The List: The Most Disappointing Albums of 2009

Disappointment is an aspect we try to avoid in life. Whether it be letting ourselves or a friend down or allowing someone else to usher in disappointment, the feeling it brings can turn from an annoying scratch to a blood gushing wound.

Fortunately, I’m not going to be talking about the latter one. Quite frankly, any sentence containing the words blood, gushing and wound, metaphorically or otherwise, usually results in the following sentence of “Oh my! Aaron has fainted!”

So, since no one wants to read a half written blog or clean blood off the walls, or soul, I will be sticking to albums that disappointed in 2009. Enjoy.

Artist: Gwen Stacy

Album: “In Dialogue”

Genre: Metalcore

Label: Solid State Records

Release: Oct. 2, 2009

To be quite honest I’ve only listened to this album about two times thru. And when I write “about,” what I really mean is one, one and a half.

And that is why this album makes this not-so-prestigious list.

I love this band. Their sophomore release, The Life I Know, is still an unbelievable achievement in the genre of metalcore. This album was on my iPod no matter what urge I had to clear space for something newer. In short, a classic.

In Dialogue is far from classic and wanders in the land of mediocrity and never finds it’s way out. In fact, I called back the search party yesterday to enjoy hot chocolate and marshmallows while we mourned our lost friend.

The reason for my disdain?

Could it have been the change in lead singers? Nope. Geoff Jenkins, former guitarist for Southern metal act Once Nothing, did an unbelievable job in replacing ex-lead Cole Wallace. If I didn’t already know Wallace had departed, I really would not have noticed and even argued you were a horrible person for trying to pull a fast one on me.

Was the musicianship? Uh-Uh. It was hard and melodic just like the last one. Nothing much different there.

Was it the lack of meaning of the lyrics? Even though I felt Wallace was a better writer, and there is evidence of his lyrical handy work on some songs, it was still very Christ-centered and uplifting.

Was it the horrible lack of flow and quality of the choruses? DING! DING! WE HAVE A WINNER!

What made The Life I Know a great album was the flow and quality the choruses had in relation to the amazing verses. In Dialogue’s were jumbled at best and disjointed at worst. It seemed that the band tried too hard to write catchy choruses, thus, effecting the flow with the verses. Not the mention the choruses came off as boring and lacking passion at times. Whatever they used to make The Life’s choruses sound so great and epic they must have dragged out to the woods, took a shotgun at close range to the head and pulled the trigger, because nothing remained of the formula they used on their past masterpiece.

Then again, all the problems could have been the fault of Solid State and Gwen Stacy will return better than ever next album. Maybe I’m being naive and, in that case, this list won’t include the band’s next effort because I won’t be spending my hard earned cash on it.

Or if could be worse, they could be falling to there deaths by the hands of the Green Goblin…while Spider-Man makes out with Mary Jane Watson.

Download: “The First Words”; “The Sound of Letting Go”

Artist: Philmont

Album: “Attention”

Genre: Pop/Punk

Label: ForeFront

Release: August 25

I have problems with bands that have a painfully hard time with identifying there sound. It’s like the kid in high school that dresses in flannel, but has a spinning money sign chain hanging from around his neck. Or how about the kid that dresses like a punk, but wears all black with mascara. Those are classic examples of identity crisis. I don’t mind one of those things, but lets not mix and match scenes like were dressing our self for the first day of school.

On the first listen through of Attention, I instantly diagnosed this group as Punkishly Schizophrenic and told them to take two crazy pills and call me in the morning. Then I promptly unplugged my phone and told myself it was for their own good.

There is a thin line between influence and swiping. Philmont, though I’m sure it wasn’t intentional on the band’s part, let their influences write this album for them instead of the group themselves, thus falling in the file labeled “swipe.”

These are the bands that wrote Attention: Hawk Nelson, Relient K, Steller Kart, MXPX, Simple Plan and Green Day (though I didn’t hear much of them, naturally you can’t write a pop/punk album without the boys from Dookie-ville. So I’m adding them for good measure).

This wouldn’t be a bad thing if this was a parallel existence where none of those bands existed, Katy Perry became the darling of Contemporary Christian Music, Slayer (now known as Savior) won their 39th Dove Award for their newest praise album and Joel Olsteen was really a pawn of Satan.

Wait. That last one may not need the alternate reality scenario.

Philmont tried to be all these bands, but failed to realize that all those bands do it better than they do. I really don’t know what I was expecting from this album, but I wasn’t expecting to hear a greatest hits cover album for the bands above. I know it’s hard to breath new life into a genre that may be on it’s way to the morgue as we speak, but at least put a little effort into bringing it back from the grasp of death by finding an identity for you band. Not just a costume made of your biggest influences. Move the genre forward, don't spin it's wheels in the mud of "already been done." It's ok to have influences, but don't BE your influences. Take the foundation they've poured and build your own house on it, making it a unique structure on the block of pop/punk.

One more thing. Can we please stop with the Sythzizers already. They really have no place in this genre. So, for the love of Pete, stop.

Download: “The Difference”; “Another Name”; “Where to Start”

Under Review: Ocean is Theory - "In My Blood Again" (EP)

Artist: Ocean is Theory

Album: "In My Blood Again" (EP)

Release: Sept. 25, 2009

Label: None

I have a love/hate relationships with EPs. Most of them do one of two things, they either leave you wanting more or make you glad you didn’t pay full price for an entire album. I’ve experienced both.

Most of them do one of two things, they either leave you wanting more or make you glad you didn’t pay full price for an entire album. There is no happy medium when it comes to EPs. They remind me of the food samples at Sam’s: They make you run to the aisle to buy the delicious food in bulk or run to the nearest trash can and deposit it by spiting, or at worst, in a more powerful, projectile type spew.

In the case of Atlanta indie rockers Ocean Is Theory, both scenarios were achieved in a relatively short period of time. The bands 2008 EP, Into the Mouths of Lions, proved to be a solid release for the band and lead to a brief stint on this year’s Warped Tour. But the more I listened to it, the more bored I became and soon nothing of the band remained on my iPod except for their singles “More Than Conquerors” and “O’ Broken Son.” I found the band’s sound mirroring other indie/alternative bands with their driving guitar riffs and choruses attempting to fly, but falling well short of the atmosphere they were shooting for. My initial reaction of intrigue quickly faded and the EP was left on the heap along with others that lost their relevance due to lack of staying power.

The eventual blandness of the EP became an even bigger enigma when I saw the band live. The energy they brought on stage didn’t necessarily translate well to the recording process. The transition the songs made from stage to studio left a lot to be desired when the music was blaring through ear buds.

When the band announced the release of their second EP, In My Blood Again, I decided to pick it up only if I had some extra cash to burn. My thinking process was very simple: no hype, no disappointment. Low risk for high reward.

Maybe I should use this template for all my music.

“Twenty Nine-Eleven,” the first single released on the band’s Myspace, again is guided by great bass (Kevin Cerbone) and drum beats (Clay Carter) with a melodic guitar providing a canvas for the bass and drums to paint on. The lyrics continue to shine as Williams sings of the powerful timing that God has on our lives and the will he has for us to experience in due time. Williams sings one of the most powerful, truthful lyrics on the album when he sings, “The day you stand in front of the ocean and feel proud not small/ We’re all in trouble/ It's gonna take you under.” A compelling lyric reminding all saints that we are blessed to serve a wonderful God and to do so we have to put our pride aside.

“Miles Away” is spiritual deep with William’s emotionally charged vocals and lyrics. The song touches on the never-ending cycle of trying to go our own way and coming back to God for forgiveness and correction. There are moments in the song that reminds me of Thrice, especially during the bridge leading into the last chorus as a dirty guitar riff rings throughout.

The final (and possibly the best) song on the album, “The Motion, The Feeling,” is more rock focused, but at its core is a sincere call to God to for salvation and forgiveness. Williams sings of the “let go,” or the times in our lives when we wander from God.

In My Blood Again is on par with The Wedding’s “The Sound. The Steel” and Emery’s “While Broken Hearts Prevail” as a superb EP and one that leaves me wanting an economy sized follow-up.

Final Verdict: 5/5

Go Download: The whole thing. It’s only $3.96 on both iTunes and Amazon. Or do yourself a favor and catch them live if you can and pick it up there. Get a t-shirt while your at it.

Link: myspace.com/oceanistheory

Under Review: Paramore - "Brand New Eyes"

Artist: Parmore

Album: Brand New Eyes

Release Date: Sept. 29, 2009

Label: Fueled By Ramen

Paramore’s journey to their newest album, “Brand New Eyes,” has been long and winding complete with success and failures. The band’s meteoric rise to rock n’ roll darlings after their 2007 release “Riot!” was followed by a hard fall back to earth and talks of a break-up less than a year later. Fans were left pondering the future of a band who was just scratching the surface of their potential.

But we’ve been told what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger, and “Brand New Eyes” may have proven the legitimacy of that very statement.

In short, Paramore is alive. Kicking and screaming to me more exact.

From the opening track, “Careful,” the band sets a different tone packed with aggression, passion and sincerity that “Riot!”* was missing. The album acts as a confession of the turbulence the band endured over the last year. You can hear the scars healing with each and every song. Lead singer Haley Williams’ vocals are amazing on the album, but it’s her emotion that brings out her best performance to date. Tracks like “Brick By Boring Brick,” “Turn It Off” and “All I Wanted” (which might be the best female vocal performance I have ever heard) show Williams letting everything go with soaring vocals and powerful lyrics as the listener sits in on her own personal therapy session.

“Turn It Off” is especially revealing, as Williams paints a picture of a band in turmoil and how she saw everything slipping away as she sings “The tragedy/It seems unending/I'm watching everyone I looked up to break and bending.”

The song titled “Misguided Ghosts” is especially intriguing as the band goes for an organic, folk type sound that grabs your ear and won’t let go. It almost comes off as an impromptu recording that turned from a b-side song to, quite possibly, the best track on the album. The haunting acoustic melody and Williams’ stripped down vocals make this a standout track on an album full of great songs.

But “Brand New Eyes” does more than give the listener insight into a once self-destructing band; it reestablishes Paramore as punk band with pop sensibility instead of a pop band that dresses like a punk band.

“Ignorance,” “Looking Up,” “Where the Lines Overlap” and the aforementioned “Careful” and “Brick By Boring Brick” bring the band back to an energy filled sound, reminiscent of “Riot!”’s “Misery Business” and “For a Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimist.” Even elements from there very first single, “Pressure,” from their debut album, “All We Know Is Falling,” can be heard with some of the heavier riffs used on the albu. These type tracks are the ones that made me stand up and take notice of the band to begin with; to have them return to such a style had me grinning from ear to ear.

Everything that was wrong with “Riot!” has been fixed with “Brand New Eyes.” The band shows with this album that their more than another pop-punk group molded from the same machine as the rest of the genre and, instead, has written a mature, revealing and hook heavy album that will be the essential record in the groups discography, elevating the band both lyrically and musically above all the rest.

Final Score: 4/5 *Let me clear this statement up a bit. I liked "Riot!" but found myself skipping tracks to get to some of the tracks listed above. I found that they were trying too hard to make me like the hooks and not all of them resonated like the ones on this album. I can honestly say I didn't skip a track on this album and I was glad I didn't. "Riot!" was strong debut, but "Brand New Eyes" is a considerable improvement.

The Reniassance of Praise and Worship

A couple weeks ago, my friend Jarred and I had a discussion on the progressive state of the praise and worship scene in Christian music. We both agreed that the best praise and worship isn't coming from either the gospel or contempary genres, but rather from the hardcore, alternative and metal scenes.

Now, for the people that know me and Jarred, our feelings about the current state of the church and it's music has been harsh. For the ones that don't, we feel the church's choice of music is boring. I'm not saying the songs they choose to sing aren't inspired by Christ and His wonderful love, but it seems originality has been absent from the praise and worship arena for a while now.

Example: Chris Tomlin won a Dove Award for adding a "lost" verse to Amazing Grace. No tempo change, no rhythm change or even a nifty dance beat. Just him singing while playing the piano and then, BOOM, "lost" verse and, POW, Dove Award .

Chris Tomlin - putting original in originality.

But over the last couple of years, a new generation of praise has surfaced and has quickly become a force. It has single handly started a fire within the Christian teen and young adult demographic that has grown restless with today's praise and worship. And instead of sitting quietly in the pew, they are starting to lift there voice with a new song of praise towards Christ like never before.

Case in point: At this year's Icthus, a christain music festival I have had the pleasure to attend for four years now, Jarred and myself saw the future of the church before our very eyes during a performance by hardcore band Sleeping Giant. It didn't have walls or pews and hymnals were after thoughts. Instead we saw every age praising God in all differnt ways. Some by moshing, others by lifting their hands and singing "Oh Praise Him." I've never been a part of something like that before. Pure praise to Christ for all his love and correction he gives us. Bands like Sleeping Giant are starting to bring originality back into praise and worship. Instead of writing for CCM radio, they are giving a new generation of Christ followers a voice and building a new road of worship with bands like The Glorious Unseen, Showbread and, maybe the forefathers of progressive praise, As Cities Burn. They're not scared to scream, sing and cry to Christ with unhinged, raw praise.

I would like to think the bands I mentioned are in the same postion as the songwriters that originally filled the church's first hymn books. A place where Christ's power on their lives are leading them to write unashamed, original praise. That they understand they serve a creative, artistic God and the praise He is given should be written in the same manner.

I can remember when "City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise" was released in 2000 and thinking those songs were the most passionate praise songs I have ever heard. Jars of Clay, Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer), Mac Powell (Third Day) and Peter Fuller (Newsboys) showed you could take praise and worship to another level of creativity that was never even thought to exist.

This new wave of artists are looking to do the same thing, just a little more bolder and a lot louder.

---Aaron

The NEW Geek Ramblings...I'm serious this time...

A couple of years ago, Marvel decided the best way to revamp their books was to include "New" in front of the main title. For example: "The New Avengers," "New X-Men," and so on. Over the last couple months I have become incredible lazy when it comes to writing in general. The last time I wrote anything signicicant was the last issue of my college's campus newspaper, The Highland Cavalier. So, I decided to take a page from the "House of Ideas" and officially rename this blog "The New Geek Ramblings." It worked the the Avengers, why can't it work for me. Now, I know what your asking (besides "Is he really going to write in this blog...for real this time?): What is so "new" about the "The New Geek Ramblings" ? I'm glad you asked. This blog is going to be made up of entirely geeky content. Entainment reviews, thoughts on entertainment news and geek-centric columns. What about the other stuff? I've decided to make a seperate blog for those thoughts. The reason? I felt like a blog entitled "Geek Ramblings" needed to stay on the topic of geek culture, or, at least, my geek culture. This second blog will touch on faith, funny stories and general day-to-day experiences in life. So, welcome to "The New Geek Ramblings"! I hope this one stays a little longer than the last one. Aaron