memories of a hospital, or at least some sort of twisted experiment. What is the meaning? It is unclear - perhaps the demonic city was a dream, a side effect of the man's medical experiments. Maybe the city is a metaphor for the decay of our urban society. Who is Pylon? What is this 'axis'? Take from it what you will, maybe it's just a good story. This will disturb you. Ambitious certainly, but utterly excellent, hauntingly so. When you're out, we're in.
5.Jesu - Opiate Sun
More of an EP than an album, but as before, much of Justin's best music is hidden away on four-track releases. This effort has received flack for it's melodic, shoegaze like approach. Maybe people can't get over the Heartache EP just yet. Fuck them. This is genius. Can't wait for another full length.
4.Anaal Nathrakh -
Anaal Nathrakh have been a band of change recently - of their music, and their fans' opinions. ITCOTBW is an amalgamation of the sheer brutality of The Codex Necro era with the more structured songs and choruses of more recent albums. This album may fuck with your ears, but rest assured - you'll hum along too.
3.Candlemass - Death Magnetic Doom
Unbelievable effort - the songs are devastatingly simple, but hit you with the force of a tonne weight. Actually, this would get on the list simply for The Bleeding Baroness, but it's full of really iconic doom songs. If you're new to Candlemass or doom - look no further.
2.Mastodon - Crack The Skye
An album that has appeared, and has won many lists and polls this year, and it will come second here. I wasn't a fan of Mastodon before this year, and the sheer craft and ambition of this album swayed me. Great riffs, great vocals, and great songs.
1.Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
Perhaps I'm biased; this year was the year that Katatonia really grew on me, and that they released a new album this year only added to it. It is with an air of predictability for myself that I give Night Is The New Day the top spot, but it is an incredible album. Full of melodies, highs and lows, gloom and renewal. It's a less polished, but much more emotional Katatonia album. To quote a magazine feature on this album - 'Lets hope they never cheer up'.
So, overall a good year. Some great new bands, and some old masters returning in style. I still have a few albums to obtain, such as Moss 'Tomb of The Blind Drugged' etc. Lets see...
Best EP: Jesu - Opiate Sun Biggest disappointment: Shining - IV: Klagopsalmer Worst album: Lamb of God - Wraith Over-hyped: Absu - Absu
Voting is currently taking place to include four new artists in the British Rock Artists League for its fourth season. The British Rock Artists League is a competition between the country's greatest rock artists to see who is the best. It is decided entirely by voters, and works in a round robin format. Plus there is an alternative cup that runs alongside it.
First, make a list of your top-20 artists overall. Then, for each of these artists, add the 8 most similar artists to your list. Delete any duplicates, count up the number of entries on your list and this will give you some idea of how eclectic your listening habits are. A score of 9 represents an extremely unvaried musical taste while a 160 represents an extremely varied one.
First, make a list of your top-20 artists overall. Then, for each of these artists, add the 8 most similar artists to your list. Delete any duplicates, count up the number of entries on your list and this will give you some idea of how eclectic your listening habits are. A score of 9 represents an extremely unvaried musical taste while a 160 represents an extremely varied one.
Okay, first off, dramatic title, but I know myself that on this website I skim down artist pages, and only bold titles grab my attention. Hell, there's a good reason for it; journals here have went mostly to piss since every user and their mate decided it would be a good idea to post 'My top albums' lists ad infinitum.
It's been a while since I vented my thoughts, and looking through past journals and comments, it invigorated me, to an extent where I wish to share something that's been driving me crazy for quite a while.
The X-Factor, never off our red-banner tabloids (What's Afghanistan matter when Tiger is about, eh Sun?) or TV screens was angry to discover this week that the funk/rap metal band Rage Against the Machine's classic song Killing in the Name had been chosen to spoil the fun.
On Facebook, the group is hundreds of thousands strong, a casual look at the shoutbox here on Last Fm tells us a similar story, and every rock/music blog and magazine has been shouting about it. Now, I'm all for a shake up of the mainstream charts and system. It's refreshing to see the 'alternative' music scene get their share of the publicity pie.
What annoyed me was that arrogant, smug bastard Simon Cowell's reaction. For all his millions, that man has no class - he argued that such an online movement was 'stealing' his TV show competitor's chance at a big hit. The way he said it made him sound as though he feels that every Christmas, the X-Factor winner has a divine right to a Number 1 hit. His shown has been denying EVERYONE for YEARS.
If you look at what I listen to, you'll realise I've never cared for what's top of the charts, I couldn't name you a Mika song and I detest Nickleback. That's all and good, everyone has non-subjective tastes. But what I hate is programs like the X-Factor, that manufacture talent, that water down original versions, pollute any sense of artistic meaning in music, and ram their own views down the throats of millions. This show is an abomination; a macabre mixture of the freak-show auditions, ratings squeezing rounds and then what is usually a vastly overrated, unprepared winner. How many have swam, not sank? JLS? I personally wouldn't call that talent, but each to their own.
In short, The X-Factor, and to a certain extent shows like 'I'm a Celebrity...' and 'Big Brother' are mindless, inane shows, devoid of meaning or a context in reality. Every year, I watch masses of people turn into cogs in a greater industry machine. Call me a typical black metal 'Grim' person but it disgusts me.
Buy the RATM single, hell, buy two. It's about time such trivial filth gets a slap in the face, and the X-Factor has got one, whether they get their coveted number one or not. I just hope that in result of this competition, people stop taking what they are given for granted, and look for some real, tangible meaning in what they listen to. I know some people will argue otherwise, but I can't imagine being emotionally connected to Gimme More without being a little shallow. When with others, particularly in a school, or social environment I feel such disparagement at what goes for meaningful music in popular culture.
Is there a difference between a musician and an artist?
PS: Hope that was coherent and better than another '20 Questions about your top 50' journal. Opinions are welcome. Thanks.
Despite Slayer's reputation in the true metal community (not the poser one which most of you reading this will be a part of), I quite enjoy them. All of them. They haven't made an honestly bad album in their entire career... except for World Painted Blood, which is terrible. Undeniably.
So I'm posing a challenge to myself. I listen to 251 tracks per day at present and over my break (19th to 7th) I will get about 4769 tracks, so from now until the 7th I'm going to try and get Slayer to jump from around 750 tracks to over 4000.
I would expect that Slayer be the 4th band to 4000 at this rate, but you never know. Their competition will be Entombed and Dead Kennedys.
In my first run with this account, pre-reset, I had over 4000 of just a few bands. Megadeth, Slayer, Sepultura, and Venom, if I remember correctly.
Nunca fui super fan de Venom... es mas, los unicos discos que escuche fueron Welcome To Hell (al que le tengo que pegar otra escuchada) y Black Metal (que me encanta).
Pero despues del recital del jueves... siento como que voy a subir a Venom a mi Top 10 :D