I've seen a few people here post about this FKA twigs person, I need to take a listen soon.
PVRIS sounds interesting, I enjoy Paramore's music so I might like that one.
I think I already know what #1 is, but I'm curious to see where else you go. Good diversity so far.
Honestly, with how much I've been (not-so) stealthily talking them up so far in this forum, I'm kind of surprised MORE people don't already have a feeling as to what my #1 is.
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Originally posted by josh_923
Comment on mine, too! Page 3, link in my signature. Thank youuu!
Done and done. See, people? I will comment if you tell me to. That's one of the few good things about me every Best of.
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Originally posted by Flame Beat Z000
I’m here for THE Red’s Best of where we find out whatever he finishes or not. It’s going to be a ride for sure.
This whole comment is a behemoth, but one I gladly read and loved. Ben has some competition this year!
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Originally posted by holyground
LP1
I love the commentary for the album. From getting totally confused to getting aroused.
Honestly, that's a bit of a lie. I was actually slightly terrified at first, then totally confused, and THEN I started to get aroused.
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Originally posted by mathuss
I made all my efforts to like FKA twigs but I just can't, definitely not my type.
I can understand that. But it's the kind of album that everyone should listen to at least once, just to see if they like it or not.
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Originally posted by Mr.Link
PVRIS sounds interesting, I enjoy Paramore's music so I might like that one.
If you like Paramore, then I think you'll like PVRIS. Just a hunch.
Well, it took a little bit longer than I expected, but I'm going to post the 7-5 set shortly. Why did it take so long? I'll tell you at the end of the next set. Ooh, drama.
Over the years, I have found myself not really caring as much about much of Mastodon's recent efforts. Sure, I like Leviathan and Blood Mountain, but which self-respecting Mastodon fan doesn't? Outside of a few tracks here and there, though (*cough*"OBLIVION"*cough*), there are few Mastodon tracks from Crack the Skye and The Hunter that still resonate with me today. I don't think that Once More 'Round the Sun is going to have that same issue. Single "High Road" was quite the introduction to the proceedings, with one HELL of a chorus. The second-half of this album, with tracks like "Halloween", "Ember City" and "Aunt Lisa", more than holds its own with the strong first half. But hey, maybe these songs will suffer from the same issue I've had with Mastodon's most recent albums.
Hell, even if it does, there are a couple of tracks here that stand out as two of Mastodon's best-ever tunes and will be listened to nearly daily by yours truly years from now. "Chimes At Midnight" is a divisive tune among quite a few Mastodon fans. I've seen some people say that it's one of the worst Mastodon songs ever, which just...I mean, are we even LISTENING to the same song? Listen to that epic beast! It's a winding road of awesomeness that finds new ways to blow me away every time that I listen to it. It's basically Mastodon in song form. How could anyone hate that? But while fans may not have the same opinion on "Chimes At Midnight", when it comes to "The Motherload", there is no division. Upon the album's release, "The Motherload" became a fan favorite, and for good reason: It's ****ing incredible. Even with the song being five minutes long, it almost feels like I want more when the song is over. It's also, easily, Mastodon's catchiest and most accessible tune. Brann Dailor, Mastodon's fantastic drummer, being the main vocalist tends to help, given the fact that his voice is the easiest to listen to, but the music is also just so freaking awesome that it's hard to ignore. Even if I stop caring about most of this album later, I severely doubt that I'll ever stop caring about 'The Motherload" or "Chimes At Midnight".
Want a fun fact? Even though I tend to say that Thrice's "Red Sky" was the inspiration for my Red sn/nickname/whathaveyou, Chevelle played a bigger role than I once thought. My introduction to the band was through a song called "The Red". It's still my favorite track of Chevelle's by a mile, and it was also a big point of change for me and my music taste. Why? Because it helped to lessen the curve when it came to listening to even harder rock, like metal. "The Red" is one of the songs that comes closest to being metal without actually BEING metal, if that makes sense.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, Chevelle played a huge role in my music taste over a decade ago, and since that point, they have continued to release quality album after quality album. Unlike many artists from that era who I've stopped listening to (and hell, unlike artists I STILL listen to from that era), Chevelle continues to kick ass and take names wherever they go. And yet, despite all of this, La Gárgola may be their best album from top to bottom, with Wonder What's Next being the only album even in the conversation. Every single song on this album is quality, from first single "Take Out the Gunman" to last track "Twinge". There are still some songs better than others, though. "Hunter Eats Hunter" is the most Chevelle single Chevelle has ever singled, in the sense that there is absolutely nothing mainstream about the track, but it kicks so much ass that it cannot be ignored for long. "An Island" is more mainstream and more accessible, but it still makes your average mainstream rock band quiver in fear. And "Ouija Board", I mean, could a band like Nickelback EVER make a song that rocks this hard? Hell, has CHEVELLE made a song that has ever rocked quite as hard as "Ouija Board"? It's in the discussion, at least. "The Red" and Wonder What's Next may have introduced me to Chevelle, but La Gárgola may be my favorite material of Chevelle's that I've ever listened to.
Oh look, it's another situation like the Weezer backlash! Only this time, it involves one of my favorite artists from back in the day in Linkin Park. For years, people were calling for a "return to form" for the band, which is just another way to say, "GIVE US ANOTHER METEORA, DAMMIT!" Living Things satisfied some of those fans, particularly opening track "Lost in the Echo", but Linkin Pak didn't make Living Things as a means of pleasing long-time fans who whined about wanting something resembling their first two albums. They made Living Things as a starting point for the band's new direction.
The Hunting Party is, undoubtedly, the hardest and most rock-sounding album the band has made since Meteora, and, honestly, it's probably even more of a rock album than anything LP has ever released. Opening track "Keys to the Kingdom" alone is probably the single most hard rock tune they've ever made, and outside of a few cooldown points, the entire album is an assault of the senses. Lead single "Guilty All the Same" was a nasty right hook with the power to knock out many fighters, while "War" is a fast and furious punching frenzy to the ribs. The album also features some rock icons, such as Page Hamilton of Helmet and Tom Morello, to give the album just a little bit more than previous efforts. All the while, Chester Bennington sounds better on this record than he has in a long time, and the band around him sounds tighter than ever. Case in point, "Rebellion". Are the lyrics the best? Eh, probably not. But listen to the musicianship from the band and from guest guitarist Daron Malakian. It's just so tight and precise, like a three and a half-minute dynamite demolition of a large stadium. I know some people who didn't really care for this album, but I'd be lying if I said this didn't have me feeling like a teenager again, rocking out to Chester, Mike and the gang.
Okay, remember how I said that it took a while to get this particular set off of the ground? Well, the reason for that is because I took the time to finish the entirety of the albums list, including blurbs and what have you. What this means is that I can virtually guarantee that the top 4 WILL be up tomorrow. Whether I post all four albums in one set or post them in two different sets of two is another matter entirely.
Regardless of how I post them, that top 4 will feature an old Red favorite nearly reaching the same heights as a previous YECA #1 album, the potential saviors of rock and roll, an album that made me feel on top of the world one moment and at rock bottom the next, and an album that just decided, "Screw it, you're going to be at rock bottom the entire time and like it." Somehow, the album was right. See you then.
From getting totally confused to getting aroused. 
Amazing album. There's so much music I don't know about.