Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression
In what might be the Godfather of Punk's swansong, Iggy Pop
goes out with a bang with his best album in decades. Recruiting Josh Homme to
play and produce the album as well as Matt Helders of Artic Monkeys on drums
and members of Queens of the Stone Age, Pop assembled a band that is indebted
to his career and makes them shine as they still make the star of the show a
spectacle. It has been a long time since Pop has sounded this raw and uncharted
without sounding frivolous. It also is the first time Pop has sounded this
polished without being overproduced. If this is how the master wants to hang up
his career, then he did it in all the right ways.
Bob Mould – Patch The Sky
Bob Mould has struck a creative vein in recent years and has
not backed away from whatever is stirring his creativity. Like a fine wine, the
former Husker Du singer gets better with age and Patch the Sky is proof of
that. Fresh off the heals of his fantastic 2014 release, Beauty and Ruin, Patch
the Sky is a record to celebrate.
FINAL GRADE: A
Jeff Buckley – You and I
In a posthumous release that features more covers than
originals, it still is haunting to hear Jeff Buckley’s voice and imagine what
could have been. As imaginative as it is vulnerable, it is a beautiful record.
FINAL GRADE: A
Violent Soho – Waco
On their third album, Australian post-grunge renegades
rediscover the form that made them international indie sensations. With hard
hitting songs and pulse pounding rhythms, Waco, is without a doubt their finest
hour.
FINAL GRADE: A-
Flatbush Zombies – 3001: A Laced Odyssey
At long last, the debut album from New York rap collective
Flatbush Zombies has arrived and it was worth the wait. The album is a
psychedelic rap trip that throws back to the attitude era of the 90s and mixes
in modern sounds that have been blaring on the streets.
FINAL GRADE: A-
Bear Hands – You’ll Pay For This
Just in time for the better weather, Brooklyn post-punkers
Bear Hands bring together a collection of songs that is both joyous and
euphoric. The experimental sounds delivered on the band’s third release are
just the right amount of pop and indie fused together.
FINAL GRADE: B+
Underworld – Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future
Six years after their last release, Underworld return to
reclaim the dancefloors from phony button pushers and computer nerds to show
how it is done.
FINAL GRADE: B+
Loretta Lynn – Full Circle
As country music gains popularity by the day, it takes a
legend to show you how it is done. Twelve years since her last release, the
brilliant Loretta Lynn returns with one of her best albums. Produced by June
and Johnny Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, it is the sound of the heartland that
America needs.
FINAL GRADE: B+
Joy Formidable – Hitch
The hard rocking Welsh trio return with another album of
sonic slamming riffs and heavy hitting beats. The Joy Formidable seemed to be
everywhere when they arrived in 2011 and not a band at the time sounded
anything like them. Two years later they returned with the heavy Wolf’s Law and
now are back but bring the melody and sound that made them a buzz band five
years ago.
FINAL GRADE: B
The Thermals – We Disappear
The Portland indie rock trio are back with their seventh
album and while not much has changed in terms of sound, it is a new collection
of songs to add to their impressive arsenal.
FINAL GRADE: B
The I Don’t Cares – Wild Stab
Paul Westerberg and Juliana Hatfield combine forces and
point a middle finger at the music establishment and showcase that sometimes
not giving a fuck is exactly what you need to do.
FINAL GRADE: B
Nada Surf – You Know Who You Are
The New York indie icons are back with their first record in
four years and showcase a slightly new formula to the sound that made them
heroes 20 years ago.
FINAL GRADE: B
RJD2 – Dame Fortune
Philly beatmaker RJD2 returns and shakes things up a bit by
adding more vocals to his instrumentals than usual for one album, however, the
result is a fresh piece of new direction to a man that has been altering the
musical landscape for decades.
FINAL GRADE: B
The Coral – Distance In Between
The British indie back returns with a record of predictable
but fun rock and roll. This album probably won’t inspire new fans but will
certainly please the old ones.
FINAL GRADE: B-
Brian Fallon – Painkillers
For his official solo outing, The Gaslight Anthem’s frontman
brings the endearing and tender qualities of his heart and pours them into his
work. Using the Horrible Crows, his first side project as his backing band, the
record is more folk than it is rock or pop but does contain elements Fallon is
known for. He doesn’t stray too far from the curve but does let us in deeper
into his soul.
FINAL GRADE: B-
Pete Yorn – ArrangingTime
The latest release from the New Jersey singer /songwriter,
who now spends his days in the L.A. sun, is a frolicking soft rock record where
he reunites with musicforthemorningafter producer R. Walt Vincent for what
feels like spiritual sequel to their blockbuster 2001 LP.
FINAL GRADE: B-
