Favorite Albums (number four)

It's starting to get very tough deciding who makes the cut. Here are the next ten on list (find the other three posts in past threads).



The Who - Who's Next (1971)

I enjoy The Who a lot and dont believe they get quite the same recognition as some of their English counterparts from the same era. Daltry, Townsend, Moon, and Eitewistle made could be their best work and my personal favorite. But this album isn't just about the songs which became hits like "Wont Get Fooled Again", "Baba O'Riley", and "Behind Blue Eyes". The real power lines between those tracks with "Love Aint For Keeping", "Bargain", and others. For my money, this is a near perfect rock album.


Alice In Chains - Dirt (1992)
 
While Alice In Chains debut album blew me away, it was their sophomore effort Dirt which solidified them as one of my favorite bands. The moody guitars riffs of Jerry Cantrell combined with intense vocal stylings of Layne Staley crooning about addiction and death, both of which he and the band were going through. And you hear the pain comes through the speakers on the songs "Dirt", "Rain When I Die", and "Down In A Hole".


The Cult - Sonic Temple (1989)
 
Probably the band's best known and most successful album, it's the one which made me become of fan (and my friend Dave). The first six songs are as strong as any rock album of the era: "Sun King", "Fire Woman", "American Horse", "Edie (Ciao Baby)", "Sweet Soul Sister", and "Soul Asylum". Ian Astbury rarely gets the credit he deserves for vocals and lead guitarist Billy Duffy is also highly under rated.



Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads (1996)

Nick Cave possesses one of the coolest voices in all of music. He also writes some of most bad ass and interesting lyrics one can imagine. I like many of his albums but Murder Ballads is my favorite. I find it facsinating one can croon along with a sweet melody while pouring out such violent and disturbing lyrics. Make no mistake this album is all about death, murder, and violence. Songs like "Where the Wild Roses Grow" and "Stagger Lee". There is only one Nick Cave and if you have never listened to his music, then you are in for a ride.


Father John Misty - Fear Fun (2012)

Though this album came out in 2012, I didn't discover it until the spring of 2013 (shortly before I started this list) and since then I have listened to it over and over again. And I have yet to grow tired of even one song that tells sad and beautiful and strange tales. "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings", "Nancy From Now On", and "I'm Writing A Novel" are just a few of the great songs on this album which gets better after every play.


Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)

For pure, heavy, balls out, loud metal there is no album greater for me than Master of Puppets. The title song, "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", "Damage Inc." got me pumped up for my share of football games in high school. At least during my sophomore year, which is when I discovered this little gem and dove head first into the world of Metallica.


White Stripes - Elephant (2003)

I've mentioned how much of a Jack White fan I am before, so to find a White Stripes album on this list should be no surprise. I could have truly put any of their albums on the list but I believe Elephant is their best one. "Seven Nation Army" never gets tiredsome (even though its turned into something of a sports anthem for many teams), "In the Cold, Cold, Night", "I Just Dont Knoe What To Do With Myself", "Ball and a Biscuit", and "Hardest Button To Button" are a few of the stripped down greatest one can find here.


Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)

It's no shock to find the "album which shaped a generation" on my list, since I am part of the generation. My senior year in high school, this album exploded onto the scene and I listened to it. A lot. While I liked the other dubbed Seattle grunge bands better than Nirvana, there is no denying the pure power and catchy rhymes found on timeless classics like "Lithium", "On A Plain", and the one that started it all "Smells Like Teen Spirit".


OutKast - Stankonia (2000)

Like many this is album which introduced me to Andre 3000 and Big Boi's unique mesh of hip hop. The two distinct and different vocals over kicking bass guitar and drums with a dash all sorts of funkiness makes"Sorry Miss Jackson", "B.O.B", and others still pack a powerful punch.


Def Leppard - Hysteria (1987)

During the late 80's after this albm came out, one would have hard pressed to find a more popular band than Def Leppard. It takes me back to early teens years just before entering high school which are mostly cloudy, obscure memories. Some of the songs have aged a tad and some of the lyrics are really out there. I mean have you ever really listened to the words in "Pour Some Sugar On Me". Still the songs "Hysteria", "Animal", and "Love and Affection" bring a smile to face and a bang to my heart. I guess that is why it made the list.


Only ten more to go....





Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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Thoughts on Brew Haven 2013

I think Brew Haven is hitting its stride in the festival's third year. It has grown and gain reputation amoung beer enthusiasts and breweries not only in the area, but around Indiana and the surrounding states. They organizers has listened to suggestions and learned from year's past. Plus the weather ended up being fantastic. All of those factors made this one great festival.

The area expanded this year and it was needed to help with the amount of attendees. It was a nice layout which provided a good flow. But also, more space was needed because far more brewery reps showed up. All were excited to share their brews and talk about them with you. Many of these brewers were in the area for the first time including co-event sponser Tinman Brewing (Evansville, IN) and some others like Bloomington Brewing Company (Bloomington, IN), Big Dawg Brewhaus (Richmond, IN), Thr3e Wisemen (Indianapolis, IN), Cutters Bewing (Avon, IN), Destihl Brewery (Bloomington, IL), Ohio Brewing Company (Akron, OH), and Hunters Brewing (Chesterton, IN).

Lechyd Da

Plus other breweries you might have seen around but never tried such as co-event sponser Iechyd da Brewing Company (Elkhart, IN), People's Brewing Company (Laffayette, IN), Flat 12 (Indianapolis, IN), Mt Pleasant Brewing Company (Mt. Pleasant, MI), Figure 8 Brewing (Valparaiso, IN), Crown Brewing (Crown Point, IN),  Evil Czech Brewery (Culver, IN), Greenbush Brewing (Sawyer, MI), Against the Grain Brewery (Louisville, KY), Mad Anthony's (Fort Wayne, IN), Lexington Brewing Company (Lexington, KY), and Sun King Brewing (Indianapolis, IN).

Sierra Neveda

And let's not forgot the names you know probably know such as co-event sponser Sierra Neveda & New Belgium, Bell's, New Holland, Harpoon, Founder's, Granite City, and Samuel Adams. I'm sure there's a few I forgot, but that's a pretty impressive list.









The distributors were clearly marked (Five Star, Aalco, Starlight, and Cavalier) were also pouring samples of many different brews with Goose Island, Triton, New Albanian, Finch's, Shoreline, and more were amoung those. The local MASH Club had their own corner and once again was a big crowd hit... possibly the unsung heroes of the event. I sampled a couple of different ones. These guys can make a good beer. A few vendors such as Brewer's Art, Cheeseman Store, Hops N Harvest, Old Crown Coffee Roasters, and Cap 'N Cork had tables as well. The food had its own seperate tent with lots a tables and a long line early, as usual.

Overall it was a great layout. Which allowed people to clearly see if what brewery, vendor, or distributor you were walking up to, though I think a couple of breweries ended up being a no show or came very, very late. For the most part, there was plenty of room to move around and converse with other beer junkies and friends.

 My only slight complaint was the middle of the tent was extremely populated with people as both sides had people lined up. Not sure there is really a good solution for this problem because at some point with that many people gathering in a small place, an area or two will get bunched up. Also a suggestion would be better "beer table" map online or available at the festival would help people navigate and find the brewery they want to go to. Both are minor things.



Once again, I got the VIP enterance. For me, it's just worth it to sample a lot of different beers, talk to with breweries, and get the feel of the land before the masses start coming in. This is also my downfall because I sample so much, so quickly that I keep my head on strait.

Evil Czech

So what did I enjoy? Well, count me in as a fan of Evil Czech. I will defintely be making the short drive to Culver soon. The Vanilla Rye Porter was amoung one of the best samples I had. And the White Reaper and Dracula's Bite Habenero Black (the habenero taste lasted about three beers afterwards) were both excellent. I was really impressed with Big Dawg's Downtown Brown and Tin Man's Pear Sour Shady were excellent and both had impressive selections. All three these brewers were more than excited to chat up their beers and seemed to having a blast.

Big Dawg

Speaking of having a blast...the guys from Flat 12 made it their mission to have fun. And they brought a couple of specialty brews, Espresso Infused Penny Ale and Cask Conditioned Saison with cranberries, both of which were great. Mount Pleasant blew my mind with the Peach Gruit and the Blackberry Ale. These were the most impressive new to me brews of the day. I had many others and some old favorites.








By about 4pm, my belly full of deliciousness it was time to head out. One of these years I will pace myself a bit better and close it down. Or may be not....



Congrats to Trion Tavern and Greg for another excellent festival. And a special thanks to all of those who helped make it possible from the workers to the volunteers to breweries to the distributors to any one I may forgot to mention. I'm sure more lessons were learned and will be applied to the 4th Annual Brew Haven on Aug 2, 2014!

I'll be there.

And maybe I will be able to get a review out a bit sooner.



Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

Favorite Albums (round three)

The ongoing series is at the midway point. Have you been interested by my selections? Well, here are some more....
And if you dont know the parameters I used, then go check the first entry.


Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (2011)

Since their first couple of albums the  band has really grown on me and personally, I think the group keeps getting better with each album. Their latest (from 2011) is one I have listened to over and over again while never getting old. "Alexandria" and "Dear Rosemary" may be my favorites but thier isn't a bad song on album.



Tom Waits - Closing Time (1973)

Tom Waits certainly has a style and sound all his own. Whether it's by his signature gravely voice or folk jazz style piano strokes. I may be a fan, but not all his tunes resonate with me. His debut album though is pure gold evne if the best songs are probably more famous for being sung by other artists. The drunken love ballad "I Hope I Dont Fall In Love With You" always pulls at my heartstrings. While "Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)" makes me yearn for a life on the road. And "Ol 55" is simply a wonderful tune. If you not familiar with Waits' work, this is a good place to start.


Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power (1992)

The summer after I graduated high school this cassette tape rarely left car stereo. The songs on the album simply get me jacked up. Dime Bag's hard riff echo loudly in "Walk" but the songs "Hollow" and "This Love" will always remain my favorites.


Gaslight Anthem -  Handwritten (2012)

One would be hard pressed to choose a best album between the band's three releases. All are great and I darn near put The '59 Sound on here. But I think Handwritten is the slightly more complete album. Or perhaps I flipped a quarter. Trademark outstanding lyrics are present here and musically the band has never been tighter. "Mulholland Drive" is the cream of the crop here.


Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales (2001)
 

I use this album this album a lot in my professional career. It makes excellent walk in music for an event with it's laid back vibe, smooth guitar, and catchy lyrics. "Flake" and "Fortunate Fool" are the stand outs. 



Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magic (1991)

This is sort of the quintessential Chili Peppers album and became their big, mainstream breakthrough, Coincidentally (or maybe not) it's also the first album guitarist John Frusiante and drummer Chad Smith were on. Catchy tunes like "Give It Away", "Under the Bridge", and "I Could Have Lied" run from start to finish. It's hard funky, rock, soulful greatness that can only be the Peppers.


The Beatles - Abbey Road (1969)

A person could choose many different Beatles albums. What I love the most about album is how each song seamlessly and effortlessly flows to the next, starting with "Come Together" and ending with "Her Majesty". It's a perfect album.



Stone Temple Pilots - Core (1992)

STP certainly carved out a niche for themselves over the coarse of their careers (or at least the orginal line up). Their debut is a litlle heavier and the lyrics a tad darker than their other efforts. And that's probably why it sticks out as a whole for me. The DeLeo brothers screach through "Where the River Flows", "Dead & Bloated", and "Plush" while Wieland's vocals tie the whole thing together whether the song is heavy or more of a ballad, like "Creep".



The Kills - Blood Pressures

If you like stripped down garage rock, then you will like The Kills. On the band's fourth effort Allison Mosshart's vocals purr in the microphone with a solid command while Jamie Hince's guitar and drive the beats of the songs. Simply and beautiful rock and roll on songs like "DNA" "Pots and Pans", and "Nail In My Coffin".


Queensrÿche - Empire (1990)

One might only know Queensrÿche from the song "Silent Lucidity", which happens to be on this album, but the band constantly put out great material. Their hard progressive rock style often works in conjunction with concept albums. Not so much the case with Empire but othe great songs include "Another Rainy Night (Without You)" and "Best I Can". Did I mention that lead singer Geoff Tate possesses one of the greatest vocals in rock history.


Until next time



Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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Favorite Albums Part Duex

In case you missed the first ten on list, then go check it out. All the criteria is there that I used to create the list.
Here is part two...


Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica (2000)

This was the album which introduced me to the group Modest Mouse and their unique sound. The twinging guitar and haunting lyrics of "3rd Planet" sets up a great ride until it fades out at the end.


Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (1971)

I enjoy many Stones songs, but only a couple of their complete albums (Let It Bleed being the other). This is the one of the excpetions. For me, in mainly hinders on the trio of songs which end the album "Sister Morphine", "Dead Flowers", and "Moonlight Mile"



Pearl Jam - Ten (1991)

I was seventeen and working in one of the local grocery stores in my home town when one of the managers, who happened to be the bosses son and only a few years older than me, told me about this album and gave me his CD to listen to. It blew me away and yet not many around the area had heard it yet. Forward a year later and I am freshman in college. The album had exploded into the masses. It was being played every where at Ball State. While I enjoy all of the groups effort, Ten will always be my favorite because of the nostaglic memories it brings with songs like "Black" and "Garden".


Tenacious D - Tenacious D (2001)

Some may think this is an odd choice and only view it as a comedy album. But I would disagree. This album is pure rock with hysterical lyrics. The way Gass and Black change rhytms in the middle of songs creates a masterful blend of acoustic, classic, and metal guitar riffs. And where else could you find the greatest song in the world...."Tribute".



The Black Keys - El Camino (2011)

The Black Keys are a group with a distintive and miminal sound. And they just keep getting better with every album released, which seems to become my new favorite by them. That is why El Camino has made list. From the Zeppelinesque "Little Black Submarines" to "Gold On the Ceiling" listening to these songs never get old.


Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R (2000)
 
Here a fact. QoSA is one my all time favorite bands. I could have easily putany of their albums on this list. after careful evalution this is the album. The heavy bass sounds, typical of all Queens material, resonates with me or may be it's all the lyrics about sex and drugs. "Auto Pilot", "Leg of Lamb", "In the Fade", and "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret" are all classics.


Aerosmith - Get Your Wings (1974)

I'm not sure there was a better rock group in the mid 70's than Aerosmith. It was a very close call between Toys in the Attic and  the sophomore effort narrowly wins it for me. Mainly due to the strength of "Seasons of Wither".


Run DMC - Raising Hell (1986)

This record has the distinction of being the only one album I ever bought on vinyl, cassette, and CD. That is how much I listened to it back in the day. As far as I am concerned it is one of the greatest and most instrumental rap albums ever made. Heavy rock samples, smooth rhymes, and a the classic collaboration with Aerosmith on the "Walk This Way" remake are the reason why.


Dead Man's Bones - Dead Man's Bones (2009)

Here is an album you may have never even heard of and it's the brain child of actor Ryan Gosling. There's a unique and old style sound in the music combined with haunting lyrics in songs titles like "Dead Man's Bones", "Lose Your Soul", "My Body's a Zombie for You", and "In the Room Where You Sleep". Definitely one to check out if you never have.


Kings of Leon -  Youth and Young Manhood (2003)

Some groups come out of the gate strong but never quite get back to the same level. While I like all of their albums, I feel KOL fall into that category. Their debut is masterful with one great song after another. And does it get any better than "Holy Roller Novacaine". I dont think so.



Part three coming soon...



Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.