Twenty-Five Years Spent "Before These Crowded Streets"

I was not the most clued-in of teenagers, but even I knew "Crash Into Me" was a creepy song when it came out, and it was quite bizarre to see it climb up the charts. It was even weirder to see a certain segment of the population singing along on the radio to a song with that particular angle to it, even weirder than I could be. Maybe it wasn't a surprise that while I enjoyed the song for what it was, as I did "Ants Marching" and "What Would You Say" from the first record, I was by no means a devoted Dave Matthews fan when the hype for their third record started out.

Looking back, "Before These Crowded Streets" is another one of those records that makes no sense as a personal classic. It takes twists and turns into areas I was not a fan of at the time (and still might not be, honestly), and it doesn't have the immediacy of their previous singles, but yet there was something about this oddball record that caught my attention in a way the first two didn't.

"Don't Drink The Water" was a bizarre song to release as a single. The slow-burning swampy vibe contrasted with everything that was on the radio, and the song doesn't really have anything you could call a chorus. It was very much the kind of song that you would say was written for the already converted fans at the live shows, except it doesn't even have the best basis for long jamming. If we go back to the origins of the term, where an album was a collection of whatever songs an artist had recorded in the last bit of time, "Before These Crowded Streets" is indeed an album.

What convinced me to give Dave Matthews more of my time was "Crush", another song whose appeal at the time I would not be able to explain. The key to the song is the jazzy vibe, but to this day I still don't like jazz at all. So why does "Crush" work for me in spite of that? I don't know, honestly. Maybe it was the short violin solo that first caught my ear, or maybe it was that the opening bass riff was simple enough for me to figure out when I was first picking up a guitar. Maybe I heard something in the lyric that glued itself to something in my subconscious, as the topic of dreams has been a recurring motif in my own work over all these years.

I remember how annoyed I was when I saw the lyrics to "Halloween" weren't included in the booklet. The string arrangement on that song was so beautiful, and Dave's throat-shredding vocal so viceral, I was mesmerized by that song. To have that be the one left for me to decipher on my own was frustrating, but frustration was a part of the record experience. I was also frustrated when the songs would drag on for an extra minute at the end, or when the little studio chatter was thrown in between songs, or when the record was sequenced with the back half staying soft and slow throughout.

Frustration can do one of two things; it can push you away, or you can push through it. Being that this was 1998, and I didn't have many other records to listen to, I pushed through. I found the details in the songs I could love, and slowly found my frustrations with the rest slipping away each time the record spun, as if the gravity of my emotion was no longer enough to keep the rotation from flinging it off into space.

As I listened more, and as time went on, those softer songs opened up to reveal beautiful fragments of melody. It would only make sense later, when the realization hit that Dave Matthews is a very somber songwriter. The band's later records are littered with slower ballads and soft crooning, letting the energy of their live shows be something completely separate. Those elements were always there, but this record is where it became clear the band was something different on record.

Also, "Before These Crowded Streets" makes much more sense in light of "The Lillywhite Sessions". The sadness of Dave's writing, and the oppressive atmosphere the band could create to remove any glint of sunlight, would be taken to extremes on that unreleased record. It started here, though. They were records emerging from the same soil, digging up the same demons we try to keep buried. I wouldn't have known at the time how much that record would mean to me, but now that I can look at these things in retrospect, "Before These Crowded Streets" is not as much of an outlier as it first seemed.

Twenty-five years later, when I put this record on, I hear every moment of that history. I still hear my frustration, I still hear my moments of clarity, and I can now hear the genesis of what would come next. Hindsight may be twenty-twenty, but foresight is mysterious. This is a case where my naive self knew something I wouldn't comprehend for many years. That's a rather magical experience to have with a record.

Singles Roundup: Foo Fighters, Ray Alder, Greta Van Fleet, & DMB

Some big names pop up in this week's roundup. Can they save the first half of this year? Let's see.

Foo Fighters - Rescued

I have to say, I'm a bit surprised to see Dave Grohl used the process of making a record to deal with the challenge of losing Taylor Hawkins. I had assumed the band would play a couple of shows, but otherwise take considerable time off to regroup. Instead, a new album is on the way, and this first single is the most excited I've been about Foo Fighters since "Wasting Light". No, it isn't a band classic, and it doesn't have the big hook to make it a radio favorite like their best work, but it sounds like what I envision Foo Fighters to be. The last couple of albums were disappointing for the way they drifted away, trying new things I didn't enjoy, but this song is a 'return to form', so to speak. I love "There Is Nothing Left To Lose", and if the rest of this album sounds as much like that era as this song does, I will be quite happy.

Ray Alder – This Hollow Shell

Ah, I wonder if the timing is a coincidence. Coming just after a Redemption album I didn't like at all, former singer Ray Alder is ready to unleash his second solo album. Like the first time around, his melancholy metal hits me much harder than his former band does without him. Yes, the song is a bit slow, but that sets the creeping melancholy in motion, and Ray's voice is absolutely perfect for that. There's something about his voice that carries that emotion so well to my ears, and he writes far better melodies when he's not dealing with the music of Fates Warning. His first album was great, and this song is just as good.

Greta Van Fleet – Meeting The Master

This one I don't get at all. I know the band wants to prove they're artists in their own right, but this is a bizarre song to try to prove that to the public with. It's long and slow, and I don't think the build ever amounts to anything. The payoff for the song is as boring as the build, and I think more conversation will be about the band's fashion than about the music. They've been trending downward ever since I first heard them, and this song doesn't give me any reason to think that trend has changed.

Dave Matthews Band – Monsters

I wasn't all that keen about the first single from the upcoming album, but this song rights the ship. It's modern DMB, which means it's often going to be softer and more somber than my memory might expect, but Dave has a way of making those songs endearing. This is one of those, where the focus is on the melody and the harmonies, and they rise to the occasion. This is a song that would fit in well with the sparse acoustic nature of "Away From The World", which being that's my favorite record of the second half of their career, is only a good thing. I'm more optimistic now than I was before hearing this song.

Quick Reviews: Revolution Saints & Smackbound

Today, it's a double dose of melodic rock.

Revolution Saints - Eagle Flight

I wonder what happens behind the scenes to cause turnover in the membership of a band like this, where they are almost exclusively a studio project. It can't possibly take that much time out of the member's lives, so does that mean it has to be an issue of money? I'm not sure, but the fact that Deen Castronovo is being joined by two new members on this album is the most interesting thing about the record. Of course, that's interesting in the philosophical sense, since if I didn't know the rest of the band had been replaced, I would never know it from listening to the album.

With the same producer and songwriter, the only difference between this record and the previous ones is a bit of phrasing in the guitar solos. Otherwise, this is Revolution Saints by the numbers, which has been getting less interesting with each album. It's fine melodic rock, and Deen has some moments where his voice shines, but it's another record that blends together with all the other ones the label puts out. I'm entirely played out on this particular brand of rock still, so I'm not sure if that's the reason I found myself only mildly enjoying the record, or if it really is trading on weaker songs than especially the debut record.

This one again falls into the category of music that's perfectly fine, but not something I'm going to feel the need to listen to again. These bands really need to be given more of an identity of their own than just who happens to be singing. Please.

Smackbound - Hostage

Their first album showed promise. Netta Laurenne has a great voice, but things get weird once we dig any deeper than that. This record throws some more modern influences into the mix, and it comes off sounding a bit stilted, with choruses that don't really stick with me when they aren't actively annoying me. That would be disappointing on its own, but it gets worse than that.

Between the first album and this one, Laurenne shared an album with Noora Louhimo, and that album was head-and-shoulders better than either of the records Smackbound has made. She is the main catalyst behind making all three of them, so I'm not sure what the difference was that made the duets album so great, and Smackbound feel so small by comparison. It isn't the absence of Noora, because Laurenne is more than capable as a singer. She stood toe-to-to with one of the best in the world and came out equal.

There's something about writing for her own voice that doesn't work as well for me. These songs might be trying more things, and taking more risks, but they don't pay it off. I can't honestly tell anyone to listen to this record when the Laurenne/Louhimo album is there waiting for you, and it's so much better.

Album Review: Powerwolf - "Interludium"

Fair warning, we’re going to spend a good chunk of this review not talking about the album in question.  I’m also going to apologize in advance for inserting myself into the proceedings, which I apologize for every time I do it, and you’d think I’d know better by now.  

I want to take you back to February, on a blustery night, to a theater nestled into the blinding neon heart of Times Square.  Powerwolf, so long now stalwarts of the metal scene worldwide, had finally, FINALLY arrived in the United States to play their first ever show.

The atmosphere was palpably electric.  Never had I felt like this, or sensed the same pure anticipation from the sold-out throngs around me.  Powerwolf’s arrival, so long sought by legions of dedicated American fans, was to be an all-caps EVENT, heretofore unforeseen on these shores.

Normally, when the lights dim at a show is when the crowd cheers the loudest, when the fever pitch reaches the peak of its roiling crescendo, as the pent-up potential energy is allowed its very first sensuous tease of the kinetic.  And while the welcoming cheer was vociferous, on this night it was the roar of appreciation and adulation from the crowd after “Faster Than The Flame” had been recited that was the single most memorable moment of the night.

I am a veteran of several hundred concerts.  I have listened to thousands of albums.  In just a couple short months, I will be forty years old.  While I greatly enjoy the overwhelming majority of shows I go to, because the spectacle of live music is a drug with which I am forever entwined, I am rarely wowed.  

I left the euphoria of that first Powerwolf show firm in the belief that I had seen one of the great shows of my life.  Not just the band, or the music, but the crowd and the whole experience.

And all of that brings us here, to the theoretical reason for those shows in the first place, “Interludium,” the band’s new-ish album that combines six new tracks with four b-sides and rarities, capped by a French language version of “Beast of Gevaudan” which, for reasons I can’t discern, works better than the original.

Anyway, the pre-album press here is correct: there are a lot of strong moments among the six new tracks, but the reasons to be here are the two prominent singles.  “Sainted By the Storm” is an instant Powerwolf classic, pulling elements from Powerwolf’s established catalogue with the jaunty bombast of the best days of Turisas, and just the smallest splash of Alestorm singalong.  It’s simply magnificent, eschewing some of the pure power of the typical Powerwolf riff to give us all an easily accessible tune that bangs around in the ears and refuses to let go.

(It is worth noting that “Altars On Fire,” later on the record, sounds kinda like a poor man’s version of this very same song.)

Conversely, “My Will Be Done” is instantly recognizable in the Powerwolf mold – a galloping riff, some double kick drum, and the peerless vocals of Attila Dorn.  There’s something resembling a breakdown in the middle which is a new, but not unwelcome step for Powerwolf.  Add this cut to the pantheon of great and memorable songs in the band’s idiom.

Also mention worthy are “Wolves of War” and “Wolfborn,” both of which work as permutations of the tried and true formula of the artist.  They are not quite as enthralling as the two singles mentioned above, but that’s not an insult – those two are sublime, these are merely good.  “Wolfborn” in particular has high potential as an anthemic crowd favorite should the band ever return to the United States (hint, hint.)

While there haven’t been any dud Powerwolf records, I personally hadn’t fallen in love with one since “Blessed and Possessed” some eight years ago, so it’s nice to be suckered in again by “Interludium.”  Is it possible that I’m biased by the catharsis of the concert experience?  Sure, but either way, there’s a lot here to like.

Album Review: As Everything Unfolds - Ultraviolet

Certain records open up new worlds of possibility. It's hard to explain what it is about one record out of an entire genre that appeals to you above all the others, but when Dream State released "Primrose Path", it was the first time the modern post-hardcore scene made sense to me. It's obviously not music intended for me, but there was something to that record I could connect with, despite being a generation too old. Maybe I heard echos of the past being twisted into something new, or maybe I was just in a weird mood that day. Whatever the case, it was one of my favorite records when it came out.

As that band has undergone a dramatic shift, and is no longer the same group making the same music, As Everything Unfolds picks up the baton and starts this new leg. Their debut album was interesting, but still needed seasoning to make it to the top of the mountain. With this second record, they have honed their sound and found the focus needed to do just that.

The shift starts with the aggression, which is still present, but is used more sparingly. The harsh bellows and thrashing instrumentation are accents that color the songs, not the core of them. That lets them hit harder when they do pop up, but it also puts the emphasis on Charlie Rolfe's melodies, which are what will separate As Everything Unfolds from the other bands trying to mine this style. The album is a metaphor for putting yourself under examination, and letting the evidence of our worst moments be seen. All of that is easier to do, and easier to hear, when it comes with the sense of optimism a good melody can inject.

If this was wallowing in hopelessness, it wouldn't be an enjoyable record. What makes this album work, much like "Primrose Path" did, is the feeling that comes across in the choruses that we know our flaws, we know what needs to be fixed, and we're working (albeit slowly) towards getting there. The beauty of the music is there to tell us rough edges can be smoothed out, and rough waters will eventually calm down.

I'm not going to say everything on the album works that well. "Flip Side" leans too much into the harsh and electronic. I didn't like it as a single, and I like it less in the context of the better songs on the album. But for the most part, the band is delivering the kind of anthemic music that makes you want to root for them. From beginning to end, they charm us with their honesty, their commitment, and their songcraft.

I would certainly say this is a step up from their first record, and it stands among the better records of the style. I don't quite think it has the killer instinct of a song like Dream State's "Hand In Hand", but this story is still in its early stages. We're hearing a band rise, and if they continues on, As Everything Unfolds is going to be around for a long time.

Album Review: Overkill - "Scorched"

Twenty albums.  That’s a hell of a long time, and a hell of a lot of music composition, to say nothing of the sheer span of years.  It would seem impossible to conceive that any group of musicians would have enough content to span that period of elapsed life, let alone to deliver music that is idiomatically consistent both with the genre and the band.

And yet, here comes Overkill, the tireless wonders of the second stage of thrash, presenting their new album “Scorched” with a fresh face, but the same virility and biting rasp of all the albums that came before.

“Scorched” is, in short, the best we’ve heard the band since 2010’s excellent and transformative “Ironbound.”  Normally, there is a journalistic challenge in writing about a new effort from such an established property, because it’s hard to describe the band in a new way.  The too-common road is simply to say “if you like Overkill, you’ll like this album; if not, you won’t,” and moreover, even with the greatest of effort, it can be difficult to explain why one album is better than another than to say simply “it just is.”  

We told you that story to tell you this one; Overkill has presented us an album in “Scorched” that avoids all of those trappings by incorporating some new elements into the fold.

Now, when we say ‘new,’ that might be a slight misnomer.  It may be more appropriate to say that Overkill is expanding their efforts into uncharted territory for Overkill, which is similar, but not the same thing.  Overkill has always had in their back pocket the ability to slow down the tempo, as we so gratefully remember from 1989’s “Skullkrusher.”  It’s a card they seldom play, though, until we come to “Scorched,” which is, by and large, a more measured and deliberate effort than the customary smashing and banging for which Overkill is so beloved.

Dave Linsk has been underappreciated by the metal media at large for years, and he delivers again, especially as it relates to this change in tempo.  Look no further than the new album’s best offering, “Won’t Be Coming Back,” where Linsk very simply but effectively creates a deep dynamic with a fragile melodic lead line that belies a feeling of tension and unease.

“Scorched” is Overkill, surely, but also fitted with accoutrements from contemporaries like Metallica and those who followed in the aftermath of thrash like Pantera.  Shit, you can hear both of those things in “Fever”: the lofty openings of “Ride the Lightning” and the stutter-step of “Vulgar Display of Power” both ring true.

Yet there is plenty of meat on the bone for Overkill purists, most for the better.  If “The Surgeon” doesn’t positively scream with the signature of Overkill, then no song ever has.  D.D Verni’s bass sings, Blitz’s ground-glass voice chants out memorable lines, it all sounds so familiar in the best possible way.

There are, parenthetically, some Overkill callbacks perhaps best left behind; “Goin Home” cuts awfully close to “In Union We Stand,” which hasn’t seen the light of day in an Overkill conversation in thirty years, and was better off that way.

To try and loop all this together in summation, is there anything here we’ve never heard before?  No, but there’s plenty that Overkill hasn’t done before, and perhaps that’s the magic secret to a band’s longevity that Chris and I have spoken of so many times on these pages; do unto yourself as others have done similar but differently before you, or something like that.

The changes in pace throughout “Scorched” lend needed depth and creative space to a band that has always prided itself on professionalism and consistency of quality.  None of that changes with the introduction of new influences, nor should it – Overkill has more than enough inertia to bend trends to their will, rather than the opposite.

At the same time, on the other side of the country, the band’s most famous contemporary has also released an album…listening continues in earnest, but as the race develops, Overkill holds the crown for this album cycle.

Album Review: Archon Angel - II

Certain singers have what I can only describe as 'boring' voices. Zak Stevens is one of them. I don't mean that as a criticism, by the way. There are at least three Circle II Circle albums I genuinely love, but I would be hesitant to ignore the fact his voice has an odd flatness to it that certainly takes some getting used to. It also means songwriting is of the utmost importance, because I don't think he has enough charisma as a singer to overcome a lackluster melody.

That's why Circle II Circle has always been such a frustrating band. When they hit the mark, like on "The Burden Of Truth", they're amazing. When they don't hit the mark, it's a slog to get through a whole record. Archon Angel is a different band, of course, but they fit into the same category. I know I covered their first album, but I honestly can't remember a single thing about it. That tells you what you need to know coming into this second album.

The music of Archon Angel is designed to sound like classic Savatage/early Circle II Circle. I get why this can't be a Savatage record, but creating a new band that sounds so much like Circle II Circle doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Shouldn't a new project have its own identity? I would tend to think so. I would also think it would be easier to get people to pay attention to a new release from a band name they might have heard before, as opposed to this awkward set of words.

Yes, I realize none of that should matter if the songs deliver. That's a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. Songs like "Fortress" are reminiscent of the best Circle II Circle tracks, with plenty of power and a big chorus. But every song like that is balanced on the other side by something like "Away From The Sun", which doesn't do much to escape the flatness. Much of these Archon Angel songs are in that 'ok, but not great' range, which is where music is its most frustrating. There isn't much to say about music that is fine enough, but you know you aren't going to remember.

That's where we find ourselves when the record is done. It was a pleasant time spent listening, and there are a handful of good songs I'll be happy to hear again, but as a whole record I can't say I'm going to be drawn to spend fifty minutes at a time ever listening to this. It isn't consistently great, and it also doesn't do anything Zak's other bands haven't already done. So not only is this average, but it sounds so much like records that are great, and have years and decades of lived-in experience. There's no way this can ever win that kind of uphill battle.

I'm not sure why they ever took that challenge on, frankly. This result seemed pre-destined.

Quick Reviews: LA Guns & Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall

Disappointments abound! Let's not dwell too long on them.

LA Guns - Black Diamonds

There are a few bands out there whose continued existence I cannot comprehend. LA Guns is near the top of that list. I've heard all their recent albums, and each time I walk away wondering who in the world is still giving these people money. They clearly aren't spending it on making a record that sounds good, but they probably aren't spending any time on that task either, so that all fits together.

I don't even need to say anything about their lackluster songwriting, because the big thing is simply that this record is unacceptably terrible to listen to. The production is so bad, so muffled, they sound like a band playing in their garage.... in 1988. This is cassette tape level quality, but it's being put out by a band with a record deal in an age where we can all get really good guitar tones with a laptop an some free plugins. It's insulting for veterans, people who have been involved in music for decades, to think this is good enough. They goddamn know better how to make a record, or if they don't, they know people who could help them.

This record is no black diamond, it's a giant piece of coal. Burn it.

Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall - Hunt The Flame

I'm so tired of these kinds of albums, and there's a very specific reason why. Magnus proves this point better than just about anyone, so let's talk about it. I like Magnus, I own several albums he wrote the songs for, and he can be one of the best melodic metal writers out there. The thing is, however, that so much of the end result is reliant on the singer(s). He rarely steps outside of his narrow comfort zone (not a complaint, by the way), so the songs are often interchangeable between the various projects he's working on. And yet, the results couldn't be any more different.

When he put out the Allen/Olzon album last year, I was fully on board. It's fantastic, and I love that album. The songs on this new solo album aren't really any different, and yet I can't say I care about a single one of them. Why? Because this album features a whole host of singers, and none of them happen to 'do it' for me. A great record needs great songs, but it also needs a voice that speaks to you. Russell and Anette do that for me, this cast of characters doesn't. Or I should say most of them don't. There is at least one singer here I would love to hear more from, but that isn't going to happen.

We pinball from one singer to the next, not only destroying any sense of identity for the album, but also disrupting my attention. I find it hard to get invested in what I'm hearing when the next song isn't going to reward that energy. At least on an Avantasia record you have Tobi there on virtually every song to tie things together. This is more of a compilation, which also makes me wonder if these are the songs Magnus didn't think fit on the more proper projects he's hired to write. Are they the leftovers he gives to these singers just to see who is worth writing a whole album for?

I don't know, and I'm not all that interested in digging deeper to find out. This is pleasant melodic metal, it's enjoyable, but it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Singles Roundup: Kat Kennedy, Jax Hollow, & RedHook

Not intended, but today's theme is strong women.

Kat Kennedy - Future Broken Heart

Would we stay in a situation we knew would end badly? That's the question at the heart of Kat's new song, wherein she realizes the swell in her heart is going to cause it to burst in time. And yet, often we will take the pain in order to feel the joy, paying a cost we consider well worth it for the moments of happiness we will get in return. That kind of resignation has been at the heart of Kat's recent songs, and once again she nails the tone of seeing the big picture and the details in totally different lights.

Balancing the bouyancy of love with the weary tone of what is inevitable is a perfect fit for Kat's voice. In all of her recent singles, it's been that delivery that sets her apart from so many of the others who fall into these sad/indie types of sounds. Kat doesn't need to be lo-fi to strip away the bright colors of her voice, nor does she need to plod along with no melody to express the melancholy of the moment. She can do that with the richness of her voice, which is both more interesting and more of a skill. Something about this tone just gets to me.

Jax Hollow - Ethereal Emerald

With this third single from the upcoming record, Jax continues to show the diversity and free spirit of her sound. This time around, she goes in hard for bluesy rock, with her fingers gliding over the fretboard in liquid runs of notes. I can almost hear the smirk on her face as she says, "Watch this!" I am watching, and listening, and it's becoming clear how much Jax has grown since her last album. There's an air of confidence to her playing, but even more to her singing. She sounds confident, assured, and in full control of her instruments. I'll have more to say when the full album drops, but for now I'll say this is good stuff.

RedHook - Imposter

Sometimes, we need a bit of a sugar rush to get us through the day. That's where RedHook comes in, as this collaboration with Yours Truly is an infectious little bit of pop-punk that for a few moments can turn around a bad day. The way Emmy and Mikaila's vocals blend in the choruses is amazing. Those layers of vocals are deep and rich, and it absolutely makes the chorus pop out with an extra dose of power. The whole point of a duet is to do something that can't be done with just one voice. In this case, it isn't the story of the lyric, but the scope of the delivery. Together, they elevate this from being a good pop-punk song into something nearly transcendent.

My Top Elvis Costello Albums

If you are a completist, few things are as frustrating as when an artist is wildly inconsistent, peppering their discography with releases you have no desire to ever listen to again. Lucky for me, I don't have that particular affliction. I fully embrace being a rather fickle fan, and I have no problem having only my favorite records from an artist, and not the whole spectrum of their career. I don't feel like I'm missing out by only having the highlights.

How many highlights do you need to be a favorite artist? That's an interesting question. If I look at Elvis Costello's history (which I have done before), I probably only care at all about half of all the records he's ever been a part of, and the ones I love would be even fewer. And yet, I consider him one of my favorite artists, and one of the handful who have had profound influence on my musical personality as I express it.

Therefore, today I felt we should take a look at that massive stack of records once more, and this time I will try to rank them as I see things. I am quite sure this will not line up with the conventional wisdom.

1. King Of America

Elvis' genre experiments are a mixed bag. Most of them go off in directions I don't care for, but this one makes up for all the others. Primarily a sparse, acoustic record, it was Elvis stripping things back to challenge anyone who dared him as a songwriter. The attitude and image were gone, replaced with a laser focus on the barest bones of songwriting. I have taken much inspiration from that, and it's because of the masterclass this record teaches. When you can make compelling music with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and some humor, you've done something special. Sure, he was being an asshole when he wrote about "She said that she was working for the ABC News/It was as much of the alphabet as she knew how to use", but he was our asshole.

2. My Aim Is True

The Attractions would become synonymous with Elvis, but there was something about the laid-back playing of Clover that makes Elvis' debut album so charming. I think it's because they play against his snarky, bitter lyrics. It would be too on the nose to hear The Attractions rip it up as Elvis sings to Alison, "my aim is true". The subversion of the record sounding older than it was, when it was ushering in a new wave (sorry for the pun), it part of the appeal. And for someone with a flair for a lyric, opening his very first album with the line, "Now that your picture's in the paper being rhythmically admired", is quite the statement.

3. Blood & Chocolate

1986 was a great year for Elvis, as this record came out within months of "King Of America". We can look at this record as a breakup album about the band, as Elvis bounces from the sweet pop of the good times, to the angry noise of their fights. "I Want You" remains one of his most enthralling long-form stories, while "Crimes Of Paris" is one of the stickiest things he's ever written. It's a rough-around-the-edges record that rides the knife's blade of being too much but also no

4. This Year's Model

This remains the most quintessential Elvis Costello record. With both "Pump It Up" and "Radio, Radio" on it, the angry young man was personified on this one. The Attractions coming to the fore helped matters, giving him a slashing power that made every cutting barb that much sharper. "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea" rips, and the record remains focused on the task at hand, deviating less than before or after. This record defined that time and place, and for good reason. It's one of the best sophomore records ever, and remains special even if there are a few albums I personally prefer.t enough. Hearing how much they needed each other, but still wanted to break apart, is captivating.

5. Armed Forces

For a long time, this was my favorite of Elvis' records. It does have his best pop songs ("Accidents Will Happen" and "Oliver's Army"), and songs like "Party Girl" have always been favorites as well, but I find it's an album that hasn't aged as well as others. That is largely my growing dislike for "Good Squad" and "Green Shirt", but it may also speak to the vacuity of pop music. What started as a sugar rush has turned into a sugar crash. The highs are still soaring, but it now reveals how far the fall really is. Still, I wouldn't trade the best songs here for anything.


Runners Up:

When I Was Cruel

This dirty, self-produced record was actually the first Elvis album I heard. It's messy, and problematic, but also bristling with the best ideas he had put to tape in at least fifteen years. Nostalgia does a number on me here, but I realize that, and it isn't the reason "Tart" remains one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs in Elvis' catalog. If a favorite can be something deeply flawed, and not always the most enjoyable of experiences, it's this record. I love it, even if I also secretly hate it.

Momofuku

I didn't expect Elvis to return to form so late in his career, but banging out a quick album without having a grand idea was just what he (and I) needed. It isn't young Elvis by any means, but stripping back his ambition has always been the best thing for him. It lets us focus on his melody and lyric writing, which has always been what sets him apart from all the imitators. Even when he was finding his way back to himself, getting close was enough to make a surprisingly essential record.

Trust

I've had my mind change back and forth on this record and "Imperial Bedroom" many times over the years. Sometimes, they strike me as masterful records of pop decadence, genre-hopping just to prove Elvis was capable of anything. Other times, the lack of focus and unifying sound drives me nuts. I'm still cold on the other record, but lately "Trust" has turned back to the former possibility. Maybe what it shows is that experiments are fun, so long as they don't overstay their welcome. We didn't need full records that sound like "Shot With Your Own Gun", but as a kaleidoscope of Elvis' influences, it's the sort of record that I always find something new getting stuck in my head.

Singles Roundup: Avenged Sevenfold, Matchbox Twenty, & Rival Sons

This one should be interesting.

Avenged Sevenfold - Nobody

Oh man, I don't even know where to begin with this one. I've never been much of a fan of Avenged Sevenfold, but I liked some of their songs when they were first getting popular. If they sounded like this back then, I wouldn't even be able to say that much. This song is.... one of the worst things I've heard in a long time, and it isn't even for just one reason. There's so much wrong here I could probably write a whole column about this one song.

We'll start with the production. The song opens with this droning guitar riff, and it's saturated with this artificial distortion that doesn't sound cool, heavy, or pleasant. It's a grainy noise that right away puts me in a bad moon.

It moves on to the songwriting, which is non-existent. That droning riff goes on and on, and the build is both slow and pointless. There's never a hook or a melody to pay off how long the song makes us wait for anything at all to develop. They pull the rug out from under us, and I don't know how they could ever think this was the best way to introduce a new album. The rest can't possibly be worse than this, can it?

But the biggest problem are M Shadows' vocals. He was always an acquired taste as a singer, but his voice is gone. He sounds utterly shot, with a deeply uncomfortable croak and strain in place of what used to be his voice. Frankly, I'm shocked they recorded an album before they figured out what is wrong with him and tried to solve it. It reminds me so much of the last Meat Loaf album, which was more sad than anything, because you could hear the talent dying on the vine.

This song is so bad it's truly unbelievable.

Matchbox Twenty - Wild Dogs (Running In A Slow Dream)

I'll be honest; I didn't think another Matchbox Twenty album would ever be coming along. After the gap before the previous one, and it making no impact whatsoever, I figured Rob Thomas would be happy to continue on making music on his own, and playing nostalgia shows with the band in between. But here we are with a new album on the horizon, and I'm not sure how to process this. On the one hand, Matchbox Twenty was a huge deal to me while they were releasing their first three albums. On the other hand, I haven't been very interested in Rob's writing direction ever since.

This song is not making me feel nostalgic. It feels like a continuation of their last album, which I thought only had two or three good songs, or perhaps Rob's recent solo work. Again, that's not stuff I'm very fond of. All of the 'rock' they ever had in their sound is gone, with this sounding like middle-age pop. And I get it; that's who they are and the point in life they're at. It just isn't where I am, or what I want to hear. Matchbox Twenty, to me, wasn't a pop band, they were a band that happened to have pop hits. That isn't who they've been in almost twenty years, so I shouldn't be disappointed to not get a Wallflowers style return to form.

Rival Sons - Bird In The Hand

I don't hear what other people do when they say Rival Sons are the best rock band of the last twenty years. They're ok, but I've never heard much in their songwriting that does much for me. This new song might be the first time that changes. To my ears, this could be the strongest hook they've ever written, and the song sounds like a nice bridge between the past and the present. My only real issue is the fuzzy guitar tone. I don't quite know why so many bands obsessed with the past love fuzz, since fuzz always sounds softer than a guitar tone with more bite, as if a pillow was strapped across the front of the speaker. Still, improvement is worth noting, and Rival Sons have finally done something I enjoy.