Most Disappointing Record of 2008???

[derian2219]

What's your guy's most disappointing record of this year?!

And your most surprisingly good record of this year too?!

[Machu505]

Agony and Irony
Weezer

[derian2219]

Mine would be Thieves and Villains bc their demos were so damn good and most shockingly good is Lydias

[Burning Star IV]

Underoath
Rise Against
Fear Before

[Jumpoff]

Disappointment : Bedlam in Goliath by Mars Volta
Surprisingly Good : At War with Walls and Mazes by Son Lux. Honestly did not expect to like it after the first listen.

[erinfxs]

Disappointment: Underoath
Surprisingly Good: Nevershoutnever - 30 days.

[thespearkid]

Jack's Mannequin.

[summer skin]

Disappointment : Bedlam in Goliath by Mars Volta
Surprisingly Good : At War with Walls and Mazes by Son Lux. Honestly did not expect to like it after the first listen.
What didn't you like about Bedlam? I didn't think it was as good as Amputechture but it's still one of my favorites of '08.
Also biggest disappointment was La Dispute's full length.

[Jumpoff]

What didn't you like about Bedlam? I didn't think it was as good as Amputechture but it's still one of my favorites of '08.
Also biggest disappointment was La Dispute's full length.

It wasn't terrible but I think it was a huge step back after Amputechture and an attempt to try and be more accessible, which just didn't work to me... the only plus to me was the drumming.

but you're right. La Dispute was probably my biggest disappointment too. I had tried to forget that it came out.

[Burning Star IV]

Amputechture was 70 minutes of bleh.

[Jumpoff]

Amputechture was 70 minutes of awesome

[summer skin]

Amputechture was 70 minutes of bleh.
bah bah i only like deloused bah bah i can't grasp the amazingness of day of the baphomets and bongo solos bah bah i thought the new fear before was going to be good.





That's you.

[Burning Star IV]

bah bah i only like deloused bah bah i can't grasp the amazingness of day of the baphomets and bongo solos bah bah i thought the new fear before was going to be good.





That's you.
In a nutshell.

[bobcatbob18]

Disappointment: Jack's The Glass Passenger
Biggest surprise: Metallica's Death Magnetic

[IWasaCamera]

Evil Urges is far and away the biggest disappointment.

[Rodeo]

Agony and Irony


Speaking as an ALK3 fan, I actually really enjoyed this record. It felt more like an album than Crimson did for me.


Biggest disappointment huh?


Tom Gabel



One of the best that will surely be forgotten: The Loved Ones - Build & Burn

[Nourez]

Hmm. Biggest disappointment for me was Black Ice. I loved the album the first time around, but it seriously lacks the lasting appeal that the other AC/DC albums have. I've listened to it maybe twice and I already feel as though I never want to listen to it again.

[absolutecrunk]

Beatallica - All You Need Is Blood

[SwiftSilentDead]

The Matches - A Band In Hope

[Machu505]

bah bah i only like deloused bah bah i can't grasp the amazingness of day of the baphomets and bongo solos bah bah i thought the new fear before was going to be good.





That's you.

11 minutes of pure sex.

[heyzombiehitler]

A Band In Hope was a pee stain compared to Decomposer. One listenable song. I go with The Matches. Tom Gabel and Alkaline Trio are in my AOTY list. Crazy bastards.

[SwiftSilentDead]

It was crap compared to E. Von Dahl Killed The Locals too. I listened to that record for the first time in nearly a year last night. Brought back a lot of memories.

I was kind of disappointed with Saviours' new album on first listen but it's grown on me a bit.

[punk shawn]

Death Cab and Weezer.

[3eb23]

Biggest Disappointment:
Kanye West- 808s and Heartbreak

[TheHitcher66]

The Green Day ablum that was meant to be coming out this year.
WHERE IS IT?!

[Lacrimosa]

Evil Urges is far and away the biggest disappointment.

EEEEEEEVIL URGES BABY!

Loved it but not surprised to see it in this thread however. Seemed to be a very love it or hate it album especially with tracks like Highly Suspicious.


Most disappointing for me probably would be Dear Science. I was probably too excited and it just underwhelmed me, really uninspiring.

[neo506]

The Green Day ablum that was meant to be coming out this year.
WHERE IS IT?!http://www.altpress.com/images/issues/cover_246jan09_lg.jpg

[ThisIsNotDan]

In retrospect, even though it was one of my favorites of this year, Kings of Leon is my biggest disappointment in a way. I love this record, but they are increasingly going away from what they used to be.

other than that, Anti-Flag and Anberlin were pretty disappointing too, as was the Counting Crows album

[LV03]

i'm not even anticipating that new green day...im mostly looking forward to some new cursive & rx bandits

[Dr. Acula]

Biggest Disappointment:
Kanye West- 808s and Heartbreak

Kills me to disagree with a dude with a Lupe avatar but I gotta.

[derian2219]

In retrospect, even though it was one of my favorites of this year, Kings of Leon is my biggest disappointment in a way. I love this record, but they are increasingly going away from what they used to be.

other than that, Anti-Flag and Anberlin were pretty disappointing too, as was the Counting Crows album

Really? I thought Anberlins newest CD was excellent. I felt that it incorporated everything that was good in their previous three albums. I wasn't expecting Cities part Two out of it though like many were. I don't know, it's up there in my top 10 this year.

[circatbs]

no brainer here. the three biggest disappointments are obviously
Anberlin - NEW SURRENDER
Rise Against - APPEAL TO REASON
The Academy Is... - FAST TIMES AT BARRINGTON HIGH

however the Dance Gavin Dance album was MUCH better than expected

[derian2219]

no brainer here. the three biggest disappointments are obviously
Anberlin - NEW SURRENDER
Rise Against - APPEAL TO REASON
The Academy Is... - FAST TIMES AT BARRINGTON HIGH

however the Dance Gavin Dance album was MUCH better than expected

Why the hate on Anberlin?

I totally agree with Rise Against and The Academy Is...

Disagree totally with dance gavin dance though.

[Broden Terry]

no brainer here. the three biggest disappointments are obviously
Anberlin - NEW SURRENDER
Rise Against - APPEAL TO REASON
The Academy Is... - FAST TIMES AT BARRINGTON HIGH

however the Dance Gavin Dance album was MUCH better than expected

To be fair, I wasn't exactly expecting much from Fast Times. I did think that it was a slight improvement over Santi however.

I really liked New Surrender, not as much as Cities, but it was still a good album.

[circatbs]

To be fair, I wasn't exactly expecting much from Fast Times. I did think that it was a slight improvement over Santi however.

I really liked New Surrender, not as much as Cities, but it was still a good album.


Why the hate on Anberlin?

I totally agree with Rise Against and The Academy Is...

Disagree totally with dance gavin dance though.


yeah, i dont know i just couldnt get into Anberlin. TAI was a Huge dissapointment though. way too poppy and radiofriendly. dance gavin dance totally ruled though

[derian2219]

yeah, i dont know i just couldnt get into Anberlin. TAI was a Huge dissapointment though. way too poppy and radiofriendly. dance gavin dance totally ruled though

TAI was so bad.

William has such a good voice but the intrumentals do not give him anything.

But they put out one hell of a debut LP

[ThisIsNotDan]

Really? I thought Anberlins newest CD was excellent. I felt that it incorporated everything that was good in their previous three albums. I wasn't expecting Cities part Two out of it though like many were. I don't know, it's up there in my top 10 this year.

well personally I wasn't expecting Cities part two, but lack of Sprinkle's production hurt the record; there wasn't much of a cruch. also some tunes felt overly poppy. it felt to me like a record that would fall in between Blueprints and NTFP in terms of sound.

[Dr. Acula]

X-)

[ThisIsNotDan]

no brainer here. the three biggest disappointments are obviously
Anberlin - NEW SURRENDER
Rise Against - APPEAL TO REASON
The Academy Is... - FAST TIMES AT BARRINGTON HIGH

however the Dance Gavin Dance album was MUCH better than expected

oh yes thats another one. hell Rise Against isn't out to reinvent the wheel or anything, but there were only like 4 standout tracks. the rest was all just meh

[circatbs]

TAI was so bad.

William has such a good voice but the intrumentals do not give him anything.

But they put out one hell of a debut LP

yeah Almost Here fucking rocked. their first EP was actually pretty good. much different from everything else.

[thespearkid]

I was pleasantly surprised by Fast Times at Barrington High. I was expecting nothing and I got a tolerable pop rock album.

[derian2219]

well personally I wasn't expecting Cities part two, but lack of Sprinkle's production hurt the record; there wasn't much of a cruch. also some tunes felt overly poppy. it felt to me like a record that would fall in between Blueprints and NTFP in terms of sound.

agree to disagree :]

[absolutecrunk]

Hahaha update I might cast my vote for Kanye West's album because I finally listened to it and it's hilarious. I get the same cringing anxiety listening to Weezer's Red Album. I can't decide whether to applaud a sincere attempt at a confession or to just laugh at an artist who has been too far removed from his roots and reassured from too many people to create anything but a self-indulgent album that treats a studio like a hands-on museum.

[DivisionStreet]

808s and Autotune ....thanks for ruining hip-hop, T-Pain. Fucker.

[thespearkid]

Hahaha update I might cast my vote for Kanye West's album because I finally listened to it and it's hilarious. I get the same cringing anxiety listening to Weezer's Red Album. I can't decide whether to applaud a sincere attempt at a confession or to just laugh at an artist who has been too far removed from his roots and reassured from too many people to create anything but a self-indulgent album that treats a studio like a hands-on museum.
I downloaded 808's about a week ago but have been too worried to listen to it. Is it really that bad?

[ThisIsNotDan]

agree to disagree :]

exactly. if we all agreed things here would get boring

[absolutecrunk]

I downloaded 808's about a week ago but have been too worried to listen to it. Is it really that bad?
A lot of the songs are just empty. I think he achieved the synthesized (synthetic?) aesthetic he wanted to, but for someone who aspires to make "pop art", he certainly can't write memorable choruses to save his life. You might like it, but the entire album just kind of plays like a collection of hollow concepts after first listen for me. Maybe it will get better with time.

Oh, and the last two minutes of Robocop will honest to god be the most awkward two minutes of music listening you will ever experience.

[Dr. Acula]

I downloaded 808's about a week ago but have been too worried to listen to it. Is it really that bad?

It def looks like an album you either love or hate. I love the album. I can appreciate the balls it took to stray from his usual sound and put out an album like this. Not to mention some of the most personal songs to date from him.

[absolutecrunk]

Haha I just realized he lays off the effects for that outro of Robocop. That's why some of those notes sound sour. This song is going to confound me forever. I can't help but smile when I listen to it, but it's the same feeling I get when I hear cheesy novelty songs.

[derian2219]

exactly. if we all agreed things here would get boring

I'll drink to that.:beerbros:

[thespearkid]

A lot of the songs are just empty. I think he achieved the synthesized (synthetic?) aesthetic he wanted to, but for someone who aspires to make "pop art", he certainly can't write memorable choruses to save his life. You might like it, but the entire album just kind of plays like a collection of hollow concepts after first listen for me. Maybe it will get better with time.

Oh, and the last two minutes of Robocop will honest to god be the most awkward two minutes of music listening you will ever experience.

It def looks like an album you either love or hate. I love the album. I can appreciate the balls it took to stray from his usual sound and put out an album like this. Not to mention some of the most personal songs to date from him.
I'm gonna hold my breath and listen to it tonight. I'm a big fan of Kanye so I hope this doesn't ruin it for me.

[robat19]

Jack's Mannequin.
:-0

[3eb23]

Kills me to disagree with a dude with a Lupe avatar but I gotta.

haha it's cool dude. i respect your view. i just have the opposite one. you really liked that album huh? imo he just put a big blemish on a damn impressive career so far. but this record is selling and will sell a lot, so it doesn't appear that way. i feel like people have been duped into thinking this is a good album and to thinking that kanye is "courageous" for changing up his sound the way he did. it's not artistic, creative or courageous to me. kanye knew his album would sell no matter what he did. this album feels like a slap in the face to hip-hop fans like me and you who have been following kanye and appreciating his music/producing for years.

now i'm not pissed about the content as far as lyrics go, but the music is dull and it ruined everything for me. auto-tune is a cheap way out. kanye can't sing and he used this crap to make himself sound better. that's what they all do these days i guess. the absence of rapping is extremely disappointing, and although kanye isn't the best rapper by any means, i have always enjoyed listening to him. this time around it was like he was thinking "hey i'm gonna do what i want with this record and if it turns out shitty i won't care cause i think it's good and i'll act like it's good and people will buy that." he didn't stretch himself artistically. he put out a boring, weak and repetitive album that in no way comes close to touching his true potential as an artist.

and the fact that so many people like this watered down, over-prodcued music is what's wrong with music. people (in a general sense) prefer pop over everything. if kanye came out with a raw, awesome hip-hop album it wouldn't get played or appreciated like this pop cd we've got here. we're all going to look back on this album years from now and wonder how the hell people liked this bull crap auto-tuned pop music.

we all know kanye can make great music, but he did not do it here. but to each his own. that's just my 2 or perhaps 3 cents.

[Justin_stacy]

Disappointments, or albums that didn't live up to expectations:

Flogging Molly. Float. (phoned in)

Mark Lind's. The Truth Can Be Brutal. (boring)

No Use For A Name. The Feel Good Record Of The Year. (nothing special)

Saint Alvia. Between The Lines. (just awful)

Time Again. Darker Days. (see above)

Surprises:

Lagrecia. On Parallel.......I had no idea what to expect with this album.

[PopPunkKid]

Biggest disappointment: Weezer- The Red Album (Coming from someone who loved pretty much everything else Rivers Cuomo even touched before this album, I was very disappointed to say the least. Some of it made me just think "Really Weezer? Really?...")

Biggest suprise: Panic At The Disco- Pretty.Odd. (I wasn't the biggest fan of Fever, so it really caught me offguard that Panic released one of the catchiest, most melodic and most, well, ODD pop-rock albums of the year, which ironically ended up being my album of the year).

[Dr. Acula]

Haha I just realized he lays off the effects for that outro of Robocop. That's why some of those notes sound sour. This song is going to confound me forever. I can't help but smile when I listen to it, but it's the same feeling I get when I hear cheesy novelty songs.

Hahaha. I wont lie, I love Robocop.

[SockMonkeyRiot]

Tilly & The Wall - O

I mean it had some good songs, but overall it wasn't anything to write home about. I expected a lot better

[HangsLikeHeaven]

lol i do too

[Dr. Acula]

haha it's cool dude. i respect your view. i just have the opposite one. you really liked that album huh? imo he just put a big blemish on a damn impressive career so far. but this record is selling and will sell a lot, so it doesn't appear that way. i feel like people have been duped into thinking this is a good album and to thinking that kanye is "courageous" for changing up his sound the way he did. it's not artistic, creative or courageous to me. kanye knew his album would sell no matter what he did. this album feels like a slap in the face to hip-hop fans like me and you who have been following kanye and appreciating his music/producing for years.

now i'm not pissed about the content as far as lyrics go, but the music is dull and it ruined everything for me. auto-tune is a cheap way out. kanye can't sing and he used this crap to make himself sound better. that's what they all do these days i guess. the absence of rapping is extremely disappointing, and although kanye isn't the best rapper by any means, i have always enjoyed listening to him. this time around it was like he was thinking "hey i'm gonna do what i want with this record and if it turns out shitty i won't care cause i think it's good and i'll act like it's good and people will buy that." he didn't stretch himself artistically. he put out a boring, weak and repetitive album that in no way comes close to touching his true potential as an artist.

and the fact that so many people like this watered down, over-prodcued music is what's wrong with music. people (in a general sense) prefer pop over everything. if kanye came out with a raw, awesome hip-hop album it wouldn't get played or appreciated like this pop cd we've got here. we're all going to look back on this album years from now and wonder how the hell people liked this bull crap auto-tuned pop music.

we all know kanye can make great music, but he did not do it here. but to each his own. that's just my 2 or perhaps 3 cents.

I havent gotton the impression that everyone loves this album. For any one person who likes it, there are 3 who hate it. Atleast from what I've seen.

As far as sales, I dont think Kanye went into it thinking, well I could just take a dump on tape and it will sell. Putting something like this out, which is completely different from his previous efforts (which have not only sold a TON but received nothing but critical acclaim) is a pretty bold move.

As far as autotune goes...while Im not a fan of it, I think the whole concept behind the album and using the autotune/vocoder were interesting. There are points in songs where he'll be going into a pretty difficult lyric and the voice is manipulated to express that. It comes across as him using it as a artistic device to express the emotions of this album to me.

I can understand people not liking it, its different. But for whatever reason, I really enjoy it for what it is.

[IWasaCamera]

EEEEEEEVIL URGES BABY!

Loved it but not surprised to see it in this thread however. Seemed to be a very love it or hate it album especially with tracks like Highly Suspicious.
I expected an average album but never would I have predicted the shitfests that are Highly Suspicious and the title track.

[Ouch]

disappointing: CoB, Amon Amarth

surprising: Guns N Roses

[WhoSaidThat?]

Disappointing: Millencolin, The Academy Is..., Thieves and Villains, Plain White T's, G-Unit, Quietdrive
Surprisingly good: Weezer, Panic, Simple Plan (yes, burn me at the stake. I don't care.), T.I., Coldplay, Lil Wayne

[dancelukedance]

Rise Against - Appeal To Reason

Biggest Disappointment! It was GARBAGE

Escape The Fate's was also...

[EastCoastLights]

Haha I just realized he lays off the effects for that outro of Robocop. That's why some of those notes sound sour. This song is going to confound me forever. I can't help but smile when I listen to it, but it's the same feeling I get when I hear cheesy novelty songs.
Robocop was incredible without all the strings and the outro. the strings just makes it sound so cluttered and the outro is just unnecessary. I loved it before I heard the album and found out Kanye added all of that.

[Ouch]

Disappointing: Millencolin, The Academy Is..., Thieves and Villains, Plain White T's, G-Unit, Quietdrive
Surprisingly good: Weezer, Panic, Simple Plan (yes, burn me at the stake. I don't care.), T.I., Coldplay, Lil Wayne

burnt.

also, G-Unit disappointing?! what kind of wigger are you?

[WhoSaidThat?]

burnt.

also, G-Unit disappointing?! what kind of wigger are you?
It's wagger.

[Apoc]

now i'm not pissed about the content as far as lyrics go, but the music is dull and it ruined everything for me. auto-tune is a cheap way out. kanye can't sing and he used this crap to make himself sound better. that's what they all do these days i guess.
yeah but there's two ways to use autotune; you can either use it to ensure you hit the right notes because you can't sing to save your life, or you can use it to add a different dimension to a song in a way you couldn't otherwise. You can always tell when listening to something that's been autotuned because it has a very distinct ring to it - and if it's used to achieve that effect, I think it can be used artistically.

Now, I don't think this album really achieved that. I think this is more a case of 'I want to sing on an album but I can't hit notes. autotune saves the day!' And of course, it's all over the popular hip hop world today, with super-vocoded bullshit all over the place. But I won't totally write it off yet.. I think it's possible to use it to add to the art, rather than to just make something artificially.

[tipoftheiceberg]

wow!
i expected GNR hating throughout this entire thread

mine would have to be Ceremony's "Still Nothing Moves You'
didn't live up to their previous release in my opinion

[softhands]

Rise Against
Yup.

808s and Autotune ....thanks for ruining hip-hop, T-Pain. Fucker.
We are going to look back on autotune in the future and laugh.

[dissidENTent]

Yup.


We are going to look back on autotune in the future and laugh...

...at how Kanye West made everyone else look dumb after he mastered it on 808's...

you guys are bullshitting if 808s is a disappointment, you knew Kanye was going in that direction and I expected a terrible album with Love Lockdown as the first single...and was pleasantly surprised to see that LLD is the worst track on the album...

my surprisingly good albums/mixtapes are...

Kanye West - 808's and Heartbreaks
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into
Beck - Modern Guilt
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Kid Cudi - A Kid Named Cudi
Kidz In The Hall - The In Crowd
The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

biggest disappointments...

Nas - Untitled (alright Nas, we get the point, black people are still discriminated against, every song does not need to be about that)
The Killers - Day and Age
Weezer - The Red Album

[the1]

I cant remember if it ws released this year or not, but Bullet For My Valentines Scream, Aim, Fire! was absolutely bland as fuck.

I thought the From First To Last s/t was great, they seem to have shedded the shitty emo association and image that they had with Sonny to make a decent modern rock album.

[TheHitcher66]

http://www.altpress.com/images/issues/cover_246jan09_lg.jpg

It was also in the most anticipated albums of 2008 last year.
I know there was the whole thing with Foxborough Hottubs, but that still isn't Green Day ;(

[Until The Bombs]

Death Cab

[Nourez]

The Green Day ablum that was meant to be coming out this year.
WHERE IS IT?!

http://www.altpress.com/images/issues/cover_246jan09_lg.jpg

It was also in the most anticipated albums of 2008 last year.
I know there was the whole thing with Foxborough Hottubs, but that still isn't Green Day ;(


Agreed

wow!
i expected GNR hating throughout this entire thread

mine would have to be Ceremony's "Still Nothing Moves You'
didn't live up to their previous release in my opinion


I actually really liked Chinese Democracy

[level8loser]

Its been said a few times, but Agony and Irony is fucking putrid.

As for surprises, I would vote for Genghis Tron, The Gaslight Anthem, and 808s. I was blown away by Kanye.

[Lacrimosa]

The Raconteurs album was piss awful but then again I don't really like anything Jack White's done but I love Brendan Benson so there was a chance I'd like it.

[3eb23]

...at how Kanye West made everyone else look dumb after he mastered it on 808's...

you guys are bullshitting if 808s is a disappointment, you knew Kanye was going in that direction and I expected a terrible album with Love Lockdown as the first single...and was pleasantly surprised to see that LLD is the worst track on the album...

my surprisingly good albums/mixtapes are...

Kanye West - 808's and Heartbreaks
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into
Beck - Modern Guilt
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Kid Cudi - A Kid Named Cudi
Kidz In The Hall - The In Crowd
The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

biggest disappointments...

Nas - Untitled (alright Nas, we get the point, black people are still discriminated against, every song does not need to be about that)
The Killers - Day and Age
Weezer - The Red Album

I definitely agree with this pick. I played the hell out of this cd over the past year. It was awesome to have new artists that I had never heard of before in my life make an album that was so enjoyable and out of left field.

[derian2219]

It's wagger.
Win

[Jackfrost50]

I have about 5 of their shirts, have bought every album since Blueprints on release day, and I've seen them multiple times, but Anberlin- New Surrender was my most disappointing this year.

Now let me clarify; there are a handful of songs on here I do like. However, they do not grab me the way their past songs have, and for the first time, there are songs present that I truly DISLIKE.

Oh well. Next time around. I blame the ass who stole Stephen Christian's laptop with all the original hooks and lyrics meant for the album.

[duhpunk]

disappointing- Bayside. sounds like all their other stuff.

surprising- Senses Fail. too bad their singer still sucks.

[hockeyguitar99]

Biggest Disappointments are easily the new Weezer and the new Anberlin.

[hockeyguitar99]

I cant remember if it ws released this year or not, but Bullet For My Valentines Scream, Aim, Fire! was absolutely bland as fuck.

I thought the From First To Last s/t was great, they seem to have shedded the shitty emo association and image that they had with Sonny to make a decent modern rock album.

Disagree, I absolutely hated the FFTL record, but I was never really a fan.

[hockeyguitar99]

A lot of the songs are just empty. I think he achieved the synthesized (synthetic?) aesthetic he wanted to, but for someone who aspires to make "pop art", he certainly can't write memorable choruses to save his life. You might like it, but the entire album just kind of plays like a collection of hollow concepts after first listen for me. Maybe it will get better with time.

Oh, and the last two minutes of Robocop will honest to god be the most awkward two minutes of music listening you will ever experience.

You've obviously never had the experience of being on a road trip with family while your little brother was playing "Animal" by Nickelback on repeat. Not only was the song god awful, but the lyrics are not something anyone would want to hear with their parents around.

[domotime2]

offspring album.....it starts off real strong and just falls flat and blah.

[lenard27]

Biggest Disappointment: Rise Against for sure, especially because I enjoyed The Sufferer & The Witness so much.

Biggest Surprise: The Bedlam in Goliath. I didn't like Amputechure at all, even though I tried. Goliath is awesome though. Easily their best since De-Loused.

[Mr.Piano93]

Disappointment-- Nickelback's Dark Horse
Biggest Surprise--Panic At the Disco's Pretty.Odd.

[Jumpoff]

Easily their worst since De-Loused.

FYP

[Mibabalou]

Best: lost in the sound of separation

worst: 808s & heartbreak i get it you like autotune
his comments about how hip hop has limitations and hes not hiop hop hes pop art made me angry i liked the first two albums

surprise 3oh!3 WANT , united nations S/T , FTSK , or Lil Wayne Carter III

[Justin_stacy]

offspring album.....it starts off real strong and just falls flat and blah.

agreed, too many ballad-ish songs in the second half. Though the first half, leading off with one of their best songs ever, Half-Truism, make this an improvement over the awful Splitter release of a few years back. Offspring needs to learn how to be consistant again.

[TakeLotsWithAlcohol]

Biggest Dissapointment- Smoking Popes and Death Cab

Suprise- Dr. Manhattan, The Sound of Animals Fighting, The Fall of Troy, Good Old War

[CellarGhosts]

Weezer - The Red Album (self-explanatory)
Flogging Molly - Float (some good songs, otherwise it felt very phoned in)
Alkaline Trio - Agony & Irony (same as above)
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs (wasn't impressed with it, their previous material is much better)
Anti-Flag - The Bright Lights of America ("if it ain't broke don't fix it" applies)
Ben Folds - Way to Normal (some of the songs are good but for the most part it's pretty boring and uninteresting)

[Edo_Speedo]

I agree to the disappointed with Rise Against. I was expecting something different, I mean it's not bad but it doesn't come close to pushing anything. I was also disappointed with The Matches. I was expecting them to just go even crazier every CD. This seemed pretty tame.

I haven't listened to the new GNR, but I'm saying it here, Green Day is the new GNR

[kearn1tm]

MURS and The Roots latest both disappointed me. Neither is bad, per se, but stunningly mediocre. Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst both released rather disappointing solo albums (though Lewis' is good, but in contrast to her collaboration with The Watson Twins and, admittedly high expectations, the album suffered in my eyes).

Biggest surprises were Plants and Animals and No Age (both of which, I'd dismissed as contrived "Indie Rock" but their '08 releases were quite good), as well as The War on Drugs' full-length (which took six months to grow on me, but when it did, I was enamored with the LP). Some other surprises were artists who IWasaCamera, LunchfortheSky and El Jeffe turned me on to (The Tallest Man on Earth, Mutyumu, Seun Kuti).

[tehdangerdave]

Most disappointing: Alkaline Trio - Agony and Irony

It was a huge improvement over Crimson, but overall pretty mediocre.

Biggest surprise: Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak

I totally went into this album expecting it to suck. The first two songs aren't the best, but everything after is really solid. He took a risk on this album and in my opinion, it paid off.

Also, Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life. Before I listened to this, I expected it to be a typical hardcore album. I was blown away on the first track when I heard a flute solo. As a whole, such a fantastic album that really can change your perception of what hardcore can be.

[El_Jeffe]

bela fleck & the flecktones - jingle all the way
victor wooten - palmystery
the hold steady - stay positive
billy bragg - mr love & justice
the watson twins - fire songs (could of been pretty good. but it sounds like the wrong session band turned up to the recording studio & they just went with it anyway)

[CellarGhosts]

I don't see anything disappointing about Stay Positive or Mr Love and Justice :shrug:

[El_Jeffe]

fair enough mate. stay positive just seemed so tired & nothing special to me, i never go back to it

mr love & justice was good, it's just that i was really expecting a very different record from bragg. i thought given all the political & social turmoil in recent times, bragg would step up & release an album addressing such ideologies. i really hoped he would sort of release one of the more defining protest albums of our time you know, but instead it was half love songs haha. it's not that those songs are bad at all. again, it's just i really wanted something different. so it's really my own fault i don't enjoy it all that much

[Jumpoff]

Was the new victor wooten that bad? Haven't had the chance to listen to it..

[El_Jeffe]

Was the new victor wooten that bad? Haven't had the chance to listen to it..

the bass playing is technically good, as you would expect from wooten, but it's so uninspired. i hate to say this, being a huge wooten fan, but it's like he set out to make the ultimate cafe background music

but he has another project, which i haven't been able to track down yet, but ray speaks highly of it. the project is called smv (stanley clarke, marcus miller, victor wooten) & the album, thunder. which if you recognize the line-up, it will probably instantly fill you with a great deal of excitement haha

[B-Bones]

Disappointment: Glass Passenger by Jack's Mannequin (loved their first CD) // Honorable mention goes to In Defense of the Genre by Say Anything. The thing is, if they cut it down to one CD it would be great, using all the good songs.
Surprise: Pretty. Odd by Panic at the Disco (hated their first CD)

[Jumpoff]

the bass playing is technically good, as you would expect from wooten, but it's so uninspired. i hate to say this, being a huge wooten fan, but it's like he set out to make the ultimate cafe background music

but he has another project, which i haven't been able to track down yet, but ray speaks highly of it. the project is called smv (stanley clarke, marcus miller, victor wooten) & the album, thunder. which if you recognize the line-up, it will probably instantly fill you with a great deal of excitement haha

Not really familiar with the other two but I'm intrigued at the thought of three bassists after seeing their Wikipedia pages

By the way, check your PM's haha

[B-Bones]

Just had to comment that Oracular Spectacular by MGMT may quickly be making my top 5 of the year.

[CellarGhosts]

Disappointment: Glass Passenger by Jack's Mannequin (loved their first CD) // Honorable mention goes to In Defense of the Genre by Say Anything. The thing is, if they cut it down to one CD it would be great, using all the good songs.
Surprise: Pretty. Odd by Panic at the Disco (hated their first CD)
I thought that was 2007...?

fair enough mate. stay positive just seemed so tired & nothing special to me, i never go back to it

mr love & justice was good, it's just that i was really expecting a very different record from bragg. i thought given all the political & social turmoil in recent times, bragg would step up & release an album addressing such ideologies. i really hoped he would sort of release one of the more defining protest albums of our time you know, but instead it was half love songs haha. it's not that those songs are bad at all. again, it's just i really wanted something different. so it's really my own fault i don't enjoy it all that much
I understand. Mr Love & Justice is mostly all love songs, true, but I dig them. More politically inclined or socially conscious tunes would've been better, admittedly but I can live with love songs hah

[domotime2]

Weezer - The Red Album (self-explanatory)
Flogging Molly - Float (some good songs, otherwise it felt very phoned in)
Alkaline Trio - Agony & Irony (same as above)
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs (wasn't impressed with it, their previous material is much better)
Anti-Flag - The Bright Lights of America ("if it ain't broke don't fix it" applies)
Ben Folds - Way to Normal (some of the songs are good but for the most part it's pretty boring and uninteresting)
i completely agree on red album and the anti-flag album.....but Float, disappointing? really? I mean the only disappointing thing to me is the fact the album was so short. There were probably like 5-6 quality flogging greats on the album.

[CellarGhosts]

i completely agree on red album and the anti-flag album.....but Float, disappointing? really? I mean the only disappointing thing to me is the fact the album was so short. There were probably like 5-6 quality flogging greats on the album.
It just doesn't stick with me the way everything else they've done has. It's not a terrible album or even a bad one per se, it's just rather weak in comparison to what they've done in the past and like I said, felt a little phoned it. Hence my disappointment in it. Part of the reason I was disappointed was that it was short.

I don't know, after Within a Mile of Home I was expecting something really good.

[FeynmanWannabe]

bela fleck & the flecktones - jingle all the way
victor wooten - palmystery
the hold steady - stay positive
billy bragg - mr love & justice
the watson twins - fire songs (could of been pretty good. but it sounds like the wrong session band turned up to the recording studio & they just went with it anyway) I agree, mostly, even with your description of it sounding "tired". :shrug:

[ThisIsNotDan]

Anti-Flag - The Bright Lights of America ("if it ain't broke don't fix it" applies)

sweet, someone who feels exactly the same way :highfive:

seriously though, all the orchestral instruments and dance rock elements were just a horrid attempt to expand their sound. such a shame. I'd say the only song good enough for For Blood And Empire was "Good and Ready"

[B-Bones]

I thought that was 2007...?


It was. My bad.

[c_rob2700]

I honestly was never the one to doubt 808's but it really is nothing special outside of a few tracks. It also succeded in making me officially hate Lil Wayne

[CellarGhosts]

sweet, someone who feels exactly the same way :highfive:

seriously though, all the orchestral instruments and dance rock elements were just a horrid attempt to expand their sound. such a shame. I'd say the only song good enough for For Blood And Empire was "Good and Ready"
Haha yeah, I remember liking the album more when I first listened to it but after a while it fell out of the rotation for me and when I listened to it again, I wasn't feeling it much at all.

"Good and Ready", the title track, and "We Are the Lost" are the only songs I really like from it. "Go West" is okay too.

[ThisIsNotDan]

Haha yeah, I remember liking the album more when I first listened to it but after a while it fell out of the rotation for me and when I listened to it again, I wasn't feeling it much at all.

"Good and Ready", the title track, and "We Are the Lost" are the only songs I really like from it. "Go West" is okay too.

when I ended my first listen I felt so confused as to what I just heard haha. hopefully their next album is a bit more FBAE than this was

[CellarGhosts]

when I ended my first listen I felt so confused as to what I just heard haha. hopefully their next album is a bit more FBAE than this was
Haha. I hope so too. Hopefully this was just a one time thing they tried, and hopefully, realized it didn't work very well for them, and return to a more FBAE-esque sound next time.

[GuitarR0cker1]

Most Disappointing:
Weezer- The Red Album
Jack's Mannequin- The Glass Passenger
Anberlin- New Surrender

Most Surprising:
Good Old War- Only Way To Be Alone
The Gaslight Anthem- The '59 Sound
Coldplay- Viva La Vida

[CellarGhosts]

What is your album of the year other than 59 Sound?
right now the second place spot is the Hold Steady's Stay Positive.

yeah, my top two albums are two that received a ton of hype hah, but they both really held up well for me.

[KidRobot]

Most Surprising:
Good Old War- Only Way To Be Alone
The Gaslight Anthem- The '59 Sound
Coldplay- Viva La Vida

Most disappointing:
Good Old War- Only Way To Be Alone
The Gaslight Anthem- The '59 Sound
Coldplay- Viva La Vida

[CellarGhosts]

That's cool. Please take a look in the blog thread so you can help out with the end of year list.
Alright, will do.

[andrewa5]

Underoath
Rise Against
Fear Before
Really? underoath's was pretty good and rise against's new album is GReat!

[Rodeo]

Rise Against by FAR. Album was SUCHHHH a drag.

[jtsnazzy]

monument monument - sleep well when you get there.

[CellarGhosts]

Rise Against by FAR. Album was SUCHHHH a drag.
Haha I still have not listened to this album.

[Rodeo]

Haha I still have not listened to this album.


Think of a punk band that used to make really really good music then decided to sell out and write really typical music and you have your answer.


But then again, I didn't like the sufferer and the witness.

[CellarGhosts]

Think of a punk band that used to make really really good music then decided to sell out and write really typical music and you have your answer.


But then again, I didn't like the sufferer and the witness.
Haha. I'm a pretty big fan of Revolutions Per Minute and Siren Song of the Counter Culture. (haven't checked out the Unraveling yet), and the Sufferer and the Witness was enjoyable but really forgettable imo.

I saw Appeal to Reason for sale at a used book store the other day and passed on getting it haha.

[versus_god]

Sufferer >>>>>>>>> Appeal To Reason, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the former. Talk about a band that's gone downhill...

[Burning Star IV]

Really? underoath's was pretty good and rise against's new album is GReat!
Underoath made the album exactly as I thought they would. No surprises whatsoever. And Rise Against just has no substance. There aren't even any good punk songs, practically all the songs a mid-tempo, plus Heroes of War is bay far the worst Rise Against song ever.

[Rodeo]

Sufferer >>>>>>>>> Appeal To Reason, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the former. Talk about a band that's gone downhill...


So, we're going to talk about Thursday now?

[versus_god]

So, we're going to talk about Thursday now?
Geoffthurs is lurkin'. Watch your back.

[shit stroll]

Geoffthurs is lurkin'. Watch your back.
he might post his email address.

[Rodeo]

It was a joke though, for real. Geoff and I go way back. We got history. :-d

[CellarGhosts]

haha

[Gaugzilla]

Disappointing:

Weezer - Red Album - I appreciate Rivers opening up the floor to his other bandmates, but they should never be allowed to be lead on a Weezer track ever again.

The Bug - London Zoo - If you look on Metacritic, this is one of the best reviewed albums of the year. The beats on it are absolutely sick, but it's ruined by awful, I mean absolutely terrible dancehall artists.

Gnarls Barkley - Odd Couple - It doesn't help that this album is tied to an awful break-up with my girlfriend, but there wasn't a whole lot the album did for me. Danger Mouse did better work with Beck and he needs to figure out how to let a song breathe past the two and a half minute mark when working with Cee-Lo.

Ludacris - Theatre of the Mind - It's not that it's bad, it's decent. But it's just about everything Luda has done before.


Surprises -

Coldplay - Viva La Vida - X&Y was garbage juice to me. This was a saving grace for them. Reaffirmed my belief in the band.

Murs & 9th Wonder Mixtape - So much better than Murs' actual album. I loved this thing to death.

Ben Folds - Way to Normal - Alot of people didn't like this, but it's leaps and bounds beyond Songs for Silverman's mediocrity.

Straylight Run - EP - I was interested in seeing how they would sound without Michelle and the answer is - really good.

[SwiftSilentDead]

My biggest disappointment is actually the new Flogging Molly. I loved the first two tracks but other than that, it was very forgettable. They were awesome when I saw them in March so that kind of made up for the poor album.

[domotime2]

My biggest disappointment is actually the new Flogging Molly. I loved the first two tracks but other than that, it was very forgettable. They were awesome when I saw them in March so that kind of made up for the poor album.
-requiem - float - story so far - you wont make a fool out of me - punch drunk - patty's lament. i count 6 solid flogging classics.

[lurker411_k9]

Disappointments:
Cryptopsy - The Unspoken King
Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy
Panic At The Disco - Pretty.Odd.
Bury Your Dead - s/t
Heavy Heavy Low Low - Turtle Nipple and the Toxic Shock

Surprises:
Bring Me The Horizon - Suicide Season
From First To Last - s/t
3OH!3 - Want

[Rodeo]

:chainsaw:

[PopPunkKid]

Disappointments:
Cryptopsy - The Unspoken King
Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy
Panic At The Disco - Pretty.Odd.
Bury Your Dead - s/t
Heavy Heavy Low Low - Turtle Nipple and the Toxic Shock

Surprises:
Bring Me The Horizon - Suicide Season
From First To Last - s/t
3OH!3 - Want



:chairhit:

[Paulb-182]

i would go with Alkaline Trio. i had higher hopes than crimson, specially when i heard help me.. but it was another dud

[CellarGhosts]

Agony & Irony just feels so "auto pilot" to me.

[Rodeo]

Agony & Irony just feels so "auto pilot" to me.


Yeah, I know what you mean. Like I said before though... A&I seems more like an actual album that Crimson did for me.

[thespearkid]

Agony & Irony just feels so "auto pilot" to me.
I sort of felt that way about all of the hyped releases this year with the exception of Razia's Shadow and the Red Album (although in Red's case, it wasn't necessarily very good but at least it was different).

[CellarGhosts]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Like I said before though... A&I seems more like an actual album that Crimson did for me.
Fair enough. I prefer Crimson personally. I still listen to it, whereas I hardly ever listen to A&I anymore. :shrug: It's not a terrible album, and not even what I'd call a bad one, per se, it just feels like the band were, as I said, on auto pilot for most of the album.

[Rodeo]

Fair enough. I prefer Crimson personally. I still listen to it, whereas I hardly ever listen to A&I anymore. :shrug: It's not a terrible album, and not even what I'd call a bad one, per se, it just feels like the band were, as I said, on auto pilot for most of the album.


hmmm.. now that I think about it... I guess I do find it strange that I like Dan songs more thank the Matt songs... and that NEVER happens...

[CellarGhosts]

I sort of felt that way about all of the hyped releases this year with the exception of Razia's Shadow and the Red Album (although in Red's case, it wasn't necessarily very good but at least it was different).
Meh, I dunno... the Red Album, I just cannot get into it at all. Such a let down for me.

hmmm.. now that I think about it... I guess I do find it strange that I like Dan songs more thank the Matt songs... and that NEVER happens...
Haha. I've never really been able to pick out one or the other on any of their albums, I think they've always done a good job of complimenting one another (ie Matt's darker, more morbid material against Dan's slightly more upbeat stuff) but I think the case with Crimson is the same thing as you said, I like Dan's songs more, for the most part. Except for "Settle For Satin". I just can't get into that one.

[John is a cult]

biggest surprise for me= Emery's EP.
It is WAYY better than IOAM and actually sounds like emery again.
pleasantly surprising i would say.

[KillerInstincts]

LINKIN PARK.


their new cd made me want to shoot myeslf. their shit used to sound so amazing. this "new metal" of theirs is a fking pity.

[Rodeo]

LINKIN PARK is a fking pity.


That's all you really needed.

[Melkor]

The Killers - Day and Age really has let me down so far. Add Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns that I was expecting more out of.

[derian2219]

Disappointing:

Weezer - Red Album - I appreciate Rivers opening up the floor to his other bandmates, but they should never be allowed to be lead on a Weezer track ever again.

The Bug - London Zoo - If you look on Metacritic, this is one of the best reviewed albums of the year. The beats on it are absolutely sick, but it's ruined by awful, I mean absolutely terrible dancehall artists.

Gnarls Barkley - Odd Couple - It doesn't help that this album is tied to an awful break-up with my girlfriend, but there wasn't a whole lot the album did for me. Danger Mouse did better work with Beck and he needs to figure out how to let a song breathe past the two and a half minute mark when working with Cee-Lo.

Ludacris - Theatre of the Mind - It's not that it's bad, it's decent. But it's just about everything Luda has done before.


Surprises -

Coldplay - Viva La Vida - X&Y was garbage juice to me. This was a saving grace for them. Reaffirmed my belief in the band.

Murs & 9th Wonder Mixtape - So much better than Murs' actual album. I loved this thing to death.

Ben Folds - Way to Normal - Alot of people didn't like this, but it's leaps and bounds beyond Songs for Silverman's mediocrity.

Straylight Run - EP - I was interested in seeing how they would sound without Michelle and the answer is - really good.

Agreed.

[DaveZeroZero]

FTSK - Underdog Alma Mater

[JustAGirl01]

wow!
i expected GNR hating throughout this entire thread

mine would have to be Ceremony's "Still Nothing Moves You'
didn't live up to their previous release in my opinion

I actually really enjoyed Ceremony's "Still Nothing Moves You." However, I just recently started listening to them [say October?]. I bought the their earlier stuff, but I still gravitate toward that album.

I would have to say the most disappointing album I've heard this year is the new Kanye, but that seems to be a consensus here haha. Also the new Underoath was decent but did not wow me like DTGL.

[Burning Star IV]

FTSK - Underdog Alma Mater
Boys Night Out - Self-Titled
BNO was soooooooooo 2007. Late pass.

[DaveZeroZero]

BNO was soooooooooo 2007. Late pass.
Oh, then why do they still have a banner on their myspace? I haven't listened to it in its entirety, so I wouldn't know.

[Poe-tryGirl]

The latest Linkin Park CD was way bad. I was never all that into them anyway, so it's not the MOST dissapointing, I guess. I'll go with Aiden's Conviction.

[Burning Star IV]

Oh, then why do they still have a banner on their myspace? I haven't listened to it in its entirety, so I wouldn't know.
Good question. I think the band is in limbo right now.

[DaveZeroZero]

Good question. I think the band is in limbo right now.
Probably because they haven't put out anything good since Trainwreck.

[Burning Star IV]

Probably because they haven't put out anything good since Trainwreck.
:-/ I'll let it slide this time.

[DaveZeroZero]

:-/ I'll let it slide this time.
Well, they dropped in form, at least.

[TakeLotsWithAlcohol]

Trainwreck was an amazing album, I haven't even listenend to the self-titled.

[kearn1tm]

The Gaslight Anthem's latest was disappointing because of all the hype I've read, predominantly from this site and Punknews.org. It's entirely my fault, really. I was expecting something that it only faintly resembled, and therefor, I enjoyed it much less than I would had I not been tainted by trying to force it to fit what I imagined it would be. The War on Drugs' album was much closer to what I expected/wanted, and it isn't fair to compare the two - they're different animals altogether.

This isn't to say I didn't enjoy The 59 Sound. I found it listenable and gave it a few spins. I may come back to it occasionally. It's just far from what I expected.

[Rodeo]

The Gaslight Anthem's latest was disappointing because of all the hype I've read, predominantly from this site and Punknews.org. It's entirely my fault, really. I was expecting something that it only faintly resembled, and therefor, I enjoyed it much less than I would had I not been tainted by trying to force it to fit what I imagined it would be. The War on Drugs' album was much closer to what I expected/wanted, and it isn't fair to compare the two - they're different animals altogether.

This isn't to say I didn't enjoy The 59 Sound. I found it listenable and gave it a few spins. I may come back to it occasionally. It's just far from what I expected.


Yeah too much hype for what it was... i mean... i loved it... but it wasnt what everyone cracked it up to vbe.

[MusicTalks]

Worst: The Maine - Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Most Surprisingly Good: Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak

[CellarGhosts]

The Gaslight Anthem's latest was disappointing because of all the hype I've read, predominantly from this site and Punknews.org. It's entirely my fault, really. I was expecting something that it only faintly resembled, and therefor, I enjoyed it much less than I would had I not been tainted by trying to force it to fit what I imagined it would be. The War on Drugs' album was much closer to what I expected/wanted, and it isn't fair to compare the two - they're different animals altogether.

This isn't to say I didn't enjoy The 59 Sound. I found it listenable and gave it a few spins. I may come back to it occasionally. It's just far from what I expected.
I'm almost in the same boat. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I wasn't really disappointed. I mean, it is my aoty as of right now, but it took a few listens to really get into it, whereas with Sink Or Swim, it clicked instantly.

My biggest gripe is that as much as I love it, the songs seem to run together. There doesn't seem to be as much variation as there was on SOS. That may just be me though.

[guiguedz]

Bloc Party's Intimacy, definitely.

[Rodeo]

I'm almost in the same boat. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I wasn't really disappointed. I mean, it is my aoty as of right now, but it took a few listens to really get into it, whereas with Sink Or Swim, it clicked instantly.

My biggest gripe is that as much as I love it, the songs seem to run together. There doesn't seem to be as much variation as there was on SOS. That may just be me though.


No i hear how the songs run together.


AOTY is Frank Turner - Love Song and Ire for me. And ironically he's going on tour with The Gaslight Anthem

[CellarGhosts]

No i hear how the songs run together.


AOTY is Frank Turner - Love Song and Ire for me. And ironically he's going on tour with The Gaslight Anthem
cool, glad to see i'm not just full of shit :-p

but really, there does seem to be more of that on '59 Sound than on SOS. I guess I was just hoping for a stronger, beefier version of SOS (If that makes any sense?) than what I got with '59 Sound. I particularly liked the acoustic cuts on SOS so I was hoping for more of that sort of thing, and was disappointed when I didn't get any of that. And though it's no longer a gripe, the production on 59 Sound kinda threw me off at first as well. It fits the album and the aesthetic and all that, but I prefer the grittier value of that found on SOS. That's just me though.

That all being said, it still is my aoty, haha. I guess I should stop griping now.


oh and I still need to check out that Frank Turner album. dunno why I haven't yet.

[DaveZeroZero]

cool, glad to see i'm not just full of shit :-p
Well...

[kearn1tm]

Yeah too much hype for what it was... i mean... i loved it... but it wasnt what everyone cracked it up to vbe.

It wasn't necessarily the hype itself that hindered my enjoyment as much as what I thought the hype meant. I'll elaborate in my reply to CharlieKilo.

I'm almost in the same boat. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I wasn't really disappointed. I mean, it is my aoty as of right now, but it took a few listens to really get into it, whereas with Sink Or Swim, it clicked instantly.

My biggest gripe is that as much as I love it, the songs seem to run together. There doesn't seem to be as much variation as there was on SOS. That may just be me though.

Here's the rub; I had never be exposed to The Gaslight Anthem prior to The '59 Sound. I had no reference material. Obviously, I expected elements of Punk, but I imagined a "pure" (?) Americana sound, and with all the Springsteen comparisons, I had hopes that it would be predominantly Americana, maybe a little Bluegrassy with a Punk skeleton. It was much more Pop-Punk (in a traditional sense, not the powerpop of today) and not what I thought it would be.

The album is solid. I don't believe it merits the hype it receives on this site and Punknews.org. It wasn't among the my Top 50 of the year, but it was enjoyable enough. However, I fully admit it suffers in my subjective opinion due to not being what I hoped it would. Had I heard the previous album before this, I may have enjoyed them more.

For what it's worth, Sink or Swim is more enjoyable to me than The '59 Sound.



AOTY is Frank Turner - Love Song and Ire for me. And ironically he's going on tour with The Gaslight Anthem

This a pretty swell album. Shockingly good.

[CellarGhosts]

It wasn't necessarily the hype itself that hindered my enjoyment as much as what I thought the hype meant. I'll elaborate in my reply to CharlieKilo.



Here's the rub; I had never be exposed to The Gaslight Anthem prior to The '59 Sound. I had no reference material. Obviously, I expected elements of Punk, but I imagined a "pure" (?) Americana sound, and with all the Springsteen comparisons, I had hopes that it would be predominantly Americana, maybe a little Bluegrassy with a Punk skeleton. It was much more Pop-Punk (in a traditional sense, not the powerpop of today) and not what I thought it would be.

The album is solid. I don't believe it merits the hype it receives on this site and Punknews.org. It wasn't among the my Top 50 of the year, but it was enjoyable enough. However, I fully admit it suffers in my subjective opinion due to not being what I hoped it would. Had I heard the previous album before this, I may have enjoyed them more.

For what it's worth, Sink or Swim is more enjoyable to me than The '59 Sound.



This a pretty swell album. Shockingly good.
Huh, that's interesting. I'm wondering now how it would sound if Gaslight tried their hand at a "predominantly Americana" sound. But I do see where you're coming from and how they hype surrounding it ended up steering you wrong, as hype tends to do. Having been a huge Sink or Swim fan, I had an idea of what to expect, especially with the Senor & the Queen EP, but even then I was a little surprised at what I got in the end.

I think the fact that I wasn't nearly as thrown off as you were lends to it being so high on my list. I agree alot of the hype was pretty excessive, but I am glad to see them doing well. I really didn't expect them to get this big.

[longstoryshort_]

bloc party - intimacy

a weekend in the city is one of my favourite albums and intimacy was very disappointing in comparison

[cscwell107]

Chinese Democracy

[Rodeo]

See everyone keeps saying Chinese Democracy / Guns 'N Roses etc... but seriously... how can you be disappointed if you had no standards to begin with?

[CellarGhosts]

See everyone keeps saying Chinese Democracy / Guns 'N Roses etc... but seriously... how can you be disappointed if you had no standards to begin with?
hahaha.

[SureAsRain]

disappointment: Academy Is..., Jenny Lewis
surprisingly good: Copeland, Kings of Leon

[SandManTEND13]

I am not liking The Killers- Day & Age

[sjb2k1]

right now for me i think it's a tie between jack's mannequin and dear and the headlights.

[DaveZeroZero]

right now for me i think it's a tie between jack's mannequin and dear and the headlights.
The new D&TH album has grown on me significantly.

[myplanforescape]

The new Matches album really disappointed me, other than that I didn't really have the opportunity to be disappointed, I found a lot of new music this year that fell outside of my previous listening habits so I didn't really have expectations for them. I guess those albums would be my most surprising.

[batmannj]

i am shocked no has mentioned The Quilt by Gym Class Heroes. I thought it was really disappointing, but then again, i dont think they will ever equal the goodness of the papercut chronicles.

surprises would have to be BMTH - Suicide Season and Lydia.

[Rodeo]

i am shocked no has mentioned The Quilt by Gym Class Heroes. I thought it was really disappointing, but then again, i dont think they will ever equal the goodness of the papercut chronicles.

surprises would have to be BMTH - Suicide Season and Lydia.


Bands people KNOW suck don't really get talked about... I mean.. you have to think it was going to be good to be let down and disappointed.

[c_rob2700]

On GCH, "Cookie Jar" is one of the dumbest songs i've ever heard.

On Jack's, i think EIT is a better album, but TGP is in no way a disappointment to me.

On Gaslight Anthem, i didn't ever hear of them until i joined here in September, so i streamed it about a week ago and really enjoyed it . However, i don't have enough money to buy it at the moment so i just asked for it for Christmas. Since i havn't had a thorough listen yet, i can't make a judgement. I'll most likely not download it so i can have something new to listen to on my long Holiday drive

[batmannj]

Bands people KNOW suck don't really get talked about... I mean.. you have to think it was going to be good to be let down and disappointed.

thats a good point but i have always enjoyed gym class heroes. i found them to be fun.

[rodericknj]

the new skylit drive cd was a horrendous let down for me personally.
i suppose the new copeland album was probably my most enjoyed.

[mallrat37]

most disapointing: Agony and Irony // Weezer
most surprisingly good: Sound of Madness // Shinedown

[aoftbsten]

Jack's Mannequin.

this

[Burn That Shit]

I thought the new Fear Before was good, everyone I talk to says that the vocals are unbearable but I've taken a liking to them.

[matchbox202006]

Honestly, i thought Coldplay's Viva La Vida Or Death and All His Friends was a little flat. I didn't totally "get it". A Rush of Blood To the Head and Parachutes are still their highest points creativley. but as far as particular songs, the singles from the new record are exceedingly beautiful.

[c_rob2700]

most disapointing: Agony and Irony // Weezer
most surprisingly good: Sound of Madness // Shinedown
Shinedown LULZ

[lightupthesky]

i was surprised by panic's pretty odd.
was disappointed by the killer's day and age, but that's not to say i hate it. it's just no sam's town.

i must be more easy to please than most of you, because i thoroughly enjoy fast times at barrington high by the academy is... and the glass passenger by jack's mannequin. :shrug:

[Rodeo]

most disapointing: Agony and Irony // Weezer
most surprisingly good: Sound of Madness // Shinedown


bahhahaha...


Yes I am an ALK3 fanboy... but SERIOUSLY!




lolllll

[Charles777]

Biggest Surprise: Razias Shadow- Forgive Durden
Biggest Disappointment: Any punk record.

[Broclee]

LINKIN PARK.


their new cd made me want to shoot myeslf. their shit used to sound so amazing. this "new metal" of theirs is a fking pity.

Not to defend Minutes to Midnight, but you've kind of got it backwards, they're more alternative now, and their older stuff was like nu-metal/rap-rock junk.

Personally, there's one song off Minutes to Midnight I actually enjoy, one of the slower ones my bro made me listen to.

[aaron401]

Bloc Party- intimacy
gym class heroes- the quilt
the academy is-fast times..


alot of artists didn't surpass their previous albums but i wouldnt say something like the glass passenger is an actual dissapointment.

[IceAge/HeatWave]

Disappointment: Day and Age- The Killers
Biggest Suprise: 808's and Heartbreak- Kanye West

[KillerInstincts]

Not to defend Minutes to Midnight, but you've kind of got it backwards, they're more alternative now, and their older stuff was like nu-metal/rap-rock junk.

Personally, there's one song off Minutes to Midnight I actually enjoy, one of the slower ones my bro made me listen to.

that's not what i meant.
linkin park themselves are the ones who said that their new album was experimental is creating what they called a "new" kind of metal.

[DaveZeroZero]

that's not what i meant.
linkin park themselves are the ones who said that their new album was experimental is creating what they called a "new" kind of metal.
It still sucked.

[Broclee]

It still sucked.

What he said.

[Juturna25]

someone please explain to me the disappointment with the glass passenger? I found it to be a fantastic sophomore release. Really, really grew on me with each listen and will most definitely end up in my top 5.

[TeppeiKensrue]

Rise Against most dissapointing by far...loved Sufferer.

Most surprising for me was Bloc Party- Intimacy...had pretty low expectations after WITC but i love the new electronic direction.

[ForeverDelayed]

Most disappointing is probably a tossup between MGMT and the new REM. I guess it was a bad year for initials.

Surprisingly good? I'm not sure. Just about everything I expected to suck sucked, and everything I expected to be good was. And most of my favorite releases were from bands I had never heard of a year or two ago. Possibly the new Phantom Planet record. After being pretty let down by the last album, and then having a 4 year wait between, and the fact that they're on FBR now, I assumed it would be petty lame, but I really like it a lot.

[Broclee]

Most disappointing is probably a tossup between MGMT and the new REM. I guess it was a bad year for initials..

Ahh, glad to see I'm not the only one who was underwhelmed with that record. It was different and out of the box, but it just didn't translate into amazing for me. The person who introduced me to it raved and raved about it, then I just didn't feel like it lived up.

[ForeverDelayed]

Ahh, glad to see I'm not the only one who was underwhelmed with that record. It was different and out of the box, but it just didn't translate into amazing for me. The person who introduced me to it raved and raved about it, then I just didn't feel like it lived up.
If you heard the Time To Pretend EP, the full length is pretty much unneccessary. The EP and singles were fun and funky, the album sounded like they were trying too hard to be The Flaming Lips and failing.

[Broclee]

If you heard the Time To Pretend EP, the full length is pretty much unneccessary. The EP and singles were fun and funky, the album sounded like they were trying too hard to be The Flaming Lips and failing.

Nah, I never heard the EP, but I can totally hear the Flaming Lips comparison, the full length just dragged on for me.

[imahoodlum]

Death Cab For Cutie-Narrow Stairs.

[_><_]

New Rise Against.