Biggest Disappointments of 2012 / Most Anticipated of 2013

Disappointments Of The Year

1. Reel Big Fish - Candy Coated Fury

At first listen, you might think this album is quite good.  Once you realize that every song is one really long chorus repeated about a hundred times, your opinion will change.  I enjoy the hell out of the opening track ("Everyone Else Is An Asshole") though it drags on a little too long.  But its repetitiveness is just a taste of what is to come on the rest of the album.

2. Pink - The Truth About Love

Pink went from making a variation on pop music that worked for her - slightly rebellious (in that manufactured kind of way) and at least partially composed by her - to this garbage.  Yeah, she still played a part in the songwriting but this is one case where I wouldn't be too proud of that.  She traded in the rock inklings for dance music and synthesizers.

3. Neon Trees - Picture Show

"Everybody Talks" is one of those songs that when you first hear it on the radio, it actually breaks through the generic funk that pervades most radio friendly music.  It's catchy and has widespread appeal.  Unfortunately, it's the best track on their album.  The rest of the songs are horrible blends of overwrought repetition and outright annoying instrumentation.  The lead singer's voice does not stay consistent and winds up being a primary irritation throughout the entire full length.

4. Anti-Flag - The General Strike

I've pretty much given up on Anti-Flag at this point.  With each new album, I genuinely hope that they will have reclaimed their former vitriol and intensity.  Unfortunately, they have never been able to recover from their brush with the big leagues and the major labels.  These songs sound phoned in.  They don't get you pissed off; hell, they don't even get you excited, which is about the least you would expect out of a punk rock band.

 

MOST ANTICIPATED

Look Mexico

We didn't get it this year, but I am still hopeful that this will see release soon.

Against Me!

I think "Gender Dysphoria Blues" should be an intriguing concept album, to say the least.  I am also curious as to how Laura Jane is going to sound on her first outing since her outing.

Brand New

They were supposed to have studio time booked in April 2012.  Jesse Lacey had this to say, "It’s funny…I joked a while ago that Brand New was going to make happy music. I mean I said it on stage one night and every one ran with it. I don’t think we’re going to write happy music though. We do sad bastard quite well (laughs). But we want our music to answer questions and the thing is that sometimes those questions are sad ones. We want to make new music with new answers but sometimes the questions are still sad ones and sometimes that is just a reality. Life is about accepting the hard parts like loss, and succeeding in society."

The Ataris

What is this, like six years in a row?  Get your shit together, man.  How bad is it when the owner of the record label's only response regarding the status of Graveyard of the Atlantic is "Sorry, but I don't write the songs."?

Taking Back Sunday

The band is planning on releasing two live discs from this year's Tell All Your Friends anniversary tour (which is one of the greatest shows I've ever been to) - one is an acoustic bootleg and the other is a full band bootleg.  After that, the band is planning on recording new material very soon.  They are without a record label currently and are going to use the two aforementioned live discs as a test of whether it is viable for them to release their own albums.

Frank Turner

Frank has already finished recording for his fifth studio album.  It was recorded in Burbank, CA in October of 2012 and the mixing/mastering process is expected to be done for a March release date.  Other than that, I know nothing about the sound.  Let's hope it's a little less England-y than England Keep My Bones.

My Chemical Romance

Having already released several EP's from Conventional Weapons, the album that was scrapped prior to Danger Days, I can safely say that I love them.  They will be compiling all of those EP's and releasing them as a box set/full length in 2013.  I can only hope that the public response to how amazing the scrapped songs are is enough to deter the band from making another terrible album like Danger Days.

Jimmy Eat World

The band began writing and recording back in the fall of 2011.  They entered the studio towards the end of August 2012 and have now finished recording and mixing.  All that's left to be done is mastering.  I'm hoping their new tunes sound less like Invented, of which I was not a fan.