My Top 10 Reviewed Albums:
– Nate Williams
1. Band Marino – The Sea & The Beast – An achingly addicting combination of indie-pop and folk, The Sea & The Beast is pure fun. This band has a truly unique sound that will make folk-haters and folk-lovers alike stomp their feet and sing along. I’ve listened to it endlessly.
2. Scott & Aimee – Sitting In A Tree – Playing a unique blend of SoCal punk, reggae, metal and pop, Scott & Aimee serve up mounds of sarcasm and dark humor, as well as tenderness and passion with Sitting In A Tree. It has to be heard to be believed. This one sees regular play in my car stereo.
3. The Vision of a Dying World – And The Grammar Lamb – Possibly one of the most bizarre and yet lovable bands I’ve ever heard, The Vision of a Dying World pulled off some amazing folk-rock with the second of their albums that I reviewed.
4. Joshua Marcus – Make/Believe– Unfortunately brief, this CD displays some fantastic songwriting from Marcus. It made the list almost solely due to the song “Coal or Smoke,” which I think is one of the most finely written folk songs to come along in a long time.
5. Botox Party – Bring In The Suck EP – “Near Perfect Punk” was the headline given for the review of this EP in our first print edition and it’s true. The punk band Botox Party not only kicks ass musically but has some great, poignant lyrics. The song “Elitist Social Class” stands out as a protest of punks against elitist punks.
6. The New Atlantic – The Streets, The Sounds and The Love – Mellow indie-rock at some of its finest, The New Atlantic sets itself up to explode on the mainstream in the near future with this release. Seriously, keep an eye out. You’ll probably be seeing them all over the place soon.
7. Guff – Symphony of Voices – Guff’s balls-to-the-wall style exudes from this album. One can’t help but feel the need to bang his/her head and sing/shout the lyrics. This is pure rockin’ fun, plain and simple.
8. The Horrifics – Now Fear This – Hardcore punk with a nerdy twist. How can you go wrong? The album shows off not only that The Horrifics are an awesome punk band, but that they have a great sense of humor with lyrics that are quite atypical of your normal hardcore punk band (with subject matter including Godzilla, aliens and Uzumaki.)
9. Dawn Of The Dude – International Time Travel With Magical Babes – This is the way pop-punk should be: fun and original. These guys know that they’re a pop band. In fact, they lovingly acknowledge it by letting influences from ‘50s, ‘80s and ‘90s pop seep in throughout the album.
10. The Measure [SA”> – Historical Fiction – Some great songwriting made this folk punk band this year. The dynamic between singers/guitarists Lauren Measure and Mike Regrets goes a long way to set this band apart from the crowd. If you can, find the song “It’s Me or The Marlboro Man,” cause it’s absolutely awesome.