There are two ways to look at summer vacation for AFGM. One side of the argument is that I don't get to post as much as I'd like to because I don't have the time (or the location mind you) to sit down and hash out some articles. It also happens that my creative thinking just shuts right off. So anywho, I apologize for the delay of last week's releases. The upside of the summer vacation is that I have plenty of time to sit down, relax, and check out some of the latest releases being featured here on AFGM.
(Artwork by AFGM. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
So I hope you all get the chance to pick up a few of these albums for whatever occasions lie ahead. Whether it be physical copies from your local record store, online retailer, or a trusted digital source, I am sure you will enjoy even a select few of the albums. Cheers and enjoy discovering new music!
(James Taylor - Before This World)
It’s not enough to distract from the glaring fact that “Before This World” doesn’t add much to Taylor’s beloved catalog, but doesn’t detract from it, either. The prevailing notion is clear: Easy does it and right down the middle of the road — exactly where we expect him to be. -Boston Globe
(Yukon Blonde - On Blonde)
Casual listeners (and perhaps even long-time fans) may be mystified to discover that, from the outset of the album, the onetime Sheepdogs-supporting rock outfit have been replaced by a swaggering, synth-loving quartet (a quintet live) that's more concerned with atmosphere, undeniable hooks and the maximalist expression of both, rather than the pub-thumping sounds found on their previous two LPs. It's confusing at first, but makes sense the more you listen to each of the album's ten tracks. -Exclaim
(Walk Off The Earth - Sing It All Away)
The album, 12 tracks long, is something you need to experience. With the lead single “Rule The World” opening the album, it cycles through both fast and slow songs with lyrics that tell stories and pull on your heart strings. A few of the songs were released as lyric videos before the release of the album, including my absolute favourite, “Home We’ll Go”. At first it was just the beautiful harmonies and backing music that drew me into the song, but then when I paid closer attention to the lyrics it actually moved me. -Canadian Beats
(Adam Lambert - The Original High)
Lambert’s third studio album The Original High (out today, June 16) should go a long way towards remedying this injustice. For the most part, he’s stripped away the theatrics that marked For Your Entertainment and Trespassing. (Just compare the album covers!) Lest Glamberts fear that their emperor has sworn off his edgy-in-eyeliner aesthetic, however, breathe easy, children! If anything, his sound has gotten weirder, which is a wonderful thing. -Idolator
(KENmode - Success)
Success could have easily accomplished the same goal by simply going the cover album route instead, but there's something just that much more admirable about KEN Mode taking the extra time to pen songs in the same vein that makes Success a formidable work of art and not just a token effigy. It would probably be kind of odd if the band continued in this exact vein for the eventual follow up, but as a calculated retracing of steps backward through their own evolution it very well ought to provide a sort of alternate reality version of that evolution going forward. -Metal Injection
(Fucked Up - Year of the Hare)
In fact, Hare openly mocks the concept of cycles or flow. Instead of the growing tide of Year of the Pig or the ascending Year of the Dragon. on Hare the band chops the song up in seemingly random spots. The beginning is a fractured, spastic collection of notes. The song then grows into one of Fucked Up’s trademarked blossoming growths, with the guitars and vocalist Damian Abraham’s voice growing in color and strength. But then, it suddenly fades away to a sparse, cold ticking until the album stops. After that, it gets even more fractured, with the song starting and stopping in random places. It’s almost as if they had a completed song, chopped it up and laid it back down in a patchwork. -Punk News
(High of Fire - Luminiferous)
Luminiferous is at its best when High on Fire seem to be preaching about these zany ideas, as if Pike has some great revelation that must be shared with his disciples. "Slave the Hive", for instance, ricochets between hardcore built by a doom metal toolkit and shout-out-loud classic rock played by madmen on speed. "They got us wired to the reptile brain," the band howls during the hook. "Your life is not the same. This world is insane." It’s the kind of silly, serious rallying cry that’s meant to be yelled back at the band onstage, even if you don’t buy it. That infectious feeling applies to the relentless title track, too, a pick-sliding monster that reaches back to the days of punk-and-metal crossover to lecture on theories of Hertz-based mind control and the deeds of white-wigged barristers. -Pitchfork
(VA - Vans Warped Tour '15 Compilation)
*No reviews as of yet.
(Hundredth - Free)
“Our goal with FREE was to combine all of the elements of Hundredth into one release without hindering progression. The outcome is by far our best release. We ventured out vocally, which truly elevated the sound of this record. These are some of the best songs we’ve ever written and this record is sonically superior to anything we’ve ever done.” -Chad Johnson
(The Ongoing Concept - Handmade)
This truly DIY approach is strange and on paper sounds like it shouldn’t work, but just as with The Ongoing Concept’s debut record, the ragtime-fiddle-blaring Saloon, Handmade comes together flawlessly like French fries in ice cream. From the jazzy upbeats of “Amends” to the funk undertones hidden within “Feel” and “Unwanted,” Handmade transcends a variety of classic, tried and true genres and lumps them into the unexpected: contemporary punk. -New Noise Magazine
(Third Eye Blind - Dopamine)
Considering how long fans have been anticipating this new collection of songs, it is easy to think that frontman Stephan Jenkins has lost his mojo. The songwriter has even said that the reason why the wait was so long is because he had trouble finishing the lyrics. Not a good sign for a wordsmith of Jenkins’ caliber. But oddly enough, the prolonged process has somehow benefited his musicianship here on “Dopamine”, a record that is every bit as vigorous and catchy as the band’s best material, while still keeping things fresh and exciting for the listener.
It’s easy to just write off 3EB as nothing more than a nostalgic trip down memory lane, which I feel is an unfair judgement to make. To shove them into a category of 1990’s fatigue is a downright insult, because Jenkins’ music is about so much more than just hooks and beats. He is a musical poet, and the 12 tracks on his latest disc are true testaments to the fact that he can still craft grand choruses, soulful melodies, and tongue-twisting lyrics like it was the most natural thing in the world. -The Supernaughts
CD/DVD/Blu-Ray:
(Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - Live At The Roxy: 9.25.14)
Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators Live at The Roxy 9.25.14 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Vision, an imprint of Eagle Rock Entertainment (along with a coterie of other entities, including Universal Music, Guitar Center, and just for good measure DirecTV) with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The progressive presentation of this concert effectively mitigates a lot of the typical anomalies we often see in high def concert videos, and so there is a refreshing absence of banding, posterizing and other distractions. There are occasional contrast issues, especially when the camera catches players with lights behind them which are aimed directly at the camera, but otherwise this is a solid and very appealing looking transfer that offers excellent detail and fine detail (you'll be able to count the perspiration drops on Slash's forehead if you're so inclined). -Blu-Ray.com
(Funeral For A Friend - Hours: Live At Islington Academy)
Filmed and recorded on 25th April, 2014 at London’s Islington Academy during Funeral For A Friend’s ‘Hours’ tour with Boysetsfire and More Than Life, the live set serves as a reminder that this band are a vital part of UK rock history and their ability to captivate a crowd and craft important music is as strong as ever.
Funeral For A Friend’s legacy is one that has permeated the psyche of a whole new generation of bands in the UK. -The Colour of Vinyl
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