Kellie Cicchino
Pioneer
Release Date: April 2, 2013
The Band Perry is back with their second studio album Pioneer. After their 2010 breakthrough single “If I Die Young” being such a huge success, the band of siblings were definitely on everyone’s radar. (more…)
I despise Fall Out Boy. Really, I do. There’s just something about Patrick Stump’s voice that strikes me as the perfect blend of Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and Panic! At the Dicso’s Brendon Urie- the perfect blend of sappy, whiny, modern boy band garbage designed to pull on the heartstrings of naïve teenage girls. (more…)
It’s no secret that Paramore has had their fair share of troubles. Paramore hasn’t released an album since 2009, however with those four years they took an interesting creative route that is reflected throughout the album. (more…)
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Comedown Machine
The Strokes
Release Date: March 26, 2013
The Strokes are back with their new album Comedown Machine. (more…)
¡Dos!
Green Day
Released November 13th
With the recent release of ¡Dos!, Green Day fans were treated to the second installment in the three album set that will be completed in early 2013. I must admit, I was a bit nervous about this one, since their last album, ¡Uno!, pretty much bombed. As I said before, the one thing that ¡Uno! was severely lacking was the essential, in-your-face, punk rock sound that Green Day is famous for. ¡Dos! however, did an excellent job of getting the energy back up and pulling me in as I was listening. I think that most listeners would agree with me when I say that ¡Uno! made me wonder, “What the heck are they doing?” I did not think that a majority of the songs on that album sounded like Green Day at all. However, ¡Dos! brings back the familiar Green Day sound that fans have come to know and love. I also believe that this album has a greater potential for producing a successful single. One of the best songs on the album is “Stray Heart” and I can definitely see it going way farther as a single than “Oh! Love.” For Green Day fans who are nostalgic for some of their previous stuff (like Nimrod and American Idiot) I would highly recommend this album over ¡Uno!.
¡Dos! maintains a pretty solid pace and energy level throughout the album. There were no points in this album that dropped off or completely killed the energy. However, I must warn you that the first track, “See You Tonight” starts off slow, which is the complete opposite of the introductory song on ¡Uno!, “Nuclear Family”. Unlike ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! starts slow but builds and ends with a pretty solid song. This album gets better and better as it progresses which is why I enjoyed this one so much. When I hear Green Day I expect the loud, obnoxious punk-rock that I’ve become so familiar with. This album definitely has a lot more of that feeling than their previous one.
If I had to sum up this whole record in two words, all I would have to say is, “That’s Better”. ¡Uno! left me severely disappointed and wanting more, so I was pleasantly surprised when ¡Dos! delivered just that. These are the kind of songs that I would fully expect to hear if I went to a Green Day concert or turned them on while driving in my car. Hats off to Green Day on this one, because as much as ¡Uno! sucked, ¡Dos! is so much better. I will say this: because ¡Dos! was so much better than ¡Uno!, I fully expect ¡Tré! to be just as good, if not better. Here’s to hoping Green Day doesn’t disappoint! Look out fans; the third installment drops in January of 2013 and although that is still a couple of months away, I have a feeling that Green Day will make it worth the wait.
Recommended Tracks: Stray Heart, Wild One, Baby Eyes, Amy
Overall Rating: 8/10
- Emily Reardon
The World From the Side of the Moon
Phillip Phillips
November 19, 2012
The most recent American Idol winner Phillip Phillips released his debut album on November 19 in hopes of a success. The 22-year-old Georgia native shows his potential as a real star in The World From the Side of the Moon with his soothing, natural voice and talented guitar playing.
Aside from artists like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and David Cook, many past winners from Idol have had trouble remaining in the spotlight. I doubt Phillips will have this problem. The authentic, raspy tones to his voice make it hard for the listener to not give his music a chance. It also doesn’t hurt that his debut single, “Home” became an instant radio hit and has even appeared in the 2012 Olympic commercials and movie trailers. “Home” really put Phillips voice out there and gave people a taste of what was to come.
Phillips has also remained humble and down to earth throughout his success so far. In “Can’t Go Wrong,” he sings, “I can’t go wrong as long as I remember where I’m from.” It is a song about learning from mistakes and being able to take lessons away from them. “Gone Gone Gone” has more upbeat acoustics, showing off Phillips guitar playing ability. The beat is catchy and belongs on the radio as soon as possible.
Phillips shows variety in his songs, musically. But his vocals rarely change from song to song. Each song style is pretty much the same and doesn’t have much variety with the tones of his voice. I would love to hear even more upbeat songs instead of his usual ballad, folk-like choices.
If you watched Phillips’ season of Idol, you know he has the talent and creativity to turn any song around and make it his own. He doesn’t have the typical pop-like voice that usually comes out of reality singing competitions. He showed everyone that he had the potential to make it, and with this album, I think he is well on his way.
This album reminds me of a cross between Mumford and Sons and Dave Matthews Band, so if you enjoy these bands you’ll love Phillips. He has put a lot of heart and soul in his first album, and his hard work paid off. Phillip Phillips proved that his win on American Idol was definitely merited, and I have a feeling he’ll be around for awhile.
Recommended Tracks: “Drive Me,” “Gone, Gone, Gone” “Man On the Moon”
Album Rating: 8/10
- Kellie Cicchino
Unapologetic
Rihanna
November 19th
It’s been six years since her first album “Music of the Sun” and now Rihanna is back for her 7th album Unapologetic. One could only imagine what the life of the artist has been like during the making of this album due to the variation of moods and meanings in these exciting new tracks.
Like many other pop artists lately, Rihanna has incorporated dubstep into some of her songs. The popularity of this style of music has brought a big change in new songs today. Rihanna also expresses a noticeable change in her voice by singing more from her chest rather than her falsetto. One can instantly recognize this in her hit “Diamonds”.
In this album, Rihanna teams up with Eminem again as well as Future, David Guetta, and Mikky Ekko. Despite the rumor-filled incident, Rihanna is also back with Chris Brown singing “Nobody’s Business”. The song includes hints of Michael Jackson’s work with a new age trendy pop addition.
Unapologetic includes many danceable party tunes like: “Jump” and “Power It Up” and some passionately emotional tracks such as: “What Now” and “Get It Over With”. The album is a refreshing transition for fans that have fallowed most of Rihanna’s previous styles of work.
Recommended Tracks: “Numb”, “Loveeeeeee Song”, “Jump”
Rating: 6/10
- Stephanie Latendresse
GRRR!
The Rolling Stones
Release Date: November 12, 2012
What else can I say about the Rolling Stones that has not been said at some point throughout their long career? They are arguably the world’s greatest rock band and have been making music for 50 years now. They are also probably the world’s most re-packaged rock band, with over 20 compilation albums released throughout their career. Now, to commemorate their 50th anniversary, the Stones have released GRRR! for the fan’s listening pleasure.
Much like the album they put out to celebrate their 40th anniversary, 40 Licks, GRRR! looks back at the Stones greatest hits in the past 50 years, split into three discs in chronological order. From growing up listening to the Stones, I’m very familiar with their work and have heard these songs many times before. This album spans across such a long period of time and covers such a large portion of the band’s repertoire that I find it difficult to zero in on specifics. I guess it all depends on what era of the Stones music you prefer. This compilation has all the classics that most people would expect to be on a Rolling Stones greatest hits album such as “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, “Paint it Black”, “Jumping Jack Flash,”, “Sympathy for the Devil”, “Gimme Shelter”, and several others that many fans will want to hear.
My only complaint about the album is that for a lot of fans like me it is a huge tease. “GRRR!” includes two brand new songs recorded by the band this year, “Doom and Gloom,” and “One More Shot.” “Doom and Gloom” finds Jagger full of energy, belting lyrics such as:
I had a dream last night that I was piloting a plane
And all the passengers were drunk and insane
I crash landed in a Louisiana swamp
Shot up a horde of zombies
But I come out on top
What’s it all about?
Guess it just reflects my mood
The rest of the song is full of powerful blues guitar riffs and drums, making it a great rock n roll track all around. If you had heard this song without having any prior knowledge about the Rolling Stones, you would not have guessed that they are four guys in their mid-60s. For me, the song is evidence that the Rolling Stones are still capable of making awesome music, so why don’t they? As much as I love listening to all the old Stones classics, I would rather they just put out an album of brand new materiel.
Aside from that, this is a great collection of music that all the die-hard Rolling Stones fans will enjoy. The only reason I’m not giving this a perfect score is because 98% of the materiel is re-packaged. I only hope that it might be an indication that they will be getting back in the studio and recording another album soon.
Recommended Tracks:
Disc 1- “Little Red Rooster,” “As Tears Go By,” “Paint it Black”
Disc 2- “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Wild Horses,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Rocks Off”
Disc 3- “Respectable,” “Waiting on a Friend,” “Streets of Love,” “Doom and Gloom”
Rating: 8/10
King Animal
Soundgarden
Release Date: November 13, 2012
In the late 1980s, the underground grunge movement out of Seattle was led by Soundgarden, giving them the title as the “godfathers of grunge.” When Nirvana’s Nevermind came out in late 1991 and completely ushered the grunge genre into the popular masses, Soundgarden began to leave their marik with Badmotorfinger. They released three albums in the 1990s and became one of alternative rock’s most prolific acts.
There was a lot of tension during the recording sessions of Down on the Upside in 1996, which resulted in their in April 1997 after touring with Lollapalooza. From that moment on, lead vocalist Chris Cornell released several solo albums and formed Audioslave with the former members of Rage Against the Machine, drummer Matt Cameron joined fellow Seattle band Pearl Jam, and Kim Thayil and Ben Shepherd did session work in Soundgarden’s downtime.
For 14 years, Soundgarden remained inactive until they performed a reunion show at Lollapalooza in 2010. Since then, they had been hard at work on a new album which resulted in King Animal.
The album kicks off with “Been Away Too Long,” which stands out as a statement most fans of the band can agree with, and features Cornell’s signature howl, Kim Thayil’s masterful fury, and a rhythm section of Shepherd and Cameron that most hard rock fans have sincerely missed. From the lead riff, you know you’re listening to a Soundgarden record.
The album progresses to the dynamic one-two punch of “A Thousand Days Before” and “Blood on the Valley Floor,” the former of which displaying an odd Middle Eastern flavor (reminiscent to that of “Head Down” on Superunknown), and the latter taking the Black Sabbath pallette and dipping it into a filthy pool of grungy excellence.
King Animal slows down a bit with the thought-provoking “Bones of Birds,” followed by homage to their Seattle roots in “Taree.” “Attrition” is a quick rocker that reminds everyone of “Kickstand” and “Face Pollution” from yesteryear, before diving into a couple acoustic tunes reflecting on Cornell’s questions and fears in his middle age.
“Worse Dreams” plugs everything back into full swing and stands out as arguably the album’s finest track, featuring a slow, elevator rhythm that builds up to an explosive chorus. If any song on the disc screams “Soundgarden is back,” it would be “Worse Dreams.
The album’s final song, “Rowing,” pays a tribute to the band’s blues influence and tells the haunting tale of life and death, with a chorus that you can’t help but sing along to no matter how wrong it may feel at times.
It took 16 years to happen, but miraculously King Animal picks up where Soundgarden left off on Down on the Upside. It sounds like they never left, with the same kind of energy they had 16 years ago. Maybe age has harmed Cornell’s voice a little bit and there are no rapid-fire songs like “Ty Cobb” or “Jesus Christ Pose,” but it all works out in the end. Soundgarden has a definitive sound people should have expected on a comeback release, and they get their satisfaction on King Animal.
Recommended Tracks: “A Thousand Days Before,” “Blood on the Valley Floor,” “Taree,” “Worse Dreams.”
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
