If there’s one thing I learned in the last semester of my four-and-a-half-year collegiate career, it’s that you’re just looking for trouble when you slap a “Top 10” label on anything. That being said, here’s the list of my top 10 best-reviewed albums from this past fall.
1) Daisy, Brand New
Fact: I’ve been listening to this album on my iPod religiously for almost a month now and I still haven’t gotten sick of Jesse Lacey and Co. Still not a huge fan of the interlude track “Be Gone,” but it’s grown on me. A little.
2) Self-Titled Album, The Audition
The Chicago pop-punk outfit’s third full-length CD is the perfect example of a carefully crafted, tight-sounding record. But when you get to the 10th and final track, you’re left wishing there was a little more left in the bottle.
3) Nothing Personal, All Time Low
The pop-punk sweethearts from Baltimore made quite the splash with their sophomore effort — and with good reason. Nothing Personal is a fun, feel-good record that showcases some of the best pop-punk has to offer.
4) Who Are You Now?, This Providence
There’s little question who the Seattle four-piece is after the group’s third full-length studio release dropped in mid-March. The telltale sign of a great album is when you want to listen to that album over and over — a category Who Are You Now? definitely falls into.
5) Mean Everything To Nothing, Manchester Orchestra
After hearing their largely lackluster 2006 debut, I had plenty of reasons to be skeptical. But the group’s follow-up surprised just about everyone with angrier, louder tracks that gave us a good look at the Atlanta-based quintet’s darker side.
6) Whisper War, The Cab
Call The Cab a guilty pleasure, but any way you slice it, the Las Vegas natives’ debut CD is an infectious ode to the days of BSB and *NSYNC. Plus, there’s no denying frontman Alex DeLeon’s talent. The kid can sing.
7) It Hates You, He Is Legend
They say the third time’s a charm, and with their third studio album the North Carolina post-hardcore outfit scored its best release since 2004’s I Am Hollywood, avoiding the relatively uninspired repetitiveness that plagued the group’s sophomore record.
8) Used And Abused, Danger Radio
You can’t go wrong with a band that sounds like Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5 and The Maine all wrapped into one. Besides, experts have done studies that prove it is impossible not to dance while listening to Danger Radio.
9) The Penance And The Patience, Closure In Moscow
Before the release of their first LP in the States, the Aussie progressive-rock ensemble made a name for themselves in the alternative scene with their remarkably diverse six-track “albumette,” proving Britain isn’t the only foreign country capable of providing quality musical exports.
10) Kingdoms, Broadway
Misha Camacho’s vocals on Kingdoms are simply incredible — and if that isn’t reason enough to give the Orlando post-hardcore outfit a listen, Chiodos’ former frontman Craig Owens and Emarosa’s Jonny Craig lend their talents as well.
Love music as much as Joe? E-mail him about it at [email protected].
