Category: Rock (Page 50 of 241)

Ozomatli: Fire Away

April 14, 2010 /


RIYL: Santana, Spearhead, Los Lobos

The Los Angeles culture-mashers are mixing up a vibrant stew on their fifth full-length LP, with producer Tony Berg (Aimee Mann, Pete Yorn) at the helm for a festive and diverse affair. Berg describes working with the band as “like visiting seven continents simultaneously” and the album sessions as having captured “the spirit of the band’s live show without being a live album.”

It’s hard to quantify Ozomatli in any particular genre since they mix up a musical collision of rock, funk, samba, salsa, hip-hop, cumbia, merengue, reggae and more. Tunes like “Are You Ready,” “45” and “Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah” all surge with an upbeat party-rock flavor, mixing horns with big grooves and funky accents. Lead single “It’s Only Paper” recalls the ’90s barrio-pop vibe of Sublime, with catchy hooks and some social commentary on “the choices that you make… They say money is to blame, but it’s only paper.”

“Elysian Persuasion” cranks it up another notch with a hard-hitting jam and rocking beat that conjures a high-energy sound for one of the album’s best tunes. “Gay Vatos in Love” switches gears for a potentially controversial, jazzy R&B number. There are no gay members in the band, but the song is statement that every person should “have the right to choose who and how they love one another,” according to the band. This all-inclusive attitude, combined with the band’s diverse musical background, may well explain why Ozomatli has been sent around the world on a series of musical missions from the U.S. State Department.

“Malagasy Shock” recounts one such adventure where singer/guitarist Raul Pacheco had a self-described near-death experience when he was electrocuted onstage during the band’s State Department trip to Madagascar. Pacheco says the tune is about being “shocked into realizing life must be lived with a profoundly energetic fervor.” Such a fervor is what infuses much of the album. Another highlight is “Nadas Por Free,” an upbeat song that uses “Spanglish” to mix lyrics from both English and Spanish. “It’s Only Time” and “Love Comes Down” have the band amping down for a couple of ballads with a resplendent flavor that would fit nicely with a Pacific Ocean sunset.

Fire Away perhaps lacks that one particularly memorable breakthrough song, but is a strong overall outing that should give the band plenty of new material to keep their live dance parties going. (Mercer Street 2010)

Ozomatli MySpace page

CD Reviews, Funk, Latin, R&B, Rock, Soul

Sweet Apple: Love & Desperation

April 14, 2010 /


RIYL: Dinosaur Jr., Journey, the year 1978

Sweet Apple can be counted as a super group only if your definition of a super group is extremely liberal. Their most notable member is J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. But the legendary alt-rocker isn’t playing guitar or even singing; instead, he’s the drummer. Up front on guitar and vocals are both John Petkovic and Tim Parnin of the marginally-known Cobra Verde, and rocking it on bass is band namesake Dave Sweetapple, who is in J Mascis’ other side-project Witch. Separately Cobra Verde, Dinosaur Jr. and Witch run the gamut from pop-punk, proto-grunge and stoner metal,. So it makes complete sense that when you combine all three of them you get the most stereotypical of ’70s arena rock.

Wait, what? How’d that happen?

Who knows. Maybe they’re doing it as a gag, or maybe they all secretly want to be in Cheap Trick (who doesn’t?) butLove & Desperation is nothing but 12 tracks of straight-up classic rock. It sounds all right at first, but once the novelty fades it, sounds remarkably like what it is: four dudes who are desperately trying way too hard to sound like something they obviously are not. It occasionally works in spite of itself; “Hold Me, I’m Dying” has an irresistible hook to it, and the faux-metal of “Blindfold” is full of fist-pounding excellence. But for the most part it’s just average, and even a little boring.

Fans of the bands that make up Sweet Apple will probably be more interested in this than the rest of us. Although that Roxy Music-referencing cover should appeal to every heterosexual man with a pulse. (Tee Pee 2010)

Sweet Apple MySpace Page

Alternative, CD Reviews, Rock

Rogue Wave: Permalight

April 9, 2010 /


RIYL: Nada Surf, Death Cab For Cutie, The Shins

Fans of alternative pop/rock band Rogue Wave know that their music can be somewhat of an acquired taste, just like the Shins or Death Cab for Cutie. But therein lies a big reason for their success. The music won’t instantly grow on you nor make you instantly tired of it. Instead, Zach Rogue (who has a soft tenor a la Josh Rouse) and his band mates make the kind of music that should have staying power on your master play list. Rogue Wave’s latest, Permalight, is a departure from previous work, though it’s not exactly easy to pinpoint just why. Maybe it’s because Rogue suffered a couple of slipped discs in his neck in late 2008, which rendered him unable to move and scared him into believing he had a life-threatening illness. Eventually the swelling went down, and he regained enough feeling in his hand to be able to play the guitar. Many of the songs on Permalight are noticeably bouncier and happier than what one would expect from Rogue Wave, but the quality of songwriting is definitely still there.

Rogue_Wave_01

If you like upbeat alt-pop, you’ll find the jangly “Solitary Gun” or “Stars and Stripes” to your liking. But if you favor the darker side of what made you love Rogue Wave, “Sleepwalker” or the acoustic driven “Fear Itself” will suit you more. Then there is the total oddity of the title track or the robotic “We Will Make a Song Destroy,” which shows Rogue Wave becoming more experimental. One thing is for sure, though; many of us are glad that Rogue is okay and that Rogue Wave is still making music. (Brushfire/Universal 2010)

Rogue Wave MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

Slash: Slash

April 8, 2010 /


RIYL: Guns n Roses, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper

Duff McKagan is the newest member of Jane’s Addiction; Scott Weiland is back with STP; Matt Sorum has a Pussycat Dolls-like rock review with his Darling Stilettos, and Dave Kushner most recently co-wrote the theme song to “Sons of Anarchy.” What about the man in the top hat and the very soul of Velvet Revolver? Slash has left his Snakepit behind to release a guitar player’s record in which a different vocalist is featured on each track. So often these types of records are uneven because the vocalists skew the music so drastically apart, the end results feel like a series of singles slapped together. Most of the tracks are polished musical metal pop songs that his vocalists end up fitting into, adjusting their style to fit into his vision. On most of the songs, he doesn’t make the mistake of trying to build material for the singers except the collaborations with Adam Levine and Kid Rock, which feel more specific for those artists and sound like tracks that would be recorded by the vocalists on their records. Slash is fun, ripping good and more accessible then the two Velvet Revolver records. Contraband and Libertad had their moments, but weren’t very consistent regardless of the commercial and critical hoopla.

The formula mellows a bit for Kid Rock’s funky “I Hold On.” The Adam Levine-sung “Gotten” sounds a lot like a Maroon 5 groove. “Mother Mary” is an earthy effort by Beth Hart that conjures up a Janis Joplin vibe. “Watch This,” featuring Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan, is the lone instrumental and a tasty one at that. Slash compiles an eclectic guest list, but because the music is based on his bluesy soloing and magnificent crunchy riffs, the record has a remarkable consistency. Ozzy also appears on the very predictable sounding, “Crucify the Dead.” Doesn’t it seem like every Ozzy track these days kind of sounds the same? The copy available for this review also featured a Cypress Hill/Fergie collaboration for a cover of “Paradise City.” It has a weird sort of charm and works as does most of this record. Slash is a pleasant surprise and even with the diverse set of singers, is one of the better records thus far in 2010. (Dik Hayd 2010)

Slash MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Metal, Rock

Coheed & Cambria: Year of the Black Rainbow

April 8, 2010 /


RIYL: Rush, Dream Theater, Queensrÿche

There have been plenty of concept albums, but Coheed And Cambria may be the world’s first concept band. All of the group’s releases to date have been installments in one epic story, a sci-fi space opera dubbed The Armory Wars. And if that wasn’t confusing enough, their debut album was actually the second part of the saga; the three albums that proceeded it told the third and fourth parts (the fourth part was in itself a two-parter). Now we finally get the first chapter with Year of the Black Rainbow.

Here’s a quick recap for the uninitiated: There’s a federation of planets called Heaven’s Fence, which are held together by an energy force called the Keywork. This system is ruled by the evil Wilhelm Ryan and the only person that can stop him is Claudio Kilgannon, the son of Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon (who also happens to share the name of the band’s lead singer Claudio Sanchez). His journey is one filled with violence, heartache and loss as he struggles to accept his fate as the messiah known as The Crowning. Oh, and at one point in the narrative focus shifts to “The Writer” who created all these characters. He’s tormented by an evil bicycle. (There is a comic book that makes all of this a little clearer…but not by much).

Coheed And Cambria

So in case your couldn’t already tell, this is prog rock. But it’s really good prog rock, and while Coheed’s lyrics aren’t exactly user-friendly, their music sure as hell is. Just like the band’s four other albums, Year of the Black Rainbow, effortlessly combines prog conventions (complex drumming, and the aforementioned lyrical insanity) with catchy pop hooks and heavy metal thunder ripped straight from ’80s power metal. And while it works well as a single work (or as one part of an even larger work), tracks like “The Broken,” “Far” and the excellent single “Here We Are Juggernaut” all stand strong as individual pieces, which is something that even a lot of the best prog rock albums can’t pull off.

It can be a little ridiculous and over the top at times, and Claudio’s distinctive Geddy Lee-esque voice will no doubt annoy some listeners to death. But if you like your rock as subtle as a punch in a face by a gorilla, then you’ll enjoy the bombastic insanity of Year of the Black Rainbow, and every other Coheed And Cambria album for that matter.

WARNING: Although all five parts of The Armory Wars records are great, listening to them back to back in narrative order will make you go insane. (Columbia 2010)


Coheed and Cambria MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Emo, Metal, Progressive, Rock

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Eat Sleep Drink Music

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑