THE HARDER STUFF
EX HEX – It's Real
Female trio featuring Helium’s Mary Timony plays power pop halfway between Cheap Trick hard rock riffage and Buzzcocks angsty wit. (7)
O.R.K. – Ramagehead
Prog rock/metal supergroup featuring members of King Crimson and Porcupine Tree and an Italian singer who sounds creepily Chris Cornell-ish. SOAD’s Serj Tankian guests on one song. Impressive on the first listen but wears out quickly. (6)
SOEN – Lotus
I was going to describe this as a really good cross between Katatonia and Opeth, but then I realized that Opeth is already a really good cross between Katatonia and Opeth. (8)
TESLA – Shock
Produced by Def Leppard’s Phil Collen, it's no shock that “Shock” is a rather polished, poppy affair. Not bad, but I prefer my Tesla a bit dirtier. (7)
THE TREATMENT – Power Crazy
It’s almost as good as a bad AC/DC album, so it’s pretty good. (7)
THE OTHER STUFF
CACTUS BLOSSOMS – Easy Way
Another group of siblings goes for that Everly Brothers vibe, and to a large extent succeeds. (7)
CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA – To Believe
A new slice of downtempo jazzy semi-electronica from the masters. Gorgeous, essential nighttime listening. (8)
KEL ASSOUF – Black Tenere
Tuareg music might have originated in Africa, but Kel Assouf make it sound like it’s much closer related to Led Zeppelin than to Salif Keita or Ali Farka Toure. (7)
PATTY GRIFFIN – Patty Griffin
One of the best albums of the year by criminally underrated Americana singer/songwriter, this time incorporating some jazz elements into her folk/blues. Ex-boyfriend Robert Plant provides backing vocals on a couple of tracks. (9)
SOLANGE – When I Get Home
More experimental than its excellent predecessor “A Seat At The Table” and that’s not a bad thing by itself, but in this case it’s a bit all over the place and a hit-or-miss affair. (7)
STRAND OF OAKS – Eraserland
Timothy Showalter rocks a bit harder than his trademark Americana this time around, with studio help from Jason Isbell and 4/5’s of My Morning Jacket (who apparently brought their reverb unit along). Minus one point for the boring 17-minute experiment that closes the album. (7)
TOM RUSSELL – October In The Railroad Earth
Russell had made the List two albums back, in 2015. This time he settles for doing his best Johnny Cash impression. (7)
