Album review
Bright Future
Adrianne Lenker
Bright Future shows how much room a spare arrangement can provide. Adrianne Lenker works with acoustic guitar, piano and violin without making the feelings small. Her voice st…
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Reviews
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Album review
m b v
my bloody valentine
m b v begins with a familiar sound and ends in much less settled territory. my bloody valentine return to wavering guitars and soft voices, but allow the record to change as i…
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Album review
Who Will Look After the Dogs?
PUP
PUP sound like they have had a very bad week. Fortunately, they have brought some good songs along. Their fifth album, Who Will Look After the Dogs?, is full of damaged relati…
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Album review
3
tricot
tricot keep 3 moving quickly, but also make their gift for melody clearer. The guitars remain unpredictable, the drums change direction easily, and the bass finds its way thro…
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Album review
Master of Reality
Black Sabbath
Master of Reality feels heavy before it feels fast or loud. The lowered guitar and bass tones give Black Sabbath's riffs an unusually dense body, but the playing never becomes…
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Album review
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
My Chemical Romance
Gerard Way sounds as though every song on Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge has reached a moment of crisis. He gasps, sings, shouts and occasionally seems to laugh at the scale o…
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Album review
Elysium
Stratovarius
Elysium gives Stratovarius room to work beyond the fast power metal song. Familiar melodies, high vocals and skilled solos remain important, but much of its strength comes fro…
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Album review
Bloom
Caligula's Horse
Bloom makes a gentle opening feel like the start of something larger. Jim Grey sings over acoustic guitar with enough warmth to make the smallest details matter, and the gradu…
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Album review
Here in the Pitch
Jessica Pratt
On Here in the Pitch, Jessica Pratt gives her music more space without losing its individual character. Her voice stays soft and recognisable, but the backing moves further fo…
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Album review
The Screaming of the Valkyries
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth have reached the point where the excess is part of the appeal. The Screaming of the Valkyries has theatrical vocals, fast guitars and enough gothic drama to fi…
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Album review
Lovin' Of The Game
Michael Cleveland
Lovin' Of The Game shows that technique and good songs can work together comfortably. Michael Cleveland plays with convincing force while giving melody and the other musicians…
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Album review
Burn My Eyes
Machine Head
The opening of Burn My Eyes is built around a particular kind of impact: a guitar figure stops, a sharp harmonic cuts through the gap, then the whole band land together. Machi…
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Album review
Cauterize
Tremonti
Cauterize makes the heavier side of Tremonti's music more prominent while keeping the melodies easy to follow. Fast riffs, active drums and substantial bass playing give the s…
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Album review
Insomniac
Green Day
There is very little room to relax on Insomniac. Even when Green Day slow down, the guitars feel tense and Billie Joe Armstrong sounds as though an argument is still running i…
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Morning View
Incubus
Morning View is comfortable with open space. Incubus can still make a guitar riff hit hard, but they also allow a song to settle into a mood without demanding a dramatic inter…
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Album review
Nobody Knows You
Steep Canyon Rangers
Nobody Knows You brings bluegrass close to a good pop song. Steep Canyon Rangers play with considerable skill, but let melody and storytelling set the direction. The sound is …
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Album review
One-X
Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace use plain language on One-X, and it suits them. Adam Gontier doesn't hide the frustration or dress every feeling in a complicated image. The guitars give the …
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Album review
Addicted
Devin Townsend Project
Enthusiasm is a serious musical choice on Addicted. Devin Townsend builds large, bright choruses over heavy guitar rhythms, then lets Anneke van Giersbergen's voice open the s…
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Album review
An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity
Nothingface
An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity gives Nothingface's heavy sound a useful melodic edge. The riffs and drums provide plenty of force, but Matt Holt's voice can move into a s…
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Album review
Louder Now
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday make an unusually strong entrance on Louder Now. What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost? begins with a clipped guitar figure, then grows into a controlled burst …
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Album review
Whiskey for the Holy Ghost
Mark Lanegan
A voice this distinctive could easily make every arrangement feel secondary. Whiskey for the Holy Ghost avoids that trap. Mark Lanegan's singing remains the centre, but the in…
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Album review
American Standard
Uniform
American Standard leaves Michael Berdan's voice with little protection. His screams sound rough and close, surrounded by guitars that scrape for long stretches and drums that …
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Album review
Light 'Em Up
The Dead Daisies
John Corabi's return gives The Dead Daisies plenty to work with on Light 'Em Up. His rough, bluesy voice fits this band's straightforward hard rock very well. The songs give h…
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Album review
Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
Candlemass
Epicus Doomicus Metallicus turns heaviness into something grand and melodic. Candlemass allows the riffs to move slowly, keeping the songs active through changing sections, st…
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