EP Review: Wild Truth - Drift

Words have always been flexible, but within the world of music, 'rock' is one that has truly been stretched to the limit. Rock has encompassed Jerry Lee Lewis pounding his piano, Bob Dylan playing electrified folk, Led Zeppelin's massive blues, Bon Jovi's sheen, Nickelback's dinge, and now music like Walk The Moon that doesn't quite fit in with the pop scene. There isn't a logical through-line between all of them, yet they all embody 'rock' in some form or fashion. As much as the endless sub-genres become too much, I absolutely understand why they are needed.

Wild Truth are a rock band in the same sense that Walk The Moon is. They are more of a pop band, but there isn't really a place in pop for music right now for what they are doing. Guitar based pop music is a bit of a throwback, even when it's trying to be very much of the moment. Hearing the slightly funky guitar riff open "Pressure" sounds so unusual, given how little guitar is out in the mainstream these days. Things build to the chorus, where the band remains restrained and doesn't go all-out. The vocals are completely different, but we're in the same realm as Maroon 5 when they were actually a decent band (that would be "Songs About Jane").

"No Filter" opens with a falsetto vocal line that is half Fall Out Boy, and half "Feel It Still". Once I heard that, it was a bit hard to shake the thought. It works as a pop song, for sure, but I'm not sure if it is working entirely on its own, or because of the comparison it evokes in my mind. Or perhaps that is the point, and the band is shrewdly using my memory to welcome their own song in.

"The River" is my favorite track here, with a laid-back flow and a chorus that hits just right. This might sound an odd thing to say, but I almost with the band went even further down the pop route. There is definitely that approach across these five songs, but it almost feels subdued compared to how far they could go. That fits with the times, where pop music is rather dour, but something even bigger and brighter might stand out from the crown even more. There is such a thing as too much, but Wild Truth isn't close to crossing that line yet.

Other than Taylor Swift, I have been largely divorced from pop music for quite a while. The reason is that pop music and I grew apart in different directions. If pop sounded like Wild Truth, I would buy in again. "Drift" is five songs of smooth, fun, and accessible music that mixes pop and rock together into what could be the modern template. There are plenty of reasons to enjoy Wild Truth, even in this condensed format.

Album Review: Smith/Kotzen - Smith/Kotzen

Some musicians are better when they have someone standing beside them who can either focus or edit their ideas into something better than it would be if they were on their own. Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen wouldn't be the first combination of players I would put together, but it does make a bit of sense. Both of these guys need someone else to help them get across the finish line, and it seems they are serving that purpose for one another. Adrian's work outside of Iron Maiden has never been great, and Richie releases way too many bland songs that drown his great ones, so letting them bounce ideas off each other and only contribute their best half of an album, might just be the perfect blend.

I thought that immediately when I heard "Taking My Chances" the first time. Adrian gives us a heavy guitar riff with a hint of groove, the sort of thing that is awesome, but wouldn't with with either Iron Maiden or Bruce Dickinson's solo albums he was on. Kotzen throws in a trademark chorus, and it all adds up to a song that is heavy, catchy, and packed with some great guitar playing. That's the recipe for the whole album, and it sure as hell works.

We open with the three singles, which all showcase a different side of the project. After the aforementioned song, we get "Running", that has a dirty and gritty sound, and "Scars", which is a slower bluesy ballad loaded up with guitar solos. They take a time or two before they sink in, but then you realize these songs have legs.

What I love about this record is the shift it provides. Adrian gives Richie the heaviest album he's been on, and Richie gives Adrian more hooks than every before. It really is a case where two guys bring their strengths to the table, and they are complementary pieces that neither would bring on their own. The smooth chorus on "Some People" could easily have been one of the fifty songs on Richie's last album, but the stomping guitar riff is played with a heaviness that is something different for him. It is very much what I wanted to hear.

Another great aspect to the record is how not only do their voices blend together despite being unique, their guitars do the same thing. When they take their solos, it's easy to tell them apart, and hear how their own take on blues-rock leads them in different directions. Adrian has more soul, Richie has more pyrotechnics, and they justify the amount of lead guitar painted all over this album. The sound of this project is each of them doing their own thing and having it come together, not having them change who they are to unite around a single theme. It's a bit lucky to work out that way, but it's damn great.

I complain a lot about bands and projects that see famous names thrown together for no reason. So many of those are manufactured, and they make no excuses for the business nature of it. Smith and Kotzen's combination is natural, and came from the relationship between the two men. That makes all the difference, as this never sounds like an album thrown together to justify the pairing. This is music they made because they wanted to, and then happened to get released. We should be glad they did, because what they've given us is one of the best records I've heard so far this year.

Album Review: Wheel - Resident Human

A couple years ago, I was pointed towards Wheel by several people, because of a very distinct similarity between Wheel and the band Soen. I had been proclaiming Soen the best metal band going, and Wheel was about the closest thing to them. That brings up an interesting point. We often have people recommending us music because it sounds like something else we already like. That's a reasonable inference to draw, but it doesn't seem to hold water, at least where I'm concerned. Just because two bands sound similar has little to no bearing on whether I will like them both. It isn't a sound that wins me over, it's the songwriting. No matter how good a clone a band might be, if they don't write songs that capture my attention, it's game over.

When I listened to Wheel, that's exactly what happened. Yes, they had a sound and an atmosphere I liked, but the songs didn't pull me in. So even though they sounded like something I should love, I didn't. But in the spirit of adventure, I'm willing to give them another chance to win me over, to see if we have moved closer to being in the same mindset. Unfortunately, they are once again mired by the bad timing of coming shortly after a phenomenal Soen album. Living up to that standard would be too much for almost anyone.

Of course, those similarities also exist with Tool, and that is where I feel Wheel is headed. The lengthy, lengthy introductory buildup to the album opening "Dissipating" is straight out of the Tool playbook, playing a simple guitar figure repeatedly for almost two minutes. I don't know if I was supposed to fall into a trance, but it felt like a nap. When writing a song that's twelve minutes long, you need to pack it with enough musical ideas to justify staying that long, and Wheel doesn't do that. It's a slow slog of a song that could have been done in five without leaving anything out. Wasting that much time is not a good start for the record.

"Movement" is much more concise, with plenty of pounding tom drums leading the action. I love that sound, but the guitars try to play an angular riff, and the tone lacks any sort of bite. Rather than sounding heavy, it fades into the background like a filtered noise. And with the vocals barely mixed above the rest of the band, it makes for a very flat listening experience, where none of the parts are able to stand out. It's a wash of sound that becomes so easy to forget.

Like Soen did, Wheel is clearly starting from the Tool playbook. It took Soen three albums to find their own identity, and I don't think Wheel has gotten there yet. They still feel like they are reciting bits and pieces of Tool, and not yet writing great songs of their own. The weakest aspect comes from the vocals, where not a single melody jumps to mind as being memorable. Maynard James Keenan gets away with it due to his oddball charisma and Tool's (pseudo)intellectualism, but when Wheel does the same thing it simply sounds boring. There must be a core song there for those listeners who won't know if a deeper and more unusual musical idea is being played. That would be me, by the way. Perhaps there are time signatures and note groupings that are fascinating when you break them down, but they don't sound interesting, which to me seems to defeat the entire purpose of making music. Clever ideas aren't that clever if you can't get anyone to listen to them.

So we are clearly faced with two points on a similar timeline, radiating away from Tool's gravitational pull. Soen evolved into something new, while Wheel is still struggling to break from their orbit. Soen delivered one of the best albums of the year, and Wheel delivered an album of watered-down Tool-isms I'm not going to remember a lick of when I'm writing my recaps at the end of 2021.

Maybe if I just liked Tool more.....

Album Review: Metalite - A Virtual World

As pop and metal have continued to fuse together in some places, we've had to come to terms with understandings of music we might not want to. Namely, when we have bands seamlessly integrating modern pop into modern metal, it shows us the two approaches to music are not that different, no matter how much either side might grouse. Modern metal is largely built on rhythms, and so too is modern pop, so it makes sense the two can be mixed together. We've heard Amaranthe master the art, and Metalite wants to make their claim, although they look not just to pop, but to trance. That could make things rather.... interesting.

The title track starts things off with hints of that promise. The synths and electronics filling the background do have the gloss and tone of trance music, but thankfully the song doesn't go further down that path. It doesn't get bogged down in repetition, there's still enough metal to keep things moving, and the hook tries hard to be a sticky bit of pop. "Cloud Connected" is even cheerier, with synths that try to overload us with sugary sounds. The band comes out of the gates with the tempos high, storming through the songs with the manic energy of a rave.

I actually think that works against them. They are moving so fast the songs don't have time to settle in and find their legs. It's straight from one bit to the next, always running at top speed. It might be in the name of keeping up the energy and excitement, but it's also tiring when I want the songs to have a bit more groove or swing to them. You can't exactly bang your head to songs when they're moving too fast, and unless I drink a pot of coffee before listening to this record, I think some of these songs would be better served just a few beats slower. That would also give Erica Ohlsson a bit more room for her vocals, because there are times when her voice can't resonate because the next line has to come out so quickly.

After a few songs, it can get tiring to try to keep pace with the music. By the time we get to "Peacekeepers", and it's inane chorus of "peacekeepers, keepers of peace", I'm ready for a break in the action, and we're only halfway through the album. Just like slow albums can test our patience, fast albums can do the same thing. It's hard to focus on everything that's happening when it comes and goes before we sometimes can even process what we just heard.

And for as much as the band is trying to blend pop and metal, I'm not sure how well they do it. The sound is tight, and the songs do sound like pop songs with heavy musical backdrops, but the hooks largely don't stay with me. The best pop songs are addictive, and Metalite's don't strike me that way. I said the same thing when their previous album came out. When I compare them to what Amaranthe is doing with a similar set-up, the difference is clear and obvious to my ears. Even when Amaranthe is ridiculous, every song has a huge and infectious chorus. Metalite is a step behind them.

That doesn't mean they're bad, because they're not, but it also means I'm not going to be wowed when I have recently heard the same thing done quite a bit better. Metalite is great for an adrenaline-pumping burst of pop metal, if that's what you're looking for. That doesn't quite fit my personality, so as much as I do love pop and metal coming together, Metalite isn't able to fully win me over.

Album Review: As Everything Unfolds - Within Each Lies The Other

Late in 2019, I found myself in an unfamiliar position. I was listening to the debut album from Dream State, a group that could be described as post-hardcore, and I loved what I was hearing. In fact, that record was runner-up for Album Of The Year, despite the fact that I don't know if I had ever enjoyed anything with the word 'hardcore' in any way attached to it. Perhaps I had some residual affection for Life Of Agony's "River Runs Red", but you get what I'm saying. It was out of character to be enjoying this new, modern take on a sound I had no interest in. Those surprises are what makes the search for new music a noble endeavor.

As Everything Unfolds has a lot of that same spirit in their music. Also an English post-hardcore band, they call themselves "hope for the hopeless and joy for the joyless." In talking about both Dream State then, and Yours Truly last year, I noted how music that tried to be uplifting and get us through the darkness and towards something better has stronger appeal now than ever before. As Everything Unfolds, if they can pull that off, will only add to the pile of music that can keep us from falling further.

What the two bands have in common is a format that modernizes metalcore. Often, these songs go through heavy verses with screaming and distorted vocals, before opening up into powerful melodic choruses. But instead of taking cues from thrash and melodic death metal, they are using hardcore and emo as their basis. They aim to use emotional heaviness along with instrumental heaviness to forge a deeper connection to the listener.

The heavy parts where the drums are pounding and the vocals scream express the rage that has built up everywhere in recent times, but when the choruses come, we aren't simply getting melodies for the sake of melodies. Nor is the band trying to write obvious stage anthems. No, what they are doing is giving us an emotional outlet. Charlie Rolf is trying to pour her heart out as she sings these songs, and that effort comes through the speakers. You can hear when people care about what they're doing.

The difference between Dream State and As Everything Unfolds is where on the curve they are coming from. Dream State's music is more on the upswing, when you defiantly are fighting back against your demons. As Everything Unfolds is closer to the bottom, where you think you are rounding the corner, but you are still filling the cracks between the pieces you have put back in place. That means As Everything Unfolds' music is a bit more subdued, lacking the anthemic songs that you can pull out to be your theme song to get through the next trial. Instead, "Within Each Lies The Other" is to be taken as an album. It sets a tone and mood, and delivers an entire album that supports the thesis. Two different approaches, but both successful.

As Everything Unfolds can be a draining listen, but in the good sense. They put themselves through the wringer for this music, and what it stirs up can be a lot to handle. That's in stark contrast to albums that are hard to listen to because of the intense boredom they evoke. "Within Each Lies The Other" isn't the sort of album you listen to in the background without thinking about. It's an album you feel, and when that's what you want to do, they've accomplished something impressive.

Album Review: Dead Poet Society - "-!-"

 

There was a time when ‘alternative’ meant something.  The Stooges, occasionally theorized as the first ‘alternative’ band, were so named because they were not quick rock and not quite punk, and thus were labelled with an altogether new term, announcing them as quite literally an alternative to either of those common cores.  Eventually, ‘alternative’ came to mean a genre all of its own, with its own conventions and hang-ups and devotees, and ultimately, lifespan.  Fast forward some years after the popular death of alternative, and the word has been reclaimed back to its original meaning.  Thus we find Dead Poet Society and their album “-!-.” Meet the new alternative.

Dead Poet Society reminds in many ways of the versatility and variability of last year’s excellent Mollo Rilla album “Viva El Camino,” with the notable and important exception that DPS replaces the alcohol-infused, jaunty swagger with a dire, broken-glass heroin trip, which is meant as a compliment.  The scary, shambling thud of “.SALT.” is so deep with bass as to bring memories of Soundgarden’s “4^th of July,” and the lyrical content is just as sparse and haunting.

The dichotomy of the thin vocals of Jack Underkofler against the backdrop of a churning, guitar blast furnace is the real story with “-!-“ and both parts are necessary if the album is to have its intended teeth.  When Underkofler chooses to go into the dark spaces, there is a genuine feeling of discomfort, a tangible unsettling of the nerves as the band thuds out power chords while his vocals feel lithium-high, like a singer from a different song, disaffected and disassociated with the band behind him.  Yet, as with the album’s star cut “.intoodeep.,” it’s impossible to imagine what that alternate song could sound like.  The performance is like a piece from another puzzle that happens to fit into this one masterfully.

For all the experimentation and unique aural combinations of the album, the dirty secret here is that Dead Poet Society has pulled entire chapters out of the old alternative playbook.  That’s not an insult – it’s a testament to a level of study and mastery that few bands with so little popular history can employ.  Closing the eyes and concentrating, it’s not so hard to strip the jagged distortion and profanity from “.burymewhole.” and hear a song that would feel just as at home on a Toadies record. 

Now, a lot of that comes from the band’s skillful placement of infectious, singalong choruses.  Most of the songs lyrically detail some manner of grisly consequence, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to string together a few lines that would be easy to chant at a show once the world is open again.  The slow build “.getawayfortheweekend.” serves all the better to allow for the catharsis of a high-speed chorus.  Following the song through its motions is akin to getting on and off the highway repeatedly – up to speed, slow down on the ramps, up to speed again.  It’s an agitated ride for sure, but as we’ve discussed, “-!-“ balances on the atom-thin edge of frayed nerves for its entire duration.

As is part and parcel with alternative rock albums, there are a couple of throwaway ballads; others will no doubt laud them for their sincerity and earnest expression of confused, youthful emotion, but there’s nothing to be said about them that hasn’t been said about any ballad or emotional tune written by a rock artist over the last seventy years.  There are as they are – a necessary change of pace on the album?  Sure, why not. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, those same songs also fit much more cleanly into the common molds of alternative rock, so it’s also the limit of the weight they can carry.

There may end up being some territorial pissing here – rock fans may say the album is theirs, and same goes for metal fans and alternative fans, the last of whom had been presumed dead for much of the last decade.  More likely, as the fans of those genres are fit to do, there will be arguments for why “-!-“ ISN’T a welcome addition to their genre’s stable.  Those arguments are myopic and frankly stupid, and miss the point of creative music as an experience.  

All that is said to say this; in the last fifteen months or so, there’s been a creeping tide of bands who are completely oblivious to the mores of genre convention, and that same rising crest has been absolutely to the benefit of music listeners everywhere.  The best moments in the discovery of new music are when a listener can say “I haven’t heard someone do that before,” and this is the same lofty space we find Dead Poet Society occupying.  Add in the fact that this marks the band’s full-length debut, and “-!-“ is not only one worth adding to the shelves, but an optimistic harbinger of the band’s future.

Singles Roundup: The Offspring, Smith/Kotzen, Doll Skin, Sion, & Skarlett Riot

 Let's see what's in the grab bag of one-offs and previews today.

The Offspring – Let The Bad Times Roll

Gearing up for their first album in over eight years, The Offspring have given us a song that points to their long and continued decline. Ever since "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" became a hit, they have made novelty songs their lead singles, and that seems to be carrying on here. The song doesn't hold together, and the ideas themselves aren't that great either. I think most fans just want a classic sounding album, but that's not what it seems we're going to get. I can't say this has me excited.

Smith/Kotzen – Scars/Running

Singles two and three for the upcoming album showcase different sides of their bluesy rock exploration. "Scars" is more of a slow ballad, while "Running" has more almost stoner fuzz to the guitars, but both songs grew the more I listened to them. Neither matches "Taking My Chances", but they do continue to point to this album being one of the unforeseen highlights of the first quarter of 2021. It seems putting someone else with Richie Kotzen is the key to keeping him from wandering off into less than thrilling territory.

Doll Skin – Control Freak

Now a two-piece, Doll Skin return off a really good album with a new single that is both heavy and catchy. There's still a precociousness to their delivery that makes the message a bit subversive, which is the sort of twist I have always enjoyed. They not only avoid the appearance of lecturing, they make it so many people won't even hear their intention the first time around. For an outspoken band, that's a clever way of not pushing away the less tolerant.

Sion – The Blade

Howard Jones sounds as good as ever. His era of Killswitch Engage is the only one that really matters to me, and the album he made with Light The Torch a few years ago was phenomenal. For this song, he teams up with a YouTube guitar personality, and by going back to the old Killswitch formula, but with some modern and heavier twists, it's like hearing from an old friend again. His screams might be a little more assisted now, but he has a way of writing dramatic melodic choruses, and this is another great one. I'm looking forward to more of this.

Skarlett Riot – Gravity/Stronger

Two new singles for their upcoming record tell two sides to the same story. One side is that Skarlett Riot is a damn solid rock/metal band. They write good songs, played and sung well, and are a credit to the more modern sounds. The other side is that they need a bit more 'oomph' to what they're doing. They're heavy and melodic, but something about the writing and production is a bit flat, and the hooks don't stand out in my memory too long after hearing them. They aren't far off being great, but these songs just feel like they're missing the last ingredient.

Album Review: Cicadastone - Cold Chamber

My colleague D.M has long espoused a theory about music being cyclical, and roughly every twenty-five years things will revert back to where they were. That means right now we should be entering a cycle of nostalgia for the 90s, which in the rock scene means a return of the grunge ethos. I haven't seen a lot of evidence for that just yet, but that's exactly what Cicadastone is aiming for. They are a young band calling back to flannel's finest hour, and possibly rescuing us from the overload of bands that still treat the 80s like they were the greatest time ever. (Spoiler alert; they weren't)

In the case of Cicadastone, there is one influence that can't be ignored; Alice In Chains. Their thick riffing, dark guitar tone, and nasally harmonized vocals are all straight from the Alice In Chains playbook. If not for the modern production, some people could easily be fooled into thinking these could be old demos from that band back in the day. If you love that sound of simple guitar grooves and blended harmonies, Cicadastone is going to scratch that familiar itch.

There's a hint of "Man In The Box" to the riff of "Incandesent", although Cicadastone's song never kicks into that energetic high gear. The band is content to sit in the slower groove, and let the song slowly wash over you. They pull a very specific thread of the past, and they use that to stitch everything they do together. There may not be as much color from song to song, but there is consistency. With that being true, it means this is a record you can put on and listen through without worrying about hearing one or two tracks that sound out of place, that you would rather not hear. Cicadastone is committed to their sound, through and through.

There is something to be said for knowing who you are, which Cicadastone surely does.

There are two problems with this record, however. First among them is that with thirteen tracks, many of them going over five minutes long, there's a bit too much here. What could have been a tight forty-five minute record stretches on and gets a bit tiring before the end. With these tempos, and the droning nature of the music, asking for an hour of our attention might be asking more than some of us can give. Even though I like the record, I find myself being tested to get through the entire thing every time. Secondly, I think we could reconsider the song "Slave In A Cage". Using that word in any context other than historical is asking for trouble. I'm not accusing the song of anything, but it would be easier not to use said language, and avoid any misunderstandings before they occur.

The main takeaway is this; those of us who grew up with the 90s being the foundation of our memories are going to welcome the nostalgia this sound evokes. Sure, Alice In Chains is still around and making music, but we don't get to hear enough other groups that remember the 90s were a better time than we like to give it credit for. I'll take a dozen more bands trying to be the next Nirvana or Alice In Chains before I hear one more who wants to be Def Leppard. There's something soothing about hearing music from a previous depressing time in our society right now. It reminds us that we got through it before, we'll get through it again, and we aren't crazy for holding onto the music from back then.

So yeah, good on you, Cicadastone.

My Favorite Songs Of All Time

Making lists is sometimes hard, because trying to sort between the levels of affection we have for pieces of music can be like taking a taste test between brands of bottled water. It can be done, but the differences are nearly negligible, and at some point the comparison only starts to make you doubt your own senses. Ranking albums is easier, and I have done that several times over the years, but only once before have I sat down to try to decide my favorite songs of all time. That list has gotten lost, so I was in no way effected by the inertia of my previous decisions. I started from scratch this time, which is both a blessing and a curse.

While I do love all of these songs, and I have no hesitation about any of them, I have a lingering feeling that I have missed some important songs. Either they didn't carry over as I moved from one computer to another, or my memory is failing me after years without hearing an old favorite. Those will be my excuses when I inevitably smack myself in the forehead for forgetting something that should have been obvious to me. With the caveat that I'm limiting this to one song per band/artist for the sake of keeping this from being overrun by a few favorites, let's get started.

In quasi alphabetical order:

Dilana - Falling Apart

Here's the exception. This is my favorite song, as I have previously written about. From the very first time I heard a low-quality live performance, I was swept up in this song. I love its power, its emotion, its versatility, and of course Dilana's majestic vocals. It is an anthem for the broken, those matching the edges to see if the pieces of themselves still fit together. Listening to this song, they always seem to.

Tonic - If You Could Only See

The other exception. This is the song that gave me the idea to become a musician myself, and it was my favorite song from the time I heard it until it got replaced by the song above. There are plenty of other Tonic songs I love just as much, but the importance of this one to my life gives it the edge.

Avantasia - The Story Ain't Over

The best Meat Loaf song that never was. The string arrangement is lovely, and accentuates the dramatic swells that lead into that epic chorus. The twinkling piano, and the massive hook are pompous and grandiose, but that's what makes it so great. As it was said, if you don't go over the top, you won't know what's on the other side.

Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way

This is one of the best written pop songs, even if it may not be cool to admit. It really is an infectious song, and I have memories of my college friends doing sing-alongs to this one all the time. That was silly and stupid, but I laugh a little bit to myself every time I hear this song.

Blues Traveler - Hook

I can't tell you how many times in my younger days I recited the rapid-fire bridge, only to want to do it again right afterward. I memorized the harmonica solo, and could at one time whistle it note for note. I've never understood the fascination with Peter Pan, and I didn't at the time get the cynicism of the music industry, but that just means the song has been able to evolve with me.

Bon Jovi – Livin' On A Prayer

If you had to sum up 80s rock in one song, it might just be this one. It's everything good about that decade, without any of the bad. It's the stadium anthem of all anthems, and there are few things as rousing as when that chorus hits, whether you can hit that note or not.

Dave Matthews Band - Grey Street

This song is one of the few times Dave wrote a lyric that really caught my ear. Some of the imagery spoke to me, but the key has always been that four-chord riff. The voicings are unique, and I've stolen from them on more than one occasion. Dave is hit-and-miss, but this one is a grand slam.

Elton John - I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

One of the few timeless songs from the 80s, which is a decade I continue to hate the sound of. My favorite Elton albums would actually come much later, not earlier, but the slow bounce of this song has been a favorite since I heard it on the radio as a kid. The passion in it shines through.

Gin Blossoms - Til I Hear It From You

Was there ever a more fitting title for a time than "New Miserable Experience"? While not from that album, everything the band did embodied that sound, with this song being my favorite example of it. It's a perfect little pop song, wrapped up in that 90s detachment. Man, I miss those days.

Graham Colton - Can't Stand Here Waiting

This is an odd one, since I can't point you toward the version of the song I am referring to. It doesn't exist on the internet, as far as I know. I found this by chance, when a different song of his was mislabeled as a Tonic song, and I have never been able to forget this one. I borrowed ideas of how to build chord progressions from it, and it remains a magical few minutes, even if I share the experience with no one.

The Heights - How Do You Talk To An Angel?

I shouldn't like a song put together for a tv show, but I always have. There was something in the longing sound of this one that I connected to, so it has always been a favorite. Nowadays, I have a different reason for embracing the song, since the title is a question I ask myself on a fairly regular basis.

Jim Steinman - Bad For Good

I have always loved Steinman's sense of drama. His voice is unique (both singing and writing), and it's one of my formative musical memories. This multi-part mini-epic is everything I love about his music, and it always feels triumphant when it builds us back up after we fall.

Matchbox Twenty - Bent

My memories of the "Yourself Of Someone Like You" album are stronger, but "Bent" was always such a searing song. The biting guitar leads make the most out of those bent (sorry for the pun) notes, and the chorus is darkly lush. It spoke to a younger me.

Meat Loaf - Couldn't Have Said It Better

Not at all one of the famous Meat Loaf ballads, this one is my favorite. It rocks harder than just about anything else he's done, Patti Russo is my favorite of his partners, and damn if it doesn't sound epic when they belt out the chorus. I don't think I can listen to this song without smiling by the time it's over.

Michelle Branch - All You Wanted

If it seems like I love semi-forlorn pop/rock songs, yeah, I totally do. I was a big fan of the show Daria, and songs like this give me the same feeling. It was a very late 90s thing, and maybe you had to be there to understand.

Mr Big - To Be With You

As a sucker for ballads, and a lover of acoustic guitars, this song was always right up my alley. Yes, it's hokey. Yes, it's wuss-tastic. I don't care about any of that. It brings me immense joy. I'm the type of person who enjoys these sorts of things.

Natalie Imbruglia - Torn

Maybe I'm weird, but if you ask me for a song that embodies sex appeal, it would be this one. There's something about the pulsing acoustic guitar, the ecstatic moaning of the electric guitar, and Natalie's breathy voice that does it for me. I must have watched the video hundreds of times back when it came out, and now I get a nostalgic rush from the song.

Opeth - Bleak

Here's how I know this song is special; I've never once thought it would be better without the growling. The death metal verses accentuate the beautiful melody the song spins into, as well as the complicated dissonances of the chords. It's a visceral song that becomes a stirring song, and I love the dichotomy.

Richard Marx - Take This Heart

If I could choose to have someone's voice, Richard Marx would be on that list. I love the slight rasp he has, which makes everything sound heart-wrenching even when there isn't much meaning behind it. So when it comes to soft rock, I can't think of anything better than this song.

Robbie Williams - Angels

If you ask me for a list of my favorite vocal performances (which I may do at some point), this would be on the list. A glorious song already (I'm a sucker for ballads), the strain in Robbie's voice as it sounds close to breaking on the choruses is sublime.

$ign Of 4 - Dancing With St Peter

I am not a spiritual person, but some songs have that feeling of being a rock and roll hymn. This is one of those for me. It's a sad, somber track that still manages to lift my spirits. Balancing on that knife's edge is difficult, and I'm awed when it's pulled off so well.

The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

This song is hard to listen to, both because Morrissey has shown himself to be an awful human being, but also because this song is tied to the memory of a certain person. The good parts of those memories are brought back every time I hear this song, and even if that's unhealthy, I like having the option.

The Thorns – I Can't Remember

Without a doubt, my favorite aspect of this song are the warm, wonderful harmonies. The three voices blending together are a glorious sound, and hearing this on VH1 in the old days was probably the first time I heard anything quite like it. It's a sound I love, and the genesis of that is always going to remain a favorite.

Tom Petty - Walls (Circus)

No one did laid back quite like Tom Petty, who could always make more from less than almost anyone. Maybe I'm just being a contrarian taking this song over "Free Fallin", but there's an extra nudge of pop to the melody that kills me.

The Wallflowers - Letters From The Wasteland

When does a song that isn't heavy still sound overwhelmingly powerful? This one does, and it's because of the ties between the band's Americana rocking and Jakob Dylan's poetry. The song feels to me like an anthem for a certain type of outcast. It's always stuck with me.

And here are some of the songs that either just missed the cut, or would have made it if I didn't limit things to one per artist:

Air Supply - Making Love Out Of Nothing At All (Not every great Jim Steinman track went to Meat Loaf)
Avantasia - Dying For An Angel (Stickier than gum in your hair)
The Beatles - In My Life (Their most beautiful and haunting song)
Billy Joel - A Matter Of Trust (A tough choice over "For The Longest Time")
Blues Traveler - Canadian Rose (Another song I used to have the harmonica solo memorized for)
The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love (My one and only karaoke performance)
Dilana - Dirty Little Secret (Raw, searing beauty from Dilana)
Edguy - Tears Of A Mandrake (Showing the gloriously fun side of metal)
Elvis Costello - Indoor Fireworks (Perfecting the beauty of sparse simplicity)
Emerson Hart - If You're Gonna Leave (Optimistic in the face of negativity. I've always liked that)
Goo Goo Dolls - Here Is Gone (Johnny was always so good at selling sad songs)
Graveyard - The Siren (Finally, I understand rock's blues obsession)
Green Day - Deadbeat Holiday (From their best album, no matter how few people agree)
Halestorm - Innocence (That moment when Lzzy lets loose gets me every time)
Heart - Alone (Manufactured or not, I love 80s ballad Heart)
Huey Lewis & The News - Do You Believe In Love? (The best kind of 80s cheese)
Kelly Clarkson - Because Of You (I loved Kelly at this time, and of course it's the ballad I pick)
Meat Loaf - Blind As A Bat ("Your heart is kind, mine's painted black." I've said that before)
Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten (Everyone needs some sunny pop in their life)
Nevermore - The Heart Collector (Crushing, dramatic metal that twists the knife)
REO Speedwagon - Take It On The Run (Cheesy, sure, but it rocks more than stereotype would indicate)
Rob Thomas - Lonely No More (I think I like this one more than "Smooth" with Santana. Not entirely sure why)
Savatage - Believe (Cinematic and overwrought, but in all the right ways)
The Spider Accomplice - Butterflies In A Beehive (The newest entry on the list. I love the gorgeous, forlorn melody, even if I'm more of a pale moth)
Tom Petty - Free Fallin (A classic for a reason)
Tonic - Take Me As I Am (An anthem for me, for many years)
The Wallflowers - One Headlight (A song that sounds perfect for driving by a cemetery at night)

And even a few more:

A Perfect Circle - Judith
Ben Folds Five - Brick
Billy Joel - For The Longest Time
Bruce Dickinson - A Tyranny Of Souls
Bruce Springsteen - You'll Be Comin' Down
Dave Matthews Band - Crush
Dilana - Maybe Just A Little
Dio - Don't Talk To Strangers
Elton John - Original Sin
Elvis Costello - Man Out Of Time
Foo Fighters - Everlong
Graveyard - Slow Motion Countdown
Guns N Roses - Rocket Queen
Halestorm - Private Parts
H.I.M. - Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly
The Jayhawks - Take Me With You (When You Go)
Kelly Clarkson - Behind These Hazel Eyes
Killswitch Engage - Lost
Meat Loaf - Read Em And Weep
The Offspring - Self Esteem
Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song
Taylor Swift - Blank Space
Tonic - Roses
Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want
Weezer - Hash Pipe

Quick Reviews: Issa and Chez Kane

Not every album gives me enough to talk about to fill up an entire review, but they still contain some point or idea worth mentioning. Today, we're going to give shorter consideration to two new albums I don't have enough to say about to fill an entire review.

Issa - Queen Of Broken Hearts

The melodic rock factory keeps producing new albums, and this one is another very solid release. Issa has a powerful voice to belt these songs out, and there's a slight bit more dramatic flair put into these songs than some of the similar records. This is still 80s inspired melodic rock, but without quite as many synth tones all over the place, Issa's sound is classy for the genre. This album is well performed and produced, which makes it an enjoyable listen. It's also no different than Issa's last album, or so many other we're going to hear this year. That makes it much more difficult to feel passionately about.

Everything is good on this record, but nothing is great. There isn't a song I can point to that stands out as a highight, something you absolutely need to hear. Issa isn't a big name, or at the top of the genre, so this is the sort of album you listen to if you're deeply into melodic rock. It will satisfy the fans, but won't endure when the year's best work comes along.

Chez Kane - Chez Kane

This record is a throwback to the female rockers of the 80s, and it absolutely sounds like that. Chez' voice fits right in with the singers of that day, and the keyboards all over the record can't be mistaken for any other time. Listening to this record is like going back to 1988, which I seem to be the only person who sees as a bad thing. I like Chez, but I struggle every time an album like this comes along. I fail to see how it makes sense to so obviously tie your music to a time that was more than thirty years ago, a time you weren't even alive during, and one that so badly dates what you're doing. The best music is timeless, and 80s music was stale even in the 80s.

There are a few songs on this album, like "Rocket On The Radio" and "Get It On", that would make for great modern melodic rock if they didn't sound like relics from the past. It's bad enough that music in the 80s congealed enough that one sound defines the entire decade, but to resurrect that sound is foolish. When you adopt someone else's sound or style, all you do is invite comparisons you can't win. Anyone who loves 80s rock is going to compare Chez to the big hits of the past, and you aren't going to overpower nostalgia. So instead of standing on her own two feet, she has to live in the shadows of the names she will be compared to. It didn't need to be that way.

She, and these songs, had quite a bit of potential. It's a shame they slathered them with a glossy coat of nostalgia. It reflects poorly on what could have been a solid record.

Album Review: Sunstorm - Afterlife

"This is another fine mess you've gotten me into," Oliver Hardy said to Stan Laurel. Actually, he never did say those exact words. Variations on the phrase, but never that exact parlance. It joins the list of things we know that aren't true, like "Beam me up, Scottie", and "Luke, I am your father". That's not important, though. What is important is that Sunstorm arrives with this album, and it's a complete mess. Not the music, but the behind the scenes drama that now renders this record something harder to deal with.

Sunstorm is a Joe Lynn Turner project, and has been defined by him and him alone for twenty years. The cast changes, as does the music, but Turner is the entire point of the project existing. Except now, after a disagreement over what direction Sunstorm should be going, Ronnie Romero is now the singer. Ronnie is already in fifty other projects, and has griped about his own dissatisfaction about the business, and now he takes over a project that is using a name it doesn't need to. This would be exactly the same if they put it out under any other name, and I wouldn't have to talk about the machinations between artists and labels.

The talk was of this album going in a more melodic and AOR direction, as compared to the previous couple albums. Honestly, I don't really hear that. These songs sound like the same moderately heavy melodic rock Sunstorm has been giving us all along. Maybe it's a hair lighter this time around, but the hallmarks of what I consider AOR aren't readily apparent. It's yet more solid, Frontiers styled melodic rock.

If you like that, and you like Ronnie Romero, you can't go wrong with Sunstorm. There's a certain level of quality you always get from these sorts of albums, and Sunstorm more than lives up to it. Yes, we've heard every note of this before, but fans eat it up because it delivers what we want. The songs are heavy enough, smooth enough, and centered on big melodies. That formula is what a lot of the best music is.

The other side of that equation is that since all these albums feature the same cast of writers and players, the only difference from one to the next is the voice. Ronnie has never been a favorite of mine, and I continue to question what I don't hear that everyone else does. He's fine, but I don't think the grit he tries to sing with matches the tone of the music particularly well. Then there's "One Step Closer", where the effects on his voice make him sound alien. I don't know if it was a choice, or if it was necessary, but it sounds awful. I'm prone to liking organic recordings, but even so, covering up his voice like that is a bad look, one way or the other.

So what we have here is another solid melodic rock album. It does most of the right things, and it delivers an enjoyable time. It doesn't stand out from the pack, and I'm afraid that because it doesn't, the drama is going to be the most lasting thing about it. If you can put that aside, "Afterlife" is a fine record to spend some time with.

Album Review: Heart Healer - The Metal Opera

More often than not, it seems, we wind up hearing songs penned by Magnus Karlsson in a given year. He has been remarkably prolific in the melodic metal world, including two albums last year. One was the combination of Russell Allen and Anette Olzon that was my second favorite album of the year, and the other was one of his 'solo' records that features several guest vocalists to bring his vision to life. He was worked with so many singers, and written so many albums, it a bit surprising to realize that Heart Healer is his first foray into the multi-vocalist concept album scene. Those have been popping up everywhere ever since Avantasia and Ayreon became so popular, and now one of the best melodic songwriters is putting his hat into the ring.

Befitting the epic nature of a concept album, Magnus tries his hand at more orchestral arrangements, expanding the scope beyond his usual fare. It does give the album a more cinematic feeling, but the shift seeps into the songwriting in expected ways, and the results may not be what was intended. On the opening "Awake", Magnus tries to shoehorn in one of his typically bombastic choruses, but everything between those bursts of metallic melody feel disjointed from the writing style. The orchestral elements don't quite mesh with his guitars, and the verses plod along with more emphasis on the backing sounds than on Adrienne Cowan's vocals. It doesn't really work for me the way most of Magnus' best songs do.

We also come face-to-face with a decision others have made that still confounds me. Magnus additionally uses the opportunity to take some more progressive turns, using a few extra instrumental sections to build the drama during the songs. Being that this is a concept album, which means it's trying to tell a story, I don't understand how instrumental diversions serve that purpose very well. He at least doesn't include a fully instrumental song as some have done *cough* Trond Holter *cough*, but there is more time spent not advancing the story than there should be. It's no different than a movie with extraneous scenes that should have been left on the cutting room floor. Story should trump everything.

Sorry for the tangent, but that is a pet peeve I can't shake. Back to the main thrust now.

Magnus is a great songwriter, and I have enjoyed a lot of what he has done over the years, but Heart Healer is perhaps the least interesting album he has made. I hate saying that, since a dramatic album featuring Noora Louhino and Anette Olzon is something I should absolutely adore, but it sounds to my ears like Magnus has tried so hard to make an epic album that the effort choked his abilities. Listening to "Come Out Of The Shadows", the atmosphere is great, but when it finally builds to the chorus, it's..... just flat. The performance is passionate, but the melody is weak, and the trade-off of hook for power was a mistake.

The highlight of the album comes in the middle with Noora's solo outing "Into The Unknown". Her raw power elevates the song, and the overlapping vocals through the end of the song are a cascade of wonderful possibilities. She unlocks the potential of this album, her voice fitting the songwriting best of the cast. The others do a fine job, but not all seven of them have voices unique enough to separate themselves. That's a common flaw in the casting of these albums, and I do think a bit more diversity in the vocal tones could have helped make the various roles more easily identifiable.

As the album's hour moves along, my main thought is that the concept got the better of Magnus. He was trying so hard to do something new, something *more*, that he forgot about what he does best. The hooks and melodies across these songs aren't as strong as on either album he released last year, and what I gleaned of the story isn't interesting enough to make me want to listen to these songs instead of his better work. This is why concept records are hard. You not only have to find a way to tell a complete story through lyrics without them sounding hackneyed, but you have to find the right people to get the characters across, and you have to have songs that hold up without any of that.

Heart Healer might be intended as an epic statement of what Magnus Karlsson is capable of as a songwriter, but what it says is the opposite; that Magnus Karlsson does what he does very well, and maybe his style doesn't translate as well to 'weightier' endeavors. Heart Healer is interesting as a theoretical exercise, but I can't say it's anywhere among the best work of Magnus Karlsson's career.

Album Review: Ronnie Atkins - One Shot

Today we come to another case where a critic can come across like an asshole. Ronnie Atkins is battling cancer, and is making the most of his time by releasing this solo album. Now, how exactly do you criticize a sick man's work without it sounding completely insensitive? I don't know if there is an answer to that, and I'm not sure there should be either. People talk when ugly stories come up that we need to be able to separate the art from the artist. Wouldn't the same also be true when the story would give us undue sympathy? It's an interesting question.

This is a true solo album, and not just a Pretty Maids record in disguise. Compared to the last couple of albums from his main band, this is a lighter, more positive batch of songs. His main gig has been getting heavier and more snarling, while this is an outlet for optimism and big, feel-good songs. So even with circumstances being what they are, Ronnie is trying to look on the bright side and make the most of his time. That is far easier to hear than if he had gone the other direction.

There's an interesting balance to these songs, where the overall approach is lighter than usual, and yet the guitar tone is saturated and thick. The tones are far heavier than the songs themselves would point toward, and I can't decide if it was a mistake to not play to the needs of the songs, or if providing some extra punch helps prop up some of these tracks. It might be a bit of both, to be honest.

The title track uses this approach to build an anthem to life that is the highlight of the entire record. It's a big, arena rocking ballad that serves as a call to arms, and shows the best of what Ronnie can do. His gritty voice takes what could be a saccharine song and makes it sound far more powerful. These songs go a long way to showing that Ronnie's voice can work across the rock spectrum. It works with the heaviest of Pretty Maids material, it works with the melodic rock of Nordic Union, and his voice is the best part of this softer rock as well.

"Before The Rise Of An Empire" is more 80s than the rest with some extra synths, and "Miles Away" has almost gospel backing vocals that carry a lot of the composition. It's unusual, but it loses some of its appeal when Ronnie throws in the groan-inducing lyric "a friend in need is a friend indeed". One line doesn't ruin a solid song, but it does make it harder to listen to. It's not as bad as when Taylor Swift told us "spelling is fun", but it's along those lines of not trying hard enough.

On first impressions, this album didn't appear to be all that impressive, but it grew on me the more I listened to it. These aren't songs with big riffs or the most obvious pop hooks, so it takes a little while for them to make their impact. When that happens, "One Shot" reveals itself to be well worth listening to. No, it's not as addictive as a Nordic Union album, but it's nice to hear Ronnie pouring so much of himself into a record. We can always use a few more songs that try to make us feel better.

Album Review: Orden Ogan - Final Days

While I have been admittedly luke-warm on power metal in recent years, one bright spot that always delivers is Orden Ogan. Some will criticize them for being in the Motorhead or AC/DC camp of always delivering the same album, but that ignores the albums are all good. Some have more lasting appeal than others, but their heavy chugging metal and epic choirs are the most consistent thing going in power metal. I stumbled across them even before they made it to a label, and in all that time they have never failed. Every time Orden Ogan releases a record, you know it's going to be an enjoyable time.

With this album, the band continues their practice of concept record by taking this journey into space. While we have gotten records in the past about burning cities, ice ages, and the wild west, this record is about technology and the vacuum it threatens to push us into.

That theme fits with the band's sound, which has always had a mechanical rhythm to the guitars as the muted notes lock in with the drums. While it may have been a bit harder to buy Orden Ogan as the soundtrack to a black-hat gunfight, they fit right in for a suspense-driven movie in the depths of space. As the album kicks off with "Heart Of The Android", those guitars could stand in for pistons serving as the robotic pump bringing the bot to life. It's a minor detail, but having the subject matter fit in with the band's sound does help cohere everything just that little bit more.

Orden Ogan maintains their status as both one of the heavier power metal bands, but also one of the most epic. When they lock into a thrashing rhythm, like they do during the solo section of "In The Dawn Of The AI", they are unquestionably heavy. Then, when the time comes to switch back to the chorus, the layers of voices behind Seeb expand the scope into something only Blind Guardian compares to. Putting the two elements together is what makes Orden Ogan unique, and they do it as well on this record as they ever have.

We run the gamut, from the rapid-fire delivery of "Interstellar" to the brooding heavy ballad "Alone In The Dark", which allows the band to show they aren't the one-trick pony you might initially think. They are dedicated to their sound and aesthetic, but there are enough nuances within it to give the albums the needed diversity. I'm not sure I quite heard a song that stands out as one of their absolute best, the way I did when "A Reason To Give" jumped out at me from the "Ravenhead" album, but all fifty minutes of this outing are rock solid.

So is this better than their previous album? Where does it sit among their discography? The differences between albums are slight, so really it doesn't matter much where we say it falls. We can have our favorites, and the rest of the albums will not be far behind. The beauty of consistency is not having to think about these things, and Orden Ogan makes that possible. Everything they put out is damn good, and so is "Final Days".

Album Review: Noora Louhimo Experience - Eternal Wheel Of Time And Space

At any given time, there are only a handful of vocalists who stand up and make a strong argument for being considered one of the best in the world at what they do. I've mentioned before when talking about a certain person that I can't explain in words exactly what it is about a voice that grips my attention in such a way, but I know it when I hear it. Among all the singers in the current melodic and power metal scene, there is one voice that clearly rises to the top of the mountain; Noora Louhimo.

Her voice has made Battle Beast as successful as they are, and she elevates every project she guests on. I don't think I'm spoiling too much to say she is the highlight of the upcoming Heart Healer metal opera from stalwart Magnus Karlsson. More interesting than that, however, is this first solo outing from her. With this record, she moves to show her versatility as a singer, and showcase a side of her we might not assme from the roles she is usually given.

Right off the bat, "Eternal Wheel Of Time And Space" is awash in acoustic and slide guitars, with a bluesy tone that gives a modern Woodstock aesthetic to Noora's updated Janis Joplin voice. She sings with rasp and power, always with a tone that sounds like her soul being shredded to pad the notes as they are delivered to our ears. When she belts out the notes at the song's cresendo, it's one of those moments that makes you stop and focus on what you're hearing. It's special.

With softer and more organic songs to sing over, we hear more of Noora's voice here than ever before. The nuances of her delivery come through clearly, and show a singer in complete control of her instrument. She shifts volume, color, and intensity to ride the dynamics of these songs. A one-trick-pony she is not.

On "Piece Of Your Love" Noora asks the subject to "give me one piece of your soul". That's what this record feels like she is doing. I don't mean to stereotype all of metal and harder rock as being incapable of doing that, but there does sound like a more natural connection between art and artist with the classic rock Noora is singing all over this album. We don't know from the outside just how much of herself Noora is showing us, but that doesn't matter, because this sounds like she is opening the door.

If we think of this album as a journey through Noora's life and soul, we get to see the breaks between the chapters. There is the classic rock of the title track, the E-Street burst of sax on "Valkyrie", even some purely 80s groovy soft rock on "New You" and funk on "Sinner On The Floor". As it unfolds, the album is a jukebox of classic sounds for Noora to make her own, which she most certainly does.

This spin through the wheel of time and space probably isn't what peope were expecting, but that's the point of doing something like this. We all know Noora can sing metal and hard rock, so making a solo album doing that wouldn't show us anything new. Noora has taken a risk by making an album like this, but it's a risk that pays off. Not only do we find out about the woman behind the music, but we get to hear more of what she is capable of. Noora is absolutely one of the best voices out there, and this album is a showcase of her varied abilities. It's well worth hearing the world of possibilites open up before us.

 

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