December Hotel | Favorite Albums

December Hotel's favorite albums bring together familiar classics, independent releases and overlooked records that deserve a wider audience.

The selections span a broad musical landscape, connected by memorable songs, distinctive performances and the lasting impression they leave. Explore the reviews, revisit an old favorite or discover an artist whose music has yet to find its way into your collection.

Blindside - Silence

Follow a simple formula and you'll hit it big if you're a rock band. This recipe for success doesn't seem to elude most rock bands today, so what is this golden equation? The variables change from time to time but they're not important, as long as it all adds up to equal that detestable five-letter word: trend. It's no surprise then, that when the bandwagon cracks under the weight of a rabid mass of screaming fans with MTV in their blood, they waste no time in finding another means of transportation to tote themselves into the demise of yet another musical furor. Thankfully, Sweden has nurtured one of the most refreshing rock acts to rear their heads in the States.

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The Dingees - Rebel Soul Sound System

The Dingees' Rebel Soul Sound System is an album with the weight of the planet on its shoulders. This is the most global-sounding album the band have ever released, and the most slowed down, filled with sound. It's also the most political work by the socially conscious band yet, as the nine years since the Dingees' last album have only seen the state of the world grow worse. That's not to say that Rebel Soul Sound System is a downer. It's just as fun as The Dingees' previous releases. The album just feels heavier.

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I Mother Earth - Dig

If you are looking for some gritty, blues-influenced rock, look no further than I Mother Earth. This eclectic Canadian quartet excels on their debut disc, Dig. Sometimes sounding reminiscent of bands like Santana, I Mother Earth churns out some excellent rhythms guaranteed to get your blood flowing. Songs like “Levitate,” “Not Quite Sonic” and “Rain Will Fall” will immediately grab your attention as catchy, fast and great tunes.

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Vigilantes of Love - Audible Sigh

The “roots rock” or “Americana” movement is one of the best things that's happening in rock music these days. Started as a reaction to soulless electronic dance beats, fad-a-minute teenage pop bands, and the aimless grunge of the alternative rock scene, roots-rockers, as their name implies, go back to music's origins in folk, country and blues, and serve it up with ringing guitars, old-fashioned Hammond organs, and sincere vocals. The music has found an audience among at least two generations of fans: younger listeners who grow tired of the cookie-cutter sameness of “alternative” rock — a term that has become an oxymoron — and those old enough to remember Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde and folk-rockers like the Byrds.

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Dishwalla - Opaline

Dishwalla was a band that achieved stardom in the '90s with “Counting Blue Cars.” Yet, when Dishwalla released Opaline in 2002, their popularity was already in sharp decline. For reasons unknown, Opaline did not turn that trend. Because Opaline is by far the best album Dishwalla has ever released. Gone are the jarringly disjointed songs of old, replaced by truly mesmerizing tunes that carry the same theme from beginning to end.

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Riley Armstrong - Comedy Songs EP

It's always been baffling to me that Riley Armstrong is so unknown in most circles. He is always having fun with his music and, as the listener, you can't help but be infected. He has mastered his art. His acoustic style of music is so smooth and rhythmic. Release after release, it's on display for all to notice. His quirky subject matter with melodic vocals is always on point.

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Mat Kearney - Nothing Left to Lose

If any of you were lucky enough to catch Mat's debut, Bullet, then you, like myself, have been eagerly awaiting his follow-up. His acoustic hip-hop guitar style and deeply personal lyrics reveal a level of honesty that is so hard to find in today's music scene.

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The Fire Theft - S/T

Don't call it a comeback or a reunion or a one-off or a side project. The self-titled CD by the Fire Theft, to be released later this month on Rykodisc, is a debut album by a new band. Sure, the band happens to include three of the four founding members of Sunny Day Real Estate. But they're not looking back, so why should we? Given Sunny Day's tumultuous past, any closer scrutiny of this latest project will cause the whole thing to tumble, house-of-cards style, onto the cold, dirty ground.

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The Frozen Ocean - In Exile

The Frozen Ocean is a one-man band. Dave Swanson (ex-Life in Your Way) is the guilty party. He plays all of the instruments except for drums. This release is a bit of an indie folk-rock experimentation. The rootsy feel of many of the songs is where the strength of In Exile lies. It's obvious Dave feels deeply about the topics he's singing about.

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