Posts by Jeremy Lukens

[rating=8.00] Ten years after the release of the Grammy-winning debut album that put Wolfmother on the map, the Australian rockers are revisiting that material with a Deluxe Edition re-release. The Tenth Anniversary edition of Wolfmother’s eponymous release is a double album released on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. In addition to the album’s original 13 […]

[rating=8.00] Chris Cornell has never been one to play it safe. From the innovative tunings and time signatures of Soundgarden to the bombastic arena rock of Audioslave to even the ill-fated collaboration with Timbaland, Cornell has consistently stretched himself as an artist and pushed the boundaries of his craft. On his fifth solo album, Higher […]

[rating=6.00] In her first solo album since 2004’s Original Soul – released one year prior to forming the Nocturnals – Grace Potter takes a sharp change in course from the blues-based rock that had defined her sound for the last decade. Synthesizers and dancehall beats dominate, with guitars, organ, and her Americana roots relegated to […]

On Monday night grunge pioneers Alice in Chains serenaded an Orlando crowd with the melancholic soundtrack they perfected. The deep droning guitars, pounding drums, and ferocious vocals associated with the band since its inception 28 years ago pummeled Hard Rock Live for a solid two hours, with no encore, only letting up a couple times […]

[rating=6.00] Restless Ones, the fifth studio album by Ohio rockers Heartless Bastards, is perhaps the band’s loudest album. Though their lo-fi garage rock roots are still apparent, Restless Ones has a bit more heft. This is in part because of the addition of second guitarist Mark Nathan, who joined the band for 2012’s Arrow, and […]

[rating=6.00] Of course Franz Ferdinand joined forces with Sparks on a new album. The Glasgow post-punk quartet was heavily influenced by the pop rock pioneers, with their snarky songwriting, infectious beats, and danceable rhythms. After a decade of trying to collaborate, they finally succeeded, under the name FFS. This isn’t a paint-by-numbers collaboration, however. Rather […]

[rating=8.00] Delta Rae, the dynamic folk-rock sextet from North Carolina, returns with a sophomore release that is even more ambitious than their debut. After It All is a diverse collection of theatrical folk that plays to the band’s strengths while carving a unique niche in what can be a rather bland genre. After It All […]

[rating=8.00] Allison Moorer, one of the strongest voices in alt-country, returns for her eighth studio album and the first for eOne Nashville. Down to Believing is Moorer’s most provocative album since 2004’s The Duel and her most personal, with many of the tracks dealing with difficult family matters. The title track references the dissolution of […]

[rating=7.00] It has been seven years since Swedish songwriter Jose Gonzalez’s last solo album, though he has been far from idle in the meantime. Recording two albums with Junip – his duo with Tobias Winterkorn – and touring with both acts, Gonzalez has continued to hone his craft.  Vestiges & Claws, Gonzalez’s third solo album, […]

[rating=8.00] Once the Dodos wrapped recording on 2013’s Carrier, the San Francisco duo realized that they still had a lot more to say. Wanting to capture the momentum, they immediately began laying tracks for their sixth album, Individ. After spending their first several years crafting their distinct and instantly recognizable sound and the last few […]

[rating=8.00] “The Singer Addresses His Audience” begins the Decemberists’ seventh album with the narrator defending his band against claims of selling out.  “We know you threw your arms around us in the hopes we wouldn’t change, but we had to change some,” sings front-man Colin Meloy. Though Meloy’s lyrics are rarely autobiographical, this can be […]

[rating=9.00] Eight years after his last studio album, 9, Damien Rice returns with a short but powerful collection of emotional folk. Though much has changed in the meantime – everything from musical collaborators to location – all of the core elements that make up a Damien Rice album are present in My Favourite Faded Fantasy, […]

[rating=7.00] With 2012’s Take the Kids Off Broadway, Foxygen made a bold statement with a debut album that was delightfully quirky while unabashedly derivative. The ambitious release was equal parts a genuine album and a fun game of Spot the Influence. The album was original in its ability to meld so many different musical styles, […]

[rating=8.00] After a year of touring together, husband and wife team Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn decided to record their first musical collaboration. The resulting album, simply titled Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, is a stripped-down collection of the finest gifts each performer brings to the banjo. Fleck is known for his smooth picking, his […]

[rating=7.00] The final installment of Charlie Mars’ so-called Texas Trilogy, The Money finds Mars taking a small step backward while at the same time continuing along his path of artistic self-discovery. After five albums as a standard singer-songwriter, Mars’ label went out of business and he was forced to go it alone. After some soul-searching […]

[rating=8.00] Once an unknown band that lurked in the shadows while releasing tracks anonymously, with its full-length debut Sir Sly shines a light on an immense talent for creating infectious pop hooks. You Haunt Me is in a sense the band’s proper debut album, with all four songs from the Gold EP re-released here. With […]

[rating=7.00] Who exactly does Gary Clark Jr. think he is, releasing a double-disc live album after only three full-length studio albums? Isn’t a double live album supposed to be reserved for musical legends and those with extensive catalogs from which to pull? Clark’s live album, simply called Live, doesn’t fit into that mold because it’s […]

[rating=9.00] When the prolific Ty Segall spends 14 months recording an album, it makes a statement. Manipulator is Segall’s seventh LP in seven years. Considering all of the side projects in which Segall has laid a hand, it seems that he is always releasing an album while spending little time in the studio creating one. […]

On Monday night a rain-soaked Tampa crowd was treated to two of the biggest and most influential bands of the 1990’s in a sold-out show that contrasted the two major hard rock styles of that period. Grunge pioneers Soundgarden delivered a powerful performance without much in the way of frills or showmanship, putting all of […]

[rating=7.00] A Life Worth Living, the sixth studio album by Louisiana roots singer Marc Broussard, is his most personal project to date. No longer hiding behind ambiguity or his former label’s desire for performances targeted to Broussard’s demographics, this time Broussard opens up and creates a music mosaic straight from his soul. Broussard’s earlier work […]