It's A Boy!

The recent exciting news for me is stated in the title. In other words the Brown family name lives on for at least another generation started by my Papa (grandpa) Earl Vern Brown. Well it started well before that but from my presence on I will refer to him as the original since I didn't know any of his parents. Earl lived a good life giving birth to 6 children, 4 daughters and 2 sons. His second son, Doug, my father, then gave birth to 4 more sons, Myself, Nick, Dennis, and Gary. I was the first born in our family as well as was the first born boy grandchild to my grandparents, thus the first capable of being able to carry on the family name past my father who was the last born son of the original Brown family. If you're not confused already I will confuse you some more by telling you out of the 6 children of Earl, 4 girls and 2 sons, there arose a total of 19 grandchildren. This made for some rather large family gatherings, most of which were made up of my aunts, uncles and cousins, of which took on different names, due to well, the majority of the family being females, and tradition being that females wed and took on the name of their male partner, which was the case for the Browns. My uncle Bert however, did have 3 more sons who are currently in the game for producing more Browns as well.

Anywho, long story sorta short, I was the first born male grandchild, the first born male or female, period, to go on to college and graduate from a 4-year university, and the first born male grandchild to give birth to a great grandchild to my late grandfather Earl Brown, with the Brown name intact. Our daughter Presley was born on May 27th, 2009 and is currently the only living 4th generation 'Brown'. My cousins beat me to the grandchild boat, however, they do not possess the Brown name due to circumstances beyond my control. As sweet and precious as little Presley is, unless she weds to another female and takes the butch role and keeps the Brown name and artificially gives birth to another generation that way, the Brown name is in current jeopardy of vanishing. My three brothers are by no means a shoe in the door for yielding a boy to carry on the mighty Brown name, let alone a guarantee of producing offspring period. Currently my youngest brother Gary stands the strongest chance of placing the precision sperm placement such that his oldest brother recently accomplished. He has a steady girlfriend, is young, dumb, and full of cum, again, literally. My Brother Nick who is second oldest is currently engaged to be married next summer to a nice old gal, who has 3 children from another name, which doesn't mean Nick can't do it, it just means maybe Nick shouldn't do it. And Dennis, well Dennis, is a wild card. He may have some bastard Browns running around already, he may be a closet homosexual, he may go on to produce a record number of Brown babies. But chances are he will be more interested in catching a record brown trout. All in all, there still stands a good chance my brothers could produce and whether or not they do, it doesn't matter because come May 2012, the deed will have been done.

Next paragraph.

Okay, enough of a Brown history lesson, I can't describe the excitement leading up to yesterdays ultrasound, which enabled us to get a sneak peak at the genitals of our baby boy. We were excited with Presley back in 08'/09 but for some reason the excitement this time was 10 fold, at least for me. I think my wife can agree. Most likely with Presley we had not experienced being parents yet and either way, we were focused on process and more eager as to how it was going to be once the baby was born. This time was crazy. My heart was pounding and the anxiety and suspense of sitting in the exam room looking at the ultrasonic pictures of the unborn fetus trying to make out a penis or vagina while the radiology tech lady was taking measurements and checking vital signs, not knowing what it was yet, was killing me. Finally the screen turned off and the lady said everything looks good, babies vitals are functioning and the doctor will be with you shortly. Me and my wife looked at eachother and were happy of course but were left a little uneasy. My wife immediately asked if she was able to make out the gender. She laughed and had thought she already told us, and said congratulations you are having a baby boy. She said it was the first thing that she saw when the screen turned on. She then put the ultrasound equipment back up and quickly scanned to my future sons junk and said see that there, thats your boys hog. It was a moment of shear joy, that was not quite matched when we found out the sex of our first child. I don't know if that is common or not, but thats how it was for me. I must add, we both would have been perfectly happy with another girl, however, we would have had to go against the odds of my brothers carrying on the family name.

All in all this story sounds like its about carrying on the family name and how boys are better than girls, but really its about the excitement we both shared yesterday at the doctors office in a once in a lifetime experience for us, as well as a short history lesson on the Browns. We now will get to experience the joys of raising both a boy and a girl to the best of our abilities, something that neither my parents, nor my wife Amanda's parents got to do. Hopefully this is an enjoyable read as it was to write. I've got more music posts to come someday, but figured it was a good time to write this while Amanda was in Presley's room clearing out all her baby girl clothes that were too small and of no more use to us. Man did she have a lot of clothes. The only downfall now is that we have to buy all new stuff for the boy and can't utilize the hand-me down tool. Oh well, who wants to wear clothes that got shit in for 2 years anyway? Well I'm sure our friend's babies won't mind.

Long live the Browns!!!!

2011 Honorable Mentions

Okay, upon popular demand (not really) I have another list for you. More cool albums from 2011 that didn't quite make the top 20. Some were really close, though, and depending on the day could very well be in there. Here are some honorable mention albums I think you should know about beginning at #21 going up to #50 in that exact order. I could have gone and ranked my whole collection but decided to keep it short.

Artist - Album

#21: Lower Than Atlantis - World Record
#22: Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions
#23: Rise Against - End Game
#24: Trap Them - Darker Handcraft
#25: Unearth - Darkness in the Light
#26: Hull - Beyond the Lightless Sky
#27: I Am The Avalanche - Avalanche United
#28: City and Color - Little Hell
#29: Bury Your Dead - Mosh 'N' roll
#30: Daniel Davies - Hidden Faces (EP)
#31: Maylene & The Sons of Disaster - IV
#32: Ben Howard - Every Kingdom
#33: The Atlas Moth - An Ache For The Distance
#34: Defeater - Empty Days and Sleepless Nights
#35: Junius - Reports From The Threshold of Death
#36: Megadeth - Th1rt3en
#37: Rival Sons - Pressure and Time
#38: Savious - Death's Procession
#39: Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination
#40: Tesla - Twisted Wires (Acoustic)
#41: Lazarus A.D. - Black Rivers Flow
#42: Graveyard - Hisingen Blues
#43: Times of Grace - The Hymn of a Broken Man
#44: Trivium - In Waves
#45: The Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps
#46: Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
#47: Polar Bear Club - Clash Battle Guilt Pride
#48: My Morning Jacket - Circuital
#49: In Flames - Sounds of a Playground Fading
#50: Falling Up - Your Sparkling Death Cometh

If I've left any out please let me know. I tend to get lost in the music, but thats okay. I was too lazy to put descriptions on every one of these and didn't want to bore you any more than I probably have already. Depending on how serious you are about music, you may or may not have heard of a lot of these bands. I would be happy to fill you in on any questions you might have. Or again, if you have any suggestions based on the bands you've seen listed that I may enjoy leave a comment and I'll hop on it.

Top 5 albums of 2011

Okay, so those who give a shit, I've narrowed it down to my top 5 albums of the year. No better time to write this up than now. The baby just went down for a nap and my other option is raking up the leaves in the backyad. Leaves don't sound very inviting right now so I will suffer through listening to and talking about music.

I've gone back and forth numerous times to figure out the exact order to rank these, with each one being at the top slot for a period of time. So I basically recently re-listened to each of these albums in their entirety to get to a final verdict. It was tough and since I've listened to these albums over and over more than most albums on the year it came down to which ones stood out at this point in time. Here we go;

#5 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Here We Rest

I've been connected to Jason Isbell since I discovered him as a singer/songwriter with Drive-By Truckers. His solo work since he's left the Truckers has been fantastic. Some of my favorite Drive-By Trucker songs were written and sung by him including, 'Never Gonna Change", "When the Well Runs Dry", and "Decoration Day". This album was sitting higher on the list for a while and the re-listens of it knocked it back a couple notches since there are a couple songs I seem to want to skip each time they come up including 'Never Could Believe' and, well actually that is the only one I didn't really care for. The songs are well written and musically sound and unique. Watch out for Isbell, he is a master mind with music. This is concludes all non-metal releases of the year, making it my #1 non-metal album of the year, I guess. Can play this over and over, doesn't get old. Heartfelt lyrics through and through. He seems to be dealing with some rough times connected to the military and overseas wars?

Standout Track: Stopping By

Lyrics:
Driving to a baseball game on a Friday afternoon
Hotter than hell in Atlanta, Georgia.
I guess it's been fifteen years since I came through here
Probably should have called to warn you.

But I'm stopping by. I'm stopping by, Daddy.

How did your life turn out? Do you ever think about
a teenage girl in Chattanooga?
You ever tell your folks the truth?
That might've been the last of you.
Would've been a shame. We hardly knew ya.

Now I'm stopping by. I'm stopping by, Daddy.

I think the best of me's still standing in the doorway
Counting cars and counting days and counting years
I could say you made me go through life the hard way
But it might've been worse if you were here...

Looking through a picture book. There's one I think my momma took.
You couldn't have been much over twenty.
Shirtless in your cutoff jeans, you hand a lollipop to me.
I probably asked where you got the money.

A picture on another page. I recognize my eyes have aged.
I'd been alone for quite a while then.
Trying to get a match to burn. Waiting on a latch to turn.
I still have difficulty smiling.

But I'm stopping by. I'm stopping by, Daddy.

I think the best of me's still standing in the doorway.
Whatever's left is headed south on 85.
Passing families on vacation headed your way.
They look so happy and alive, and I'm stopping by, Daddy.

#4: Kvelertak - Kvelertak

This band. The only reason this band isn't in the top two is because I actually obtained this release in 2010, but it wasn't officially released in the US until early 2011. So technically it is considered 2011. The other reason to knock it would be that it isn't sung in English. Funny thing about that is, it doesn't matter. This stuff is remarkably catchy, brutal, exciting, fast, melodic, and addictive. Every song brings something new to the table and each song is so efficient at keeping you interested and hooked into what crazy riff, or solo are they going to break into next. It's party rock for the bad guy characters in the movie '300'. Maybe. Sounded fitting at the time I wrote it. The language barrier may bring to mind a that other band that carved its way into the heavy metal hall of fame, the band Rammstein. Rammstein were a lot more industrial sounding, while Kvelrtak are more down to hammering out the melodic grooves. I prefer Kvelertak over Rammstein at this point in my life.
All tracks are standouts on this record. Pay close attention to the guitar choruses and solos. They are awesome. Here are a couple to get you started:
'Blodtørst'


Lyrics:
Blod
Tørst
Blod
Tørst
Blod
Tørst
Blod
Tørst
Ja, så åker vi dit då får vi kiss och lime
En tjurig ladugård i Dyna
Jag älskar blod jag ska badda, då e me kje turkar
Vår fuhrer saltar väg
Ta mina inlägg
Det är en blodväg, ja
Lita inte Ola
Han är kungen av ligg
Han äger med sin dong
Den är ju full med drägg
Sen kør han under dom
de letar inkøpsväg
Suger på allt som: mage, te
Du har blod, og eg er tørst
Mer blodtørst
Jag är inte filten, jag hälsar med alla barn
Gifter till mig på tak, och blodig Gaahl
Är du dålig svarar jag: saga
De är stabila. Getter. Gäddan är jag
Gøy
Kommer in och biter dig
Ja jag ska tro dig, ja
Liksaft och Opeth och tullen, gift
Och älgen bäst i värn
Det är sikkert druaeft
Fortjaenar hålla om
De å ska passa sig
Slutet på allt som barn ger dig
Slutet på allt som barn ger dig, ja
Blod
Tørst

Through those in for shits and giggles


'Ordsmedar Av Rang'


#3 Turbid North - Orogeny

This album has blown me away. It took some patience when I first approached it. The opening track and pretty much the opening to over half of the songs is punishingly brutal and pretty intimidating even for me who listens to this stuff everyday. Its take the technical death metal genre to another level. The songs are long and have a very progressive edge to them and on several tracks the latter half of the song breaks into some of the best guitar riffs and solos I've heard all year. These guys are a force to be reckon with. I'm telling you, this album did it for me. The band is from Alaska and taking a look at the album cover art its apparent that the theme was somewhat Alaskan in nature. Song titles such as 'The Hunter', 'Kodiak 1 & II', and 'Stormblast', only strengthen the argument for the album theme gnarly, extreme, and organic. If you like heavy this is for you.

Standout tracks: Kodiak II


'Orogeny'


#2 VYGR - Hypersleep

VYGR, pronounced Voyager , came on my scene around February or March when I saw fliers for a concert coming through town and youtube videos posted on facebook. I immediately took a liking to this band and attended the show when they came through town. After seeing the live show I was even more into these guys. It's epanding on the ISIS formula of music; very loud, crushing guitars, with added sludge and light electronics fading in the background giving it a very original and atmospheric sound. The crushingly heavy vocals blend well with the doomy sludge soaked prowls of the base and guitar. Trust me on this one, this is a diamond in the rough. Hopefully they continue this run and complete some more hits in the future.

Standouts:
'Flares'


'Event Horizon'


#1 Hands - Give Me Rest

The source of this find was unique in that the first song I ever heard of this band was on an online DJ turntable website where people from wherever login and take a seat in the DJ table and play songs of your choosing. I remember thinking, man that song was awesome and proceeded to find out who and what this was all about. So I got the album and was shocked at how strong the music was. I believe the band members are Christian and when reading the lyrics its apparent that they are religious or spiritual in nature. Nothing preachy which makes it tolerable to me. I re-listened to this one numerous times this past week and was overwhelmed at its shear power to engage and satisfy the listener. The vocals are both harsh and soothing and the music fades in and out of harmonious and elegant beauty into skull crushing, pounding interludes. It can be listened to for trying to tackle the strong emotional meaning of the lyrics, or to simply bang your head against the wall to, or both. Listen to this album.
Taking the number one slot is enough to say that this album is worth listening to for anyone interested in any of the artists I featured in this top 20 list.

Standout Track: 'Water'

Lyrics:
Forgive me for falling out.
It's just not the way I see You.

Take me to the water.

Let there be light
to reveal everything we've become.

Take me to the water.

I'm losing my faith,
at the hands of the dynasty.

Take me to the water.

I just want something real.

From the shore.
With the waves to my back,
I can see.

A wasteland of blasphemy.
Spoiled fruit reaped from crooked trees.

God,
are these your seeds?
Are these your branches?
I'm so disgusted with all of this.
I want to recover.

God,
are these your seeds?
Are these your branches?
I'm so disgusted with all of this.
I want to recover.

Forgive me for falling out.
It's just not the way I see You.

Take me to the water.

Let there be light
to reveal everything we've become.

Take me to the water.

Be still my brother.
Be still so we may hear His voice.

Be still my brother.
Be still so we may hear His voice.

Be still my brother.
Be still so we may hear His voice.

Be still my brother.
Be still so we may hear His voice.


Let there be light.
Let there be light.
Let there be light.
Take me to the water.

'I Will'


I hope the few of you that have been keeping up with this enjoyed what I layed down. Its apparent that I was not trained in descriptive writing but I like getting this shit off my chest and passed on the those interested. Let me know what you think of the list and any suggestions you may have. I always enjoy sharing music with people so by all means hit me up if you feel the urge. After spending the time to compile this list many other great bands from this year have been reminded to me and I think I'll thrown together a second string top 20 from a honorable mention perspective.

Note: Iphone users may not be able to listen to some of the tracks that have been uploaded. Just a heads up.

Local Music Scene

So I thought I'd go ahead and talk a little about the local music scene hear in Reno, before I get on with the last installment of my top 20 albums of 2011. Last night was yet another superb outing at The Alley in Sparks, NV. 5 bands for $5 is a typical set up at this joint. I have only become aware of the talent that exists in the Reno Hard Rock scene as of earlier this year and the bands I have seen, have for the most part, all been very good. Last night's show consisted of 4 local bands and 1 Bay area band, which is sort of local.

The show kicked off with 12 Gauge Facelift, which hammered the stage with their heavy face ripping guitar assault and mind numbing vocal attack. It was my first listen to this band which I heard was pretty good and it was confirmed upon seeing them.

Next up was one of my personal favorites, which I've seen many times, The Swamp Donkey. These guys have a relentless attack to heavy, down and dirty riffage accompanied by the grooving, stonery vocals of Mark Moots, local tattoo artist, singer of The Swamp Donkey and former band 'December'. Obvious influences from these guys include, Kyuss and Black Sabbath. I thoroughly enjoy the Swamp Donkey set list and am anxiously awaiting their new album, which is expected out early next year. Mark has mentioned to me his friendship with Dallas Taylor, ex-singer of band Underoath and current singer of Maylene & the Son's of Disaster (another favorite of mine), and hinted of a potential guest appearance on their upcoming album. Nothing bad could come of that.
Heres a track I filmed with my iphone from a recent show at the knitting factory audio quality is not that good but you can get the jist of the sound:


The next band was Envirusment, which has been a local favorite for some time and recently re-united from a few years of being broke up. Singer Steven Morris leads the stage with his King Diamond esque wales backed by the heavy guitar attack of the band. It doesn't get much more metal than this band. Steven is involved with 3 different local bands including Demension 13, and his latest band Kut-Pile, which I haven't heard yet, but have heard only good things. Envirusment shook the house down last night and I quite enjoyed the show. I don't have any music on my itunes of these guys but they are worth checking out for sure. Obvious influences include, King Diamond, Death Angel, Exodus, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.

The next band up was Spiralarms, whom before the show started was promised to blow the doors off the joint and a band to not miss. The band includes former member of Systematic-Tim Narducci and former and current member of the thrash band Forbidden-Craig Locicero. These guys have the look, the sound, and the attitude it takes to go far in the music world. Their set indeed blew the doors open with their groovy, stone-henged melodic rock. Luckily after the singer Tim announced they had one CD left for sale, my brother lucked out and got a hold of it at the end of their set, which I have yet to burn to my computer. These guys tore it up and made the whole night worthwhile.
Take a listen to this shit:


The show concluded with Reno locals Knightfall, who were very impressive as well. I am in kind of a hurry to get this typed up and don't have a whole lot to say about Knightfall other than, they were badass. The lead guitarist and back-up vocalist was pretty much the shit. They know how to rock the fuck out. All in all, Reno has an impressive local music scene and its unfortunate that they don't get more local support. Almost every show I've been to has been quite depressing as far as the turnout for the bands. The music rocks, but the bands don't quite get the respect they deserve. I will continue to support the local scene as much as I can and encourage others to get out and catch some shows, if for anything else, just to get off the couch.

I would also like to take the time to thank my wife Amanda for putting up with me leaving her alone all the time to go to these shows and for putting up with the loud music I always play while in the truck. She has no idea, how much I appreciate her blessings for me to continue to following my latest obsession, what is music. I love you babe! She probably won't read this, but figured I'd throw it out there.

Top 2011 #10-6

Getting down to the knitty-gritty I present you the beginning of my top ten albums released in 2011. So far, if you've been keeping up, you may have noticed a wide array of music in the top 20 ranging from hardcore to country/blues to radio rock. Well thats because I like music and try not to confine myself to a particular genre. I do however, stay away from most hip/hop R&B dancy stuff as well as top 40 pop music and current country, but that is a whole nother topic. The rock oriented theme continues through my top ten as evidenced by the selections listed below.

#10: Heartsounds - Drifter

This album is the first I've heard of this band and came across it again, as a flier was circulating on the internet, most likely facebook promoting, so I went ahead and checked it out. Low and behold, catchy as hell, technical, fast, pop-punk style music. I was never into the pop-punk thing back when Blink-182 kicked things off at the turn of the century. This album is for fans of said genre, in particular bands like Strung Out, Face to Face, Pennywise, etc... The guitar playing is a little more technical sounding than most punk from what my ears pick up on. Solos are great, and the lyrics are relatable to those of you who are into the skater/punk thing. I am not a skater or a punk but can relate and dig the music. These guys aren't out trying to sell a million records, just keeping it real.

Standout Track: 'Unconditional'


#9: Mastodon - The Hunter

I was never the biggest Mastodon as a whole. I liked random tracks off of each of their albums from the past. They were always too spacy and weird overall for me and the vocals were kind of like scratching the chalkboard to me. Kind of an unsettling feeling. Their latest album The Hunter, combines elements of all their previous albums and seems to be a little more accessible overall. Its got more groove to it while maintaining their psycodelic/spacyness. Track names are still weird, and the theme is still really out their but the sounds has improved across the board including the vocals, which for me, were the biggest downfall of their previous works. They're still weird as hell, but the music speaks for itself and jams!

Standout Track: 'Curl of the Burl'


#8: Ghost Brigade - Until Fear No Longer Defines Us

I just discovered these guys this year as well and was blown away! As soon as I heard the first songs and watched one of their videos, which a friend on facebook posted I proceeded to obtain their entire discography which includes, Guided By Fire (2007), Isolation Songs (2009) and this years Until Fear No Longer Exists (2011). All three album are magnificient. Ghost Brigade fall most closely under the Black Metal genre, which has a lot of depth. Some songs have very beautiful acoustic passages that tell stories and are followed by heavy, dark gruesome songs, with throaty vocals. Its rather beautifully dark and somber in nature and not for everyone, but the writing and music is top knotch. Take a look at not only this album, but their previous outings as well. There is a noticeable progression from album to album and each one holds up on its own. The song attached is one of the more subtle songs and is listenable to a larger audience as some of the others might need a tuned ear to handle.

Standout Track: 'In the Woods'


#7: Red Fang - Murder the Mountains

Red Fang has grown on me tremendously in the last couple of years. In fact the genre/style as a whole has grown on me. Probably my favorite style of music at the time. Doomy/Sludgy/Groovy in nature Murder the Mountains is a more simple, catchy and fun take on the classic Black Sabbath metal sound of the 70's. What they maintain is pummeling heaviness remeniscent of the 90's era Melvins. I love it! Take a listen if you are into the Melvins, Sabbath, or liked the Black Tusk album I featured in my top 20 earlier. Other past works to check out similar to these guys that I listen to regularly are Bloodhorse, Crowbar, High on Fire, Saviours.

Standout Track: 'Human Herd'


#6: Machine Head - Unto the Locust

Machine Head are some of the pioneers and original Bay Area thrash bands. They play alongside the greats such as Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, and Testament. I've been listening to Machine Head since I was in high school and they have a signature sound that is hard to beat. I recently had the pleasure of seeing them live for the first time as they made their first appearance in Reno, NV at the Knitting Factory. Unto the Locust is only 7 tracks long but spans over 40 minutes. They are known for their long songs many over the 10 minute mark especially on their last two album, which in my eyes are monumental albums. Their last release, "The Blackening" can be considered one of the greatest metal releases of all time. Unto the Locust is no Blackening, however, the more you listen to it, the closer and closer it gets to reaching the 'Blackening' status. Many may say if there were a couple more songs on it it would be better, I agree and disagree, in that the songs they wrote on this album are precise and worthy on their own and extra songs would most likely be filler tracks. So I like the album as is. The opening track blazes in at over 8 minutes and starts out slow building and building like most Machine Head songs do. The guitar work duo between the lead singer Rob Flynn and lead guitarist Phil Demmel is perfection. My brother was lucky enough to get a pick thrown from Phil at the concert for whatever that is worth. But I thought it was pretty cool. That guy is a beast onstage. So if you are into technical thrash metal these guys are the go-to band and can hang with the best of the best.

Standout Track: (All of them, but I'll give you the shortest one, that wastes no time in displaying its greatness) 'Be Still and Know'

Top 20 2011 #15-11

Got antsy and slow at work so I decided to continue my top 20 countdown. Too bad I didn't have famous singers and TV personalities to comment and tease the bands coming up after the commercial break like a VH1 countdown. Only this one would't end in Beatles being #1. Anyways kicking things off at #15:

#15: Black Tusk - Set the Dial

Black Tusk are a doom metal/sludge band which may sound pretty intimidating to those of you who aren't familiar with this genre of music. Honestly, it is exactly as it sounds sludgy, thick, groovy, and awesome. Its really one of my favorite styles of music, don't ask me how I became so attached to it I just did. Other bands to compare include Red Fang, Kylesa, Black Cobra, Bison B.C., etc... If you've heard of and like any of these bands consider yourself pretty awesome and welcome into my world. I may not invite you in the house, but you can hang with the tunes I listen to on a regular basis. This album all in all sounds pretty much like the rest of their albums which is a good thing and it resonated with me somehow, probably the fact that it has a little more pop to it with more catchy moments and not so doomy and gloomy as some of their others.

Standout track: 'Carved in Stone'



#14: Dead And Divine - Antimacy

Antimacy is pummeling from start to finish. Metalcore at its finest. The relentless breakdown and riffage combined with the on and off screams and melodies of the singing put this album in the top 20 no question. If you are into hardcore metal as I am, you will be floored by this album. The only regret I have is not going to see them when they came through Reno this year, as a ton of aweseme bands did. I must say more top knotch heavy metal bands have came through Reno this year that I can remember and for the most part tickets were like $5-$15 and the crowds were minimal. This was one show I wish I would have caught. One thing I must also say before you attempt to listen to this and most hardcore music, is you have to let the songs develop and not be turned away at first listen. People miss out on the beauty of this music either because they are turned off by the vocals or they don't give the songs time to give the desired effect. Most are layered to where you cannot really appreciate it without hearing the whole thing.

Standout track: 'Grim Love'


#13:Drive-By Truckers - Go-Go Boots

Drive-By Truckers have made their way to the top of my all time favorite artists if you haven't noticed by the praise I give them over facebook, or if you've ever came over to my house and heard what was playing over the speakers. Their latest record Go-Go Boots is pretty much a masterpiece. I think it is their most diverse and creative album to date with a couple songs that make it into my top ten Trucker's songs of all time. That is saying a lot. If you have never took the time to listen to the Drive-By Truckers you are doing yourself a diservice. They are this generations version of the Rolling Stones. The band members all play instruments, all write and sing their own individual songs, and all talented enough to make it big time as solo artists. You essentially have three or four bands crammed into one band which works perfectly. Go-Go Boots has some good tunes. If you've seen them on any of the late night talk show promoting this album this year you may have heard their single, "Everybody Needs Love" which is an Eddie Hinton cover song. A great of song as it is, it is one of my least favorite on the album.

Standout Track: 'Used to be a Cop'



#12: The House of Capricorn - In the Devil's Days

I recently found out about this band again through an online music/movie review website I've become obsessed with decoymusic.com. The House of Capricorn is a post-metal/doom/stoner rock style band from New Zealand, I believe, and they churn out some wicked tracks on this album. I'd say its a good combination of a band called Kvelertak and Trap Them, which most of you probably won't know about but I don't care. I'll probably read this blog more than you anyways, so that's for my own reference. If you have heard of those bands you will hear it in the music. This album has been on repeat since I purchased it a couple weeks ago and is undeniably my kind of music.

Standout Track: 'Coffins and Cloven Hooves'


#11: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Having never been a very big fan of Foo Fighters since their debut back in my college days hearing their classic songs plastered on 104.5 Reno's Rock Station, hearing talk of the new album suprisingly caught my interest. Reviews were coming in talking about how good the album is and how it is more straight up rock and roll and not what they have been churning out since their early classics as mentioned above and that is exactly what it is. It's straight up rock and roll not none of this alternative poppy rock like the last few album they released which I actually dont own. I compare this to last years "The Damned Things" album. Check it out if you haven't done so already. Anyways, it has mass audience appeal, which normally turns me away but the mass appeal is undeniable and if you're a fan of rock music you will have a hard time finding anything not to like about this album. Now if you are a straight up hardcore death metal enthusiast I'm sure you will pass this off as another commercial radio rock album. But for those that have an open mind about music and appreciate all genres this is a solid album. I don't really have a favorite song on the album but a standout track could be:

'White Limo'

Top 20 albums 2011 #20-16

2011 has been a big year in music, particulary for me and my obsession with it. This was the first year I really dedicated a good amount of my time to seeking out and discovering new music as well as just keeping up to date on current releases from new and old artists. I actually got really into it towards the latter part of 2010 but made it an official obsession this year. My itunes library shows that I currently have 218 albums that were released in 2011 alone, which I've listened to all at least once. Many I have only listened to once due to time and most likely the album didn't strike an initial chord with me on the first go around. So this list is albums that were released in 2011, although I have discovered and aquired 100's of others previously released. This was not an easy task for me putting together the top 20 out of +/-218 albums. Some were easy to dismiss, others were a coin toss. I took a few considerations into account, 1 being how initially awesome the music was, how often I revisited the album, and the overall impression the artist/album left with me. So this post will start the countdown beginning at #20

#20: Thrice - Major/Minor

Thrice is a band that has been around for quite a while and I personally has never struck a chord with me until this year. The only other album I had before this year was probably their most controversial or should I say their most experimental album which was The Alchemy Index from back in 2008. I only really had listened to a partial album and it was a little weird. Come to find out they have a whole catalogue of great music that I was unaware of and completely unique in each one. They are kind of an alternative rock/punk sound with maybe could be compared to a heavy Radiohead of sorts which sounds appealing and really is. Probably one of the qualities I dig most about Thrice is the singers voice. He's got such a cool soothing, yet raspy/gravelly sound to it. Their newest album Major/Minor is a pleasant listen and has elements of several of their previous albums including my new favorite of theirs, which is their "Beggars" album. THe number 20 slot could have been swapped for a number of albums but I had to start somewhere and felt Thrices Major/Minor deserved a spot in the top 20.

Standout track: Thrice - 'Promises'


#19: Across Tundras - Sage

Across Tundras is a heavy metal/psycodelic/folksy/Americana ish album. Take a look at the album cover and if you know me you will know that it kind of portrays the scenery of the old west/tribal/spiritualality of the setting I have grown up in. I discovered this band through an online website decoymusic.com which featured a blog from one of their writers who sums up this album with one sentence, "Sage luxuriates in its dusty, endless roads Americana, a sand-blasted yet restless trip through Southwestern afternoons and breadbasket nights." I like to listen to this album when I'm cruising the high desert backroads with the windows rolled down, sagebrush brushing up against the truck not a care in the world but how to evade the Indian spirits watching me in the distance. What I like about this album in particular are the intermittant guitar licks that lurk within each song. It has some very heavy, yet folk like tinges to it. Very unique artist and album. This is their strongest album I have downloaded. You can pick-up a slew of their music on their bandcamp website for free at: http://acrosstundras.bandcamp.com/

Standout track: Across Tundras - 'In the Name of River Grand'


#18 Long Distance Calling - Long Distance Calling

Long Distance Calling are a primarily instrumental outfit that use their heavy guitar skills to craft some amazing progressive oriented rock. If you dig progressive metal or guitar based grooves this is a band to check out. One track on the album actually contains vocals brought to us by the one and only John Bush of Armoured Saint and Anthrax fame. The chorus to this track gave me the chills each and every listen, which for me, is a strong indicator of good music. Take a listen and check this band out.
Long Distance Calling - 'Middleville'


#17 Nick 13 - Nick 13

Nick 13 is comprised of well, Nick 13 lead singer of the classic rockabilly punk band Tiger Army. Although I was never a huge Tiger Army fan, I am a big fan of this solo project. Nick 13 embraces their punk rock roots with influences such as the great Johnny Cash. I saw them on a flier that they were coming to Reno for a show at a local dive bar venue, The Alley and went and checked out the music and was instantly impressed. There is not a bad song on the album and it has been played quite a bit by me this year. Seeing him live dressed in a black suit was pretty impressive. His voice is one that would make any girl swoon and sounds just as good live as it does on his debut self titled album. Check him out if he comes to your town. It's got laid back, somber, punky vibe of the like of Social Distortion or particularly Mike Ness's solo stuff that is more country oriented punk rock.

Standout Track: Nick 13 - "Gambler's Life"


#16 Moving Mountains - Waves

This album was a grower for me. It's definitely a hard album to pin down to style and comparisons but if I had to compare it would be somewhat similar to Thrice which hit my #20 slot. Although at first this didn't strike me as great, the more it popped up on my ipod the more and more I fell in love with it. You may have never heard of these guys but give it a spin and you won't be disappointed.

Standout Track: Moving Mountains - "Where Two Bodies Lie"


#15-11 up next. I'm pretty sure I got this list nailed down but there is still a few weeks left in the year but doubtful that any new releases will top the ones I have.