BLACK SABBATH / Dehumanizer (1992)

Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio back on the mic! It's a 90s comeback album that sounds like it was birthed in the 70s. It captures the essence of the old but was modern enough to appeal to new fans, not an easy thing to do. If all you've heard is the Ozzy era Sabbath, then you'll maybe be a little lost here, they're a different entity with Dio (let's never mention Tony Martin, except I just did but let's never do it again). An oft overlooked milestone in the band's history, Dehumanizer is characteristically riff-heavy and a little bit doomy at times but never gloomy.

Songs of Note: TV Crimes; Master of Insanity

4 comeback albums that are worth coming back for out of 5

CUCKOO'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2011

People keep saying new music is crap but I don't believe it. Out of the 50 albums or so that I reviewed this year, I can honestly say I'd recommend atleast 80% of them which is pretty good. Granted I did do some digging to find some of this stuff...but it's worth it when you find it.

It wasn't that tough a decision to narrow down my top 10 seeing as I awarded only 10 albums with 5 "stars".

(click on the names for the mini-reviews)

10. BLUE SKY BLACK DEATH / Noir

9. THE CURE / Bestival Live 2011

8. PJ HARVEY / Let England Shake

7. THE WAR ON DRUGS / Slave Ambient

6. VESPERTINA / The Waiting Wolf

5. TOM WAITS / Bad As Me

4. ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD / Knife Man

3. LYDIA LOVELESS / Indestructible Machine

2. LYKKE LI / Wounded Rhymes

1. FRANK TURNER / England Keep My Bones


Some honorable mentions go to:

BANG DATA / Maldito Carnaval
BLINK-182 / Neighborhoods
DIRTY BEACHES / Badlands
DOOMTREE / No Kings
DUM DUM GIRLS / Only In Dreams
DAVID LYNCH / Crazy Clown Time
JEFF MARTIN 777 / The Ground Cries Out
PUSCIFER / Conditions Of My Parole
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS / Songs Of Man
VARIOUS ARTISTS / Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

SUM 41 / Screaming Bloody Murder [2011]

Playing side by side with Metallica, Slayer, Judas Priest, Motley Crue and Iggy Pop have allowed Canadian rockers Sum 41 to gracefully step out of the pop-punk label they were bunched into in the mid '90's. Their latest album Screaming Bloody Murder only establishes them as a definite hard rock group rather than sitting along side Green Day or blink-182.
Loud, aggressive and angry music built upon a keen sense of melody is what Sum 41 does best and there's plenty of it here. Unfortunately what keeps this album from being an instant classic is it's running time. By dropping some of the more "friendlier" songs Screaming Bloody Murder would have been the closest thing to perfect The Sums would have ever done.

4 so longs, princess bitch out of 5

Songs Of Note: Screaming Bloody Murder; Sick Of Everyone

MATTHEW GOOD / Lights of Endangered Species [2011]

I'll be honest and confess I didn't have much in the way of expectations with Matt Good's latest (and possibly final) album Lights of Endangered Species but was quickly astounded by the quality of songwriting my hometown boy displayed.
This is some of Good's best work since 2003's Avanlanche and sometimes even excels that material. In an interesting move, Good opted to use brass, strings, woodwinds and piano on this album rather than just the usual standard rock ensemble. Good never really uses his new ensemble like most would expect but rather to subtly compliment the guitar driven music in the foreground.
It's hauntingly moody, grim and pure Vancouver rainy day music with songs that expand into something greater as the album progresses.

4 Ideal Swan Songs out of 5

Songs Of Note: Non Populus; Set Me On Fire

LIMP BIZKIT / Gold Cobra [2011]

It's always a mild surprise when you set out for a really, really bad review and don't quite get the disastrous album you thought you would.
Meathead rap/metal outfit Limp Bizkit's latest effort Gold Cobra sort of falls under this. It's not a great album by any means but it is what it is and never tries to be anything more than that.
At it's best, Gold Cobra is a heavy hitting testosterone-fueled record made for angry 15 year olds. At it's worst, Gold Cobra is an eye-rolling, manboy cheesefest of a record made for angry 15 year olds.
It's Limp Bizkit and that's all you really need to know.

1½ at least Wes Borland knows his shit out of 5

Songs Of Note: Walking Away; Shotgun

VARIOUS ARTISTS / Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [2011]

The soundtrack to the noir/thriller Drive, like the film itself, is slick, stylish and sexy with a menacing undercurrent of extreme violence constantly waiting to break free.
Seasoned with a collection of cool retro-synthpop songs that sound like they've been pulled right out of the '80's, the Drive soundtrack is all about style and boy does it ever have it. Composer Cliff Martinez's ambient score pulsates and thrives like the sun is just going down or just readying to come up.
With the way-cool moody synthpop songs and Martinez's broody soundscape, Drive is without a doubt a front-runner for best soundtrack collection of 2011.

4 hammers out of 5

Songs Of Note: NIGHTCALL by Kavinsky & Lovefoxx; A REAL HERO by College & Electric Youth

TOKIMONSTA / Creature Dreams [2011]

American/Korean beatmaker Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA is a shining talent just at the beginning of a very hopeful career. Her Creature Dreams EP might be short but it's all killer and no filler.
With a smooth, woozy trip-hop backdrop evoking images of sleek city nights and dimly lit rooms filled with smoke and red-eyed lovers of music. It's polished with such smoothness and tranquility it's difficult not to slip into full on relaxation mode.
It's a prime example of what Lee can do and is highly recommended if it's good chill-out music that's missing from your collection.

4 rabbit monsters out of 5

Songs Of Note: Little Pleasures [ft. Gavin Turek]; Day Job

THE DECEMBERISTS / The King Is Dead [2011]

Dropping the English folklore for a little more lore from their American roots, The Decemberists fall into a fine form, not much unlike old R.E.M., on their 6th studio album The King Is Dead.
With the aid of Gillian Welch as a back-up vocalist, The Decemberists have a wonderful little album of Americana country-folk that is both haunting and catchy. Colin Meloy's trademark over-achieving vocabulary and knack for subtle jokes buried underneath all the thoughtful lyrics are all just as good as ever.
Like a pleasant stroll through an vast empty field, The King Is Dead is light, comforting folk music without a bad aftertaste.

3 Peter Buck's out of 5

Songs Of Note: Down By The Water; June Hymm

CHRYSTA BELL / This Train [2011]

Sort of like the more feminine and velvety counterpart to David Lynch's Crazy Clown Time, Chrysta Bell's This Train is a sultry, pleasant little trip into a dreamworld that time forgot.
Produced and co-written by Lynch himself, This Train features Bell's soulful, almost blues-like voice at the forefront while it's backed up by reverberated guitars twinkling over brush drums and smooth low end bass notes ringing in the distance.
With an ethereal voice dripping with sex-appeal and hazy Lynchian musical backdrops, This Train is a hypnotizing journey into the weird and alluring.

3½ trains in the woods out of 5

Songs Of Note: Swing With Me; Real Love

ANGELS & AIRWAVES / Love [2011]

Hate him or love him, it can't be denied that Angels & Airwaves frontman Tom DeLonge is one of the most innovative and passionate personalities in the music business today.
Serving as the soundtrack to the feature film of the same name, LOVE is a cold and wondrous journey into the emptiness of space while still retaining an organic warmth. Because it's a double album, it does seem to lag in a few spots and could have been perfect had it been cut down to one disc.
As long as LOVE is, the space-rock atmosphere is perfect and the ominous production is top-notch. If you're a fan of AVA then this is a special treat...if you're not...then avoid it like the plague.

3½ Soul Survivors out of 5

Songs Of Note: Epic Holiday; All That We Are

BANG DATA / Maldito Carnaval [2011]

A smooth latin fusion of rap, rock, cumbia and reggae, Bang Data's debut EP Maldito Carnaval is the definition of "cool".
Fronted by bilingual vocalist Deuce Eclipse, Maldito Carnaval demands to be played loud, preferably over many drinks after dusk. 7 tracks of pure chilled-out booty-shakin', Bang Data's EP is too short to get old and pretty much begs for back-to-back repeat listens. Laced with intricate güiro drum breaks reminiscent of classic Los Fabulosos Cadillacs or Cypress Hill and finger plucked guitar solos not unlike anything you wouldn't expect from Latin music, Bang Data's debut is a head-turner.
With a little more push from the press, Bang Data could easily begin dominating the music scene with their special brand of dance within the year.

4½ Breaking Bad's out of 5

Songs Of Note: Bang Data; Pressure

FOO FIGHTERS / Wasting Light [2011]

Almost 20 years into their career and the Foo Fighters finally deliver the hard-rocking record they've always seem destined to do but for some reason held themselves back from really letting loose.
Wasting Light's raw rock energy might be partly due to Nirvana's Nevermind producer Butch Vig's input into the recording process. Sounding like The Queens Of The Stone Age finally rubbed off on Dave Grohl, the songwriting is rough, heavy and upbeat. Filled with fist-pumping garage rock anthems, the Foos sound like they're having the most fun they've had since The Color & The Shape.
It's not a classic album but one worthy of throwing on when you just want to feel good and forget the shit that lies underneath all this rock.

3½ Krist Novoselic, Ladies & Gentlemen out of 5

Songs Of Note: Dear Rosemary; I Should Have Known

ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS / Songs Of Man [2011]

The alt-country scene in Canada is booming so it's hard to pick out the cream of the crop but One Hundred Dollars' sophomore album Songs Of Man solidifies them a spot near the top.
A deeply textured and full body of music, Songs Of Man showcases Simone Schmidt's gravelly mumbled vocal delivery that sounds almost like beaten down Dolly Parton after 30 years of cigarettes and whiskey.
More country music than alternative this time around, Songs Of Man may not be the best album to slide into this genre but for the all ready initiated this is a fine album indeed.

4 calloused voices unheard out of 5

Songs Of Note: Where The Sparrows Drop; Aaron's Song

GILLIAN WELCH / The Harrow & The Harvest [2011]

Old timey Americana folk artist Gillian Welch returns after an extended hiatus with the beautifully somber The Harrow & The Harvest.
Keeping it simple with vocals, guitar, banjo and harmonicas, Welch crafts a deeply rich and intimate album that tells stories of heartbreak, loneliness and tragedy. Sung with such vulnerable confidence, Welch's voice reminds one a flickering candle that just refuses to go out.
It's down-to-earth, often polarizing emotions and an absolute delight to listen to no matter how grim the subject matter gets.

4 good ol' knee slaps out of 5

Songs Of Note: The Way It Goes; Six White Horses

VESPERTINA / The Waiting Wolf [2011]

One of the biggest disappointments of 2011 is the lack of attention paid to the operatic trip-hop duo Vespertina (comprised of Jedi Mind Tricks' Stoupe and vocalist/pianist Lorrie Doriza).
With their wonderfully melodramatic debut album The Waiting Wolf, Vespertina seemed like they would receive a considerate more amount of buzz than they actually did. Doriza's powerful vocals are both playful, sweet and laced with a vengeful streak. While Stoupe's production and beats compliment Doriza's songwriting without ever getting too busy or distracting.
A flare for the theatrics and storytelling, The Waiting Wolf is one of the most highly recommended albums of 2011.

5 Rabbit Holes out of 5

Songs Of Note: The Girl In The Basement; Devil's Dance