Looking around the musical landscape, there aren't any albums I want to talk about today, so let's instead talk about a few singles, since they give me something to say.
Opeth - Heart In Hand
After a few disappointing records, Opeth needs a win. Desperately. Their shift to prog rock has been poorly received, not because of the lack of metal, but because they've written terrible songs for the most part. This first look at their new album is a sign of hope, for once. Maybe writing in Swedish first opened up something in Mikael's mind, but this song is still prog rock, but there are a few hints of old Opeth in the way the riffs move, and the main chorus melody sounds lifted from "Ghost Reveries". This is finally closer to what we had in mind when Opeth announced their stylistic shift. The rest of the album might not follow suit, but for right now, there is reason to think Opeth may have finally found their footing.
Dream State - Primrose
I commented at mid-year that there aren't many things I'm looking forward to at the moment. Dream State's debut record would be one of them. I really enjoyed their EP, and "Hand In Hand" is one of my favorite songs of the year so far. This new single is just as good, and has both hands on the rope, raising the bar just high enough where only our fingertips can touch it. Their melodic post-hardcore sound and songwriting nails the energy and hooks to be infectious. It's great work, and I'm very much excited to hear what else they've got in store for us.
Eclipse - United
While I have loved some of Erik Martensson's side work, his main band hasn't quite gotten me in the same way. This first taste of the new album might be changing that. This song is slightly darker, sounding very much like a song from last year's amazing Nordic Union album. Erik's voice is also not as squeaky clean on this one, and while I would still rather have Ronnie Atkins singing this, this is pure ear candy. The last Eclipse album was very good, and this song points to the new one potentially being great.
Alter Bridge - Wouldn't You Rather?
Alter Bridge is weird to me. They're very good, but I never find myself wanting to listen to them. Plus, the one album of theirs I like in full, "AB III", is often written-off by fans. So I was happy to hear this new song returning to that style, dropping the more involved metal for a simpler, more melodic rock approach. Tremonti's riffs are still thick and heavy, but there's more room for Myles to sing. I don't know if fans will be thrilled, should the album follow suit, but I am.
Goo Goo Dolls - Miracle Pill
Am I supposed to believe that a host of bands from the late 90s and early 00s (The Wallflowers, Matchbox Twenty, Daughtry, etc.) all had the same artistic pull to ditch the guitars they played all their lives in favor of electronic percussion and rhythm-based songwriting? I don't. All of those bands started to pander to modern pop listeners, trying to expand beyond their core fans. Those three I mentioned all completely lost me, because they no longer sounded like themselves, and it was obvious why. Goo Goo Dolls are doing the same thing, with this new song that you wouldn't recognize as them without Johnny Rzeznik's vocals. It's disappointing to hear bands like this move into areas they aren't good at, trying to win over fans who already think they're lame. I'm certainly not going to listen to more of this.
No comments:
Post a Comment