Audioholic Media

»Album Reviews For Release Date: 09.29.09
by Joshua Krage

Lots of great releases this week — some stellar returns, some small disappointments, even some great country albums, but we’ll let other blogs cover those. Meanwhile, dig in, because your autumn season is about to kick off in a rather big way…

AFI, Crash Love – more than matches the goth/pop/punk excellence of their last couple albums, adds crisp production and even more songs that amazingly hit the bull’s-eye right between dance floor rock, goth-pop, and emo fatalism without sacrificing anything from their sound, lyrics, or Davey Havok’s amazingly weird voice.

Alice In Chains, Black Gives Way To Blue – man, I had no idea how much I missed this sound, this dark, sorrow-driven sludge-metal with humidly-demonic nasal-tinged harmonies. New singer William DuVall has a voice that’s a perfect middle ground between departed front man Layne Staley and Tool’s Maynard Keenan, and Jerry Cantrell has kept both his vocal and his metal chops in top form. This was mighty pleasing to hear, and if you’re a fan from a while back, you shouldn’t be disappointed. They’ve had a while for their angst to build up, after all…

Amerie

Avett Brothers, I and Love and You – surprisingly slow and introspective for a major label debut (especially one helmed by Rick Rubin), the sibling neo-folk duo keep it country and low key for most of this album, with the big label gloss mostly only coming out for string arrangements and piano work. Great songs and all, but it’s like they got all serious and toned down the barn-burning hoe-downs for a respectable concert hall hush, which is kind of a bummer.

Big & Rich
Breakestra
Breaking Benjamin
Brookville
Buckcherry
Mariah Carey
Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
Cory Chisel
Chromeo
Jesse Cook
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – live
Dawes
Dethklok (from Metalocalypse)
Dizzee Rascal
Drivin’ N’ Cryin’
Evergreen Terrace
Genesis – live box set
Ghostface Killah

Bebel Gilberto, All In One – gorgeous album of contemporary Brazilian bossa from the daughter of the man who brought it into the mainstream. Great percussion from Carlinhos Brown, and lots of star turns from big modern names like Mark Ronson and Dust Brothers’ John King. She’s one of my chill-out faves, and delivers in spades here.

Selena Gomez
Fred Hammond
Corey Harris

Will Hoge, The Wreckage – one of the most faithful traditional rock singer-songwriters of this generation continues his streak here, impressive considering this album was started before and finished after a near-fatal traffic accident (hence the title?). With a voice akin to Gavin DeGraw or Rocco DeLuca and a sound like an updated Tom Petty, this is honest, rootsy, well written, and homegrown music through and through.

Robert Earl Keen
Kidz Bop Xmas!(!1!)
Kill Hannah
Kris Kristofferson

La Roux, La Roux – U.S. debut for chart-topping Brit synth-pop duo whose glitschy dance floor fare conjures images of club goers doing the robot, literally. Like ’80s Madonna but with a Eurythmics coat of androgyny and less sex (one might even say unisex, even).

Miranda Lambert
Langhorne Slim
Lil’ Rob
Patty Loveless
Ludo
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Mack 10
Madonna – yet another hits collection
Michael McDonald – Xmas (yes, already)
The Melvins

Mark Mulcahy Tribute, Ciao My Shining Star – an all-star outpouring of support for this former frontman for Miracle Legion and Polaris in his time of need, supporting twin daughters after the recent loss of his wife. An excellent sampling of Mulcahy tracks performed by Thom Yorke, the National, Josh Rouse and more. Notable for the big names but also for the excellent songcraft, and it’s for a good cause!

Mya

OST — Where the Wild Things Are – upbeat, sunny yet ominous with an indie edge, it’s Karen O and an orchestra of rock and roll’s finest scenesters, featuring members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Raconteurs, Queens of the Stone Age, and Deerhunter, to name a few. These are modern kid’s tunes for a modern kid’s movie, and I’m continually impressed by how cheerful these songs sound while still having a bit of rawness to them. Nice job, I really hope the movie is this unabashedly enjoyable.

OST — Whip It – while this movie, an Ellen Page vehicle and roller-derby underdog tale, may or not be completely awful, the fact is that it’s directed by music scenester Drew Barrymore (repeat: y/n awful?), so that means the soundtrack kicks your hipster ass like a ‘roided-out derby brawler. Tracks from Tilly and the Wall, Peaches, the Raveonettes, Little Joy and more nestle comfortably alongside classics from The Ramones, The Breeders, and Dolly Parton. This is a smartly-collected soundtrack and quite notable for anyone in hip music-snob circles.

Paramore, Brand New Eyes – weathering much internal strife makes for great songwriting if you’re in a pop/punk band like Paramore, and this (now) fivesome bring much fire and a little more maturity to their huge guitar-rock attack this time around. Impressive as ever is vocalist Hayley Williams, whose voice still defies belief for power and sincere turmoil. Fans will be pleased, and this album is as good a time as any to introduce yourself to one of this decade’s best all-around rock bands.

Landon Pigg
Push Play

Hope Sandoval, Through the Devil Softly – she may have spent eight years between albums, but Hope Sandoval’s soft, mysterious croon sounds dreamy as ever, still nestling snugly in warm, shadowy reverb. Much better songs on this sophomore album, still collaborating with ace ex-MBV drummer Colm O’Ciosoig, whose once-mighty drumming is now expertly applied to nuance and arrangement. Really, once you’ve heard Sandoval sing you’ve heard her on every song, but luckily the tracks stack up pretty nicely this go-round so she’s singing over something you enjoy hearing, like a waking dream in slow-motion.

Bob Schneider

7 Worlds Collide, The Sun Came Out – top-tier talent unite for the Oxfam charity, featuring members of Wilco, Radiohead, Neil Finn, KT Tunstall, Johnny Marr, and a bunch more.

The Shaky Hands
State Radio
Steel Panther
Rod Stewart – rarities box set
Barbra Streisand
Steve Vai – DVD
Warren G

You Say Party! We Say Die!, XXXX – as hopped up on ’80s glam punk as ever, these kids are full of keyboard-driven indie dance floor numbers, and singer Becky Ninkovic embodies the best of everyone from Debbie Harry to Joan Jett to Iggy Pop — craazy, but crazy good.

Zero 7, Yeah Ghost – another decent entry into the Binns/Hardaker catalog of chilled-out pop grooves with a good amount of style variation thrown in this time around and a top-shelf talent discovery in guest-vocalist Eska Mtungwazi, who revs up the soul factor on near half the album.

That’ll start your fall season off right. And there’s even more to come, so strap in and get ready for a tasty, tuneful Autumn ’09. See you when I read you, and you can read me again next week…

P.S. As if reading about them wasn’t enough, you can enjoy a playlist featuring most of these fine artists on my MySpace page. Ennjoy.

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