The 2007 NibCrom Central Awards - Music
April 6, 2007
April 6, 2007
Honorable Mentions
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood
Despite the fact that Weird Al has been recording music longer than I have been alive, his music is still fresh and his lyrics are still amusing. What other artist can actually make me enjoy of parody of a song by Usher? The parody songs on the album are great, and some of the original songs, like Weasel Stomping Day, are even better. Stand out tracks include White & Nerdy, Pancreas and Don't Download this song.
The Killers - Sam's Town
I purchased the Killers last album on a bit of a whim. I enjoyed their first two singles, and I decided to take a chance. I wasn't disappointed. Despite my enjoyment of their first album, I was a little worried the band was a one trick pony and even considered passing on Sam's Town. But their first single of their new album, When You Were Young, was really starting to grow on me, and I couldn't resist buying the CD any longer. My concerns were quickly put to rest. Sam's Town is a great addition to the band's discography. Stand out tracks include Sam's Town and When You Were Young. And I know tracks 2 and 12 are just small interlude-type pieces, but I really like those too.
This Years Winners:
+44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating
If the break up of blink-182 was official enough for you, not one, but two separate albums came out from the former members last year. Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker formed the new band +44, and thankfully they are able to pull their own weight without their former bandmate. Now I'm not saying I'm glad blink-182 broke up, but I am glad the members are still putting out good music. Some of the songs on the album are definitely reminiscent of the blink-182 era, but Mark and Travis do a good job of pushing the band musically ahead. Stand out tracks include When Your Heart Stops Beating, Little Death and Make You Smile.
Angels and Airwaves - We Don't Need To Whisper
The other one-third of blink-182 formed Angels and Airwaves (and actually released their album well before +44). Tom DeLonge joined three other band members, including David Kennedy from Box Car Racer (one of my favorite CDs of all time). It's really hard for me to write about this album as I'm listening to it on my head phones, the CD really demands your full attention. the whole album really stands out, as it's more of a change from blink-182 than +44 is, but a few especially good tracks include Valkyrie Missle, The Adventure, A Little's Enough and The War.
Album of the Year:
New Found Glory - Coming Home
New Found Glory's newest album, Coming Home is the bands best work yet, but I must admit I didn't always feel that way. The first time I heard their single It's Not Your Fault, I couldn't make it through the entire song. It was that foreign to me. But after I purchased the CD and listened to it in it's entirety, I knew I had found something special. Some may be turned off by the changes the band has made to their music, but that's okay, it just leaves more copies of the CD for me.
Actually, even though Coming Home is Album of the Year, I really only need one copy of it.