In alphabetical order:
1. Big Business--Here Come the Waterworks
The heaviest duo of all time sounds like an unstoppable army, kicking out some serious jams and proving that King Buzzo and Dale Crover weren't the only great minds behind The Melvins' utterly fantastic A Senile Animal. Heavier than any grunge and faster than any punk you're likely to hear today.
2. Grinderman--Grinderman
Nick Cave's new band rocks louder, harder, and dirtier than anything else he's done in years. Most great artists in their 50s would sound like self-parodies making such a raucous, id-fueled record (see the Stooges' reunion album), but Cave manages to be funny, terrifying, and genuinely out of control.
3. Megadeth--United Abominations
Megadeth are mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore--lucky us! Mustaine and the gang's ferocious new outing takes on the world and comes out on top. If UA causes Bush, Cheney, Rice, Gonzales, or any UN Ambassador to go into hiding, no one can blame them.
4. Nine Inch Nails--Year Zero
Trent Reznor makes his most mature, focused album to date, and still shows no signs of slowing down or compromising. If the near future isn't too much like Reznor imagines it, people will be interpreting and deciphering this album for years to come.
5. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum--In Glorious Times
Sleepytime's third straight movie for your ears shows the force (can you really call them a band?) serving their eclectic arrangements with first rate compositions. Their music makes the case that full-fledged monsters can be captured on tape, and those beasts will emerge at whatever venue SGM bring their magic to.
Also well worth rocking out to:
Bjork—Volta
Dimmu Borgir—In Sorte Diaboli
Jesu—The Conqueror
Machine Head—The Blackening
Queens of the Stone Age—Era Vulgaris
The rest of the year looks very promising, with pending new releases from High on Fire, Metallica, Andrew W.K., Dillinger Escape Plan, The Giraffes, Radiohead, King's X, Arch Enemy, and (for maybe the 10th year in a row)--Guns N' Roses.
Next month'll be more productive, I promise--in the meantime, enjoy the great music!
2 comments:
I know this is a late comment but I had to give you credit for coming up with a top five. I was so unable to get the number that low. Impossible. Anyways, you have motivated me to start keeping a tally of this as well. See you at the shows.
Thanks, Ken! I'm looking forward to seeing your top fives, top tens, or whatever music lists you come up with.
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