Catherine Wheel - Chrome

There's no doubt 
Of the future in my head 
It's all worked out 
I'd hate it to go left unsaid 

Such a good record, with amazing song arrangement and guitar tone throughout. It's a wonder to me how this band wasn't bigger than they were, but I guess when you decide to throw a bone to a younger band and take them out on the road with you, and that band is Radiohead, you may get overshadowed a bit. The quiet\loud dynamic, that producer Gil Norton is known for , is just as excellent here as it is on any of his previous efforts with The Pixies.




4/5
Favourite Track - Pain, but here's the video for Crank

Oasis - Be Here Now

"Sun in the sky never raised an eye to me"

I don't know if it was intentional or if has been noted in the past, but the cover of "Be Here Now", with it's image of a Rolls Royce dunked in a swimming pool perfectly sums up the record... extravagant and reckless. This is the album that most Americans quit listening to Oasis, which is shame because there are not only some great songs on this record, but also on many albums after it. Noel, may have over done it a bit with the instrumentation on pretty much all the tracks, but what else are you going to do after "What's the Story Morning Glory", that would be a waste of the arrogance that came from it's success. Everybody knows Oasis was at their best at their most arrogant. Noel was so arrogant that he decided to write "Wonderwall" twice and put it at the beginning of "Be Here Now" in the form of my favourite song on the album, "D'You Know What I Mean". The only moment of slight restraint comes on the nearly equally great "Don't Go Away". The only thing I regret about this album is that I think of AT&T every time I hear "All Around The World"

3/5
Favourite Track - D'You Know What I Mean?

Metallica - ...And Justice For All

Do you want what I want?
Desire not a thing
I hunger after independence, lengthen freedom's ring

I'll start with an already well known gripe about this era of Metallica's recordings... There is no bass anywhere on this album. I know Jason Newsted was the new guy, but it wouldn't have hurt to crank him up to an audible level. As a result, the album is incredibly thin sounding, which is a shame because there are some really great songs on this, the last of the golden age of Metallica, album. I can also say that I would not have wanted to be in this band because there's no way I'd have ever been able to remember all the tempo changes in every song. James Hetfield's rhythm work is amazing on songs like "Eye of the Beholder" and Kirk Hammett is the most melodic lead guitarist in all of metal music as evidenced on "One".

4/5
Favourite Track - The Frayed Ends of Sanity

Prince - 1999

"All the critics love you in New York"

In my eyes, this is Prince's third best record. That means it's better than most every other record, ever. It contains some of Prince's greatest singles in the title track and the pop masterpiece that is "Little Red Corvette". But pop hits aside, 1999 has some of the best and most recognizable synth work on any album from the early 80's. Some of it sounds a little dated, such as "Let's Pretend We're Married" but I still dig it.




4/5
Favourite Track - Little Red Corvette

My Morning Jacket - Z

"A kitten on fire, a baby in a blender, both sound as sweet as a night of surrender"

Easily My Morning Jacket's best album. The perfect blend of alt country and The Flaming Lips... and a little Kermit the Frog. It's more concise than "It Still Moves" ,their previous work, less of a jam session and more of an organized head trip. I like My Morning Jacket a lot, especially as a live band, but this is their only album I can sit and listen to all the way through in one sitting without getting bored. Oh, and "Into the Woods" is a really weird song.




4/5
Favourite Track - Gideon

Favourite albums of 2011

I don't feel I was really up on album releases this year, so take from this list what you will.

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
This is a dramatic step up from "For Emma, Forever Ago" in my opinion. It's fully fleshed out, but still leaving lots of space in the songs.

2. Ben Howard - Every Kingdom
Discovered this one while watching a Kelly Slater surfing video online. A really good and catchy British folk like album.

3. The Dodos - No Color
Incredible acoustic guitar and drum work on this record.

4. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
I love me some Swedes

5. Drake - Take Care
Jimmy from Degrassi being painfully candid.

Also enjoyed these records
Thursday - No Devolucion
Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire
Mogwai - Hardcore will never die but you will
Wilco - The Whole Love
Drive - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
The Decemberiststs - The King is Dead
Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys
Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and See
Mastodon - The Hunter
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds