Ladies and gents, as we march together into the beginning of a new year, I thought what better way to celebrate the end of 2020 than by reflecting on it and looking at where I am now compared to where I was last January. It certainly had its ups and downs, okay maybe more downs than ups because of the global pandemic BS, but there were some ups too. I'm going to skip over all of that, and we can take our minds off of it together while I discuss my year on this blog.
It started back in March, some nine months ago, with the release of In This Moment's Mother. Technically not my first post, but it was the one that started it all. For it was the discussion between my sister and me about that record that sparked her idea that I start this blog in the first place. But I didn't want to start there, no I wanted to start with the newest release from Five Finger Death Punch. It was my pick for metal record of the year since it first released at the end of February, and that statement held true throughout the remaining 10 months of the year. Though looking back at it now, it isn't as flawless as that review would lead you to believe. In fact, I sort of chuckle when I read that review now. It's very simple in its composition, and for whatever reason I decided to focus on Ivan Moody's singing skills rather than analyze any of the songs on the record. It was a fun 3 paragraphs to write, but readers didn't learn anything about the new record, other than the fact that the members of the band changed slightly and quit drinking. I would certainly have a lot more in-depth things to say about it now, but it is fun to look back and see where I started.
This year did bring with it some new music, though there was a tragic shortage of supporting tours. Looking back at everything that was released, I am going to stay true to my word and claim that 5FDP's F8 record was my favorite. A close second being AC/DC's Power Up, of course. While I was so very excited about the release of a new AC/DC record, I let my excitement cloud my judgement a little when writing that post. I just gushed about it for paragraph after paragraph when the reality of it is, it's better than OK, but certainly not their best. I find myself reaching for 2014's Rock Or Bust more often than 2020's Power Up, but more on that later...
COVID and other personal matters aside, this last year has been a lot of fun for me in writing these blog posts. We started alongside old friends who reviewed books, and continued to grow after they had retired. We have welcomed a couple guest authors onto the site, and together we discussed important records from Linkin Park and Lady Gaga. I even welcomed a Lady Synic into my life, who, while she has yet to have made an appearance in these posts, does provide me with some excellent insight and input into writing reviews of some of the indie artists that I have discussed. Speaking of these indie artists, I have to take a second here and thank each and every one of you for the tremendous support that all of you have given me thus far. It's truly humbling and overwhelming. The fact that you trust me with your art is incredible, and I sincerely hope that it continues for the foreseeable future. Reviewing your music for you is a tremendous honor and pleasure of mine. It keeps me going and keeps me writing; I wouldn't be here if not for all of you:
Vibraveil
Donnie Vie (Michael King)
The Pin Stripes
Pepe & The Bandits
The Unknown Brothers
Hip Bobsha
The John Michie Collective
Rufusking
Time To Act
OrangeG
Reckless Velvet
Satin
Nathan Illes
Joe Viglione & Club Bohemia
Say Yes, Do Nothing
The Jobs
The Mellowdees
More to come...
With all the good that somehow did come from 2020, every peak must have a valley. And two big valleys for me were the agonizing losses of two of my all time favorite musicians. Early this year we lost the drummer who put the RUSH in Rushmore, Neil Peart. And just a couple months ago as you saw in a previous post, we lost the iconic guitar god Eddie Van Halen. I'm afraid that these guys have joined Bon Scott, Malcolm Young and Stevie Ray Vaughan for rock deaths that I will never get over. It's been a hard road, and I'm afraid the music world may never be the same.
In some very helpful feedback I received from someone close to me, we discussed the format of my reviews, and what is working vs what isn't working so well, and we have decided to change it up a little bit. I will still continue to write and review in the way I know how, but at the end of each when I state my favorite track, least favorite track and numerical rating, I've decided to cut my numerical rating (at least from the review request posts). This is because some artists will read what I say and decide to ignore it all after seeing the numeric rating posted at the end, and that is not what I want to be taken away from my reviews. I want the artists to take my feedback and listen to what I am trying to tell them about their sound, rather than being distracted by a number. I could say a lot of nice things, and offer some ideas of what to do in the future, but the second I say 6/10 the artist is disheartened. I don't want to be discouraging, I'm just brutally honest. It's kinda my thing.
So I guess what I'm trying to say here is, thank you all for supporting me and coming to me for feedback on your art. In 2021, I hope we can continue along this path of mutual support and helping each other grow.
To wrap up my Year in Review, I wanted to leave you all with a special Synic Selects Bonus EP. It's just a small collection of songs I threw together, inspired by COVID-19. Enjoy it, and look forward to a brighter future ahead.
Synic Selects: Quaran-tunes Bonus EP
1. Germs - "Weird Al" Yankovic
2. Epidemic - New Years Day
3. Too Much Time On My Hands - Styx
4. Don't Stand So Close To Me - The Police
5. Dancing With Myself - Billy Idol
6. She Bop - Cyndi Lauper
7. Talk To Myself - Janet Gardner
Thank you all for your tremendous support, I hope you stay on the ride with me as we march forward into 2021.
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