find the playlist here:
https://open.spotify.com/user/fluid3sally/playlist/5F1KMoohFnUr6xUKUXqBqj
#1 Dead Sara -
Pleasure to Meet You
Release date 31 March 2015
I'll
always remember my first listen to Dead Sara, the 2012 self-titled..
SOUL=BLOWN. It's a good thing I had that one electronically, otherwise I
would have worn out the plastic before I wore out the songs. So the
follow-up record had big shoes to fill. 2015’s
Pleasure to Meet You
didn’t hit me quite as hard right away, but after a few listens to
study its nuances, I found it to be just as solid a rock record, if not
more so, compared to the first one. This one is tighter musically, and the
songs are denser, and take longer to unpack. But
Pleasure has one great song after another.
LA City Slum has an exciting, rolling rhythm that kick-starts the record.
Mr Mr has some funky bass lines and shimmering guitar power that crescendos into heavy.
Greaser relaxes things a bit and could stand alongside any classic rock song. The most fascinating song on the record may be
Blue
which is bluesy and rough with sparkling guitar riffs to polish its
rough edge. Emily’s passion is in full bloom here and, as usual, her
Joplin-Meets-Cobain vocals put it over the top to masterpiece status.
It’s hard to say anything bad about this record. I will say that I’m not so impressed by
Mona Lisa.
Maybe it’s just because I played it dozens of times before getting the
rest of the record, but that is the one I’m most likely to skip. It has
all the great riffs of Dead Sara song, but not the soul. It almost feels
like a cover. One other thing, the part at the end of
Suicidal about the drum beat.. that part is lame. I usually skip the last 20 seconds of that song.
The
thing that first struck me about Dead Sara was the raw passion.. this
new band doing something that should have been done a long time ago..
playing Rock’N’Roll like it fucking matters. Because to them, to us, it
does. That feeling comes through loud and clear on this record. A record
they made because they had something to say, a sound to share, and it
had to be said loudly and passionately.. almost desperately. This is
what Rock’N’Roll has always been, or rather, what it always should have
been.
#2 Halestorm -
Into the Wildlife
Release date 10 April 2015
Halestorm grows a lot with every record. With
the Wildlife they appear fully formed as a rock'n'roll powerhouse ready to take on the world. As usual, this records incorporates elements of 80's-era rock/metal - and I mean that in a good way. There are songs to pump your fist to and sing along.
This record plays the way that a hard rock record should - it has breaks to the hardness with softer songs that kick just as much ass as the others. This is important because a lot of good records that are heavy throughout come across flat and monotonous.
Scream starts this record off with a punch, but it's not the hardest punch on the record, and you can feel the tension build.
I am the Fire shows Lzzy at her peak vocally, which is saying a lot. "Fiery" would be a good adjective for that one. From there, it twists and turns through several songs before hitting the hardest track,
Mayhem, at track 7 of 15. Along the way
New Modern Love slows the tempo and stands out as one of the most memorable tracks at the same time. Later, on
Gonna Get Mine Lzzy struts her stuff as a bad-ass and reverses the "slut" stereotype.
I like it Heavy works the rock anthem.
One thing that impresses me about Halestorm is the memorable songs. Every song on this record has its own identity. There are some I like more, and some I skip -
Dear Daughter is a skipper for me (sorry, I'm sure a lot of you love that one.) And that brings me back to the 80's thing. It's no secret that Lzzy takes influence from Ronnie James Dio and Cinderella. I feel like Halestorm is bringing back the art of the anthem (think
We're Not Gonna Take It, or
Eye of the Tiger) and, even though I was never a big fan of that school of Rock, Halestorm does it so well, that when she sings "Hallelujah motherfucker take me to church" I have to pump my fist and sing along. A great record full of great songs.
#3 Sleater-Kinney -
No Cities to Love
Release date 20 January 2015
Those who know me will know that I've been a big Sleater-Kinney fan for a long time. So it is hard for me to think about this record without comparing it to so many from the past. But one thing that I love about this band, one of the many things, is their stubborn refusal to live in the past. This record sounds fresh and current.. it could almost be a debut album.
Price Tag starts things off with intricate instrumentals that are tight and clean, and a sense of purpose, making it clear that they are back, not just for another round of the same old thing, but because they have something fresh to say.
Fangless is biting and clever, instrumentally as well as vocally (is this one for Bush/Cheney, or is that my imagination?). Carrie is really on top of her game with the guitars on this one. Surface Envy is the track I tend to select for playlists; it works like a microcosm of the whole record. Look for this song on the Conan show for a good glimpse of the band.
The song
No Cities is a skipper for me sometimes. The riffs on that one are cool and easy-going, it's a good song, but not the strongest.
New Wave picks things back up with tight riffs and a pretty chorus.
Anthems is one of my favorites, and my pick for the Spunk Rock Sampler playlist.
Gimme Love doesn't come across as well on the record, but live, with Corin rything on stage, I got it.
Hey Darling is deceptively simple. This is a great song, I love the central riff and how it develops though the song. Corin's voice feels warm and comforting here, like a peace offering for the ass kicking that came before. And it's quotable: "it seems to me the only thing that comes from fame is mediocrity."
If I need a strike against this record, it's that it is short. About 32 minutes. I give them credit though for editing and selecting the best material with no filler. Also, there are two more songs on the vinyl version. In typical Sleater-Kinney style, the "B side" is as good, if not better.
The Fog song rocks and houls. I should point out that
Call the Doctor was shorter, and I never complained. That was my favorite Kinney until
1 Beat came around. SK has always been a band to prioritize quality over quantity, the best example being the hiatus of 2006, when they disbanded at the top of their game. Where a lot of bands would have filled the years between with suck, SK took time to follow other paths and to ultimately craft this new masterpiece, as "now" and relevant as anything they've done before.
I'm glad Sleater-Kinney is back. The world needs them.
#4 MisterWives - Our Own House
Release date 24 February 2015
A new-comer to the list, this was added to a later revision. I missed MisterWives
Our Own House until a year later. Better late than never. This album is so much fun! and feels so good. Nearly every song is a dance-party in itself. There are several slow numbers that are still really great songs, but the majority of the songs are up-beat and funky, groovin' glistening guitars, boppin' horns, and slick beats. Punk attitudes with a clean edge. Mandy's voice is beautiful, playful, haunting. Song compositions are thoughtful and deep in meaning. I needed this sound and did not know how to articulate it. Thank you MisterWives.
#5 Metric -
Pagans in Vegas
Release date 18 September 2015
This is one of the softer records on this year's list (along with Chvrches). A lot of the spunky stuff I pick has a harder edge, but it is also very important to have songs in the key of chill, that continue to kick ass (check out my "chill" playlists). This one also makes extensive use of keyboards and electronic sounds, but, it sounds very human and artistic.. not mechanical. It has the soul a lot of people would associate with analog music.
The Governess has loose and funky beats, and a lovely melody.
There is something about the use of keys on this record that gives it that spunky feel. They are played sort of abruptly and held for short counts. Check out the opening of
The Shade for example.
Metric is a modern band making music that matters. music with feeling and purpose.
Pagans finds them at their softer, soulful, sparkling best.
#6 Boy Sets Fire -
Boy Sets Fire
Release date 25 September 2015
Boy Sets Fire is an all-male band originally from Newark, Delaware. They are another band I've been listening to for a long time, making it difficult to assess this one on its own, without comparison to so many from before.
This record has some really great songs.. bumping riffs, deep lyrics, passionate vocals, memorable melodies.. all the good stuff. For the most part, the vocals are sung, rather than screamo, which is important to me these days. Screamo is a turn off for me. If you're not sure what I mean by screamo, check out the song
Coward from this album.
BoySetsFire takes kicking ass seriously, and this record is no exception.
This record features a modified lineup, with a new rhythm section compared to the classic BSF. And I feel like they may have lost something along the way. The bass and drums don't stand out as much here. Still, great songs, great riffs, great feeling. Some people may be put off by the juxtaposition of hardcore (punk) and emo that makes this an emotional roller coaster. But to me, that is what makes this band great. A straight hardcore record these days would not be very innovative, and straight emo, boring. These guys pull it together into a coherent whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Lyrically this record is deep and heavy. If you're one to struggle with existential angst, this one may mess with your head. Nathan has always written with caring and passion, but in the past it was more externally focused with a political edge. Here it is more introspective. some examples below.
From
Savage Blood
So let our vibrant hearts resound
An anthem to our lives unbound
And let them know we truly lived
While the dead rot, we will give
No poetry in shame
No life in passion tamed
From
Ordinary Lives
Is there anybody out there?
Is there any other way to survive?
We can live so much more than these ordinary lives!
#7 Sleeping with Sirens -
Madness
Release date 17 March 2015
This is one of the bands I found in the process of compiling this list, so I don't have the same level of context here I have with some of the other bands. This album was a pleasant surprise.. a surprise because this band is quite popular (over 3 million likes on Facebook) yet I hadn't heard them. Pleasant because this album has some really fun and inspiring songs on it. I suspect this band would be fun to see live, because I can imagine the excitement among fans getting excited when each song is played.
This one is very clean instrumentally.. meaning not lots of distortion or dissonance, and it's not very heavy. But yet, there is a definite sense of purpose in the punk-rock anthems. For example,
Save Me A Spark and
The Strays start off nearly acoustic and build to songs with lots of feeling. very skilled players here, a welcome addition to my collection.
#8 Chvrches -
Every Open Eye
Release date 25 September 2015
It's
pronounced "churches" but it ain't preachy. It is fresh, dance-able,
with a lot of feeling and mood. Similar to Metric, this album features
electronic sounds in a way that is human and artistic, not digital or
mechanical. There are no individual sounds here that are hard to
imagine, but the aggregate sound, feel, mood, is unlike anything I've
heard before. This is a good album to enjoy on a cool evening on the
porch with a glass of wine.
#9 New Years Day -
Malevolence
Release date 2 October 2015
New Years Day are working the SoCal spunk rock sound, putting them in the company of such bands as Kidneythieves, theStart, Dead Sara, Nico Vega, etc., but with a more metal edge. This record pushes my list a bit further in the metal direction than the other selections, and I mean that in a good way. The vocals sing, not scream, and every song has its own memorable moments of chanting or fist pumping.
#10 Muse -
Drones
Release date 5 June 2015
One
of my goals with this blog is to help connect fans with music they have not heard. I assume that everyone reading this will be aware of
Muse, so no revelation there. I will also guess that some readers may
not pay much attention to them.
This album has a lot
going on instrumentally. Solid riffs. Complex time signatures. creative
guitar work. definitely worth a listen if you've appreciated any of
their earlier stuff. One thing I don't like, I feel like the vocals
don't really match the pace or tone of the music. It may be just me, but
I feel like the apathetic Thom Yorke-esque sing-songing is somehow too
soft to make sense in the context of a harder rock sound. Even still,
the instrumentals alone would earn this one a place on the list.
There is a prog element to this album that I really enjoy. The song structures and composition are very innovative.
Special mention:
Icon For Hire
OMG you guys! Icon for Hire kicks so much ass! and overflowing with spunk! They don't have a new record this year, so not on list. (Their 2013 self-titled is my #1 for that year). They do have a single this year,
Now You Know / Bam Bam Pop. Icon makes me want to hop, strut, jump, live.
If I wanted to make up genre words, I would go with "rhythmic hardcore." The instrumentals are guitar-heavy and seasoned with keys. When about to really bring it, the sound is accented with whirlwind build-ups to signal that they are about to smack it. Hard. There are also soft moments like
Slow Down, which appears on my chill playlist. The aptly named Sean Jump throws out phat licks like candy - this guy's pauses say more than most players' riffs. Ariel has the spunk way down in her heart, and it erupts through her voice on a regular basis. Drums drop from way up above.. big boomin' beats.. and the bass.. spanks the bad ass. hop around.
of course you should check out the entire records, but to start, I've made a playlist with 2 songs selected from each album, check it out here:
https://open.spotify.com/user/fluid3sally/playlist/5F1KMoohFnUr6xUKUXqBqj
queue for future updates:
Joywave
sumo cyco
in this moment
the dirty youth
