Major Label Notables - Fall/Winter 2009 (and a 2010 preview)

So, there are some decent recent and upcoming releases that I think are probably worth mentioning. So here goes.

A couple interesting releases...

• DethAlbum II (Dethklok) - Admittedly this album went relatively unnoticed, despite the fact that the "band" is currently on tour with Mastodon in support of their March release of Crack the Skye. Brandon Small (or should I say Nathan Explosion), has taken a turn for the better in terms of vocal style, and musically Dethklok remains on point. Impressive for a cartoon band.  4/5 Stars. Released September, on the same date as Alice in Chains new release, Black Gives Way to Blue. This is an interesting release. It's good music, and a decent debut for William Duvall, their new vocalist. But you just can't replace Layne. 3.5/5 Stars
  

• Liebe Ist Für Alle Da (Rammstein) - Despite, admittedly disturbing, album artwork, Rammstein continues to make solid music, with an equal dose of industrial and hard hitting metal. This is guaranteed to bother you if you have a thing against profanity, though, given the first single that was released, Pussy. Leave nothing for the imagination, will you? At the same time, the album features Bückstabü, or B********, a word that is meant for the listener to determine their own meaning. Excellent. 4/5 stars. Released October

•  The Great Misdirect (Between the Buried and Me) - There's honestly very little I can say about this album. It lives up to the hype, which is something very few bands can say. Technical ability is exceptional as always. Some were skeptical given the first single, but I assure you. This album is also excellent. 4.5/5 Stars. Released October.

• Raditude (Weezer) - This album had high points. It also had it's very low points (see: Can't Stop Partying). But damn it all if I can stop singing the single, (If You're Wondering if I Want You To) I Want You To. Weezer has perfected the art of the catchy pop-rock song, and I don't see a thing wrong with that. Sure, we'd all like to see a return to the old days, but I'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt here. 3/5 Stars. Released November.

•  Them Crooked Vultures Selftitled - Don't think I've ever absolutely adored an album like this in a long, long time. The collective efforts of Josh Homme, John Paul Jones, and Dave Grohl have come together in an sometimes unfairly criticized masterpiece. It's admittedly very strongly Queens of the Stone Age influenced (see: Interlude With Ludes), with an added Led Zeppelin vibe. I've been blasting it since I got it, and I still am in love with it. I rarely do this, but I rarely enjoy an album this much. 5/5 Stars. Released November.

Coming Soon...

• Honestly, December 2009 doesn't look to good for rock, but I've always enjoyed the Bravery, so I figure I might mention Stir the Blood, to be released on December 1st.

Next year...

• Expect new work from OK Go, Motion City Soundtrack, Eels, Godsmack, Alter Bridge, Coheed and Cambria, Suicidal Tendencies, Disturbed, Sum 41, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Against Me!, As I Lay Dying, Bad Religion, Blink-182, Candlebox, Crossfade, Dropkick Murphys, Evanescence, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Kings of Leon, Korn, Linkin Park, Motorhead, Nevermore, The Offspring, Pennywise (With a new vocalist?), Rush, Saving Abel, Scorpions, Social Distortion, Stone Sour, Stone Temple Pilots, Testament, Tool, and Van Halen. Given bands habits of supporting new albums, I think it's safe to say 2010 will be an excellent year for concerts.
  

• Also look for Priestess's new release, which was already released in Canada, but due to label restrictions it has been put of in the U.S. for at least a few months. 
  

• Smashing Pumpkins is also coming out with a 44 song concept album, to be released for free online over the course of the year.
  

• Them Crooked Vultures and The Dead Weather are also said to already be working on their next efforts.

• Slash's solo album is said to be already completed, and just awaiting the released date. God only hopes it's better than the work he did with Rihanna in Rockstar 101, given the lack of actual guitar in the song.

That's all from me. Look for some old concert reviews that I'm just getting around to writing, in the near future.

Review: The Company Band - The Company Band

This past year was one for rock collaborations. The year of the supergroup if you will, what with bands like Chickenfoot, The Dead Weather, and most recently, Them Crooked Vultures, all gaining popularity. It's likely however, that one supergroup will go relatively unnoticed. With their self-titled full length debut, The Company Band, featuring members from Clutch, CKY, Fu Manchu, and Fireball Ministry, deserve some recognition.

 

The Company Band is a distinct, hard driving release, from the opening riffs of “Zombie Barricades” onward.This song is literally driven by the instrumentation, taking the listener straight into a surprisingly catchy chorus. It's the kind of song that is uniquely intense throughout, and the hooks have the tendency to take a listener by surprise...

 

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Review : Dr. Dog - Fate

Rarely do you find a band that can be compared to other artists, with being called a rip-off or copycat. Obvious influences, because of this, can be a either a blessing or a curse. Psychedelic rock band Dr. Dog, however, manages to pull it off. Fate, the band's most recent release, is a perfect example of music that obviously draws from other musicians' styles, but still maintains a certain uniqueness.

For a band that's been around ten years, they haven't really achieved the recognition that they've deserved. Fate really shows the band's progress, opting for a more polished sound than previous releases...

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Review: Underwater Pilots - Tranquil Places

When I heard the story of Underwater Pilots, I won't lie, I was initially confused, and a bit fascinated. A German duet that creates solely electronic music, despite both members having a classical musical education – I could only imagine what this influence might bring to the table. The product of this project's work is their debut album, Tranquil Places.

 

The opening track “Loud And Clear,” admittedly is very catchy, once you get past the spastic intro. Following the common “verse, chorus, repeat” song structure, and with the fast electronic basis, it's easy to see why some make the initial connection to Depeche Mode....

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Review: Holdsworth Pasqua Haslip Wackerman - Blues for Tony

In 2006, guitarist Allan Holdsworth, keyboardist Alan Pasqua, bassist Jimmy Haslip, and drummer Chad Wackerman came together to pay tribute to the New Tony Williams Lifetime. This collaboration, appropriately entitled Holdworth Pasqua Haslip Wackerman, took a tour in 2007, and the best cuts were compiled into Blues for Tony, the only official CD release to come from the collaboration.

A two disc selection, it perfectly showcases the talents of four musical geniuses throughout. Although classified as jazz, there are other prominent influences within the music. Opening with the obviously progressive title track, each musician has their place in the spotlight. Although there is no specific focus of the song instrumentally, I would have to say it includes some of the most ridiculous jazz guitar work I've ever heard in my life...

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Review: Beppe Crovella - Pianovagando

Music is an outlet. We all know that. Much like writing or painting in the sense that it is an art form, a musician will pour equally as much heart and soul into the music they create as a writer or painter in their respective arts. Music provides a platform upon which a person can recreate feelings and experiences, and relay them to the world. Pianovagando, the solo piano album from Beppe Crovella, is the perfect display of this ideology of music.

Beppe Crovella is already an established successful musician, known best for his work in Italian progressive jazz rock fusion band Arti + Mestieri. On Pianovagando, however, his work takes a much different form. Praised for his talent on the Hammond Organ, Mellotron, and synthesizer, he instead sets these aside for a piano, and nothing more. He then manages to take the listener on a journey, through 57 self-written compositions, each conveying their own short story.

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Review: Phil Ranelin & Tribe Renaissance - Reminiscence

Esteemed jazz trombonist Phil Ranelin has been hard at work for the past few years. Although no official recordings of his own work have been released since 2004, he has compiled a range of recordings from live performances with his band Tribe Renaissance, that took place between 2002 and 2005. These recordings take the shape of the appropriately titled album Reminiscence.

Tribe Renaissance, not to be confused with the Tribe, Ranelin's avante-garde jazz group from the early to mid 1970's, is, in essence, the Tribe of the 2000s, as they are both similar in instrumentation and composition. They are known for their influences from traditional African music, some direct aspects making their way into these more modern pieces.

Beginning with a somewhat disorganized intro of “A Tear in Elmina”, it leads into a much more traditional sounding piece. The song features a natural sounding call-and-response section between the saxophone and and trombone...

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Review: Shannon Corey - Overdue

Typical pop music, these days, is all about effects, preprocessed beats, and lyrics that, admittedly, don't have the most thought put into them. At the same time, an advent of sorts is taking place with a sudden popularity of female singer/songwriters, what with artists like Feist, Corinne Bailey Rae, Yael Naïm, and arguably the most universally recognizable, Regina Spektor.   

Following suit is emerging artist, Shannon Corey, who has been featured by several magazines and even on MTV's The Real World: Cancun. And with her release of Overdue, the EP to follow up Unsaid, it's not difficult to see where all the hype comes from.

A five-song EP, it includes two versions of the title track (full length, and radio edit). It opens with the full length version, which remains both musically interesting and catchy...

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Review: Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones - Falling Through The Cracks

Blues. A genre that, in contemporary terms, is a fading art in its traditional form. A genre that despite it's influences within other genres, such as hip-hop and rock and roll, it's nearly nowhere to be found in today's music .It would seem however, that it's experiencing a re-manifestation of sorts, as more recent artists are exploring all aspects of the genre. From the blues-rock of the White Stripes, the Black Keys and guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa, to the less pop oriented endeavors of John Mayer and even the occasional blues-infused hip-hop of Everlast.

Despite these efforts, traditional blues has nearly been lost. That is what I believed, until I had listened to Falling Through The Cracks, the newest release from Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones. Over an hour of pure blues, it completely restored my faith in the genre.

Most people, upon hearing music by Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones, recognize them as a band that returns to the roots of blues as opposed to a continuation of modern adaptations of the style. Within the first thirty seconds or so of the opening track, “Tonight Is The Night,” this is apparent to anyone. The quick clean opening riff sounds like something straight out of the 50s early rock'n'roll scene...

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