fafhrd
01-13-2004, 11:39 PM
Here's a small list of what I really liked in music from 2003:
Zwan- Mary Star of the Sea: Billy Corgan's post-Smashing Pumpkins work was his best lyrical work to date. Kinda weird to see Corgan get Christian, but I've always seen some of it in him. To boot, it was also Jim Cunningham's (sp?) best work as well. Strong vocals, very upbeat, and dynamic instrumentals. Too bad that the band's done for, they were really interesting.
Audioslave- Self Titled: Call it Neo-Soundgarden. Call it whatever you want, but Chris Cornell and the former Rage Against the Machine band members put together something that's greater than the sum of it's parts. They're going to go places. Cornell's the driving focus of the band; his vocals and pacing brings it all together. The former Rage members will never need Zach de la Roca again; Cornell's got them evolving musically, whereas de la Roca never could.
Foo Fighters- One By One: David Grohl and company return to the form that made them leaders of the pack. After their previous' album's more pop oriented flavor, they return to the fertile grounds that created The Colors and the Shapes. Grohl's building a true career of his own- One by One will be a benchmark in it- but the album gives significant nods to it's influences. And, with that said, there's a huge Nirvana feel to it. And that's a good thing.
Opeth- Damnation: I stumbled upon this death metal band, who released a very touching, melodic, and instrument driven album that basically begs the question: why were they doing death metal in the first place? They're better at hard rock and grunge than metal. Stunning instrumental work, and the song structure is probably the best all year. It's my sleeper hit of the year.
Fafhrd
Zwan- Mary Star of the Sea: Billy Corgan's post-Smashing Pumpkins work was his best lyrical work to date. Kinda weird to see Corgan get Christian, but I've always seen some of it in him. To boot, it was also Jim Cunningham's (sp?) best work as well. Strong vocals, very upbeat, and dynamic instrumentals. Too bad that the band's done for, they were really interesting.
Audioslave- Self Titled: Call it Neo-Soundgarden. Call it whatever you want, but Chris Cornell and the former Rage Against the Machine band members put together something that's greater than the sum of it's parts. They're going to go places. Cornell's the driving focus of the band; his vocals and pacing brings it all together. The former Rage members will never need Zach de la Roca again; Cornell's got them evolving musically, whereas de la Roca never could.
Foo Fighters- One By One: David Grohl and company return to the form that made them leaders of the pack. After their previous' album's more pop oriented flavor, they return to the fertile grounds that created The Colors and the Shapes. Grohl's building a true career of his own- One by One will be a benchmark in it- but the album gives significant nods to it's influences. And, with that said, there's a huge Nirvana feel to it. And that's a good thing.
Opeth- Damnation: I stumbled upon this death metal band, who released a very touching, melodic, and instrument driven album that basically begs the question: why were they doing death metal in the first place? They're better at hard rock and grunge than metal. Stunning instrumental work, and the song structure is probably the best all year. It's my sleeper hit of the year.
Fafhrd