Dream Theater — A Dramatic Turn of Events

Prog-metal legends survive shake-up for best album in nearly half a decade.

Rock
Eric Webb
It’s hard to believe that just a year ago, the future of Dream Theater was totally up in the air.

 

Monday, October 10, 2011

Red Hot Chili Peppers — I'm with You

Rock
Kelley Chambers
For some of us, “I'm With You,” the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 10th studio album, is a long-awaited and welcome project that very likely could never have happened. To others, it didn’t need to happen, and is simply more of the same from a group that should have hung things up 10 years ago and spent their time preening courtside at L.A. Lakers games and basking in their own fame.

 

Friday, September 2, 2011

Sundress — Sundress EP

Nearby rockers dream big.

Rock
Matt Carney
Do you ever listen to Beach House and think, “I’d really like this a lot more if the guitars weren’t so passive.” If so, Denton, Texas, rockers Sundress might just be your new band du jour.

 

Monday, August 22, 2011

The Jimi Hendrix Experience — Hendrix in the West / Winterland

How many different versions of ‘Hey Joe’ do you need to hear, really?

Rock
Matt Carney
I’m absolutely, totally, 100 percent, completely in support of reissues. There is great music in the past that often gets neglected or forgotten once the generation that popularized it ambles a few years into their first mortgages.

 

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Patti Smith — Outside Society

Can anyone but Patti Smith pen a gorgeous piano ballad out of the lyrics ‘pissing in a river’?

Rock
Matt Carney
Well, yeah — the song ends with tectonic plate-splitting crashes of pre-punk circa 1976.

 

Friday, July 22, 2011

Kill the Reflection — 3EP

Post-punk with promise and room to grow

Rock
Stephen Carradini
At its best, Kill the Reflection’s dark, fast music leans toward Joy Division-esque post-punk.

 

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Isis — Live I-V

Metal that is also the world’s loudest post-rock

Rock
Stephen Carradini
I hate showing up late to the party, but it happens sometimes. I’d never been properly introduced to the metal of Isis until I found a posthumously released collection of live recordings in my ears.

 

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Queen — Queen / Queen II / Sheer Heart Attack / A Night at the Opera / A Day at the Races

A remarkable first wave of reissues

Rock
Rob Collins
Most reissues are a shameless cash-in, offering little new material or perspective for die-hard fans.

 

Monday, June 6, 2011

Red City Radio — The Dangers of Standing Still

No letup of enthusiasm, speed in this debut

Rock
Stephen Carradini
There’s something to be said for sticking to your guns, and Red City Radio is saying it.

 

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Jimi Hendrix — South Saturn Delta

Jaw-dropping B-sides, just in case you forgot how awesome Hendrix is

Rock
Stephen Carradini
I am not the type to worship guitarists, as I prefer songwriting to epic solos.

 

Thursday, May 12, 2011

The Boom Bang — World War Fun

These amps go to 1,000.

Rock
Stephen Carradini
There is no substitute for a Boom Bang live show.

 

Monday, May 9, 2011

Thursday — No Devolución

An impressive first stab at something more than thoughtful screaming

Rock
Stephen Carradini
At the very least, Thursday deserves credit for not resting on its laurels.

 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Mansions — Dig Up the Dead

Band doesn’t focus on its strengths

Rock
Stephen Carradini
Artists can do whatever they want. But that doesn’t mean they always do what’s best for them.

 

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Unwritten Law — Swan

Do you miss rock in '02? You'll love this.

Rock
Stephen Carradini
You never really forget your first love, and my initial musical passion was turn-of-the-millenium pop-punk like Blink-182 and Sum 41.

 

Friday, April 1, 2011

Elbow — Build a Rocket Boys!

Mushy, mid-tempo pop tunes

Rock
Stephen Carradini
The raw attitude and stripped-down power of Elbow’s 2008 tune “Grounds for Divorce” make it one of my favorite indie-rock songs ever.

 

Thursday, March 31, 2011