Album review
Big Day in a Small Town
Brandy Clark
Big Day in a Small Town gives Brandy Clark's closely observed songwriting a brighter, heavier setting. Producer Jay Joyce brings fuller rhythms and stronger pop and rock textu…
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Album review
Brandy Clark
Brandy Clark
Brandy Clark puts a clear voice at the centre of this self-titled album. Producer Brandi Carlile gives the songs a quiet, direct setting, allowing small changes in delivery to…
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Album review
The Darker Side of Nonsense
Dry Kill Logic
The Darker Side of Nonsense makes a direct case for heavy riffs and forceful vocals. Dry Kill Logic keep the guitars substantial and the rhythms physical, with Cliff Rigano mo…
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Excalibur
Mindforce
Excalibur gives Mindforce's hardcore a strong melodic and rhythmic character without reducing its weight. The songs are brief, but their riffs and leads contain enough detail …
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Family Ties
Charles Wesley Godwin
Family Ties gives Charles Wesley Godwin's country-folk a broad, carefully arranged setting. His sturdy baritone remains close to the centre, while Al Torrence's production lea…
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Chemical Miracle
Trophy Eyes
Chemical Miracle finds Trophy Eyes making their melodic side count without leaving the harsher music behind. John Floreani moves between throaty shouting and a much cleaner de…
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Floral Green
Title Fight
Floral Green keeps Title Fight's punk urgency while making more room for atmosphere. The guitars are dense and melodic, the vocals can sound close to breaking, and the slower …
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Stasis
Hippotraktor
Stasis puts Hippotraktor's sharp rhythmic playing beside softer guitars and contrasting voices. The Belgian band can make a riff feel heavy through its stops and accents, then…
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Homey
Chon
Homey brings a bright, relaxed mood to Chon's intricate guitar music. The songs are short enough to stay approachable, even when the playing becomes highly detailed. Clean gui…
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Ours Is Chrome
Superheaven
Ours Is Chrome makes a strong case for a familiar sound. Superheaven take thick, distorted guitars and quiet vocal melodies, then build songs that give both enough room. The p…
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Meridian
Hippotraktor
Meridian makes a strong case for heavy progressive music that still gives listeners a clear way into the songs. Hippotraktor use tightly controlled rhythms, thick guitar parts…
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Kodama
Alcest
Kodama brings a strong sense of movement to Alcest's mixture of soft melody and heavy guitar. The French duo allow the quieter music to develop at its own pace, while harsh vo…
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Nothing More
Nothing More
Nothing More put considerable effort into making their heavy rock sound larger than a simple sequence of riffs and choruses. The guitars are substantial and the hooks clear, b…
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Youth
Citizen
Youth makes its point with a small set of well-used tools. Citizen bring quiet guitar passages, heavier bursts and Mat Kerekes' exposed singing together in songs that rarely n…
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Here Be Monsters
Motorpsycho
Here Be Monsters explores a gentler side of Motorpsycho without removing the tension from their music. Warm bass, layered guitars and vocal harmonies create a patient psychede…
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Album review
Bronze
Crippled Black Phoenix
Bronze combines substantial guitar riffs with quieter, more theatrical passages. Crippled Black Phoenix give the music a broad sound, using different voices and orchestral col…
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Sound & Fury
Sturgill Simpson
Sound & Fury puts distorted guitars and synthesisers in charge of Sturgill Simpson's music. The country voice remains recognisable, but the setting is a loud mixture of hard r…
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Album review
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam's self-titled album brings their harder rock playing into a more direct sequence of songs. There is less room for unusual detours, and the guitars stay close to the …
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Pawns & Kings
Alter Bridge
Pawns & Kings puts Alter Bridge's heavier guitar playing firmly in the foreground. The melodies remain broad and the singing highly expressive, but the riffs give the record a…
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Album review
Revolution
Miranda Lambert
Revolution gives Miranda Lambert's country songs a large, rough guitar sound. The drums hit hard, the louder arrangements can become crowded and her voice has plenty of force.…
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Album review
Heavy Load Blues
Gov't Mule
Heavy Load Blues makes a strong case for letting Gov't Mule work within a narrower frame. The band have always carried blues through their rock music, but this set puts the st…
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Album review
Kingfish
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
Kingfish introduces Christone “Kingfish” Ingram as a blues musician with more to offer than a quick display of guitar speed. His debut has plenty of strong playing, but the so…
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Album review
Visions
Haken
Visions asks for a considerable amount of time, then makes a good case for taking it. Haken's second album is full of long songs, changing rhythms and detailed instrumental pl…
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Album review
Wired
Jeff Beck
Wired puts Jeff Beck's guitar inside a more forceful, keyboard-rich version of jazz rock. The playing has plenty of speed, but the rhythms and contrasting arrangements give it…
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