Indie rockers Mount Carmel hail from Columbus, Ohio, and, like many things Midwestern, nearly fooled me into thinking they were one thing when they were really something else. Their handle sounded to me like they would be hipster pop or some other ironically-named alt-rock-nuvo-art-thing. But noooo – they are straight-up, four-chord seventies rock, those sneaks. As if I weren’t already thrown off enough, once they launched into their opening track, “Swaggs”, and I heard those gritty vocals coming through a classic condenser mic, […]
Posts tagged "rock"
Diggin’ in the Crates: “Stoney and Meatloaf”
It’s accepted music lore that Meat Loaf ripped through popular music on the back of a silver black phantom bike like a bat out of hell with his solo debut, appropriately titled Bat Out Of Hell. It was a work of massive, lusty hubris, composed by master songwriter and closet freak Jim Steinman, and it married 1960s adolescent yearning to a Spector-esque wall of sound – complete with horns, resplendent grand pianos, wall-to-wall vocals, and charmingly pretentious spoken-word excerpts – […]
Spin Cycle: Jack White’s “Blunderbuss”
Here’s a review of Jack White’s “Blunderbuss!” You know you wanna read it.
Spin Cycle: Halestorm’s “The Strange Case of…Halestorm”
“That bitch can eat her heart out!” That sums up nicely what Lzzy Hale is going for throughout her band’s new offering, The Strange Case of…Halestorm. She seems to be saying “don’t you wish you were me, girls? I completely rock and am still totally a chick about the whole thing. Keep reading Cosmo, but you’ll never get your hands on this secret sauce.” And chances are good that they never will. Many girl-fronted rock acts fall quickly into self-parody […]
The Singles Bar: Rush’s “Headlong Flight”
The Canadian super-power trio, Rush, are back with a new album in the works (Clockwork Angels) and a new single available. A single that is seven minutes long. You heard me right. Seven. And it’s a single. For real. It’s called Headlong Flight. And you know what? It deserves to be a single…this song, despite its epic length, is catchy and features the band in their best form, really hearkening back to their glory days. Alex Lifeson’s soloing on Headlong […]
Spin Cycle: Flying Colors’ “Flying Colors”
Oh, Flying Colors, you got me. How you did it shouldn’t be a mystery, and yet it was a surprise to me, as I was fixed in a wary crouch, prepared for flight at the first sign of blasé songwriting or preachy lyrics. But you approached patiently, slowly luring me in with all sorts of little sonic treats, and the next thing I knew I was tamed, housebroken, and gladly accepting aural scratches behind the ears. [“Who’s a good boy? […]
Spin Cycle: Train’s “California 37”
“California 37” is the latest album by Train, and Popblerd’s managed to sneak into the future to uncover the damage Train will cause.
Spin Cycle: Florence + the Machine’s “MTV Unplugged”
Florence + the Machine are, in theory at least, pretty ideal candidates for an installment of MTV Unplugged. Listening to the official CD releases of these shows, artists like Neil Young hew fairly close to their on-record sound (rendering the discs rather inessential), while artists like Alice in Chains and Jay-Z were forced to operate slightly left of their centers, lending an appealing air of excitement to the corresponding discs. Florence Welch is a naturally gifted singer – always a […]
Spin Cycle: Sinead O’Connor’s “How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?”
There’s a quip that’s been fluttering around music circles for the past year. The wording varies, but it boils down to this: “So, when Adele’s happy, does she just stop writing songs, or what’s the deal with that?” The witticism is a bit played-out in the wake of the singer’s Grammy sweep, but it poses an interesting question: can a singer known for spinning their depressive notions into musical gold excel when they’ve arrived at a place of relative contentment? […]
Spin Cycle: fun.’s “Some Nights”
You’ve heard “We Are Young” all over the place, now check out what we think about fun.’s new album.
Spin Cycle: Shearwater’s “Animal Joy”
It’d be a shame if Shearwater’s ultimate legacy was as Okkervil River’s de facto kid brother. Originally envisioned as an artier side project for the wordy indie-rock artisans of Okkervil, Will Sheff and Jonathan Meiburg, Shearwater has evolved considerably. A lot that’s due to the amicable division of labor between the two bands: Meiburg has emerged as Shearwater’s figurehead, while Sheff generally keeps to Okkervil River these days, and under the tutelage of their respective artistic directors, both outfits have […]