THE LOUDER STUFF
CHERIE CURRIE – Reverie
The 15-year old girl who sang “Cherry Bomb” is now a 54-year old woman so of course she’s mellowed down a bit. Kim Fowley’s final songwriting credits are found here and former Runaways partner-in-crime Lita Ford guests, among others. (7)
GOATSNAKE – Black Age Blues
Hallelujah praise the (Southern) Lord! Light years ahead of anything released within the “stoner/doom” genre since “Down II” and even adding a gospel-like female choir to St. Vitus riffs, “Black Age Blues” has officially blown my mind. (9)
HIGH ON FIRE – Luminiferous
Relentlessly punishing and heavy as fuck but with weird melodies creeping in between the cracks, just like every HOF album “Luminiferous” is totally awesome – sort of like the Melvins growing up on Motorhead and Dio instead of on Black Flag and Kiss. (8)
JELLO BIAFRA – Walk On Jindal's Splinters
Live album of Biafra with a band of Southern musicians (including Pepper Keenan on guitar) covering New Orleans soul, funk and garage classics like “House Of The Rising Sun”, “Land Of 1,000 Dances” and “Walk On Guilded Splinters”. The originals are more fun, the brass section and the pianist just don’t cut it, and if this is somehow meant as ironic it’s not working. (5)
LEPROUS – The Congregation
It’s basically a heavier but blatant Dredg rip-off, and being a blatant Dredg fanboy that’s OK with me. (7)
LUCIFER – I
Just as paint-by-numbers as their name suggests and substituting the Oath’s catsuits with magick outfits purchased at Occult-R-Us. (5)
MUSE – Drones
If you can look past the megalomaniacal concept and the clumsy “sociopolitical” lyrics, this is actually a pretty good arena rock record that benefits greatly from “Mutt” Lange’s perfectly polished production. Queen they’ll never be, but nobody else comes closer today. (7)
PARADISE LOST – The Plague Within
This opinion won’t make me particularly popular among a certain type of reader of this blog but I totally don’t buy this “return to form” shit: Ever since “Host” and “Believe In Nothing” ruined everything, Paradise Lost have been nothing but a populist approximation of their former selves. (6)
TITUS ANDRONICUS – The Most Lamentable Tragedy
A 29-track double-album punk rock opera, as ambitious as “Quadrophenia” and sort of sounding like Fucked Up meets The Clash meets The E-Street Band. Folks, this rules. (9)
THE OTHER STUFF
ALGIERS – Algiers
Gospel-influenced and southern gothic-tinged indie rock band sounds refreshingly different, albeit not quite offering a religious experience. (7)
BHI BHIMAN – Rhythm And Reason
An entertaining and spiritual mix of soul, rock and reggae from Sri Lanka’s answer to Ben Harper. (7)
JASON ISBELL – Something More Than Free
Isbell is a top-notch country rock songwriter and storyteller and all his albums are growers – you listen to them at first thinking “this is a solid (7)” but then you find yourself regularly seeking refuge in them years down the road. I’m pretty sure this one won’t be an exception so let’s admit that it’s really an (8+).
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Remembering Mountains: Unheard Songs By Karen Dalton
Sharon Van Etten and a bunch of other female folkies (most of which sound by varying degrees like Sharon Van Etten) take lyrics by deceased female folkie and put them to music. (7)
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Truckers, Kickers, Cowboy Angels: The Blissed-Out Birth Of Country Rock, Vol. 3
Third and possibly the strongest instalment so far in this fantastic series documenting the birth and rise of country rock. Allman Bros, Flying Burrito Bros, Delaney & Bonnie, The Band, Townes Van Zandt, David Allan Coe, Moby Grape, Poco, Linda Ronstadt, Kris Kristofferson, even Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin. (10)
WHITEY MORGAN AND THE 78’s – Sonic Ranch
This is pure country steeped in the outlaw tradition and played with a rock ‘n’ roll intensity. Awesome cover of Townes Van Zandt’s ”Waitin’ Round To Die”. (8)
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