Alright so here we are again everyone. Back at it on a lovely Tuesday with some fine ass albums hitting shelves across North America today. Sorry for my absence yesterday as I was out and about celebrating some birthday festivities. I did however get the chance to take a listen to a few of these albums (Alexisonfire, Chevelle, etc) for some entertainment. I have mixed feelings on the albums since none of them really struck a familiar chord for me, but that's music for you. It's hit and miss and what I may find "meh" might be "wow" for others, so no offense to those who are digging some of these albums. Granted there are a few such as the Alexisonfire EP and the Smashing Pumpkins re-issue that will be selling quite good, but I also had a chance to listen to some of the Danny Elfman score for the movie "Hitchcock". I am personally a fan of Elfman's work not only in Tim Burton scores, but even rockin' out to some old Oingo Boingo (ohhh yes, you remember them).
Anyways, take a listen or preview but be sure to visit your local record store or online retailer for some of these titles and (of course) more...
This EP is unusual in that it’s acoustic, and is exclusively Wade and Dallas. No drums (except for one tom on 'You Burn First' and some effects on 'Burial'), no bass, and no screaming vocals from George Pettit. It’s oddly fitting that a band so heavy is ending on a somber, acoustic note. I will remain by my unfulfilled dreams of another studio album someday and a final American show, but quite truthfully, this seems like a move by the band to put the period at the end of their sentence. It’s called Death Letter, and is a soft, sad release from a band known for their heaviness and anger. -Under The Gun
Capping off over a decade of commercial dominance on the American mainstream rock charts, Chevelle do a victory lap of sorts with their greatest-hits collection, Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites. With hits like 'The Red,' 'Face to the Floor,' and 'Hats Off to the Bull,' among others, anyone even vaguely familiar with modern rock radio will find something recognizable here. Fortunately, part of what has made Chevelle an almost inescapable band has to do with their sound, which blends some of the best parts of straight-ahead hard rock with some of the drama and tension of art rockers like Tool. This left-of-center style helps to give Chevelle lend a nuance to their sound that many of their 'tough but sensitive' post-grunge contemporaries lack, allowing them to be plaintive without necessarily needing to break out the candles and acoustic guitars. Of course, longtime fans already know this, so as a reward for them, the band has included an all-new track, the hard-hitting 'Fizgig,' a riff-driven stomper of a song that feels like a hard march. While the song is definitely a good one, your level of fandom is really going to determine whether you need this collection or not. However, if you're just coming to Chevelle, Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites makes for an unsurprisingly great place to start, with its 12 tracks just enough to hook you in without overwhelming you, and a selection strong enough that it would probably stand up to most any mixtape a fan would put together. -All Music
There are songs on ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’ that are among the best Hinder has ever done. But there are also some misfires and filler that detracts from the overall quality of the release. Hinder are at their best when they showcase their own distinctive sound, and too often on this album the song quality is there, but their identity is obscured. -Loudwire
(Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Deluxe Edition)
MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS is being released in multiple physical and digital configurations, including an expanded 5CD+DVD Deluxe Box Set (also available digitally) and the remastered original album in 4LP Vinyl, 2CD, and digital formats. The Deluxe Box Set's 5 CDs include 64 bonus tracks of previously unreleased material or alternate versions of MELLON COLLIE era songs, and its DVD features a live show filmed at the Brixton Academy, London (1996) and bonus performances from the German music television show Rockpalast (1996). It all comes housed in a 12 x 12 lift-top box with magnetic closure, reimagined cover art and velvet-lined disc holder. The package includes 2 books containing personal notes, lyrics, new collage artwork, plus a Decoupage kit for creating your own scenes from the MELLON COLLIE universe. The bonus content and special features were curated from the band's archives by CORGAN, and have been painstakingly remastered for the first time from the original master tapes by Bob Ludwig. -PR Newswire
(Soundtrack by Danny Elfman)
If you are a fan of Elfman’s work you NEED to own this soundtrack. I suggest seeing the film first, which I reviewed and you can find the review here, and then picking up the soundtrack and blasting it in your car while driving down some weird looking neighborhood or just blasting it in your car on your way home, works either way. I think he could get some awards buzz for this. It’s the best he has done in a while. If Alfred Hitchcock was alive today, Danny Elfman could very well be someone he’d constantly work with. He’d bring the right amount of scariness, quirk, shock and emotion to a Hitchcock film. -Screen Invasion
See you all next week for another batch of tunes!
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