Some new, some old. Some odd, some plain. This week's releases are all over the board! Not that there is anything wrong with it (some of us could use a little diversity) but it's going to be hard to be into the vibe of Shatner's new album and then switching to something like Korn or even STP. I guess I got a whole week to kill before next week's releases so it'll give me some time to thoroughly dive into a few of these I have been eager to hear.
Like mentioned before, you never know what you're going to get when dealing with Captain James Tiberius Kirk. Nonetheless, I get a kick out of practically anything Shatner does so this will be another interesting piece to check out. Other albums I am looking forward to hearing are Korn, A Day To Remember (currently listening right now), and of course the new Stone Temple Pilots album featuring Chester Bennington (from Linkin Park). I personally don't give a s**t about the legal woes between former singer Scott Weiland and STP, just make some damn music or step aside!
Other notable albums listed below (Cage The Elephant, Sleigh Bells, New Found Glory, Panic at the Disco, etc.) will serve as filler for the week as my taste and moods vary throughout the week. So here is your chance to take a listen to some of these folks. Head to your local record shop, online retailer, or other legal source to sample and buy. Cheers!
Ponder the Mystery seizes upon this vein of Shatnerdom, nearly burying his inherent hamminess beneath the glistening gloss of analog synthesizers and some serious shredding by the likes of Steve Vai, Mick Jones, Vince Gill, Edgar Froese, and Zoot Horn Rollo. While Has Been, Shatner's 2004 collaboration with Ben Folds, played off the unintentional camp of the Transformed Man, Ponder the Mystery acknowledges the silliness but never celebrates it; there's a sincerity here -- a sincerity that was largely missing from Seeking Major Tom, his 2011 collection of covers for Cleopatra -- that brings this album closer to the Transformed Man, where it never was clear what was real and what was fake. It adds mystery to a record that's all about enigmas, and, when combined with Sherwood's clever aural interpretation of Roger Dean's album art, it makes for a record that's more enjoyable than it has any right to be. -All Music
Although the bluesy, punk-infused, Pixies-inspired playfulness of the earlier records remains, the new album revamps Cage the Elephant’s sound, bringing them closer to having a unique style.
Despite its accomplishments, Cage the Elephant, with its ever-increasing fan base and history of successful records, is still a young band with potential for growth in creating a more unique sound, a goal it has come close to but ultimately fallen short of. However, if the band stays loyal to musical progress, its future records will only continue to improve. -Neon Tommy
(Sleigh Bells - Bitter Rivals)
For their third album, Bitter Rivals, Sleigh Bells have made a few more tweaks to the formula. They've embraced more varied instrumentation—see: the lightning-strike synths on "Sing Like A Wire"; the menacingly strummed acoustic guitar that opens "Bitter Rivals"—and added a drummer to their live show. But most notably, they've become more creatively democratic. Miller handled the lyrics, music, and production on the previous records, but on Bitter Rivals Krauss wrote most of the melodies. The material she's composed for herself does allow her to show more range—Bitter Rivals features both Krauss's most tuneful and aggressive vocals yet, sometimes within the same song—but overall it is the work of a band enduring some growing pains. The good news is that Sleigh Bells have new ideas, but the often-undercooked Bitter Rivals shows they haven't yet found effective ways to execute many of them. -Pitchfork
(Panic! at the Disco - Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die)
When Panic! at the Disco arrived on the scene in 2005, a blur of carnival imagery and emo-leaning pop with florid titles, few would have anticipated the Las Vegas band would bloom into one of rock's most eclectic young acts.
However, the band's fourth album, "Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die" (Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen), solidifies that standing, as Brendon Urie and friends take elements of '80s synth-pop, '90s indie-rock and emo from the Aughts to build a sound that is both comfortably familiar and uniquely theirs. -Newsday
(Alter Bridge - Fortress)
With the band members having gone on record insisting that moving from one musical endeavor to the next only intensifies their creative juices, ’Fortress’ puts that sentiment to the test, with Alter Bridge coming out the victor. Much of the magic of ‘Fortress’ took place during pre-production as the band flexed their musical muscles experimenting with new arrangements and even changing time signatures with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette at the helm, pushing them to their limits all the way.
Although Alter Bridge’s sound embodies many of the signature elements made popular by melodic rock bands that came before them, the substance and technicality that they have immersed into their music have elevated them to a whole new level. ‘Fortress’ proves to be the next impressive chapter in an epic adventure that shows no sign of ending any time soon. -Loudwire
You have to give it up for Mayday Parade, though. Derek Sanders immediately stepped up to the spot Jason Lancaster abandoned after the recording of A Lesson in Romantics [2007], and the band has flourished into a top-rated and quite successful pop/rock act since then. They wrote songs no one can resist and ones that immediate evoke group sing-alongs. But it almost seems as though Mayday Parade have reached a slightly inclined plateau in releasing Monsters In The Closet. Meaning, the band shows some growth and some experimentation in the new songs, but otherwise, the record is a safe continuum from their previous releases. -Alter The Press
(New Found Glory - Kill It Live)
On March 27th and 28th of 2013, New Found Glory played two sold out shows at Southern California's Chain Reaction. The entirety of their set was recorded and has been assembled as NFG's first live release, aptly titled Kill It Live. This album, scheduled for release through NFG guitarist Chad Gilbert's Violently Happy Records (in onjunction with Bridge Nine Records) on October 8th, features the band's seventeen song live set as well as three brand new songs recorded by Paul Miner and mixed by Kyle Black. All of the live tracks capture the energy and excitement of the live NFG experience and the new tracks give the listener a taste of what's to come from the band very soon. -Amazon
That “The Paradigm Shift” perpetually wrestles with this personality conflict is troubling. Crunchy riffs and serpentine rhythmic buildup are quickly bowled over by sappy choruses (“Punishment Time“); while an odd attempt at extra percussion (“Victimized“) sounds like a Pitchshifter throwaway.
On the outside “The Paradigm Shift” puts the band closer to their original 90′s heyday than they have been in years. But the traits only run skin deep. Instead the concessions made for rigid structuring and studio processing keep the album a rock radio sheep masquerading in nu metal clothing. -The PRP
They did things their way, shot a middle finger skyward at Victory Records, and released the album they wanted to release on their own terms. I was impressed with ADTR’s ethos without having to plug in my headphones and listen to a single goddamn note. (Though, for the record, the album does open with a resilient “fuck yeah!”) But, setting the moral victory and court drama aside — I know, bad pun, but my thesaurus is on the far side of my desk and I’d have to move to get it — there’s still the question of whether or not the album is objectively any good. And if I hadn’t followed the court proceedings and listened to Common Courtesy from the comfort of a context-free Hoover, I’d say…kind of.
A Day to Remember bottled up thirteen tracks of pride, passion, poison, and perseverance on Common Courtesy, and the result is an applaudable (non-ADTR fans can at least give the band a golf clap for sticking it to the man) and commendable effort. It’s a rousing collection of the ADTR-est A Day to Remember songs to date, and with the strides they’ve made as artists, I think the well is far from fully tapped just yet. -Property of Zack
(Dance Gavin Dance - Acceptance Speech)
Acceptance Speech is the story of a band that has finally come full circle. The songs here feel less like they have been cobbled together from a multitude of individual pieces and instead come off as complete bodies of work. While not every song here is a winner and while the production could have certainly been less excessive, this is still undoubtedly one of the most well-polished Dance Gavin Dance albums yet. Fans will no doubt keep the Jonny Craig-era versus Kurt Travis-era versus Tilian Pearson-era debate going for an untold time to come, but all the while this band will continue to maintain its niche in an ever-stagnating post-hardcore landscape.
In other words, if you appreciate Dance Gavin Dance, then accept this album you will. -Sputnik Music
EPs:
(Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington - High Rise)
STP made a good choice in sticking with five songs and releasing this collection of new songs as an EP. Each song is worthy of being released as a single, and it’s the perfect introduction into the new chapter of Stone Temple Pilots. If you were hesitant as to whether Bennington could hold a candle to Weiland, he can, and I’m no Linkin Park fan. This is just surprisingly good stuff. -Metal Descent
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