5. Down - Down III: Over The Under: You've got to give it up for Phil Anselmo. When he wasn't trying to ruin his or other people's lives with drugs and alcohol abuse, he always managed to work hard and long enough to become one of the great singers in modern metal, largely with the now tragically defunct Pantera. But supergroup Down, lead by Anselmo and musicians from C.O.C., Eyehategod and Crowbar has been making heavy, southern and stoner metal (with Black Sabbath influences) since 1995. Their third album, Over The Under, written with Hurricane Katrina in mind — Anselmo is from New Orleans — is no less heavy and no less satisfying than their other two releases, NOLA and Down II. So go buy it if you don't already have it, metalheads!
6. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond: Speaking of the '90s, listening to this, the first Dinosaur Jr. album in a full decade, it feels nostalgic, and is definitely return to form. It is also the first CD to feature the original lineup of J. Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph. Loud, noisy amps and distortion rule the day on tracks like "Almost Ready," but there are also a couple of softer, kinder melodic Lou Barlow numbers on here as well. This is a welcome development for the band, as Barlow didn't get to include a lot of his material on past Dino Jr records. It all makes for a truly rewarding listen, and another largely great comeback record by a legendary alternative rock band.
7. Silversun Pickups - Carnavas: True, this album came out in 2006, but it didn't pick up (pardon the pun) steam until 2007, when "Lazy Eye" and "Well Thought Out Twinkles" ascended to become hit singles for the band. When I first started listening to this CD near the end of 2006, it was the only album I listened to for weeks. "Three Seed," "Rusted Wheel" and the aforementioned singles are just some of what makes this record in ingenious mix of probable influences ranging from the shoegaze and dream-pop of Ride, Smashing Pumpkins, and My Bloody Valentine and the alternative stylings of The Pixies.
Article comments
1 - Tom Johnson
Nice list, man. That Explosions album really didn't grab me like I thought it would, but I did manage to snag one of the early ones with the remix disc that is very interesting - it might even be better than the album itself. And I've been kicking myself for months for not picking up that Dinosaur Jr album. It's been on my "I need to pick this up soon" list and for some reason I never do. I will make this happen soon. Really.