Apologies to all for not posting this on my regular Tuesday release days. However, like the rest of the world, life catches up with us and sometimes planned things don't go as planned. Anywho we are here, we got some great albums being released this week, and I am thoroughly looking forward to listening to a few of these albums!
Obviously artists like the Pixies, Ray Lamontagne, and Yanni will have a large group of dedicated fans picking these albums up. They have spent many years perfecting their sound and performance which shows in their reviews listed below. Other newcomers such as Lindsey Stirling, Little Hurricane, and Devil You Know have impressive new material to show off as well and most likely will start with them for my picks of the week. It's safe to say there is a large quantity of material to keep your ears occupied till next Tuesday.
That being said, we still have to show some financial love to these artists if they want to continue making records. Head down (or up) to your local record store for a physical copy of the album, or an online retailer. If digital is more your thing, then be sure to purchase it from an authorized legal source. Cheers and have a great day!
(Ray Lamontagne - Supernova)
On “Supernova,” he risks it big time — with some problematic results. LaMontagne let Auerbach blur and overlay his vocals until many of them lose the immediacy and depth of his timbre. The singer owns one of the most richly textured growls in modern music. It’s the central part of what has made his previous albums gripping. Here, its often lost in a wash of backup “ahs” or a blur of fuzzed-up guitars. It sounds like everyone took a deep toke before they tuned up. -NY Daily News
(Lindsey Stirling - Shatter Me)
Lindsey Stirlings latest album ‘Shatter Me’ is the purest example of why the violin is one of the best instruments out there (and I’m saying “one of” before you call me out on it). There’s an absolute beauty and truth to its sound, which manages to really come alive when you hear Lindsey perform. The beauty of having an album that is nearly entirely instrumental (there are two collaborations with singers that are great tracks) is that it instantly becomes more engaging on a basic level. It becomes easier to get into the music, as you don’t have to focus on lyrical content, instead all you have to do is listen to the composition and let it take over. -Back Seat Mafia
(Pixies - Indie Cindy)
(Yanni - Inspirato)
Each song has a deeply personal story behind it. 'Ode alla Grecia' (which was formerly the instrumental 'End of August') was composed when YANNI was at home in Greece, watching all the tourists departing at the end of summer. As he stared at the ocean, he reflected on his love for his homeland, and felt how bittersweet it was to leave to return to his career in the USA. When Domingo and his son heard this track, they knew immediately what story the lyrics would have to tell. -PR Newswire
(Little Hurricane - Gold Fever)
This is a really great album and the only difficulty is how to pigeon hole it. The fact that it has a wide range of feels, influences and styles is one of the things that make it so enjoyable. However, given the popularity recently of bands like The Black Keys and Alabama Shakes, it wouldn’t do them any harm to try and catch their coat tails. It certainly shows the same sense of a band playing ‘real music’ with a blues feel but also added funk. One things for sure, Gold Fever is definitely an album you should be checking out! -The Soul of a Clown
(Putumayo Presents - Music of the Andes)
Putumayo Records, a label known for putting together accessibly curated world music samplers, delivers the compilation Music of the Andes. Pulling from a variety of sources, this collection focuses largely on the modern 21st century folk music of Peru, Bolivia, and the surrounding Andean mountain region. Featuring a mix of vocals and folk instruments like the ten-stringed charango and the pan flute, acts like Rumillajta and Dueto Nocturnal take a classic approach to the region's traditional music. Other artists like Alejo Garcia and Fauna & Pascuala Ilabaca incorporate modern influences like electric guitars and drums into classic folk styles. The diverse compilation paints an eclectic picture of Andean music's past and present. -All Music
(Saliva - Rise Up)
Modern hard rock connoisseurs who relish big choruses and a plethora of hooks will have a new favorite album. Granted, originality is about as scarce as a virgin in Playboy, but that’s not the point. The band expertly nails the commercial rock format and that is the point. In other words, this may be the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of fast food, but it’s high end fast food, where the burger is juicily grilled, the bun perfectly toasted, the condiments spiked with hot sauce to give them some bite, and the toppings cool and crisp. If that doesn’t make you hungry to hear this album, it should at least make you … hungry. -Hard Rock Haven
(Miss May I - Rise of the Lion)
Rise of the Lion is not perfect, however. Lead single ‘Echoes‘ experiments with a softer side, and Levi Benton‘s growls do not suit it. Only the soaring chorus salvages the otherwise awkward track, so it’s a surprise to hear it thrust into the pre-release limelight when they are much better at delivering darker material. That said, the overall quality of Rise of the Lion will please fans, both old and new. The sub-genre of Metal that Miss May I now perch in is popular, and they clearly have the skill and initiative to one day lead the pack. They have now shrugged off the high school band tagline, and it’s onwards and upwards from here. -Hit The Floor
(Whitechapel - Our Endless War)
The songs are tight, well composed, and technical with a decent amount of breakdowns but not to the point of being overdone. Phil Bozeman’s vocals are commanding and powerful and, thankfully, tend to stay in the lower range of the spectrum avoiding the high-pitched, ear piercing screams often associated with this type of metal. Our Endless War is a brutally heavy album for sure, but I feel it also has just the right amount of groove to suck the listener into its stream of chaotic chugging rhythms propelling them further into the swirling madness. -Pure Grain Audio
(Upon This Dawning - We Are All Sinners)
I never thought I’d be saying this, but Upon This Dawning are on the path to releasing one of the best albums of 2014. As much as I enjoyed their debut album, they had plenty of critics. If their newest single is any indication of what we can expect from their full length, then I think those critics, as well as fans, will be pleasantly surprised. I highly recommend checking it out. -Under The Gun
(Devil You Know - The Beauty of Destruction)
The album uses simplicity and brutality in a beautiful blend. The group doesn’t try to use any overly intricate backing music or crazy tempos. It’s just super heavy riffs, killer blast beats, and Jones’ signature screams offset by his silky smooth, soulful singing voice. The album also delivers a huge variety, as compared to most act these days. The guitar work is stunning, hosting big spider wed leads and solos, and the drum work on this album is top notch giving us the perfect fills, super heavy and pounding when it needs to be and technically melodic when it doesn’t. -Metal Injection
(Insomnium - Shadows of the Dying Sun)
On a technical level, Shadows is superb, with some of the richest and cleanest production this niche has ever offered. Melodies/harmonies gleam with an emotional radiance, while layers of subtler rhythm guitars and atmospheric but restrained keyboards create a lush background, almost like clouds constantly bursting, only they're the same recycled tears of heaven alighting upon our shoulders and faces.
I feel the same about this as I do when staring at a well cut gemstone...brilliant for a few minutes in how it captures the light this way or that, or summons up a memory of beauty, but ultimately just a superficial stone. -Metal Archives
(Godhead - The Shadow Realigned)
Godhead is perhaps one of the most interesting hard rock bands recently to emerge, whose start dates back to the mid 90's. Their remix album, The Shadow Realigned, takes a diverse perspective on tracks that keep with their theme of being one part goth, one part industrial and one part metal. The album begins with "The Gift (Robotic Beehive Remix)," a song that offers a cutting edge electronic heavy backing and allows Jason Miller's vocals to shine through despite the relentless imagination that the producer opted to add to the cut. -Examiner
Vinyl:
To mark the band's 40-year recording career, on April 15, 2014, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) will celebrate with the vinyl reissue of the original Moon Records (pre-Mercury) release of Rush, as part of Universal's reDISCovered vinyl series. Housed in a sturdy, custom box with a lift-off top, this landmark album is pressed on 200g, audiophile grade vinyl, from the original 1974 analog stereo masters, cut to copper plates using the Direct Metal Mastering (DMM) process at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Rush also features the original Moon Records jacket art, complete with the original MN-100-A/B Matrix etching, and will include a 16'x22' reproduction of the first Rush promo poster, three 5'x7' lithographs of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and John Rutsey, a 12'x12' Rush Family Tree poster, and a digital download card for a free digital copy of this newly remastered release. -Amazon
CD/DVD/Box Sets:
(The Allman Brothers Band - 40th Anniversary Show: Beacon Theatre)
This was also a normal Allman Brothers gig in the classic sense – that every active, improvising-rock band in America would kill for a few minutes at the peaks the Allmans, now in their 44th year, hit repeatedly over their two sets, as if this was just another day on the night shift.
In a band that has known too much tragedy and keeps dodging close calls (such as Gregg's recent victory over hepatitis), the two guitarists have become a loyal, renewing resource. -Rolling Stone
(Toto - Live In Poland: 35th Anniversary)
A wildly successful band in their own right, Toto helped shaped the sound of pop music in the '70s and '80s not just with their own songs, but as studio musicians for Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and Michael Jackson. Celebrating their 35th anniversary, the band that served as the backbone for some of the smoothest pop hits of their day take Europe by storm on 35th Anniversary Tour: Live in Poland. Playing to a massive, standing-room-only crowd in Lodz, Poland, a lineup featuring Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, David Paich, and Joseph Williams take to the stage to deliver a stellar performance for their ecstatic European fans. Featuring hits like "Africa," "Rosanna," and a rousing rendition of "Hold the Line," this live set does their old material justice, and will be a welcome addition to the collection of any die-hard Toto fan. -All Music
(The Winery Dogs - Dog Treats)
Loud And Proud Records/Three Dog Records will release a "Special Edition" of their debut album that features a live CD along with the original studio album. There will also be a "Deluxe Special Edition" that contains not only the two discs mentioned above, but also a third CD of studio demos, a DVD of music videos and interviews with the band, Mike Portnoy's in-studio diary from the making of the record, a custom Winery's Dogs dog tag with chain, a custom Winery Dogs wine bottle topper and finally a custom embroidered Paw print logo patch. -JP's Music Blog
Singles:
Thanks for mentioning Yanni. Will be picking up this new album for sure, me and Megan are going to see him at the Molson Amphitheatre, always a great show. And also will be checking out the live Toto album, always love Toto (not the dog) drummer Simon Phillips has been playing with them for years. Not sure if you put up the interview I did with him or not.
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