The Rock Blogger

Numbers 40-31

#40. Eluvium Copia. 3 stars.

This stunning post rock album predominately features heart-wrenching piano melodies and soothing synths. The quiet melancholia of Copia is a unique counterpart to the electrical bombast sitting at the other end of the post-rock spectrum. Great to listen to while meditating or about to drift off to sleep.

#39. The Shins. Whincing the Night Away. 3 stars

Full of great arrangements and clever lyrics, The Shins’ third LP delivers on the same pseudo-Beach Boys vibe they’re known for. James Mercer’s vocals are stunning and the production is lush and inviting.

#38. Do Make Say Think. You’re a History in Rust. 3 stars

These Toronto natives bring their brand of jazz influenced post rock into a collection of tracks that expands on their traditional sound. While the steady progressions, organic arrangements and acoustic flourishes remain, this release also features vocals on some of the songs, a first for the band. The trippy instrumental noodling and the diversity of styles here will have you coming back for more.

#37. Menomena. Friend and Foe. 3 stars.

A muscular indie-rock release, Friend and Foe is packed with brass fills, electronic arrangements and kick ass drumming. An innovative and energetic release that fits nicely among the new indie-pop forerunners like Wolf Parade and The Shins (see #39).

#36. Porcupine Tree. Fear of a Blank Planet. 3.5 stars

Six lengthy tracks of nuanced prog-metal that doesn’t bore you with the typical pretenses of the genre. The songs smoothly branch off in different directions, taking the listener of an unexpected trip through a variety of emotional states – from despairing to empowered, from anxious to angry, from catatonic to vindictive. “Anesthetize” in particular is wonderfully epic.

#35. Dillinger Escape Plan. Ire Works 3.5 stars.

Spastic and unpredictable, DEP incorporate jazz and even pop elements into their traditionally furious mathcore stylings. Fans of Mike Patton are sure to dig the vocal acrobatics on this, along with the band’s technical schizophrenia, as they hammer out a thousand notes at you.

#34. Panda Bear. Person Pitch. 3.5 stars.

A warm and sunny psychedelic trip, Person Pitch is a spaced out offering that conjures up hazy (or stoned) memories of summer. Panda Bear play a beautiful balancing act between ethereal space rock and 60’s pop.

#33. Pelican. City of Echoes. 3.5 stars.

While I didn’t find it as awe-inspiring as 2005’s The Fire in our Throat will Beckon the Thaw, City of Echoes still brims with dark, hypnotic jams that invite the listener to abandon their inhibitions and just veg out to the swirling patterns around them. While the songs are shorter and not nearly as heavy as their previous work, the epic scope of their music remains.

#32. Queens of the Stone Age. Era Vulgaris. 3.5 stars.

With Josh Homme sounding just as cocky as ever, QOTSA’s latest effort is a swaggering drunkard of a rock album: it ignores the calling for concept and emotional depth and instead rocks out to its heart content. “Sick Sick Sick” and “Make it Wit You” are among the highlights. And who can resist the goofy artwork?

#31. Dark Tranquility. Fiction. 3.5 stars.

A really solid metal album from these Swedes, blending industrial elements like keyboard and synth arrangements with the more traditional death metal heaviness you could come to expect from a Scandinavian metal band. The result is a collection of songs that are both melodic and hard-hitting.

Stay tuned for 30-21…

This entry was posted on Monday, December 3rd, 2007 at 10:57 am and is filed under Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.