Best of 2016

Again, I'm the worst at maintaining this thing. But I wanted to get in my annual list of what I dug this year. You may or may not agree, but if you don't Blogger is free so you can also have your say! I definitely lean to the rock side of things, I always have and as I get older, it gets further ingrained. Here we go.

16. Bon Jovi - "This House Is Not For Sale"

What can I say, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Or at least re-package the same tricks with a few new band members and a renewed sense of song craft/lyric writing. I wrote about this in my last post so won't dwell on it too much, but I really enjoy this record and they rush-released a live album of their London promotional appearance couple of months after it was released which encouraged me to buy tickets to their Toronto show in April. Side note, I saw Bon Jovi with my dad the first time when I was 10 in 1986 and my daughter, who will be 10 in March, is coming with me in April. The circle is complete!

Key Tracks: This House Is Not For Sale, Living With The Ghost, God Bless This Mess, Reunion


15. Iggy Pop - "Post Pop Depression"

The album title is pretty awesome and the record itself is also pretty impressive. Produced by Josh Homme, who also leads the band, it has Iggy's signature snarl, but also the density that Homme's bands dabble in. Even more impressive is the live album, again from London, that was released a few months ago, where this album, as well as the hits, get very good treatment from Iggy, Josh and company.

Key Tracks: Break Into Your Heart, American Valhalla, Sunday


14. Billy Talent - "Afraid Of Heights"

I saw Billy Talent live for the first time in the summer when they opened for Guns 'N Roses in Toronto and they were very impressive. I have generally been a fan of the hits and it so happened that this album dropped right after that show, so I picked it up. I want to say that this is a more "mature" effort from the band, but I'd rather say that it's a muscular effort, filled with great musicianship and some solid lyrics and melodies.

Key Tracks: Afraid Of Heights, Ghost Ship Of Cannibal Rats, Rabbit Down The Hole


13. Against Me! - "Shape Shift With Me"

The follow-up to my fave album of 2014 doesn't disappoint. At first, I wasn't feeling this one too much, but after repeated spins, the songs definitely are there. The messages are more straight forward compared with those on "Transgender Dysphoria Blues", but the songs are no less affecting.

Key Tracks: Crash, 333, Haunting, Haunted, Haunts


12. Kings Of Leon - "WALLS"

Again, I wrote about this one in my last post, so won't dwell too much, but I like how the Kings got their groove back on this one. I'm also glad I'll be going to see them live for the first time in January!

Key Tracks: Reverend, Waste A Moment, Around The World, Walls


11. Catfish & The Bottlemen - "The Ride"

I remember I read that the album from the Australian band DMAs was "totally like" Oasis. I have that album, and it is good, but to me, it doesn't sound like Oasis. Catfish's "The Ride" sounds like Oasis. Maybe it's because they share the same producer as the last two Oasis albums in Dave Sardy, or maybe it's because the band respects Oasis, but there are a couple tunes on this one that you could definitely (not maybe) equate with the brothers Gallagher. And there is definitely nothing wrong with that from where I am sitting.

Key Tracks: 7, Twice, Soundcheck, Oxygen


10. The Tragically Hip - "Man Machine Poem"

This is likely the band's last album and I respect them for staying true to themselves. Their last few albums did nothing for me truthfully, but this album, produced by members of Broken Social Scene, has a groove to it that the band hasn't had in years, if not, ever. Plus Gord Downie's lyrics/poetry fit the music perfectly. If this is a swansong, then they have gone out on top, dancing to the beat of their own drum.

Key Tracks: What Blue, Ocean Next, Machine, Tired As Fuck


9. Garbage - "Strange Little Birds"

There is always room for Garbage on my list. I love Shirley Manson and I love this band. While I was definitely into their comeback album "Not Your Kind of People", this album, like the Hip's, marches to the beat of its' own drum. It lacks the commercial sheen of their past work, and I feel the band is better for it. The songs are given a chance to breathe and they unfold like short stories, mostly dealing with darkness and gloom, but, hey, I'm okay with that. Here's to their next record, hope they continue down this path.

Key Tracks: Even If Our Love Is Doomed, Blackout, Night Drive Loneliness


8. Hiss Golden Messenger - "Heart Like A Levee"

I was told to purchase this album from Stephen, an owner of Dead Dog Records in Toronto. I've known him for 8.5 years as he used to run the Sunrise Records at Yonge and Bloor, where I work. I trust him implicitly, so when he says I will like an artist/record, I tend to listen. I'm glad I did, because this album is hitting a Ryan Adams / solo Dan Auerbach / mellow "Brothers"-era Black Keys sweet spot for me. Thanks again Stephen!

Key Tracks: Heart Like A Levee, Biloxi, Tell Her I'm Just Dancing


7. Radiohead - "A Moon Shaped Pool"

I immensely dislike "The King Of Limbs". I have tried to listen to that album many times and I just can't get through it. I heard Burn The Witch before "Moon Shaped Pool" dropped and thought "meh". So I downloaded the album when it came out, sat through Burn The Witch and got to Daydreaming. Then Decks Dark and Ful Stop and Identikit. And I thought, okay, this band isn't dead to me. When they want to rock, they definitely can and when they want to write a great melody, they definitely can. While this is my fifth fave Radiohead album overall, it is a welcome return to form.

Key Tracks: Daydreaming, Identikit, Decks Dark


6. Brian Fallon - "Painkillers"

I am a huge Brian Fallon fan, whether it be Gaslight, The Horrible Crowes or solo. This is his first official solo album and it delivers. He and Butch Walker make a great team. The songs are singer-songwriter but very catchy and as always, the lyrics deliver. Hoping that Gaslight eventually returns, but if not, more records like this will do.

Key Tracks: Painkillers, A Wonderful Life, Smoke


5. PUP - "The Dream Is Over"

The lead singer of PUP was told he'd never sing again before he made this album, thus the title of this record. Well, he proved everyone wrong and I'm certainly happy about that. In my life, I enjoy what I term "bratty" records. Loud, somewhat abrasive, but bursting with life. And this record ticks all these boxes. I keep thinking about what I would do if someone told me my dream was over. I'd like to think I'd write something like this, middle finger defiantly in the air.

Key Tracks: DVP, Doubts, The Coast 


4. Hamilton Leithauser + Rotsam - "I Had A Dream You Were Mine"

Total dream team here. I like The Walkmen and I love Vampire Weekend. When you put two of the principals together you get this dream pop gem that combines rock, folk, doo wop, pop, chamber pop, etc. Such a refreshing album for me this year and I've only had a couple of months with it. But it hits you right on impact.

Key Tracks: A 1000 Times, Sick As A Dog, Rough Going (I Won't Let Up), In A Black Out


3. Weezer - "Weezer (The White Album)"

Weezer is on a damn roll and I couldn't be happier. Their comeback record, "Everything Will Be Alright In The End", came in 2nd in my 2014 list and they are top 3 this year. This is just an infectious LP, everything that is right about Weezer, they are hitting on again. A definite summer album that you can play all year round. I'm really looking forward to their next step.

Key Tracks: Do You Wanna Get High?, Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori, California Kids, Endless Bummer


2. David Bowie - "Blackstar"

Seriously, am I wrong not putting this as number 1? It is a great album, but my number 1 is also great. I mean, what can you say about this album? It is challenging but rewarding. David Bowie wrote an album that described his death, released it and then passed away. He made his death an art project and I respect him even more for this.

Key Tracks: Lazarus, I Can't Give Everything Away, Sue (Or in a Season Of Crime), Blackstar


1. Jimmy Eat World - "Integrity Blues"

This is the album that I've been waiting for Jimmy Eat World to release since "Futures". Dense, muscular, heavy, mellow, all of this at the same time. And, I love the Bowie record, but this is home for me. I relate to these lyrics and to this band and that makes this my most essential record in this rather fucked-up year.

Key Tracks: Get Right, Pass The Baby, Pretty Grids, Sure and Certain


Other Music Stuff that Ruled this Year:

Oasis vinyl re-issues: Yes! Allowed me to complete my collection. All sound mega, but my faves are "The Masterplan" and "Be Here Now".

Oasis "Supersonic" doc: Yeah, I love Oasis. This doc is killer. It's on DVD/Blu ray now, so do yourself a favour and grab it (could make for a great stocking stuffer).

Bruce Springsteen's River Tour: Caught this in Detroit and jeez, this man is a revelation. Played "The River" in its entirety (about 2 hours) and then played almost two hours worth of hits and didn't leave the stage. The man is 67 I believe.

I Am The Resurrection

Soooo, I seem to be the worst really in maintaining the blog. But here it goes, back with another post and will hopefully end 2016 strong as I have a few more stories in me.

Back to this post though. I've noticed a trend this year, one that makes me feel good about music. The trend is...bands you sort of gave up on stepping up to the plate and really driving it out of the park. Like anyone really, musicians aren't perfect. You may love some of their work completely but then there is the inevitable fade as they want to try new things that may or may not jive with you or your changing tastes / life stages. There are a few bands that I used to be completely obsessed with where I am now having a hard time getting into their new stuff or 'direction' (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Keys and Incubus being three off the top of my head). The 5 bands I am going to write about today also fell into this bucket, that is, until they released their latest albums.

Green Day "Revolution Radio"

I became a fan of Green Day, like many, with the release of "Dookie". I was in high school and this record had everything I liked at that time - catchy tunes, swearing, rebellion. Potentially, nothing has changed since then! "Insomniac" followed and I also enjoyed this record. "Nimrod" I bought right before New Year's Eve 1998 (I believe) and I remember listening to Hitchin' A Ride and Good Riddance driving back from a friend's after a New Year's Eve bash, completely hungover. Great times. "Warning" for me is an underrated record. More acoustic, potentially less commercial, though I'm not sure why, given all the songs are pretty catchy. Minority was the first single and it grabbed me right out of the gate. Upon purchasing the album, Macy's Day Parade became a fave. It still is to this day. There is more maturity on this record and maybe that is why it didn't appeal to the masses; Green Day and I were growing up together.

Of course, "American Idiot" was the game changer, a rock opera, where they channeled the rebellion of "Dookie" and the maturity of "Warning" and just went for it. Huge record, lots of Grammys. This tour was the first and only time I've seen the band live and they certainly put on a show. I just recently pulled this album out and listened to the whole thing for the first time in God knows how long and it still is a great album, even if you still hear the big hits in heavy rotation. I mean, Jesus Of Suburbia, what a song.

"21st Century Breakdown" didn't do much for me at all. A few good songs, but the 5 year gap between it and "American Idiot" and the feeling that the band was trying a bit too hard to re-capture "AI" glory didn't add up for me. "Uno", "Dos", "Tre", a triple album blitzkrieg was overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. I have listened to all three of these albums. Likely culling the best material into one album might have been a better plan, though the songs Carpe Diem, Oh Love and Dirty Rotten Bastards are pretty good. These came out in 2012, I believe and then Green Day sort of disappeared. Billie Joe was going through issues and they took a much needed break.

That was until this year. "Revolution Radio" was announced and Bang Bang was the first single. To be honest, this song is not my fave, so I wasn't really sure what direction the new album was going to go in. I downloaded it on Google Play the day it came out and listened. Then I re-started and listened again. To me, the band sounded revitalized, definitely rocking. Catchy tunes still intact. Attitude still intact. Some maturity and no "concept" to try to understand. Just 12 good songs, ones that I want to re-visit and that my kids like as well! Highlights here are Forever Now, Youngblood, Bouncing Off The Walls and Say Goodbye. Green Day back in early 1990's / 2000's form and I couldn't be happier.

blink-182 "California"

I'm going to start off by saying that "Take Off Your Pants & Jacket" is one of my favourite albums ever, period. blink carved out a very nice career writing catchy, pop punk anthems, sung by two front men with very distinctive voices. I know I liked Dammit in university, but I became a true blink fan in the summer of 1999 when I heard What's My Age Again? The protagonist was 23, as was I at the time, so it just spoke to me. I promptly picked up "Enema Of The State" and have continued to support the band since. blink sort of pulled a Green Day in going for maturity on their self-titled release in 2003, which I was on board with, but then they announced a hiatus, with Mark and Tom heading out separately and we were given +44 (decent) and Angels & Airwaves (not my thing at all).

So when they announced they were getting back together and putting out "Neighborhoods", I was pretty excited. And ... that record is just kind of okay. It has some decent songs but sounds like two separate bands, little cohesiveness. I actually thought their "Dogs Eating Dogs" EP was more cohesive. But then Tom DeLonge quit and there you go, that's it. Except it wasn't. Enter Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio, a band I have to admit I have heard zero songs from. And they toured together and then made a record, "California". And it's actually good. Really better than it has any right to be. The songs are punchy and have life to them, even if they lack some maturity. My faves are Sober, Bored to Death and Los Angeles. It sounds like blink again, so hopefully they are back for the long run.

Jimmy Eat World "Integrity Blues"

I'm also going to start off this section by saying that "Futures" is one of my favourite albums ever, period. It is in my Top 10 and some days it might be in my Top 5. I remember when "Chase This Light" came out in 2007...it never really had a chance with me. Now, I have grown to enjoy that record quite a bit but after "Futures", the sheen and the pop sensibilities of it didn't really compute. I wanted punchy, moody, really "Futures" Part II. Then "Invented" came out and I was a bit meh on that one. The less said about "Damage" the better. Before and including "Futures", I regarded Jimmy Eat World as a strong 'album' band. "Clarity" and "Bleed American" are stellar.

Big Casino from "CTL" was a strong effort, one of my favourite songs by the band and a huge first single. Same with My Best Theory from "Invented", again, good song. Ditto I Will Steal You Back from "Damage". But overall, these last two albums had some clunkers on them. So when the band dropped Get Right this year after taking a self-imposed year hiatus, I listened intently. Again a strong single. Then they dropped Sure & Certain, You With Me and You Are Free, all before the "Integrity Blues" album came out. All of these songs are strong, so I started to get a bit excited. I downloaded the album at midnight on October 21st and listened to about half of it that night. It sounded good. I listened to the whole thing on my drive to work the next day and was pretty much blown away.

"Integrity Blues" reminds me a lot of "Futures". It's dense, somewhat mid-tempo, but the break and perhaps the "Futures" anniversary tour helped the band I think. Everyone sounds rejuvenated and the lyrics are deep; Jim Adkins has written a great set of songs here. The sequence of Pretty Grids / Pass The Baby / Get Right is just perfect. You would never know the band was on it's 9th record, they sound so fresh and the production is perfect. The title track is symphonic goodness, bleeding right into the epic closer Pol Roger. This is definitely one of the best records of the year in my books and I'm hoping that this is nice building block for the band to move forward with.

Kings Of Leon "WALLS"

I would like to say that I don't feel Kings Of Leon have released a bad album, but I haven't felt overly excited for a new record from them until "WALLS". "If Only By The Night" was of course their commercial breakthrough, though I prefer "Because Of The Times" as it was released right around the time my daughter was born, so great memories. Also, the songs on that album are banging. On Call, Charmer, Arizona, My Party, Fans, so may great tunes. But you can't argue with the songs on "IOBTN" either. Everyone knows the hits; the album cuts are solid also - Closer, Crawl, Notion. Solid.

"Come Around Sundown" isn't awful, it's just not fully exciting. The mood is a bit downtrodden for most and while it contains moments, it is sort of in neutral the whole way. I thought "Mechanical Bull" was a step-up but i re-visited it a few weeks ago as I started thinking about this blog and found it to be a little underwhelming overall. I heard Waste A Moment from "WALLS" on the radio and felt that excitement; it is a 3-minute charge of guitars, a catchy chorus, everything I enjoy really. Then they dropped Reverend and Around The World and I was completely on board. Terrible album artwork aside, the 10 tracks that make-up this record are tight, catchy and focused. The band is working with a new producer, Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire) and I think it has rejuvenated them. All in KOL are players and the production really isolates each member so you can hear what each are bringing to each song.

I'm going to see KOL for the first time in January, glad that they have their back catalog, but also excited to hear the new ones in the mix.

Bon Jovi "This House Is Not For Sale"

For those of you who have read my previous posts, you know that my second Bon Jovi post was less than positive. Since 2000, I felt the band have been going down the easy road, clamoring for pop hits vs. creating songs with any personality or substance. I felt Richie Sambora leaving the band was a death stroke that they wouldn't recover from. I'm happy to say that listening to "THINFS", that I was wrong, completely wrong.

I think the first single, the title track, dropped in early August and I quickly downloaded it. I listened intently and immediately, the lyrics worked for me. I got the sense that JBJ was writing from a personal place vs. the usual "get up off your knees" / every man places that I felt plagued the last few albums. Phil X's guitar playing is simple and tasteful. The riff is solid and it inspired me to learn the chords for this one on guitar. And I actually can play most of it, and it actually sounds decent. They then dropped Knockout (at first, meh, I've grown to enjoy it), Labor Of Love (solid ballad) and Born Again Tomorrow. All 4 songs sounded good, much better than anything off of "What About Now", which I feel is the bottom of the barrel for Bon Jovi albums.

While we are on this topic, the "fan album", "Burning Bridges" (contractual obligation), they released in 2015 was actually not half bad. Some of the songs seemed to actually have personal meaning to JBJ, which elevates things for me with this band. In particular, try Teardrop To The Sea, Fingerprints and We Don't Run.

Anyway, the full "THINFS" album was due to come out October 21st, but then got moved back to November 4th for some unknown reason. But, as luck would have it, I went to a store (I will protect their identity) in Toronto on the 21st and saw the vinyl sitting on the shelf so it was a no brainer purchase. When I got home, I gave it a spin and am happy to say that this is Bon Jovi's best album since "These Days" (1995), bar none. It is obvious listening to the whole album that JBJ is writing from a place close to him, there are definitely a few songs about the Sambora defection (i.e. Living With The Ghost, Devil In The Kitchen), and it suits him and the band. Phil X is good, and I feel on the next record, he will bring a lot more to the table (when he is allowed to). JBJ said the band had "nothing to prove" with this album, but they did to me. They had to prove that they actually still cared about the music vs. the world tours, etc. I'm very happy the band pulled this off and made it about the music again, I didn't feel they had it in them.

The one criticism I have is that the production on some songs is very muddy; many instruments competing with each other with little space. The band should give a thought to maybe bringing in someone new on the next one, John Shanks is a little tired. Perhaps Markus Dravs would be a good choice! But, hey, at least Bon Jovi has new songs now that I would gladly hear live, mingling with the old war horses. My daughter is also a fan and is asking when the band is coming in concert...so I guess we will be riding that steel horse once again.

Until next time...

Catch You On The Flipside, Part 1

I seem to discuss b-sides a lot in my posts so I thought I should devote some time to talking about some of my favourites.

My history of the b-side starts when I was young and as a family we used to walk up to the local video store at Fairview Place Plaza in Burlington and along with the VHS movies, they had a bin of 45's. I know I bought Irene Cara's Flashdance and the theme from "The Greatest American Hero" there. So maybe that is where my history with 45's starts, because I was buying for the a-sides; maybe I just wanted to let you all in on my early obsessions with '80's movie and TV theme songs. My history of the b-side actually starts with a band I've devoted two blog posts to already: Bon Jovi.

Bon Jovi is the band that turned me onto buying CD singles. I used to love buying CD singles and still have a pretty good collection of them. Before the internet, the only way to get new songs before the real album came out was to tape the songs off the radio, tape the video off Much Music or get the CD single. I was good at doing all three of these things because when I hear something I like, I need to get it immediately! But the CD single was the most convenient of the three options above, bar none.

Now, one can get things instantly off iTunes or Google Play or any other streaming service and yes, it's convenient but there is something I miss about the CD single. And that is the b-sides. The single was great to have given that the song you were hearing on the radio was the entry point but it was the allure of the extra, non-album tracks that made seeking these out so exciting.

Bon Jovi

The first Bon Jovi CD single I bought was Keep The Faith, as it was backed with I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas and a live version of Living In Sin. The X-Mas song is not my fave, but I did pull it out for the 1992, 1993 and 1994 holiday seasons. The draw here was the title track (as I bought it before the album dropped) and the live version of Living In Sin, which was recorded in Lakeland, Florida in 1989. JBJ's voice is in top form here and they slow the song down to almost a marching band-like dirge. JBJ even belts out the scream at the end! Solid.

I then was on a mission for Bon Jovi CD singles. I mentioned this before but for us kids from Burlington, hitting the HMV Superstore and Sam The Record Man in Toronto was like the holy grail of music purchasing. I do have to give props to Sunrise in Burlington Mall and Cheapies in Hamilton (both still open!) who also carried a lot of good CD singles. One trip down to HMV netted the Bed Of Roses single, complete with live tracks (Tokyo Road, I'll Be There For You, Lay Your Hands On Me). Around this time, I also began to explore whether other bands had CD singles. I picked up the Gin Blossoms' Hey Jealousy, which was backed with the "New Miserable Experience" album track Cajun Song and the b-sides Just South Of Nowhere and Angels Tonight. Both these songs are quite good and I was happy to have found it (I think Sunrise was the store I found it at).

Back to Bon Jovi, the "Keep The Faith"-era singles almost exclusively included live tracks as b-sides, which I was okay with, as I already pointed out in a previous blog, Bon Jovi was on the top of their live game at this point. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, I Believe and the epic 2 CD single set Dry County (with the amazing live tracks Dry County, Blood Money, Stranger In This Town, Waltzing Mathilda (Tico Torres on lead vocals) and the cover It's Only Rock N' Roll included) rounded out this era for me. Plus, the CD singles for Dry County were gold. Seriously, check it out.

I think during this time they also released a CD single of JBJ's version of Please Come Home For Christmas, which again was backed with I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas and a live version of Back Door Santa (as terrible as the song title). Again, this got play around the holidays in 1993 and 1994 (at the height of my Bon Jovi obsession). I feel I have not played it since that time, but the single is still in my collection. 

During the "Cross Road"-era, I picked up the Always single (again before the album came out), which was backed the amazing b-side Edge Of A Broken Heart. Not sure which era this song was recorded in (and I'm too lazy to look it up), but it definitely could have fit on "Slippery" or "New Jersey". Someday I'll Be Saturday Night followed and it contained Good Guys Don't Always Wear White, from "The Cowboy Way" and live versions of Always and With A Little Help From My Friends (both recorded in Montreal). Come to think of it, Someday I'll Be Saturday Night is a live version as well, though the packaging does not indicate this. A pleasant surprise for the completist in me.

The "These Days"-era also generated a lot of CD singles, but I have to say that the b-sides were of varying quality. The album is close to perfect and you can see why they relegated most of these tracks to b-sides. Later singles (Lie To Me, Something For The Pain) included great live songs from the band's Wembley Stadium shows. These were definitely worth seeking out. The These Days single I have contained live tracks from South Africa, including (It's Hard) Letting You Go and Rockin' In The Free World. I missed a couple of singles here, including the 1st part of These Days, which contained the live version of the title track. I may have to seek this out.

I also picked up JBJ solo singles from "Destination Anywhere". Again, live tracks from this era were the norm, but he did include the non-album track Sad Song Night on Midnight In Chelsea. This is a fun little pop tune.

I do have singles from the "Crush", "Bounce", "Have A Nice Day" and "Lost Highway"-eras, the former contain a lot of non-album tracks, but none of them really stood out to me. The latter contain live tracks, the most notable being a cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, which is great. By "The Circle", CD singles were pretty much obsolete in Toronto record stores. I know some singles exist for this album, but the b-sides are live versions of tracks I'm not a huge fan of, so pass.

Oasis 

Oasis raised the b-side game for me as there weren't a lot of live tracks, but actual non-album tracks. There are just so many good ones and I've written about how I acquired a lot of the singles in other posts...I'll just make a list of my favourite ones.

• Talk Tonight
• Acquiesce
• Listen Up
• Fade Away
• (It's Good) To Be Free
• Going Nowhere
• My Sister Lover
• Rockin' Chair
• Bonehead's Bank Holiday - This was on the vinyl version of "What's The Story" but semantics. It's kind of a jokey song but it's mega catchy.
• Step Out
• The Masterplan - so, so good. This would be many bands' greatest musical accomplishment.

• Headshrinker
• Half The World Away
• Round Are Way
• D'Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman?
• Let's All Make Believe
• Underneath The Sky
• I Am The Walrus (Live)
• Cum On Feel The Noize
• The Boy With The Blues
• I Believe In All

To be honest, Let's Make Believe (circa 2000) was the last b-side I loved up until the "Dig Out Your Soul"-era (last two songs on the list), when Noel and Liam seemed to be firing on all cylinders again. But seriously, the list above is mostly original songs that were discarded for whatever reason and are top notch. This list doesn't include the key non-album singles Whatever and Lord Don't Slow Me Down, which would have been among the greatest songs on whatever album they ended up on. Additionally, it does not contain Sad Song, which was initially on the vinyl of "Definitely Maybe" and is also one of my faves. 

And Noel continues to produce great b-sides with the High Flying Birds. Songs like I'd Pick You Everytime, A Simple Game Of Genius, Alone On The Rope, Do The Damage, Freaky Teeth are gems that could have been the centerpieces of album #3. Noel is one of the few remaining artists who still puts out b-sides consistently.

Pearl Jam

I don't like the song Jeremy, but I did buy the CD single of this song, as it contained songs I had never heard of, Footsteps and Yellow Ledbetter. Both of these songs are fantastic, the latter has a great, great guitar solo (though my friend John disagrees). The Dissident CD single from the "Vs" era was split into three parts, each with 6-7 live tracks from a show in Atlanta. So essentially you got the entire concert by getting all three singles. I think those are the only singles I have by Pearl Jam, but I do have the excellent compilation "Lost Dogs", which culls many b-sides from 1992 through to 2003 (I think). This brings me to another lost art, the b-side album. Oasis have done it, The Killers have done it, Doves had a disc devoted to b-sides on their greatest hits album. No one really does it anymore, which is a shame.  

Garbage

I liked Garbage's debut album a lot and one time when I was in Buffalo at the terrible outlet mall on Military Road, I stumbled into a long defunct music store (honestly I think it was called Music 4 You or Music 4 Less or something equally inane) and found the Stupid Girl single, backed with a remix and the non-album track Driving Lesson. Like Gin Blossoms, if I latched onto a new band in the '90's (and 2000's and now, really) and they only had one album, I did all I could to find as many non-album songs as possible. Garbage fit this mold. I then picked up the Milk single, but I believe it only contained remixes, but they were better than the original in my mind. I also have Queer Part 1 which again contained remixes but also the non-album track Trip My Wire (which I like better than Driving Lesson). Garbage just re-issued their first album and on the deluxe edition they devoted a CD to the b-sides of the era (only they called this disc G-Sides...of course). They do a killer version of The Jam's Butterfly Collector. Garbage CD singles struck b-side gold on their 2nd release "Version 2.0". They had amazing non-album tracks like Deadwood, Can't Seem To Make You Mine and Afterglow, as well as remixes. After this album, though, Garbage singles were hard to find, so my collection ends there.

Gaslight Anthem

I don't have any GA CD singles but I do have their b-sides album, creatively titled "The B-Sides". This record contains mostly acoustic re-workings of songs from "The '59 Sound" and "American Slang", but it also has the song She Loves You, which is amazing. From the "American Slang" sessions, this one should have made that album 100%. It also contains Songs For Teenagers, which is originally by a band called Fake Problems, that my friend Kyle turned me onto. Both this version and the original version are great and worth seeking out (here I will help you out with the original).

Because the band frequently puts out Record Store Day releases, I've also found other b-sides, including Misery, which again, is phenomenal. This band also respects the b-side and I have a lot of respect for them as a result!

I'm missing a lot of bands here, like Radiohead, the Verve, Suede, Smashing Pumpkins so there will need to be a second part to this post down the line. Maybe by then, the CD single will have staged a comeback.

Until next time...

It's Nothing As It Seems, The Little That He Needs, It's Home

I was going to write a post about how I got into Pearl Jam, but after seeing them live a few weeks ago at the ACC, I've decided to switch up the game a bit. The first time I saw Pearl Jam was in 2006, when they were touring behind the "Avacado" record. Now, that isn't one of my faves (see list below), but the concert was awesome. They played a lot of hits, hidden gems and some songs from "Avacado". Good times. I then saw them on the PJ20 tour in 2011 and that show was epic. Opening with Long Road and ending with Rockin' In The Free World (complete with Neil Young cameo), it was one for the books. They played some of my favourite songs too; Not For You, Betterman, Off He Goes, Faithfull. But then again, they have so many good songs to choose from.

Case in point, the third time I saw Pearl Jam, on May 10th of this year. They say the third time's the charm. "Vs." was my first Pearl Jam album and they started this show off with Go, followed by Do The Evolution and then Mind Your Manners off their last record, "Lightning Bolt". Then came Breakerfall, which is one of my faves from the underrated "Binaural" record (and one of my faves period). Then God's Dice was aired, also from "Binaural". Then Evacuation. Then Light Years. So I texted my friend Mark, a huge PJ fan, who was sitting in another section that night and said "do you think they are playing this entire record?" And sure enough Nothing As It Seems started picking up steam so we were in for history. First time "Binaural" played in its entirety (I believe). And it's weird but I have some sort of unexplained affinity for that record even though it's not my fave. I think it's because it's the record where I realized that Pearl Jam was my writing muse. Back in 2000, when that album came out, I was newly living on my own in Toronto and was still (attempting) to write short stories regularly in my spare time. I was in a rut trying to write a particular story and Breakerfall helped me to break through the wall if you will. Now, I ended up re-writing that short story in 2011, but I digress and the spirit of Pearl Jam was still flowing through it. That's actually the last short story I finished as well...maybe I haven't been listening to enough Pearl Jam. Maybe because their latest output hasn't been the most inspiring. Come on guys!

Something about the lyrics in PJ songs help to paint the characters I'm writing about and I really can't fully explain it. It's like a comfort. "Binaural" is not the most obvious or likely well-known choice to play in full but I was happy that they did it. I was then happy when they played Corduroy, Once and Rearviewmirror to end the first set. The rarities didn't stop though, they also played Let Me Sleep, Down and one of my personal faves, State Of Love And Trust from "Singles". They still played hits, like Alive, Black, Even Flow, Betterman, Given To Fly and I'm completely cool with this because they played zero songs of "Riot Act" and "Backspacer", my two least favourite albums. Plus, no Jeremy, which is also a bonus for me. Like the 2011 show, they ended with Rockin' In The Free World, this time joined by Donna Grantis, who I wasn't familiar with in the moment (my friend Bill set me straight), but she was in Prince's band and is from Mississauga. She crushed it on guitar. At the end of the day, this was my fave Pearl Jam show and a top 5 concert for me (and I've seen many).

So no I'm just going to rank the Pearl Jam albums from my least fave to fave because I know I always enjoy reading lists.

10. "Riot Act"

There's not a lot of positive things to say about this one. I didn't enjoy it really in 2002 and I haven't listened to it since. I guess I Am Mine and All Or None are okay, but if I'm making a Pearl Jam compilation, none of these songs are finding their way onto it!

9. "Backspacer"

It's pretty much a tie between "Riot Act" and this one for my least played / favourite PJ records. Though "Backspacer" edges out "Riot Act" because The Fixer and Just Breathe are pretty good. But Amongst The Waves and Johnny Guitar are terrible. Just terrible.

8. "Lightning Bolt"

I was going to rank this #7, but then I realized I don't really listen to it that often, nor do I love a lot of it. Sirens, Pendulum and the title track being the exceptions. It also has the distinction of housing one of, if not, the worst PJ song ever, Let The Records Play.

7. "Pearl Jam"

World Wide Suicide is pretty rocking as is Life Wasted. I also like Inside Job and Unemployable. Ditto Marker In The Sand and Severed Hand. I was going to rank this below "Lightning Bolt" but good thing I took the time to reflect on it. After "Riot Act", this was a pretty solid comeback!

6. "Binaural"

I like this one. Understated in points, rocking in others. Not really any filler here, just solid, workmanlike rock. Meat and potatoes if you will. Nothing As It Seems contains such great guitar work as well from Mr. Mike McCready.

5. "No Code"

I think I was in the camp who initially heard Who You Are and said "what the fuck"? But I'm glad I picked this up in 2nd year of University at Music In Orbit in downtown Guelph. Also purchased that night, "1977" by Ash. My mind when it comes to useless information is like a trap. "No Code" contains likely 2 of my top 10 PJ songs in Off He Goes and Smile. I'm Open is filler, but the rest is great. Also, Jack Irons is my fave PJ drummer, no disrespect to Matt Cameron.

4. "Vitalogy"

Contains some great ones and some (likely on purpose) filler so I can't rank it higher than 4. The songs it does have, Last Exit, Betterman, Corduroy, Nothingman, Not For You, Satan's Bed, Spin The Black Circle, Immortality, are killer. But Bugs...seriously.

3. "Yield"

I'm not sure what was wrong with me in university, but I never bought certain "legacy" bands' albums the day they came out, but I did buy Candlebox's "Lucy" the day it came out (no disrespect to Candlebox, they still making some decent music). PJ was one of those bands I hesitated buying their albums right away (again, not sure why, maybe I had more restraint back then). I picked up "Yield" used at The Beat Goes On in downtown Guelph and really, I'm glad I did. Every song on here works for me, even Push Me, Pull Me. Contains All Those Yesterdays, in my top 10 PJ songs forsure.

2. "Ten"

Aside from Jeremy, there are no bad songs on here and my dislike of this song is personal choice; obviously many disagree with me that it's a bad song. The guitar work on this album is exceptional. While the hits are great, the back half of the album starting with Porch and ending with Release just kills it.

1. "Vs"

Sometimes it's about what you hear or see first that sticks. Case in point, "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels". I saw "Snatch" first and while I like "Lock, Stock", "Snatch" is my preference. Not sure if I'm in the minority. Same with "Vs". First PJ record I really heard and it just resonated with me from the opening of Go until the final chord in Indifference. I just listened to it again last week and it holds up really well. Even Rats (unlike Bugs), this song is not terrible at all.

Songs:

Hard, but these ones always bubble up for me (no particular order even though they have numbers beside them):

17. Faithfull
16. Daughter ("Live On Two Legs" version - the improv of Rockin' In The Free World and WMA is amazing)
15. Rearviewmirror
14. Sirens
13. Black
12. Do The Evolution
11. Long Road
10. Breakerfall
9. State Of Love And Trust
8. All Those Yesterdays
7. Smile
6. Off He Goes
5. Nothing As It Seems
4. Fatal
3. Not For You
2. Go
1. Corduroy

Live Albums and Misc.:

So many to choose from and I haven't likely heard half of what's out there. Probably more like I've only heard a quarter of what's out there. There are the official releases and I have to go with "Live On Two Legs" because it's pretty amazing. I also have "The Gorge", which is a lot of CDs (I think 7) and it's pretty comprehensive. In terms of bootlegs, there is one from Mansfield from 2003 where they open for themselves by playing a 12 song acoustic set and then like a 35 song main set. Pretty unreal. I have some bootlegs from the 2000 tour and London and Katowice stand out to me as being strong.

"Lost Dogs" is a great collection of b-sides, including Fatal, plus other gems. "Pearl Jam Twenty" includes some rare live tracks. Eddie Vedder's "Into The Wild" soundtrack is short but sweet, ditto "Ukulele Songs".

That is my journey through Pearl Jam. I do have another blog focused on B-Sides pretty much ready to go so hopefully there won't be such a huge gap between posts. Until next time...

Tunes for Commuting Vol. 1 (w/o 2/22/16)

Happy new year all. Hope 2016 is working out well for everyone.

I drive about 2 hours a day to get to work, which is fine most days as it allows me to listen to music. I want to try to start posting more regularly and I'm thinking that posting my weekly commuting playlist might be a way to get my thoughts down in a more timely manner and also allow for some random ramblings!  So I'm going to give it a go.

Monday, February 22nd

I started off the week by spinning Collective Soul's 2015 effort "See What You Started By Continuing". I've always enjoyed Collective Soul and I knew they put out a new record late last year. I spun it a few times on Google Play and felt that I should pick it up, but I didn't until I was on vacation in Florida a few weeks ago and found the deluxe edition at Walmart, which includes a 10-track Greatest Hits. As an aside, I think Collective Soul is the only artist that I've purchased multiple albums from while being on vacation. I picked up their self-titled 1995 effort while on a cruise when we were in port in St. Thomas at a Tower Records. Congrats Collective Soul!

The 'greatest hits' are re-recorded hits but you wouldn't know it by listening to them as they sound exactly like the originals. The track list for the hits is a little weird, with 5 tracks coming from later era "Youth" and "Afterwords" records and the other 5 coming from the more well-known '90's records. It's not terrible but the title 'greatest hits' is a little misleading. Anyway, the actual album is likely their best and most consistent since 1999's "Dosage". These are not ground-breaking songs by any means but all are catchy and they seem to rock harder than anything the band has done in a while. Standout tracks include AYTA, Exposed, Confession and Contagious. This was their first album in 6 years, so hopefully they can keep the momentum going and not turn into Third Eye Blind (who ironically also released their last album prior to "Dopamine" in 2009, right around the time Collective Soul released their 2nd self-titled ("Rabbit") record).

I then moved onto Matthew Good's 2013 compilation "Old Fighters". I have a lot of time for Matt Good and picked this album up from amazon for like $7 CAD. I have all the songs on this album already, as well as his first best of compilation "In A Coma" but this comp contained some of the newer songs, some live recordings and apparently the tracks were hand-picked by Matt Good himself. If you've been with me so far, you know I'm a bit of a completist (understatement of the year). Matthew Good is incredibly consistent, which these tracks demonstrate. Never mind that 10 of the 14 songs are culled from "Beautiful Midnight" and "Avalanche", the 3 newer era songs included (Born Losers, Last Parade and Zero Orchestra) are gems, as are the albums that house these songs. I was mostly excited by the inclusion of the song Suburbia, from "Beautiful Midnight". When I bought that record in 1999, this was a standout track for me.

My fave Matthew Good song is either Tripoli or Anti-Pop, both from the underrated "Audio of Being" album. I think I read somewhere that this isn't Matt Good's favourite release, likely because it was recorded when the band was breaking up, but I'm hoping it gets a vinyl re-issue like some of his other records recently have. Neither of these songs are on "Old Fighters", but if you get the deluxe edition of "In A Coma" (highly recommended), an acoustic version of Tripoli is included and it's almost worth the price of admission. Plus you get a DVD of the music videos up to 2003 (I think) with Matt Good commentary.

Tuesday, February 23rd 

That brought me to Tuesday and I think I let the Sirius channel Lithium ('90's grunge and alternative) go for a while after the Matt Good album ended. On the way home, I drove by HMV at Laird and Eglinton and noticed that there were sale signs all over the place, so I decided to take a look. The signs indicated a lease expiring sale. Basically, this store is going under - a month after I discovered this location (which was on the way home!). So I went in and ended up grabbing two Deftone's CDs ("White Pony" and "Diamond Eyes") and Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts "Blaster". The latter was on my radar even before Weiland passed away, I just hadn't gotten around to purchasing it.

I threw on "White Pony" as admittedly, the only thing I really knew about the Deftones was the song Change (In The House of Flies) (included on "White Pony" as track 10). My friend Mark is high on these guys and I trust his musical judgement! This is an excellent album. Some songs I would classify as thrashers, heavy on riffs and screaming, but others are very restrained and melodic. There is a song called Passenger, which is a duet with Maynard from Tool. This and Change, are the best songs on the record for me. So this album was definitely worth $9.

Wednesday, February 25th

The Scott Weiland record started off Wednesday and it's a solid rock record (even meat and potatoes-esque), which is enjoyable to listen to from beginning to end. Being a big STP fan, Weiland's death hit me kind of hard. So, there's obviously been a lot written about this subject in the last little bit and no doubt there will be a lot more written about it. I just want to throw my hat in the ring as Weiland's music has been a part of my life for over 20 years and this is what the real purpose of the Commuting column will be - a springboard for wordy asides!

I wrote in one of my last blogs what an important album "Purple" was/is for me. I like "Core" don't get me wrong, but I think STP really made a big stride forward with their second record and this is when I really started sitting up and noticing. They started discovering their own "sound". Interstate Love Song, Big Empty, Still Remains, Vasoline, Unglued, Lounge Fly...I could list all 12 tunes as every song is great and only Meat Plow and maybe Silvergun Superman really sounds like anything else on "Core". STP was definitely a sum of all their parts, you don't want to diminish the talents of the DeLeo brothers and drummer Eric Kretz, but Weiland was the voice and primary lyricist. On "Purple", the lyrics deal a lot with "lies", struggling to maintain a sense of self through fame and addiction. I couldn't fully relate to the words in a personal sense but I could definitely relate to Weiland's delivery and passion on this record. The playing is muscular and STP was becoming one of my favourite bands. Just ask my parents...and the STP bumper sticker I stuck on their mini van.

Then "Tiny Music" dropped when I was in university, preceded by the single Big Bang Baby, which I was all over. Again, this was a different sound than "Core" and "Purple". Listening to it now, after fully discovering Bowie and glam rock, you can feel those fingerprints all over this offering, but STP makes it their own. So I picked the album up the day it came out and remembered being somewhat disappointed that it started off with a rather short instrumental. And then the one-two punch of Pop's Love Suicide and Tumble In The Rough. These were raw tunes and Weiland's voice sounded weathered and beaten. The lyrics were direct in addressing the addiction that he was struggling with. So at first, I wasn't fully down with this album but that quickly changed the more I listened to it. Unfortunately the band couldn't fully tour this record due to Weiland's issues and it would be another 3 years before they dropped another STP record. I fully believe that if things had gone according to plan, STP would have continued to evolve further away from the "Core" sound and who knows where they could have gone?

They went to "No. 4", which was more of a return to the harder rocking sound of "Core". Listening to it now again, this is okay by me. The tunes are solid, but the ballads on this album stand out - Glide, Sour Girl, Atlanta. People who saw STP in concert during this era also say this was their best tour. They are one of the artists I regret never seeing live (also Beastie Boys, now David Bowie and Rage Against the Machine). And then came "Shangra-Li-Da-Da", which I bought before the street date from the guys at Edward's Record World in Toronto (such a damn great store that place was, I lost a lot of money there). I'd been hearing Days Of The Week on the radio and I liked it well enough. But this record didn't really grab me upon first listen and only now have I revisited it. Like STP's other albums, it's solid and pretty different from the record before it, which shows how versatile Weiland and the band were. 2010's reunion album was okay in my books but I don't revisit it often. I did have tickets to their Toronto show in 2010, which I sold for some unknown reason. Which was a mistake in hindsight.

Weiland's first solo album, "12 Bar Blues" is daring but tuneful. I like a lot of this album and it was very risky to put this out after the success of the first three STP records. But he was battling demons and the band got together with another vocalist to form Talk Show (decent record). I don't think "12 Bar Blues" was a best seller by any means but working with Daniel Lanois, songs like Where's The Man, Divider and About Nothing are keepers that I still like to spin (maybe next week when commuting!). I did pick-up his second solo album "Happy in Galoshes" but I must admit I haven't listened to this one a lot. I do like Missing Cleveland and his cover of Bowie's Fame and might have to spin this one again soon.

Velvet Revolver I enjoyed well enough and I did see them in concert. Fall to Pieces is a great power ballad, only outdone by Loving the Alien on their debut. "Libertad" was a solid follow-up, but didn't get as much love (not sure why, as it has solid songs on it). But that brings us back to "Blaster", probably the most straight-forward record of Weiland's career; Youth Quake and Hotel Rio are standout tracks for me thus far. It's a fitting end to a very solid career that didn't get the critical kudos it deserved.

I did round out Wednesday by playing the Deftones' "Diamond Eyes" (solid tunes, requires a 2nd listen as it isn't as immediate as "White Pony", stunning album cover as well!) and a mix CD I made in November 2015. Ryan Adams' T-Swift Bad Blood cover leads it off and most of the rest of it is made up of songs from some of my fave albums of 2015 (see last blog).

Thursday, February 25th

So the whole faux Collective Soul "Greatest Hits" made me think I could likely make my own Collective Soul comp that would be kick-ass, so Wednesday night I did this. It contains 20 tracks, a mix from all their albums. So I spun that today after my November 2015 mix ended and it is enjoyable. Often I find myself making my own band compilations as often what I consider the band's best songs differ from their actual greatest hits. I've made about 3 Jimmy Eat World mixes, one after each of their last 3 albums (though they mostly contain songs from "Clarity", "Bleed American", "Futures" and the "Stay On My Side Tonight" EP, with a couple of new songs thrown in). It's probably time to get a new Third Eye Blind comp going, though their own comp "A Collection" is pretty comprehensive (besides not including Anything on it, which is clearly a mistake).

Friday, February 26th

I had to go to New York for business on Friday, but still had to drive to the airport! I spun my homemade Sloan best of compilation on the drive there and back . I like Sloan but found their actual greatest hits "A Sides Win" comp a bit thin. "Twice Removed", "One Chord To Another" and "Navy Blues" are all great albums where I like a lot of the songs. Even "The Double Cross" released a few years ago had some solid tunes on it. I made this compilation I think in 2013 or 2014, before their latest album "The Commonwealth" was released. It contains songs from every album except "Parallel Play", which I never bought or heard (I didn't like the first single Believe In Me, so didn't bother to check out the album). Sloan is a very consistent band as my 23 track mix demonstrates.

Okay, I'm going to shut it down for now, until next time.

Best of 2015

So, I felt 2015 was a pretty damn good year for music so I'm going to run down my personal faves in this easy to read list!

20. Def Leppard - Def Leppard

Okay, don't run when you see this one leading off. I like all kinds of music but I was 11 when "Hysteria" came out, so I'll always have affinity for Def Lep. I think Def Leppard have released 3 studio albums since 2000. Their last effort, "Songs From The Sparkle Lounge", didn't do much for me so I was skeptical about this one. But it is better than it has any right to be. Total classic Def Leppard sound and it is definitely a welcome return.

Key Tracks: Let's Go, Wings of an Angel, Dangerous, Battle of My Own

19. Marilyn Manson - The Pale Emperor

I'm not a huge MM fan, but I do enjoy his greatest hits and "Mechanical Animals" was a solid record. I kind of lost track of MM after that album, but I saw this one come up in the new releases on Google Play so I downloaded it. I was pleasantly surprised. It has a real bluesy feel to it but still retains the trademark MM bite. Also, creepiest album cover of the year.

Key Tracks: Killing Strangers, Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge, Deep Six

18. The Decemberists - What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World

This one came out right at the beginning of 2015 and is one that I re-visit often. I was lucky enough to see the band back in March on this tour and they put on a very good live show.

Key Tracks: Make You Better, 12/17/12, Philomena

17. Drake - If You're Reading This, You're Too Late

I like Drizzy. I like that he wears Toronto on his sleeve and I like his rather minimalist tunes. He goes for substance over grandiose. This was a surprise "mix tape" that seems more like a full fledged album to me, but semantics, I guess. I went to OVO Fest this year and while Kanye did kill it in his guest spot, Drizzy was who the crowd was there for and he delivered.

Key Tracks: Legend, Energy, 6 Man

16. Low - Ones And Sixes

I heard about Low from my friend Simon on a Facebook music forum I'm part of. I guess they've been around for a while (like 20 years) but this is the first music or record I heard from them. I like what I hear a lot. So I have downloaded the rest of their catalogue, but have yet to listen to it (I'll get around to it eventually, see album #6). "Ones And Sixes" is a mellow but melodic album that I've listened to quite a bit since I bought it in September.

Key Tracks: Spanish Translation, Gentle, No End

15. Ash - Kablammo!

I love Ash. The world honestly needs more Ash albums. This was a crowd-funded album apparently but the band rewards those who contributed (and those who contributed by purchasing) with pure power pop at its best. Seriously, if you aren't into and/or familiar with Ash, do yourself a favour and seek out "Intergalactic Sonic 7"s", their first greatest hits record, because it is pure gold. And with this record, the hits keep on coming.

Key Tracks: Let's Ride, Dispatch, Hedonism, Cocoon  

14. Paul Weller - Saturns Pattern

The modfather returns with another gem. I wrote about this record a few posts back but I really enjoy it. Like Springsteen (post coming, I swear), Paul Weller keeps getting better with age.

Key Tracks: White Sky, Saturns Pattern, Going My Way, Pick It Up

13. Wilco - Star Wars

Not so much lo-fi but more the return of tight, 3 minute tunes with impeccable melodies. This was a surprise free album and then I ended up finding the vinyl at Kops Records in Toronto for 50% off (like $12). Completely worth it. Similar to Weller and Springsteen, Wilco seem to be getting better with age.

Key Tracks: More..., The Joke Explained, Random Name Generator

12. Muse - Drones

Definitely a return to form. I didn't dislike "The 2nd Law". I did sort of dislike "The Resistance", but the albums I always revisit in the Muse catalogue are "Origin Of Symmetry" and "Absolution" due to the strong guitar presence. For the first 9 tracks, this album brings it. They apparently went back to recording as a 3-piece on this one and you can hear it. Plus, Mutt Lange co-produced. Given my affection for Def Lep, this is a big plus.

Key Tracks: Reapers, Mercy, The Handler, Psycho

11. Veruca Salt - Ghost Notes

Comeback album from the '90's alt veterans, reunited after a nasty break-up. I think honestly this is their best album. It's certainly their most consistent. The lyrics are biting, the riffs are solid. While I enjoy "8 Arms To Hold You" due to the metal-ness of it, listening to it now, a lot of tracks are somewhat dated. I don't feel that will be the case with this record. Recommended if you are looking for a band that seems to be hitting its stride...close to 20 years after last putting out a record with all 4 original members. Let's hope they keep this reunion going.

Key Tracks: Museum Of Broken Relationships, The Gospel According To Saint Me, Black And Blonde

10. Modest Mouse - Strangers To Ourselves

My wife and I had our first child the last time Modest Mouse released a full-length. Dudes, she is almost 9 now! Back then, Johnny Marr was in the band. He's gone onto solo endeavors now, but the band is still tight, writing solid, wiry tunes that ooze with Isaac Brock's quirkiness. Like Ash, the world needs more Modest Mouse, so hoping I don't have to wait until my daughter turns 18 for the next record.

Key Tracks: Ansel, Wicked Campaign, The Ground Walks, With Time In A Box, Shit In Your Cut

9. Foals - What Went Down

This is a British band that I discovered via Google Play. I don't even know how I did, I just was browsing new releases and I remembered hearing something about the band Foals, so I took a chance. Glad I did. This is a solid record, filled with both guitar anthems and off-kilter pop tunes. I think these guys are a big deal in Britain.

Key Tracks: What Went Down, Mountain At My Gates, A Knife In The Ocean

8. Ryan Adams - 1989

Yep, I dig T-Swift. What I dig more is stripped down, alt-rock/country versions of her hits. Bad Blood is completely re-invented into like a campfire hymn. My New Year's Resolution - you heard it here first - I need to learn Bad Blood on guitar. Check my progress later this year. You have to respect both T-Swift for her song writing chops and Ryan Adams for putting his stamp on these songs, with no hint of disrespect.

Key Tracks: Bad Blood, Style, Wildest Dreams

7. The Dead Weather - Dodge & Burn

Like Veruca Salt and Modest Mouse, we needed Jack White's other band to make a comeback this year. Alison Mosshart is a complete badass. At first, I didn't love this record, but I liked the back half enough to keep spinning it and I have been rewarded with songs that burrow under your skin. Mile Markers might be my favourite song of the year, or at least in the top 3. I know Jack White is a busy guy, but I have 2 requests in 2016 - get a tour going with this band and release another Dead Weather record!

Key Tracks: Mile Markers, Cop and Go, Impossible Winner, I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)

6. Sleater-Kinney - No Cities To Love

This was admittedly my first Sleater-Kinney album purchased and actually the first one I ever listened to. It's a barn burner so I went and downloaded their catalogue on Google Play and I now know what I've been missing. I've read about this band frequently. And I've seen some Portlandia episodes and I have the Pearl Jam live album where PJ opens with an acoustic set and then give it up for Sleater-Kinney (Ed Ved says (this is in the ballpark I feel) "you will now have the profound experience of hearing Sleater-Kinney"), before PJ goes back on. Don't know why I never gave them a shot before considering my complete obsession with buying music. Anyway, the lesson is when you read about a band frequently, don't wait 15 years, check them out right away! Or maybe wait and then you can have a new discovery with a huge discography to tap into.

Key Tracks: No Cities To Love, Bury Our Friends, No Anthems, Price Tag

5. Third Eye Blind - Dopamine

A six year gap between albums is fine with me when the product is of this quality. And this is despite 4 of the first 5 tracks being kinda of a bit too poppy/cute for me. But they are still catchy. What those songs lack in depth, the other 8 tracks bring it and bring it large. There are some great 3EB songs are on this record, some of which could become some of my faves. Apparently, this is it, so if that's the case, then they went out with a nice bang, just check out the confessional lyrics (Stephan Jenkins' best songs are about Charlize Theron or drugs or both) and intense guitar shredding on last track Say It.

Key Tracks: Back to Zero, Something in You, Say It, Exiles

4. El Vy - Return to the Moon

A side project from the National's Matt Berninger and his long-time friend Brent Knopf works well on many levels. While it is not The National, the songs are cut from the same sonic cloth and offer complete satisfaction. Okay, I know I said that Dead Weather track was my fave of the year, but now I think it's I'm the Man to Be from this outfit. The lyrics are off the charts weird, but the swagger is there. Sometimes you need a song to just make you feel something, even if you can't fully explain what that feeling is.

Key Tracks: I'm The Man To Be, Return To The Moon, No Time To Crank The Sun, Sad Case

3. Ghost - Meliora

My friend John gave me the heads-up on this band. By heads-up I mean he said I should run to listen to it immediately, so I did. I really feel the Satan-leaning posturing is a joke, but it doesn't matter, this is a really solid album of progressive metal. But don't run away or be turned off by that label, the songs are accessible and devoid of excessive soloing. No one really knows forsure who is in the band, but they are all players. This album grabs you from the start and doesn't let go. It also warrants and rewards repeat listens. Additionally, 2nd creepiest album cover of the year.

Key Tracks: He Is, Cirice, Absolution, Spirit

2. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Chasing Yesterday

A really solid album that I wrote about earlier in the year. I just listened to it again today as I'm writing this and it still thrills. Some of you may be somewhat shocked that NG isn't number one on my list. It is held out of the top spot by a surprise reunion album that I don't think a lot of people saw coming.

Key Tracks: Riverman, The Ballad Of The Mighty I, The Right Stuff, The Dying Of The Light

1. Blur - The Magic Whip

As evident by last year's list, I was/am still enjoying Damon Albarn's solo album "Everyday Robots". But then Blur announced they recorded a new album, the first with all 4 original members since 1999's "13". Like Veruca Salt, "The Magic Whip" documents a band hitting its stride or at least finding comfort with one another again. Its a bit of an understated affair, but that reflects artistic maturity I think. The ballads are sublime and Go Out squalls with 1997 indie-rock fervor. Highly recommended.

Key Tracks: Go Out, Ong Ong, My Terracotta Heart, Lonesome Street

I'm definitely excited to see what 2016 holds in terms of musical surprises. Until next time...