THE LOUDER STUFF
CLUTCH – Psychic Warfare
Crunchy classic hard rock drenched in tongue-in-cheek machismo, just the way I like it. And I still want the funeral home promo shirt Neil Fallon was wearing at that CBGB’s gig in 1995. (8)
CORRECTIONS HOUSE – Know How To Carry A Whip
Sludgy avant-garde noise by a supergroup including members of Neurosis, Eyehategod, Yakuza, Minsk etc. Uneasy listening. (7)
DOG FASHION DISCO – Ad Nauseam
Poor man’s Mr. Bungle on second post-comeback album that won’t win them any new fans but will keep the loyal ones happy. (7)
HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES – Hollywood Vampires
Alice Cooper and a bunch of his famous living friends (Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, Slash, Duff, Brian Johnson, Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl of course) pay tribute to his famous dead friends (Keith Moon, John Bonham, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Marc Bolan) by covering their songs. (7)
KILLING JOKE – Pylon
Legendary post-punk band still kicks ass – this one’s among their heaviest and most metallic. (8)
MONSTER MAGNET – Cobras And Fire (The Mastermind Redux)
A Monster Magnet release is like a blowjob, even a bad and totally unnecessary one is pretty good and very welcome. (11)
PROTOMARTYR – The Agent Intellect
Gloomy, depressive, catatonic post-punk for fans of The Fall and Pere Ubu. Not my cup of tea, but still (7)
SATAN – Atom By Atom
This is EXACTLY the kind of heavy metal that people who hate heavy metal hate. (8)
SHINING – International Blackjazz Society
More industrial than either black metal or jazz, “International Blackjazz Society” sort of sounds like a heavier Nine Inch Nails featuring Ornette Coleman on sax and amphetamines. (8)
SUPERSUCKERS – Holdin’ The Bag
Even when their country alter-ego takes over like it does on “Holdin’ the Bag”, the Supersuckers remain a top-notch middle-finger flippin’ punk rock ‘n’ roll band. Plus there’s a duet with the lovely Lydia Loveless. (8)
THE DEAD WEATHER – Dodge And Burn
Jack White sits behind the drum set, lets his pals do the Page and Plant impressions for a change. (7)
WITH THE DEAD – With The Dead
I really miss Cathedral but on the other hand Electric Wizard is vastly overrated. (6)
THE OTHER STUFF
BLITZEN TRAPPER – All Across This Land
Reliable folk-rock band always releases solid 7’s. This one is more rock- than folk-leaning. (7)
BOTTLE ROCKETS – South Broadway Athletic Club
Wikipedia calls them “contemporary storytellers from Middle America” and in my book that’s a high compliment. Try to imagine a mellower Replacements doing Springsteen tunes and you’re halfway there. (8)
CORB LUND – Things That Can’t Be Undone
There seems to be a limitless supply of nu-country singers coming out of Canada, and Lund is one of the more entertaining ones. (7)
DARLENE LOVE – Introducing Darlene Love
In case you need an introduction to 74-year old Darlene she is one of the Great American Voices of the last six decades and this album is a triumph, with pals like Bruce Springsteen providing the songs and producer “Little” Steven Van Zandt doing a fantastic job at emulating Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound with an E Street Band twist. (8)
DAVE GAHAN & SOULSAVERS – Angels And Ghosts
The Soulsavers’ dusty rock/trip-hop hybrid sounded much better before with Mark Lanegan behind the mic than it does now with the Depeche Mode dude. (6)
ELECTRIC SIX – Bitch, Don’t Let Me Die!
Discopunkmetalcomedy from Detroit, I have no idea why I decided to listen to their 11th album after ignoring the previous 10 but it was time well wasted. (7)
FLANGER – Lollopy Dripper
Electronica/jazz hybrid duo commuting between Berlin and Santiago De Chile is back after a long hiatus. This is a fun album that fans of Amon Tobin will enjoy immensely. (8)
JEAN-MICHEL JARRE – Electronica 1: The Time Machine
Electronica pioneer returns with a collaboration album, inviting all his children (Air, Vince Clarke, Moby, Massive Attack) as well as some of his peers (Laurie Anderson, Pete Townshend, Tangerine Dream). But I need some funk in my dance music and JMJ wouldn’t know funk if it bit him in the ass. (6)
JOANNA NEWSOM – Divers
With this year’s “Meow The Jewels” Run The Jewels supposedly released the best album utilizing cat meowing sounds ever, but considering Newsom’s voice I think this one tops it. (8)
SHANTEL – Viva Diaspora
Albums like “Disko Partizani” and “Planet Paprika” were highly entertaining, but Shantel now goes all-out Greek and ends up sounding dangerously like Sarbel. (6)
STICK IN THE WHEEL – From Here
Acoustic folk, as English as it gets, sounds ancient and contemporary at the same time. Very interesting debut. (8)
TOM JONES – Long Lost Suitcase
3rd “Tom Jones acting his age” album with Ethan Johns in the role of Rick Rubin, and it’s just as entertaining as the previous two. (8)
