MARCO'S TOP ALBUMS OF 2012 - #6 (Part 18 of 23)

#6 was supposed to be held by Sigur Rós. Their new album 'Valtari' has been on heavy rotation here, so heavy in fact to reach so high in my list. But yesterday something changed, when I acquired a copy of ROME's new album, 'Hell Money': I literally haven't been able to put it off since the moment I purchased it on iTunes (oh yes, I don't buy physical CD's almost anymore - shocking news, I know). And so everything changed.

I've been a fan of Rome since its breakthrough in 2008, with that classic masterpiece called "Masse Mensch Material", and I have to admit that this 'Hell Money' doesn't reach its - maybe unreachable - heights. Yet it's a great Rome's album through and through, where Jerome Reuters once again find the correct balance between his purely industrial/martial roots and his undeniable love for "pop folk" music.

I guess you can tell by now, if you deliver an album where you mix correctly different influences, keeping it fresh in the process, and while also writing good, catchy songs, you win my heart.

Does this mean that the Sigur Rós is suddently not good anymore?
Not at all of course, but while still ranking higher in my own personal list than everything I featured so far, it just doesn't rank higher than "Hell Money", or the ones coming up next... let's consider it all a sort of "ex aequo" situation!

Suggested listening:
"(Rome) Pornero", "Golden Boy", "Tightrope Walker (Wild Milk)", "The Demon Me (Come Clean)", "(Sigur Rós) Ekki Múkk", "Varúð", "Dauðalogn".