THE LOUDER STUFF
BOKASSA – All Out Of Dreams
Lars Ulrich apparently likes them a lot but that’s probably because their drummer does not keep time with the precision and accuracy of a high-quality Swiss watch, if you know what I mean. In any case if you like your stoner metal punked up, or if you’re into their compatriots Kvelertak, you’re going to enjoy this. (7)
BRIGHT & BLACK – The Album
Members of Opeth, Meshuggah, Watain, Entombed AD, and Apocalyptica compose for classical orchestra and it sounds like the soundtrack to the kind of movie that features dwarfs, wizards, and a pet dragon. (7)
IHSAHN – Ihsahn
Essentially two albums, a metal one and a classical one. The metal album is fantastic, the closest he’s ever come to the Emperor vibe but more mature. The classical one is alright I guess, but he probably bit off more than he can chew. (9 metal, 7 classical)
LUCIFER – Lucifer V
It’s been a slow, steady development from nice but slightly generic vintage heavy rock to something packing a real punch, but Johanna Sadonis has finally arrived there. Fans of her husband’s post-Entombed bands will certainly enjoy this. (8)
THE OBSESSED – Gilded Sorrow
He might be a paranoid conspiracy theory nutjob on crystal meth but his riffs are still the best you can get west of Iommi. (8)
SLOWER – Slower
What happens when you slow down Slayer songs to doom tempos and downtune them? The “world’s slowest Slayer tribute band” (Slower, get it?) try it out on five classics and it works spectacularly well (“War Ensemble” lasts 11 minutes when sludged down this way). And just in case you thought it’s just a bunch of kids having fun, the band is led by Fu Manchu’s guitarist and features members of Kyuss, Kylesa and others, so it’s actually a bunch of old bastards having fun. (11)
CHELSEA WOLFE – She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She
So good it might turn me into a full-time goth in my old age. (8)
THE OTHER STUFF
BLACKBERRY SMOKE – Be Right Here
Strong new album by the best southern rock band of the 21st century, more Allmans than Skynyrd. (8)
LAURA JANE GRACE – Hole in My Head
Her best set of folk-punk songs outside of Against Me! but they would have sounded even better by her proper band – Grace here plays everything (including drums) except for bass, and it shows. (8)
GRANDADDY – Blu Wav
One of those country-flavored indie albums that end up on year-end “best of” lists, and it is quite nice in a “My Morning Jacket on Vicodin” sort of way. (8)
BRITTANY HOWARD – What Now
You’ll see this one on multiple “year’s best” lists come December, and it is a good album, but certainly not the year’s best – at her finest Howard channels Prince, but there are a few middling tracks of unspectacular R&B here as well. I’m still giving it an 8 because apparently the music critic police will take me out back and shoot me in the knees if I dare give it a 7. (8)
PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS – Band On the Run (50th Anniversary Edition)
I’m not worthy to talk about this album. (10)
NEW MODEL ARMY – Unbroken
Their 1986-1990 three-album run is as good as any three-album run can get and they’ve never been able to reach those heights again, not that anyone could reasonably expect them to. But 40 years after their debut they can still come up with a strong piece of work in their unique style combing post-punk with folk rock. (8)
TY SEGALL – Three Bells
From the 15 albums this guy has released in 15 years this one’s closer to the genre-agnostic "Freedom's Goblin", and that one was his masterpiece. Anything goes here too, in terms of influences: T-Rex, Funkadelic, QOTSA, Love… (8)
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Looking for the Magic: American Power Pop in the Seventies
My latest theory (probably not very original) is that “power pop” is not really a genre, and that there’s only “power pop” songs, not “power pop” artists. This 3-CD compilation provides further proof by bringing together a bunch of people who have no right to be bunched together under a “genre”: Jonathan Richman and Blue Oyster Cult? Television and Bread??? Even MC5 and the Ramones get the “power pop” tag here along with the usual suspects (Todd Rundgren, Big Star, Raspberries, Cheap Trick, The Cars, Badfinger, The Knack) and a whole bunch of unknowns and coulda/shouldabeens, but overall a really fun listen. (11)
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