Paper Empire was recorded by Warren Huart who also did the latest album by The Fray. He is also credited with producing/engineering Augustana's sophomore album and American Idol 2009 winner, Kris Allen.
There is something about those 90's alt rock bands. They know how to convey the perfect emotion into their lyrics and songs that make you almost miss feeling sad. As Kurt Cobain once sang, "I miss the comfort in being sad." You know what? I agree and this album gives you some of that sadness brought on by relationships without being "emo."
The album starts off with Kevin Griffin's signature deep, calming vocals with Absolutely Still which was my #1 most listened to song of 2009 (according to my Lastfm.com account). This is a prime example of how a song could be one of the best songs of 2009 but not have the sales numbers to back it up. Absolutely Still is that signature emotional song that you tend to listen to when you found "the one." The song that you listen to when you're together and the song you listen to after you broke up to remember the good feelings of being with "the one". As the lyrics point out, "promise me you'll never leave this room....a million years from now would be too soooooon."
Other songs that bring you back to that 90's emotional feel are Turn Up The Bright Lights, Fit, The Loveless, Hey Love and their current TV spun song Just One Day.
But then you got the opposite, almost surprising, side of Better Than Ezra on their songs Nightclubbing, Hell No! and All In. It's a side of them having fun and going outside of their music playing box. I can almost hear Forever The Sickest Kids doing a cover of Nightclubbing and you would swear it was their own.
Overall, I was really surprised with this album because I wasn't expecting a lot. This band has been around for almost 22 years but has remained current with amazing songwriting. It's hard to expect a creative album from a band that wasn't very creative with their band name. When playing a Battle Of The Bands in 1988, they had to come up with a name for the competition. They asked the promoter what was the name of the band that played before them. They were told it was Ezra. So they decided to call themselves Better Than Ezra. The rest is history.
This album is great for the new Better Than Ezra fan and for the old fan of Deluxe and Friction, Baby. It's fun, emotional and downright good.
Listen to my #1 most played song of 2009 on the LaLa.com player below.
To their diehard fans, this album might come across as "too poppy" but it appears it's still good enough for them as ADTR's following has skyrocketed since the release and you can still expect to get trampled to death at their shows. Their live show is highly energetic and Homesick was able to capture that energy. Not bad for a Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory) produced album.
The second half of the album would cater more to their "core" hardcore fan base as the first half is more melodic and contains more singing. But ADTR mixes each song with the perfect balance of melody and breakdowns to keep both types of fans happy. It reminds me of the balance that As I Lay Dying showed on Shadows As Security - a perfect blend of hardcore, melody and breakdowns.
This album is packed with anthemic chants, intense breakdowns and catchiness (is that a word?) to make any Fall Out Boy fan happy. This album has propelled ADTR into the top echelon of the "warped tour" bands and are now capturing the overseas market. A Day To Remember is a band not to forget.
This band's live show is also a sight to see. The crowd is almost unbearable as their energy consumes you. The band is not scared to show their love for their fans as they thank the crowd, over and over again. ADTR has fun playing live and it sounds like they had fun recording Homesick. There are a lot of bands that should take note of ADTR's formula.
Make sure to listen to the catchy and gang-chanting song The Downfall Of Us All on the LaLa.com player below.
MuteMath'sArmistice is the first of eight albums in the Top 15 Albums of 2009 to make the Billboard Top 200 chart. The album debuted at #18 with over 18,000 copies sold. It is also the first of two New Orleans bands on the list.
Armistice doesn't push the musical envelope quite like their self-titled album did but this album is definitely one of the best of 2009. This album was a step towards a more commercial feel but not alienating their underground following. However, it seemed to tie their creative hands as their songs are more predictable than their first album. MuteMath definitely has their own sound and can't be put into a musical style. As a matter of fact, I tend to describe other bands as having a "mutemath style."
Armistice is an album that sneaks up on you. It's one of those albums that get better every time you listen to it. I have a feeling if this album was released early in 2009, it would be in the Top 5. Isn't it weird how albums tend to do that?
The songs of Armistice flow together perfectly. This album could be played from front to back in its entirety at a live show and a have a perfect flow. Gone are the 5+ minute songs that are common on their self-titled album and replaced with the standard 3 to 4 minute songs but with perfect transitions between songs.
Tracks like Backfire, The Nerve and Electrify maintain the vibe of their first album and Spotlight was their commercial release as it also appeared on the Twilight Soundtrack. The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Singles chart in February 2009. Their song Pins and Needles could easily be heard in the lounge of a Ritz Carlton if they only had saxophone in the song.
Overall, this is easily one of the best albums of 2009 (didn't I say that already?). But, again, I have seen this album left off of countless year-end charts. Don't make that mistake. Get enveloped by the Sting-esque vocals and the mesmerizing music that will sometimes lead you to wonder "how did they do that?"
Click on my favorite song Backfire below on the LaLa.com music player.
Artist: Meese Album: Broadcast Label: Atlantic Release Date: July 2009
Meese is the 1st of two artists from The Daily Chorus Top 40 Unsigned band list to make this year's Top 15 Albums of 2009. Meese signed to Atlantic Records and Broadcast is their first major label debut.
For whatever reason, this album seem to have been missed on everyone's year-end lists and their CD collections. This album is one of the most complete albums of 2009. From the first track Forward Motion till the last Margot, you get a complete album full of pop sensibility, subtle piano rock with occasional electro beats. Ain't no fillers on this album.
I haven't seen the band live as of yet but the reviews I have been hearing are great. This band toured with Paramore, The Fray and Straylight Run in 2009. They even had tour dates with The Fray in 2008 as an unsigned act.
The best way to describe Meese and this album is to take The Rocket Summer and The Fray with a dash of The Starting Line. That should adequately describe the sound and vibe of this album. I would suggest adding it to your playlist. Listen to Next In Line below.
Starting tomorrow, I'll post albums #8 - #12 on my Top Albums of 2009 but until then, here are the Top 10 Selling Albums of this past decade (with copies sold):
1. The Beatles - 1 (11,499,000)
2. *NSYNC - No Strings Attached (11,112,000)
3. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (10,546,000)
4. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP (10,204,000)
5. Eminem - The Eminem Show (9,799,000)
6. Usher - Confessions (9,712,000)
7. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (9,663,000)
8. Creed - Human Clay (9,491,000)
9. Britney Spears - Oops! I Did It Again (9,185,000)
10. Nelly - Country Grammar (8,461,000)
Could we see a "warped tour" type band hit the Top Ten in the 2010's?
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