SOUND BITES

Following a pair of visceral, deliciously noisy platters that proved the Ottawa trio to be a powerful and exciting unit, Metz's third album finds them pulling slightly away from their established core; the cover design aesthetic is different from the first two, the songcraft has opened up somewhat, and they've eschewed the self-producing route in favor of recording with engineer Steve Albini at his Electric Audio studio in Chicago. So as to say, they're ready to take a step forward, which is always a risky proposition for a punk-leaning noise rock band; even the slightest deviance can raise the ire of the fickle fan, and Metz is careful not to put too much distance between their opening act and what comes next. To wit, Strange Peace is indeed a very noisy affair, all pile driving drums and wild, slashing guitars (made the more pummeling thanks to Albini's involvement); as I mentioned, though, the craft is sharper, and by times a pesky melody threatens the status qu...

For a middle-aged guy like me, a certain suspension of disbelief and a heavy mental investment in nostalgia are requirements in order to take a project like Prophets of Rage seriously. While there's no doubt a great deal of talent involved with the group (most of Rage Against the Machine, plus members of Public Enemy and Cypress Hill), it takes some pretty thick blinders to not see Prophets of Rage for the nostalgia factory it is. Oh, sure, it's presented under the guise of activism, and we're told to believe this exists because the world desperately needed it to. If we're being honest with ourselves, it sure seems like just another way for the non-Zack members of RATM to supplement their various solo endeavors with at least one financially viable project by substituting their former singer with reasonably viable or interesting stand-ins. It worked when they recruited Chris Cornell for Audioslave, at least for an album cycle and change, so why not recruit two of the m...

Ever since their third record (2005's Alligator ) signaled an artistic, critical and popular breakthrough for The National, the venerated indie lite rockers have carefully straddled the line between progression and familiarity; new elements were slowly doled out over the course of the following records, and their sound has calmly evolved to the point where they sound like themselves whether they're pounding out an energetic new wave anthem or doing the emotional slow burn (for examples, see Bloodbuzz Ohio and Demons ). Sleep Well Beast , the group's seventh record, marks another seemingly small step for the band, as this time there are more colourful electronic flourishes through background keys and slowly building, simplistic beats (like the one on opening slow burner Nobody Else Will Be There ). Walk It Back , a sinister and tense epic, pushes synth to the front and calmly envelops it in supplementary sounds. There's also I'll Still Destroy You , which pulls ...

For all of their hits, their stature and legacy in rock music, it's somewhat surprising to hear in a pre-release interview that (at least in the opinion of bassist Nate Mendel) Foo Fighters have "never had a big, successful record". It's sort of true, I suppose; considering some of the rock bands that went multi-platinum in the '90s (hell, Creed went diamond), it's a bit weird to realize that the Foos have never received a multi-platinum certification from the RIAA (although their first five records through 2005's In Your Honor did go platinum). While most bands would do unspeakable things to have five platinum albums, one gets the sense that Foo Fighters should have much bigger album sales, although their longevity is undoubtedly the greater reward. Upon close inspection, however, it can be argued that the reason for the modest-by-comparison numbers may be related to the work itself; while every album has at least that one big hit, their batting aver...

After a decade of intensifying anticipation, Death From Above (they're finally able to drop the '1979') couldn't have possibly met expectations with their sophomore record, 2014's The Physical World ; though it was more or less well received, there was a prevailing sense that the mark had been missed. That happens when you go ten years between records; change is inevitable, and a closer representation to the sound of that debut likely would have provoked accusations of contrivance anyway. Taken on its own merits - you know, without the need to live up to a legacy that's been blown out of proportion - there were a lot of layers on The Physical World that positioned DFA not as a band that needed to maintain a perceived ideal, but rather expand it. If this is your philosophy, then Outrage! Is Now will feel like a sensible continuation and not a further distancing; the melodies and hooks that became more amplified on The Physical World are a much bigger story...

Liars' seventh record is essentially a solo record by Angus Andrew, considering he's the only remaining founding member of the group and recorded TFCF on his own in his native Australia. As such, there's a perhaps unsurprising level of solitude to be heard in these songs; while the unpredictability that's kept Liars so intriguing over the last fifteen years is more or less intact and there are more than a few twists and turns to be heard, TFCF is also perhaps the most isolated and subdued record in the Liars discography. It's surely a pretty stark turn away from the experimental electro-shock of previous records WIXIW and Mess , as acoustic guitars and field recordings play a large part in the proceedings. Atmospheric moments such as the cacophonous spaghetti western-tinged Cliché Suite and the nocturnal, gothic centerpiece Emblems of Another Story are as common as uptempo, warped dance numbers like lead single Cred Woes or Coins In My Caged Fist . Througho...

In an effort to spruce things up a little around here, I've made the spur-of-the-moment decision to bring in a monthly Spotify playlist. I could have gone with Google Play or Apple Music or whoever, but I figured most of us have Spotify already and those of us who don't can still get free access to it, so here it is: Two hours of music personally curated by Yours Truly, on the fly. It features a ton of new music recommendations, but also some choice older cuts that just felt right in the moment. It's also not limited by genre, because sometimes you've just got to ride that wave. So, if you have a couple hours to kill and want to take in a diverse and amazing set of tunes, you just might enjoy the Sound Bites Radio playlist. As always, I'm open to feedback, so let me know what kind of craziness you want me to get into going forward. If you take the time to listen to my playlist, the least I can do is listen to your suggestions. Enjoy!