Year in Rock 2015: Album of the Year Nominees
To understand what it is that makes me the staunch music lover I am today, one needs look no further than a list of past Album of the Year winners. Through the years, my life has been not just enhanced by my favourite records, but indeed shaped by them to a certain extent. A great song can get me revved up or emotional, but a great album is capable of so much more. The best albums are more than the sum of their parts, creating a story or journey for our hearts and minds to explore. Through these records, we can apply our personal experiences to those of the creators and, in turn, create a new experience that's ours and ours alone.
Winning an Album of the Year award from me has never changed the lives of any recipient, and the artists' Wikipedia pages will never list it as a credential. Still, I feel it's an important thing to do, as it marks another year of my life and credits the album that, more than others released that year, helped me through it.
Just for fun, I'll preface this year's nominees with a list of all my past winners. So you know, I've been handing out this "honour" for much longer than I've had this blog; it's something I've been doing for the majority of my music loving years. Some of you may have seen my year-end top ten at the store I used to work at, some of you may remember them from a much older version of this website that's lost to time. Most of these I've never really announced to anyone aside from myself. Nevertheless, this year I'm awarding Album of the Year honours for the twenty-fifth time, which makes this as good a time as any to take a beat and look back on the previous twenty-four.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR WINNERS: 1991-2014
1991 NIRVANA: Nevermind
1992 FAITH NO MORE: Angel Dust
1993 PEARL JAM: Vs.
1994 SOUNDGARDEN: Superunknown
1995 THE SMASHING PUMPKINS: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
1996 TOOL: Ænima
1997 RADIOHEAD: OK Computer
1998 PEARL JAM: Yield
1999 NINE INCH NAILS: The Fragile
2000 AT THE DRIVE-IN: Relationship of Command
2001 SYSTEM OF A DOWN: Toxicity / TOOL: Lateralus (yes, a tie)
2002 QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE: Songs for the Deaf
2003 THE WHITE STRIPES: Elephant
2004 MASTODON: Leviathan
2005 SYSTEM OF A DOWN: Mezmerize/Hypnotize (I counted it as one piece)
2006 ARCTIC MONKEYS: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
2007 CLUTCH: From Beale Street to Oblivion
2008 MY MORNING JACKET: Evil Urges
2009 MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA: Mean Everything to Nothing
2010 AGAINST ME!: White Crosses
2011 FUCKED UP: David Comes to Life
2012 DEFTONES: Koi No Yokan
2013 QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE: ...Like Clockwork
2014 SWANS: To Be Kind
Okay, then: on to the present. Your Year in Rock 2015 Album of the Year nominees (with a pull quote from my review for the record where applicable) are:
COURTNEY BARNETT: Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
"It's simply a student sharing what she's learned from rock n' roll, and passing the final exam with flying colours."
BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME: Coma Ecliptic
"It's impossible not to respect the ambition of this record and the high rate of success in translating its subject matter to the aural theatre."
CANCER BATS: Searching for Zero
"Any band is capable of raging in response to tragedy, but it takes a special breed to smile through the tears."
CLUTCH: Psychic Warfare
"Clutch do not seem tired, bored or jaded on Psychic Warfare, instead emitting a sort of ageless confidence that translates into yet another in a long line of great albums."
COHEED AND CAMBRIA: The Colour Before the Sun
"By focusing on the songs and not the story, there's a far more inclusive hue to The Color Before the Sun."
DEAD SARA: Pleasure to Meet You
"There's a noted balance between ferocity and tenderness, and the band is up to the challenge on both ends of the spectrum."
THE DEAD WEATHER: Dodge and Burn
"A virtually filler-free experience, certainly the best Dead Weather record to date."
THE DECEMBERISTS: What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World
"If there's any compromise to be made to critics of the stripped down style of The King is Dead, it's in the music itself; throughout there's a breadth of instrumentation at play, and this is a much fuller sounding, more vibrant record."
FAITH NO MORE: Sol Invictus
"Songs that undoubtedly bear the fingerprints of the people who made The Real Thing and King for a Day while twisting the source material into new and interesting shapes."
FIDLAR: Too
"They're setting themselves up for a host of possibilities for future records which, if you get your thrills from the uncertainty of where a band is going next, makes Too required listening."
GHOST: Meliora
"They've never shied away from a chance to draw influences and fans from other genres, and this record sees them expand their reach just enough while achieving new heights of creativity."
LAMB OF GOD: VII - Sturn Und Drang
"This is unquestionably a Lamb of God record, and one of their finest, to boot; what makes it so is the older and wiser Lamb of God we get on this record, the band that's been through some shit but come out of it driven rather than beaten."
MARILYN MANSON: The Pale Emperor
"It's proud of its imperfections, the result of a process that was clearly more focused on making good music than creating infamy."
THE MOTORLEAGUE: Holding Patterns
"Enough variance in tone and tempo throughout to ensure a consistently engaging album experience."
MY MORNING JACKET: The Waterfall
"They clearly haven't let go of their desire to wring new ideas out of their core sound but, after so much tireless exploration, they've earned the right to sit back and admire the view as often as they dive in head first."
MEG MYERS: Sorry
"A fine pop/rock album, full of dark moods and bright twists and boasting a muscular, confident tracklist."
JOEL PLASKETT: The Park Avenue Sobriety Test
"While it does acknowledge a few regrets and missed chances, it also stresses the importance of living in the moment; there's just as much blue sky as black clouds."
NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS: S/T
There's no pull quote for this one, because I never got around to reviewing it (shame on me!), but I needed a replacement nominee once it was clear to me that Baroness had no intention of streaming more than three songs before my deadline. I had held a spot for them under the assumption that they'd have allowed a stream, but the only ones who got to hear it to this point are select critics. I also assumed I'd like it enough to nominate, considering their previous record was runner-up for Album of the Year in 2012. Oh well, I can't nominate what I can't listen to; better luck next time.
As for Rateliff, his first album with backing band The Night Sweats shouldn't be seen as a mere stand-in; it's only the fact that I hadn't heard it in full until about a week ago that kept it off this list originally. Turns out it's a very strong, soulful and laid back rock record, and one with far more to offer than the rollicking, thick-with-novelty S.O.B.
ROYAL THUNDER: Crooked Doors
"Bursting with creativity and talent, the only thing more exciting than Crooked Doors is the host of sonic possibilities that have opened up for Royal Thunder because of it."
SCREAMING FEMALES: Rose Mountain
"An album that sees the trio dial back some of their noisier tendencies in favour of natural intensity."
SLEATER-KINNEY: No Cities to Love
"It's not just a welcome return, it's a testament to the group's importance, ten shining examples of why we've missed them (even if we didn't realize that we did)."
TITUS ANDRONICUS: The Most Lamentable Tragedy
"It's a thought provoking, endlessly rewarding record that rocks hard when it needs the energy and immerses you in ambiance when you need a break. Perhaps most tellingly, it's a 93 minute record that feels like it was worth every second."
TORCHE: Restarter
"Whereas previous LP Harmonicraft was a spit-shined refinement of their mountainous riff rock, steering them toward the crossroads of hard rock and pop, Restarter ignites a trail of gasoline and breathes in the smoke."
VERUCA SALT: Ghost Notes
"Ghost Notes excels at its nostalgia, but is no mere nostalgia trip; it's a record about recapturing the feeling rather than the glory, and that helps it become not just glorious but an outright new career high for Veruca Salt."
WOLF ALICE: My Love is Cool
"My Love Is Cool is an album that affords the band near limitless possibilities, and it's hard to pinpoint just where their exploration will take them, but it's bound to be a fun ride."
Who will take home the crown? Find out when all Year in Rock winners are announced next Monday.
Winning an Album of the Year award from me has never changed the lives of any recipient, and the artists' Wikipedia pages will never list it as a credential. Still, I feel it's an important thing to do, as it marks another year of my life and credits the album that, more than others released that year, helped me through it.
Just for fun, I'll preface this year's nominees with a list of all my past winners. So you know, I've been handing out this "honour" for much longer than I've had this blog; it's something I've been doing for the majority of my music loving years. Some of you may have seen my year-end top ten at the store I used to work at, some of you may remember them from a much older version of this website that's lost to time. Most of these I've never really announced to anyone aside from myself. Nevertheless, this year I'm awarding Album of the Year honours for the twenty-fifth time, which makes this as good a time as any to take a beat and look back on the previous twenty-four.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR WINNERS: 1991-2014
1991 NIRVANA: Nevermind
1992 FAITH NO MORE: Angel Dust
1993 PEARL JAM: Vs.
1994 SOUNDGARDEN: Superunknown
1995 THE SMASHING PUMPKINS: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
1996 TOOL: Ænima
1997 RADIOHEAD: OK Computer
1998 PEARL JAM: Yield
1999 NINE INCH NAILS: The Fragile
2000 AT THE DRIVE-IN: Relationship of Command
2001 SYSTEM OF A DOWN: Toxicity / TOOL: Lateralus (yes, a tie)
2002 QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE: Songs for the Deaf
2003 THE WHITE STRIPES: Elephant
2004 MASTODON: Leviathan
2005 SYSTEM OF A DOWN: Mezmerize/Hypnotize (I counted it as one piece)
2006 ARCTIC MONKEYS: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
2007 CLUTCH: From Beale Street to Oblivion
2008 MY MORNING JACKET: Evil Urges
2009 MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA: Mean Everything to Nothing
2010 AGAINST ME!: White Crosses
2011 FUCKED UP: David Comes to Life
2012 DEFTONES: Koi No Yokan
2013 QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE: ...Like Clockwork
2014 SWANS: To Be Kind
Okay, then: on to the present. Your Year in Rock 2015 Album of the Year nominees (with a pull quote from my review for the record where applicable) are:
COURTNEY BARNETT: Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
"It's simply a student sharing what she's learned from rock n' roll, and passing the final exam with flying colours."
BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME: Coma Ecliptic
"It's impossible not to respect the ambition of this record and the high rate of success in translating its subject matter to the aural theatre."
CANCER BATS: Searching for Zero
"Any band is capable of raging in response to tragedy, but it takes a special breed to smile through the tears."
CLUTCH: Psychic Warfare
"Clutch do not seem tired, bored or jaded on Psychic Warfare, instead emitting a sort of ageless confidence that translates into yet another in a long line of great albums."
COHEED AND CAMBRIA: The Colour Before the Sun
"By focusing on the songs and not the story, there's a far more inclusive hue to The Color Before the Sun."
DEAD SARA: Pleasure to Meet You
"There's a noted balance between ferocity and tenderness, and the band is up to the challenge on both ends of the spectrum."
THE DEAD WEATHER: Dodge and Burn
"A virtually filler-free experience, certainly the best Dead Weather record to date."
THE DECEMBERISTS: What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World
"If there's any compromise to be made to critics of the stripped down style of The King is Dead, it's in the music itself; throughout there's a breadth of instrumentation at play, and this is a much fuller sounding, more vibrant record."
FAITH NO MORE: Sol Invictus
"Songs that undoubtedly bear the fingerprints of the people who made The Real Thing and King for a Day while twisting the source material into new and interesting shapes."
FIDLAR: Too
"They're setting themselves up for a host of possibilities for future records which, if you get your thrills from the uncertainty of where a band is going next, makes Too required listening."
GHOST: Meliora
"They've never shied away from a chance to draw influences and fans from other genres, and this record sees them expand their reach just enough while achieving new heights of creativity."
LAMB OF GOD: VII - Sturn Und Drang
"This is unquestionably a Lamb of God record, and one of their finest, to boot; what makes it so is the older and wiser Lamb of God we get on this record, the band that's been through some shit but come out of it driven rather than beaten."
MARILYN MANSON: The Pale Emperor
"It's proud of its imperfections, the result of a process that was clearly more focused on making good music than creating infamy."
THE MOTORLEAGUE: Holding Patterns
"Enough variance in tone and tempo throughout to ensure a consistently engaging album experience."
MY MORNING JACKET: The Waterfall
"They clearly haven't let go of their desire to wring new ideas out of their core sound but, after so much tireless exploration, they've earned the right to sit back and admire the view as often as they dive in head first."
MEG MYERS: Sorry
"A fine pop/rock album, full of dark moods and bright twists and boasting a muscular, confident tracklist."
JOEL PLASKETT: The Park Avenue Sobriety Test
"While it does acknowledge a few regrets and missed chances, it also stresses the importance of living in the moment; there's just as much blue sky as black clouds."
NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS: S/TThere's no pull quote for this one, because I never got around to reviewing it (shame on me!), but I needed a replacement nominee once it was clear to me that Baroness had no intention of streaming more than three songs before my deadline. I had held a spot for them under the assumption that they'd have allowed a stream, but the only ones who got to hear it to this point are select critics. I also assumed I'd like it enough to nominate, considering their previous record was runner-up for Album of the Year in 2012. Oh well, I can't nominate what I can't listen to; better luck next time.
As for Rateliff, his first album with backing band The Night Sweats shouldn't be seen as a mere stand-in; it's only the fact that I hadn't heard it in full until about a week ago that kept it off this list originally. Turns out it's a very strong, soulful and laid back rock record, and one with far more to offer than the rollicking, thick-with-novelty S.O.B.
ROYAL THUNDER: Crooked Doors
"Bursting with creativity and talent, the only thing more exciting than Crooked Doors is the host of sonic possibilities that have opened up for Royal Thunder because of it."
SCREAMING FEMALES: Rose Mountain
"An album that sees the trio dial back some of their noisier tendencies in favour of natural intensity."
SLEATER-KINNEY: No Cities to Love
"It's not just a welcome return, it's a testament to the group's importance, ten shining examples of why we've missed them (even if we didn't realize that we did)."
TITUS ANDRONICUS: The Most Lamentable Tragedy
"It's a thought provoking, endlessly rewarding record that rocks hard when it needs the energy and immerses you in ambiance when you need a break. Perhaps most tellingly, it's a 93 minute record that feels like it was worth every second."
TORCHE: Restarter
"Whereas previous LP Harmonicraft was a spit-shined refinement of their mountainous riff rock, steering them toward the crossroads of hard rock and pop, Restarter ignites a trail of gasoline and breathes in the smoke."
VERUCA SALT: Ghost Notes
"Ghost Notes excels at its nostalgia, but is no mere nostalgia trip; it's a record about recapturing the feeling rather than the glory, and that helps it become not just glorious but an outright new career high for Veruca Salt."
WOLF ALICE: My Love is Cool
"My Love Is Cool is an album that affords the band near limitless possibilities, and it's hard to pinpoint just where their exploration will take them, but it's bound to be a fun ride."
Who will take home the crown? Find out when all Year in Rock winners are announced next Monday.
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