SOUND BITES

If Matthew Good's eighth solo album (2017's Something Like a Storm ) found him taking stock of the past (as he did most effectively on that record's standout  Decades ), then his ninth finds him living decidedly in the moment. Moving Walls ' opening track, One of Them Years , is an earnest and honest portrayal of our politically divided and tense times. Good has always been an astute observer of modern issues, and on One of Them Years he brings anyone who hasn't been paying attention up to speed in increasingly frustrated tones as the song builds over its five minute indictment of modern society. That opening track holds the key to what makes Matthew Good so effective and affecting as a songwriter; yes, there is tension, but it's a quiet tension, the kind that's bubbling under the pristine surface and waiting to erupt. Good weaves this tension throughout Moving Walls ' marathon fifteen songs (at 65 minutes, this is his longest outing since Avalanch...

Nathaniel Rateliff's first solo album since 2013 (and first since breaking into the mainstream consciousness with side band The Night Sweats, who have been given some time off here) is one that's directed by loss; in 2018, Rateliff lost both a partner (via divorce), and a friend (Night Sweats producer Richard Swift via untimely passing at the age of 41). It's a rough enough year to make anyone spend some time in the dumps, and I'd be spreading misinformation if I told you And It's Still Alright  wasn't more sullen and solemn than the majority of Rateliff's discography (especially his pair of albums with The Night Sweats). The smile and title on the cover suggest that the overarching theme is powering through the darkness to find the light, and that's more or less the idea here. Fans who came on board after S.O.B. smashed may recoil at just how sparse and quiet this album is, but it's a record that's sparse and quiet purposefully; before his...

Kevin Parker's output as Tame Impala has undergone some pretty drastic changes over the decade-plus of its existence; the fuzzy psychedelia of his early work morphed into the synth-punctuated breakthrough of 2012's Lonerism in a way that made sense from a musical standpoint, with the use of keyboards adding layers to what was already there and scoring Tame Impala legions of new fans in the process. The seismic shift came with 2015's Currents , with those synths and beats becoming the focal point of Parker's vision; while the move puzzled some fans at the onset, most came to accept the change. It turned out to be not just an artistically satisfying jump, but a commercial one as well, and Tame Impala was soon enough headlining major festivals with a live show that had to be seen to be believed. These factors have made The Slow Rush one of the most anticipated releases of the year. With his fourth Tame Impala full-length, Parker continues to push into those synth-h...

If you can ignore the name on the cover and basically everything you've ever known about Stone Temple Pilots, there's a certain charm to be heard in the (mostly) acoustic arrangements that are the calling card of Stone Temple Pilots' eighth album. Actually, hang on, I have some comparison points I can call on from the band's past successes that will paint a picture if what listeners are in for. Remember how refreshing it was when the band would throw an acoustic curveball on their two biggest albums? The easy-going melodic sweet spot that the acoustics lent smash hit Creep ? The way acoustic guitar helped drive home Interstate Love Song before it was turned into a truck commercial ? The kooky, schmaltzy Purple hidden track 12 Gracious Melodies ? Well, on Perdida , let's just say that hidden track looms larger than the other examples. This thing is a slog to sit through, 45 minutes of dirge after dirge with precious little energy to be felt from any of the pe...

What many casual observers don't know (or may not have noticed) about Green Day is their ability to shapeshift. It's easy to forget that, after breaking through with Dookie , they made a point of experimenting with their sound; by incorporating many different elements and influences into their maturing songwriting, they managed to explore a wide range of sonic possibilities while simultaneously maintaining the essence of what made them, well, Green Day. Of course, they accomplished all of this even before turning it all on its head with American Idiot , a record that went against the grain of what was expected of them and earned them a sizable second wind of popularity in the process. For fans of a certain age, it's somewhat overwhelming to realize that it's been twenty years since their boldly mature sixth album Warning threatened to delegate Green Day to the realm of forgotten '90s rock stars, and yet here we are. In this millennium, Green Day has gone from n...

Drive-By Truckers have long been a band that's never shied away from holding a mirror to America's dark corners. While their star was on the rise, they were releasing album after album chronicling the seedier side of their southern upbringings, calling out demons of both personal and political natures. Their most notable run during this time was the trio of stellar albums they released between 2001 and 2004; Southern Rock Opera , Decoration Day and The Dirty South captured all that was great and terrible about life in the southern states in a way that no other band could, and they developed a well-earned following for their efforts. In the time since that well-received trilogy, DBT slowly expanded their outlook to a national scale and, with the widely hailed American Band in 2016, they were able to finally translate their small town political/personal tales into older, wiser, bigger ruminations that resonated country-wide. That the record was released mere weeks before ...