Well hello Tuesday!
I always find that Tuesday release days are a good early break in the week. At the end of the day, when at work people are always looking for something to make their day either go by fast, easier, or just have some groove with your paperwork. Whatever the case may be, this week's releases are sure to bring some pleasure to your eardrums. Some notable albums that won't go unnoticed around the music world are Franz Ferdinand, Ellie Goulding, and of course the highly anticipated new Avenged Sevenfold album "Hail To The King".
Mind you, we cannot forget about some staple albums hitting shelves this week as we see DevilDriver, Jars of Clay, Everlast, and Ministry all dropping some new material from multiple genres. I am eager to get my hands on a few of these and have them spinning in my playlist for the gym tunes. Nothing like some Dez Fafara screaming at you to pump that extra set and/or rep!
So the usual obnoxious rant folks. I don't think I would have to do this so often if bands stopped bitching about 'stealing' their albums (that's another rant in itself) but for their sake and the rest of us in the music industry, head over to your local record store, online retailer or other legal source to grab one, two or all of these albums. Just as long as you don't go bankrupt in the process (haha).
(Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action)
"It turns out the band are taking the zeitgeist by stealth. At first glance the album is merely some Jack Daniels-soaked madeleine to summon memories of another time. They could have tried to squeeze into their 2004 sonic wardrobe, but Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action is handsomely dressed in contemporary garb: Franz are ageing gracefully by getting fellow disco dads like Hot Chip and Norwegian dance producer Todd Terje to give their tracks a bit of modern production flair, but still cut their cloth with the same lines that flattered them before: strutting white-funk guitars, an emphatic rhythm section and a rounded lyrical character that, incarnate, would be a moderately successful architect whose airy sexual confidence is undercut by existential anxiety." -The Guardian
“’All Re-Mixed Up’ is the continuation of the Puscifer tradition to release alternate versions, reworks, and remixes of what we consider initial thoughts. For instance, Carina Round was nervous about how to approach her version of ‘Telling Ghosts.’ Mat Mitchell put her at ease by asking her to think of it as a song half written, advising her to ‘now write the other half.’ It’s extremely liberating in the digital age to approach composing and creating in this manner. Infinite paths to explore, reinterpret, and re-present.” -Keenan
AFGM: Avenged Sevenfold - Hail To The King
"The thing I’ve struggled with the most is simply determining if the album is good, bad or meh. Is it good because they accomplished exactly what they said they would, or it is bad because it doesn’t quite have as much of a wow factor as some of their previous releases? Or, is it just a combination of the black and white, resulting in a meh? Well, amidst my nitpicking, I can still say that I do at least like this album. I would definitely rank Hail to the King higher than their past couple of releases, but it’s probably not up there in Avenged Sevenfold’s shining moments. But if you're already a fan, check it out and you'll probably be impressed. If you've never given them a try, then this could be the album to bring you in." -Metal Injection
(Ellie Goulding - Halcyon Days)
"Halcyon as a standard release is categorically dark. Much like Ellie’s debut album Lights, the follow-up includes handfuls of cuts that swim in a whirlpool of unrequited love, the need to move on, and/or the perseverance to keep at a romance that is worth the wait. Ellie has a gift, though, for masking morbidity within poppy uptempo beats (listen to the lyrics on “Lights” and “Anything Could Happen”; they’re darker than you think)." -Idolator
(Everlast - The Life Acoustic)
"To sum this album up, it surely is fantastic, but probably only something for the biggest EVERLAST fans since it spares out the biggest hits. But whoever had seen EVERLAST during his acoustic tour – like the RoD cred during Devilside Festival – will be bewitched by his great voice and will love this album." -Reflections of Darkness
(DevilDriver - Winter Kills)
AFGM: DevilDriver - Winter Kills
"So it would seem like a representation of flawlessness from here doesn’t it? First of all, nothing is perfect I’m afraid; second, I was still deliberating. Over time while listening to this album, I couldn’t help myself from yawning. DEVILDRIVER is an excellent piece of Metal machinery, and nothing would take that away from them, however, they sound like the next band with a probable lesser reputation. Their riffing stimulations and orientations, pivoting between Hardcore through Death to a smudge of Thrash, might be superb, but still nothing is memorable (or droning like “Gutted”). Kudos for Mark Lewis for the production and awesome sound, like the modern band next door, but regretfully, I wouldn’t come back to this one that fast. Also there are Fafara’s vocals, a fine frontman though his voice can be tiring as his vocal lines aren’t that close to be variant. Lastly, “Winter Kills” is DEVILDRIVER’s next move forward into a new horizon. Therefore, I suggest that you would get your hand dirty and tune to this one. Hopefully, in a future not far, DEVILDRIVER would upscale their melodic Death Metal techniques and elevate their efforts even further." -Metal Temple
But this comment was the one that made me laugh out loud...
"The problem with the bulk of DevilDriver‘s material is that it’s obviously geared for teenagers. Not as blatantly as, say, Arch Enemy‘s, but despite an inherently cool vocal approach, Dez’s emotional range only fluctuates between two settings: Adolescent angst and tough-guy posturing. Thus, you end up listening to DevilDriver because:
A) You need to drive somewhere very quickly, or
B) Your boss is a dick." -Angry Metal Guy
(Michael Monroe - Horns and Halos)
"Difficult second album? Not a chance this band has absolutely breezed it and that old wives’ tales has been totally blown away with consummate ease. In fact I’d go so far as to say If there is a better band out there making record today then please step forward because I haven't heard them. The time has come for Michael Monroe and his band to go global and push on through and 'Horns & Halos’ has the class to step up and take anything and everything it wants. The world is their oyster and once again Michael Monroe and band have delivered the goods in spades. Give it five out of five, ten out of ten, horns up, record of the week, number one with a bullet, top of the class - rate it however you like, but if you only buy one more record this year then this is it. So go do it NOW!" -Uber Rock
"After Decyfer Down's long silence, it's good to hear new material from the rock outfit. This album shows lead singer TJ Harris truly taking the band's direction into his hands, owning a sound that has progressed from but still ties into the original sound of 2006's End of Gray. Although the pacing is at times rushed and the songwriting is a little hit or miss, the hit moments certainly drive home. Thematically, the album boldly strikes a balance between calling out the prideful while also recognizing a personal need for grace, backing it up with aggressive guitar grit and striking melodies." -New Release Tuesday
(Jars of Clay - Inland)
"Original at the core and rooted in practiced experience, Jars of Clay has stayed incredibly fascinating after nearly two decades of work, and it makes an album like Inland all the more impressive. Regular risk-takers from the start, a band like Jars of Clay has had plenty of chances to coast, but Inland demonstrates that the band's identity rests in revitalizing change. Kissing summer off with bliss and excellence, these perennial contenders for best-of-year honors make Inland essential listening for 2013's year in music." -Jesus Freak Hideout
(Ministry - Enjoy The Quiet: Live From Waken 2012)
"Industrial metal spellcasters Ministry tore through a set of old classics and newer material in front of 75,000 deranged metal fans at the Wacken Open Air festival in northern Germany on their 2012 Relapse tour. Video document Enjoy the Quiet captures the entire set, which was said by the bandmembers to be one of their final shows since guitarist Mike Scaccia died shortly after the tour finished and just months after tracking was complete for Ministry's 2013 album From Beer to Eternity. Among the 11 songs on the set list are crowd favorites "Thieves," "N.W.O." (New World Order), and "Just One Fix." The DVD release is rounded out by a second, bonus disc featuring Ministry's entire performance from their 2006 appearance at the Wacken festival." -All Music
(Find Me - Wings of Love)
"This is a new studio project initiated by Frontiers Records and his President Mr. Serafino Perugino, a new melodic Rock dream team release conceptualized and envisioned by the now essential Italian label, the indisputable leader of AOR and the most regular and reliable provider of melodic Hard Rock music as well as the most prolific and one of the more powerful of the whole scene.
The Daniel Flores, fantastic & amazing studio abilities tricks, and mastery in tweaking the knobs and the faders, is more than obvious because the sound result is rich and refined, powerful and very radio friendly but rocking and also spacious yet still never sterile, a big hurrah for this technically perfect and this up-lifted sounding, piece of melodic rock." -Metal Temple
Box Sets:
(The Beach Boys - Made In California)
"But ‘Made in California”s main bait for collectors is 60 previously unreleased songs, which include demos, alternate takes, live cuts and TV performances. None of them is particularly noteworthy, but they serve as side-glanced reminders that the band wasn’t just another made-in-the-studio ’60s creation that became an oldies-circuit fixture once the hits dried up. (The box also includes a ton of photos, memorabilia and recollections by the group, including a 1959 essay penned by Wilson.)
‘Made in California’ also confirms that, contrary to popular belief, there wasn’t a huge drop off in good music once the ’60s were over. There’s no denying the Beach Boys were at their peak then — there are dozens of hit singles, ‘Pet Sounds’ and ‘Smile’ to prove it — but as youthful pleasures gave way to adult uncertainties, the music becomes more complex and intricate. But the pleasures remain." -Ultimate Classic Rock
EPs:
(John Frusciante - Outsides)
After Outsides, you can only wonder what John Frusciante is going to throw at you next with this new direction he has taken with his solo career. If his goal was to not stick to but work outside of the traditional realms of rock and pop, he’s done that and then some." -Bearded Gentlemen Music
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