Music of the Year - 2012

After losing the number one spot in my charts last year, with the release of Infinity Overhead Minus the Bear reclaimed the number one position from Portugal. The Man. It seems that on average I listened to music less in 2012 than I did in 2011, seeing one fewer artist overall with a thousand plus plays. Another noteworthy observation is my neglect of albums that were released in 2012. Where only two of the top ten albums from 2011 had less than two hundred plays, a whopping six did this year.

Top Artists

1. Minus the Bear (1273)
2. Mutemath (1179 Plays)
3. Demon Hunter (1100 Plays)
4. Thrice (795 Plays)
5. The Dear Hunter (693 Plays)
6. Inhale Exhale (577 Plays)
7. Modest Mouse (474 Plays)
8. The Answering Machine (470 Plays)
9. Soilwork (453 Plays)
10. Deftones (451 Plays)

2012 Albums

1. Demon Hunter - True Defiance (Deluxe Edition) (624 Plays)
2. Minus the Bear - Infinity Overhead (546 Plays)
3. Inhale Exhale - Movement (209 Plays)
4. Circa Survive - Violent Waves (203)
5. Before Their Eyes - Redemption (196 Plays)
6. Our Last Night - Age of Ignorance (195 Plays)
7. Linkin Park - Living Things (181 Plays)
8. Deftones - Koi No Yokan (175 Plays)
9. As I Lay Dying - Awakened (144 Plays)
10. Lamb of God - Resolution (138 Plays)

Album Review - Infinity Overhead

Review

Heading into Infinity Overhead some doubts were cast over the direction that Minus the Bear was headed. Omni represented a substantial shift towards a popper, slicker sound and unsurprisingly it was met with some resistance. While I completely enjoy the album, even I can admit to not quite getting into as much as the likes of Menos el Oso and Planet of Ice. With the release of Infinity Overhead it seems that the band heard the complaints loud and clear. While it may not be another Planet of Ice or Menos el Oso, Minus the Bear's latest offering finds them back on track.

From top to bottom, there really is no low point to be found in the album. While there is no weak track to be found on the album there are some real standouts, most notable of which being Diamond Lightning and Cold Company. Diamond Lightning is just phenomenal. I can't help but get chills every time I listen to it, it's that good. Meanwhile, Cold Company really stand outs because of how strongly it draws from one of Minus the Bear's strongest albums Planet of Ice, bringing back many of the elements that made that album memorable. Another noteworthy track is Listing, which brings a dominantly acoustic sound that allows it to stand out from the rest of the album and accentuate Jake Sniders smooth and powerful vocals.

Drawing from their past works, Infinity Overhead offers an incredible amount of variety. From the poppy, uptempo, and incredibly catchy groove of Lonely Gun, to the chill and atmospheric Diamond Lightning the album encompasses a broad spectrum of styles and moods. Not only is there variety to found stylistically, but through influences drawn from their past albums. From Menos el Oso to Omni, every album is covered. As noted earlier in my discussion of stand out tracks, Cold Company sounds as if it was pulled straight out of Planet of Ice, while Zeroes would sound right at home in Menos el Oso, and Empty Party Rooms would fit perfectly in Omni.

Verdict

Infinity Overhead is really the complete package, offering elements from all of their previous albums while still continuing to forge forward into new territory much like it's predecessor OMNI. Some may take an issue with that, complaining that it just isn't Highly Refined Pirates or that it doesn't more strongly resemble their past work. As long as they stay true to and in touch with their roots as they have in Infinity Overhead I have absolutely no problem with their music continuing to evolve as it has. Sure I too absolutely adore the older material, but that by no means blinds me to the brilliance of their new work.

Score

[5/5]

Top Picks

Diamond Lightning, Listing, Cold Company

First Impressions - Infinity Overhead

Minus the Bear recently posted the entirety of their new album on their website for their fan's listening pleasure, and I've gotta say, from what I've gathered in my listens so far where OMNI could be viewed as a stumble (not by me personally) Infinity Overhead sees the band back in full stride.

If there is one way to describe Infinity Overhead, it would be this: it is essentially an aggregate of all their past works, the best elements of all of their past LPs and EPs working in harmony. As a result of that, you can actually single out single songs as representing Minus the Bear's past albums. To give a couple examples, Zeroes seriously sounds like it was taken straight from Menos el Oso while the album's closing track Cold Company would fit in perfectly in Planet of Ice.

As previously mentioned, some view OMNI as something of a stumble by the Seattle-based band. While I don't necessarily share that same view, I can empathize with it. OMNI represented a more accessible and mainstream sound with a very strong pop influence. While that sound is still evident (see Lonely Gun), Infinity Overhead represents a return to form for Minus the Bear.

Expect my full review once the album drops next week.

A welcome return to winning ways

For nine straight games the Sounders have struggled to produce consistent results, seeming only to be able to get ties and losses after such a great start to the season that saw them win seven of their nine matches. Tonight, however, they broke free of that dreadfully long and record-setting winless run on the back of brilliant performances from two out of three of their designated players (Fredy found himself on the bench in this one) and the triumphant return of Steve Zakuani.

The Sounders absolutely dominated at the start of the first half, holding the vast majority of the possession and creating dangerous opportunity after dangerous opportunity. As the half wore on, however, Colorado began to work their way into the game. Despite possession in favor of the Rapids at the half, they only had a single off-target shot to show for that slight advantage in possession.

The goals came in the second half. Only seven minutes in the Sounders broke the deadlock, Mauro Rosales finding a completely unmarked Alvaro Fernandez off of a corner kick who easily headed the ball down into the turf and past a diving Matt Pickens. The Sounders then doubled their advantage in the sixty fourth minute, Rosales once again the creator. He found himself free enough on the left side of midfield to loft a cross into the box, where Eddie Johnson easily headed the ball past Pickens for his eighth goal of the season. The Rapids weren't just gonna let the Sounders off easy, though. In the seventy ninth minute second half sub Omar Cummings snuck his way into the box and neatly volleyed an excellent cross from Luis Zapata past Brian Meredith. The Rapids nearly dealt a crushing blow to the Sounders in the eighty fifth minute, but thankfully Lawrentowitz's strike deflected off of an offside Cummings before it found it's way into the back off the net.

Despite the win, the most noteworthy headline of the night was the return of Steve Zakuani to competitive action for the first time in roughly fifteen months. Coming on for Rosales in the eighty seventh minute, the thirty nine thousand plus in attendance at Century Link went absolutely nuts. To make Zakuani's return even more touching was his interaction with Brian Mullen after the final whistle, the two trading jerseys.

Next up the Sounders face Chivas USA in the semi-final of the US Open Cup on the eleventh.

The Sounders defy the odds

The Sounders have persevered against all odds, despite being in the midst of a seven game winless run in league play and facing what is perhaps the best team in the league, and have topped the San Jose Earthquakes to move on to their sixth straight semi-final appearance in the US Open Cup. All they needed was a lone goal in the eighteenth minute from the speedy Cordell Cato, who put the ball through the keepers legs from an incredibly difficult angle. Each side had their opportunities in the remainder of the half, but the Sounders lone goal held up. In the second half San Jose really poured it on, subbing on Chris Wondolowski and Steven Lenhart and repeatedly lobbing the ball in to the box and creating chances for their big and dangerous strikers, but the Sounders defense stood strong and ultimately kept the clean sheet.

The Sounders next face Chivas USA in the semi-finals at Starfire July 10th.

Nintendo announce 3DS XL

During tonight's Nintendo Direct event, Nintendo unsurprisingly announced the next iteration of the 3DS, the 3DS XL. Much like the DSi XL before it, the only real differences between this new system and the old one are the battery and screen size. While no statement has been made on how much better the battery life is, the screens are a whopping 90% larger than those of the original 3DS. The retail price was announced at $199.99 and the launch date set at August 19th.

So, what do you think? I know many out there have voiced frustration over the fact that a superior system is retailing for less at launch than the original 3DS, despite the fact that no one can really claim that they couldn't have seen this coming. It certainly proves to be good timing for me, as I have yet to get a 3DS.

Minus the Bear finally announce info regarding their fifth album!

Above is the trailer for the album. The trailer reveals the title of the album, Infinite Overhead. It also reveals the release date of August 28th.

I for one cannot get enough of the clip of the apparent title track. Now I'm salivating for more.