Weltschmerz marks the end of Fish's career as a musician. The the albums ten tracks run for 85-minutes, neither the length of the tracks or the subject matter of the lyrics weigh the album down. The music serves to complement the lyrics and Fish’s vocal delivery. This is the best album of Fish’s solo career. An album that envelops the listener with lush expansive landscapes of sound coupled with intimate and personal lyrics on life, death and the state of the world.
Playlist Tracks: Grace of God, Man With A Stick, Garden of Remembrance
#3 AC/DC Power Up
The Pretenders emerged from the punk/new wave scene of the late ‘70s led by Chrissie Hynde’s engaging vocals and a true rock n’ roll ethic. Drug abuse, an ever shifting line-up, and domestic issues led to the band largely abandoning the hard, biting sound that originally defined it. While the band’s 2016 release, Alone, hinted at a return to the original sound the songs were underwhelming. Hate For Sale is another step forward, or should we say another step backward. This is what a Pretenders album is supposed to sound like. There is an energy to the songs that’s been missing for some time. Easily the Pretenders best overall work since Learning To Crawl.
Playlist Tracks: Lightning Man, Turf Accountant Daddy, You Can’t Hurt A Fool
#9 Redlight King Moonshine
#1 Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways
#10 Fish Weltschmerz
#5 Lunatic Soul Through Shaded Woods
#12 Psychedelic Furs Made Of Rain
Something for the Pain was an experiment in hip-hop influenced rock. Irons in the Fire adopted a harder rock sound influenced by any number of the bands. With Moonshine, Redlight King elevates the journey. Moonshine presents a band that knows what it wants to say and how it wants to say it. How often do you listen to an album and find every track appealing? Almost never. Moonshine is filled with solid tracks. Every track has its place. If there is any justice, Redlight King will achieve the commercial success and critical acclaim Moonshine deserves. Let’s just hope fans don’t have to wait another seven years for a follow-up.
Playlist Tracks: Champion, Long Way to Heaven, Until Your Dead, Nobody Wins
#2 Pearl Jam Gigaton
Incorporating elements of punk, psychedelia, and industrial, the Psychedelic Furs never fit cleanly into any music genre. Even die-hard fans had no reason to expect much from the Furs forty years after the release of the band’s debut album and coming off a 29 year absence from recording. Made of Rain is the exception to the rule. The band’s distinctive sound remains intact. Butler sounds just like he did in the ‘80s. While Made of Rain is not the equal of Talk, Talk, Talk, it is on the whole a welcome surprise.
Playlist Tracks: The Boy Who Invented Rock & Roll, Wrong Train, You’ll Be Mine and No One
#7 Green Day Father of all Motherfuckers
Gigaton captures Pearl Jam reeling as they consider the state of the country and the world, but remaining defiant and convinced we can turn it around. Gigaton refutes the idea that Pearl Jam is now less of a studio band and more of a live act. The album easily melds together songs written by every band member. While the planet may be sick and our leaders oblivious, or motivated by self-interest, Pearl Jam remains vital. Its been some time since Pearl Jam sounded so angry. Its been some time since Pearl Jam was able to express that anger through as strong a set of songs.
Playlist Tracks: Who Ever Said, Dance of the Clairvoyants, Quick Escape, Seven O’Clock
#4 Bruce Springsteen Letter to You
#11 Alberta Cross What Are We Frightened Of?
#6 Phish Sigma Oasis
Rock Reviews
Alberta Cross’ music was built on a foundation of folk rock and blues, paired with elements of psychedelia. The bands 2015 self-titled release signaled a change in direction. ho Are We Frightened Of? may disappoint fans who enjoyed the bands prior folk rock musings. Who Are We Frightened Of? is another step in the direction of accessible rock and the bands most ambitious release to date. WAWFO is a feel good album that offers some serious discussion on love and life. Without a doubt Alberta Cross’ best release.
Playlist Tracks: Find A Home Out There, Keep The Damage To Myself, Something Real to Defend
#15 Secret Machines Awake in the Brain Chamber
Father is the shortest running Green Day album ever, logging in at just 26 minutes. Yet it may check in as the most “lets have fun” album the band has ever recorded. There is none of the political commentary and angst that has dominated Green Day albums dating back to American Idiot. For all the punk balladry and rock opera affectations, Father is a breath of fresh air. The trio truly sound reinvigorated.
Playlist Tracks: Father, Junkies on a High, Graffitia.
#8 Pineapple Thief Versions of the Truth
Mariusz Duda’s music under the moniker Lunatic Soul seriously rivals his work with his primary band, Riverside. Lunatic Soul affords Duda the freedom to embrace a more experimental sound that may or may not work with Riverside’s progressive rock foundation. Inspired by Scandinavian and Slavic folk music, Through Shaded Woods thematic roots are found in the rural wooded area of Poland where Duda grew up. Whereas previous Lunatic Soul releases were built on electronic instrumentation, Duda’s use of acoustic guitar, bass and drums gives the album a more traditional sound. Duda weaves folk melodies with King Crimson experimentation. Through Shaded Woods. may be the finest Lunatic Soul release.
Playlist Tracks: Navvie, The Passage, Oblivion
#13 The Pretenders Hate For Sale
#14 Ray LaMontague Monovision
Pineapple Thief have been compared to Porcupine Tree, a comparison fostered by the band adding former Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison. PT have built a strong catalog of recordings that date back to 1999. Recordings that maintain prog elements but differ from the modern prog sound Porcupine Tree championed. Versions of the Truth’s focuses on the conflict that exists between differing perceptions. A timely subject, given we seemingly live in a world where our leaders don’t hesitate to lie even when they know it’s a lie. One where we prefer points of view we agree with even if the facts don’t support them. Versions of the Truth is somewhat front loaded, but nonetheless presents Pineapple Thief as a fully cohesive unit hitting on all cylinders.
Playlist Tracks: Versions of the Truth, Demons, Leave Me Be
Bob Dylan's fans assign an almost divine meaning to his expressions. The truth is that what Dylan expresses is most often merely a recognition of the complexity of human existence. An acknowledgment that we are all just the sum of the influences on our lives. Rough and Rowdy Ways is nothing more and nothing less. Approaching 80, Dylan may never be a better position to comment on the influences on his own life or to contemplate his own mortality. Rough and Rowdy ways is another Dylan masterpiece. While it may not be Blood On The Tracks, Rough and Rowdy Ways has its place near the top of the list.
Playlist Tracks: False Prophet, Goodbye Jimmy Reed, Murder Most Foul
AC/DC’s music defined hard rock in '70s and ‘80s. The band has survived the deaths of lead singer Bon Scott and founding member Malcolm Young, not to mention Brian Johnson’s hearing loss. Power Up is largely a tribute to Young, just as Back In Black was for Scott. As such, Power Up is AC/DC’s best album in at least the last 30 years. AC/DC doesn’t change the formula for Power Up. This is pure and simple hard rock at its best. For fans of the band, rest assured that each song hits the AC/DC spot dead on.
Playlist Tracks: Realize, Shot In the Dark, Wild Reputation, Money Shot
Secret Machines never fully realized their destiny. Brandon Curtis and Josh Garza resurrected Secret Machines for Awake in the Brain Chamber. The streamlined set of songs clocks in at just over 30 minutes. Its hard not to root for a duo who have experienced the highs of being critical darling to the low of tragically losing one of their own. All thing considered, Secret Machines has produced a comeback album that fits well in its catalogue.
Playlist Tracks: 3-4-5, Let’s Stay Alive, Everything Starts
Sigma Oasis is an unexpected gift for Phish fans. Phish announced the coming of Sigma Oasis just three days before its release. Sigma Oasis exemplifies Phish’s adventurous side, something heretofore too often left for a live concert setting. While every track has previously been performed live by Phish, the studio versions solidify the songs status as some of the band’s best work. If Sigma Oasis isn't Phish’s best studio album, it’s damn close.
Playlist Tracks: Sigma Oasis, Leave, Everything’s Right, Mercury, Steam
LaMontagne expanded his sound for Ouroboros and Part of the Light, Monovision is classic singer/ songwriter fare akin to LaMontagne’s early work. Montagne plays all the instruments and produced the album himself. Intricate melodies matched with soft crooning vocals and tender atmospheres dominate here. The result is an album that is every bit as good as a work from the classic singer/ songwriters it pays homage to.
Playlist Tracks: I Was Born To Love You, Misty Morning Rain, Highway To The Sun
Springsteen has given us one classic album after another. Letter to You has Springsteen looking back on his life, his career, and those who have passed on. Three of the tracks (“Janey Needs a Shooter,” “If I Was the Priest” and “Song for Orphans”) actually date back to the early seventies. E Street band members Danny Federici and Clarence Clemens have passed. Letter To You allows Springsteen to look in the rearview mirror at his career and at the ghosts who walked with him and who remain a part of him. It’s a deeply personal album from an artist who has often tried to detach himself from the characters he creates. Letter To You is truly a great addition to Springsteen’s catalogue.
Playlist Tracks: One Minute You’re Here, Burnin’ Train, Last Man Standing, The Power of Prayer, Ghosts