THE LOUDER STUFF
EYEHATEGOD – A History Of Nomadic Behaviour
Sick music for sick people. (8)
HUMAN IMPACT – EP01
Relive the glory days of New York’s 90’s noise rock scene with misleadingly titled second full album by supergroup featuring members of Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop and Swans. (8)
MOS GENERATOR – The Lantern
Cultish stoner rock band tweak and re-release an EP that was a limited edition 10-inch back in 2007. Children of the Sabbath. (7)
SAXON – Inspirations
Heavy metal veterans covering heroes of previous generations (Stones, Beatles, Kinks, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Purple), sort-of-peers a couple of years ahead of them (Motorhead, Lizzy, AC/DC), and… Toto? Sounds like they had lots of fun in the studio. (7)
PAUL STANLEY’S SOUL STATION – Now And Then
It’s not loud. It’s not Kiss. It’s Stanley with an 11-piece band (featuring Kiss drummer Eric Singer) embracing his love for Motown and classic early 70’s proto-disco soul with 5 original songs and a bunch of cover versions (Smokey Robinson, Temptations, Al Green, The Spinners, The Stylistics etc.). A very pleasant listen. (7)
SUNBURNED HAND OF MAN – Pick A Day To Die
Weird psychedelic rock that sounds like a bunch of punks buttfucking mid-70’s Pink Floyd. (8)
SERJ TANKIAN – Elasticity
5 songs originally written for a SOAD album that never happened, it’s the closest Tankian has come to the SOAD sound throughout his solo career. (7)
THE OTHER STUFF
THE CITY CHAMPS – Luna 68
Shit-hot Southern-fried funky soul/jazz by Memphis-based organ trio, check it out! (8)
LANA DEL REY – Chemtrails Over The Country Club
This feels like a transitionary piece of work, as if she wants to move away from the L.A.-noir but still figuring out exactly how to do it. Not the true masterpiece that “Normal Fucking Rockwell” was, still a very good album. (8)
JAY GONZALEZ – Back To The Hive
Drive-By Truckers keyboardist/third guitarist’s solo album is a welcome departure from the DBT sound: This is classic 70’s-style AM radio power pop – think Badfinger, Todd Rundgren, that Beatles/Beach Boys influenced stuff, all vintage keyboards and multi-layered vocal harmonies. (7)
VALERIE JUNE – The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers
Americana’s rising star on her best album yet. (8)
JIMBO MATHUS & ANDREW BIRD – These 13
Former Squirrel Nut Zippers bandmates on collaborative album of originals that sound like Appalachian folk and blues classics from ages past. Just Mathus’ guitar, Bird’s violin and their voices. So hauntingly beautiful that I actually started crying during “Three White Horses And A Golden Chain”. (8)
ISRAEL NASH – Topaz
Texas-based hippie gives off strong Chris-Stapleton-meets-My-Morning-Jacket vibes, music-wise and hair & beard-wise. (7)
SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY – Grapefruit Moon: The Songs of Tom Waits (Remastered)
One of my absolute favorite albums of the last 15 years, Southside Johnny’s big band jazz interpretations of Tom Waits tunes, now remastered and re-released. A must hear for those who missed it the first time around, i.e. everyone. (10)
VLATKO STEFANOVSKI– Taftalidze Shuffle
In the 80’s Yugoslavia Stefanovski established himself as a bona fide guitar hero with his band Leb I Sol, and this solo old-school record oscillating between classic rock, funk rock, and jazz fusion proves he’s still got it. Warning – lyrics in his mother tongue might sound alien to untrained ears. (7)
RYLEY WALKER – Course In Fable
Walker jokes that Genesis was the main influence on this record, but I’m listening to it right now and I don’t think he’s joking. (8)
