Best of 2010

First things first: Warpaint's The Fool was this year's best record. I'm a punk at heart, so most of my friends gawked at my love for them. Whatever, you don't get a Rumours every decade, so when it comes you have to take notice.

That said, I still had my eye on a lot of punk this year. From my list you'll see my pallet is quite Canadian-centric. Well, it's not my fault that we have some of the best punk and metal bands around.

Hoser-shit aside, I was blissfully impressed by Early Graves's debut record Goner. That came viciously close to Agnostic Front's Victim In Pain, for many, myself included, the pinnacle new-age hardcore record. On the other end of the spectrum was Jam frontman Paul Weller's solo record Wake Up The Nation. Chock-full of dubs and delectable garage-to-anywhere guitar, he approached filling Joe Strummer's shoes.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here's my favourite records, in the genres I have the right to judge, of 2010.

PUNK

1. Fucked Up - Year Of The Ox
2. Germ Attak - Death to Cops EP
3. Little Girls - Concepts
4. The Business - Doing The Business
5. No Age - Everything In Between

HARDCORE/METAL

1. Fuck The Facts - Unnamed EP
2. Bison BC - Dark Ages
3. Early Graves - Goner
4. 1349 - Demonoir
5. Madball - Empire

INDIE/GARAGE

1. Warpaint - The Fool
2. Myelin Sheaths - Get On Your Nerves
3. The Sadies - Darker Circles
4. Best Coast - Crazy For You
5. Weakerthans - Live At The Burton Cummings Theatre

This article was originally published by Tangible Sounds

CD Review: 1349 - Demonoir

1349
Demonoir
Rating: 3.75/5

Listen To: Psalm 7:77
Skip It: Tunnel of Set XI through XVII

Norway’s 1349 evolves on their fifth full-length album Demonoir, with the band’s usual explosive black-metal backgrounding new musical avenues. The first uncharted step is the evolved gothic narrative persona singer Ravn takes on in “Atomic Chapel,” partnered with his usual raspy demon-hisses. The song also employs a ghoulish riff moving slowly over an assault of double bass rolls, the first full-out attention grabber of the album.

Demonoir is also uncharacteristically slow for 1349. Chopperish double bass supported breakdowns like in “Pandemonium War Bells” offer easily adjusted to mid-tempo headbanging opportunities, and catchy octivated power chords that illuminate over layers of heavy distortion. “Psalm 7:77” settles dust with its intro of time-splicing tom-thuds, only to tizzy you again with an energizing, momentum-building guitar and following blast-beat inferno. You are intrigued by beefy power chords continuously revolving behind face-melting scales.

Amidst evolution, Demonoir is still a traditional black-metal powerhouse. “When I Was Flesh” and “The Devil of the Desert“ showcase high-pitched guitar leads soaring over a near-constant blast-beat hum, refreshing glimpses of 1349’s classic noise massacre approach. Lone hovering hornet-buzz guitars are also used to change direction throughout Demonoir, successfully rejuvenating your step before the next lucre noise assault.

The only recognizable down points come with Demonoir’s non-instrumental filler tracks incrementally titled “Tunnel of Set,” which are interjected between each song. While creating a vague fog of eeriness, these tracks can be time consuming while you seat-grippingly anticipate the next turbulent instrumental smash-out awaiting queue.

To sum up, Demonoir is a rounded album with its brave experimental aspects from a staple Norwegian black-metal outfit.

Track Listing:

1. Tunnel of Set XI
2. Atomic Chapel
3. Tunnel of Set XII
4. When I Was Flesh
5. Tunnel of Set XIII
6. Psalm 7:77
7. Tunnel of Set XIV
8. Pandemonium War Bells
9. Tunnel of Set XV
10. The Devil of the Desert
11. Tunnel of Set XVI
12. Demonoir
13. Tunnel of Set XVII

Published by Tangible Sounds Music Magazine