I felt a disturbance in the force. It seemed to my knowledge that album release dates have now shifted to Fridays instead of the normal Tuesday release days I was used to when working in the record store. Nonetheless, go with the flow, and carry on. From now on, we'll just use a weekly time frame rather than a specific date (in case someone wants to release on Thursday or something like that).
(Artwork by AFGM. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
So for the most part, I am pretty excited about this week's releases. There are a few names here I have not gazed upon in some time such as Alan Jackson, The Chemical Brothers, and George Lynch. Between that and the Moonshine Bandits + Sublime with Rome (and rounding out with Powerwolf), it seems like a great mix of genres that I would be thoroughly enjoying throughout the week; in hopes you all enjoy as well.
So if you are looking for a preview of these tracks, then social media, or YouTube would be your best fit. If you are determined to purchase a copy, then be sure to do it from a local record store, online retailer, or trusted digital source. Cheers and enjoy discovering new music!
(Alan Jackson - Angels and Alcohol)
Angels & Alcohol has a few bumps in the road—some songs that maybe could have benefited from borrowing a line or two from a co-writer—and then the album has few really good ones. And overall, with that classic voice backed by traditional sounds, there’s just something about an Alan Jackson album that puts a smile on your face, and makes you hope new Alan Jackson albums don’t go away anytime soon. -Saving Country Music
(Moonshine Bandits - Blacked Out)
The album was produced by Ty Weathers and Durwood Black, and the production quality is perfect. The Moonshine Bandits have always had great production, but there’s a crispness in Blacked Out, I hadn’t heard on the other albums.
There’s no doubt, if you’ve liked what you’ve heard from the Moonshine Bandits until now, you’re going to love Blacked Out. It’s the best album they’ve put together yet. What this new album should do for the Moonshine Bandits, though is further broaden their fan base. Blacked Out is a culmination of years of hard work in the clubs and the studio. They sought out the best on the album to collaborate with, and what they got was the most musically diverse album I’ve heard this year. -Hick Hop Music
(The Chemical Brothers - Born in the Echoes)
So on Echoes we get Q-Tip spouting motivational pizza box rhymes over rubberband basslines on future sports montage soundtrack "Go" followed by St. Vincent staring into the suicidal void of a performer’s high on "Under Neon Lights", which peaks with a guitar (or is it a synth?) solo that searingly recalls "Bulls on Parade". We get the viscous funk of "Taste of Honey"—replete with buzzing bee cameo—next to the taut title track, which features a coolly distant vocal from Cate Le Bon and sounds like a worthy tribute to the late, great psych auteurs Broadcast. Then Beck shows up at the end to help Rowlands and Simons create the finest New Order song in ages. "Wide Open" makes the inevitability of losing it—life, love, inspiration—sound terribly triumphant, and just as the track hits its climax, Beck wisely gets out of the way, making room for undulating waveforms that bristle and burst with all-too-human imperfections. -Pitchfork
(Sublime with Rome - Sirens)
As a pretty diehard Sublime fan of course I was ready for a different sound, a different light. A member leaves the band, there’s a name change, things happen, however was I disappointed? A little. Every musician has their own and to compare any musician to Bradley Nowell isn’t fair but as I stated before, the man could write a song about nothing and it was poetic. “Sirens” had its own sense of artistry however could have had a stronger foundation. -Pop Break
(George Lynch - Shadow Train)
The music on Shadow Train certainly sees Lynch reaching for the pinnacle of his career, where all the stars align and that one moment of clarity is achieved. Built upon the backs of his early bands, including The Boys, Dokken, Lynch Mob, his solo work, instrumental albums and projects (KXM, Sweet & Lynch, Lynch/Pilson), Lynch never has stopped striving to attain the elusive carrot. Partnering with Gregg Analla, Gabe Rosales, Donnie Dickman and Jimmy D’Anda, Shadow Train’s self-titled studio album is a defining moment for Lynch and his fellow bandmates. -Hard Rock Haven
(Powerwolf - Blessed & Possessed)
What you can take away from “Blessed & Possessed” is that if it ain’t broke….don‘t fix it! Powerwolf has an established sound that will likely never change. If part of your musical enjoyment is to allow for massively addicting and repetitive choruses, fun and uptempo riffs, then it really gets no better. If you view music as an exploration that needs to constantly grow, show variety and extend over boundaries, then you can skip over “Blessed & Possessed.” If you like both, then you are in a class of fans that music needs the most: the “blessed and possessed.” For this author, music is much about the former, with the flavor of fantasy and witty sarcasm acting as icing on the cake. -Metal Underground
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