Tuesday, January 24th Releases

This week we have a lot of new releases - including some good ones! Sadly, I haven't been available due to some complication of life to flesh these out as well, so I'm posting the abridged versions for now.

Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory

Finally, something more unique! This is a mixture of Sonic Youth and Bad Religion. Good, raw production and just good music that's rarely generic.

Verdict? Buy it, unless you hate music.

Craig Finn – Clear Heart Full Eyes

Pretty cool effort along the lines of Iggy Pop crossed with Counting Crows and a bit of Thin Lizzy. Vocals are a bit Bob Dylanesq, unfortunately.

Verdict? Check it out.

Chairlift – Something

Modern, mellow, New Wave, with primarily female vocals.

Verdict? Good for a passing listen, but not much more.

Bhi Bhiman – Bhiman

Decent singer/songwriter right between Iron and Wine and John Mayer.

Verdict? Worth a listen.

Foxy Shazam – The Church of Rock and Roll

Good attempt at a more rocking version of Queen - not as good, obviously (in fact, I hate to ever draw parallels with Queen at all), but mix in some Jethro Tull and the dirt of all the modern White Stripes clone bands and it's actually pretty cool.

Verdict? Probably even cool enough for the hipsters.

Gonjasufi – Mu.Zz.Le

Noisy electronic meets modern hipster.

Verdict? Does nothing special, but doesn't hurt my ears.

Ingrid Michaelson – Human Again

Surprisingly well orchestrated moody, pop/rock/folk with female vocals. Some nods to Tori Amos.

Verdict? If the above description sounds good to you, this is your album.

Joe Cocker – Hard Knocks

Pretty good modern album with some nice, epic tracks. Strong overall.

Verdict? If you're a fan, you've already bought it.

Nada Surf – The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy

Great band with another great effort.

Verdict? Buy it!

Lacuna Coil – Dark Adrenaline

More of what we've come to expect from this melodic metal band. Still plenty of super generic riffs, but some nice, catchy melodies.

Verdict? Buy if you're a fan, consider if you like the genre.

Lamb of God – Dark Adrenaline

LOG is a solid metal band - almost exactly what I like in modern metal. I'm not a fan of the super generic vocal style, but musically, it's there. More Pantera-like vocals and breakdowns than I remember on their previous albums. That's a bonus.

Verdict? Metalheads must buy it without thinking about it.