Category: Rock
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Given that this release is on Prosthetic Records, I was naturally expecting some loud and blazing — if not downright brutal — metal when I first listened to it. Surprisingly, much of the instrumental album by this guitar prodigy isn’t metal at all. Songs like “Viroliano Tries Metal” and “Triangle Tune” are definitely in that…
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I caught Butch Walker live at The Sinclair in Cambridge, Massachusetts on the 11th of this month. It was my fourth time seeing him and he was, in a word, brilliant. Which came as no surprise. He’s been impressing me with his knack for super emotive songwriting ever since he was in a little-known hair…
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Four years ago Glasgow art rockers Franz Ferdinand released their third album, which was called Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, and it did not fare very well in most countries. Not with critics and not with fans. It was produced by the renowned Brian Higgins of Xenomania, who’s worked with everyone from Pet Shop Boys to Kylie…
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There was a time when I thought Bloc Party could do no wrong. Their first two albums — Silent Alarm (2005) and A Weekend In The City (2007) — were brilliant in my opinion. And, considering the critical acclaim and awards they received, it would seem the world agreed. The B-sides from those albums were…
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Kitten’s charming frontwoman Chloe Chaidez grew up in a musical household. Her father was a drummer from LA’s early punk scene and he introduced her to artists like David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Mott The Hoople during their long drives to her gymnastics classes when she was just a kid. They spent an hour and…
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We Are Twin is a duo consisting of Germany-raised, Sri Lankan producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nicolas Balachandran and New York-born and bred singer/songwriter Gabi Christine. They first met at a 2009 songwriting session, during which they wrote fifteen songs together. And so We Are Twin was born. The duo’s self-titled debut E.P. opens with a…
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A lot of heavy metal bands from when I was growing up have re-recorded their hits during the past decade. My understanding is that most of them do it because their former record labels no longer produce copies of their albums, so new fans can’t obtain their songs unless they shell out some serious money…
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It seems like just yesterday Travis were riding high on the success of their 1999 album The Man Who, which yielded the massive hit single “Why Does It Always Rain On Me” and sold 2.7 million copies in the U.K. alone, earning them a BRIT Best Album Award. They did relatively well here in the…
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White Lies’ impressive 2009 debut To Lose My Life rose straight to number 1 on the UK albums chart and performed well on plenty of other charts as well, although it only reached number 146 on the Billboard 200 here in the States. While it received its fair share of negative reviews, by and large…
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Hey! Hello! is one of many side projects by the prolific front man of The Wildhearts, Ginger. These days he goes by Ginger Wildheart, apparently to ensure that fans of The Wildhearts will realize it’s him when they come across his releases and not just some other dude named Ginger. (Or should I say bloke?…
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The new two song single by Divine Fits is being called “Ain’t That The Way / Chained To Love.” But “Chained To Love” is actually the first track if you download it from Amazon or iTunes. (It’s also available on vinyl!) As you probably know, Divine Fits are often referred to as a supergroup. Their…
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Word around the campfire is that We Are Scientists recorded their forthcoming fifth album, but their creative juices were still flowing after they’d finished it, so they kept on writing and recording songs. Apparently, this double A-side consists of two of those songs, which supposedly won’t be on the album. “Something About You” is a…
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The Joy Formidable’s new Silent Treatment E.P. opens with a William Orbit remix of the haunting ballad, which probably sounds exactly how you’d expect a William Orbit remix of the song to sound. If you’re not familiar with the original, which appears as track two here, it’s a very mellow, acoustic ballad without any percussion.…
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Tony Harnell was the lead singer of the hard rock/heavy metal band TNT for 22 years until he left in 2006. If you’re a fan of the genre then chances are that you’re already familiar with him and are a fan of his music. Like Freddie Mercury or Robert Plant, Tony has one of those…
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“It breaks my heart to love you, it breaks my heart to love you,” croons Editors vocalist Tom Smith matter-of-factly during “Sugar,” the second track on the band’s splendid new album The Weight Of Your Love. Previously, the band have often reminded me of The Killers and Franz Ferdinand, but not so much on this…
