Every Monday for the foreseeable future, I’ll be posting a 5×5 photo of the albums I’ve listened to during the week. It’ll give you an idea of some new stuff I’m jamming, some older stuff I’ll never stop listening to, and everything in between. Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover something new, too.
Of the 25 albums I’ve listened to most this past week, there’s a few that are really intriguing.
Black Keys (Rubber Factory/Thickfreakness) are two absolutely fantastic early career albums from the duo The Black Keys, who at this point were still recording albums in their basement with little funding. Impressively, they’ve now won all kinds of awards and even played arenas at the end of last year. These two albums are a great place to start if you’re interested in seeing how they developed.
Anakin (Celestial Frequency Shifter)
Impressive album from a band I’ve known for a grand total of 2 weeks. And I’m glad I found them, because they have a pretty original sound (synth-laden space rock that would make Hum and Failure extremely proud). No Sleep Records has a great one on their hands. Check out the album finale, “Sunbeam”, for a good representation of their sound.
An Autumn For Crippled Children (Only The Ocean Knows/Try Not To Destroy Everything You Love)
Black metal with lots of synths and a shoegaze feel are the rule of the day for AAFCC, who have been pretty prolific with releases (releasing either a full length or EP just about every 12 months). Surprisingly, they’ve been around longer than Deafheaven (who they are often compared to) and while they’re similar in sound, there’s a lot more New Order/Joy Division influence in their music. The latter is a slightly better album IMO, but you really can’t go wrong with any album in their discography.
Screaming Trees (Buzz Factory)
Outside of Dust and Sweet Oblivion, Buzz Factory is arguably the best Screaming Trees album. It’s a shame they never quite got the attention they deserved in the wake of the grunge explosion, because vocalist Mark Lanegan and company embodied the “Seattle sound” as well as anyone, having psychadelic, blues, and plenty of garage rock influences. The album kicks off with opener “Where The Twain Shall Meet” and never lets up.
Aerosmith (The Essential Aerosmith)
Aerosmith is often considered the quinessential American rock band, and why not? They released some of the most important rock albums of the 70’s in Get Your Wings & Toys In The Attic, flamed out at the end of the decade thanks to drugs & alcohol, and then rebirthed themselves (thanks to Run-DMC) with one of the first rap-rock hybrids, upon recording their iconic song “Walk This Way”. They then proceeded to record albums like the multiplatinum Pump and Permanent Vacation, winning awards everywhere. It’s probably the greatest comeback in American rock history, and there’s nothing we love more than a comeback.
A Greatest Hits album isn’t always a good place to start for a band, but if you’re not too familiar with Aerosmith for some reason, this is a solid start. It contains most of their classics, like “Sweet Emotion” and “Dream On”.
Elliott Smith (Either/Or)
Immensely gifted singer/songwriter who released a string of critically acclaimed albums in his career, and left this world much too soon. Either/Or is one of his best.
Black Breath (Sentenced To Life)
One of the heaviest releases I’ve ever heard in my life. Think of what the successor to Entombed’s Clandestine album would’ve sounded like if they had recorded a sequel. Filter that through a crossover thrash hybrid, and you’re close to what this sounds like.
Lonely The Brave (The Day’s War)
Lonely The Brave are going to be superstars – it’s only a matter of time. Their debut album is a confident mix of hooky choruses and great musicianship that will leave you breathless. You need this album in your life.
Seriously, though. Check out all the bands on this list – Caspian, Sleeper Agent, Sithu Aye, and especially Envy’s A Dead Sinking Story record. That’s a band that’s influenced a metric ton of post-hardcore bands the last decade.
