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Okay, first off, dramatic title, but I know myself that on this website I skim down artist pages, and only bold titles grab my attention. Hell, there's a good reason for it; journals here have went mostly to piss since every user and their mate decided it would be a good idea to post 'My top albums' lists ad infinitum.

It's been a while since I vented my thoughts, and looking through past journals and comments, it invigorated me, to an extent where I wish to share something that's been driving me crazy for quite a while.

The X-Factor, never off our red-banner tabloids (What's Afghanistan matter when Tiger is about, eh Sun?) or TV screens was angry to discover this week that the funk/rap metal band Rage Against the Machine's classic song Killing In The Name had been chosen to spoil the fun.

On Facebook, the group is hundreds of thousands strong, a casual look at the shoutbox here on Last Fm tells us a similar story, and every rock/music blog and magazine has been shouting about it. Now, I'm all for a shake up of the mainstream charts and system. It's refreshing to see the 'alternative' music scene get their share of the publicity pie.

What annoyed me was that arrogant, smug bastard Simon Cowell's reaction. For all his millions, that man has no class - he argued that such an online movement was 'stealing' his TV show competitor's chance at a big hit. The way he said it made him sound as though he feels that every Christmas, the X-Factor winner has a divine right to a Number 1 hit. His shown has been denying EVERYONE for YEARS.

If you look at what I listen to, you'll realise I've never cared for what's top of the charts, I couldn't name you a Mika song and I detest Nickleback. That's all and good, everyone has non-subjective tastes. But what I hate is programs like the X-Factor, that manufacture talent, that water down original versions, pollute any sense of artistic meaning in music, and ram their own views down the throats of millions. This show is an abomination; a macabre mixture of the freak-show auditions, ratings squeezing rounds and then what is usually a vastly overrated, unprepared winner. How many have swam, not sank? JLS? I personally wouldn't call that talent, but each to their own.

In short, The X-Factor, and to a certain extent shows like 'I'm a Celebrity...' and 'Big Brother' are mindless, inane shows, devoid of meaning or a context in reality. Every year, I watch masses of people turn into cogs in a greater industry machine. Call me a typical black metal 'Grim' person but it disgusts me.

Buy the RATM single, hell, buy two. It's about time such trivial filth gets a slap in the face, and the X-Factor has got one, whether they get their coveted number one or not. I just hope that in result of this competition, people stop taking what they are given for granted, and look for some real, tangible meaning in what they listen to. I know some people will argue otherwise, but I can't imagine being emotionally connected to Gimme More without being a little shallow. When with others, particularly in a school, or social environment I feel such disparagement at what goes for meaningful music in popular culture.

Is there a difference between a musician and an artist?



PS: Hope that was coherent and better than another '20 Questions about your top 50' journal. Opinions are welcome. Thanks.

UlverKatatoniaOpethSlayerSodomAnaal NathrakhMetallicaExodusArcturusMastodonJesuIsisNeurosisAnthraxGod Is an AstronautAnathemaParadise LostDevilDriverCarcassDarkthroneDeathspell OmegaDark TranquillityDownHead Control SystemIron MaidenNapalm DeathNilePanic CellSanctitySatryiconAbigail WilliamsSlipknotTriviumStone SourTestamentVenomMardukBurzumSolefaldIhsahnAudioslaveGodfleshShiningLifeloverGnaw Their TonguesSuicide SilenceWaking The CadaverBring Me the HorizonEvilePanteraNecrophagistDeicideCannibal CorpseEntombedDaathThe Bloody BeetrootsAngels & Airwavesblink-182MaeOneRepublicDarkthroneThe BeatlesRadioheadSleepOMIntronautSnow PatrolThe KillersBritney SpearsLemarLady GaGaMuseOasisLamb of GodLeviathanMeshuggahMorbid AngelAgallochChristina AguileraMichael JacksonMariah CareyManic Street PreachersIan BrownP!nkMichael BubleAlexandra BurkeEarthSunn O)))CobaltDimmu BorgirParamoreMy Chemical RomanceCeline DionDashboard ConfessionalMy Bloody ValentineBullet For My ValentineAvenged SevenfoldNirvanaMadonnaRobbie WilliamsSusan BoyleABBAPink FloydBlack Eyed PeasKanye WestTaylor SwiftJay-ZEminem50 CentNasDarkspaceRosettaScar SymmetrySolitude AeturnesTexturesTaake

Didn't want to sound pretentious, and for those who tl;dr'd...

2009 was an awesome year for music, so I have made a more extensive list than I usually make. Comment and let me know what your top 5/10/20 or whatever you want to do are! If anyone would like any of these albums I can upload them and give a link to download, so let me know!




20. Tonikom – The Sniper’s Veil


The genre of this album is hard to pin down. It is clearly Electronic, although it has hints of IDM, drum and bass, and industrial. What makes her stick out in my mind is her ability to write extremely catchy drum beats with vocal samples over the top of it. Very good and very underrated.

19. Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

The easiest thing to call this would be alt-country/folk, but its a little to weird to pigeonhole into any single category. The simplicity of his musical backing and the strangeness of his voice and cadence is what makes this a memorable album. Each time I listen to it I notice something different, even though at first glance everything would appear to be on the surface.

18. Cicada– Roulette


Straight up electropop. Sounds like what Ladytron might sound like if they decided to just play synths the entire time with catchy pop hooks over the top. The entire album kind of blends together into one song, which could be a complaint as well as a compliment.

17. The Field – Yesterday and Today


This was somewhat of a disappointment for me. The three tracks in the middle are amazing, but tracks 1,2 and 6 are forgettable. If those tracks had been as good as the three in the middle then this would hands down be my favorite album of the year. Even though the album as a whole was a disappointment, the song Leave It is my favorite song of the year, and one of my favorite songs of the decade easily.

16. The Twilight Sad – Forget The Night Ahead


I wasn't really sold on this band until I saw them live with Frightened Rabbit in L.A. After seeing them I gave this album a second chance and noticed a lot of things that I hadn't upon first listen. This is a perfect album to listen to when Fall is turning into winter, as the entire album deals with changing into something that you don't necessarily want to.

15. Jeremy Enigk – OK Bear


Although it doesn't have the orchestration of World Waits, it still has the brilliant songwriting of Sunny Day Real Eastate frontman Jeremy Enigk. In some ways I prefer the stripped down nature of this album as compared to his previous work, as it lets the songs themselves shine.

14. Plastik Joy – 3:03


Totally out of left field for me, I just randomly downloaded this off of a blog I frequent because I thought the name was interesting. It basically sounds like Dntel's best album, Life is Full of Possibilities, but it is a bit more straightforward in its vocal and melodic hooks. Incredibly enough the album itself conveys a sense of analogue warmth even though the entire thing is electronic. I look forward to hearing what these guys put out next.

13. The Wooden Birds – Magnolia


Sometimes simple is good, in that too much polish and fanfare can drown out the core of a song, which is its melody. The Wooden Birds strip songs down to their cores, usually only using male and female voice, guitar, and minimal rhythmic accompaniment. The product is a very solid album with no filler.

12. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart– The Pains of Being Pure at Heart


Although this is basically just Jesus and the Mary Chain/My Bloody Valentine worship, it is very good worship. Sometimes you don't need to be incredibly unique to release a very good album. The album itself is buried in a layer of fuzzy guitars and guy/girl vocals, and never overstays its welcome. Sometimes the shortness of an album is something to be appreciated.

11. WHY? – Eskimo Snow

Although Alopecia is a better album, Eskimo Snow has very good moments as well. For those not familiar with the band they are pseudo hip-hop/spoken word/indie rock, which sounds like a terrible combination but is something that you have to hear and make up your own mind about. I saw Why? Live about a month ago, and it was as good of a show that anyone could ask for.

10. Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport


While their first album focuses on walls of noise and harsh vocals, Tarot Sport cuts out the abrasiveness and ramps up the melody. The end result is an album that in its repetition offers a number of earworms that are hard to get out of your head, as well as high amounts of repetition that become mesmerizing. I used the word repetition three times in this review.

9. Mount Eerie – Wind’s Poem

Although I saw this album performed in its entirety, and it was absolutley awful, the recording remains a high point of 2009. This is what happens when Lo Fi folk mixes with Lo Fi black metal. I am surprised that no one has though of doing this before now, because as odd as it may seem at first glance the styles are quite complimentary.

8. Delorean – Ayrton Senna


Although this is only a 5 song EP, it really makes an impression. It conveys an infectious joyful exuberance, and in my opinion is nearly impossible for anyone to not enjoy. Sounds like what might happen if you mixed Air France with Cut Copy.

7. Martyn – Great Lengths


I downloaded this album on a whim, and it resulted in my downloading dozens of dubstep comps and albums. My roommates can attest to the fact that Dubstep was about 30% of what I listened to all year. While some are familiar with dubstep through Burial, who's shuffle beat and weepy vocal samples make you feel like you are driving through the rain, Martyn conveys an opposite feeling. The songs themselves are upbeat, and very memorable. I recommend listening to this, and any dubstep really, loud and with the bass cranked.

6. God Help The Girl – God Help The Girl


I have always liked Belle and Sebastian, but always felt for every great song they had 2 to 3 that were easily forgettable. This album is a side project of Stuart Murdock from Belle and Sebastian, who held open auditions for female singers when forming the group. What we get here is his great songwriting through the voice of 3 very capable singers. Ironically enough they Belle and Sebastian covers on this album outshine the originals by far.

5. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca


At First listen I wasn't to sure about this album. "Stillness is the Move" stuck out to me with its amazing melody, but it took me a couple of listens to appreciate the complex yet catchy pop sensibility of the rest of the album. This is definately a grower, and I would recommmend if you don't like it upon first listen, keep it around for a while and see if you warm up to it after a couple of listens.

4. The Whitest Boy Alive – Rules


This group was formed with a very basic concept in mind. What they set out to do was to play dance music in its simplest form, with drums, bass, guitar, and some synth here and there. What some people would call boring I would call fantastic. What the group manages to do is take the core of dance music, 4/4 beat and the bassline, and morph it into very simple yet effective songs. The simplicity is what makes this stand apart from any other dance act.

3. Mew – No More Stories are Told Today, I’m Sorry, They Washed Away

Kind of hard to describe, but very very good. Sounds like what would happen if Passion Pit stopped playing electropop and started playing indie rock. I'm havinga hard time coming up with a description for this one, just listen to it!


2. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix


In Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix has created the perfect pop album. Each song follows a stringent structure and format, which might lead one to believe that they album would convey a sense of sameness throughout. That couldn't be further from the truth. Phoenix, by telling themselves that they were going to only write 3:00-4:30 minute pop songs, have flourished rather than blundered. One only needs to listen to the rise ans fall of the chorus in "1901" to know what I am talking about. Even the seemingly filler song in the middle of the album has an amazing payoff in the end.

1. Fever Ray– Fever Ray


An incredibly dark and mysterious album, which should come as no surprise since its coming from The Knife's Karin Dreijer Andersson. She takes the enigma of The Knife and covers it in blackness. Forget Black Metal, this is the darkest album that I have ever heard. It is incredibly rewarding on multiple listens, in that it always has something new. And while it conveys all these dark emotional reactions, it also manages to be subtle and never beats you over the head with it.


Some of my favorite releases this year were Mixes/Compilations, and since they aren't albums they don't really belong on the list. That being said, I really loved them so I am going to mention them here.

5. Hercules and Love Affair - Sidetracked

A very good complilation album, blending some disco with classic house music.

4. 5: Five Years of Hyperdub


For anyone who is interested in dubstep, this complilation is absolutely essential. It surveys the 5 year history of the quintessential dubstep label, Hyperdub, and puts together a comp that flows incredibly well. From the wobble of Burial to the technicality of 2562, every sub genre of dub is represented on the comp. Highly recommended.

3. Ada - Adaptations Mixtape #1

Ada is one of my absolute favorite Electronic musicians/DJs, and this comp is her first release in 5 years save for a couple singles released here and there. It remixes a lot of tracks from her astounding album Blondie and mixes it with various other microhouse tracks.

2. Dark Was The Night


I'm pretty sure everyone knows what this is. Basically a who's who in indie rock. Usually when so many musicians of this calebver work together you get a lot of throwaway tracks that didn't make the album or half assed covers, but on this compilation the groups involved submitted some of their best material. Very very good stuff.

1. Kompakt Total 10


Kompakt is my favorite electronic label by far, and this comp is a good introduction to them for anyone who might be interested. Every year they release a comp, and this is their 10th anniversery, so the tracks on this are of the highest quality. This is something that I could listen to every week and it would never get old, because of the variation of styles represented.




As far as metal goes not much really caught my ear this year. Probably due to the fact that I am getting more and more into electronic music so I find myself downloading less and less metal. However there were a couple albums that caught my attention.

5. Behemoth – Evangilion


They have really redeemed themselves after the rotten shitfest that was their previous album, The Apostasy. The punch that the first three tracks delivered is their best material since demigod, but it kind of wanes after that.

4. Ensiferum – From Afar
Similar to Behemoth, I wasn't impressed with Ensiferum's previous album, Victory Songs. This one however, is way better. Since we will probably never see another Wintersun album, this will have to do.

3. Gorgoroth –Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt


A step back towards their raw black roots, this album is harsh and full of hate, exactly what anyone would want from a Gorgoroth album. While I'm not one for purposely making your recordings sound terrible in order to get some black metal cred, I think the stripped down approach really serves Gorgoroth well.

2. Glorior Belli– Meet Us at the Southern Sign

This isa hard one to place. It sounds similar to Enslaved, but only if enslaved were from Oklahoma. It has a grim blackness about it, but also a melodic undercurrent that keeps it from being too dark. This is what I imagine Earth would sound like if they decided to play black metal.

1.Katatonia – Night Is The New Day

Katatonia is more rock then metal anymore, but that has only allowed them to write more memorable songs. this is a very depressing album, which is what they are best at. I wish more bands would make music like this.


This year I spent a lot of time getting music that came out before 2009, so it is interesting to look at my most listened to artists on last.fm for the year. Here is a quickplaycount of my top 10 most listened to artists in 2009.

1. Autechre - 375

I have Liked Autechre for a long time, But this year I really got into the stuff in between their major albums. Basically Autechre from 1993 - 1999 is some of my favorite music ever made. Its insance because basically every track they made in that time period is good if not great. After 1999 they went from being an ambient electronic group into more abstract territory, doing experiments with time signuratures and pushing the boundaries of what people call music. While I enjoy the exploratory nature of their more recent works, nothing beats the clash of complexity and simple melodies that made their early work so memorable.

2. Frightened Rabbit - 361
Even though they didn't release anything in 2009, I still find myself listening to both of their albums at least once a month. While Midnite Organ Fight is an awesome album, nothing beats the grittiness of Sings the Greys. There is a quality to it that makes it seem organic and human, where as Midnight Organ Fight can come off sounding a bit too polished. Also Sings the Greys is an unforgetable album from start to finish, where Midnight Organ Fight kind of veers off towards the end for me.

3. Meshuggah - 333

Even though my metal listening habits have waned a bit in the past year, I still listen to a lot of meshuggah. This should come to no surprise for anyone that knows me. About once every 2 months I find myself listening to the entire discography besides their terrible first demo and album.

4. Public Enemy - 289

I have always liked Public Enemy, but for some reason never got any of their material for this year. The sample heavy textures of the music itself make it interesting even upon multiple listens. Their 3 albums in the late 80's early 90's are definately my favorite and their best in my opinion. I have to admit though that I always skip the Flava Flav songs, because all they are is him going "ITS THE FLAVA FLAV MY NAMES FLAV I GOT FLAV FLAVAAA".

5. Mount Eerie - 244

This guy releases a ton of material, and I am a sucker for discographies on artists that I really enjoy. Even though he does release an insane amount of songs every year, the quality of them never seems to suffer. However seeing him live in California was probably the biggest letdown I have ever had when seeing someone play live. It was a terrible terrible show, but I haven't let it tarnish my appreciation for the recordings.

6. Boards of Canada - 243

This is a group that will probably be in my top 20 most listened to artists every year. The ambient nature of the music lets you listen and block it out, but its not so simple that its not interesting when you are actually listening.

7. Fever Ray - 223

After listening to her amazing debut album for a couple of months I tracked down all of the singles and remixes, which accounts for a lot of the 223 plays. Sometimes remixes are terrible, but Fever Ray has chosen very good people to work with and 90% of them are really really good.

8. The National - 218

I got tired of waiting for a followup to my favorite album of 2007, Boxer, so I listened to a lot of their earlier material/eps/singles this year. While non of them are as a whole as good as Boxer, There are a lot of songs that are on par with those on the album proper.

9. Nine Inch Nails - 208

I was thinking about how Nine Inch Nails is the band I have listened to regularly for the longest. I got The Downward Spiral when I was 12, so I have been listening to them for 14 years. That is insane. While a lot of the time I listen to them for nostalgic purposes, I have to admit I still really like them/him.

10. Aphex Twin - 199

Most of these plays is do to the fact that for about 2 months i Listened to Selected Ambient Works 85-92 about oncea week. While I enjoy most of his discography, nothing beats his early material.

Свято место пусто не бывает. Или наливай пока горячо. Вот в таком ключе можно описать и музыку, и всё иное, что связано с этой группой. Басист и барабанщик родом из Black Sheep Wall. Оно и слышно, откуда ноги растут (маленький реверанс в названии первой песни "You Are God Songs"). Еле перебирающий лапы огромный жирный гигант.
Пока ушедшие со сцены BSW еще не выпали из памяти слушателей, группа несет тот же месседж, что и BSW, только чуток по разнообразнее что ли. В самом деле, в существующий суп была добавлена пара-тройка специй и вуаля - другая группа. И пусть не смущает дорогого слушателя внешний вид вокалиста, который всем своим визуальным образом напоминает какого-нибудь вокалиста же Oceano. На деле все совсем не так, вокальные данные у него куда интереснее и вообще, гораздо больше схожести с вокальным стилем Burnt by the Sun, что уже замечательно! Звучание грубое, жесткое, четкое, низкое. Чуть больше влияния Meshuggah, чуть меньше совсем уж BlackSheepWallщины. Все это буйство в неплохие результаты выливается.
Вообще странно, что этот сегмент практически не занят. Ну кто есть - Admiral Angry, Black Sheep Wall, хоть и выпали из строя. Ну The Abominable Iron Sloth местами вписывается в ассоциативный ряд. И вот сейчас Noriega. Хотя казалось бы, музыка-то далеко не так уж и креативна, да и техники Криса Арпа тоже не требует. И на самом деле это хорошо! Меньше народу - больше кислороду, как говорится.
Кстати, к слову сказать, запевала Admiral Angry тут аж в двух треках, по всему судя, подвизгивает и подкрикивает (особенно отметить хочется обоснованно длинный, мощный, злой и монументальный финальный трек "Ballacaust", где его вокал очень к месту).
Ну и стоит упомянуть, что эти хлопцы играют концерты вместе с Eyehategod. Нужны ли еще доводы. Очень здорово, мне кажется.

The 70's killed me! Sorry about that... I really just couldn't choose for a lot of these, sorry...

2009 - Still undecided... ( Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind, maudlin of the Well - Part the Second, Mastodon - Crack the Skye... ?)

2008 - Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale / Deathspell Omega - Veritas Diaboli in Manet Aeternum: Chaining the Katechon EP

2007 - Deathspell Omega - Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum <- This year was about as good as the 70's but DSO came out on top. Special mention for Ulver...

2006 - Negură Bunget - Om / Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain / The Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure

2005 - Opeth - Ghost Reveries / Deathspell Omega - Kenose EP

2004 - Deathspell Omega - Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice

2003 - Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye / Opeth - Damnation

2002 - Sigur Rós - ( ) / Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors / Agalloch - The Mantle / Porcupine Tree - In Absentia <- Another great year!

2001 - Opeth - Blackwater Park / maudlin of the Well - Leaving your Bodymap / Bath

2000 - Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven! / Weakling - Dead As Dreams / Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun / Ulver - Perdition City

1999 - Opeth - Still Life

1998 - Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse

1997 - Emperor - Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk / Radiohead - OK Computer / Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯A♯∞

1996 - Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood / Burzum - Filosofem / Katatonia - Brave Murder Day

1995 - Porcupine Tree - The Sky Moves Sideways / Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve / Ulver - Kelvdssanger

1994 - Ulver - Bergatt: Et eeventyr i 5 capitler / Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse / Jeff Buckley - Grace / Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

1993 - Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss / Cynic - Focus / Slowdive - Souvlaki

1992 - Alice in Chains - Dirt / Änglagård - Hybris

1991 - My Bloody Valentine - Loveless / Atheist - Unquestionable Presence / Death - Human

1990 - Naked City - Naked City / Psychotic Waltz - A Social Grace / Atheist - A Piece of Time / Lustmord - Heresy

1989 - The Cure - Disintegration / Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness / Voivod - Nothingface

1988 - Metallica - ...And Justice for All

1987 - Dead Can Dance - Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun

1986 - Metallica - Master of Puppets

1985 - Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

1984 - Arvo Pärt - Tabula Rasa / Metallica - Ride the Lightning

1983 - Bacamarte - Depois Do Fim

1982 - King Crimson - Beat / Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast / Rush - Signals <- Pretty freaking bad year.

1981 - King Crimson - Discipline

1980 - Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell

1979 - Pink Floyd - The Wall

1978 - Rush - Hemispheres (I can't believe I had to give Rush that year... Shows how mediocre the year was)

1977 - Pink Floyd - Animals

1976 - Rainbow - Rising / Camel - Moonmadness / Van der Graaf Generator - Still Life

1975 - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

1974 - King Crimson - Red

1973 - Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

1972 - Yes - Close to the Edge

1971 - To hard to choose just 1... see below.

1970 - Black Sabbath - Paranoid / Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

1969 - King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King: An Observation by King Crimson / The Beatles - Abbey Road

1968 - The Zombies - Odyssey and Oracle

1967 - The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (but also Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen, The Doors, The Velvet Underground, etc.)

1966 - The Beatles - Revolver (special mention to Bob Dylan and Frank Zappa)

1965 - The Beatles - Rubber Soul / John Coltrane - A Love Supreme / Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

1964 - The Beatles - Hard Day's Night (only because it's the only album I've ever heard from this year. It's a pretty mediocre album...)

1963 - Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

1962 - John Coltrane - Olé Coltrane

1961 - Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds

1960 - Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain

1959 - Miles Davis - Kind of Blue


So hard to choose for some of those!!! Look at the amazingness the 70's produced!

1975 - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here / Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti / Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks / Van der Graaf Generator - Godbluff / Queen - A Night at the Opera / Frank Zappa - One Size Fits All / Camel - The Snow Goose / Black Sabbath - Sabotage / Steve Hackett - Voyage of the Acolyte ... And more.

1974 - King Crimson - Red / Yes - Relayer / Camel - Mirage / Magma - Köhntarkösz / Focus - Hamburger Concerto ... and way more!

1973 - Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon / King Crimson - Larks' Tongue in Aspic / Genesis - Selling England by the Pound / The Who - Quadrophenia / Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath / Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire / Magma - Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh ... and so many more!!!

1972 - Yes - Close to the Edge / Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick / David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars / Nick Drake - Pink Moon / Deep Purple - Machine Head / Genesis - Foxtrot / Wishbone Ash - Argus / Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per un Amico / etc ... Ugh, another insanely amazing year!!!

1971 - Led Zeppelin - IV / Pink Floyd - Meddle / Yes - Fragile / Jethro Tull - Aqualung / John Lennon - Imagine / Comus - First Utterance / Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts / The Who - Who's Next / Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink / Yes - The Yes Album / Genesis - Nursery Crime ... AMAZING YEAR!!!

1969 - King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King: An Observation by King Crimson / The Beatles - Abbey Road / Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left / Led Zeppelin - I & II / Frank Zappa - Hot Rats ... etc.

Jake

60 000th song: Apreludes (in C sharp major)

1. Porcupine Tree 3,667 (2.)
2. Opeth 3,574 (1.)
3. Devin Townsend 2,844 (3.)
4. Strapping Young Lad 2,746 (4.)
5. Scar Symmetry 1,873 (5.)
6. The Devin Townsend Band 1,603 (6.)
7. Meshuggah 1,214 (7.)
8. Isis 1,203 (9.)
9. Tool 1,068 (8.)
10. Raunchy 1,042 (10.)

1. How did you get into 29? Steve Vai
Many of my friends love his work so I figured I should give him a try. He's great.

2. What was the first song you ever heard by 22? Joe Satriani
Hmm..Super Colossal, I think.

3. What’s your favorite lyric by 33? Novembers Doom
The lyrics of the song Swallowed by the Moon is pretty awesome.

4. What is your favorite album by 49? Evergrey
That would have to be The Inner Circle.

5. How many albums by 13 do you own? Arch Enemy
None, at the moment.

6. What is your favorite song by 50? Skid Row
Monkey Business. Great band overall.

7. Is there a song by 39 that makes you sad? Rotting Christ
Heh, not really.

8. What is your favorite album by 15? Diabolical Masquerade
Death's Design or Nightwork, I'm not sure.

9. What is your favorite song by 5? Megadeth
Wow, um..Holy Wars...The Punishment Due, I guess.

10. Is there a song by 6 that makes you happy? Draconian
The cover for Forever My Queen, haha.
A pretty gloomy band besides that.

11. What is your favorite album by 40? Got no 40, so I'll pick Rotting Christ again.
Theogonia, no doubt.

12. What is your favorite song by 10? Eric Clapton
Tears In Heaven

13. What is a good memory you have involving 30? Death
I remember me and my ex listened to Death sometimes when got together.

14. What is your favorite song by 38? Liquid Tension Experiment
Universal Mind. Great track.

15. Is there a song by 19 that makes you happy? Nightingale
Steal the Moon is pretty fun.

16. How many times have you seen 25 live? Warrel Dane
Well, I've seen him once performing with Nevermore if that counts.

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 23? Swallow the Sun
No Light, No Hope, I think.

18. What is your favorite album by 11? Meshuggah
obZen or Chaosphere, can't really decide.

19. Who is a favorite member of 1? Nevermore
Jeff Loomis, although Warrel Dane is great too. They're all a bunch of ass kickers, though.

20. Have you ever seen 14 live? Septic Flesh
Unfortunately - no. But I think they're about to book a concert here soon, so I hope to see them in 2010.

21. What is a good memory involving 27? Paradise Lost
Nothing really happened involving them.

22. What is your favorite song by 16? Beyond Twilight
The Path of Darkness.

23. What is the first song you ever heard by 47? Dragonlord
Until the End, I think.

24. What is your favorite album by 18? Pantera
Vulgar Display of Power, hands down.

25. What is your favorite song by 21? Buckethead
I've seriously got no idea.

26. What is the first song you ever heard by 26? Porcupine Tree
Blackest Eyes, which is great.

27. What is your favorite album by 3? Bloodbath
Nightmares Made Flesh. Yup.

28. What is you favorite song by 2? Opeth
A tough one, but I'll go with Serenity Painted Death.

29. What was the first song you ever heard by 32? Orphaned Land
Norra El Norra (Entering the Ark), hehe.

30. What is your favorite song by 8? Edge of Sanity
Crimson II. Does that count? heh

31. How many times have you seen 17 live? Marty Friedman
Once. Back in 2006, I think.

32. Is there a song by 44 that makes you happy? Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects
Not really. It's a pretty bizzare project, But I love it.

33. What is your favorite album by 12? Jeff Loomis
Zero Order Phase, which is his only album as a solo artist.

34. What is the worst song by 45? Symphony X
Nothing I can think of. All songs are great.

35. What was the first song you ever heard by 34? Haggard
All'inizio E La Morte. Simply amazing.

36. What is your favorite album by 48? Aborted
Slaughter & Apparatus: A Methodical Overture, I guess.

37. How many times have you seen 42 live? The Beatles
Haha.

38. What is your favorite song by 36? One Man Army and the Undead Quartet
Make them die slowly

39. What was the first song you ever heard by 28? Scale The Summit
The Great Plains. Beautiful.

40. What is your favorite album by 7? Deep Purple
I'll go with Machine Head, but I really like In Rock too.

41. Is there a song by 31 that makes you happy? Dio
Rainbow In The Dark, hehe.

42. What is your favorite album by 41? Katatonia
Brave Murder Day. Love Mikael.

43. What is your favorite song by 24? Dark Tranquillity
Of all I've heard from them, I'll go with The Endless Feed.

44. What is a good memory you have involving 46? I got no 46, so I'll pick Ensiferum
Well, nothing really.

45. What is your favorite song by 35? Again, no 35 so I'll pick Wintersun
A hard choice, but I think Death and the Healing takes the pie.

46. Is there a song by 9 that makes you happy? Gojira
Nah.

47. What is your favorite album by 4? Hypocrisy
Virus. A masterpiece.

48. Who is a favorite member of 37? Naglfar
Wrath, the vocalist.

49. What is the first song you ever heard by 43? Therion
Gothic Kabbalah, I think.

50. How many albums do you own by 20? Carcass
None, at the moment.

Well I've been on last.fm for almost 2 years now and my taste has changed dramatically over time. Looking at my top 50 overall I'm really not happy with most of the artist on their. Partly because at first when I discovered a band I loved I would scrobble the shit out of them until they reached a high status on my charts. Nowadays I can't be bothered with how much I scrobble an artist because there's always so much other music I want to check out. So here I am at 2 am listening to Tom Waits wasting the night away writing about what I think about my top 50.
= Looks great on my charts
= I like them but I'm not for 100% in having them high in my charts
= GTFO my charts.

1. Tool
Took me a while for me to love them. Then when they finally grew on me they immediately became one of my favorite bands. All their albums are great even their live album Salival is something worth checking out. And with each album better than the last I can only imagine how amazing their next album will be since 10,000 Days was so perfect.


2. The Cure
Immediately loved them when I first heard Disintegration. There early post-punk stuff is great but I think they hit they're peak with Disintegration. Weak was alright but everything after pretty much sucks. I still haven't checked out everything by them even with over 2000 scrobbles. They have so much material.


3. Opeth
First checked out Still Life. Loved it. Then Damnation. Bored me, except Windowpane. Like Tool it took me awhile before fully appreciating them. Now they've become one of my favorite bands.


4. Pink Floyd
Yeah classic band. Darkside Of The Moon, The Wall, and Animals are all classics to me.


5. A Perfect Circle
I don't really listen to them at all anymore. At first I was just a blind Tool fan loving Maynard's voice and his lyrics, now I think most lyrics are complete bullshit and appreciate artist for their musicianship. These guys are better than your average mainstream rock bands, some nice song writing that sets them apart from simply sounding generic. 3 Libras will always be one of my favorite songs.


6. Katatonia
I'm always an "on again off again" type of relationship with these guys. First heard The Great Cold Distance, loved it at first now I can barely sit through the whole thing. There other albums are the same, except Brave Murder Day which will always be their best. Overall, they have a lot of gems spread out in their albums, the best usually being bonus tracks and CD-singles.


7. Celldweller
I used to listen to this guy all the time. Now I think he is pretty overrated. Being a part of the AMV community is really sickening because everyone considers this guy a genius, pretty much every single song is done to death. Why do people praise this guy for being a one man band? Like there isn't millions of other solo artist who also create great music. He has some great material but I wouldn't call anything he's done a masterpiece. Every song he has released lately has been solid but I really don't think he can create a great album. I'll take a great album over a great song any day.


8. Puscifer
Actually checked him out before APC or Tool. Still love this project. V is for Vagina is a great album but I do think that it is very hit and miss. The stuff he has been putting out lately especially The Humbling River have got to be the best material released on here. I'm liking this new atmospheric direction.


9. Rise Against
My favorite generic nostalgic band. I don't really listen to them at all anymore but I don't mind it when I do.


10. Metallica
Really not sure how they got this high on my charts in the first place. I think they're classic albums for the most part are very overrated. Kill 'em All and ...And Justice for All are pretty good though. When Death Magnetic first released I loved it but since then I've gotten into a lot of other superior metal bands.


11. Eminem
Yeah hes a guilty pleasure. Will always be.


12. Devin Townsend
I completely love this guys work. His insanity is of my liking. Great musicianship. Addicted has also got to be one of my favorite 09 releases.


13. Agalloch
These guys can't release a bad record. Everything they've done is great.


14. King Crimson
Masters of Prog? Yeah In the Court of the Crimson King, Larks Tongue in Aspic and Red. are all essential for every prog lover.


15. Shining
Checked these guys out when I read that fucked up description about their beliefs and live performances, I just had to hear how fucked up this was. I'm glad I did give them a listen. Besides being fucked up V: Halmstad has got to be one of the greatest pieces of music I have ever heard. Every track is mind blowing. I haven't really gave their earlier stuff much of a listen. VI: Klagopsalmer was awful though.


16. Meshuggah
Didn't really want to check them out because how stupid their band pictures look. Chaosphere made me laugh, Jens Kidman sounded like a barking dog and the music just sucked. Catch-33 was a much better experience, their music was kind of annoying but I think that's what inevitably made them great for me....for some reason, don't really know how to describe my feelings toward them. They also became the headliners of the first concert I attended :).


17. Infected Mushroom
First heard the song Artillery which was great. I didn't check out the full album until a long time after which I regret because Vicious Delicious is a damn satisfying album. I don't care about how pop it is compared to how magical their earlier albums are. Infected Popshroom > Infected Mushroom. Not too much of a fan of them, they're live performance was hands down the best I've been too. I also helped advertise for them in their fanmanager street team and won an autographed poster and CD :D.


18. Amon Amarth
Twilight of the Thunder God unleashed my hidden craving for death metal. Now I think it's a pretty boring record. Metal gets old fast man.


19. Jerry Goldsmith
Lol, short lived movie soundtrack craving.


20. Angelspit
Addicting shit. Addicting when I first heard them. Still as addicting now. Even they're new release cleared my disappointment after a few listens. 2nd album has yet to grasp me.


21. My Bloody Valentine
Loveless


22. Beastie Boys
Hell Yeah! Probably a guilty pleasure, isn't it?


23. "Weird Al" Yankovic
Another guilty pleasure, right?


24. Nine Inch Nails
I never really liked them as much as I wanted to. All these scrobbles are a failed attempt for the most part. The Downward Spiral and The Fragile have some good songs but other than that I have never been able to see the magic.


25. Linkin Park
Angry generic emo shit.


26. Joy Division
A truly great band. Ian Curtis wrote some wonderful songs. Lyrics are all fantastic. Simple but hold so much meaning.


27. Ayreon
Gets old after while.


28. Mastodon
They're pretty good. Crack The Skye is such an overrated album it's ridiculous. Leviathan is great.


29. Cynic
Metal Gods!


30. Tom Waits
Absolute genius!


31. maudlin of the Well
Fucking insane band. Toby Driver is a genius.


32. Mindless Self Indulgence
Yeah I considered myself daring for listening to a band like this. They still have a few classics but I don't really listen to them anymore.


33. Modest Mouse
Have some great songs but as albums go they tend to fade with time.


34. John Carpenter
Only around Halloween


35. Scarling.
They are great...I haven't listened to them in a long time now


36. Guns N' Roses
Meh.


37. Shpongle
Should be as high as Infected Mushroom. Great music.


38. Porcupine Tree
I haven't really listened to many albums by them. I love Deadwing and Lightbulb Sun but most of the other stuff I've checked out is pretty boring.


39. Astronautalis
Amazing artist. Barrel Jumping (A Man Of Letters), The Waterfall and The Story of My Life all have got to be some of the greatest songs I've heard.


40. Thousand Foot Krutch
Generic Christian Rock


41. System of a Down
Such a faux pas


42. Vader
They won't be relevant in a couple of months


43. Have a Nice Life
Great album. Great bootleg demo album but recently I'm not feeling what I felt when I first listened months ago.


44. ASHES dIVIDE
Wow something completely shot out of my life.


45. Gojira
Metal that doesn't get boring. Great drumming also.


46. J.Viewz
Local New York band. Chill out album. So great.


47. Unwound
Leaves Turn Inside You is so great but like Have a Nice Life I think I'm growing out of this depressing shit.


48. Dane Cook
Why did I have him to begin with? =(


49. Bill Conti
Short lived Rocky soundtrack addiction. Still great but not something meant for heavy listening.


50. Black Light Burns
I kind of forced myself to like them. They suck. Only New Hunger, Cruel Melody and Lucretia My Reflection are good.



Final Verdict: Only 23 out of 50 artist I am satisfied with =(

I have a dream that one day metal elitists will take their heads out their arses, and realise taste is purely subjective, such that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all genres are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the grim frostbitten hills of Norway, the black metalheads and the gangsta rappers will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even Gothenburg, a place sweltering with shitty melodeath, and rife with generic sellouts, will be transformed into an oasis of progressive soul nurturing music.

I have a dream where bands will not be judged by how 'catchy their riffs are' but by how well they accomplish what they set out to do.

Who's with me?

Between the Buried and MeBurzumOpethDimmu BorgirNileDream TheaterNevermoreMastodonIsisNeurosisMeshuggahThe OceanMayhemDarkthroneEmperorSymphony XSikThAfter the BurialThe Dillinger Escape PlanBorisBehemothAgallochToolAyreonSlayerIn FlamesDeftonesLamb of GodNightwishChildren of BodomTriviumKatatoniaAmon AmarthDragonForceGojiraCradle of FilthArch EnemyDevilDriverStrapping Young Lad