2004

03.
Therapy?
Never Apologise Never Explain

Not the best Therapy? album. Jesus, not even the fourth best Therapy? album, but still packed full of great dirt pop songs. Not a dud track here. Andy Cairns still bangs out lyrics that do things to me; “For fuck sake help me, because I need a friend to get me through this…” and “I’m the President, and I like it, a fully fledged bible black-belt tyrant…” being examples. I guess it might indicate that 2004 (overall) was not as strong as some of the other years since ’95, as Therapy? albums I prefer to this have not made it into the top threes of their respective years, but then it equally shows how much I like this band, in that what constitutes my fifth favourite of their albums still makes a top three albums of the year list. This was Therapy? album number ten, and they’re still going strong. When’s the next album, guys?

02.
Mastodon
Leviathan

This album is metal at its most essential: crushing yet subtle, beautiful whilst ripping your head of. What makes this stand apart is the sheer inventiveness of the record. They have taken the metal blueprint (the one set down by Machine Head/Sepultura/Pantera) and completely re-vamped it. Crazy guitar licks, insane lyrics (this is a concept album based around the story of Moby Dick – where the hell did they get that from? Hardly fits the metal image, does it?), and nine-armed master drummer Brann Dailor, combine to create something that is utterly unique. Epic in every sense, along with being intricate, innovative and heavy as fuck. Mastodon are the new face of metal. When Tool (finally) return, are they going to be able to keep up with this?

01.
Amplifier
Amplifier

Most people I have played this album to either come back with ‘it’s ok’ or ‘it’s shit’. So maybe I’m just crazy. But in the summer of last year, this band appeared and made the biggest musical impact on me since I got into The Holy Bible when I was 17. I still play it all the frigging time (a whopping 20 months after it came out), and know and love every single note. Each track is like an old friend, and yet I still find new joy in listening to them again. The secret is: be weird/original/progressive, take me on a journey, but…remember that there must be hooks, reel me back in with the chorus, the riff, the memorable refrain. Amplifier have the same philosophy as Tool, or Explosions In The Sky, or Oceansize, but they are masters like no other.

This is an album that has everything: the inventiveness, the riffs, the passion, the vocals, the lyrics (ok, ok, the album cover is a bit bland, but that may be getting picky). Now undeniably my favourite album of all time (I own close to 500). Music never normally gets this good.