2009 didn't capture my attention. A few good albums came out, but nothing really floored me. So I kept telling myself that 2010 would be such a huge year because there was so much new music to look forward to. Before I go any further, I'd just like to mention that there was some amazing music in 2010, but there was so much more bad music by pretty good bands that I could't totally wrap my head around.
Let's start the list off with my least favorite of 2010......
1.
Sufjan Stevens - "The Age Of Adz" - Maybe I'm missing something here that everyone else picked up on, or maybe I'm the only one who can truly admit that this was a big, experimental flop. I'm always supportive of a new sound that can possibly revolutionize my joy in a band, but I don't know where this came from.
"All Delighted People EP" was so incredible that I figured
"The Age Of Adz" would just destroy that album in every way. That could have been the problem.
"All Delighted People" was exactly what I was looking for and
"The Age of Adz" was exactly what I was dreading. I will always be a Sufjan fan, but this album took me by surprise. I can only hope his next effort, which I can only imagine will come shortly, will once again overtake my headphones like the rest of his catalog.
2.
Anberlin - "Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place" - I'm having a hard time configuring the words to express my displeasure with this album.
Anberlin has been one of my favorite bands since about 2004, so I held their latest effort up to an attainable standard in my opinion. This album is HORRIBLE. One song stood out. One song out of 10. This is the same band that I've maybe disliked 5 songs from their entire discography. I'm not really sure what kind of sound they were aiming for here. The band dresses like a bunch of hipster Elvis impersonators, and I'm pretty sure they all forgot how to write music. Each album previous to this one had a recognizable distinction. Depending on what kind of mood I was in, I could go to any of the four previous releases and get my fix of good, strong music. The only saving grace in this album is the song "Impossible". That is the only song I tell people about because I don't want to put them through the pain of listening to the entire album like I did. Increased exposure might have had an effect, but that I can only speculate. I'll have to keep my fingers crossed and pray the next album has some legitimate passion and intensity.
3.
The Rocket Summer - "Of Men And Angels" - I heard a couple of songs from this album before it came out. They were streaming so I didn't really pay much attention to how it sounded because I knew it was going to be complete shit either way.
The Rocket Summer is another band that I have loved for many, many years. Bryce Avery, lead vocalist and much more, has always put an exorbitant amount of energy into every album, so how could I have expected any different on this album? The album starts off with the song "Roses" and it has a-typical Rocket Summer catchy hooks and sing-a-long vocals, but something is much different. Bryce Avery sounds like he is using about 50 percent of his normal vocal range and power. So, I kept going on and on, track by track, hoping for more a more explosive sound, but I came up empty handed. Not one song on the album showcased what he can do vocally. I'd have to say this was the most disappointing album in 2010.
The Rocket Summer was my go-to band for consistent quality, so this came as the biggest shock to me. I think Bryce Avery needs to recharge his batteries and get back to what worked: Powerful vocals and catchy music.
4. Portugal. The Man - "American Ghetto" - This one will be short and sweet. Sometimes bands need to stop making music. Especially when your last three albums sound exactly the same. Maybe being high would help, but just like me ever liking them again, I don't see that happening.
5. Confide - "Recover" - The Metal-Core scene is a tough one to bitch about. Most of the music sounds the same, so it is kind of hard to nitpick each and every album that comes out. My problem stems from how amazing their previous album was. "Shout The Truth" was everything I was looking for in this genre and more. The vocals were actually good without the singer sounding like a twelve year old transvestite who has been smoking Camel Non-Filters their entire life. This album and The Rocket Summer album made me think of the same thing; they took their foot off the pedal. I'm not sure what happens to some bands after the achieve some success, but it seems like they either get messed with by people who have power over their music, or they simply don't have the same intensity they once did. Either way, I'll get over this album. As I'm writing this there are probably about 500 new metal-core bands that just got "noticed" on MySpace.
