Label: Hear Music Released: July 15, 2008 By many, John Mellencamp has long been thought of as kind of a heartland Springsteen and Life Death Love and Freedom won’t do much to dispel that notion. However, Mellencamp exercises a grittiness that has long been absent from Springsteen’s work. Where the Boss has more than once attempted to recreated the raw… Read more »
Label: Black Numbers Released: September 9, 2008 Back in the early 80s, Minor Threat discovered something about hardcore: Melody and intensity aren’t mutually exclusive. As seminal as MacKaye and company were, that’s still a lesson that’s been lost on a lot of bands. But not Static Radio NJ. An Evening of Bad Decisions finds Static Radio NJ progressing from solid,… Read more »
Label: Equal Vision Released: May 13, 2008 The presense of Chiodos’ Craig Owens and Bradley Bell will likely lead listeners to expect that band’s bold and expansive offshoot from hardcore, but nothing could be further from Cinematic Sunrise. This project replaces punch with pop and challenges with safety. While that might not make every Chiodos fan happy, it at least… Read more »
Label: Capitol Records Released: June 24, 2008 Billy Idol’s early career in Generation X is of questionable importance, even in the UK where they had a handful of charting singles. If you like early British punk, Generation X put out a couple records worth hearing, but neither is a definitive album in any way. It was as a solo artist… Read more »
Label: Virgin Released: July 22, 2008 This set has long been known to Bowie fans, because of its quality and accessibility (it was broadcast on LA’s now-defunct KMET after all). But there’s more to it than just that. The show finds Bowie on his first US tour, completely immersed in his new Ziggy Stardust persona and at the first of… Read more »
Label: Motley RecordsReleased: June 24, 2008 What should we expect from Mötley Crüe at this point? They’re 25 years past their prime and they certainly didn’t continue to release material worthy of their recent resurgence over the years. On the other hand, they did manage to bounce back once and make a decent album with 1989’s Dr Feelgood after a… Read more »
Label: Jericho Beach Released: July 29, 2008 When I was 16, my parents took me on a trip out West. On that trip, we spent three days at the Grand Canyon. Oddly enough, it wasn’t the most striking thing I saw on that trip, not because it wasn’t amazing, but because it was just too much to take in at… Read more »
Label: Epic Released: June 17, 2008 By basing their latest album on the life of the famous 16th Century French clairvoyant, Judas Priest opened themselves up to a wide variety of clever (and not-so-clever) quips. In anticipation of the release, I think I’ve gotten most of that out of my system over the last few months. Nonetheless, I will do… Read more »
Label: Ares Records Released: June 24, 2008 The Feelings Mutual take off where 90s alt rock left off, adding some hard rock riffs to hints of both darkness and pop gloss around each turn. They open with the riff-heavy rock of “Monolith,” but quickly scale that back into slower guitar-driven pop. At times they hint at Queens of the Stone… Read more »
Label: MVD Entertainment Group Released: June 10, 2008 Recorded 24 years ago in England, The Nottingham Tapes finds Hanoi Rocks at the time of their major label debut, but don’t expect any of that Bob Ezrin slickness to be a part of this live show. This is more along the lines of a home video. When the lights go down,… Read more »