Short Attention Span Record Reviews – Back To School Version

ACCEPT – Blind Rage

Basically sounds like an above average Accept tribute band. (6)

BRAD PAISLEY – Moonshine In The Trunk

He’s a fantastic guitarist and a talented songwriter but this album, containing every country music cliché imaginable, ends up sounding like a 52-minute long Bud Light commercial. (5)

CORY BRANAN – The No-Hit Wonder

Where Brad Paisley tries too hard and fails, Cory Branan succeeds and makes it look easy: Top-notch country songwriting with a rock ‘n’ roll attitude, an original approach and a sense of humor. (8)

EARTH – Primitive And Deadly

Psychedelic desert blues no more, it’s back to doom and gloom for Carlson & Co. Crushing. (8)

ENUFF Z’NUFF – Covered In Gold

Fun collection of cover versions chosen with impeccable taste (Queen, The Cult, Nirvana, Bowie, assorted Beatles, Smokey Robinson, Prince, Billy Squier!) and played with power pop gusto by a band that was always more Cheap Trick than Kiss. (7)

JESSICA HERNANDEZ & THE DELTAS – Secret Evil

Sort of like a newwavevoodoobilly Amy Winehouse backed by pre-sellout The Black Keys. Cool and catchy! (8)

JOHN ZORN - Myth And Mythopoeia

After listening to opening track “Pandora’s Box” I’ll never ever again look at a soprano the same way, and after listening to “Babel” I’ll avoid all further interaction with viola players. (7)

LISA GERRARD – Twilight Kingdom

Is it just me or is this too new age-y? Listening to it feels like I’m in a candlelit spa lying on my stomach with a towel covering my ass and someone’s about to give me a massage. (6)

MARK LANEGAN BAND – No Bells On Sunday

A brief set of Odes To Sad Hipsters. (6)

MIREL WAGNER – When The Cellar Children See The Light Of Day

People call it things like “hauntingly bleak” and “darkly beautiful”, I just call it “fucking miserable”. (6)

PALLBEARER – Foundations Of Burden

Doom metal purists might dismiss this for reaching beyond the genre. Their loss if they can’t enjoy this great, thick slab of quicksand-like riffage and mindfuckery. (8)

PHIL RUDD – Head Job

Uh-oh, I think he just pulled a Peter Criss. (6)

QUEEN – Live At The Rainbow ‘74

Two full Queen concerts circa “Queen II”/”Sheer Heart Attack”, so it’s got none of the hits and all of the awesome awesomeness. (11)

RIOT V – Unleash The Fire

Am I the only metal fan who has a problem with this? It’s an OK album but a) it’s not nearly as good as anything else by Riot, and b) who cares if it’s good or not anyhow, Mark Reale’s dead. Pretty awful “metal” lyrics too. (–)

ROBERT PLANT – Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar

Plant put together an amazing band, the songs are wow and the production is perfect. Call it electrofolkrock or a tranceltic Zeppelin if you wish, by any name it’s simply stunning. (9)

ROY ORBISON – Mystery Girl [25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]

I could listen to Orbison’s Voice for hours even if he was just reading out the Yellow Pages, but this album also features some fantastic pop/rock songs. A classic. (9)

RYAN ADAMS – Ryan Adams

Finally, Ryan Adams makes a Ryan Adams-ish record and gets back to sounding like Tom Petty’s talented nephew. (7)

SCOTT WALKER & SUNN O))) – Soused

Seriously disturbed sounds for seriously disturbed listeners. For maximum results use headphones and play back to back with the John Zorn album. (7)

SLASH – World On Fire

Another solid, soulful hard rock record with well-placed subtle GnR sonic references from the top-hatted one. But at 76 minutes long, filler is inevitable. (7)

SLOAN – Commonwealth

Canadian power pop veterans release double album with each band member getting one album side to write and play his songs, so it’s basically a collection of 4 solo EPs. The drummer goes prog with an 18-minute track, the other three just act out their Beatles obsession (again). (7)

THE ANGELS – 40 Years of Rock Vol. 2 40 Greatest Live Hits

Triple-album companion to the excellent recent triple-album studio greatest hits compilation, this is all live recordings. Meet Australia’s other best band, the one you don’t already know. (9)

THE HAUNTED – Exit Wounds

The Haunted bring the aggression back with some straightforward Swedish thrash, getting rid of all the (presumably) Dolving-led weird shit. Not as good as the first two albums, better than the last three. (7)

TODD SNIDER – Cheatham Street Warehouse

Back in 1994 when he released his rock ‘n’ roll debut, I saw him play live and was convinced he was going to be the next big thing. He never made it and switched to country, but he remains a great storyteller. (7)

YOB – Clearing The Path To Ascend

Alongside the Pallbearer and Earth albums, Yob’s “Clearing The Path To Ascent” completes this month’s unholy trinity of excellent doom metal releases. (8)