Wow. It’s not often a band declares “Oh yeah, we’re gonna get back to our heavy roots on the new album” and then actually delivers on that statement. Staind really mean it. I haven’t been more than a casual fan of the band since Dysfunction was released back in 1999 (Christ, has this band been around that long?) but the songs I’ve heard off of the forthcoming Staind disc (due September 13th) give me a lot of hope for this […]
Posts tagged "rock music"
Ben Folds’ “Best Imitation” Dives Headfirst Into Vaults
If you’re the kind of music geek that I suspect you might be, there’s probably a soft spot in your heart for the music of Ben Folds. The witty singer/songwriter/pianist is one of the smartest and funniest guys to grace a major label – imagine Randy Newman and Joe Jackson thrown in a blender, with the songwriting virtuosity of a Billy Joel/Elton John-type – and, with his partners in Ben Folds Five (of which there were only two other bandmates), […]
Spin Cycle: The Ark’s “Arkeology: The Complete Singles Collection”
There are a lot of reasons that pop music is delightful, chief among them the ephemeral pleasures of instant gratification; Swedish glam-rock act The Ark peddle this sort of feeling like crack, writing direct, hook-heavy, sugar-rush power pop that sticks in the craw and stays. Splitting up after more or less ruling their homeland for the past decade, The Ark have bestowed upon fans and neophytes alike [amazon-product text=”Arkeology: Complete Singles Collection” tracking_id=”popblerdcom-20″ type=”text”]B004WLUJ6I[/amazon-product], a career-spanning platter of The Ark’s […]
“The King of Limbs”: New Radiohead Album Out This Week!
Between this news and The Arcade Fire’s Grammy win last night, every wanna-be hipster from 25-40 is shitting their drawers with glee right now. British rock superstars Radiohead will be releasing their eighth album, The King of Limbs, via their website via a multitude of packages this Saturday. The news is a semi-surprise; the members of Radiohead have been discussing working on new music for quite some time. The most unexpected thing here is the fact that the album’s coming out […]
A Moment With…Cougar Ace
It started with The White Stripes. Now, The Black Keys are the hottest band out. Following in the heels of those two bands is Kentucky’s Cougar Ace Band. Joel and Shawn have amassed a strong local following with their rockin’ sound (yeah, that sounds corny, but I can’t think of how else to describe it). Future plans include the recording of an album and taking their act nationwide, but they temporarily put those potential domination plans aside to sit down […]
250 Words or Less: Cake’s “Showroom of Compassion”
What? You were expecting Cake to open up a new bag of tricks when their schtick has remained almost exactly the same for a decade and a half? Fat chance. Although they’ve gone nearly seven years without releasing new material, the Bay Area band keeps things the same as they ever were with their latest album, Showroom of Compassion. Lead singer John McCrea’s vocals are still as dry as the desert, the lyrics are still a bit off-kilter, and the […]
Hear Here!: “Discoverer” by R.E.M.
2008’s Accelerate marked a comeback of sorts for R.E.M. It was the most well-received album that Athens, GA’s favorite sons had turned in since drummer Bill Berry’s departure nearly a decade and a half prior. As Michael, Mike and Peter head into their fourth decade of recording, they hope to keep the goodwill going with their forthcoming album Collapse Into Now. The new album’s first track, “Discoverer”, surfaced on the interwebs earlier this week. I don’t mind it (which is […]
The Boss Rocks Late Night TV
As someone who grew up within spitting distance from New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen’s long loomed large in my musical psyche. I’m not as gaga over the guy as many others are, but he’s a masterful songwriter and an unbelievable live performer. What impresses me more than anything is that even forty years into his career, at 61 years of age, the man performs like he has something to prove. When you’ve been doing the same thing for so long-even if […]
Blerd’s Notes: A Guide To The Music Of Prince (Part Two)
Originally published 11/1/10 When dealing with someone whose released approximately 600 albums during his lifetime, it’s best to go piece by piece. When it comes to Prince, we’re gonna go five at a time. When we last left the Purple Yoda, he was on the verge of megastardom. “1999” was his biggest pop success, and set the stage for… “Purple Rain” (1984)– By the time “1999” hit, Prince was feeling himself so much, he convinced his label (and film studio […]
Chart Chat 10/27/10: There’s Something Sweet at the Top of the Chart This Week
The country onslaught continues! Sugarland scores this week’s #1 album with their latest effort, “The Incredible Machine”. The duo’s sound, which mixes traditional country with a more streamlined, arena pop-rock sound, was enough to impress 203,000 folks. Not bad, huh? The top four positions on this week’s Billboard chart are all new entries. Kings of Leon score the biggest debut in their history with “Come Around Sundown”. The band’s fifth effort scores a total of 184,000 units-more than double the […]