Year in Rock 2011 Nominee: Chevelle

CHEVELLE
Face to the Floor

From: Hats Off to the Bull
Released: December 6

Chevelle is one of those bands that time seems to have forgotten. Bursting onto the scene with their 2002 breakthrough Wonder What's Next, they rose above the throngs of like-minded, downtuned rock bands of the era because of their penchant for strong use of melody, bombastic choruses, and their non-reliance on chest pounding, I'll-fuck-your-shit-up bro-rock. However, as indie rock ushered in a sea change and substance became more valuable than volume, Chevelle were an unfortunate casualty by association. As our interest waned, so did theirs; fourth album Vena Sera was a tired copy/paste job of what had preceded it, with nary a true standout track to be heard.

Hitting the wall, so to speak, and getting knocked down a few pegs seemed to lift a weight. They responded to their new found underdog status with the surprisingly strong follow-up Sci-Fi Crimes in 2009. By now, Chevelle was no longer in vogue, a yellowing document of days gone by; and yet, even as most of their early-aughts brethren changed their sound to suit current fads or packed it in altogether, they stood resilient alongside the music they wanted to make. And now, with Hats Off to the Bull, they pretty much stand alone, surviving the recession that swallowed most of their contemporaries and coming out of the rubble not only still making good music but making music that, against all odds, sounds fresh again.

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