Singles Roundup: Billy Joel, Kerry King, Thundermother, & Masterplan

While we wait for the first single from Taylor Swift's upcoming record, let's deal with these first:

Billy Joel - Turn The Lights Back On

I'm old enough to remember buying "River Of Dreams" on CASSETTE back in the day, so that's how long ago I started listening to Billy Joel, which I find funny, since I pretty much only listen to the hits (the 80s hits, to boot). So to have a new song after all this time is something rather fascinating, and rather hard to wrap my head around. I can't help but wonder why he's doing this now, what motivated him after all this time to write something again. Creativity is something hard to restart after it's been turned off, so this is one of the bigger surprises in a long time.

It's a song that reminds me of Elton John's late career. It's simple, piano-driven, and not at all trying to be 'current'. Billy is ok with sounding like himself, and sounding... mature. That's the right move, as him trying to capture "Uptown Girl" again would be a bad move. His voice sounds really good for his age, and it fits the song. The problem is that Billy has always made everything sound schmaltzier than it is, and with a song already leaning in that direction, it's bordering on being a bit too much. It's nice to hear, but I'm not sure any song can make us happy after three decades of waiting.

Kerry King - Idle Hands

Slayer is dead, and now Slayer lives. Look, all you need to know about this song is that it's Kerry's way of letting us all know he never wanted Slayer to end, and they only retired because Tom Araya got tired of doing it. This song is no different than any of the last couple of Slayer records, right down to recruiting a vocalist who is able to sound quite a bit like Tom when he screams. Those Slayer records weren't setting the world on fire, and an entire record with no detours provided by Jeff Hanneman is not something I'm looking forward to. I don't know if I'll actually listen to the record, but after hearing this song, I feel like I already have. That's not a good thing, right?

Thundermother - Speaking Of The Devil

The proof is now in, and Thundermother somehow was able to perform mitosis. They split, and we've gotten two bands of pretty much equal sound and quality. The Gems have the amazing vocals without the songs to support them, and Thundermother's new configuration does a good job of re-filling the roster, again without a great song to prop them up. This is actually a solid song, and better than their last record, but they've almost always been stuck in the AC/DC mold of riffs and wailing, without a lot of hook. This song is enjoyable enough, but I'm not finding it all that memorable. Their drama has stuck with me more than their music.

Masterplan - Rise Again

Was their a clamor for new Masterplan? I know their debut album got a bit of talk because of the 20th anniversary, but I hadn't heard the band's name in many years. It's been eleven years since their last album, and that's enough time for everyone to forget and move on. I did, and hearing them again feels like going back in time. What makes matters worse is that they're popping their head up after all this time, coinciding with the talk about their debut, and this is the latter lineup that doesn't have Jorn Lande. So... they're trying to remind us of the downward trajectory they took before taking their break? Interesting theory, and an uninteresting song. At some point, I might have to give up on covering metal, because this ultra-generic stuff isn't doing it for me. Back to the drawing board, guys.