I was tempted to be a wise guy and list my bands record but that would be too obvious, right? Oh by the way, click here and do a little commerce and come back in a few.
Let me stress that this list is for my FAVORITE record of the year. Like I said at the start of this it is impossible for your humble correspondent to declare what the best record of the year is. I can most definitely say what it is NOT however, and it certainly is NOT the Kanye West record. That guy could smear his shit on a disc and Spin would give it 5 stars. Please. No, it is far more accurate to say what my favorite records are, the ones I keep coming back to to enjoy and find new things with.
So my favorite record pf the year is hands down The Eldritch Dark by Blood Ceremony. The band's name coupled with the album cover make it sound like this is some satanic band. Well, only kind of. HA! This nominally gets put into the metal category, but more appropriately it is folk-metal. What the hell is that, you ask? I describe Blood Ceremony as if Jethro Tull did Black Sabbath songs. Or maybe Black Sabbath doing Jethro Tull songs. Imagine it either way but front the band with a sexy witch. Mix that up and shake and you get Blood Ceremony.
They are another Canadian act. Four-piece. Guitar/bass/drum with the lovely Alia O'Brien doing vocals and keys and naturally the flute. They traffic in a classic proto-metal sound while incorporating folk touches. It's great stuff. Lyrically they find interest in the occult. Titles like "Witchwood," "Lord Summerisle" (for you Wicker Man buffs), "Ballad of the Weird Sisters," and "The Magician" give it a way. It is not as tongue in cheek (or Dio-inspired) as Ghost, but it's wicked in an amusing not sinister way. It sort of reminds me of the goth girl on my residence hall floor my Freshmen year who was probably casting spells on everyone, except with better taste in records. It plays like those creepy Italian horror movies from the 70s.
Why do I name it my favorite? It is an alluring record, especially with the alluring Ms. O'Brien presiding over the festivities. It helps, I will not downplay it. But without that the music is still great, still alluring in of itself. Ms. O'Brien is an excellent singer. The songs are catchy and heavy and airy all at the same time. The band is super-tight. Great riffs and grooves. I saw them open for Kylesa and was so blown away I hunted out and found a similar Yamaha guitar that guitarist Sean Kennedy plays. Which has incidentally become my go-to guitar for shows. Back to the record. The songs are just really good. Great interplay with guitar and keys/organs and flute and fiddles.
Here's "Goodbye Gemini."
So there you go...my favorite ten records of the year. I do hope you have been inspired to check them out! Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to all the trouble. I will talk about some of the records I got recently that did not crack my list but might have if they had shown up earlier!
Oh, and a very Happy New Year! To paraphrase a poet of old, got a feeling '14 is going be a good year!
No comments:
Post a Comment