Los Angeles is flush with great bands. It always has been but these days, it takes a little bit of searching to find the gems. Recently I came across a band that really peaked my interest. They are called Darkroads. The best way to describe them is a post punk band with Bowie tendencies and a bit of 90’s alternative rock. Darkroads are the type of band that I’ve found myself gravitating to over the years. The way they hit on the darkness of life yet create these bright spots with the music is quite beautiful. The clean guitar tones provide that light while the drums, bass and vocals usher in the dark. Their first EP/demo RockDie from 2013 is quite the listen and judging by the songs new songs up on their soundcloud page, Darkroads are traveling down the right roads to new music.
Stone Temple Pilots during their career wrote some of the best closing songs. The ones from Core (Where The River Goes), Purple (Kitchenware and Candybars), and Number 4 (Atlanta) are all cemented in my mind when it comes to great album closers. Each one of these songs is the perfect compliment to those great albums, especially “Kitchenware and Candybars,” and “Atlanta.”
Take a listen to these great songs and fall in love with those albums again!
The comeback album is one of the hardest albums to make. There are so many variables that go with it that sometimes the pressure leads to a very underwhelming effort. That is not the case though for L.A. Guns. When it was announced that singer Phil Lewis and guitarist Tracii Guns were getting back together, it was met with joy and excitement. These two are and were what made L.A. Guns such a great band. Now 15 years later after taking time apart from one another, they are back with an album that not only rocks but reinvigorates their careers.
The Missing Peace is everything a rock album should be. It’s filled with great heavy rock songs, a few mid tempo bluesy jams, and of course that song that tugs at your heart strings. Not only does Phil Lewis sound great on the album as well as live (I saw L.A. Guns a few months back) but the words and melodies he brings to Tracii’s songs is impeccable. “It’s All The Same To Me” starts the album off and you know that you are in for a treat as the songs goes on. Other stand outs include “Speed,” “A Drop Of Bleach,” “Sticky Fingers,” “Christine,” “Don’t Bring A Knife To A Gunfight,” “The Floods The Fault Of The Rain,” “The Devil Made Me Do It,” “The Missing Peace,” and “Gave It All Away.”
The combination of Phil and Tracii is like Mick and Keith or Plant and Page. There is just something special about when these two are together. They play off each other so well. It’s refreshing to hear them back together and putting out quality songs like the ones on The Missing Peace. They aren’t trying to bring back the 80’s instead they are putting out a great rock album that the world needs. Fans of them from back in the day will absolutely love this record and newer fans will gravitate to it as well. Something else that stands out on this album is the other guys in the band. Drummer Shane Fitzgibbons, bassist Johnny Martin and guitarist Michael Grant bring the extra juice and flair that makes this band special.
Do yourself a favor and give this album a listen then go buy it and see them live.
A Perfect Circle have released a new song “The Doomed” from their highly anticipated 2018 full-length album. It’s been 14 years since A Perfect Circle released anything new, so this is a very welcoming treat. This is a different approach for the band especially because they have new members in the band and that it’s been so long since we last heard anything new from them.
Check out the song and let me know what you think.
One of the best things about being a music nut is the feeling you get when you hear an album, and while in the midsts of listening you start to imagine the band live and how much more of an impact the songs have when played live. Last night I got to witness that amazing feat as Less Art took the stage and stole the entire show. The forceful magnitude in which they played and performed left me and the rest of the audience in a state of awe.
Performing songs from their stellar debut album Strangled Light, Less Art was everything I had hoped they would be live. The intensity of each member as they played through songs like “Diana The Huntress,” “Optimism As Survival,” “Pessimism As Denial,” ” Wandering Ghost,” and my favorite track “Shapeshifter” was impeccable. Riley, Ed, Ian, Jon and Mike all proved that this band is a serious venture in the way they played and performed. I wish they were able to play longer, that’s how good they were.
Being a fan of all these guys other bands, it’s a very cool change of pace to see them get their creativity out in a band like this. Less Art is different and a very welcome kind of different. They have created an album that stands out in the post-hardcore genre. I really hope that they have the chance to make another album and tour again. If you are a fan of post-hardcore music, you MUST SEE LESS ART!!!
Art and music go together like peanut butter and jelly. It’s just the right combination and it works out perfectly. When you have people that are inspired they are able to create something that stands out and inspires others. Recently I was introduced to King Woman, a band that evokes so much of what I love about music these days. The transcendental and psychedelic prowess of their music creates an aura of power and desire that is stunning as it is dark. I read somewhere that compared King Woman to Black Sabbath with Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star fronting the band. That’s a pretty damn good way to describe what you are about to hear.
The debut album Created In The Image Of Suffering is full of doom rock, and sensual vocal melodies that will leave you with goosebumps and a feeling of warmth. The album was recorded by Jack Shirley, who recorded Oathbreaker’s masterpiece Rheia. So you know that this album is powerful and sounds brilliant. Being able to create music that is artful isn’t easy but, King Woman definitely harnessed the will to make something substantial and worth while.
In a couple weeks the band 10 Years will release their new album (How To Live) As Ghosts. This new album is shaping up to be quite a tremendous album for the band. Rather than self producing as they did on their previous two releases, they chose to work with Tennessee native and the very in demand Nick Raskulinecz. From the two songs released so far, “Novacaine” and “Burnout” you can tell there is a fire burning inside these guys again. The new album comes out October 27th!
When you look back at Alice In Chains’ discography, most people tend to look at Dirt and Jar Of Flies as the bands masterpieces. Facelift is often looked as a great album as well. Their self titled and final album with Layne is often overlooked. The album, most commonly referred to as “the tripod” album due to the three legged dog on the cover, is quite possibly one of the deepest and darkest albums the band has ever written.
This album is truly a remarkable record filled with all the things you know and love about Alice In Chains. In a way, it has a bit of a Jar Of Flies vibe to it with the way the acoustic layers are put in, as well as the signature heavy sound. Something else that I’ve always held in high regard about this album is that Layne wrote all the lyrics for the album minus three songs (“Grind,” “Heaven Beside You,” and “Over Now,” all of which Jerry sang lead on). Before this album was recorded, Layne spent his time working with Mike McCreedy on the Mad Season album.
I remember first hearing this album when it came out in 1995 and I was hooked, and that’s not just because “Again” was a rad song. There are so many great songs on this album that have truly become timeless classics like “Sludge Factory,” “Shame In You,” “Brush Away,” “Head Creeps,” “God Am,” and “Frogs.” Though Alice In Chains never toured on the record, probably due to Layne’s increased drug use, some of these songs were performed live during their Unplugged performance. My favorite of these songs done at that time has to be “Sludge Factory.” What a great song that is. I really wish the band would play more from this album live these days. Layne’s performances on these songs are absolutely remarkable. He’s always had a knack for creating great vocal melodies but on this album he really set a standard for how it should be done. Something else about this album that I’ve always loved is the way it flows. The themes of depression, isolation, drug use, anger and death are all found throughout but, the way the arrangement of the songs are on the album, really leaves a lasting impact the way all the emotions hit you.
I highly recommend you all taking some time and re-introduce yourself to this unsung masterpiece. Not only will it leave you with a sense of awe but, it will add another level of love for Alice In Chains.
Alice In Chains wasn’t the type of band that had many b-sides from their albums. The box set that came out, Music Box, was filled with two new songs, all the songs you know and love and demo versions of a lot of their songs (some of which were never properly recorded). On it as well were a few songs that were left over from the Facelift and Dirt era. The following are those songs that were written and recorded at that time.
I really don’t understand why this keeps happening. There seems to be a trend nowadays of taking a classic song and then a very unoriginal/uninspiring takes said song and absolutely ruins it. Recently, Avenged Sevenfold released a cover of the classic and very profound “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd. I don’t even need to say anymore but, I have to say that this is probably one of the worst covers I’ve ever heard. Their version reminded be that Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit and Johnny Reznick from the Goo Goo Dolls did a really bad version of this song too.
So which one is worse?
Avenged Sevenfold- Wish You Were Here:
Fred Durst, Johnny Reznick, and Wes Borland- Wish You Were Here:
Here’s a good cover version… At least Scott Weiland can sing it properly.
