If you've heard Blink 182, the Offspring, or Green Day, you've heard Sum 41, with or without All Killer No Filler. The...
(05/11/08) If you've heard Blink 182, the Offspring, or Green Day, you've heard Sum 41, with or without All Killer No Filler. The Canadian quartet's California punk formula is a well-worn one that seems to be working--all the way from the store to the Warped Tour. Set poppy, three-chord rock to hyperactive speeds, write songs about why you don't give a shit, and play up your juvenile-delinquent side for all it's worth (check out the "Going, Going, Gonorrhea" video with the band "doing all the dangerous and immature stuff you shouldn't try from the safety of your own home"). Of course, this has all been done before and will continue to be rehashed again as long as a silly, snotty attitude brings in the record company gold. While these punks are hardly walking down the block less traveled, they still packed All Killer full of hooks that should snag modern rock radio listeners. Peppy sing-along choruses, rolling drum solos, and guitar-driven anthems uncork the energy and brightly color this...See less
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Godsmack play their ghoulish hard rock with such a straight face, they make Metallica look like the Insane Clown Posse....
(05/11/08) Godsmack play their ghoulish hard rock with such a straight face, they make Metallica look like the Insane Clown Posse. For proof, look no further than heavily pierced frontman Sully Erna, who is not only a practicing Wiccan but the author of melodramatic declarations such as "Can't you see what this pain has fucking done to me." It's too bad the follow-up to the Boston band's triple-platinum self-titled debut rarely delivers with the desired intensity. Instead, the disc offers anodyne takes on the same old themes of aggression ("Sick of Life"), alienation ("Bad Magick"), and hocus-pocus ("Vampires"), with the all-too-familiar buzzsaw of nu-metal guitars and elastic bass grooves tearing throughout. --Aidin Vaziri See less
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Fans of Godsmack's dark, swirling, commanding music will be delighted by the Boston band's powerful third effort, which...
(05/11/08) Fans of Godsmack's dark, swirling, commanding music will be delighted by the Boston band's powerful third effort, which mixes arena rock in the vein of an Alice in Chains (in fact, Godsmack takes its name from an AIC song) with the aggression of Pantera. With new drummer Shannon Larkin (formerly of Amen), Godsmack stick with the riff-heavy, layered tunes and sharp, confident bridge-burning lyrics (witness the convincing vitriol of "I F@?king Hate You"). Highlights include Sully Erna's gut-spewing scream on "Changes," the memorable chorus and commanding assured "I Stand Alone," and the radio-ready "Straight out of Line." The tribal drums and chanting of the instrumental "The Awakening" sets the stage for "Serenity," the final track, which brings Faceless full circle, the acoustic guitars, congas and strings providing a sinuous conclusion to a potent album. --Katherine Turman See less
TMBG has always been a great reason for math and computer science majors to add a real rock album to their collection of...
(05/11/08) TMBG has always been a great reason for math and computer science majors to add a real rock album to their collection of John Williams and Weird Al records--and Flood is a bacchanalian celebration of dorkiness. Lifting off from their previous album, Lincoln, which was a sort of transitional hit-or-miss, Flood is a soaring, catchy sing-along album destined for people who love quoting Monty Python sketches. Try not singing the words to "Particle Man," "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," or "Birdhouse in your Soul." (Apparently, "Particle Man" was so catchy that the song was later used as a sing-along in a cartoon show for children.) Combining a book-smart, funny love of history, junk culture, and film noir, this is the album to own. Put it on loud, sing along, and dance very, very badly. --Todd Levin See less
This double-disc, all-covers release could come to represent a vital turning point for Metallica. While disc 2 is a...
(05/11/08) This double-disc, all-covers release could come to represent a vital turning point for Metallica. While disc 2 is a straightforward collection of every cover the group have recorded in its 16-year history, disc 1 comprises 11 new selections drawn from the oeuvres of such exciting and diverse artists as U.K. punks Discharge and nefarious Australian Nick Cave. The heavier songs, such as the Mercyful Fate medley, Black Sabbath's "Sabbra Cadabra," and the Misfits' "Die Die My Darling," prove that nobody delivers a crunching riff better than these metal veterans. But it is vocalist-guitarist James Hetfields's confident approach toward the likes of Cave's "Loverman" and Bob Seger's "Turn the Page" that delivers the most electricity; here his raw, heartfelt vocals are largely untouched. Given that the recharged group spent only three weeks in the studio recording these tracks, it appears that these guys have remembered the value of studio spontaneity over laborious pontificating. Hopefully,...See less
Probably Def Leppard's best album, and certainly their most successful, Hysteria pretty much sums up 80s hard rock:...
(05/11/08) Probably Def Leppard's best album, and certainly their most successful, Hysteria pretty much sums up 80s hard rock: catchy, tuneful, and fun. It's also one of the few albums from the period that doesn't sound dated now, and singles like "Pour Some Sugar On Me", "Armageddon It", and "Rocket" remain staples of rock radio. The rest of the album is equally entertaining; "Animal" and "Hysteria", while mid-tempo, have the same slick intensity, and "Love Bites" is one of the few pop-metal ballads that doesn't sound saccharine over a decade after its release. Def Leppard may be remembered more for their hair than their music these days, but that's more due to changing tastes than anything else. It's still good. --Genevieve Williams See less
With Load, Metallica takes a dramatic left turn with their music, continuing in the direction suggested by Metallica,...
(05/11/08) With Load, Metallica takes a dramatic left turn with their music, continuing in the direction suggested by Metallica, their previous album. The songs on Load have groove; they're slower, with far fewer of the lightning-fast riffs that have been Metallica's trademark since their inception. While songs like "Ain't My Bitch" and "Wasting My Hate" are up-tempo and full of the vitriol one would expect from the quintessential heavy metal band, "2 X 4" is hard rock with a blues beat, "Hero of the Day" sounds positively mainstream, and "Mama Said" is an actual, honest-to-god ballad. While some diehard fans may find this mix unappealing, there's plenty to like about this album, including its laid-back, rhythmic orientation, and James Hetfield's characteristic growl tempered by his growing maturity as a vocalist. -- Genevieve WilliamsSee less
The king of pop parodies returns with another zany collection of tunes that poke fun at pop culture. There are a handful...
(05/11/08) The king of pop parodies returns with another zany collection of tunes that poke fun at pop culture. There are a handful of undeniably funny moments--notably "The Saga Begins," which pairs the tune to Don McLean's horrendously sentimental "American Pie" with the plot to the first Star Wars prequel, and a fun, nonstop-dancing polka medley of late-'90s hits that starts with the Spice Girls and ends with Semisonic. Overall, Running with Scissors is well-executed and actually humorous, but the material is a day late and a dollar short. "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" is funny once, maybe, but the majority of the disc consists of tepid takes on yesterday's news; the best jokes are devoted to Jerry Springer, Eddie Vedder, the Swing craze, and this place called Silicon Valley where they make computers. Why didn't someone tell Weird Al that a parody of Nine Inch Nails' lifeless industrial pop would have already sounded dated in 1995? It must be hard to stay on top of all the current trends and parody...See less
At a point in their career when most bands would rest their laurels upon a greatest-hits package or live album,...
(05/11/08) At a point in their career when most bands would rest their laurels upon a greatest-hits package or live album, Metallica has done both, but with a decidedly loopy twist. They've recorded a double-live greatest-hits package with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra "sitting in." Rock history and cutout bins are littered with previous attempts at a rock-symphonic fusion, from Emerson, Lake & Palmer to Deep Purple to the Moody Blues and the Siegel-Schwall Blues Band. But while previous efforts at mixing the low-brow with the high-brow have mostly ended up browbeating the intended audience, S&M plays like a precarious joy ride. Set against the shrewd efforts of a team of orchestrators and arrangers (who employ enough taste to keep proceedings from sounding like one long "Live and Let Die" outtake), Metallica plays for their lives, undercutting their general somber tone by ratcheting up their musicianship several notches. The most underrated player here is SFO guest conductor and...See less
UK edition of the soundtrack to Simon Pegg & Nick Frost's (Spaced) zombie parody. Features 21 tracks including material...
(05/11/08) UK edition of the soundtrack to Simon Pegg & Nick Frost's (Spaced) zombie parody. Features 21 tracks including material by I Monster, Queen, Ash, Kid Koala, Lemon Jelly, The Smiths, & Ash feat. Coldplay's Chris Martin (exclusive). Universal. 2004.See less
All hail the return of novelty music's reigning king! Straight Outta Lynwood easily bests 2003's Poodle Hat and shows...
(05/11/08) All hail the return of novelty music's reigning king! Straight Outta Lynwood easily bests 2003's Poodle Hat and shows that Yankovic does know what he does best. Part of the secret to Weird Al's success is that he's never been very weird at all, and very rarely are his satires in any way "biting"--or even satires, really. The 11-minute parody of R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" is funny at least for the first listen, but it's hard to ridicule something so largely ridiculous in the first place (plus Jimmy Kimmel totally got the jump on him). The best thing Mr. Yankovic has always done is to take some decent pop tune, change a word or phrase, invent an entirely new premise for the tune, and make an inspired video to go along with it. He does that several times here; Green Day's "American Idiot" becomes the hockey-obsessed "Canadian Idiot," and "White & Nerdy" is a truly inspired take on Chamillionaire's "Ridin'." That song is breakneck-paced and so funny it's a disservice to quote from...See less
It took hip-hop a couple of decades to become ingrained in pop music, but the genre's influence shows on Len's You Can't...
(05/11/08) It took hip-hop a couple of decades to become ingrained in pop music, but the genre's influence shows on Len's You Can't Stop the Bum Rush. The members of Len might not agree--after all, they probably consider themselves a hip-hop act, and they've got a case, what with their lineup (which incorporates a DJ and a couple of MCs), their use of loops and samples (from the Andrea True Connection, the Bar Kays, Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel, and the big mack daddy himself, John Travolta), and guests like Biz Markie, Kurtis Blow, and Mr. Dibbs. But there's something very pop at the core of Len, and it's what makes Bum Rush so special--as hip-hop becomes harder and more experimental, Len rediscover a very vital part of the history. Filled with keyboards, dance rhythms, harmonies, stoner humor, and Sugar Ray-ish party vocals, Bum Rush is pure pop for the hip-hop generation. The album keeps things light but never skimps in delivering single after single; they may all prove disposable, but why...See less
Excuse us for caring, but there are a few things shamefully wrong about this long overdue salute to the immortal Nutty...
(05/11/08) Excuse us for caring, but there are a few things shamefully wrong about this long overdue salute to the immortal Nutty Boys. For starters, any self-respecting Madness package should open with "One Step Beyond," not end with it. And a meager 12 tracks (43 minutes) from the hugely prolific ska/pop kings of the early '80s is a tad miserly. To justify the title, Geffen could have made stronger efforts to license gems like "Baggy Trousers," "Night Train to Cairo," and "Embarrassment" from Sire. The liner note ode by Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones is small compensation. --Jeff BatemanSee less
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