Happy Thanksgiving. This is one of my favorite holidays. I think take this opportunity to update a running post.

(This is one of those posts that has morphing potential [items, sentences, etc. taken away or added, as music continues to shape our ears and shape itself with each passing month, week, day, album, song, note...].)

As of 11/23/05, and still needing to hear MANY albums released this year, the following stands:


Albums of 2005 that have so far brazenly kicked my ass and have not (even if replay has decreased) stopped:

Norma Jean - "O' God, the Aftermath"
Still Remains - "Of Love and Lunacy"
Funeral for a Friend - "Hours"
Waking Ashland - "Composure"
Becoming the Archetype - "Terminate Damnation"
Mae - "The Everglow"
The Myriad - "Never Trust a Ladder"



Albums of 2005 that have so far subtlely kicked my ass and not (with replay probably going up) stopped:

The Hurt Process - "A Heartbeat Behind"
As I Lay Dying - "Shadows are Security"
Thrice - "Vhiessu"
Life in Your Way - "Ignite and Rebuild"



Albums of 2005 that frustrate the crap out of me purely because of bad production (or some other easily fixable f*ck-up):

Mortal Treason - "Sunrise Over a Sea of Blood" (There's more than one way to play a fucking keyboard!!! What a waste a great guitar work.)
Symphony in Peril - "The Whore's Trophy" (Either they have two song writers and one is a lazy dumbass, or they were cruelly pushed and shoved through the writing process)

Project 86 - "And the Rest Will Follow" (This is set aside because the problems are not necessarily easy to fix, but that makes them no less frustrating. The album is not THAT bad; every song has something going for it. But, the production is over-done in some places and under-done in others--often in the same song--, and most of the songs--but not all [see "Sincerely Ichabod," "Subject to Change" and "Necktie Remedy"]--could have been fleshed-out, reworked, and turned into beautiful monsters. Instead, most of the songs hit a happy button inside you, and then run off when you look to see who or what it was that hit the button, leaving you with an incomplete feeling. Maybe this album was rushed, or maybe they are starting to not care as much. Maybe, I'm asking too much of them [after all, I've been playing the CD quite regularly], but I think they've set thier own standard--with any of the previous three albums--as being higher than this.)



Pushing for year's best:

As Cities Burn - "Son, I loved You at Your Darkest"
Emery - "The Question"



Pushing for year's most disappointing:

The Evan Anthem - "Sens"



Other notables:

Thousand Foot Krutch - "The Art of Breating" (I'm not kidding. Really.)
Disciple - S/T (This is not a joke! Come on, I'm as shocked as anyone!)
Starflyer 59 - "Talking Voice VS. Singing Voice" (yes, I know it's the same stuff they've churning out for 12 years, but I keep pressing play when I sit at my computer. Thats got to mean something.)
Slow Coming Day - "Police and Paramedics" (self-produced and self-printed 4-song e.p. with no loss of song quality - impressive)
Apocalyptica - S/T
The Agony Scene - "The Darkest Red"
Hammock - "Kenotic"
From Autumn To Ashes - "Abandon Your Friends"
4th Avenue Jones - "Stereo: The Evolution of Hiprocksoul"
Plumb - "Chaotic Resolve"
Staple - "Of Truth and Reconciliation"



Yeah.

Half-assed procuction + half-assed composing = the new Project 86 cd.

(I'm not sure how long my period of mourning should be, but I'm still wearing black everyday).

I've been hemming and hawing about writing my Cornerstone Report post for over two months now. And it is because I believe that no one really gives a shit about what I have to say. At least on this blog, anyway. Take this as an insult if you want, and honestly evaluate yourself if you try to read it if/when I post it, but I don't know WHO CARES about this stuff. As far as I am aware, anyone who may be interested in my writing does not also care about my musical interests, experiences, critiques or opinions.

I would love for this site to be an e-zine (or to be able to simply work for one), where I write reviews, articals, and essays. I would devote plenty of time an energy to it. But there are so many people out there who think they know all truth and shit about music, and that their personal calling is to share it, loudly and authoritatively, with as many people as possible. I would rather not fall into that. I would rather be supportive. In other words, I would rather not be John Sant.

I just want to write about things I care about.

But beyond that, I don't know what I want.

This Aardvark will never die. It will rise and rise and rise again - a lesson it learned from the Pheonix. The Aardvark of Freedom will cast off the foolish dreams of younger years, and adorn itself with the foolish dreams of today. My primary spill-my-guts-to-the-world blog will remain Hardcore Poetic, but the Aardvark of Freedom will become a blog dedicated to the arts that I love. Of music, books, and movies (mostly music). And anything else I wish to rant or rave about as long as it falls into the realm of art (a term I must use loosely).

I think I need a pre-cornerstone post. This is because I always have a very long post-cornerstone post and I'd like to give it some build-up this time.

Shows I WILL NOT miss unless there is a tornado AND an earthquake:

The Myriad - Their new album is amazing. Their show last year was solid, and I think they could have only gotten better.

Emery - They were, hands down, the best show I saw last year, plus their album topped my best of 2004 list (see mid-march post). I may throw my voice out at this one. Slow Coming Day - I am desperate for them to come out with a new album. They MUST have new material and I NEED to hear it.

MeWithoutYou - They are not always good on a big stage, but this year I plan to get real close or die trying. Plus, now I'll know all of the new songs. Last time I saw them, I did not.

Project 86 - no explanation necessary.

Mute Math - I've heard their live show kicks the album's ass. If that's truly the case, I may orgasm.

Brandtson - They are always outstanding and their last album was their best. This year they have an hour+ long set. After 7 CD's it's about damn time!

The Evan Anthem - Their first album broke my heart (in a good, emorock way) two years after it came out. A new CD is due in July. There's really no question of orgasming at this one - I'll have extra shorts along.

Still Remains - They were great last year with mediocre material. The new album has rocked my world for almost two months. There will be gallons of sweat.

Symphony in Peril - The new album could have been better (seemed like either they rushed some of the writing, or one of their songwriters sucks), but it's still pretty good. And, suddenly, they now have the vocalist from Narcissus, which changes everything!

The Showdown - Think Tourniquet meets Living Sacrifice, and be in awe. Bruce Fitzhugh of LS even produced their CD.


Shows I will probably miss due to conflicts and really wish I could see:

Disciple - No, really. Sure, they always put on a great show, but they've finally put out an album with good, fresh, progressive material. It's like they woke up and said, "Hey, this time lets not write the same old crap that we've been rehashing for years."

As I Lay Dying or Ballydowse(reunion show) - A hideous conflict. I still haven't made a descision on this one yet. Either way, I'll feel guilty about missing the one I didn't choose.

The Violet Burning - If I were 35, I would SO be there.

Anam Cara - Their stuff sounds VERY good, but I haven't heard enough, and I don't know the quality of their live show.

Life in Your Way or Nodes of Ranvier - It will all depend on how I feel at the moment, but again, I'll probably feel bad about the one I missed (and it'll probably be Life in Your Way).

Andy Hunter midnight rave at the Main Stage - I can't believe I'm going to miss this. The C-Stone schedualers are EVIL!

Starflyer 59 - Some day. Some day.

Bill Mallonee or Anberlin - It depends on how Heather feels. We got to see half of Bill Mallonee's set last year. He played some old stuff, including Welcome to Struggleville and even Love Cocoon! If we do Anberlin, I'll just have to hold on to that memory for this year.

Extol - The new stuff sounds more up my alley, not as left-brain-technic-thrash, but Headnoise is a much better show.

Over the Rhine - Again, if I were 35 I would SO be there.



Bands I don't know well and look forward to seeing/hearing for the first time:

Children 18:3
Twelve Gauge Valentine
The Lester Finn Experiment
Flyleaf
The Mint (may not make it if I get sucked into Dead Poetic)
Foreknown
Mortal Treason
Adelaide


Seminars that look good this year (tip of the iceberg really, some are 1 session, some are 6):

Beyond Absolutism, Pluralism, and Relativism - Brian McLaren

Fall in Love and Never Get Up - Tina Herrin

How To Author - Get Published Now - Dave Davidson

Craft and the Writing Process: A Writer's Alchemy - Jill Alexander Essbaum

Writing Through No - Sharon Hersh

Moo Hoo Ha Ha: The Evil Genius of Consumer Culture - Lint Hatcher

The Women's Voice in Song of Solomon - Chelsea Dearamond

A Male Feminist: Self-Hatred or Biblical Ideal? - Jason Van Schooneveld

Why I'm Egalitarian - Tim Vanderpool (as a Complimentarian, I hope to find this challenging)

Rethinking this Thing Called Church: The Emerging Church in the Postmodern World - Brad Culver

Dealing with the Spiritual Darkness in the Subcultures - Trevor Macpherson


. . . Yeah. That's enough for now. Tomorrow, I have to clean out my parents' garage and see what camping stuff they've got. Then I'll probably need to go shopping.

Ok, it's a little late this year, but I have my top ten albums of 2004. Naturally, this is a completely subjective list, but at least it remains uninfluenced by sales, radio, etc. The more bands and cds I gain an interest in, the more difficult this list becomes to formulate - I ended-up with a 4-way tie for 10th place. So I've decided to extend it into a top fifteen. (I did a top twenty two years ago, but I think that was overdoing it.).

And, so here you have it. (Of course, I reserve the right to change this list at any point - but that rarely happens because I give myself three freaking months to make sure I've heard as much as possible of all that was released in 2004.)

15. Unearth - The Oncoming Storm
14. The Showdown - A Chorus of Obliteration
13. Alexisonfire - Watch Out!
12. My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
11. Funeral For a Friend - Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation
10. Misery Signals - Of Malice and the Magnum Heart (everything the new Hopesfall SHOULD have been!)
9. Underoath - They're Only Chasing Safety
8. Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache
7. He Is Legend - I am Hollywood
6. MeWithoutYou - Catch For Us The Foxes
5. Dillinger Escape Plan - Miss Machine
4. Brandtson - Send Us a Signal
3. Nightwish - Once
2. Project 86 - Songs to Burn Your Bridges By (T&N release)
1. Emery - The Weaks End


Honorable Mentions (and I'm not going to say that they are not in any particular order, because they kind-of are):

Sparta - Porcelain
Zao - The Funeral of God
Hawthorne Heights - The Silence in Black and White
Dead Poetic - New Medicines
Far-Less - Turn to the Bright
Himsa - Courting Tradgedy and Disaster
Mute Math - Reset
Lovedrug - Pretend You're Alive
Further Seems Forever - Hide Nothing
Nightwish - Tales From the Elvenpath (a genuine best-of)
Demon Hunter - Summer of Darkness
Jimmy Eat World - Futures
Blindside - About a Burning Fire
Stavesacre - Bull Takes Fighter
Atreyu - The Curse
Slipknot - Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses
Andy Zipf - I Stole the Morning Sun
Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want To Be
Theivery Corporation - The Outernational Sound
Still Remains - If Love Was Born To Die
Arch Enemy - Anthems of Rebellion

Most Disappointing Album of the Year: Hopesfall - A Types


I realize there are a lot of CD's up there, but keep in mind that I actually cut the honorable mentions list DOWN from a larger one. I try to find the good in things . . . which is odd, considering how cynical I can be.

Alas, the Aardvark is a slow-moving beast. Mostly, it is dragged by Hardcore Poetics and The Blind Seeker. But, Operation Monkey-Lovin and Whispering the Muse keep resurging and there are faint pulses of life at the other blogs. The people behind them still live and breathe, but for now it is really just Ben and I who make the Aardvark talk. So come, sit at our feet and learn. Shovels are optional.