So I am a little late but here were the last 10 albums I shared with you a couple weeks ago...
- Ice Cube-Death Certificate
- Fiona Apple-Tidal
- Dropkick Murphys-The Warriors Code
- Massive Attack-Mezzanine
- Deorro-Good Evening
- The Killers-Sam's Town
- Enya-Watermark
- Soulfly-Primitive
- Nine Inch Nails-The Fragile
- Savatage-Gutter Ballet
So onto the next. Remember this is no particular order. I do have a top ten but we will get to them at the end,
NINE INCH NAILS-Year Zero
Yes the second Nails album on the list. The thing that blew me away with this album wasn't just the tracks but the story and the campaign to market the album, I was stuck on this for days and I was salivating for the album to come out to hear the story being told of the end of the world. One website has a recording of a shooting at a Cubs vs Cardinals game. Plus if you remember the lyrics in the Wretched from the Fragile (on last weeks list) "God himself reaches his fucking arm through' which frankly is the cover of the album. Survivalism is such a great track because as Trent Reznor always does, brings a new sound to not just Nails but music in general. Other gems include My Violent Heart, Capital G, and my personal favorite God Given. This was the second album Trent created on the road.
ARMIN VAN BUUREN-Embrace
Armin is the Godfather of trance music. No question about it. However as time has gone on, his sound has become a little mainstream but unlike other EDM producers who just go with it, Armin makes it his own. Embrace is one of the most positive albums I have ever heard. Ofcourse as with every Armin album, the first track takes you on an adventure when you know you are about to listen to something great, However there are so many great songs that make you feel Indestructable (yes thats a song) Heading Up High, FreeFall, and along with Mr Probz (who has Waves which is such a great song with Robin Schulz) Another You. It is a must have for anyone into EDM.
THE FUGEES-The Score
Well I spoke about Enya last week, and the Fugees, Wycleff, Pras, and Ms Lauryn Hill make one of the greatest rap songs of all time with one of her songs. Ready or Not which was one of the hotest singles that summer along with Killing Me Softly. The three of the musicians make magic together. This album is one of my all time favorite hip hop albums. They just tell stories and give reasoning with wonderful beats. Fu-Gee-La, How Many Mics, Zealots and along with a cover of Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry, this is an album not only to be celebrated by me, but by the whole industry. It's so good.
KANYE WEST-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
I sometimes wonder if Kanye was dreaming when he wrote this album. The range that he has on this album is insane, There is something for everyone on this album. From Power (which you may have heard Miami Heat fans chant in the arena to the super multi artist anthem All of The Lights which features so many people from Rhianna to Fergie to even Elton John to other colabs with Rick Ross, Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, It is very raw sounding and Kanye stepped out of his comfort zone to produce this masterpiece.
CRYSTAL METHOD-Tweekend
That's the name of the game. The first song I heard from this album. The bass is ridicolous with just that track alone. Scott Weiland from STP makes a guest appearance in the mellow You Know I't Hard. But the three tracks before that make this album. Sure there a lot of great tracks on here later. But PHD, Wild Sweet and Cool, and Roll It Up get your attention. Drive around downtown Chicago listening to those tracks. Play football to those first tracks. Those first tracks set the mood for you to go kick ass. And it worked because CM kicked ass on this album.
AVICII-True
God rest his soul. Tim Berg will always be a living legend in the dance world and this album is a true testament to that. Everyone and their mother has heard Wake Me Up which is one of the greatest songs I have ever heard, but there are some tracks on this album that people don't hear very often. Dear Boy, Lay me Down, and the last track Edom in my opinion are the best of the album, but I am sure you have heard other tracks like Hey Brother and You Make Me, which are fun. There will never be another Avicii. He was a class to himself as he merged so many genres of music and brought it all back to EDM and will be one of the best ever.
STATIC X-Wisconsin Death Trip
You push it! First song grabs you by the balls and doesn't let you go. One of the fastest most creative albums I have ever heard. Every track is at break neck speed with synthesizers and occasional audio drops. Another person who we lost too soon in Wayne Static, the singer and guitarist for this band. They never were able to match the complete awesomeness of this album, which many people were surprised by. Stem is the one song that doesn't kick in at over 100 bpms. I'm With Stupid, Love Dump, and Fix are my favorite tracks on the album. I Am and Otsegolation merge into each other with a great transition too,
BJORK-Debut
Maybe it was because it was the first cassette I popped into my deck when I got my first car, but Bjork's voice is so unique and unforgettable. Human Behavior was one of the big singles and its a great lead off but Bjork mixes up the genres a bit. Although she was labeled alternative most likely due to her old band the Sugarcubes sound, she can get a nice dance track with Big Time Sensuality, an ambient song with different sounds Venus as a Boy, and one of my favorite happy tracks One Day. Come to Me, Crying, and Violently Happy are standouts for me as well.
WASP-The Last Command
Ah the good old 80s metal and WASP's The Last Command does not have one bad track. The album is such a great fun listen. Blackie Lawless has that unmistakable voice and the singles from the album Blind in Texas and Wildchild are delightful to old school metalheads every where. However, Cries in the Night is my favorite of the album. But how can you not like Jack Action, Ballcrusher, and Running Wild in the Streets, I like a good cover and their Mississippi Queen cover is kick ass as well. Definitely one of the best albums from bands who didn't commit to glam but weren't quite thrash metal as well.
DEADMAU5-Album Title Goes Here
deadmau5 is one of the best EDM producers/artists out there hands down. His sound is unmistakable and for me the best EDM guys have their own unique sound and you know its them right away. Avicii, Zedd, and Armin fall into that category for me, but Joel Zimmerman is the man. This album included some great tracks that include your usual synthesizer sounds that are highly engineered. There Might Be Coffee, Closer, Maths, and Superliminal are good examples and wonderful, but my two favorites are the ones we heard on radio. His colab with Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance Professional Griefers and his take on an old Ray Bradbury classic The Veldt with Chris James are some of the best songs I heard on BPM that year. No one produces better that mau5. No one.
That is all for now gang. More to come next week.
M
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