For Those About To Salute- We Will Rock You!: December 2013

It's that time again, and no i don't mean the part of the annual physical where you "turn your head and cough"...though, some of what you may see could feel like a gutteral kick to the babymaker...I've listened and listened and come up with my top o'12... if i were any more creative, i'd have a 12-sided di with album art on each surface...for you Hobbit fans...

1. Baroness "Yellow & Green"
Any album Baroness puts out should be physical only - the artwork created by singer/guitarist John Dyer Baizley is as crucial to the release as the music itself. This 2-LP opus is different than previous releases; commonly heard by other fans/friends was "not what I had expected". This record definitely takes a few meals to fully consume and then some quality digestion time, as well. I feel the production is better than "Blue Record" and the song crafting more similar to "Red Album" (as far as a musical journey is concerned). Go ahead, pop it in and let it consume you.
Key Tracks: "March To Sea", "Eula" and "Mtns. (The Crown & Anchor)"

2. Menzingers "On The Impossible Past"
I'll be honest, this is the first record I have heard from them, but will definitely seek out the earlier ones. At first listen, i felt mildly annoyed, but that faded upon my humming the lyrics after the record ended...especially the refrain I will fuck this up. I fucking know it. I'm not going to say they're similar to Against Me!, but if you're missing a release from them this year, this record definitely blows it out of the boat...
Key Tracks: "Good Things", "The Obituaries" and "Mexican Guitars"

3. Deftones "Koi No Yokan"
So, I thought the last Deftones effort "Diamond Eyes" was amazing and possibly the apex of their releases; "Koi No Yokan" proved me wrong. [Then I remembered that "Around The Fur" gave birth to "White Pony" - and back in 2000, I didn't think it could get any better than that.] In true Deftones fashion, I was wowed by a record chocked full of what drew me to them initially (albeit, more maturely than "Adrenaline"). From the opening track's up-and-down riff, you're taken on an adventure through the dark scary woods and into the clearing where the stars and moon are bright. Only you realize that you're being chased by blood-thirsty.......butterflies. It's that sort of contrast that The Deftones have mastered over the years: haunting, ethereal vocals on top of thick and grooving rhythms. Open to close, you can't pull your ear from the speaker.
Key Tracks: "Rosemary", "Entombed" and "Goon Squad"

4. Mark Lanegan Band "Blues Funeral"
I can leave you with the simple statement of "it's fucking Mark Lanegan. What's not to love?"...but that may not do it. Mark Lanegan's voice can be heard on thousands of recordings spanning back to the mid-1980's. Like a bottle of whisky, his voice gets better over time and can tempt you and haunt you simultaneously. This is true on "Blues Funeral" as well. Starting off with "The Gravedigger's Song" the distorted bass feeds right into Mark's haunting rasp. This album, like previous Mark Lanegan records, has a different sound than the days of "Uncle Anesthesia" by Screaming Trees. An electronic element is very prominent [calm down EDM fans, it's nothing like Skrillex] with excellent use of programming and textures - if Trent Reznor had gotten a puppy after "Downward Sprial", NIN music may have had a more mature sound like this record. Other tracks that really grabbed me were "Quiver Syndrome", "Bleeding Muddy Water"

.....so it's December 2013 and I realized I never finished this list I've been busy I guess. A quick runthrough to finish 2012's albums and then I can begin the bloodletting of 2013 releases. fucking yay.

Jack White "Blunderbuss"