[#6] Miss A - "No Mercy"

From: "Touch"
Format: EP
Released: February
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Appearances : #21 -"Goodbye Baby" (2011)

As much as I poke fun at JYP, and everything from his comments on K-Pop Star to his A&R decisions to his compositions, it's not as if he's completely devoid of ability. If he was then he would've never made it that far. "No Mercy" was one of his more brilliant moments this year, even if it was written by Hong Ji Sang (who, coincidentally, also wrote "Don't You Know", my favorite song from 2PM's "Hands Up") and not JYP.

If there's one song on this list that has been my jam for almost the entire year, it would be "No Mercy". I mean I liked "Lips" and "Rock N Rule", but from the beginning there was something more in "No Mercy". When I reviewed the devastation that was "Touch" earlier this year, I said that this should've been the lead single, and I stand by that.

What made me like "No Mercy" at first was the fact that it was so Miss A. It captured that playful spunk to their image, but at the same time it also channeled the mischievous sexiness that they also have. All that in one song? I'm in.

Again, there's a nice contrast between the melody and the instrumental -- the melody is smooth and feminine, but then you have this very funky, almost gritty instrumental. It's that contrast that gives the song direction, really, because individually the melody and the instrumental sound pretty flat. When they come together though, it's like getting mini explosions every measure.

It's also a very confident song. Again, with a contrast as obvious as the one here, it's very easy for one or the other to shy away -- they don't. The vocals are snappy and brave, they give the melody a nice, hard kick, but they also give it a smoothness and grace that only female vocals can give.

I also really like "No Mercy" because despite the fact that the instrumental has all this funky going in, it's such a graceful, pretty song. Which is pretty much why it became "my jam". It's something you can head-bang and dance to, courtesy of the instrumental, but it's also something that's easy to sing along to, courtesy of the melody. It's mainstream, but it's good, well-thought through and confidently delivered, mainstream. Add that to the fact that the production on this is fantastic and it's genuinely a really good song to start with, and you have magic, I tell you, magic.

The Machine - Calmer Than You Are

Oh yeah, now we're talking folks. This Dutch trio knows what it's all about. Just turn off the lights completely, light a candle or two or maybe turn on a lava lamp. Sit down somewhere comfortable, start Calmer Than You Are, crank up the volume, stare at the lights and The Machine will take you anywhere you want to. It's a great journey indeed!

These guys are definitely a stoner band and subsequently references to the mighty Kyuss are impossible to ignore, that goes for every stoner band. But The Machine has something different going on if you side-step the Palm Desert influences. Beyond the stoner heaviness, they conjure spacy, trippy psychedelica akin to get-on-the-magic-carpet-ride and it's an amalgamation I really love. Simply because when blended together the juxtaposition of these two elements has such a calming and soothing effect on me, hence the title Calmer Than You Are perhaps? At the same time it can get me into the groove as well, it just depends on the situation.

Calmer Than You Are is The Machine's fourth full length, the third for Elektrohasch, and for some reason I have totally missed out on them. This is more than redeemed with this offering though. Despite clocking in at just about 46 minutes a distinct jam-feeling is apparent throughout which, after checking out the band's catalouge, isn't strange at all. Up until now The Machine were clearly a jam band but with Calmer Than You Are they have opted for a rawer more distinct sound albeit without losing any of their past. And that works real good for me.

Frontman David Eering - vocals, guitar - uses fuzz and wah wah pedals perfectly and elegantly helping their music to their new-found direction although during the first half of opener Moonward his use of the sitar keeps the link to their past well and alive. The song starts off slowly keeping it stoney and trippy but about halfway in the band, completed by Hans van Heemst - bass guitar - and Davy Boogaard - drums, pounds me into the ground by switching tempo and going all heavy. While David is riffing like there's no tomorrow Hans and Davy's rhythm work simply pummels me into oblivion. It's like a bulldozer on a rampage. And this is how Calmer Than You Are plays out, it switches between slow and heavy without being all over the place instead it works perfectly. The only time the band reverts to the music from their previous albums is on Sphere(...Or Kneiter). At 12:22 they allow themselves room and freedom to improvise and jam and it's beautiful.

Like I mentioned earlier The Machine draws their inspiration from two elements stoner rock and psychedelia. And where so many others fail they are solid, adventurous, skilled and absolutely brilliant. Roaming within a genre that draws so much inspiration from one single band, Kyuss, The Machine have found their own path and there's only one way for them...up! Don't miss out on this three-piece because they deserve to be out there and you'll do yourself no favours by ignoring them. Good stuff indeed.

--Swedebeast

[#7] XIA Junsu (JYJ) - "Lullaby"

Merry Christmas everyone! (If anyone's reading this, that is D:) Now excuse me while I go scramble to finish up the rest of this year's best of special, including my favorite albums and rookies I have my eye on. ;D

From: "Tarantallegra"
Format: Full-Length Album
Released: May
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Appearances: #39 - "Intoxication" (2010) / #10 - "You Are So Beautiful" (2010)

"Tarantallegra" as an album was a disappointment because here you have one of the most outstanding vocalists in the industry, one of the most practiced, most versatile, most technically sound, and majority of the tracks didn't do him any justice, neither did the album work as an album. That was the majority though, there were good songs, with "Lullaby" leading the pack.

First and foremost, "Lullaby" is stunning -- it's another one of those songs that are beautiful because they're so simple. It lives up to it's name, it really does sound like a lullaby (even if the lyrics say otherwise), and the chorus is something that will sound beautiful, regardless of who's singing it. The melody was the first thing that really dragged me in to the song, and amidst an album painfully full of mediocrity, it was the one thing that made me stop and really, really pay attention.

The arrangement is very cut and dry -- no big shifts in dynamics, instead we have these gentle build-ups and little additions here and there. It's just like the melody, simple but beautiful. And for once, this kind of production, the kind I usually look down upon on JYJ releases (and even in majority of "Tarantallegra"), works. It works because even if it's very warm and matches the whole lullaby theme, it's also quite bare and so it doesn't cover much up, unlike more flashy production styles that are used to cover weaknesses.

I keep saying that this is such a simple song, and even I think I'm one step away from calling it plain, but I'm not going to because it's nowhere near plain. The bareness of the song, the simplicity of the melody -- they're all there to show off Junsu's spectacular vocals, because really, they're in a league of their own on this song. And that's no easy feat, because the more simple a song, the harder it is to do it well.

I always say that the true measure of a good singer isn't in how big his or her range is, it's not in how complicated melodies are pulled off, but in how the simplest of lines are delivered. Complicated songs may be, well, complicated, but once you figure out how to do it, it's easy. Flashy songs are show-stoppers and show off ranges, but the more flash there is in a song, the more smokescreens you have to hide behind when you make mistakes. If it's simple then anyone can do it, if it's familiar, like a lullaby, then we've all heard it before -- the challenge of a simple song is how to pull it off like a singer, and not "anyone else". It lies in the competence of the vocalist above all, and of course the interpretation of that simplicity. If you're afraid, it won't work, if you're not good enough, all your shortcomings will be out in the open.

But of course, Junsu has absolutely nothing to be afraid of. I've known for a long time now just how outstanding a vocalist Junsu is and what he sounds even more phenomenal singing, but "Lullaby" took my impressions further. His voice is beautiful, and his singing is strong on all fronts -- technical, emotional and everything in between. And you see that in the song, in how his technique not only delivers the chorus, but gives it the emotion he wants to bring out of it.

The emotion, my gosh the emotion in those vocals -- they give me goosebumps, make my heart race and leave me smiling like a madwoman at the same time, all while lulling me to sleep. It's more of Junsu's technique than his actual voice, how he drags his notes and delivers those otherwise boring lines with such emotion. But in any case, to deliver a song with this kind of emotion is something you can't just learn overnight.

Revenge of the Quick Ripple Bursts - Featuring Gunslinger, Pagan Alter, Gorgantherron, The Setting Son and Laugh at the Fakes

A quick rundown on some of the discs taking residence in my Ripple player.


Gunslinger - Better Times

We blasted out a special review on their last album Earthquake in E Minor contributed by Mike "Artie O." Hannon, one of the original innovators at Kick Ass.  So when the band returned with their new album Better Times, we were primed and ready.  This is simply balls-out rock n roll, played with abandon by Alan Davey (ex-Hawkwind) and crew.  Riffy, rough and rocky.  70's rock fans take note.  it's a keper. Check out the way groovy, funk-rock of "My Lady."   Simply perfect.




Pagan Altar - The Time Lord

I'm a hard nut sucker for early NWOBHM, particularly the more obscure stuff.  It's stunning how many bands came out of that era, most never seeing the light of day beyond their local pub.  Pagan Altar is one such NWOBHM band that has been bypassed by time.   These are the oldest known recordings to exist, demos, dating back to 1978, and show a band that definitely should have reached a wider audience.  Fantastic riffs, great harmony guitars and a slightly darkened, post-Sabbath edge.  The quality is DIY and rough, just the way I love my early NWOBHM.  This one is an orgasm for early metal addicts like me.




Gorgantherron - S/T

What do you get when you mix a big stoner/doom vibe with a love of Grade B sci-fi?   Don't think Monster Magnet, think Gorgantherron.  There's a whole mythology around the band that includes super secret space missions in 1968, lost monkeys, crash landings in 2010 and endless tapes of Sabbath and Maiden.  I believe it all.  These madcap riffmeisters tread the delicate balance between gargantuan, rocking doom rock with a touch of the tongue-in-cheek absurd.  And it all works.  Whether rocking their brains out on "Mothra!" or really freaking out into a jazzy-stoner groove on "Assimilate", this self-titled debut is nothing but fun.  And I'll give a nod to anyone who brings some fun back to the oh-so-serious genre of Doom.





The Setting Son - Before I Eat My Eyes & Ears

With The Setting Son, you know what you're gonna get.  Swirling, acid-tinged, addictive sugary garage pop, and this album is no different.  As sweet a confection as cotton candy, swirling organs and soaring harmonies guide us through one garage pop gem after another.  I loved their last album and this one holds up just as well.  Seems their well of candy-perfect melodies will never run dry.




Laugh at the Fakes -One Night Only

Wasn't sure that I was going to include this disc or not, because in the end -- to me-- it's flawed.  But on the other hand, I seem to keep playing it so there's definitely something there.  Four guys who rock out like a mad mix of Guns n Roses, thrash metal and . . .and . . .I don't know.  Something complex and proggy.  How's that?  Laugh at the Fakes is the brainchild of singer/guitarist and songwriter Everett Mason.  One thing I gotta say, this kids got talent, both on the axe and the vocals, and most of these songs really cook.  The problem is that Everett seems to want to do too much with each song.  He doesn't know how to leave well enough alone and let things breathe.  Rather that find that perfect riff, he breaks up each song with odd time changes and conflicting riffs.  It's impressive to an extent, but when you take a song that is as near-perfect as "Better than You," --with that earworm of a pop metal chorus and vocal hook (simply amazing) -- and add that post-chorus stuttering riff, it simply kills the momentum of the song.  To my ears, it just would've been so much more effective without it.   I'm including them in this post because I believe in Everett's talent, and think that if he gets a producer who can focus his attack into less showy songcraft, we'll have something really incredible. 

[#8] BEAST - "Beautiful Night"

From: "Midnight Sun"
Format: EP
Released: July
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Appearances: #27 -"Easy" (2010) / #9 -"Though I Call" (2011)

BEAST is a special band for me, because they were the first rookies I really, really kept my eye on. From humble beginnings, they've gone on to lead their generation of rookie groups -- they have stature, stature they deserve.

I loved "Beautiful Night" the first time I heard it -- it's the type of song that's so easy to like. It's mainstream, it's pop, and it's nothing complicated, but it's so well done. Sometimes you need those kinds of songs.

For a dance/club track, the elements they chose were relatively light. The loops they chose are very There's this pretty piano line behind everything, and even if it's pretty heavy for a piano line since it's playing chords, in the grand scheme of things it gives the song spring more than it weighs it down. Which is pretty much the entire thrust of the arrangement -- it's something you can tap your foot to while listening, but it's also something that's not a problem to dance and jump around to. The difference is that this is better done than a lot of other songs that attempt to do that.

I talk a lot about the contrast and cohesion between the vocals and the instrumental this year, and that really has been something that I personally really liked in the songs I listened to -- "Beautiful Night" is no exception. While you have this very jumpy, very springy instrumental and this snappy arrangement, the melody gives the song the depth it needs. Obvious first it's a gorgeous melody -- the verses make me want to melt, and the choruses and hooks are such a joy to listen to. BEAST vocals have always been heavy in timbre regardless of technique and treatment, and that quality given a very thin, sharp treatment gives the song dimension. I like dimension. Beyond contrast and cohesion, there are great dynamics at work between the elements, and that's really important.

Earlier I was talking how simple "Beautiful Night" is, and even with the dimension, it's still such a simple song. If anything the simplicity of it, of the structure, the melody, and even the explosions, lets you actually feel everything that's going on. A lot of songs go for the hearing and stop at that, they barrage everyone with 93857385 synth loops and elaborate string sections, but in the process they forget that music is felt just as much as it is heard. "Beautiful Night" was one of the few songs this year that could get my heart racing without me even noticing, it was one of the few songs with a bass line I could actually feel.

See that's what I like about BEAST, they don't just say "we're in this for the long run", they let it show in the music. The songs they put out have strong melodies first and foremost, and if there's any part of a song that will transcend time in it's entirety, it's the melody. "Beautiful Night" is anthemic, both in sound and theory. It's an epic song, it's a beautiful melody, but it's also something that captures who BEAST are, what K-Pop has come to be, then it takes those snapshots and it makes them timeless.

Dustin Kensrue -This Good Night is Still Everywhere

Let me begin by saying that I absolutely loathe Christmas music.  There.  I said it.  I loathe it.  From Thanksgiving all the way to Christmas I hear the same overly peppy music in every location I go.  I am not even safe in my own vehicle, since my family wants to hear it. 

I can tolerate some Trans-Siberian Orchestra and really nice orchestral works of the classics.  I enjoy the live music from The Nutcracker. 

However, a few years ago, I discovered a Christmas album that would change my Christmas life.  Dustin Kensrue’s This Good Night is Still Everywhere. It’s rock.  It’s blues.  It’s emotional. 
It isn’t “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”.  All you have to do is watch the first official music video for This is War.  It’s a different breed of Christmas tune. 

To begin with, Dustin Kensrue is my musical idol.  His incredible vocals are unmatched by any I’ve ever heard.  As the lead singer from my favorite band of all time (Thrice), he’s shown a knack for screaming and growling to go along with some of the most soulful and emotionally wrought clean vocals of all time. 

Thrice should be viewed upon like the Beatles of my generation.  

I digress. 

Dustin Kensrue has an acoustic side project.  His debut album, Please Come Home, Is a complete masterpiece.  Its Thrice meets blues, meets Johnny Cash, meets awesome. 

He follows it up with a Christmas album… and I couldn’t be happier.  I finally have a Christmas album I can listen to that everyone can (sort of) get into. 

You have the old classic church hymnals like Hark The Herald Angels Sing, O Come O Come, Emmanuel, God Rest You Merry gentlemen, O Holy Night, and O Come, All Ye Faithful.  Except… they are darker.  They aren’t bright.  They sound sad and emotional.  Probably the way the songs were supposed to sound when the composers thought of them many moons ago.  When Dustin Kensrue’s gravelly voice wails during the bridge of O Holy Night, the emotion is like a knife to the heart. 

He also has some non-traditional Christmas music on there.  Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) opens the CD, and I think that was a mistake.  It doesn’t show off the dark tone of the whole album.  You have some bluesy tracks after in Christmas Blues and Blue Christmas.  Then you’ve got some awesome “modern” Christmas songs like Fairytale of New York and This is War. 

This album screams quality.  It has a raw sound that makes it feel as though Kensrue and his backing band are right in the room with you.  They vocals are astounding.  It’s a striking album of any kind.  It just so happens to be a Christmas album. 

Thank God I get an excuse to listen to it every year.


--The Professor

[#9] DBSK - "Catch Me"

From: "Catch Me"
Format: Full-Length Album
Released: September
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Appearances (of current line-up): #3 -"Before U Go" (2011) / #1 -"Back To Tomorrow" (2011)

At first I was a little hesitant to put "Catch Me" on the countdown, and in the top ten at that, because I know there will always be people who question my taste. But then, at the end of the day this is a list of the songs I enjoyed the most this year, whether or not my taste corresponds to the majority. So "Catch Me" is here, at #9.

I like "Catch Me", I liked it the first time I heard it, I liked it when it accompanied me throughout hell week last semester, and I like it now that I'm writing about it. In DBSK fashion, the song is chaotic -- there are so many different things going on at the same time and they all come together for this almost ridiculously epic... thing.

The melody is gorgeous. The verses are urgent but graceful, and the chorus is really intense while being catch and sing-able. Despite all the synthetic and computer-generated elements running around, the melody is human, and it's beautiful to boot.

But what I like the most about the melody is that you know this was made for people who can sing -- the chorus is higher than the comfortable male range, and less competent idols will ultimately forget the singing and end up just screaming through the entire thing. Not Yunho and Changmin. The melody does a phenomenal job showing off just how vocally competent the two are, whether live or recorded.

The production on "Catch Me" is extremely strong -- it evens everything out and gives a sense of richness to the very sharp vocals and thin synths. The arrangement of the melodic parts is spot-on -- the instrumentals lay low and let Yunho and Changmin's confident vocals carry everything, but when it's time to explode, they really explode.

Ultimately, "Catch Me" works because Yunho, Changmin, and everyone who contributed to the production of the song, stood their ground. And that really makes a difference -- because like I always say, it's very easy to tell when an act genuinely likes what's going on, and when the delivery is half-hearted. Like for example all the synths and the dance breaks between, they're all over the place, but it's more like "Okay. Dance break. Synths. Now. Go." and not "Uhhh, dance break -- o...kay?". "Catch Me" is as far from shy as it can possibly get -- it's not just confident, it's brave. And that kind of brevity, and everything else that comes with it, deserves to be noticed.