Far away from the radio-friendly land of Coldplay inspiring us to “Viva La Vida,” indie rapper Immortal Technique instead compels us to “Viva La Revolution” on The 3rd World.
Dead Leaf Echo offers up layers of heavy reverb, subtle, fluid rhythms and ambling, mopey vocals in the true shoegazing tradition. At times, they find interesting ways to get the vocals to work in concert with the rhythms and it's strikingly good. They don't get there consistently, but when they do, they really shine.
22 Timeless Tracks comprises McGuinn’s favorite selections from over a hundred tunes and clearly illustrates why he is that rarity among rock and roll stars: a musician with a legitimate set of roots he explores with as much passion as authenticity.
Natalie Walker’s second solo release, With You, continues in the Electronica/Pop realm trying to capitalize on early success of her last albums single “Quicksand” which Sofia Coppola used in a trailer for Marie Antoinette.
Viva la Vida is undoubtedly the bravest offering from this quartet to date, but that doesn’t necessarily make it triumphant.
Can't Fight Robots, the debut album from Arkansas' Take It Back, finds a good mix between crunch and melody. It draws heavily on bands that defined the punk rock of the 90s like Pennywise and (ironically) Bad Religion and thickens that sound up with more hardcore tendencies.
The new Rose Hill Drive album, Moon Is The New Earth, exhibits as much style and finesse as the same trio that composed, played and produced it.
Firmly ensconced for fifteen years now as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Nils Lofgren has never abandoned the solo career he was nurturing when Neil Young asked him to play on After the Gold Rush. The two rockers have built an abiding relationship over time and it continues to this day in the form of The Loner: Nils Sings Neil.
The brutal dance of a boxer is sprinkled with check-punches; half-shots and light jabs that unbalance the opponent before the pounding ensues. Similarly, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band’s 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons checks the listener with 12 tracks of eerie squeals, unsettling feedback and white noise before easing into “1,000,000 Died to Make This Sound,” a molten- lava ooze preceding an eruption of symphonic fire.
his forty-minute 'EP', a collection of tracks previously available individually as downloads, may not supplant what could otherwise be the de rigueur live release from the recent tours of Pat Metheny, Christian McBride and Antonio Sanchez. But it does extend the dynamic of the trio in ways not capturee by the studio album released earlier this year.
