Between the house and my work setting up the business, I just never got around to it. Plus, there’s simply far too many bands in 2008 that have been amazing. It was a great year for rock/alternative/poppunk, so a LOT of great music came out.

So what can I do? Well the best I can do is just list a few of the great bands that I’ve listened to this year. I don’t have time to check if these are albums that have come out in 2008, but these are artists I listened to for most of 2008. I can’t go into any detail because I just don’t have the time or energy to do so, but do check out some of these bands if you get a moment.

In alphabetical order (just because I’m skimming through iTunes):

Armor For Sleep
Avenged Sevenfold (courtesy of Rockband)
Billy Clyro
Blind Melon (yes, they made a new album)
The Black Maria
Breaking Benjamin
Buckethead (thanks to Guns n Roses)
City Sleeps
Coheed and Cambria (courtesy of Rockband)
Death Cab for Cutie
Econoline Crush (glad I saw them live in Ottawa and bought the new album)
Flobots
Foxboro Hot Tubs (aka Green Day’s side project)
The Fratellis
Gob
Guns n Roses
Louis XIV (great unique band!)
Ludo
Metallica
Panic At The Disco
Paramore
Puddle of Mudd (another comeback artist… amazing new album)
Radiohead
The Reason (a great Ontario band)
Rise Against (yet another Rockband influence)
Scary Kids Scaring Kids
Sick Puppies
State of Shock
Story of the Year
To The Rescue (the Ottawa band)

As you can see, one hell of a long list. Check a few out… you won’t regret it. 

A7

Now, you all know I have a yearly ritual of posting a “year in review” at the end of December, and one post is usually dedicated to bands who I believe to have been influential in moving the music industry forward. Guns n’ Roses will most definitely be a part of this list, in fact, I will likely just be copying and pasting most of this article. But I thought this album deserved it’s own post, as it deserves to be listened to now, not only in a month from now.

By now you may have guessed that this will be a positive review. It is; But it is so much more than that. This album is truly spectacular in ways most people won’t grasp, so I’m hoping this post helps people REALLY listen to the music, and appreciate the depth that is has.

First, let’s preface this with a bit of history. I’m not going to go in great detail, and I may have some facts slightly off, but this is close enough to give you an idea of where the album comes from. In 1991, GnR released it’s double album Use Your Illusion I and II. In 1994, they announced that they were working on a new album, despite losing the original drummer, and began recording songs sporadically until about 1996. In 1996, Slash left the band (and eventually ended up with Velvet Revolver). A few years later, bassist Duff McKagan leaves the band as well, leaving Axl Rose as the sole original GnR band member. In 1999, they announce they are working on the album Chinese Democracy and release one single. From 2000 to 2008, a bunch of weirdness occurs. Axl Rose discovers electronica music and begins experimenting with loops and effects. GnR goes on tour in 2002 to promote the album, which was still not released, and riots ensue when the band no-shows a couple of venues. Axl Rose cycles through band member after band member, including the guitarist from NiN, an avant-guard guitarist called “Buckethead” and a number of others. Meanwhile, it’s been more than 10 years since the album was announced, and the rumours of the album begin surfacing again. Everyone is skeptical, and Dr Pepper, in an interesting marketing idea, announces that they will give a free can of their soda to every person in America if GnR releases Chinese Democracy in 2008. In November of 2008, hell freezes over; The album is released. Dr Peppers for everyone!

Now that you have the history, it’s a little easier to understand where this review comes from. The fact is that this album is a masterpiece, but it is NOT Guns n’ Roses. It is clearly an Axl Rose solo album. Axl wrote the music, created the album, and did everything his way (hence various band members leaving due to him being a control freak). If you can listen to the album without the assumption that this is classic GnR, it will go a long way to appreciating the album for what it is.

One thing that is fascinating about the album is that, due to Axl going through so many different band mates during this time, the album is incredibly dense and layered with a variety of different styles. You can clearly hear the electronica influence, but you can also hear Buckethead’s unique guitar style, some jazz chord patterns, some old rock, and more. There is orchestration. There is piano. There are tender moments. There are rockin’ guitar solos. And it all blends in perfectly.

The album really sounds a little bit like a rock opera due to the technicality and orchestration of most of the songs. This is not an album that the average rock fan will really be into. This is clearly not generic rock with simple chord patterns. This album features some spectacularly complex and unique song writing and instrumentation. As a result, it initially sounds “odd” because you can’t follow the song like other generic radio-friendly tunes you hear these days. You have to listen to the music several times, keep an open mind, and hear the subtle nuances that make this album pure genius. You have to be a fan of MUSIC, not a fan of rock, nor a fan of GnR. 

Make no mistake; This album is epic, and will inevitably go down as one of the best rock albums ever written, but it will take time for this to happen. The songs on this album are classic, timeless, and unique. 

Was it worth the wait? Every minute. Here’s hoping we get another epic masterpiece from Axl Rose in 2018.

A7

Just thought I would let you all know that the article I wrote for CONFRONT Magazine is now live. Click here to read the article (with pictures).

Hi folks! Welcome to another edition of my year in review. I’ve had a fairly successful year, with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. I’ve decided the best way to approach my year in review is to break it down by topic. So here’s what I have to say:

On friends:

We’ve learned a very valuable lesson this year; Most Toronto people wig out after a very short time. It seems most of these people think friendship is disposable, like it’s perfectly normal to alienate others after a short period of time. Of course there are exceptions. Jeff (aka James Cooper in my office installation) has consistently been a good friend, and I always enjoy his company. Aaron, though not officially a “Toronto” friend, has also been amazing. And Jill was always so great, unfortunately she has moved away to Vancouver. So that leaves us with only a few friends and a couple of acquaintances.

On drama:

2007 can officially be marked as the year with no drama. Ok… so there was a bit of drama thanks to some of those “disposable friends” early on, but once that was over, the rest of the year went very well. We met a few people who are considerably more easygoing, we’ve kept a bit of distance, and there has been no craziness since. It’s nice to meet people who aren’t so caught up in their own world that they can…

(Cut. Original post can be found on original blog.)

First up is the hot albums of 2007. The following are in no particular order (in fact, it’s just the order they come up in iTunes as I listen to the tracks of the past year).

Hot albums for 2007!?

Strata – Strata Presents the End of the World: Strata ended up being the breakout band of 2007. Their latest album was a real hit, they are getting all kinds of airplay, and their single “Cocaine” is my pick for the best song of 2007. They are amazing performers live, they have a unique sound, and they combine that with powerful lyrics and storytelling. If I really had to pick one standout album of 2007, this would be it. And it’s a STEAL at only $7.99 on iTunes!

Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare: What is there to say? It’s the Arctic Monkeys. Somehow, a large number of people haven’t heard of them before. Ok… so they don’t really get any airplay here in Canada (which is a shame), but still… It’s the Arctic Monkeys!!! Their thrashy, kinda sloppy, rock-with-punk-roots sound is so recognizable I can tell it’s one of their…

(Cut. Full post can be seen on the original blog.)