The 9 Best Albums of 2009: #9 - #2

Last year I didn't really re-write anything for my list of best albums - this year I've given it a lot of thought and while I'm waiting to complete my best songs list with December, why not run down the 9 best albums of 2009?


But before everything, the rules:

1. An album may be a studio album, a greatest hits package, a compilation, a live album or in Korea's case a MINI-ALBUM (EP). As long as it has more than 10 tracks for standard studio albums and more than 4 tracks for mini-albums, it qualifies.
2. It must have been released in 2009, like duh - doesn't matter if it was digitally or physically. In the case of repackaged albums, they only count if more than one-third the number of the original tracks are new tracks. Confusing? Let's say you have a 12-track album released in 2008. If there's a repackaged version out in 2009, there must be at least 4 new tracks, remixes allowed. If the repackaged album was released in the same year as the original album, then there's no problem, both qualify.
3. If I previously reviewed it, it should have gotten a score of 4/5 and above - no less. If I didn't review it, then the rule doesn't apply.

Now that we've got the rules all sorted out - the criteria.

Albums are a songS put together - a group of songs strung together in a cohesive and entertaining way. No one song carries the album and no one song brings the album down - they all have to contribute to the over-all sound of the album because album tracks are just as important as singles. If the singles are good but the other tracks fail, it's a NO from me.

The album should show one sound and one sound alone. It's not constricting and it's not 'conservative' because one sound can mean a lot of things, the artist just has to know how to manipulate the sound into different styles. There is a difference between sound and style.

That's it, actually. The list is RANKED so #1 is my favorite album of the year.

Legends:
(+/- *insertnumberhere*) - how much the score increased or decreased in relation to my first review
(retain) - That means the score now is the same as the score I gave when I first reviewed it
(UR) - un-reviewed so there was no previous score

#9: 2PM - 01:59 PM The First Album

This album is sort of representative of everything that's happened to 2PM this year, the good and bad. It has the singles off their previous mini-albums and it has new tracks - there's the 7-member and 6-member 2PM. I think JYP hit the nail on the head with 2PM when it comes to the music but he wasn't so lucky with the Wonder Girls (DON'T get me started on them, PLEASE). One, it doesn't sound like he's trying to relive his ex-protege Rain in them, two, the songs sound fresh and not recycled but three, they sound distinctly like something only JYP does. The thing with JYP and 2PM is that they make the smooth, sophisticated R&B.

A few days ago I was listening to Another Level's Summertime and I had a flash of enlightenment. I don't know if JYP knows who Another Level are but I'm pretty sure that's the sound he's going for with 2PM. Heck, even their vocals are reminiscent of the UK boyband - to a certain extent.

The new tracks off this album are really good, if I may say so.

The Best: All Night Long, I Hate You (Lounge Remix), Back 2U
The Bad: You Might Comeback (Bossa Nova Mix)
The Rating (as of now): 4/5 (UR)

#8: The Saturdays - Wordshaker

Despite doing a complete 360 change with Forever is Over, I think Wordshaker as a whole was a pretty competent album. But I think had Girls Aloud been around this year, this would be thrown to the wayside. Just a thought though.

There are tracks on this just go right through me but there are now songs that seemed like they went through me at first but listening back, they're pretty good. There's the epic, the serious, the GA-like and the songs that I think will become pretty synonymous with The Sats now and that's what I needed from this album - didn't get it entirely though.

Wordshaker was supposed to give us material that will scream THE SATURDAYS, it didn't, but the songs as individual songs were pretty good. It may not work as a whole album but the singles work as singles and the album tracks work as songs.

The Best: Here Standing, Open Up, Denial
The Bad: 2 a.m. sounds very out of place. It's nice and all but it's not right for the album.
The Rating (as of now): 4.4/5 (-0.4)

#7: Leona Lewis - Echo

I'm not the biggest Leona fan, you guys know that, and Echo was one of the gambles I took this year - thankfully it turned out brilliant.

There are a lot of things I like about this album but the main thing that kept me listening was the fact that the entire package is epic without being heavy and boring - Leona has managed to sustain my attention for more than a few songs.

Echo is one of the best this year because one, I like it and two, it was actually a hit - it's rare in Western music that I put those two statements in one sentence.

Notable highlights of the album are the string section after the middle 8 of the Paula Cole-esque I Got You, the hook of Can't Breathe, the out of place but not out of place Outta My Head, the bridge of Love Letter, Naked and The Oasis cover Don't Cry Your Heart Out

The Best: Naked, Don't Let Me Down, I Got You
The Bad: Lost Then Found it's more of a OneRepublic song than a Leona song.
The Rating (as of now): 4.5/5 (-0.1)

#6: Jordin Sparks - Battlefield

I like Jordin Sparks now, I honestly do. I didn't like her on Idol (STILL bitter about Blake not winning) but I like her now.

Battlefield was a solid album - it had one sound and it had cohesion between the songs. Her vocals were good, the arrangements were interesting and the songs themselves delivered. Although very mainstream American, it's the type that kinda sounds like everything else but doesn't sound like anything at all.

But more than that, it successfully transitioned Jordin from first to second album - the hardest shift to make musically. She was her on her first album but she grew up on this one. She knows how to pick songs, she knows how to sing them and she knows how to deliver now. Like I said when I first reviewed it, it's epic in a gazillion different ways.

The Best: No Parade, Walking On Snow, Was I The Only One
The Bad: Emergency and Battlefield I've gotten a little too sick of OneRepublic this year.
The Rating (as of now): 4.5/5 (-0.1)

#5: Alicia Keys - The Element of Freedom

As I've said numerous times, Alicia Keys was instrumental in building my foundations in pop music - back when I knew virtually nothing I knew her. It's always been about the music for her and that's one of the things I learned to always look for in a pop star but have found in only a few.

Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart gave everyone a dose of Alicia Keys for this year and she means business with this album. It doesn't fail to impress - listening to it is literally like a breath of fresh air. There are single-worthy tracks and album-worthy tracks, everything was just put together seamlessly and you can really hear it.

Sweeping melodies, gorgeous instrumentals and epic explosions make The Element of Freedom a brilliant, brilliant album.

The Best: Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart, Doesn't Mean Anything, That's How Strong My Love Is
The Bad: Put It In A Love Song
The Rating (as of now): 4.7/5 (UR)

#4: Britt Nicole - The Lost Get Found

My love for the beautiful melodies in CCM is still alive - Britt Nicole's 2009 album is stunning. If you strip off the Christian lyrics and all, you get a pop album in it's purest form.

I love the melodies, I love the songs and I LOVE her vocals. Deserving of the praise.

The Best: Have Your Way, Like A Star, Welcome to the Show
The Bad: I'll get back to you on this.
The Rating (as of now): 5/5 (retain)

#3: Super Junior - Sorry, Sorry

Unlike offerings from SNSD, SHINee and a ton of other bands, Sorry Sorry is one of the few kpop albums this year that actually delivered - it wasn't just the single(s) taking center stage. I think that shows to a certain extent how "smart" kpop buyers are, a heck of a lot of them bought the album and as of now it's swept the award shows.

No matter how much you say Super Junior can't sing (actually that's more of me), it's time to face the truth - you don't have to be able to sing well in pop. Heck, can Britney sing well now? (she could before but NOW? Puh-lease.)

The lead single turned title track Sorry Sorry is addictive, annoying (in a good way) and everything kpop stood for this year - processed like hell, dance-worthy and to a certain extent brilliant. It pretty much started the whole autotuned like hell thing within the more popular boybands and girl groups this year and it's either a good thing or a bad thing.

BUT, the track that I never, ever get sick of listening to even if you drum it into my head is the second single It's You off the THIRD repackaged version of the album. (Tes, THIRD. What a way to milk the fans' money.) It's a more epic and subdued kind of catchy but catchy nonetheless. It's not the fearlessly addictive/annoying type like Sorry Sorry but it's epic and that's enough for me. You have to remember that I happen to like epic songs.

The rest of the album is standard kpop - ballads, the occasional uptempo, guest appearances by Lee Yeon Hee (Club No. 1), Yunho and Yoochun DBSK (Heartquake), the added tracks for Version C (in short the third repackaged version) and Super Junior's so-so vocals. Oh, and the brilliant Why I Like You.

And in case you're getting lost with all the kpop, here's something I think you'll be a little more familiar with. SM is known (by me at least) for taking Western (more like European) songs, adding Korean lyrics and putting them on their acts' albums. Super Junior are no exception. Guess what they got - A MONROSE SONG. Yes, Monster on Sorry Sorry is actually a cover of Just Like That off Monrose's 2007 album Strictly Physical. *bangs head on computer table*

The Best: It's You, Why I Like You, Love Disease
The Bad: Shining Star, She Wants It
The Rating (as of now): 4.8/5 (+0.1)

#2: Kevin Borg - The Beginning

No matter how adventurous I am and how I get when it comes to my taste in music (I think.), I still love and look for a solid pop album year in and year out. I want an album filled with pop masterpieces - that's what started my entire music addiction. I got that this year with Kevin Borg's debut album.

After all, Swedish make some of the best pop music.

I won't write about every track anymore because it'll be too much of a pain for all of us if I do so I'll just quickly run-through some of the songs. Note that I think all the songs are great though.

Street Lights has the most gorgeous string section laced with a brilliant melody and his capable vocals - I mean, this is like the most perfect pop song. Epic but not serious - fun. Paint It Black seriously sounds like something fit in a Darin album, which is good. The Last Words is rock-y epic and it's gorgeous. I love it. His Idol winner's single With Every Bit Of Me is very Idol but very European as well - I couldn't imagine this being sung by an American winner.

More Than I Do Now is one of my two other favorite songs on the album apart from Street Lights. It sounds Swedish, it is Swedish and for crap's sake that just spells brilliance. I love the melody and although the instrumental is a slightly cheap-ish, AAAAAHHHHHH. Brilliance.

The Light You Leave On has the stereotypical 'girl running in a deserted/haunted mansion' piano loop but then the percussion comes in and I was like "oh shet" - the song sounds so different because of it. But the main, main, main point of this song is the melody - I honestly can't stress how beautifully stunning it is. Like, it's beaten out all the other beautiful melodies of the year with that chorus. It's simple but gosh, I faint every time.

The Best: The Light You Leave On, Street Lights, More Than I Do Now
The Bad: Can't really think of any.
The Rating (as of now): 5/5 (UR, unrated but not unreviewed)

I'll reveal my favorite album of 2009 tomorrow. Guesses, anyone?

Extended Play Tuesday: The French Collective

For several months, hell . . . let’s just call it a year or so, we’ve been moving a lot of dirt around to uncover an entire ecosystem of musicians plying their trade and creating a sound that’s unlike any we’ve heard from around the world. I guess, technically, the world focus hit France with the discovery of Gojira, but the world media seems to only be paying attention to that which is creeping its way to the surface. For The Ripple Effect, our attention was grasped by two deformed, dirt encrusted, rotting hands in the form of Hollow Corp. It was with that discovery of Cloister of Radiance that we grabbed every digging device that we could wrap our own deformed and dirt encrusted hands upon, and began turning over the French countryside soil to discover even more incredibly dense and uniquely brilliant musical gems. Some were hand delivered by like minded soil movers, others made their way out of the darkened catacombs with their wee little mole eyes squinting in the harsh light of the sun, while others we found by unexpectedly poking them in the stomachs with the tips of our spades. In all, this French Collective of musically minded patrons of the sonic arts has stamped their own individual imprint onto the face of the French music scene. Though, some may not be as popular as others, they all have contributed a massive amount of emotion and creativity to this sect of the French culture.

Today, we have three bands, all hailing from France, and all providing their own unique touch to the music that they create. Put them all together and you get a glimpse of what this burgeoning music scene is like. Ripe with creative sounds, ambient textures, grinding low end, buzz saw aggression, and tormented vocals, the music covers a wide spectrum of emotion and artful expression.

Abysse – Le vide est forme EP

Deuces are wild on this EP from French underground ambient metallers, Abysse, as Le vide est forme clocks in at near twenty-two minutes and is only two songs long. Somewhat Opeth-ian in sound due to the fantastic transitions that they incorporate into the songs, shifting from melodically ambient passages to heavy detuned riffs then hopping over to another dimension of riff happy heaven, there is no question that these guys have the ability to transport the listener to completely foreign lands, and some that are not of this world. And here’s the wrinkle in the fabric of this tapestry of sound. There are no vocals. Much like I felt way back when I reviewed East of the Wall’s Farmer’s Almanac album, with so much going on in the music, sometimes taking out a seemingly important quality such as vocals is the best thing for the music as a whole. Quite honestly, Abysse say so much with the music that the human voice is unimportant in expressing any further ideas or emotions.

“Deviance” is a sprawling, epic, majestic piece of sound that is simply an amazing experience to listen to. High quality musicianship powers the song along the more melodic portions, such as the opening Middle Eastern influenced portion and then the heavy tom slamming break near the eight minute mark. I particularly love this latter portion as the guitars execute some beautiful hammer-on’s while the drummer is getting all tribal on our collective asses. This portion is a great mixture of primal aggression and delicate musicianship, and shows the layers of this bands understanding of dynamics. As the song progresses even further, the dual guitars sharing harmonies and weaving the melodies through the heavy rhythms are simply ear candy. The conclusion of the track is orgasmic. All the tension that’s been building up over the course of the last ten minutes finally erupts, the toes curl, and Abysse leaves the listener in a mild state of confusion, breathless, and coated in goo. The least they could have done was bought me dinner first, but I’ll forgive this slight transgression coz’ it was good for me. I hope it’s equally as good for you.

www.myspace.com/abyssegroupe

The March – Dead Ends and Blind Spots

Five songs long, yet still clocking in at just about thirty minutes, this one is damn near LP length, but since it’s only five songs, I’ll go ahead and lump it in with the EP’s. The March are more of that kind of band that we found while digging in the rich and loamy soil of the French countryside opposed to the more refined and elegant bands. Dead Ends and Blind Spots is brutally heavy, detuned, distorted, and aggressive from here to eternity. Though there are some great moments of ambient flair and atmospheric beauty, this band is ghastly and oppressive. Listening to these guys while the sky is coated gray (or blood red) is the optimum way to hear them. Foreboding might be the best single word to describe the emotions behind their sound, because while you sit back and listen to this disc, you have to be overcome with the sense that something bad is about to happen. There’s a little edge of punk in their sound, namely in the aggressive manner of the emotional conveyance, but the overall sound is taking up residence in the metal spectrum.

Dead Ends and Blind Spots weaves back forth between metal and punk with effortless grace. “Find Some Rest” flitters in the arena of death metal ambience, clean toned guitars leading the song down a dark tunnel of despair, the drums echo off the walls in time with our rapidly rising heart beat, and then, nestled deep in the dismal and damp confines of this catacomb, the beast awaits. Vocals that vomit fear assail the senses and a din of heavily distorted and detuned guitars pummel the body into submission. And, just as terrifying a journey as this song has become, the ending is as delicately beautiful as it gets as the clean toned guitars return and carry our beaten and battered forms to a holier place. “Ancient Seed” is laced with a violent punk vibe. The chord progressions at the chorus, in particular, give this song a punk-y edge, but there’s so much attention to musicality that this becomes more of a progressive piece, some might even say post-punk. I think it has a nice level of complexity, mixing in great artistic elements of metal with a disenchanted punk rock attitude. In fact, the whole EP has great elements like this breaking out throughout its length. The nine minute disc closer, “A Last Breath” is a chaotic gem filled with high levels of musical proficiency and raw emotion, a burly piece of music that reminds me of the dark sonic qualities of countrymen, Eryn Non Dae., but with a bit more diversity and air for the music to breathe.

www.myspace.com/themarchband

Mindslaved – T(h)ree

Also clocking in at a half hour, T(h)ree from the experimentalist ambient metal outfit, Mindslaved, is a sprawling masterpiece of raw emotion set to sound. And, it’s the kind of work that gets better and better with every subsequent listen. Layered miles deep, the sounds that encompass this work are majestic and the way these guys use textures to enhance the brutality of the metal is on par with the masters of the genre. T(h)ree is not a disc that benefits from passive listening. This is a work that needs your full, undivided attention because there is so much happening that to half listen to it, the full breadth of the music will inevitably get lost. As I sit back and listen to this EP, I can’t help but think of Hypno5e, maybe a little bit of Hacride, but more importantly, I hear a group of musicians who hear and create music in their own individualistic way. Odd time changes, incorporating clean tones with distorted ones, shrieking vocals that emote huge waves of passion and agony, in all . . . a turbulent expression of pain. It’s beautiful!

“Ischiopagus” is an amazing lesson is musicianship. Starting off as heavy as anything else out there, Mindslaved guide the song in a direction that I never saw coming. By working in a fantastic melody through the body of the distorted frenzy, these guys are showing this great contrast of heavy and light, and it all sounds so natural and effortless. Then, to make the ears perk up and the heartbeat increase, the rhythms kick in with an off time pattern that can sound jarring, but in its own way is as natural as being aboard a ship during a roiling sea. The riff kicking in near the 2:30 mark is simply brilliant. Tight hammer-on’s propel the riff while the rhythm section practically performs a piece that has no place in reality. And then, the chaos just vanishes and we’re left to listen to a gorgeous acoustic guitar that acts as a ray of sunshine in the middle of the storm. Truly a stunning piece! Following “Ischiopagus,” Mindslaved treat us to a beastly number in “Seek For Yourself.” Raging in off time rhythms, the band find a way of working compelling melodies to lighten the piece, but at the same time, creates a sense of tension and anticipation that something nasty is going to appear in our midst. These guys also do a great job of mixing in subtle nuances into their sound such as the second bellowing vocal on this track. Listen out for how these guys shift sounds from the right speaker to the left, and then back again. It’s a subtle effect, but the type of production trickery that keeps the ears listening for something new around each and every corner. The entire EP is littering with technically mind blowing approaches that will have you hitting rewind so that you can ensure that you heard what you thought you just heard.

www.myspace.com/mindslaved

 - Pope JTE

The Best Songs of 2009: Rankings.

This year I did the impossible - I ranked a total of 109 songs. YES, I did.

They're just general ranks in a hierarchy of 6 colors (that was the color-coding I was talking about on Twitter weeks ago) sorted by month. So for example from January there are 2 songs that are in red, 2 in orange, 2 in yellow, 2 in green and 2 in blue. And so on and so forth.

(from lowest to highest)

Grey

Blue

Green

Yellow

Orange

Red

So all the red songs are the best of the best songs of the year for me. Below are screenshots of each 'section'/'rank'.

And if you want to download the fancy version of my list (with dates published, months and rank) that I used to blog, it's here:

DOWNLOAD

But I have more up my sleeve - I've really ranked all the songs in RED, all 23 of them, and that makes for the best songs of 2009. Here's the ranking:

23. Just Like U - Tania Christopher

22. 니가 밉다 - 2PM

21. Everything Can Change - Spectacular! Cast

20. Fall for Something Real - Lucie Silvas

19. My Baby's Waiting - Industry

18. 1000 Stars - Natalie Bassingthwaighte

17. Love Love Love - Agnes Carlsson

16. Crash & Burn - Jesse McCartney

15. Talk You Down - The Script

14. That's How Strong My Love Is - Alicia Keys

13. Vari2ty - Jewelry

12. Sky's The Limit - Ola

11. 라차타 (Lachata) - f(x) (에프엑스)

10. No Parade - Jordin Sparks

9. To Love Again - Alesha Dixon

8. 呪文 MIROTIC - 동방신기 (DBSK)

7. Have Your Way - Britt Nicole

6. Ring Ding Dong - 샤이니 (SHINee)

5. Because Of You - After School

4. 너라고 (It's You) - 슈퍼주니어 (Super Junior)

3. 소원을 말해봐 (Genie) - 소녀시대 (SNSD)

2. Street Lights - Kevin Borg

1. 심장을 놓쳐서 (Because I Missed Your Heart) - 환희 (Hwanhee)

Liquor Boxx – To The Face

Liquor Boxx wants you to think that you’ve walked into the Whiskey on a night that Motley Crue wasn’t playing. Without a headliner that night, Liquor Boxx is the badass band that you’ve never heard of, that makes you put down your beer when all you really want to do is be drinking, and makes you want to go over to the stage to check out the snakey guitar lines that the guy is playing.

Opening track "Ask Me to Stop" lays it out in low-fi sound: Kevin Mace digging into the vocals, voice track dry and direct without a lot of sweetening, Johnny Stoneking’s powerhouse drumming coming trhough loud and clear despite being buried in the mix. The band throws in little things that will show up later on the CD that tell you these guys are a little more practiced, a little more talented than your average bar band.

"Cheap Sex n Vodka" starts with a guitar riff that sounds as dirty as a dying smoker’s final rattle but once Stoneking’s drums come in, the guitar and drums roll together like a freight train, with the buried Martin Farrelly’s bass keeping the song moving along at a furious pace. Mace is singing about “drugstore cowboys and superstars” and the song has a bootleg vibe and a nice whammy bar infected solo with some nice chops to it.

"Tomorrow" betrays Creedon’s love for Jimi and Stevie Ray with a blues tinged fingerpicking that can’t help but echo a time when the guitar was the master instrument of rock and roll, the guitar and the men who played them. It’s a beautiful piece, with Mace’s best singing on the album. "Mr Midnight" comes from the same space: delicate playing on the strat and keeping the rest of the band on the back burner til the ride up to the chorus. "Rock Your Soul" on the other hand could be a high speed outtake from The Experience with Stoneking’s drums echoing Mitch Mitchell more than Tommy Lee and Creedon’s guitar flying through a bluesy riff with some tasty fills along the way.

"Evil Girl" could be an outtake from Morphine with the bass and drums opening, but then Creedon’s strat makes its presence known with a snake-like laid back riff. The band makes good use of both double time and half time to build up the menace of the song, never losing the bluesy foundation. If this is an "Evil Girl," she’s likely to be the kind that Mace not only can’t give up, but he’s going to keep chasing .

Coming in up tempo and wearing it’s burlesque on it’s naked sleeve is "Numb Your Eyes," clearly the most fun on the CD. Somehow the grungy LIQUOR BOXX has the chops to not only wander into the lounge but pull off a rockabilly beat at high tempo. Then they’re smart enough and talented enough to break it down two minutes into the song to bass and drums and percussion and build the whole leaning tower of jumpin’ jive back up to full speed. How many wedding must these guys have played at the day job to get these chops?

"Up n Down Me" makes a good closer, taking one of Creedon’s riffs but instead of riding it, the find some space in the back beat and the band sits in the pocket, finally giving Farrelly’s bass some space in the mix. Creedon’s guitar after the chorus is a great exercise in keeping his fingers going at a scary pace and during the solo takes him to classic rock nirvana exercising some great chops along the way. Anyone who has played will recognize how sweet it is for him to back the distortion off and get a great ringing tone to counterpoint the edge and echo on the solo. You'll think that you really can smell the cheap beer and the old cigarettes in the background. hell, this should make you think about picking up a pool cue as well.

--Rock Iguana

Buy here: Liquor Boxx

www.myspace.com/liquornbooze

Best of 2009: December #2 & #1

*jumps around* THE LAST POST FOR THE BEST OF 2009. Except for the wrap-up and final rankings, at least. I cannot believe it. Hahah.

#2: Alicia Keys - That's How Strong My Love Is

Since I haven't done a review of the album yet (I will next year, I PROMISE), let me just get everything out of the way right now and say that this is my favorite song off The Element of Freedom. It's got a gorgeous melody and an even more gorgeous piano line - that's the focus of the song, really. I love how it's pretty and not serious as hell - some people think that if you just have a simple melody and a simple piano part it has to be haunting and serious every single time. Sure there are times when you need those types of songs (Britt Nicole's Have Your Way, for example) but we need a break. Thankfully, Alicia realizes that. Brilliant song, turns somewhat epic but still not explosively epic at the end and dammit, it needs attention.

#1: Hwanhee - 심장을 놓쳐서

Hwanhee used to be under SM Entertainment with the act Fly to the Sky - they were an R&B duo and let me tell you, these guys had gorgeous voices. No really, they were versatile, beautiful and dammit, they could sing. Now he's gone solo and his carrier single late this year is something I liked when I first heard it, still liked when I kept on listening to it non-stop for a day but literally fell at my feet for when I heard the instrumental at full volume.

I tweeted this earlier this month but I'm serious - this song has the possibility of being the Forever of Korea. The only difference is that this song has a heck of a lot of groove (think a slightly less effortless Craig David) and the guy's voice is just BRILLIANT. I am in no way kidding, listen to this at an extremely high volume and you will be blown away. I was.

Let's take a moment to talk about the instrumental. I love the percussion part even if it's not real drums and the synth part makes the song really cool but amidst all these computer-generated crap made into brilliance is an element I always, always, adore in a song. YES, IT HAS A STRING SECTION and a DAMN GOOD one at that. Then there's the piano part during the breakdown after the middle 8 before the song explodes - THAT plus a string section is enough to make this one of the best songs of the year.

The schedule for the rest of the year and early January:
29th: Rankings and sum-up of the best songs
30th: 9 Best Albums of 2009 #s 9 - 2
31st: Best Album of 2009 AND 50 most played songs
1st (January): Looking Back at 2009
2nd: What to Expect in 2010
3rd: Vocal Commentary Special Re-briefing
4th: DBSK's Vocal Prowess V2.0 - The Intro
5th: DBSK's Vocal Prowess V2.0 - The Individual Analyses

PHEW.

A Sunday Conversation with Cellarscape

Power. Drama. Tension. Beauty. These are words that come to mind when you hear Cellarscape's panoramic, cinematic soundscape of an album, Animation, Suspension. Just check out our review and you'll see where we were coming from. But it wasn't until we had a chance to have the one-man band that is Cellarscape, Paul Terry, come join us on the Ripple red interview couch, that it all made sense. Just check out his "holy trinity" of favorite songwriters and you'll get a feeling why his music sounds like none other.

When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkle, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphanies since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears. What have been your musical epiphany moments?

From the age of about seven to my early teens it was a pretty solid mix of Queen, ELO and Run DMC. I think, aside from the obvious Queen classics, songs like ‘I Want It All’ off The Miracle album are still astounding today. Queen – just like ELO – for me, never repeated a song once: every song they wrote had its own unique signature, and every one sounds timeless. On the Run DMC front, I bought Raising Hell for my older brother for Christmas the year it came out, and we both didn’t stop playing it for months. The precision of the dual vocals/rapping, the deck work, the live instruments – it was just incredible. ‘It’s Tricky’ is still one of my favourite songs, and I can pretty much rap along to every word off ‘Raising Hell’ even today if I’m driving somewhere and have it blasting out.

Beyond those early years, there have been quite a few more epiphanies. The first time I heard ‘Davidian’ by MachineHead, it was jaw-dropping. It was like nothing I’d ever heard before. It was crushing, but it had such a groove too. Me and my long-time bass player mate Nik have pretty much been to every London gig they’ve played to date. For me, they’re the most important metal band since the 90s and are responsible for countless other metal bands’ sounds.
Then I have to mention ‘SYL’ by Strapping Young Lad. All hail this late night U.K. rock show called Noisy Mothers – it got us into so many amazing bands. Devin Townsend (the genius behind Strapping), again, changed the rules with ‘SYL’: there was nothing like it, and never has been since. From the Strapping records to all of Devin’s solo projects, Devin is an incredibly inspiring musician.

‘Winter’ by Tori Amos is another memorable moment: it’s a song that put a big smile on my face when I first heard it, but it breaks your heart at the same time – it’s such a tiny, intimate, fragile song. And the wonder of Tori is that every time I’ve seen her play it live, she plays it with the same passion as conviction as though she’d just written it earlier that day.

And most recently (well, 10 years ago), it’s two very different bands from Scotland. The first time I saw Aereogramme was at the Reading Festival before they’d released anything. Their cinematic quality, Craig B’s pure-then-Satanic vocals, it was a revelation. The band may not be together anymore, but the past decade of material they created is astounding. I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t out at least one Aereogramme song on.

And finally, I have to mention a certain song called ‘27’ by Biffy Clyro. After hearing the riffs, the huge chorus, the musicianship in that song, I grabbed the Blackened Sky album, and then that was it. I have probably listened to Blackened Sky a thousand times, and I never get sick of it. Every Biffy album that followed was different, and just as amazing, but in completely different ways. And their new album is astounding.

Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?

I know it’s a bit of a cliché to say this, but there’s never a pattern/formula. Some days, or songs, it’s all about a riff that breeds more riffs/breaks that dictate where things go. Sometimes it’s the rhythm of words, or their phonetics – I get really obsessed with lyrics. Or sometimes it’s a tempo or an atmosphere that becomes the core thing that everything else ends up relating back to. But that unpredictability is exciting.

Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?

I think beyond music and musicians whose ideas and bodies of work are inspiring, filmmakers/writers, etc as inspiring too. I love a lot of Korean filmmakers. Kim Ji-woon makes incredible films. And Chuck Palahniuk and Mark Z. Danielewski’s novels have always inspired a lot of what I write. There’s a project that I’ve written a lot of darker, heavier music for called Ash Tree Lane (named after a road in Danielewski’s House Of Leaves) that I’ve been desperate to record properly and release, but with the Cellarscape plan and the film music projects there’s never been a window… even though there are ATL tracks that are 7 years old now! But in October 2010 I’m hoping to put out an EP of ATL songs, on the same day as a new Cellarscape EP – so the contrast should be fun. Overall, I guess contradictions have always inspired me the most: extreme metal & piano solos, horror films and love stories – it’s all good stuff.


Genres are so misleading and such a way to pigeonhole bands. Without resorting to labels, how would you describe your music?

I guess that’s another cliché that all bands find it hard to describe their sound in words, and I’m definitely in agreement with that. Even though there are a lot of acoustic guitars on the Cellarscape records, I’m always loathed to say, “It’s kinda acousticy” as I think it’s not the most important ingredient. I guess I hope people might feel it has a cinematic quality, and I hope overall that it’s an emotional experience.


Your music is such a dichotomy of moods, textures of light and shadow? What is you musical intention? What are you trying to express or get your audience to feel?

I always wanted the Cellarscape project to unite my loves of loud and gentle music. So, although you’ll hear fragile acoustics a times, you’ll also hear big, intense tones/drums too. I’ve never understood people that say metal is “just angry noise”. It’s emotive. And although Cellarscape is in no way metal, the songs have, and always will be, hugely influenced by metal artists. And so in that respect, when the song calls for it, I like to try and bring a certain intensity to the music. And with acoustic guitars forming, if you like, the ‘spine’ of a song from which everything else hangs off of, that’s part of the challenge. Don’t get me wrong, I obviously love distortion pedals – and there are some distorted guitars on the new album – but I wanted to see what a song would feel like if the distortion is kept to a minimal, and the vocal harmonies, the drums, strings, and the playing style of the acoustics had to carry/bring the darker emotion to the surface.

As far as what I want the listeners to feel? I never want to write something with an “I’d love people to react in so-and-so way” agenda. I’m the biggest critic of everything I write: if I hate it, it’s never getting recorded/performed. But when something comes together that I’m feeling is working – be it a positive, ‘up’ song, or a darker, more ominous track – then I’ll stick with an idea until it feels finished. Essentially, the gauge is always emotional: could this sequence/riff/melody/lyric start to do the ‘hairs on back of neck’ thing? And then hopefully, if someone listens to it and connects with the emotion of the song, then that’s a very cool thing. But I think everyone unwittingly brings something of themselves to every song they listen to as well. When I think about ‘Street Spirit’ by Radiohead, I’ve no idea what Thom Yorke’s intentions were for me to feel, but I think it’s a very powerful song, and the interpretation I have attached to it makes it into something very personal.


songwriting, how do you bring the song together? What do you look for in terms of complexity? Simplicity? Time changes?

The emotional core/story of the song definitely guides where things go. I’ve a massive love for angular arrangements/structures/time changes – the bands I’ve all name-checked definitely have that in common. But it has to suit the song. If it’s forced, it starts to sound really… well, forced. But it’s weird, a song like ‘You Got The Girl’ – which does kinda go all over the place – came together so quickly, in just a few days. Whereas some of the more ‘normally’ structured songs like ‘Patience & Zara’ and ‘Crawlspace’ took a lot longer until they felt completed.



The business of music is a brutal place. Changes in technology have made it easier than ever for bands to get their music out, but harder than ever to make a living? What are your plans to move the band forward? How do you stay motivated in this brutal business?

However much there are limitations, especially financially, with doing things this way/the independent way – I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know that I only have myself to blame if something doesn’t work! But, I always think of this song I scribbled some lyrics for years back that Nik reminds me of sometimes called ‘Tortoise Versus…’ I guess that’s it. I’m very content being a tortoise in the race: steady as she goes. I’m happy to gradually get the Cellarscape records out there, the independent film soundtracks and other future projects, and just see what happens. I really love music in every respect – listening to it, jamming it, writing it, so there are really only two options: do it this way and see what happens, or just don’t do it. And the second one isn’t an option. Now, what I just said doesn’t make any sense really… but hopefully you get what I mean!


No one has been in this business for long without creating a couple Spinal Tap moments. Care to share one or two?

The classic: kick the pedal to check tuning after a song, and then rip into the next song’s big opening riff… but with the pedal not disengaged, so a weedy, tiny sound “belted” out of the PA system? Done that a few times! Even after I’d replaced the crappy tuner for a decent one. My favourite gaff of them all though is probably back in my school band days. I was drumming in this band with my mates called Bloated and we were doing a cover of ‘More Human Than Human’ by White Zombie, to close the set. I was a bit drunk, and was enjoying playing it a bit too much that my concentration dropped… I went for a big fill round the toms… slice my knuckles on the edge of the metal drum rims… dropped a stick, and had to finish the song’s last few bars with just one stick. I like to think I ended it just how the record does – really tight with a grab on the final cymbal, but the
reality is, I think I sucked big time.


What makes a great song?

Ahh, the never-ending debate about subjectivity! Say, for example, at a Stag party that, in your opinion, you said that you preferred Queen’s songs to The Beatles’? You’d better be ready to sprint for your life…! So, as lame as it sounds, I think that a ‘great’ song is one that moves you: if a song that someone wrote makes you feel something that you get something out of – happiness, love, sadness, reflection – then that’s a pretty amazing thing for a collection of sounds to do that. There are a lot of songs that I absolutely hate, by bands that I think suck – but these are bands adored by millions of people – so if what they do stirs emotions in others, then that’s cool. I’ll just be in the minority who’ll remain completely baffled as to what the Hell the masses see in such awful songs…



Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?

Aside from the stuff co-wrote in my school band, the first song I ever wrote on my own was called ‘Your Dawn’ back in 1997. It was a gentle, swinging kinda riff that I really loved, but the lyrics never quite worked, and I sort of left it alone. So the first proper/complete song would be ‘Just One Thing’. It’s a really up-beat pop-rock song that I ended up recording on the Isla’s Milk record back in 1999/2000. I still like the song, but it’s maybe a bit twee in places now, but it invokes loads of great memories of playing the acoustic cafes in Portsmouth where I was at Uni. But that ‘Your Dawn’ riff re-surfaced in my head in 2001 for a short film soundtrack I was writing (for the Paul Williams film ‘Mightier’), and the scene in the film inspired/finished where it needed to go, and it became this piece called ‘Simplified Me’, which I was really pleased with.


What piece of your music are particularly proud of?

There are two songs that spring to mind that I really pleased with, mainly because I remember feeling really excited about how they were coming together during the recording stages. ‘Repeat, Erase, Unite’ is a very minimal song off the Copilot EP back in 2006. I think it became massively responsible for what I wanted to do with vocal harmonies, and I think the whole mood of the song definitely dictated where the Cellarscape sound has gone. And ‘Treading Water’ on the new album pretty much sums up what I was saying earlier about a dark/intense emotion coming from acoustic guitars. ‘Treading Water’ evolved into this thing that really pounds along, but still has, at its core, a very personal, intimate vibe.

Who today, writes great songs? Why?

My holy trinity: Devin Townsend, Tori Amos, and Biffy Clyro. I do listen to other bands, promise. A lot of other bands. Imogen Heap has been writing incredible songs since ‘Getting Scared’ came out. She’s one of a kind for sure. PJ Harvey rules because she is all about the emotions. Chris Cornell is a poet and has one of the most incredible voices ever. Gemma Hayes and Lisa Hannigan are two very different Irish singer-songwriters who I admire very much. Gemma writes very powerful, swirly songs that really connect with you, and Lisa’s music has a tiny, almost music-box quality, and it’s so beautiful. And Mike Patton is a law unto himself – and thank goodness he is! All of his solo projects are incredibly inspiring, however difficult some can be on first listen. And I have a big love for Sevendust. Their songs have such power and fantastic rhythms.



Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?

Tricky question, because I think all three have value. I love vinyl’s sound, and especially the way artists go to town with the artwork and packaging with vinyl box-sets. CDs are very immediate, and similarly, I’m a sucker for the great, inventive Limited Edition packaging my favorite bands do with their CD releases (with bonus DVDs, etc). I think in the past five years or so, bands have really pushed the envelope with the CD format, which has made new releases very exciting. And digital/MP3s are obviously invaluable in the way they’ve evolved the industry. Without the digital format it would be impossible for independent artists to function and spread the word about their music, so I don’t think people should criticize the stronghold the digital format has nowadays.

We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. When we come to your town, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?

I’d say Selectadisc on Berwick Street in London. Great selection of artists, including loads of cult/underground bands, plus lots of cool second-hand albums and a wealth of great vinyl to browse through too.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?

To anyone/everyone whose come across my Cellarscape stuff, huge thanks for the interest and support. To everyone reading this who has ever left ‘hater’ comments on any band’s Comment wall on any website, pause for second before you do it again. People leave positive comments because it’s a forum/way for them to say something they would gladly say to the band/person if they met them face-to-face. But I remain utterly confused at the stronghold ‘hate’ comments have on the internet. Brian Michael Bendis made an excellent attack on this in his Powers comic, via a character who was a stand-up comedian, expressing to the audience their disgust for online abuse – which is essentially what it is. His stand-up character made the point about the haters – what exactly have they done with their life? They can sit safely, anonymously at home and write horrendous things about complete strangers, but where is their product of endless blood, sweat and tears that they’ve thrown out into the world to be judged on..?

I’m simply a firm believer in “if you’ve got nothing positive to say, why say anything at all?” All bands and artists of all mediums already have enough outlets to deal with critiques – through journalism in all its forms – but they know that, and they know that it’s the nature of the beast. I just feel so saddened when I’m wandering around online and come across random Comment-leavers who are full of so much hate. I guess they feel they get some kind of validation/weird online ‘fame’ from doing it, but I think it’s very, very sad. But hey – I believe in karma too, so what goes around…

Beyond that rant, keep discovering old and new music, in all genres. If you want to release your own material: do it. It’s so easy to do these days: the control lies with the people making the music now – and there’s nothing more exciting or inspiring than that.

buy the album here: Animation, Suspension

Best of 2009: December #8 - #3

YES! We've made it to the end of the year. FINALLY! 8 songs this month - let's get started.

#8: The Banned of St. Trinians - Up and Away

This is the 'chic' part of British music - the sophisticated one. At least it is for me. It's edgy, it's young and it sounds Brit though and through. I love the vocals on this and the chorus is very catchy. Thank God for a song without processing. Hahah.

#7: Girls Can't Catch - Echo

They may sound way too much like The Saturdays but I dunno, Echo as a song is pretty good. It sounds a heck of a lot like The Sats and the verses may be a little bleh but the chorus is catchy. The vocals are OK, a little resonant to my ears, but the hook does the trick on this song.

#6: Supernova - My Destiny

I honestly think Supernova should concentrate on Korea before they even try breaking Japan. I know DBSK went over there in their early days but they already had a name in Korea when they made their first attempt - Supernova only got popular for their project group with T-Ara. But that aside, when I first heard My Destiny I thought it was good, processing aside. THe melody competent, the vocals good and the over-all song very current. When I listened to it more though, I realized that it sounds a lot like the work of a certain swedish producer - RedOne.

Just when I thought it sounds like a RedOne song, turns out it's too close to RedOne for comfort. Can you guess? So I did some digging and My Destiny is called Just Like That in Sweden - it's a cover of a Danny Saucedo song. Believe me, when I found out I was banging my head on the computer table. IT IS SWEDISH. So that's why I kinda liked it. Though I'm sorry to say it but the Danny version is better. Oh well. Also note that I discovered this BEFORE I saw the info on the YT video below. Just to clarify. Hahah.

#5: SNSD & Super Junior (part of them) - S.E.O.U.L. Song

It's the stereotypical advertisement song/"jingle" with stereotypical SNSD and Super Junior vocals - not good, not bad. The only problem is that I just can't stop listening to it and I like the cinematography of the video (LOL). Besides, the more I listen to it the more I actually start thinking it's a pretty good song. I mean it'll never be the next Genie or anything like that but you know, it's better than a lot of other crap that's out these days.

#4: Katharine McPhee - How

I seem to be one of the few who enjoyed her first album to a certain extent (heck, I have a physical copy of it! But that was mainly because I didn't know where to get albums back then) but on Idol I didn't like her - the season she was in pretty much failed. Well she's back and after a few fails after her first album, I'm pretty glad to say that I kinda liked this new song. It's a new sound for her but for some reason it doesn't seem far from what she used to do - even if it is. It's a logical leap and I love it. I love the real drums, I love the melodies and her vocals fit this kind of song. It gets epic later in the song and I love that too. How  by  popreviewsnow

#3: Brave Brothers feat. 2 guys from U-Kiss - Finally

The first thing that led me to this song was the rather strange video (see below) and at first listen it's one of those generic R&B mid-tempos that all sound the same. It still is. So why the crap is it on this list? For two reasons, actually. The first is the chime-like part at the beginning (it's computer generated and all but yeah) - it's GORGEOUS. Add the sparkly stuff after that and that alone is enough to make me melt. It did. The second reason is a more obvious one - the melody. It's probably one of the most beautiful melodies I've heard all year - it's flat-out gorgeous. I was humming it in class the other day and I was like "damn, this is gorgeous".