Top-10 albums of 2014 (part.1)

It's that time of the year again.. time to list my PERSONAL top-10 albums of the year. These are all albums that have had an impact on me as a music listener, a fan and as a musician. Once again I will release the list in two parts. I will exclude re-releases, re-masters, live sets, compilations etc..and focus only on new material released within this year. So, without further ado...Lets begin!


#10 Talons - New Topographics 

Talons was a new find for me this year. They're an UK-based instrumental post-rock/post-metal outfit who've been around since 2008. New Topographics is their third full-lenght album. It uses a lot of experimentation with chilling strings and noisy guitars. All the songs stand out from the mass of post-rock material released these days with their brilliant compositions. A lot of the timbre's bring Godspeed You! Black Emperor to my mind with a little bit more of pop-like parts thrown in the mix, yet keeping the songs diverse and emotional. 


Favourite track(s): Monuments, The Wild Places






#9 Pianos Become The Teeth - Keep You

Yet another band I found just this year, Pianos Become The Teeth is one of the bands from "the wave" of screamo/post-hardcore bands of the 2000's and 2010's along with bands like Touché Amoré and La Dispute. I came across their earlier material and noticed that their new album "Keep You" was being released this fall. I got myself familiar with PBTT's older material just in time for the new album to drop out and I got to say, at first I didn't enjoy it a lot. But Keep You kept growing on me during the following weeks. I guess that's what this kind of music a lot of times does with me. Keep You is filled with emotional lyricism and features a lot more softer side of the band than their earlier material. Sticking only with clean vocals was a bold but awesome move from PBTT. 

If you are a fan of emo and/or post-hardcore, then give this album a listen and let it grow on you. 

Favourite track(s): Lesions, Repine, Late Lives, Enamor Me







#8 DJ Kridlokk - Mutsi 

Ah..The first rap album of the list. The Finnish Dj Kridlokk is a rap artist/producer who's part of the KC/MD Mafia and is infamous for his Finnish Memphis sound. Mutsi is Kridlokk's follow-up to his album UG-Solo which was released in 2011. The album has a really grim sound and lyrics that are both critical and badass. Kridlokk rhymes about real life and how he's fed up with the world. But to me, the album is more about the sound, feel and atmosphere than taking the lyrics seriously. The two feature's of the album are by Kridlokk's colleagues Tuuttimörkö and Eevil Stöö and they both perform their verses just right. 

Favourite track(s): Lokin Ipsum, IDKFA, Stö & Lok 







#7 La Dispute - Rooms Of The House

I had great expectations for the new La Dispute album after their masterpiece Wildlife from 2011 which in my books is a solid 10/10 album. Rooms Of The House continues fluently with just about the same style as Wildlife. Sounds are just as raw and the lyrical themes are just as depressing as they were last time. Once again I had to listen to "Rooms" a little more than a few times to fully understand it's grace and all the emotions it emits. 

Once again the band utilises bits and sounds outside their live band with the inclusion of for example the glockenspiel. But I love how all their songs are played just as they are live - raw and hard-hitting. The guitar sounds are full of vibes which just give me the chills every time they hit a chord. Vocalist Jordan Dreyer's vocal performance is  heartbreaking and the emotions he is capable of producing with his voice are amazing. 

Favourite track(s): Hudsonville MI, 1956; 35; Scenes from highways 1981/2009

#6 Swans - To Be Kind

When this monster of an album hit everybody in the face in the alternative music scene I was really ignorant and left it without a listen (except for the song Oxygen which was released as a single before the album) until well into the fall. Upon revisiting To Be Kind I was really surprised when I found out how elaborate and powerful it was. I guess I just wasn't ready to listen to it when it released. I just had to have a right state of mind to sit through this 2 hour greatness. To Be Kind feels like such a flowing album that the time just flies by and it feels amazing.

I am in no position to compare To Be Kind to Swans' earlier material as I have almost no experience of their albums before it (apart from a couple of listens of The Seer). I guess I'm fairly new to experimental music in a scale of this big. In To Be Kind I fell in love with the atmospheric building structures and the contrast of delicate timbres of clean guitars painting the soundscape to the crushing aggressive pounding of the bass and drums accompanied by Mr. Gira's menacing vocals.

Swans uses their instruments extremely diversely and create sounds out of this world. Every song on the double LP is a journey through the bands collective mind which seems to write every bit out amazingly naturally. Even though a lot the time the songs are very static the little nuances of for example sudden guitar harmonies or vocals that surprise the listener keep the journey interesting throughout the album. Not a single song feels too repetitive or too long (even though there are a lot of songs that surpass the lengths of typical rock songs). 

I can see To Be Kind being the "Skinny Fists" of the 2010's in the future being an experimental masterpiece and I can already see it getting a same kind of recognition throughout fans of alternative music listeners. 

Favourite track(s): Just A Little Boy (For Chester Burnett), Bring The Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture, 





This concludes the first 5 of my top-10 albums of 2014. I will finish the list during these few days (within a week at most). 

Leave a comment if you agree with me on the list or have your own favourites.


Peace and LOVE
- Matti

Album Review: Code Orange - I Am King

Time for a new album review of an album that came out a couple of months ago already (I know I'm a bit late on this one but who cares). The new Code Orange album I Am King is a mix of metalcore and hardcore with a hint of sludge. The sounds are familiar to any fan of Converge as the album was released by Converge's frontman Jacob Bannon's own Deathwish Inc. and produced by none other than Bannon's bandmate, guitarist Kurt Ballou.

I came to I Am King completely blind (or preferably deaf), without knowing or hearing anything about the band and I was pleasantly surprised with the rich but raw guitar and bass sounds and some mindblowingly great production by mr. Ballou. The compositions instantly trigger memories of classic Converge albums like Jane Doe to my mind. The songs are heavy but also cleverly composed with unique twists throughout the album. Little things like tempo and time signature changes make things interesting for me in this album. Of course typical metalcore-breakdown riffing can be heard on I Am King but it's not abused too much in my opinion.

The vocals on this album are greatly performed by three of the band-members: drummer Jami Morgan and guitarists Eric Balderose and Reba Meyers. Their vocals range from screaming and shouting to spoken-word kind of muttering and even clean singing.

While Kurt Ballou did a great job engineering and producing this album it almost, just almost falls to the point of being overproduced, especially with the drum sounds in my opinion. The bass drum sounds really flat and lifeless, though that's what it's supposed to be like I guess. To me it just feels like a plug-in bass sound. More unique drum sounds could've made this album an even more enjoyable experience.

The overall energy of the album is ungodly big. Each song brings something new to the table, and that's saying a lot in genres like hardcore and metalcore which are filled with bands that copy each other to the grave.

Favourite songs: I Am King, Slowburn, Bind You
8/10

- Matti

Album review: ∞ - Emme Näe Elämää

Wow.. I've been waiting for this album for quite a while already and finally it's here. The new ∞ (eight) album Emme Näe Elämää feels like a fresh breath of cold air after their earlier masterpiece Näyt Kauas from 2012. The new album seems to continue from where the last one left yet the sound seems to head more towards the screamo elements mixed with post-rock and away from post-metal when comparing the two. 

Eight sticks to the same elements sound-wise in this album as the last one. The vocals are as great as they were last time with melancholy-filled moaning and screaming that really give me the chills. Not only are the vocals improved, so are the instrumentals; drum and bass sounds are varied and dynamic ranging from quiet and distant to crushing and shrill. 

"Kuinka kauan kestää toukokuun lumi?"

Compositionally Eight keeps it's quality with utilising varied elements of alternative genres. The post-rock-esque crescendos and clean guitars mix once again perfectly with the contrast of crushing style of hardcore. I was personally intrigued by the little bit of noise in the outro of the song Tuntemisaisti. Even some always-welcome blast beat action was carried out in the climaxes of the songs Kuuron Laulu and Juostaan Ylös Vuorelle. Kuuron Laulu features more aggressive and fast-paced riffs in the first half of the song. It then takes a long time building up to a crushing ending with blast beat and tremolo riffing. 

The lyrics of the album are very poetic with themes of solitude, dreams and a lot of metaphorical storytelling. I especially love the lyrics of Lohdutusseremonia which seems to tell of life and death and dealing with loss. The whole song is a melancholic piece which starts with a sad melodic guitar and a groovy drum beat. The song alternates between soft and hard with a great crescendo in the middle of the song which then comes apart and goes back to where the whole song started. 

As a fan of post-rock, hardcore and post-metal this album doesn't let me down the slightest. Every song is a story and an adventure to experience. 




Favourite songs: Lohdutusseremonia, Kuuron Laulu, Antakaa Meidän Nukahtaa

8.5/10 

Clearly one of this year's strongest albums to me. 

Indie Shoutout vol. 7

A Troop Of Echoes is a Providence, Rhode Island -based post-rock/mathrock group with a touch of jazziness and a lot of potential. Their newest full-length album The Longest Year On Record was released last June. The core band consists of a guitarist (Nick Cooper), a bassist (Harrison Hartley), a drummer (Dan Moriarty) and a saxophonist (Peter Gilli). The album also features almost 20 guest artists on strings, horns, percussions etc. 

At first listen The Longest Year On Record seems like a breath of fresh air on a sunny but cold autumn day. The melodies and rhythms are both mellow and upright at the same time. The pace of the album seems to be carried by a change of energetic and calm parts. 

The album's opener Manifest and Legion is a beautiful song which utilises the bands capabilities from the get-go. Groovy drums, beautiful guitar melodies and jazzy saxophone playing along with "the feels" of post-rock. The ending which consists of a rumbling wall of all kinds of drums and toms and such leads the song to the second track Small Fires which is an energetic piece. To me the only downside to this track is that at times the saxophone melody seems like it should be a vocal melody..only it's played on a sax. The highpoint is when the sax gets a little boost from a reverb and plays some high notes. Small Fires was a good choice for a single release. The third song Arecibo doesn't really bring a lot more to the table other than some crunchier bass-lines and a tad more distortion on the guitar.

Further down the album the song Severna hit me totally. This was the point in which I knew The Longest Year On Record was a good album. It starts off with a beautiful saxophone melody which then leads to the rest of the band coming along. The song has a great saxophone solo by Gilli. I also have to give credit to the drums on this track. The first half is groovy and the latter gives the song a lot of dynamic potential...I mean a LOT. The next song Constellation is also a favourite of mine. A great crescendo leading to a guitar melody that breaks out of typical keys to bring the song an interesting touch. The ending is another crescendo in the feel of the first one adding once again some great dynamic drum play. 

The title track of the album comes second to last; after a beautifully constructed sort of an interlude-like song Broadway Ghost which carries the album onward nicely. The Longest Year On Record is yet again a very dynamic track. It doesn't really introduce anything new other than a tempo change and some chorus singing. A very enjoyable track which grows throughout the track. 

The ending song Pure Alexia (is silent in this room) is almost a perfect ender in all it's subtlety. The sounds of the piano and the sax fit well together in this one. After the end I'm left with a great, refreshed feel of satisfaction. The only gripes I had with this album were minor out-of-tune saxophone parts (or maybe it's just me) and I wish the bass was mixed a tad louder. 

All in all a great album and worth at least a download. A Troop Of Echoes has the album available for digital download, CD and an upcoming vinyl release. The download and order is possible through their bandcamp site @https://atroopofechoes.bandcamp.com 

Love

- Matti

Panopticon - A Throwback To A Greater Time

It's time to talk about my all time favourite album: Panopticon by ISIS. Ipecac Records put out a remaster to celebrate Panopticon's 10th anniversary earlier this year and I've been going back to that numerous times during the summer. To me the remaster wasn't such an improvement over the original as I thought it would be (considering the Celestial remaster a few years back from ISIS) but of course I enjoyed the album as much as the good old Panopticon from 2004. All the changes I noticed after a good amount of listened between the two versions was that the synths seemed to be clearer and more upfront in the remaster and some of the vocals seemed to be pushed down a bit. 

Anyway, I was here to talk about my opinions on the album itself. First of all I have to tell, the artwork of the album is absolutely and completely amazing and fits the themes of the album perfectly. Whenever I listen to the album all I can think of are industrial settings and blue (I wonder why??).

Panopticon starts out with So Did We, which I consider the epitome of ISIS to me. The structure of the song is beautiful. The creeping guitar sounds and tight drums accompany each other amazingly and the eerie but still aggressive vocals are nicely blended to not be the lead "instrument" of the composition. The so-called breakdown of the song where the harsh riffing cuts down and the clean guitar melodies paint a gorgeous landscape only to progress into the last crushing riff of the song which always send chills down my spine. At the end of the song I feel somehow pumped up for the rest of the album which I know is going to be as amazing as this was.

Backlit starts out a lot friendlier and progresses through the song with both quiet and loud points to a groovy break with and awesome baseline. The song also ends with a bang. Aaron Turners vocal performance is shining in Backlit as he changes back and forth with clean and harsh vocals. At this point I also have to mention the raw-like drum sounds which play a huge role in the album's grooviness. 

Next comes In Fiction which is one of the bands most notable songs with a great music video. The song's structure is a basic post-rocky post-metal song structure which starts out quiet and continues to grow until a breakdown which brings the song to ground level once again. I have to mention the moment when the drums shift to a hit on the snare rather than a sidestick is a great point in the song. The breakdown isn't the end of the song though as it teases you by raising the momentum bits at a time only to grow to a crushing guitar riff. The song ends by going back to it's opening motions, the clean melody.

The next song, Wills Dissolve is the shortest song in the album and it starts with an eerie clean motion followed by a groovy drum beat. The same theme continues with a distorted guitar and more heavy drumming. The vocals hit the song just barely after the four minute mark with a raspy clean melody. The rest of the song progresses to a heavy ending which crushes even harder than the earlier songs. 

Wills Dissolve ties well with the next song Syndic Calls which continues straight from where it was left. The guitar groove in the beginning has stuck in my mind since the first listens. The crescendo towards the end of the song is what post-metal is to me, distorted sound which somewhat still sounds like the most beautiful thing in the world. 

The opening riff of Altered Course shows how a good groove can be made with just a guitar and the drums. After the bass hits the song it becomes even more groovy. The song makes me nod every time I listen to it. Altered Course feels a lot more philosophical (if you can say that of an instrumental song) than the other songs. The melodies and the construction seem thought provoking and interesting. 

The ending track Grinning Mouths sums up all the feels of the album; the sadness, the energy and all the blue colour in the world. The song starts with a very creepy guitar melody.  When the heavy hits of crushing guitars and toms hit the scene only to carry the song on to the next section which - to everybody's surprise - isn't a crushing riff but a continuation of the creepy sound. Only after a brief break is the song lifted up and up to the heights of the sky. The tremolo melody leads the song to the heavy riffage and harsh vocals. After that comes the moment which is a very non-ISIS-like move; a sudden break to a strumming chord. The next riff is probably one of my favourites from the whole album accompanied by a perfect distorted melody. The same motif continues through the rest of the song which ends to a bang. 

That concludes my thoughts on Panopticon, an album so meaningful to me. I remember the day my brother introduced the album to me. The same day (or a couple days later) I just had to buy the CD and listen to it many times through. I can't wait to find an album to top Panopticon, though it seems highly improbable.

 

-Matti

Summer sounds lovely - let it rain

I've been busy and not-so-busy this summer with a lot of stuff (mainly my graduation, music festivals, my band and my civil service [equivalent to military service only non-military]). New bands have found their way into my library of music but I've also re-discovered some older material that has been totally forgotten (i.e found a copy of Brave Murder Day by Katatonia in a second hand music store last week). 

Lately I've also had a look towards Finnish rap artists like DJ Kridlokk, Eevil Stöö, Tuuttimörkö and such. 

Anyway, the main point for this update was to talk about Ilosaarirock music festival which is held in july every year in my hometown of Joensuu. For me it's the best festival Finland has for many reasons. First of all the festival area is beautiful, large and versatile (suiting a music festival perfectly). I have lots of memories regarding Ilosaarirock (for example the best show I've ever been to was ISIS at Ilosaarirock in 2009). The line-up is always great and variant with artists from different genres like hardcore, electronic, rock, metal, pop etc...you name it. 

This year was yet again a great one for Ilosaarirock as the line-up had some bands I was really anticipating for some of the bands. The memorable artists/bands this year were definitely Gracias & The Globe Band (hip-hop), OJJ (electronic), KC/MD Mafia (hip-hop), Oranssi Pazuzu (psychedelic black-metal), Night Lives (hardcore), Haim (indie rock), Opeth (progressive rock/metal) and last but not least Portishead!!

The highlights of the festival were definitely Opeth and Portishead. They both played an extremely pleasant show and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. Opeth played some older material (early 2000's Deliverance/Damnation era) as well as newer stuff (mainly from Heritage and Watershed). Mikael was funny as always and his growls seemed fine to me. I don't really get the hate from fans towards his growling vocals (I mean c'mon the man is over 40 already with over 20 years of touring and playing in several bands and growling his lungs out like a beast for so long). 

Portishead was beyond magical and huge. They played songs from all of their albums and the total playtime for the show was over one and a half hours. They didn't speak anything in between the songs until a few thank-you's after the show. The visuals they had were very fitting to the songs with some psychedelic vibes and moody photography. 

All in all once again I had a great time in Ilosaarirock this year (also this is a bit late as it was a month ago but I've been busy so that's a valid excuse). 

Next time I will write about one of my favourite albums of all time and a re-mastered version that was released this year. 

Peace and Love
- Matti

Indie Shoutout vol. 6

Night Lives is a fresh sound in the music scene of Joensuu, Finland. Their hardcore sound instantly triggers an image of the hardcore monster Converge in my mind. Night Lives released their debut LP titled Shadow Of Man this month. The album contains 8 strong hardcore songs with a bit of sludge and post-metal thrown in the mix for some personality.

I had heard of Night Lives in early 2014 when I heard a couple of songs from the upcoming album from their bandcamp-site.

Shadow Of Man is divided into 2 sides as it's only released as vinyl and digital download (links below). The A-side starts with a track called No Dawn which demonstrates the band's contrast-filled sound of hardcore and post-metal. The second track Burn Tradition was probably the first track I heard of this band. This track brings more of that hardcore punk element to the album which then continues in the track Vows. Strong riffs and the vocal sound accompany each other through the track which ends on a melodic and melancholic lead guitar melody/riff. The last track on the A-side is called Break which is pure Converge-styled HC.

We then switch to the B-side which starts with a mellow and eerie intro to the song First Tide. The song develops into a huge crushing explosion. The song then connects itself to the next track Last Wave which continues with the energy-filled punk riffs. After that the record calms down to the title track Shadow Of Man which starts with a cello intro giving the song some distance from the rest of the album. Shadow Of man is clearly my favorite track of the album as it sticks out the most of the eight songs. The last song Dawn is a slow closing track that has a lot or melodic guitar leads and post-metal-ish crushing.

Over all the album reminds me a lot of the epitome-record Jane Doe of Converge. I will definitely check Night Lives out in Ilosaarirock this summer

Shadow Of Man is available for download for only 6€ @ nightlivesband.bandcamp.com.




Peace
- Matti