Tell It Again’s Top 5 Albums Of 2012Hi we’re Tell It Again, with our Designer Magazine gig coming real soon we thought we’d share with fellow bands and musicians our top 5 albums of last year and give you an idea of to what influences us as musicians.
All Time Low – Don’t PanicRoss Sidebottom (Drums): Well, ultimately "Don't Panic" (All Time Low's fifth full length studio album released last year) gives true ATL fans reasons to panic. With cheesy clichés and predictable metaphors scattered throughout it truly gives any new fans the wrong impression. They have definitely emphasised the 'pop' aspect of pop punk. Despite Alex Gaskarth (front man) having a great, distinguishable voice that has shone through countless MTV unplugged and live gigs, he still felt the need to taint it with corny voice effects that don't seem necessary. Lyrically, it just doesn't compare to anything that's come before. 'Lullabies' off of 'Party Scene' tells the emotional story off his late brother. 'Jasey Rae' from their musically inspiring E.P 'Put Up Or Shut Up' released in 2006 also features one of the best lyrical contents to date. Yet it's taken them years of success to write such obvious, non-thought provoking lines like 'why can't you just be happy for me?', and 'thanks to you I'm not myself?' However to completely slate this album would be unfair. Tracks such as 'Outlines', 'Somewhere In Neverland' and 'So Long Soldier' make this album tolerable. Each tells a story of how far Alex has come and gives the message across to younger listeners to dream big and not to just fit into a 9-5 routine. For me, however, Rian Dawson completely steals the show. Not one drum track is predictable, and each fill is as original and incredible as before. Somehow he has incorporated one of his best drumming performances behind some of the worst guitar riffs All Time Low have written. ‘So Long Soldier’ provides all the evidence I need to back me up on that one! I must give respect to them as well on the other hand, for this is an album in their own vision and if that means not everybody likes it then, good on them for sticking to what they want. Every band has to change to succeed and if this is their change or new start then, respect to them.
Set It Off – CinematicsJonny Meaney (Vox): Set It Off are a band I’ve religiously followed for 3 years now and their debut full length does not make that time seem wasted. Every song is a masterpiece taking both the element of catchy pop punk melodies and the loud deep texture of orchestral music and combining them together to make a sound which cannot be matched by most bands in the industry today. They start the album off with a big orchestral piece, ‘Thoughts That Breathe’ it sounds like the opening of a film which helps reinforce the theme of the album, that every song tells a different a story, the orchestra in each song makes it sound big, like it’s a movie being narrated by Cody Carson’s incredible lyrics. This goes into the opening song of the album which is one of my favourites, ‘Nightmare’ a song about anxiety, they capture this with lyrics such as ‘I created a monster, a beast inside my brain’ Carson uses his personal experiences to write these amazing lyrics that capture the feeling of what the song is about. With Cinematics there is something for everyone, sad emotional songs such as ‘No Control’ and ‘Dads Song’ which are about Cody’s father a cancer victim, in your face songs such as ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’ and ‘I’d Rather Drown’. The song that stands out for me the most on the album though is ‘Plastic Promises’, it stands out for me because they put a jazz spin on pop punk, using walking bass lines, amazing trumpets that sound like they are growling just giving off this sexy jazz feeling, this is especially shown in the halftime/breakdown section of the song, there is even a trumpet and clarinet solo harmonised, it’s just insane, and yet again Carson’s song writing does not disappoint, using clever lyrics such as ‘Her lips are the gun and her tongue is the bullets’. The album ends on the heaviest song of the album, ‘The Grand Finale’ a song about the world ending, using one of the heaviest moments in Set It Off’s recorded history to represent the chaos of the world ending. The song ends on a white noise, a perfect way to end the album as yet again it enforces the feeling of a movie, so in basic terms, buy this album, listen to this band, now.
Young Guns – BonesJordon Allen (Guitar): Personally, my favourite album of 2012 has got to be Bones by Young Guns. There are so many aspects that make this such a perfect album in my opinion, from the pure talent from Gustav’s vocal performance throughout every single song, to the well thought out structures and arrangements from one of the most talented bands on the scene today, especially to say that this is only the bands second full length studio album. This is just another perfect stepping stone showing people just what Young Guns do best. The whole album just grabs you by the throat and takes you straight in, especially as you come across one of my two favourite tracks on the album, “Bones”. This song Is just epic in so many ways, from the beautifully delayed riff, the amazingly crafted chorus, to the face melting guitar and drum solo’s that complement each other in such perfect ways that I haven’t heard done this well before, this song in my opinion has defiantly given Young Guns a huge jump and has unleashed just what Young Guns are into the world. Then things start to slow down as the mood is set with “A Hymn for All I’ve Lost” which sets the tone leading onto “You Are Not”. This song is filled with towering chorus’ that just kicks you in the teeth, throughout the song you get a dark tone and feel from it, however it is uplifting at the same time. This then leads on to a fist pumping song called “Brothers in Arms”, the in your face riffs and incredibly pleasing melodies throughout this track make it what it is, Amazing! My second favourite track on the album is called “Broadfields” and I think this is just a perfect track to have at the end of the record, it leaves you with the feeling that you know this band is something special, it shows you just how talented they are, even if they are not as aged as most bands nowadays and have not had as much exposure or experience, that does not show here in the slightest, the creativity of the vocal and guitar melodies just show you what this band is to be
Halestorm – The Strange Case Of...Nathan ‘Nips’ Crossdale (Guitar): My favourite album of last year has got to be The Strange Case Of... By Halestorm. There isn't a song on there I don't like and they're even better when performed live. The vocals give me goosebumps, they are just so incredible, as a guitarist I can't miss out the guitar work again, incredible. There's some really awesome riffs in there with some amazing solos to follow. If I had to pick a favourite song from it I would be stuck between "Break In" and "Mz. Hyde", both songs are quite different to each other. “Break In" being quite calm and "Mz.Hyde" being a heavy song. I think it's great how the album is quite diverse and you have these heavy rock songs and then you've got these nice calm songs. Overall I think The Strange Case Of… is an amazing piece of music.
Pierce The Veil – Collide With The SkyJimmy Harrison (Bass): My favourite album from 2012 has to be Pierce the Veil - Collide with the Sky. Not only is it their third full length album but it's also their first album released on Fearless Records. The album has amazing tracks so it is one of my favourites, the three tracks I prefer most are "King for a day" featuring Kellin Quinn from Sleeping With Sirens, this song is just amazing, probably one of the most popular songs PTV have recorded and it shows, it has the most brutal breakdown on the entire album not only that but Kellin’s and Vic’s vocals work perfectly together they just mesh, it’s like it was meant to be. "I'm low on gas and you need a jacket" not only has a quote from a brilliant movie (Waynes World 2) it’s a brilliant song using such beautiful vocal melodies, this is one of the more softer and poppy-er songs on the record but it still stands out better than any of the others to me. "Hold on till may" featuring Lindsey Stamey, this song is about a girl from Vic’s hometown, the tragic story of her life is really represented in the tearful lyrics and a beautiful vocal performance from Lindsey. King for a day would have to be the best song on the album for vocals, guitar, drums and of course the amazing bass of Jaime Preciado it is the most unique and outstanding song on the record. The vocal range of Vic Fuentes is incredible and even live his voice sounds pitch perfect. This band is definitely worth checking out!
Thank you for reading, be sure to check us out at our gig at The Dry Bar on the 24th of January with The Maddigans!!
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