This has been an amazing year for my favorite artists. Several of the albums released in the first half of the year were hailed as each artist's "return to glory," marking the end of the experimental stages that most grunge-era bands went through in an attempt to topple rap/R&B and make rock popular again. Let me make this very clear - every one of the artists, albums, and songs listed here are amazing! Trying to pick a clear winner in the bunch was not an easy task.
Discovery Artist of the Year - Elbow
Even though they are much closer in sound to Doves, I first learned about Elbow from an Oasis forum several months back. The band is cool enough to host clips of a lot of their songs on their website, so once I'd been intrigued enough by the clips, I went to a used music store and picked up their first two albums - brilliant. They just released their third album this past fall, which I've only heard portions of online. Since they are not an incredibly popular band, and because they're from the UK, finding an album here in the US can be tricky. Keep an eye on used music stores, otherwise you'll have to pay the Amazon import price.
Album of the Year - Don't Believe the Truth by Oasis
This isn't just because I'm a rabid fan. DBtT finally combined the consistency of Be Here Now with the early, true rock 'n' roll sound of Definitely Maybe. The consistency and the fact that there isn't a song on there that deserves to be skipped are the two things that pushed this album above the other contenders. An Honorable Mention goes to the Wallflowers for their album for similar reasons.
Retro Songs of the Year - "Live Forever" by Oasis, "Caught By The River" by Doves, "PS" by Toad the Wet Sprocket, and "Sunset Strip Bitch" by Eve 6
Noel's solo in "Live Forever" is simply one of the greatest riffs ever written - period. It should come as no surprise that that is often what I use to calm and focus myself during a test. "Caught By The River" is the sort of song that starts playing in your head when you walk out the front door of wherever you live and you have that rare but precious "It's gonna be a good day" feeling. "Sunset Strip Bitch" is the opposite; it sneaks into my head on crappy days, days when I'm pissed off, and when I'm driving (which usually is also when I'm pissed off). "PS" is just an anytime song that is great for...well...any time.
Song of the Year - "One of These Days" by Doves
This seventh track off of their Some Cities release runs through your blood and pounds like your pulse. The bass line complements the vocals in a way that makes every word twice as haunting. It's another all-weather, all-mood song that no one should be without.
Note: Next year, the HMA will stand for "Ho's Media Awards," to reflect the addition of other categories of media into the yearly award ceremony. Books will make the list for sure, and it's possible that blogs/websites might also be added. This year, I just have two books to bring to the attention of the readers. The books are not new releases; rather, they are books I read in the past year that I felt were incredibly well-written.
Books of the Year - Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke and Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Both of these books are single-volume epics that require some time to complete but are more than worth the effort. They are rich with detail and plot lines, which can make them rather tough going when you're about halfway through each, but if you stick with it, you'll be completely satisfied with the ending of Tigana and relatively satisfied with Clarke's work. I say only relatively satisfied because there is something of an open ending which Clarke is talking about exploring in another novel. There isn't much yet on her site about the follow-up, but I'm keeping my eyes and ears open.
As always, thank you for coming out and we'll see you again next year!
[applause]
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