Having met the band in March of 2007 a day after opening for Snow Patrol in Boston, I found out from singer Brian Aubert that The Clash was an influence on him as well. You may not sense that listening to Carnavas, but you will find plenty of great songs on it nonetheless.
Seven albums I also dug, but not quite as much as the above list:
1. Carrie Akre - Last The Evening: This veteran Seattle singer and musician has peaked at the right time.
2. Bruce Springsteen - Magic: Another year, another solid batch of songs from The Boss. What else more is there to say?
3. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible: Sure I liked it, but the album was a bit over-hyped, I think. Having said that, Win and Regine Butler's new friendship with Springsteen is just beyond cool. And their performance together of "Keep The Car Running" last October in Ottawa was simply amazing. Watch it here.
4. Prong - Power Of The Damager: Another underrated and influential artist, this one from the power metal world.
5. Kings Of Leon - Because Of The Times: These Southern boys have gotten better by leaps and bounds since they first started in 2000. This, their third album, is their best and most ambitious album to date.
6. Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light: Sometimes old-school emo, more often radio-friendly power pop, this influential group has made their best record since 2001.
7. Sevendust - Alpha. Another highly influential alternative metal act that got back to what they did best: recording brutally heavy, pummeling metal the way they used to on earlier records going back to the late '90s and early 2000s. It's not all memorable metal, but good enough for my tastes.
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.