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| Blink-182: Neighborhoods |
Blink return with their first post-break-up CD. I was aware they had reunited but was unaware they were recording new material much less already had a new disc released. During one of the rare occasions I had the radio on in the car, their new single just so happened to be on. I have to say its about what I expected, which is to say its not very good. Blink's best work in my opinion was Take Off You Pants and Jacket. Their self titled effort which followed that was OK, but you could tell the band was trying to do something different from their prior releases (Dude Ranch and Enema of the State). That's not a bad thing by any means, but outside of a few tracks, they missed the mark. After they split up, the members launched two competing side projects; Plus 44 and Angels and Airwaves. I found both of these new bands to be a breath of fresh air and specifically in Angels and Airwaves case, I felt that was the logical next step that Blink-182 should have taken after Pants and Jacket. Longer songs, more skilled and complex instrumentation and more mature/deeper lyrical content. Ultimately, Neighborhoods comes up short. Its part Blink, part Boxcar Racer and part Angels but not good at all. It takes a step back musically and lyrically from any of their side works and unlike some of their earlier work, lacks that catchy pop-punk mood they used to capture so well. No one song really stands out and I found while listening that most of the songs just bleed into each other with no differentiation between them. Its almost as if after all this time, Tom still can't properly play guitar outside of different arrangements of power chords while he still sings about his parents divorce and relationship woes, which would be OK if he wasn't 35.
Final verdict: Blink die-hards will probably like it just because its Blink but if you're looking for something substantial you'll be disappointed. * out of *****
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| Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds |
On the other end of the spectrum, we have Noel Gallagher's first solo offering since the Oasis break-up with his new backing band, the High Flying Birds. From the very first song I knew I was listening to something special. Noel has written numerous songs that will go down as some of the best of our generation and on this record he takes his craft to another level. Free from the restrictions that the structure of a band brings, Noel is free to do his own thing on this disc. It kind of sounds like Oasis in a few parts but for the most part its completely different. The songs are more open and airy with less emphasis on hard guitar than their Oasis counterparts and also feature a good amount of strings. Overall its more on the mellow side but incredibly catchy. Noel's voice sounds as good as ever as he touches on various topics from subtle references of the Oasis break-up to politics. It all adds up to an excellent disc with no real weak track on it. My only complaint, ironically enough, is that there isn't enough guitar if only because Noel is a phenomenal guitarist and only on the last track does he really showcase that with a chaotic, shredding solo.
Final Verdict: If you like Oasis or brit-pop type music then you'll love this. If you don't then this probably won't do it for you but I suggest giving it a whirl anyways as its the best thing to come out in a long time. **** 1/2 out of *****
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| Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto |
Coldplay seem to have gone a little off the deep-end with their latest release. In some regards its your typical Coldplay record. In other regards its Radiohead meets Jay-Z in that there's obvious hip-hop and electronic influences at work right down to the collaborative effort with Rhianna. Coldplay are in that rare air of a band that can really put out anything they want and it will be relatively well received and that fact really shows with this album. After my first listen I was left scratching my head trying to process what my ears had just heard. I think its going to be a disc that takes multiple listens in a truncated time frame to fully appreciate or make sense of.
Final Verdict: Its Coldplay being Coldplay. There's a few good songs, a few weird songs but nothing overly spectacular. ** 1/2 out of *****
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| Parlor Mob: Dogs |
The Parlor Mob is a band I was first exposed to at Lockport's Molson Canal Concert Series when they were opening up for The Cult. They had a little buzz around them and from what reviews I read they seemed to be a good up and coming band. They proceeded to nearly steal the show so I checked them out afterwards and was pleasantly surprised with their first CD. Their second release draws on the successes of their first release and expands organically. They're often compared to early Led Zepplin, a deserving comparison that's more prevalent on their first disc than the second. Deep, thoughtful and emotional lyrics are backed up by excellent guitar work. Its a fairly straight forward rock record but with plenty of catchy hooks and foot tapping jams. I confess I really know nothing of them other than they hail from the Jersey area.
Final Verdict: Solid disc with varied songs and top notch work across the board. Definitely worth looking into. **** out of *****
