Year in Rock 2013 Nominee: Kylesa

-
KYLESA
Unspoken
From: Ultraviolet
Released: May 28

Kylesa's fifth album, Spiral Shadow, was one of 2010's most pleasant surprises; metallic and murky yet melodic and majestic, it got high praise from this writer. The follow-up continues down the same path, with a heavy focus on groove. Without the element of surprise, Ultraviolet doesn't hit me as hard as Spiral Shadow did; however, it's probably the better album with better songs, such as the monstrous groove they lock into on album highlight Unspoken.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trent Reznor, You Glorious Scheming Bastard.

-
Image
As it turns out, something I said on this blog earlier this year had a little more resonance than I anticipated. From my January 15th article " What Are The Chances? ", where I gave a percentage chance for certain artists releasing a new album in 2013: 1% NINE INCH NAILS We know that Trent Reznor is gearing up to release How To Destroy Angels' debut. We also know that there's an Interscope-released Nine Inch Nails greatest hits collection being targeted for 2014, for which Reznor promises two new Nine Inch Nails songs. But, we also know Reznor likes to fuck with his fans and absolutely loved fucking with Interscope. What better way to do that than to bring out a brand new Nine Inch Nails record? What better way indeed? Surprise: A new #NIN album is finished, coming later this year on @ columbiarecords : tmblr.co/ZW-7vsm2kw_u #NIN2013 — Nine Inch Nails (@nineinchnails) May 28, 2013 Bravo, Mr. Reznor. I love it when a plan comes together. More on...
Read more

IN REVIEW: Brody Dalle - "Diploid Love"

-
Image
This has been a long time coming for fans of Brody Dalle; after a successful run with ferocious punk ragers The Distillers ended about a decade ago, she hasn't been exactly promoting herself with consistency. There was that one album with Spinnerette in 2009 which was met with a muted (though favourable) response, but she's spent the majority of her post-Distillers time being married to Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme and caring for their two children. Being a wife and mother has surely made Dalle a happier, more mature person, and it's great to hear these experiences make their way into her recording; Diploid Love isn't simply a batch of half-baked songs done on a whim, it's a chronicle of a new, exciting chapter in her life. There isn't much of the Distillers-era Dalle to be heard on this album, but it makes for a more resonant listen; much of the anger gives way to hope, despair is traded in for resolve. When she sings on Carry On , "say...
Read more

IN REVIEW: Brian Fallon - "Sleepwalkers"

-
Image
Brian Fallon has never been shy when it comes to tinkering with his sound; as leader of The Gaslight Anthem, he steered his band through a myriad of styles while carefully keeping the core sound grounded to the Americana-spiked punk that got them to the show. Still, his own knack for nostalgic melodies and tales of the heart have kept his music seemingly consistent no matter how far off into tangents they end up. Enter Sleepwalkers , Fallon's second solo record (and, if you count his discography with Gaslight Anthem and onetime side project Horrible Crowes, eighth record overall); on it, having already done the prerequisite "tone down your sound a bit for your solo record", Fallon dives headfirst into "go ahead and remind 'em of your old band". To wit, these tunes are a little scrappier than those found on Painkillers , and also a little more mature sounding. There is still a heavy dose of nostalgia, to be sure, starting from the top with the snappy Moto...
Read more