Album Review: Ann Wilson - Fierce Bliss

Heart are legends, but given when I grew up, the version of the band I remember and care about is the slick 80s version that put out "Alone", "These Dreams", and "What About Love". I know a lot of people hate those days, both because the band wasn't 'rocking' anymore, and because they don't like ballads, but those are some of the most vivid musical memories I have of the 80s. Ann Wilson's voice was a powerhouse in a world of slick pop, and even if I didn't know about Heart's past, and even if I've never spent much time listening to what more people would say are the classic bits of Heart, I have a soft spot for them because of those songs.

We start off with "Greed", which takes us back to the days of 70s rock, for both good and bad. The riff is a dirty little rock number, and Ann's voice still has the power to rattle the speakers, but then you realize there isn't much of a support in there. The basic sound of the song is great, but I'm having trouble finding what 'the song' is. There is hardly anything you could call a chorus, and when the song is done, it feels incomplete and unsatisfying. It was also made a single, which is one of those decisions I don't understand. It hearkens back to the worst aspects of 70s songwriting.

"Black Wing" doesn't have a stronger melody, but the more mystical atmosphere of the song, and the extra room the arrangement gives Ann's voice, works as a counterweight. It's not the kind of number that will become an instant classic or overly memorable, but it's a showcase for her voice that works as an exhibit of talent.

That feeling is the one that permeates the record. These songs, both the originals and the covers, are not songs that will stick with you the way my favorite Heart songs do. This record seems disinterested in moving beyond the loping blues. It moves slowly, and there are times when the album desperately needs some energy to keep it going between Ann's bigger outbursts. There's a cliche about veteran artists making slower and more boring albums that sound their age, and this album is an unfortunate data point in that direction.

The run of songs to open the album can get so sleepy, I almost slept through the fact one of them is called "Fighten For Life". Why the garbled grammar? She clearly sings the word as 'fighting' in the song, so this is another thing I don't get, but I also don't care enough to be more upset. That's not a good sign.

No matter how talented an artist is, they still need great songs to live up to it. Ann Wilson is a legendary singer, and for damn good reason. She still has all that ability, but this album is a poor showcase to remind people of that fact. It's slow, tiresome, and couldn't compete for attention in the 70s, let alone in today's attention starved world. I don't see anyone putting this record on and being won over unless they are already die-hard fans who will love anything Ann does, no matter what.

For everyone else, this is going to be a tough one to sit through.

EP Review: Waxflower - The Sound Of What Went Wrong

'Music for the over-thinker' is how Waxflower describes the songs for this new EP. That's a phrase that hits home, because I am certainly one of those people. My mind is always running through scenarios, envisioning different ways things could play out, trying to find the one where I won't be left with a trail of regret to follow home, or to be followed by whatever demon is following my scent. You can tell just from that last sentence exactly what I mean, which is why I sat down to listen to this new EP, and also why my judgment of it might be harder than for many other people. As an over-thinker, and as someone who uses lyrics as a means to tie threads of doubt into knotted tapestries, I'm comparing them to what I would do with the same thoughts.

"Ring" kicks things off with a synthetic drum loop and an angular guitar figure. It borrows from the modern sense of indie-rock I've never liked, but quickly moves into a more traditional alt/pop-punk chorus with sunny guitars and a smooth melody. It bears resemblance to Yours Truly, whose "Self Care" shares a producer with this effort. It's a fine song, but there is an issue apparent from the very start. For an album about over-thinking, and all the mental gymnastics that go along with it, the lyrics are obscured. Whether that's the delivery of the vocals or the mix I can't quite say, but the end result is I feel like I'm missing out on an important part of the song. It was difficult to tell even what the titular ring was referring to. It's their job to get the meaning across, not mine to decipher it.

That clears up on the following songs, whether it's the duet with a few more hardcore tinges in "Soak", or "The Drama Scene", where the chorus doesn't really put any noticeable backing vocals behind the lead in the chorus. That choice is an odd one, as the start-stop guitars are crying out for a big sing-along, but that's not what the band gives us. It almost comes off sounding a bit 'less' for their absence, because my mind is trying to fill in the missing data. Or perhaps I am over-thinking yet again, which is the danger, after all.

The comparison to Yours Truly is one that makes a lot of sense. Not only do the two bands have a similar tone to their music, understandably, but it serves as a way to explain the difference between this EP and "Self Care". Waxflower is a softer band, in terms of how they dig into their music. They aren't playing or singing with as much power or passion, preferring a more laid-back style of introspection. That's fine, but the punch they lack means these songs don't hit quite as hard. The hooks can't reach the same heights, they can't bowl us over the same way.

Waxflower is a band more about charm than raw power. That makes for a fine EP to listen to, as these five songs do a fine job of giving us a dose of pop-punk energy. It's an enjoyable little listen, but I don't think the barbs can dig into my skin the way Yours Truly did. These songs will scratch the surface, and may even draw blood, but there won't be a scar left afterward. Yours Truly left one, Waxflower doesn't. That's the big takeaway here.

Album Review: Cold Years - Goodbye To Misery

Last year, Rise Against made my Top Ten with "Nowhere Generation", and the year before, Spanish Love Songs made the list with "Brave Faces Everyone". They were both strident punk/alternative/emo albums with plenty of seething anger, and a cynical look at a world that is failing us at every turn. So what happens when an album comes out this year that has many sonic qualities in common with those records? That's a trick question. Merely sounding like something else has never been enough to mean anything to me, but what it does is open the door and give me reason to look under the hood to see if this new entry can fill that same role.

Right off the bat, Cold Years has in common with those other albums plenty of down-stroke punk attitude, a production that lets the guitars ring out with something I call 'pretty distortion', and vocals that blend just a bit of screaming attitude into the mix of their huge melodies. If you don't know the two bands I've mentioned already, I've got a few more comparisons to make.

Throughout the record, there are moments in these songs where Green Day's "Warning" is evoked, but again, with a darker and angrier bent to them. Cold Years are not just taking alternative and punk, but also pop-punk and even power-pop, to blend into their own brand. That Green Day record wasn't successful, but I have always maintained it is my favorite of their work, and it was an approach that would have made the next decade of pop-punk far more enjoyable than it was.

Opener "32" is the strongest connection to Spanish Love Songs, where not only do the opening heavy guitar chords sounds straight off "Brave Faces Everyone", but the hopeless resignation in the lyrics is just as fitting. Talking about getting hit in the head with a baseball bat not making any difference to how you feel sums up the attitude of an entire generation, which the band dubs "generation fuck it all". The world may be burning down, but this song is a rousing number to sing around the fire. Rather than the old Coca-Cola hand-holding sing-along, this one is more the coke-fueled call to arms. That sounds weird, I know, but it works.

The key to the album is the band's expert use of backing vocals, which are usually subtle, but add incredible depth to the choruses. Sometimes you don't even notice, but the vocals sound massive when the songs kick into their high gear. The energy is infectious, and the melodies are sold harder due to the layering. It's much like how a highlighter makes a line stand out on a page, even if in certain lights you could easily miss the effect on first glance.

There's a great line in "Home" about how "home is where the heart is, so I packed up and moved on". It's a simple statement that resonates with what we are seeing in the world, where geography is now becoming an illustration of your values, and merely being from somewhere can taint the way people see you. We face the question whether it is better to love where you are, or be where you love. I'm not professing to answer that question, and I'm not saying the band was going quite that far into philosophy. But if we want to think deeper, the chance is there in this song, and it's a refreshing quality.

We don't have to burden our brains with so much thinking, however. We can listen to "Say Goodbye", hear the echoes of "Warning" in the way the melodies fall against the guitars, and get swept up in the music. This record doesn't falter, delivering a dozen songs that all hit their marks. It won't make the same noise Spanish Love Songs did, but that's because this record isn't as bleak (which is something critics seem to love - maybe we're destined to be depressed) an experience. Cold Years have anger and cynicism behind their sound, but they try to have fun as we fall through the cracks.

It's another year, and there's another great album in this very particular mold. "Goodbye To Misery" is a gem.

There Was Never A Time "When I Was Cruel"

I was never cruel. or at least I like to think I wasn't. I have been cold, and I have failed to hide my distaste for certain people, but I would not say I was cruel, because I never had any intentionality. So why is it I have spent twenty years loving a record called "When I Was Cruel"?

Maybe it's because cruelty never sounded like so much fun.

Ironically, that cruelty extended to its relationship with the listeners. It is an album that has no sympathy for us; it distorts vocals and instruments in unpleasant ways, it gives us two versions of the same song for no apparent reason, it features long strings of lyrics that should have been edited down. Elvis simply didn't care what the audience would make of this record, he only cared about what making the record would do for him. That's a form of artistic cruelty, which is understandable, but does seep into the intent behind some of the lyrics.

That story begins with "When I Was Cruel No 2", which is seven minutes of hypnotic loops and flat vocals, cruelly crushing our expectations of the song ever developing into something more than a stretched out sketch. The lyrics tell the story of a wedding of convenience, where nobody wants to be there or go through with it. We have exes spilling secrets, and a bride who looks weary even before the night is over. Through the whole thing, Elvis' character is in the wedding band, telling us what he sees, but in a way that is cruelly confusing.

After detailing the bickering and insults, Elvis notes there are some things he can't tell us, but perhaps he could have when he was cruel. Even after twenty years of listening to the song, I can't wrap my head around what he is meaning to say. He had nothing to do with the cruelty being expressed at the event, and I would hardly claim that telling the story of an unnamed woman would qualify as cruel. If he was threatening to name names it would be one thing, but this story is all petty stuff, which he then hypes up with his bluster. There's no payoff, in the music or narrative. Elvis is using the song to annoy us, wasting seven minutes without a point.

There is also the fact it is "No 2", which implies there was a first version of the song this one was derived from, so either this story is an incomplete telling, or it is an edited version of the story that still is this flimsy. Either way, it's a bit cruel, wouldn't you say?

Also cruel is splitting "Dust" into two separate songs, and sequencing them with others in between. If the lyrics are so important that both versions of the song needed to be included, why not arrange them into one longer song? Or why not put the two songs back-to-back so the story has a through-line we can easily see? Elvis is deliberately obscuring his intent with these songs, fragmenting his big ideas, while stretching out his small ones. He is making this a record of frustrations, where nothing is as it seems, and our ears need to be on the lookout for tricks and traps.

Also cruel is the engineering of the record, where guitars, vocals, and horns are pushed through the red-line, distorting to push the anger and aggression. Elvis' reputation was that of an 'angry young man', but at forty-five years old, he didn't have that in him anymore, and he used his rudimentary production skills to accentuate every bit of brittleness to its breaking point. If he was not the person he once was, this 'return to form' record was going to be made to sound like it anyway. So he slapped on extra distortion, he made the record loud and abrasive, and he relied on people not looking below the crusty surface. It worked.

He tossed out a classic line like, "'Cause I love you just as much as I hate your guts" in "Alibi", and that was enough to overlook the song's repetitive nature and nonsensical lyrics. Four minutes (if we're being generous) of ideas get stretched to seven, with the constant refrain of "alibi, alibi" turning the song into a laundry list of excuses. For what? We're never told. All we know is that Elvis' narrator is forgiving, but he apparently lives with the alibi as well. I have no idea whether he needs one himself, or he is complicit in hers. The story is left incomplete, which is again cruel.

Also cruel is "Spooky Girlfriend", where the lyrics talk about how disposable Elvis' narrator sees women. He wants a girlfriend his is "helpless and frail", who will "hitch up her dress" in front of the cameras, and who will sit on his knee. He makes her sound like a child being abused, and then he turns around and says if she won't become the submissive he envisions, he'll just screw her mother instead. It is completely callous, and not in the way his use of racial language in "Oliver's Army" at least had the intent of calling out a regressive political movement. This is a sketch of cruelty with no remorse, with no moral at the end of the story.

And yet, despite "When I Was Cruel" being a record that gets uglier the more you stare at it, I still love it. I am by no means a masochist, but perhaps the record's slap to the face is a grounding force. Looking at this record now, it is in a similar category to Weezer's "Pinkerton", where there is so much about it I should hate, and I should want to push away, and yet I don't.

Maybe the lesson is that being challenged can be a good thing. Like with "Pinkerton", I didn't hear any of this twenty years ago when I first listened to this album. I heard some songs with interesting phrases and good melodies. I didn't need to look any further. Now, the record challenges me to hear the cruelty, to figure out how to react to it. I am not saying I'm a better person for listening to "When I Was Cruel", but listening to it in this light, I know I am a better person.

So maybe I'm just talking out of my ass, but that's part of the process. We learn from everything we experience, and looking back on "When I Was Cruel" twenty years later, I know that's true.

Ranking The Jimmy Eat World Discography

Over this last year or two, while the new music being released has been underwhelming quite often, one thing that has allowed is for me to go back to some older music I never gave enough of a chance. The biggest impact of that change is my connection with Jimmy Eat World. I have long loved a couple of their records, but I thought of them as being a band with obvious towering triumphs, as well as pitfalls I needed to avoid.

What I realized, in listening to all those records again, with fresh ears, is that while the great records are still great, the ones that didn't make the same impact on me originally sound so much better to me. Perhaps that all comes down to my mood right now being more attuned to their pop melancholy, or maybe the current mediocrity has made the past look better than ever. All I know is Jimmy Eat World is now certainly on my list of favorite bands/artists ever, and their discography is worth taking a look at.

(For this list, I'm ignoring their first two albums. They sound like a completely different band, and without Jim Adkins singing, I'm not interested.)

1. Futures

The obvious choice as their best record, since I now consider it my favorite album ever. "Futures" is a record that lives under the dark storm clouds of doubt, fully cognizant we sometimes make our own forecast. It's a powerful, yet beautiful album, one that shines like the moonlight on the sleek curves of a set of brass knuckles as it hits us with a gut punch. It's Jimmy Eat World's saddest record, and sadness has never sounded so good.

2. Bleed American

Another obvious choice, but I can't argue with the obvious. It isn't just "The Middle" and "Sweetness", though. The record was Jimmy Eat World coming into their own, mastering the art of mixing the right amount of pop hookiness into both their angst-ridden alternative rock, but also their somber and droning acoustic songs. This record set the blueprint for the band's identity forever after.

3. Chase This Light

Originally, this was one of the most disappointing records I had ever heard, coming on the heels of those listed above it. What I hear now is that Jimmy Eat World had shifted from the darkness of "Futures" to doing exactly what the title suggested. It was a brighter record, one that was more akin to asking how we can crawl out of the hole, rather than asking for a shovel to keep digging. "Dizzy" is one of their best songs ever, and I now realize this is one of their best albums.

4. Integrity Blues

When this record came out, I considered it a spiritual successor to "Futures", even if they didn't sound much alike. What is wonderful about it is that the melancholy weighed more than the brightness once again, with the colder guitar tones reminding us things are not always pretty, even if we want to be optimists. This is a unique chapter, and one I feel is necessary to keep the story moving.

5. Invented
6. Damage

I hate to lump these together, but these two records feel like chapters of the same story. They followed the "Chase This Light" formula, but fell just a hair behind the spark of that record. The band had found their comfortable identity, and they mastered being themselves on these records. The familiarity doesn't breed contempt, but it doesn't inspire the same wonder as their more original entries. These records are comfort food, giving us exactly what we expect.

7. Surviving

This is another record that originally made a sour impression on me. I have since come around, seeing it as a bit of a career retrospective. There are songs that echo the pop joy of "Bleed American", the heavy hope of "Chase This Light", and the experimentation of "Integrity Blues". The record explores all the aspects of Jimmy Eat World's identity, and perhaps that is why I can't put it higher on the list. For as much as I have come to like it, this one feels the least like an album with a set mood and tone. It is harder to know when this is the album I need to hear, so that is just enough to keep it toward the bottom of a very strong list.

8. Clarity

This is a common pick as a favorite, but I can't agree with that assessment. The foundation of the band's sound is there, but it's too rough around the edges for my tastes. They didn't feel confident embracing their uplifting pop side yet, and they relied too much on the droning meditations. That is worst on "Goodbye Sky Harbor", which is perhaps the least necessary fifteen minute song I've ever heard, but it creeps in on other songs as well. It's a necessary album for finding their way, but the journey was incomplete here.

Singles Roundup: Motive Black, Skid Row, Temperance, & Fallen Sanctuary

Motive Black - Lift Me Up

It's been two years since Motive Black released their first single, "Broken". I loved that song, and have been gobsmacked the band went radio silent for well over a year, and is only now releasing their second song, even more months after the announcement of their record deal. I understand there was a pandemic going on, but for a new band to disappear for two years with only one song to their name seems like the worst thing that could possibly do. It doesn't help that they return with this song, which doesn't come close to "Broken". This song sounds far more generic, the hooks aren't there, and even the vocals don't have the same sparkle to them. The few bits of harsh barking don't help either, but it's the core of the song that's the problem. After waiting this long, I was expecting so, so much more than this.

Skid Row - The Gang's All Here

Skid Row has yet another new singer, after the last one was in the band for years, but never appeared on a record. That tells you everything you need to know about what's wrong with Skid Row. New singer Erik Gronwall has a tremendous voice, and I absolutely love one of the album he made as a member of H.E.A.T., but this song is a far cry from that glory. Skid Row has given us a perfectly average song that is the very definition of harmless. I wouldn't turn it off if it happened to come on, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it either. The mix doesn't do Erik many favors, but when he's not given much to do except throw out rock platitudes, it doesn't matter much.

Temperance - Set Yourself Free

This is a bonus track to the new, 'deluxe' version of "Diamante". I feel bad for anyone who bought that album, and now sees a new version come out with another really good song on it. The label is basically giving the finger to anyone who spent their money on the record, making their product incomplete if they also like this song. And they should, because it's another Temperance song that nails the balance between melodic heavy metal and pure pop. The band has an uncanny knack for writing bouncing hooks that their layered vocal approach turns into an amazing experience. It's a great song that would have made the already great "Diamante" even better. Released like this, it's rather annoying, though.

Fallen Sanctuary - Broken Dreams

Speaking of Temperance, this new band sees one of their singers teaming up with Georg from Sanctuary, to play music that sounds like a blend of their two bands. I'm not entirely sure I understand why either of them needs to have another outlet to play yet more melodic metal, but when it sounds this good, I'm not going to complain. Both are able to write some truly great songs, and they picked one of their best to showcase this new collaboration. It sounds like we can expect an album of classy melodic metal, the likes of which I haven't heard yet this year. I'm looking forward to it.

The Wrong Single

There is an art to picking the right single to promote an album. It isn't as important these days, with mainstream radio and MTV no longer the primary way people find out about new music, and it isn't important for bands that have already established their name (and can pretty much coast on their notariety), but I think it still says something about a band what they choose to offer as a taste of their collected work. What they choose tells you about how they write, how they think, and what they aim to achieve.

For the most part, I think bands tend to do a good job of picking the right songs to be singles. The idea of what sounds 'mainstream' is apparent enough, and there are plenty of times it is obvious which songs are going to have the widest appeal. That being said, there are also plenty of times when a band makes a decision that, for one reason or another, doesn't make a lick of sense to me. That isn't to say they were always failures, business wise, but they were indications of larger issues that would either immediately or eventually come to pass.

Let's take a look at some singles I find extremely questionable, starting with the most recent example:

Ghost - Hunter's Moon, Call Me Little Sunshine, Twenties

The new Ghost album, "Impera", is still fresh in our minds, and is the inspiration for this particular exercise. I had little excitement about the album, and it was entirely because of these three singles. Ghost has almost always put out fantastic singles that showcase their pop meets Satan schtick, but this time around they put out three rather dull and tuneless songs. "Twenties", in particular, is the worst thing they've ever done, and I think it says something important. Ghost was reacting to the criticism of how pop "Prequelle" was, so they wanted to show their heavier and more sinister side, but it failed. They sucked the fun out of the band, even if these songs did still do well at radio, and the album still came out of the gates as a huge success. It's a harbinger of issues I think we're going to see going forward.

They should have released "Spillways" instead, even if it was the expected choice. You don't need to mess with what works.

Blues Traveler - Carolina Blues

After the massive success of "Four", where would Blues Traveler go? They would wind up going in practically every direction, but the first we heard about their experimenting was "Carolina Blues", a truly awful choice for a single. I knew they didn't want to be thought of as a pop band, but they went too far down the blues rabbit hole. This song is not only repetitive in an annoying way, but it was completely out of touch with the times, and doesn't even have a chorus you can remember. As a song, it was fine to fill out the record. As a single, it was a statement that Blues Traveler wasn't going to pander for more hits.... until they absolutely would start to do that. The failure of this song set off the rest of the band's career.

They should have released "Canadian Rose" first instead. It is a bit fluffy, but it has the same tone and charm of their prior hits. It would not have scared people off the way "Carolina Blues" did.

Weezer - El Scorcho

Have you ever wanted to listen to a single with a main riff that sounds like the guitarists don't know how to play properly? A song that talks about watching underground hardcore wrestling? Yeah, I didn't think you did. I didn't either. "El Scorcho" is a weird song, on a weird album, and it's the sort of song that basically tells you if you aren't a loser, you have no business listening to "Pinkerton". That isn't wrong, mind you, but as a single, holding people at arm's length is not productive.

The big problem is there is no better single for them to have chosen. Every song on the record has serious issues.

The Offspring - Hit That, We Don't Have Sex Anymore

Oh, The Offspring, how they fell so hard from grace. "Pretty Fly For A White Guy" was the turning point, but I understand why they released that song as a single. It was a time of snark, and they were taking the piss out of the pop stars of the time. The problem was once they became pop stars, they couldn't give it up. The albums that followed needed a song to fit the same mold, and they kept going to the well of releasing novelty songs as singles. "Hit That" was one attempt too many, a song completely out of place on the darker and heavier "Splinter", as well as being the band's least funny attempt to that point. It would get even worse when "We Don't Have Sex Anymore" eventually happened, as the band had fully rotted away into a husk of dad jokes and man-child whining. It's no wonder neither record was well-received or successful.

They should have put out anything that wasn't pathetic pandering. Or anything that didn't make them sound so damn old and out-of-touch.

Foo Fighters - White Limo

Of anything after "One By One", "Wasting Light" is the only Foo Fighters album I think is worth listening to in full. The band was energized, excited, and it comes through in songs that Dave Grohl described as having a chorus, then an even bigger chorus. But to introduce the record, we got to hear "White Limo", where Dave screamed for three minutes over a thrashy riff neither he nor the Foos are known for. It was the most tuneless song on the record, and was there simply to prove the band had made a real 'rock' album. When bands are trying so hard to prove something, it shows through, and it probably highlighted how soft and middle-aged they would sound forever after. We were warned, if we were listening.

They should have released "Dear Rosemary" first, but if they didn't want a duet with a guy most of their audience wouldn't know, "Alandria" would have been fantastic too. There were plenty of songs that would fit in their greatest hits package snugly, and instead they chose something they did so poorly to represent them. They were lucky people really wanted a good Foo Fighters album, otherwise that choice could have sunk them.

Album Review: Axel Rudi Pell - Lost XXIII

We return once again to the story of how to say something when you have nothing to say. Albums like those delivered by Axel Rudi Pell are among the hardest to write about, not because of their quality, but because he has delivered almost the exact same thing time and time again, with this being his twenty-first such album. After a certain number of them, there just isn't much to say anymore, other than pointing out small details that might be all that differentiates one from the next.

If you've ever heard one his albums, you know Axel Rudi Pell's band delivers melodic rock/metal that borrows a little from Rainbow, and a little from power metal. It's all well and good, and there are always songs on the albums worth listening to. Johnny Gioeli's gritty voice is still fantastic, and a joy to listen to. Axel's albums are always solid affairs, and this one is no different.

The other side of that coin is that if you've ever heard one of his albums, you already know exactly what Axel's band is going to give you this time around. The differences from the last album might come down to whether an extra song on this one is a couple of beats per minutes faster or slower. They are nearly interchangeable albums, which is great for the devoted fans who can't get enough of their favorite sound. It's not so great for everyone else, who is still waiting to be fully won over.

I've listened to many of Axel's albums during my tenure, and every time I come away with the same conclusion; they're a good band that needs a bit more punch in the songwriting department. Everyone is good at what they do, but at least on this album the melodies come across a bit flatter than they need to. The choruses don't jump out at you, they don't hook you, which is why we call them 'hooks'. This is a nice record, but hardly a great one.

Other than making sure I changed the track names, I could have copy-and-pasted my review of the last Axel Rudi Pell album I listened to and no one would have noticed. That's not a criticism, but it's a reflection of a reality where these albums are being made for the long-time fans. If you're not one of them already, I don't know if you're going to be won over. Hell, I'm still waiting for Axel to deliver an album that wins me over, and I've been at this for a while.

Throw this on the pile of albums that are enjoyable, but far from the front of your mind.

Album Review: Stone Broken - Revelation

I lose track of time, so I'm not sure where we are in the cycle of electronic rock in the mainstream. These things come and go, with a phase where it seems everyone is adding blips and bloops to their music, then a phase where no one is doing it, then back the other way again. So I can't say if Stone Broken is ahead of the game in adding more electronic elements to their radio rock formula, or if they're jumping on a trend I'm not aware of right now. That's both the frustrating and gratifying thing about being rather disconnected from the mainstream. I might miss out on some trends, but I also get to miss out on some trends.

The opener, "Black Sunrise", doesn't take that path, but elements of the sound are still present. The guitars are huge, with riffs that grind with an industrial tinge. The vocals get processed through filters, especially at the song's conclusion, that distort it just enough to feel more mechanical than human. So even though the song is not electronic in an obvious way, the philosophy of that type of sound design still embodies the song. It makes things heavier, but maybe not in the best way possible.

"The Devil You Know" is where we first hear the electronic bits, but they are kept mostly in the background, and don't distract from Stone Broken being a rock band first-and-foremost. What does distract is the sound quality of the title track. The entire song sounds like it's being played through that earlier filter, with both the vocals and the guitars buzzing with a faint distortion that sounds like my ears are plugged. It's not just weird, it's deeply unpleasant to listen to. That's a huge mistake right there.

Another mistake is when the band drops their melodic rock sheen during key sections of songs like "Make It Out Alive". There is a solid chorus, but some of the parts leading up to it are too focused on sounding heavy and intimidating, which leaves the song a bit disjointed. It's another song destroyed by the production flaws, as the verses sound fine, but the open chords during the chorus are awash in painful, clipped distortion. If you remember the outcry when Metallica released "Death Magnetic", you'll know what I'm talking about.

The fact of the matter is it almost doesn't matter what I say about the songs on this record, because the elephant fills up the entire room. I am not an audiophile, per se, but I have standards I set. This record, simply put, doesn't sound good enough for me to listen to. The distortion hurts my ears, and it makes everything melodic sound ugly and dirty, but not in the gritty way rock can get away with. This sounds like a mistake was made during the process, and no one knew how to fix it. I can't sugar-coat that for you. Maybe you won't hear it, or maybe you'll be ok with how it sounds, but I'm not.

This record isn't as unlistenable as Baroness' "Purple" or "Grey & Gold", but even being in that conversation means I have to advise you to steer clear of it. I only subjected myself to it long enough to make sure my opinion was solid. I liked Stone Broken's last album, and I can hear there are some good songs here, but I'm never going to listen to this record again. I just can't do it.

Album Review: 8 Kalacas - "Fronteras"

The popular heyday of ska seems all but a hazy, distant memory now.  The colorful genre, which made brass cool again and gave us all an excuse to use the word ‘skank’ in public, had served as both the baseboard for pop punk’s surge to prominence, as well as the latter genre’s prime beneficiary.  Shortly after the turn of the millennium, it seemed like the party was over.

Nestled in there was the further niche genre of skacore, a term that, depending on who you talk to, was first coined by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and they became one of many who exemplified the style.  And yet, there was always a disconnect in the naming convention – it was hard to find the ‘-core’ in ska core.

We told you that story to tell you this one.  Enter 8 Kalacas from California, a ska outfit that has seemingly been necromantically raised from the skeleton of ska, and oh by the way, is pissed.  Finally, we have the answer for what a true fusion of hardcore, ska and metal would sound like.  

Their album, “Fronteras,” is as difficult to explain in common language as any album in recent memory.  The best analogy for the reader is to imagine if Overkill was asked to do a Spanish-language version of the Voodoo Glow Skulls’ all-time classic album “Symbolic.”  It took the better part of forty minutes to come up with that, and it still doesn’t feel quite right, so that hopefully gives some indication of how unique an experience “Fronteras” is.  

There are tangential comparisons to Gogol Bordello in the offing, as are vague reminders of The Agents’ arcane blend of ska, reggae and rock, but truly, it’s hard to imagine a band that displays the ready versatility of 8 Kalacas (pronounced ‘Ocho,’ and not ‘Eight’ for reference.)  Even Destrage, who we have lauded on these pages for their ability to maneuver between the reeds of genre, doesn’t blend them so thoroughly like this.

Because let’s be real here for a second – this shouldn’t work.  Hardcore and metal have been talked about with a vivid list of descriptors over the years, but the Venn diagram of adjectives used to describe those genres and the ones used to talk about ska has very little overlap, and certainly doesn’t contain words like “bright.”

And yet, that’s where we are!  If it feels like this very article is rambling, it’s because it is.  And all of that is because “Fronteras” is so novel as to defy stereotypes.  Which is, frankly, amazing.

Getting into the actual nuts and bolts of the album a little, it’s worth nothing that by the standards of ska and punk, “Fronteras” is full of very long songs, many over the four-minute mark.  But there are none that overstay their welcome, none that ever sound tired or worn-out.

Skipping about halfway down the record, “Luz Y Fer” is one of the album’s paramount singles, as it features the most sublimely effortless blend of the lounge party feeling of ska and the visceral teeth of metal.  There are many great cuts on “Fronteras,” but most of them lean slightly one way or the other.  “Luz Y Fer” is the only one that truly seems to stand on the middle ground.

Speaking of great moments, “Mutante.”  Because nearly every metal band since the genesis of the genre has written a breakdown, but none come to mind that have employed a trombone as part of the proceedings.  Let that sink in for a minute, try to imagine it, then just go listen to it, because your imagination isn’t quite adequate.

Those are two of the highlights on an album that doesn’t have a disappointing moment.  Even “Gato,” the album’s most earnest nod to its ska roots, eventually smooths out into a solid rock bridge, complete with righteous guitar solo.  We didn’t even get to talk about album closer “1941,” perhaps the most complete composition on the record in terms of pacing, emotion and focus.

There is a disclaimer that should be added – if you are not a Spanish-speaker (as we are not,) the context of the album may be lost.  Metal fans are used to this through years of listening to Rammstein, Erdling, Finntroll, etc, but it may be a new experience if you’re here for the ska.  Regardless, even if the precise meaning slips through, the attitude certainly does not.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen an album release as unique as this.  The Mexican roots, the California styling, the ska pop, the metal edge, the hardcore pace…there’s a lot to digest with “Fronteras,” and all of it is excellent.  This is not to be missed.

Album Review: First Signal - Closer To The Edge

When I say 'it's all about the songs', sometimes it might not be clear exactly what I'm saying. Yes, there is a level of importance to who is playing and singing on them, but that can only take you so far. No matter how much you like a guitar player, or a singer, if they don't have a great song to perform, the results can only be so good. This new album from First Signal is a perfect illustration of that point. Harry Hess is a tremendous melodic rock vocalist, and the last two albums from his main band, Harem Scarem, are as good as any I've ever heard in the genre. That would make you think another album of him singing songs in the same style should be an easy win, right?

That's where you would be wrong. First Signal has been steadily releasing albums, and despite Harry's huge abilities, they don't make nearly the same impact on me as those Harem Scarem records. They're trying to do the same things, and they have similar sounds, but the difference in songwriting, both tone and quality, is enormous.

The collected cast of writers for this record are good, but they are from the melodic rock factory, and as such these songs sound just like everything else they do. They are missing anything in particular that separates First Signal from all the others. This project sounds like a project, because it's hard to come away from this record really feeling like you know what its voice is supposed to sound like. Harry pulls everything together as much as he can, but the songs sound more anonymous than those of his main band.

The main thing holding them back is the lack of power. It's melodic rock, sure, but that doesn't mean the songs have to scrub away their rock credentials. Even though the guitars have plenty of gain, they never sound heavy. Everything on the record is just a little bit too soft, when includes some of Harry's vocals. There's a sense of this record being an obligation that cuts through at times, because elements are too perfect, too smooth.

If you were to take these songs and put them in the hands of Harem Scarem, the album would wind up sounding very much in line with what they already do. It wouldn't be nearly as good, though, and that's the point. It isn't enough to get talented people together, nor is it enough to make music that sounds pretty. Songs are harder to quantify than that, and this project doesn't take that into account enough. It's all perfectly pleasant, but when I think about what it sounds like when done at its best, as Harry has done, it feels like a milquetoast recreation.

First Signal is a fine way to spend some time, and it's lovely background music. What it's not is truly vital and important. You will certainly get some enjoyment out of listening to this record, but you're not going to miss out on anything if you don't give it a chance. You're better served listening to Harem Scarem's "Change The World", because that's the benchmark this record is flailing while trying to reach.

Album Review: Black Swan - Generation Mind

Few of these recent 'supergroups' have amounted to much at all. I hate using that word, since half of the people involved in these things shouldn't qualify anyway, but the connotation of a supergroup is that they all have a ton to contribute to making a great record. That just isn't the case, which we see in how many of them turn out to be fine, and how few of them turn out to be special. That includes Black Swan, who made only the faintest of ripples with their debut album. It was in that ever-growing catalog of decent records that were enjoyable enough, but couldn't move the flimsiest of needles. They get another crack at it, so let's see if they've changed into their super-suits yet.

I thought they might have hit on something, because the album's first single is easily their best song. The title track is a beautiful bit of old-school hard rock that boasts a truly infectious chorus. Robin MacCauley sounds really good delivering it, and for those four minutes even I get wrapped up a bit in the 80s. It's perfect stadium rock, even if rock today couldn't buy a ticket, let alone fill a stadium. That song made me interested to see if it was a one-off.

It was, and it wasn't. The rest of the album retreats to the comfortable standards of 80s rock, sounding more dated with each passing track. There are a few that rise above the cliches, and rather than lift the album up, they actually drag it down by showing how big the gap between the most and least effective songs are. Potential is a dangerous thing, because it can raise expectations. That's what happens here, because when a song like "Killer On The Loose" comes along, it makes me wonder why some of the others can't have that same appeal. If they can write three or four really great songs, why not a whole album?

That's hard to do, which has been the story of music for as long as albums have been a thing. We celebrated great albums because we know how hard it is to write ten or twelve great songs in a short amount of time. Being more of a 'singles band' has always been easier, in one sense, because you only need two songs to keep the train moving. In that way, this is even more of an 80s record than the sound itself would indicate, since it feels to me like one of those with the obvious standout tracks, and some filler to round things out.

If they could keep up the quality of "Crown" throughout the whole album, Black Swan would have a winner on their hands. They clearly have the ability to make a quality record, but it doesn't hold up from front to back. If you don't mind an album where you'll be reaching for the 'skip' button a couple of times, Black Swan is worth a listen. Those couple of songs want to pull me back in. Whether they can make up for the rest remains to be seen. They were close to doing something really right.

Album Review: Pattern Seeking Animals - Only Passing Through

With this being the third album from this offshoot of Spock's Beard, enough time has passed to ask ourselves what to make of those developments. The name has changed, but not much else has. Like the last couple of Spock's Beard albums, Pattern Seeking Animals have been comfortably in that style I have come to call 'dad-prog', wherein they are playing fairly sleepy rock songs that have just enough hint of prog to still fall under that category. It's a sound that just doesn't have much spark to it, and very little that captures the attention. It's as if you took a prog rock (if such a thing existed), and polished it so long trying to make it shine, you sanded off so much there is barely enough left to hold in your hand.

That's how I feel about Pattern Seeking Animals, because their first two albums were all finely played and recorded, but devoid of anything at all I could call interesting. They were definitely still seeking, because they had not yet found a source of exciting music for us to listen to.

"I Can't Stay Here Anymore" sums up much of my feelings on the album. The song starts off with an ominous intro, replete with strings that bring a sinister undertone. It's exactly the sort of thing that catches your ear, and it pulls you in, but to what? There's the rub, because once the song gets going, it's those strings that remain the only thing making that kind of impact. The vocal melodies have no hook to them at all, and by the time the song moves into the instrumental section, I've already forgotten what the chorus is supposed to have been. There are some good ideas in here, but the song they are in service of lets them down.

When Spock's Beard was at their best (with this basic incarnation), they were able to blend their traditional prog rock with some rousing melodies that balanced the intricacy and accessibility. As time has worn on, and perhaps as they focus more on pleasing their core audience, knowing no new fans will be coming along, the accessibility factor has been lessened almost on a direct slope downward with each album. On the one hand, leaning into who they are is great if you like that sound. On the other hand, playing to a niche audience guarantees you're going to stay a niche band. Even in the prog world, Pattern Seeking Animals are not generating a lot of attention. That might point toward a problem.

"Time Has A Way" is a thirteen minute track that definitely tries my patience. There's a solid payoff at the end, with a section that tries to sound triumphant, but with only one short vocal section over the first eight minutes of the song, it's far too much setup for the ending to feel satisfying. It's good, but it isn't good enough for me to feel like the song needed several minutes cut out to feel more cohesive. Such is prog, I guess.

"Rock Paper Scissors" tries to be dramatic, with a lovely violin line at the beginning, but with lyrics about the titular game, as well as 'olly olly oxen free', the story about childhood doesn't fit the tone of the song at all. It's a somber song, but written about trivialities, which is a disconnect I find hard to get past. Ted Leonard is trying to sing his heart out, but background vocals sounding like a funeral singing 'rock, paper, scissors' sounds more like a Monty Python sketch to me than a truly moving song.

The biggest irony is that the best song might just be "Much Ado", which is a song where all the lyrics are about how the song is actually about nothing. Not nothing in the sense of being meaningless, but nothing as in the concept. I get what they're going for, but I don't think it's the most effective way of going about things. For one thing, I'm not sure how many listeners will note the difference between the two meanings of the word. Some of Leonard's vocals are hard to decipher, which leaves the nuance of the commentary buried a bit. I would say if you're going to rely on wordplay like that, you have to make damn sure the listener can hear every word of it and know what you're doing.

So what we ultimately get is another album of frustrations. There is obvious talent here, and perhaps more than the first two records we get to hear that in the instrumental choices. The problem is that those details aren't the foundations of great songs, and whether it's the lyrics or the melodies letting me down, in either case I feel deflated listening to this.

I say prog is actually an incredibly easy genre, if you're a talented player, and this sort of album is where that rings true. There are nice moments, and interesting ideas, but when you don't have to write great and memorable songs to get the point across, a major skill in being a recording artist is missing. At the end of the day, no matter what style of music you're making, it all comes down to having songs people want to listen to. For all the good Pattern Seeking Animals are capable of, they don't have those songs.