It's time to take a look at a few more singles. A couple are teasing us for upcoming records, and a couple are stand-alones. Is this a rare instance where I've found four great songs to talk about, without a clunker in the bunch?
Year Of The Goat - Avaritia
This was a pleasant surprise. I absolutely loved their last album, and had no idea they were even working on a new one. I was expecting a lot, and my first impression is that the band nailed it. You could say this is a bit too much of a clone of the last album, but they're new enough it doesn't matter, besides the fact this sound is awesome. They're almost a CSNY version of Ghost, with a more vintage aesthetic behind their occult rock. There's no gimmick, just some great songwriting. If we're getting another whole album on this level, I'm going to be quite the happy camper.
Killswitch Engage - I Am Broken Too
The first single from the new record was not setting my world on fire. Thankfully, they have righted the ship with this song, which plays more on their emotional side, which is something that goes underappreciated. Their heavy ballads have always been a highlight, and this is no different. It actually reminds me of the 2009 self-titled, which is my favorite of their records. Jesse is more melodic, which is so desperately needed. It may not be popular to say among their fans, but I've never thought he was a great melodic writer. That killed "Incarnate", but a few more tracks like this say the new record could be a solid rebound.
Laura Espinoza - Follow Me To The Sun
A few years back, Lunden Reign's "American Stranger" made my top ten of the year list, and right now it is playing on stage as an adapted musical. With that, a few new songs were included to flesh out the story, this being one of them. What we get is a slow-building ballad that hearkens back to that 70s classic rock sound from the titular album. It's a lovely little song that would be a lighter-in-the-air number, if theaters acted like rock audiences. The only downside, for me, is that the voice of the story on record, Nikki Lunden, is absent. The voice Laura is now using is also good, just not the same. Still, another fine song from Laura.
The Nearly Deads - Watch Your Back
The third single released since their last EP, The Nearly Deads continue to crank out fun music. TJ and her cohorts are on a winning streak with their writing, hitting on pop-friendly hooks for their songs. They also continue to play up their rock tendencies, nicely balancing the sound between heaviness and sheen. All three tracks, "Freakshow", "Halfway To Nowhere", and this one, are the kind of simple, catchy, fun rock music that is perfect for summer listening. What's the drawback? I still want an entire EP, if not an album, given how much I've enjoyed these songs.
No comments:
Post a Comment