Another hair raising installment of our top ten album series is upon us and I've invited Mr. Bob Baxter (one man math show Delicious Death) to...dish on some of his favorites.
Delicious Death dropped a killer release this year and i figured it only fitting to ask the man....What are some of your favorites?
10.
Jonny Classic and the Classic Johns:Your New Favorite Record:
This is the brainchild of Brendan Bell. I've been listening to him since the early Gruvis Malt days and this album equally plays on my loves for video game music and the art of writing nontraditional ideas into palatable music. One day I'd like to release an album that follows in the footsteps of this one.
I love when I can introduce this album to fans of similar artists (e.g. Daughter and older City and Colour) because Keaton's songs change people. The content in this album is dark and heavy and hits you in those spots that you tend to keep to yourself. His music is like a masterclass in expressing yourself in song. I'm a very rigid writer, so Keaton's songs are a reference I like to come back to every now and then to help me break out of my stiff style.
8.
Grammatics - Grammatics:
This album is densely packed with complex instrumentation, interesting song arrangements, and sometimes odd time/feel; however, you could simply just listen to it for the catchy vocal melodies. Every time I come back to this album I feel like I take something away to use in my latest music project.
7.
Proceed - Curious Electric EP:
Proceed released this album in 2010 and it completely flew under my radar. I found it about a year or so ago and I feel like the music they wrote is still relevant today. The vocals and musical direction take me back to older Dance Gavin Dance material and the drums have a faint resemblance to Beloved. I'm a massive DGD fan, yet this EP bumped them off the list for me.
6.
A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide:
This is their melodic thrash punk masterpiece. I love all of their albums, but this one has it all. It's technical, the production is very high, the guitars are blazing fast yet so crisp (especially that bass!!!), the album flows well with no lulls, the vocals are dead on, and the content is clever. This record changed punk music for me. It completely shifted me towards raspy vocalists in the genre.
5.
Plini - Sweet Nothings:
I've always been a fan of instrumental music, but this release unlocked something new for me in writing for the genre. The structure, the voicing, the instrumentation; this album was a huge influence on my latest EP. I wish I had his talent a decade ago when I was his age. It totally excites me that he has gained enough traction to start playing live and continue writing for the project.
4.
Circa Survive - Juturna:
I feel like Circa opened up a niche for higher ranged male vocalists within the post-hardcore scene. Maybe it's just me, but I feel many good bands like Closure in Moscow, Hrvrd, and Vela Ceras are pulling a lot of influence from Circa. As for this particular album, I can remember some of my first times listening to the record and trying to deconstruct it. I love that it's simple, catchy, and at that time they were doing something that no one else had done before.
3.
Counterfit - Super Amusement Machine for your Exciting Heart:
I found out about this album from a local college radio station. My sister would record the radio episodes on cassette tape and we would listen to them on repeat. For years I would try to replicate the things they did on this album. Three of the four members played their instruments left-handed, which was the catalyst for me to start playing drums left-handed myself. Lucky for me, the Allen brothers are still writing fantastic music as Helen Earth Band.
2.
Damiera - M(US)IC:
Dave Raymond is a beast of a musician. What I love about M(US)IC is that it's raw and fast yet well planned out; logical writing and visceral execution. My best friend showed me this record back in 2007 and I'm still using it as a reference for my latest tracks. I feel like I'll forever be trying to write songs as well thought out as the ones on this record.
1.
Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness:
Three out of four times people will tell me that my music sounds like Coheed, and I have no shame about it. They've been my favorite band since the first album was released and I remember being on the message boards when In Keeping Secrets was in production. I feel like Good Apollo One was their pinnacle; it was also the last time the four primary members recorded together. Even though I like Zach Cooper more on bass, I still have a sentimental attachment with the writing direction of the original members. With every new release following Good Apollo One I go through a period of 'Eh, I'm not sure,' but then within two weeks I know the whole thing.
