THRICE / vhiessu
BOYS NIGHT OUT / trainwreck
I AM THE AVALANCHE / self-titled
JUST SURRENDER / if these street could talk
HOUSTON CALLS / a collection of short stories
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND / hours
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE / plans
JAMISONPARKER / sleepwalker
GYM CLASS HEROES / the papercut chronicles
# 10. {TIE} JACKS MANNEQUIN / everything in transit
&
BRIGHT EYES / i'm wide awake it's morning
It has been quite a year for Something Corporate’s front man Andrew McMahon. From a long stretch on the road with Something Corporate that left him burnt out and depressed to his recent battle with Leukemia, which thankfully he has beaten, there has been a lot going on in his life. Although this album was written in the time prior to his illness Andrew has provided an intimate look in to his recent past with this album. An album that chronicles his return home from the road and life since showcases the brilliant writing and vocal talents of McMahon. Catchy piano driven pop rock at its finest is a great way to describe this album. Full of songs about life, love, loss, drugs, depression and the overcoming of that same depression make this a worthwhile listen. The album is an emotional rollercoaster with the power to make listeners laugh and cry and truly feel like they are living out the adventure that is the life of Andrew McMahon. This is an album with the power to make people truly appreciate their life.
The brilliant maniac that is the great Connor Orberst is back and back with a fucking vengeance. Orberst has always been a master of the alt- folk rock genre ever since his teenage years. Orberst has the ability to craft a song that will have the listener sing along even when there is no chorus to be found. This album covers such a wide variety of topics, everything from love, growing up, waking up the morning after a drug binge and let’s not forget a big fuck you to George W. Bush. Orberst is a master of creating imagery in his songs that allows the reader to truly feel like they are living each and every song such as in the song Land Locked Blues when he says “and there’s kids playing guns in the street and ones pointing his tree branch at me so I put my hands up and say enough is enough if you walk away I’ll walk away, and he shot me dead. Orberst is a master storyteller. He has the uncanny ability to totally captivate listeners with this ability right from the get go with his intro that tells the story of a woman on a plane about to crash as the intro to the album. This album may not be packed with as much pure madness as some of his others however there is more than enough insanity and brilliant instrumentals using an extensive variety of instruments to grab the listener by the balls and just refuse to let go until the album us complete.
# 9. HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW / life in transit
Every so often a band comes along that doesn’t quite offer anything new but has the ability to take a genre that it is already there and take it to totally new levels. Hidden in Plain View does that with their latest release in the what has been the long stagnant post-emo genre. Life in Transit offers hard hitting emotional rock music from start to finish with emotional ballads, a little bit of screamo and just a hint of teenage angst. This is an instantly addictive album with a few stand out tracks such as the brutally emotional opener Bleed for You and the truly powerful Garden Statement, which is my personal favourite. There isn’t anything truly original about this album however the fact that the band is “unafraid to confront such dark impulses, the hard-rocking New Jersey quintet ultimately makes an eloquent hard-rocking case for the human spirit” sets them apart in the genre. These boys are fresh out of high school and I think AP magazine said it best when they said, “ Your new favourite band are only going to get better”.
# 8. MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK / commit this to memory
Everyone’s favourite synthesizer infused pop punker’s are back with their more cohesive sophomore effort. Unlike their previous effort Commit this to Memory is an album that offers a lot more flow and purpose to it. The album was produced by former blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus. This is Hoppus first attempt at production and he a great job by helping the boys of MCS mature a little as musicians while not overshadowing them. There is very little evidence of Hoppus’ involvement with the album aside from his guest vocals on Hangman. The use of the synthesizer takes the album to a new level musically and blends in perfectly with the albums instantly memorable drumming and the great vocal work of front man Justin Pierre. The album picks up where I am the Movie left off by offering cleverly catchy song writing, plenty of memorable hooks and sing along melodies that fans have grown to love. This is a mature sophomore disc packed with intelligent, catchy pop rock that will help to catapult this quintet to mainstream stardom.
# 7. THE ACADEMY IS... / almost here
The Academy is… burst onto the scene earlier this year with high expectations placed upon them. After the release of a few demos last year, a lot was expected of this band straight out of high school and they did not disappoint. The debut release from the Academy is… is full of catchy infectious pop rock similar to that of bands like Fall Out Boy. This is an album that will have you singing and dancing along from the moment you here the words “attention, attention can I have all of your eyes and ears to the front of the room at 4am if only for one second”. From that moment on you will not be able to get these tracks out of your head. The amazing lyrical and vocal ability of William Beckett are on display with this album. Beckett has shown his ability to write painfully catchy yet well-written pop songs with this album without dumbing things down. The album deals with a variety of topics including young love, slutty ex girlfriends like any other pop punk album but also takes a shot at the critics who trashed the bands EP last year. This album is destined to become an instant fan favourite. Anyone who is a sucker for clever lyrics, fast-paced beats, and catchy choruses will totally dig this album. By this time next year, everyone will know The Academy is…, this is truly one of the breakout albums of this year.
# 6. PANIC AT THE DISCO! / a fever you can't sweat out
Panic! at the Disco came out of nowhere like a fierce pandemic in the later part of 2005. There had been some demos floating around and talk about the potential of this band earlier in the year but nobody could have predicted the early success of this band as a result of their debut album. Panic! offers an interesting sound that has come to be known as dance punk, which is a kind of mixture of Fall Out Boy, Motion City Soundtrack and the Killers. What you are left with is one of the most addictive albums that you will ever hear. The bouncing beats, synth infused songs on this album will have you wishing you had your dancing shoes on. With songs about sex, drugs and slutty ex-girlfriends this album has catchy hooks to spare and an energy that is matched by very few on the scene today. A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out is an album full of songs that listeners will find themselves singing even when they don’t want to. With choruses like “cant take the kid from the fight take the fight from the kid, just sit back, just sit back” how could you resist singing along.
# 5. SILVERSTEIN / discovering the waterfront
Harder, faster and heavier is a way to describe the sophomore release from Burlington, Ontario’s native sons in Sivlerstein. This is one of the most musically gifted bands on this list. With heavy riffs and great technical breakdowns, Silverstein is a force to be reckoned with. After the surprise success of their debut release the boys from Silverstein looked to make improvements on their debut album. With two years of life experiences on the road, they had plenty of material to work with to craft this great album. With a harder sound and even more catchy hooks than the first album and just the right amount of screaming without overdoing it an album was created that is solid from start to finish. The album grabs you right from start with the fast paced Your sword versus my dagger, through the painfully catchy Smile In Your Sleep and My Heroine this album has it all including the powerful ballad Discovering the Waterfront. These four boys from suburban Ontario just keep getting better and are preparing to take the screamo world by storm.
# 4. THE SPILL CANVAS / one fell swoop
The Spill Canvas is a band that emerged on the scene with high expectations of them after the release of their mostly acoustic debut Sunsets and Car Crashes. A year later with a finalized line up the Spill Canvas returns with their sophomore effort One Fell Swoop. The band has added a slightly harder and faster sound that draws influence from bands such as Saves the Day, Brand New and Dashboard Confessional. The album is packed full of pure emotion from singer/guitarist Nick Thomas. The album contains songs about love and heartbreak but also songs about persistence and determination among other topics. Nick Thomas is an intelligent and creative songwriter at only 19 years of age that has drawn comparisons to Jesse Lacey or Chris Connelly with his emotional vocals and lyrical creativity with this album. Overall One Fell Swoop is a well-written, emotionally involved album that completely draws the listener in and allows the listener to feel the emotion and dedication that went into each and every song on this album.
# 3. NIGHTMARE OF YOU / nightmare of you
Nightmare of you is a product along with I am the Avalanche of the split of The Movielife. Unlike IATA lead man who picked up where The Movielife left off former movielife guitarist decided to create a totally new sound with Nightmare of You. Nightmare Of You offers 11 dark pop songs that burst with memorable melodies, sarcastic lyrics, and great emotion. (Drew Beringer, Absolutepunk.net). This is Reilly’s first shot at lead vocals and he does not miss a beat. The album is full of upbeat catchy melodic numbers that will have you singing along but also chuckling at how sarcastic some songs can be. The album also features one of the most unlikely guest appearances of the year with Chantal Kreviacuk and Our Lady Peace front man Raine Maida behind the scenes. Reilly has shown with this album his ability to write brilliant catchy tunes while still being a bit of a smart ass. He has also shown his ability to write blatant songs about sex and other taboo subjects without them being trashy or just flat out retarded ( note to 95% of the hip-hop genre) Nightmare of You is the best band to debut in 2005. With its upbeat sing along melodies, brilliant song writing and great flow this album stands out in a genre that refuses to stop recycling the same ideas with every album released.
# 2. THE STARTING LINE / based on a true story
After several years off of the radar The Starting Line finally returns and by the sounds of things with a lot to talk about. The bands previous effort was a popular target for critics who bitched about the albums simplicity and production, but give the guys a fucking break they were barely out of high school. With Based on a True Story critics won’t be criticizing those same things anymore. Based on a True Story is a fantastic album that showcases how much the band has truly grown over the past few years. The lyrics are far more mature, the sound is greatly improved and Kenny’s vocal range has improved tremendously. The songs sound like they were taken from the pages of Kenny’s journal of the past few years with his thought on celebrity, messy hook ups and backstage existentialism.
The album is packed with incredible tracks. The albums first single Bedroom Talk is one of the catchiest songs you could ever hear but have fun explaining it to people when they catch you singing “I’m gonna tear your ass up like we just got married”
Surprise, Surprise is one of my favourite songs on the album. The song is a big fuck you to an ex of Ken’s who refused to tell him that she had a boyfriend on the side. This song boats one of the best verses of the year in my opinion “hey there babe don’t mean to cut you off and your dying to get caught/ I’ll let you go call all your friends/ oh my god let me describe to you this guy his name is Ken/ he’s in this band that writes such awful songs about me all the time/ YOU’RE GODDAMN RIGHT”
The last song I will talk about is Ready. This song includes an appearance by none other then the man himself Max Bemis of Say Anything. The repeating of lines, the increasing urgency, and how it all climaxes at the perfect moment - are the makings of an audio orgasm.
There are many bands that have tried to grow up and write a more mature album but few would have expected The Starting Line to pull it off. The band has shown true growth with this album in all areas. This album surpassed all expectations and is an album that is just so much fun to listen to over and over again.
# 1. FALL OUT BOY / from under the cork tree
Pete Wentz is the fucking man. There is no band out there today that can capture the boy-meets girl, boy falls for girl, girl stomps the fuck all over boys heart topic like Pete Wentz. This is an album that I instantly fell in love with from the moment I heard it. FUCT picks right up where Take this to you Grave left off with the same instantly catchy sing along hooks that people have come to expect but with lyrics that have taken the band to the next level. Pete has crafted an album that any person can that has had their heart ripped out can connect with. Just about every person out there has had this happen and Pete’s words just seem to capture that emotion like few others.
Fast-paced guitars, great drum work and throbbing base lines get your feet moving with songs like Dance, Dance. The vocal work of Patrick Stump truly help to bring the words to life and in songs such as Sugar We’re Going Down and Of All the Gin Joints will have you singing along uncontrollably. Sure, the length of some of the song titles border on ridiculousness but that is just a FOB trademark that people are going to have to get used to.
The ability of Pete Wentz to write witty, slightly self-deprecating, concise three-minute pop songs that fans can easily relate to has been a catalyst for the bands meteoric rise to fame. The band has rocketed up the charts over the past year has coincided with the expected criticism from cynical scene kids calling them sell-outs but all I have to say to them is GO FUCK YOURSELVES YOU WHINY, CRYING, WRIST SLITTING EMO FUCKERS, if you just don’t like the album fine but don’t give them shit just because the band has found success.
Anyway, From Under the Cork Tree is an amazing album that has won the band legions of fans around the world with its intelligent catchy hooks, amazing vocal work and overall awesomeness. This is an album that will not leave your CD player and it is an album that will capture your heart from start to finish. FOB is the breakout band of 2005 and is now on the path to greatness.