#10) Nick Swardson - Seriously, Who Farted?
When Swardson gets massive cheers from the crowd whenever he mentions alcohol or weed and does bits about liking Transformers (the Michael Bay movie, not the old school cartoon) and UFC, it's pretty obvious that he's catering to the fratboy demographic moreso than he did on his previous album Party. You could make the argument that Nick Swardson is turning into Dane Cook's less-hyperactive slightly-more-effeminate frat brother. But whereas Dane Cook has basically turned into a blogger with such a horrible case of ADD that he can't sit in front of a computer and thus has to yell out the boring minutiae of his day to random passersby, Nick Swardson actually slips some jokes into his comedy routine (a novel concept, I know). Some classic bits include being emasculated by Motley Crue's drug habits, people confusing XBox Live for gay porn and a great story about his first visit to a Chinese "massage" parlor. He even lampoons political correctness and sensitivity when he follows up a Lincoln assassination quip by saying "Too soon?" Nick Swardson can be brilliant at times, I just wish he had a different audience that didn't limit his material.
#9) Austrian Death Machine - Double Brutal
Last year, As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis recorded a straight-up thrash album on the side, playing every instrument other than the guitar solos which he would have friends from other bands shred on. But the kicker was that all the songs were about Arnold Schwarzenegger movies and sung (allegedly) by The Governator himself. That album, Total Brutal, was a great example of the inherent sense of humor in metal and its sequel, Double Brutal, does the same. But such as it is in the movies, sequels rarely deliver compared to the originals. And while I do have to say that Double Brutal has its moments, the joke is starting to get a bit stale. This time out, the part of Arnold is being played by an actual professional impersonator who actually takes part in some of the songs. However, now we're talking about current day-sounding Arnold instead of Arnold in his heyday like the last album (explained away in the album's intro as being a clone). In addition to such songs as "Let Off Some Steam Bennett" and "Who Told You You Could Eat My Cookies?", we get a bonus covers disc of classic songs from the likes of Metallica and The Misfits that unfortunately fall a bit flat. But even though it falls short of the hilarious Total Brutal, Double Brutal is a great blend of metalcore and thrash with shredding guitar solos that doesn't take itself too seriously. Or at all.
#8) It Dies Today - Lividity
After replacing their vocalist and multiple release date pushbacks, It Dies Today finally released the follow up to 2006's breakout Sirens. Oddly enough, I'll admit that I was quite disappointed with Lividity after such a long wait. While new vocalist Jason Wood is capable, he doesn't quite have the vocal range of his predecessor (though he does a better job at screaming). And though the overall sound harkens back to the straight-forward metalcore of The Caitiff Choir, they lost the inherent catchiness that made Sirens so memorable. I was ready to write it off as a failure but the more I listened to it, the songs developed more of an identity and the more I came around to it. Plus it helps that IDT covered Duran Duran as a bonus song, and really what kind of band would attempt to do that? Well, I can actually imagine quite a few bands that want to be cool and ironic would try but they'd probably stick to the standard and safe '80s fare like "Rio" or "Hungry Like The Wolf" and not the underrated '90s classic "Come Undone". For that alone, Lividity gets bonus points in my book.
#7) Patton Oswalt - My Weakness Is Strong
I think I can proclaim that, with the possible exception of David Cross, Patton Oswalt may be my favorite stand-up comedian at the moment. And even then, Cross is more like some sort of snarky-activist-of-nothing than a comedian anymore so I guess that would make Patton officially #1. But while I feel that each of his albums become progressively less uproariously hilarious, most of that is due to him getting older and maturing as a person. Of course, with me being one of his fellow nerd brethren and refusing to grow up, I fear such change. And while that conflict may have been what has driving Patton in his previous work, the fact that he's reconciling with such change doesn't necessarily mean that he has to sacrifice his comedy, just alter it a bit. So now we're getting bits about interrupting orgies during open house showings, using made-up experimental machines for child delivery at the risk of harming the baby just because it's futuristic and sounds cool, and having to deal with children after voicing the lead character in a Disney movie. Of course, glimpses of the young acerbic Patton are still there, particularly in a stellar bit that exposes religion and strips it down to its most base level. Luckily, age and responsibility haven't dulled Patton Oswalt's edge just yet.
#6) The Black Dahlia Murder - Deflorate
You can always count on The Black Dahlia Murder for quality death metal. Sure, they don't change their sound much from album to album but that's OK. In a way, they are the Slayer of our generation (and yes, I'm quite aware that Slayer is still the Slayer of our generation) that you'll always know what to expect and that it will always rip your face off and eat it for dinner. However, their stubbornness to add anything new and progress their sound over four albums now prevents Deflorate from charting any higher on my list, not to mention the album barely cracking over a half-hour of content. But for bonus points, the video for "Necropolis" features the band performing at a bowling alley with a special appearance by their mascot, the Statutory Ape, who does some headbanging of his own...against a wall.
Expect #5-1 in the coming days. Nash out!
No comments:
Post a Comment