SIT72's Top 25 of 2011

[Dextrimental]

Fucking yes, Hiromi rules! Unfortunately I discovered this album only a month ago and as such I didn't have the time to digest it as much as I would have liked to, so it just missed my top 25, still, great to see her getting some recognition on here!

Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSRELqtY-Cc

[slapguitarer]

Originally Posted by SomewhereInTime72

#14
Hiromi - Voice

Hiromi Uehara is without a doubt my favorite modern Jazz musician. Her talent as a pianist/keyboardist is overwhelming and obvious. And her style draws lots of influence from Fusion bands, particularly calling to mind Return To Forever (to the degree that she has worked with members of RTF on occasion), but also shows flashes of rock, funk and classical sounds - all revolving around a deliciousy chewy jazz center. Voice is sort of a "back to the roots" jazz album, with just a trio of bass, drums, and grand piano playing the entire album.

In this album, the piano very much takes the main stage, though the other instruments are appropriately played with varying vigor and minimality. (Weird fact, the drums are played by Simon Phillips, the very same studio drummer from Priest's classic Sin After Sin.) There is a very calm vibe throughout this album, and I think it really fills you with a warm feeling when you listen to it. Even in the moments when certain instruments get rather frantic (and Hiromi's piano often does), the song as a whole just feels really soothing. This album maintains a brilliant balance of excellent musicianship and beautiful melodies.

Can't find any clips from the album on youtube, so I apologize for not being able to include any.

This is another one I forgot about! Damn. I'll have to listen to it later.

[SomewhereInTime72]

Pretty awesome to know there are other Hiromi fans on here despite this being a metal board, haha.

Also wow, got bumped off of page one in just a couple of days. I'll be updating more often now that I'm done with my egregious finals schedule so hopefully no more of that.

[SomewhereInTime72]

#13
Anthrax - Worship Music

After listening to this album, I felt like I owed Anthrax an apology. After going 8 years without making a new album, and following ridiculous lineup changes - I genuinely expected this record to suck. All my bad expectations outweighed the return of Joey Belladonna to the band (partly, because I think John Bush was also a fantastic singer). Having heard it, I realized I could not have been more wrong. While not a complete thrash album like Among the Living, this album contains a decent dose of thrash riffs behind a very strong traditional metal package. The riffs, songwriting, singing, and overall sound of the album conveys a band still in their prime, rather than a band whose best work is almost 25 years old.

The album does have a few segue tracks, which honestly I could take or leave because they don't add much to the music as a whole - but all of the full length songs are great metal tunes. When I put this album on, I find myself headbanging excitedly from the first moments of "Earth on Hell" to the last moments of "Revolution Screams." It is honestly beyond any expectation I could have that this abum completely lacks dull moments. Worship Music, manages to display Anthrax shoving away Slayer, Metallica, and even Megadeth to prove themselves as the most relevant of the "big four" thrash bands.

Recommended songs:
"The Devil You Know"
"The Giant"

[IrritatedTrout]

Good to see so many people with Worship Music in their lists.

[treghet]

Originally Posted by SomewhereInTime72

(partly, because I think John Bush was also a fantastic singer)

His voice makes me want to set myself on fire.

[SomewhereInTime72]

Originally Posted by treghet

His voice makes me want to set myself on fire.

This represents a fault on your end.

[SomewhereInTime72]

#11
Childish Gambino - Camp


This will probably be the most unpopular choice I've put on this list. Admittedly, of the albums that made my top 25, it's the most recent addition and the one that I've had the least opportunities to listen to - and thus the album I'm least sure about the standing of. Still as of now, I simultaneously think that #12 is a fair spot for it, while considering it one of the greatest disappointments of the year (after Heritage I guess). First the bad before the good. EP was an amazing tiny little bundle of songs - and I was honestly hoping that Camp would turn out to be this mythical awesomeness of that EP multiplied almost 3 times. This is very much not the case, because where EP was a little drop of concentrated awesome - Camp is a giant pool of rap that contains more total awesome, but spreads it out much further along the way.

This album is an expansion - it takes everything and makes more of it, which is meh in some cases and great in others. At times the production is so over the top that it becomes distracting on what is supposed to be a rap album, at times the songs rely on Donald Glover's (passable, but not so good) singing uncomfortably too much. However, ultimately I feel that the amount of times where the aforementioned issues actually work dwarfs the amount of times it doesn't. A certain infamous review* of this album criticizes the lyrical content and the Childish Gambino persona established on this album. However as someone would would be able to seriously enjoy a metal song about worshiping the cock of Satan, I find these criticisms to be largely irrelevant and in fact falling for one of the worst musical traps that exist - judging a creation by the creator.

Ultimately, I put Camp here because of how much I enjoyed it as an album fits around here. I liked it the most of the hip-hop albums I've heard this year, more so than any of the Odd Future related releases (though admittedly, Goblin only slightly falls short of making my top 25). As such, I don't think it's a stretch to say that the hip-hop album I enjoyed the most this year falls firmly at #12.

Recommended songs:
"All The Shine" (softer more singy song where it actually works)
"You See Me" (dat third verse)

*side note: my favorite part is that the longest paragraph of the review is dedicated entirely to taking offense that a single line on the album carries the implication that indie music is not exactly equally popular among all races

[BloodoftheKings]

I thought Camp was universally hated. I could never get into this guy.

[Dextrimental]

Worship Music - YES

Never listened to Childish Gambino, not setting my world on fire at first listen, but I'll give the record a couple of going's over and see if anything clicks!