Best of ’15 (#1): Marianas Trench – Astoria
Albums with zero skippable tracks are a rarity these days but here’s comes Marianas Trench with something absolutely special. The band have always been known to add some theatrical flair to their albums and with Astoria, they take it to the next level. They’ve given 110% and it shows. From a Goonies inspired cover to having a full orchestra, this album is an adventure of love, loss, and life. Epic while groovy, influences go across decades, ranging from Queen to even the Jackson Five. You’ll dance, cry, throw up a lighter, maybe even tell your loved one how much they mean to you. Josh Ramsay gives his greatest performance. In fact, the entire band gives their best performance. Matt, Mike, and Ian kill it at their instruments and give some of the best harmonies in the business ESPECIALLY at the final song. I know it takes balls to say this but End Of An Era is this scene’s Bohemian Rhapsody. I have never heard heard a song like this in a very long time. Trust me, it’s worth going through the whole album to get to. Pop stars, ghost writers, and big time labels will be furious that they couldn’t write an album half as good as Astoria. Even smaller bands and people who only like pop a little will love this album. Not bad from the guy who helped write Call Me Maybe.
Key tracks: The whole album
