ALKALINE TRIO – Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs
Pop-punk veterans keep doing what they do. (7)
DOGMA – Dogma
A blatant attempt to capitalize on Ghost’s success, it gets the sound and the visuals right but totally misses out on the humor and the subtle subversion. (6)
GREEN DAY – Saviors
Their most political album since “American Idiot”, and among their top-5 (probably #4). That’s quite a feat for a band that has been going on since 1987 on their 14th outing. (8)
ESCUELA GRIND – DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL
4-song EP tribute to one of their favorite genres, and they absolutely nail it. Katerina Economou is not intimidated by Barney Greenway’s guest slot, and that tells you something. (8)
HEALTH – Rat Wars
Dancefloor-friendly industrial with NIN as the most obvious reference point but not enough hooks. (6)
GREG PUCIATO – FC5N (EP)
Ηe’s turning into Mike Patton, with all these different projects and all of them good. 5 tracks here, most of them previously available as bonus tracks, it’s high-quality modern heavy rock. (8)
THE OTHER STUFF
RYAN DAVIS & THE ROADHOUSE BAND – Dancing On The Edge
Literate southern gentleman with a sound often utilizing Americana/country-ish signifiers (e.g. pedal steel guitars, Joan Shelley guesting) but a dense lyric sheet of weird poetry and oddball humor that, as a songwriter, positions him closer to someone like Craig Finn. (8)
JOHNNY DOWD – Is Heaven Real? How Would I Know
Legendary country music weirdo on 19th album, which sounds like all things Memphis combined. His voice is a bit off, but that’s actually part of the charm of this record. (8)
GLASS BEACH – Plastic Death
“OK Computer” as done by Yes. (8)
THE SMILE – Wall Of Eyes
Radiohead spin-off sounds quite a bit like a cross between 1999 Radiohead and 2015 Radiohead so, with all due respect to Tom Skinner, I really don’t understand why it’s not a Radiohead album. (8)
VARIOUS ARTISTS – She’s Got the Power! Female Power Pop, Punk & Garage
Is Blondie “power pop”? Lydia Loveless? Girlschool??? Is “power pop” even a genre? And if it is, do “power pop” artists exist or only “power pop” songs? I dunno but this is an extremely fun, joyous compilation of adrenaline-fueled party tunes. (11)
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