Label: Fontana International Released: November 11, 2008 There aren’t many albums as low-key as Sunday at Devil Dirt. Every movement of the album is so subtle that it’s difficult to discern. The first two tracks, “Seafaring Song and “The Raven,” seem more like movie soundtrack material than the road into a dynamic album, but they set the sparse scene for… Read more »
Label: Steamhammer/SPV Released: January 27, 2009 There’s a fine line between grand and grandiose. Most concept albums are so much the latter that they never even get close to the line. Sepultura, veterans of the concept album, aren’t close to that line either, but they’re on the good side. Their new album, A-Lex, is based on Anthony Burgess’ novel A… Read more »
Label: Alive Naturalsound Released: July 8, 2008 It would be easy to get tired of hearing the 70s rehashed over and over if there weren’t a few bands really doing something special with it. Buffalo Killers is just one of those bands. Though not quite as raw as their debut, Let It Ride turns up the soul, an ingredient not… Read more »
Label: Afan Music Released: December 9, 2008 Amadan incorporate bits of the Clash, Billy Bragg, John Fogerty and the Mighty, Mighty Bosstones, but what I suspect they’re really going for is the Pogues mix of traditional Irish folk and biting punk rock swagger. They don’t nail the latter, but their success in other areas makes them a worthwhile listen. There’s… Read more »
Label: Temporary Residence Limited Released: November 4, 2008 Few albums start off with the level of frantic energy of Thursday’s “As He Climbed the Dark Mountain.” There are songs with fireworks and there are songs that are like the fireworks factory exploding and this is clearly the latter. Thursday’s dense layering walks the fine line between noisy and melodic, without… Read more »
Label: Jagjaguwar Records Released: October 7, 2008 Some albums kick off with the strongest or most accessible song as a means of sucking the listener in. Others, ease their way into the real meat of the album so as not to scare the listener with their boldest material. But very few jump in with their most grating and difficult content…. Read more »
Label: Youth Club Records Released: October 28, 2008 There is a lot of music out there that isn’t rock music in any way, shape or form…and yet it thoroughly rocks. None of this is headed for mainstream success, but it is often some of the most interesting music in even the broadest sense of the rock sphere. Fall Horsie is… Read more »
Label: Roadrunner Records Released: November 18, 2008 There are artists who push the boundaries, who set new standards, who break rules. Sammy Hagar isn’t one of them. Anyone acquainted with his career knows this and anyone expecting him to do any of these things is surely setting himself up for disappointment. Sammy Hagar has a formula and he sticks to… Read more »
Label: Intrepid Sound Recordings (or at CD Baby) Released: July 8, 2008 Prog is a genre not particularly known for being understated. Restraint is a quality seldom found among its purveyors. Heavy Water Experiments is not quite a traditional prog band, but clearly wear their prog influences for all to see. However, they manage to do it without the esoteric… Read more »
Label: self-released (available at amazon, CD Baby and Interpunk) Released: March 11, 2008 My copy of In Drug City came with an interesting promo item – a combination lighter/bottle opener emblazoned with the Mighty High logo. There was a note from guitarist Woody High saying, “I know you’re straightedge, but the bottle opener works for soda and the lighter for… Read more »