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Best of 2011 – Archie’s Music Picks

 

The Best

Evanescence – Evanescence (Wind-up)

Evanescence’s newest self titled album is more of a return to form rather than a reimagining of their sound. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as their more subdued last album, The Open Door, was a bit of a departure from what fans of the band’s breakout hit “Fallen” had come to expect. Songs like “The Change” are laced with the Amy Lee’s signature melodic vocals, heavy drum beats and rich guitar-laden tracks, all while maintaining a generally uptempo sound. While it’s great that the band has returned to their trademark sound, there are a few of songs that sound similar to each other. That being said, this is still a great album and a must-have for fans. (more…)

Top Staff Music Picks for 2010

All right, so with music, I believe more than video games or film, different genres and sounds relate to different people in so many different ways that it would be absolutely ridiculous, with the general entertainment offerings we provide (i.e. we’re not just a “punk” or “metal” or “pop” site), to create a numbered “Best of” list for music for the year. Instead, with our varied tastes, I challenged our writers to pick one album apiece that stood out to them more than anything else last year, and then explain why and describe it a bit so readers would know where they are coming from in terms of taste. Several answered the call, and these are our recommendations, depending on your tastes, for the album’s that caught our attention in 2010. We hope you enjoy it, and give a few of them a try.

–Bill

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My Chemical Romance

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is My Chem’s follow up to 2006’s widely popular The Black Parade. The theme of this album focuses on the band’s fictional alter egos, the Killjoys, and their exploits in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The songs are decidedly more energetic than with the previous effort, and both vocals and the guitars seem much more confident when compared to past albums. Once I started Danger Days, I immediately noticed it sounds more like an honest-to-goodness rock album. The album’s first single “Na Na Na […]” is a prime example of this, and the fun, up-tempo anthem starts the album off with a bang. While it is true that songs like “Bulletproof Heart” and “Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back” sound like evolutions of the music fans came to love with albums like Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge and The Black Parade, tracks like “Scarecrow” sound far different than anything the band has done before. This track in particular evokes a sound reminiscent of the Beatles, with frontman Gerard Way layering softer and more subdued vocals over the slower-paced track. Although MCR has defiantly changed the feel of its sound, Danger Days is great album that gets better and better with repeated plays, and deserves a spot in any collection. (more…)