Year in Rock 2015: Song of the Year Nominees (Part 5 of 5)
As our look back on the year that was catches up to the present (and peeks ever so slightly into the future), it becomes clear that the vast majority of rock artists preferred to avoid the last two months of the year; though it's typically the stronghold time of year for pop superstar stocking stuffers, I still find it just a bit odd to see that two month gap emerge after mid-October with no nominated songs. In fact, that's almost as odd as two established bands deciding to release their albums one week before Christmas.
Regardless, our last batch of nominees runs the gamut: here we find new artists to look out for, home grown Maritime talent hitting its stride, and no less than three bands with multiple Album of the Year nominations.
Song of the Year nominees #41-50 are:
MEG MYERS: I Really Want You To Hate Me
From: Sorry (Released September 18)
Meg Myers could have easily become a dime-a-dozen pop starlet, shitting out the same tripe as so many of her contemporaries. Instead, with a knack for not just hooks but heart-wrenching songcraft, she seems content to watch the glossy pop shit show happen from the fringes. By not shying away from her dark side and refusing to put a label on herself, Myers emerges untainted by expectations or outside pressure, and the results are as refreshing as they are harrowing.
THE STANFIELDS: Sunday Warships
From: Modem Operandi (Released September 18)
Bolstered by a couple of new members, The Stanfields sound re-energized on their fourth record, marking a return to the traditional-inspired east coast hard rock that they first brought to our ears. Sunday Warships perhaps best illustrates this balancing act, a distinctly Maritime sounding tune that just so happens to have raucous riffs and concert hall crunch.
THE DEAD WEATHER: I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)
From: Dodge and Burn (Released September 25)
If Jack White's settling into a groove after nearly twenty years in the business, nobody told him; following a pair of adventurous solo albums, White retreats to the background again with The Dead Weather's third record. Nonetheless, his DNA informs the tunes, and the tunes are as fun, groove-laden and free sounding as anything he's done this decade.
MATTHEW GOOD: All You Sons and Daughters
From: Chaotic Neutral (Released September 25)
Counting his formative years as leader of his former namesake band, Matthew Good has quietly built a long and illustrious career that has seen the release of eleven records of varying intensity and success. His latest, while scaled back in terms of energy compared to his previous record, proves that his methods have aged considerably well. Poignant, political and above all else intelligent, Good's music is also far more important than most give him credit for.
SILVERSUN PICKUPS: Nightlight
From: Better Nature (Released September 25)
By diving headlong into every pop-rock whim, Silversun Pickups aren't picking up too many Smashing Pumpkins comparisons anymore; however, the quality of tunes on Better Nature prove that poppy needn't equate to bad. Still, when they let some of their old tendencies creep in (as they do on Nightlight), it makes for darkly sinister pop that feels like a natural extension of their abilities.
CLUTCH: X-Ray Visions
From: Psychic Warfare (Released October 2)
What can I say about Clutch that I haven't before? Well, I'd better think of something because, for all the times they've gone to the well over about a quarter of a century and eleven albums, they still manage to maintain a high quality of tunes and still have worthwhile things to say. With Psychic Warfare, they've taken the return to roots ethos of Earth Rocker and incorporated some of their blues influences, most notably the Texan boogie blues that are a natural byproduct of recording in the Lone Star State. They're still 100% Clutch at heart, though, and a scorching rocker like X-Ray Visions serves as a bi-annual reminder that Clutch are on one hell of a hot streak.
COHEED AND CAMBRIA: You Got Spirit, Kid
From: The Color Before the Sun (Released October 16)
For all the bellyaching fans may make about the seventh Coheed and Cambria record not continuing the incredibly complicated story arc they've always employed in their music, The Color Before the Sun is actually quite remarkable in that it proves the band's musical chops and songwriting prowess translate very well to what some would call standard rock fare. No, it's not as proggy and no, it's not as heavy, but damn if you can't get behind a song so gleefully profane and effortlessly massive as You Got Spirit, Kid.
THE MOTORLEAGUE: The Boards
From: Holding Patterns (Released October 16)
Working with a pro producer in Eric Ratz results in a major step up for The Motorleague; not to say that previous records were bad (in fact, they earned a SOTY nomination for Failsafes in 2013), but Holding Patterns is a distillation of their rawness, a more focused attack. Lead single The Boards treads the same ground of many other groove-heavy rock bands these days, but the harmony on display is what sets it apart.
BARONESS: Chlorine & Wine
From: Purple (Released December 18)
Talk about mixed emotions. After a scary 2012 bus crash, Baroness resolved to carry on but having to replace two members; Purple is the first record with this new lineup, and first since Yellow & Green, which was my runner-up for Album of the Year in 2012. I want nothing but the best for this band; after all the adversity, they deserve success and happiness. However, they made this new record with who is probably my least favourite producer in Dave Fridmann and I really don't like harping on this, but the guy has made mixing perfectly good music so loud it's nearly unlistenable his calling card. I don't like the way the drums drown most other sounds out on Chlorine & Wine, which is shameful because it is a gloriously adventurous, incredibly satisfying song.
CAGE THE ELEPHANT: Mess Around
From: Tell Me I'm Pretty (Released December 18)
Speaking of loud masters, I gave Cage the Elephant hell for the offensively loud mastering on their third album Melophobia, an annoying choice that ruined their best record to date. It's too early to tell whether or not the same mistakes get repeated on album four, but the small sample size I've heard thus far tells me that producer Dan Auerbach has scaled the noise back and let just a little dynamic range in. These are all good signs, and lead single Mess Around is one of their most immediate and enjoyable songs yet.
And with that, all fifty nominees are announced. Remember to come back every Monday over the next few weeks as we announce nominees in all the other categories and hand out the awards themselves on December 21.
Regardless, our last batch of nominees runs the gamut: here we find new artists to look out for, home grown Maritime talent hitting its stride, and no less than three bands with multiple Album of the Year nominations.
Song of the Year nominees #41-50 are:
MEG MYERS: I Really Want You To Hate Me
From: Sorry (Released September 18)
Meg Myers could have easily become a dime-a-dozen pop starlet, shitting out the same tripe as so many of her contemporaries. Instead, with a knack for not just hooks but heart-wrenching songcraft, she seems content to watch the glossy pop shit show happen from the fringes. By not shying away from her dark side and refusing to put a label on herself, Myers emerges untainted by expectations or outside pressure, and the results are as refreshing as they are harrowing.
THE STANFIELDS: Sunday Warships
From: Modem Operandi (Released September 18)
Bolstered by a couple of new members, The Stanfields sound re-energized on their fourth record, marking a return to the traditional-inspired east coast hard rock that they first brought to our ears. Sunday Warships perhaps best illustrates this balancing act, a distinctly Maritime sounding tune that just so happens to have raucous riffs and concert hall crunch.
THE DEAD WEATHER: I Feel Love (Every Million Miles)
From: Dodge and Burn (Released September 25)
If Jack White's settling into a groove after nearly twenty years in the business, nobody told him; following a pair of adventurous solo albums, White retreats to the background again with The Dead Weather's third record. Nonetheless, his DNA informs the tunes, and the tunes are as fun, groove-laden and free sounding as anything he's done this decade.
MATTHEW GOOD: All You Sons and Daughters
From: Chaotic Neutral (Released September 25)
Counting his formative years as leader of his former namesake band, Matthew Good has quietly built a long and illustrious career that has seen the release of eleven records of varying intensity and success. His latest, while scaled back in terms of energy compared to his previous record, proves that his methods have aged considerably well. Poignant, political and above all else intelligent, Good's music is also far more important than most give him credit for.
SILVERSUN PICKUPS: Nightlight
From: Better Nature (Released September 25)
By diving headlong into every pop-rock whim, Silversun Pickups aren't picking up too many Smashing Pumpkins comparisons anymore; however, the quality of tunes on Better Nature prove that poppy needn't equate to bad. Still, when they let some of their old tendencies creep in (as they do on Nightlight), it makes for darkly sinister pop that feels like a natural extension of their abilities.
CLUTCH: X-Ray Visions
From: Psychic Warfare (Released October 2)
What can I say about Clutch that I haven't before? Well, I'd better think of something because, for all the times they've gone to the well over about a quarter of a century and eleven albums, they still manage to maintain a high quality of tunes and still have worthwhile things to say. With Psychic Warfare, they've taken the return to roots ethos of Earth Rocker and incorporated some of their blues influences, most notably the Texan boogie blues that are a natural byproduct of recording in the Lone Star State. They're still 100% Clutch at heart, though, and a scorching rocker like X-Ray Visions serves as a bi-annual reminder that Clutch are on one hell of a hot streak.
COHEED AND CAMBRIA: You Got Spirit, Kid
From: The Color Before the Sun (Released October 16)
For all the bellyaching fans may make about the seventh Coheed and Cambria record not continuing the incredibly complicated story arc they've always employed in their music, The Color Before the Sun is actually quite remarkable in that it proves the band's musical chops and songwriting prowess translate very well to what some would call standard rock fare. No, it's not as proggy and no, it's not as heavy, but damn if you can't get behind a song so gleefully profane and effortlessly massive as You Got Spirit, Kid.
THE MOTORLEAGUE: The Boards
From: Holding Patterns (Released October 16)
Working with a pro producer in Eric Ratz results in a major step up for The Motorleague; not to say that previous records were bad (in fact, they earned a SOTY nomination for Failsafes in 2013), but Holding Patterns is a distillation of their rawness, a more focused attack. Lead single The Boards treads the same ground of many other groove-heavy rock bands these days, but the harmony on display is what sets it apart.
BARONESS: Chlorine & Wine
From: Purple (Released December 18)
Talk about mixed emotions. After a scary 2012 bus crash, Baroness resolved to carry on but having to replace two members; Purple is the first record with this new lineup, and first since Yellow & Green, which was my runner-up for Album of the Year in 2012. I want nothing but the best for this band; after all the adversity, they deserve success and happiness. However, they made this new record with who is probably my least favourite producer in Dave Fridmann and I really don't like harping on this, but the guy has made mixing perfectly good music so loud it's nearly unlistenable his calling card. I don't like the way the drums drown most other sounds out on Chlorine & Wine, which is shameful because it is a gloriously adventurous, incredibly satisfying song.
CAGE THE ELEPHANT: Mess Around
From: Tell Me I'm Pretty (Released December 18)
Speaking of loud masters, I gave Cage the Elephant hell for the offensively loud mastering on their third album Melophobia, an annoying choice that ruined their best record to date. It's too early to tell whether or not the same mistakes get repeated on album four, but the small sample size I've heard thus far tells me that producer Dan Auerbach has scaled the noise back and let just a little dynamic range in. These are all good signs, and lead single Mess Around is one of their most immediate and enjoyable songs yet.
And with that, all fifty nominees are announced. Remember to come back every Monday over the next few weeks as we announce nominees in all the other categories and hand out the awards themselves on December 21.
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