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User
Reviews 12
Approval 100%
Soundoffs 6
News Articles 6
Band Edits + Tags 171
Album Edits 178
Album Ratings 629
Objectivity 66%
Last Active 01-17-15 4:45 pm
Joined 07-09-09
Review Comments 420
| | Best Of 2012 | | 10 |  | Tom Williams and the Boat
Teenage Blood
I kind of stumbled on this album by accident and it ended up being a bit of an
impulse buy. I?m very glad I decided to listen to it- it?s a great folk-rock album with
some lovely textures and its own sense of charm and wit. Most of this comes from
Tom?s lyrics, which can be surreal and bizarrely hilarious at times. Charming.
Highlights: There?s A Stranger, Trouble With the Truth, My Bones | | 9 |  | Hot Water Music
Exister
I first got into HWM during their hiatus and I was happy to settle for Chris and
Chuck?s solo stuff instead, so a new album was never really something I?d
expected- so when I heard they were recording again I was pant-pissingly excited.
However on first impressions I was left a little disappointed: the polished
production, straightforward song-writing/structures and lack of Sinc artwork meant
this didn?t feel like the HWM I was so incredibly fond of. This is still my general
feeling towards the album, but I can now appreciate the quality of most of the
songs on here- and when looked at in the context of The New What Next and The
Draft album it makes more sense. Gruff
Highlights: Paid In Full, Wrong Way, Drag My Body | | 8 |  | Dry The River
Shallow Bed
The BBC Sound of? is a list I generally pay no attention to as the artists featured
are never of any interest to me. However, Dry The River bucked that trend mainly
thanks to the members? roots in punk/rock and the fact they seemed to be a
?proper? band. Their debut album. Shallow Bed, is simply beautiful. The vocal
harmonies, the melodies, the instrumentation, the production- everything here just
leans towards beauty, making for a thoroughly enjoyable listen. (yep, you?ve
guessed it:) Beautiful.
Highlights: History Book, Bible Belt, Shaker Hymns | | 7 |  | The Menzingers
On The Impossible Past
I never really got the hype surrounding The Menzingers when Chamberlain Waits
came out, it was a great album with some great tracks but it never seemed to hit
me like it did others. Since the release of The Impossible Past that hype has
snowballed further- luckily my appreciation of the band has also increased. The
album feels like a whole thanks to its flow and lyrical themes, but most importantly
its jam full of cracking tunes that work equally as well on their own. I still don?t
think The Menzingers are the saviours of punk, but this is a damn fine record.
American (muscle cars).
Highlights: Nice Things, Gates, Good Things | | 6 |  | Make Do and Mend
Everything You Ever Loved
After hearing the preview tracks released from this album it was clear this was
going to be a very different beast to their debut, an album which I played to death.
Here they?ve turned up the Jimmy East World influence and introduced a far greater
range of dynamics to the album, making it a far more nuanced and interesting
listen. Not as good as End Measured Mile, but a necessary step in their evolution.
Progression.
Highlights: Hide Away, Count, Drown In It | | 5 |  | The Gaslight Anthem
Handwritten
Its beyond a cliché to say that certain albums have the ability to transport you to
a specific moment in time, but clichés are there for a reason. Handwritten takes
me back to the very first time I listened to it in the summer, the lyrics essentially
summed up exactly how I was feeling at that time and everything just seemed to
fall into place. It helps that the record has some of the bands best songs, their
best recording and the most suitable production style (ie massive- the major label
complements them). An album with this much personal and emotional baggage
attached had to be on this list. Woahoah.
Highlights: ?45?, Howl, Too Much Blood | | 4 |  | Propagandhi
Failed States
Supporting Caste was my album of the year in 2009, so this had a lot to live up to
before it was even out. At first I was a little disappointed with the harder, faster
sound here- I?m not a massive fan of their shorter songs, generally sung by Jord on
SC. However, after looking at the lyrics in a bit more depth they really started to
hit me: although they don?t cover as much ground as previous efforts, its nice to
see some consistent themes emerge- especially when they?re hugely relatable one
such as the apathy of consumerism. Not quite as good as SC, but still ahead of
most other ?punk? bands out there. Thrashy.
Highlights: Unscripted Moments, Note To Self, Duplicate Keys Icaro (An Interim
Report) | | 3 |  | Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun
Death
I kind of knew about JL&tSS before this year as they?re from the town down the
road from me, but I?d never listened to them before. When I saw they had signed
to Xtra Mile (the home of Frank Turner, Crazy Arm, Against Me!...) I knew they?d be
worth checking out, so I went along to their album release in-store thing. ?Death? is
a great folk/punk/rock album- the opening salvo of singles is pure sing-along quality
and the rest of the record keeps pushing on. The lyrics are sincere, political and
poetic and the songs brilliantly crafted. Classy.
Highlights: England?s Dead, New Natives, Warriors | | 2 |  | Murder By Death
Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon
I had a love affair with Murder By Death in 2012- I stumbled upon ?Foxglove? and
from the opening cello strokes that was it: within months I had bought all of their
albums and loved all of them equally. I knew they were putting out something new
later on in the year so I waited in anticipation, not really sure what to expect from
my new love. I?m currently of the opinion that Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon is MBD?s
best album: Scott Brackett adds a huge amount of depth and variety to their sound
with all manner of instrumentation, complementing the cello work perfectly; the
production is absolutely brilliant- huge yet clear, with loads of little touches that
take multiple listens to even notice; plus the songs are some of the best the band
have written. Dark.
Highlights: I Came Around, Hard World, Ghost Fields | | 1 |  | Apologies, I Have None
London
Just read the review I wrote for this album and you'll get an idea of how much I
love it. Its an emotional roller-coaster throughout, with lyrics specific in time and
place yet relatable to anyone who feels lost (/loss) in the world. The song writing
is incredible too, twisting and turning from one section and song to the next yet
still maintaining a cohesive whole- there?s even room for a piano ballad. Soaring.
Highlights: Long Gone, Still Sitting Tight, Foundations | |
CasinoColumbus
01.07.13 | Is Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun anything like Frank Turner? If so, I need to get it asap. | Havey
01.08.13 | only heard a couple of these but cool i guess | wabbit
01.08.13 | http://www.punknews.org/ | mitch91
01.08.13 | @CasinoColumbus- yes quite a lot like Frank Turner musically, although the lyrics are more poetic-
they toured together last year (+Jim backed FT at the Olympics) and they're close friends too.
@wonarabbit Haha, how did you guess? |
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