SOUND BITES

In lieu of a new review this week (I should have done at least one, but haven't quite found the time for the deeper listening required), I thought I'd instead try out a new feature wherein I spotlight a few new (to me at least) artists who seem to be doing some good things. It's hard to say how often these will come along, and I may expand the concept to cover new songs by already established artists; for instance, I would have like to include the new Thrice single in here because it's a beaut, but they've been around for over 15 years so they don't quite fit the motif of what I'm going for here (although if you want to hear it, and you should, click here ). So yeah, here are three new bands I've discovered in recent weeks; I may not get around to reviewing their records when they drop, but their singles are surely worth a listen.

For most of us, hearing Iggy Pop's name triggers a similar image; the shirtless, feral risk taker commanding the stage (or diving off of it), giving his all to the art and doing his part to ensure you got what you paid for and then some. His storied performances made him legendary both as a founding member of revered punk pioneers The Stooges and as a solo artist. That's not to say his career has been perfection; like many '70s stars who struggled to hold the public's gaze through generations of musical transition, Iggy hasn't been immune from misguidance. As such, his discography suffers from a fair share of blemishes, records that seemed like a good idea at the time but, unlike Pop himself, haven't aged particularly well. However, if we've learned anything from Iggy's career, it's that he can never be counted out. For every Zombie Birdhouse there's a Brick By Brick , for every Avenue B a Skull Ring . He may not enjoy the same sa...

As the principal songwriter and frontman of The Gaslight Anthem, Brian Fallon never shied away from his reverence for the classics; Dylan, Springsteen and Petty are the three most obvious sources of Fallon's inspiration, and he paired the spirit of those elder statesmen with a youthful, punk-infused energy over the course of a ten year career with his band which saw them rise from scrappy upstarts to arena conquering road warriors. The years have taken a toll on Fallon, from the persistent criticism leveled at him by rock purists (who choose to accuse him of plagiarizing the past rather than paying tribute and contributing to rock n' roll's survival) to more personal struggles (TGA's last album, 2014's Get Hurt , chronicled Fallon's divorce). So, at this point, it's entirely fair to say that the hard miles and tattered pasts he sang about in his band's early days only to have those songs dubbed disingenuous by naysayers should now be exempt from...

Wintersleep has had an interesting evolution. Their first record in 2003 was a stripped down, mostly acoustic blend of earnest folk/rock and melancholic indie, while they slowly introduced heavier elements and more electric guitars through their second album en route to their true breakthrough, 2007's Welcome to the Night Sky . That record spawned the hit Weighty Ghost , which remains their best known tune and laid the groundwork for what the band would be judged on over all future recordings. The thing is, as great a song as it was, that entire album was a triumph; it was the sound of a young band hitting its sweet spot, infusing Paul Murphy's dark imagery with fully fleshed-out, often violent soundtracks. Weighty Ghost is easy to sing along to, but much of that album is far more challenging and, therefore, far more rewarding. Changes of scenery and attitude crept in on the following pair of records, with 2009's New Inheritors letting some sun in and 2012...

Considering how long Anthrax has been doing this thing they call "metal" (35 years to be exact), one would be reasonable in expecting lesser quality from a new album in 2016. The fate of their peers in metal's "Big 4" didn't bode well; Metallica are working on a new record at a snail's pace (as of this writing about 7½ years removed from Death Magnetic ), Megadeth's continued attempts at relevance are being met with increasing levels of apathy, and even the once-unimpeachable Slayer managed to release a bit of a dud last time out. What, then, of Anthrax? Having finally released what amounted to a rousing comeback in 2011 with Worship Music , many fans were nonetheless tempering their expectations going forward. After nearly five years between albums and another personnel change, we were left to wonder what Anthrax had left to offer at this point in the game. As it turns out, the answer is plenty; a 90-second orchestral intro opens the r...

Over the course of a pair of EPs and full-length debut Furiosity in 2013, Monster Truck have quickly built a loyal fan base and racked up a handful of Cancon rock staples (see Seven Seas Blues , Righteous Smoke , Sweet Mountain River , Old Train , etc.). The safest route for the group to take, then, would be to deliver more of the same. At first glance, it appears as though they've done just that. Once again enlisting the production services of Eric Ratz and with a design layout very similar to that of  Furiosity  (both records have photo collages on one side of the insert and lyrics on the other), the only place  Sittin' Heavy  has a chance to differ is in the songs themselves. Wisely, the band is careful not to tinker too much with their core sound, as evidenced by lead single  Don't Tell Me How To Live ; it finds the thick grooves and powerful riffs Monster Truck have designated as the foundation of their sound very much intact here. Elsewhere, t...

Depending on who you ask, Victorious could be Wolfmother's third, fourth or fifth album. Keep Moving , originally slated to be the third album to bear the Wolfmother name, was instead released as an Andrew Stockdale solo record in 2013. Then, a year later, the rough version of a new Wolfmother record, New Crown , was posted to the band's Soundcloud page. The latter record eventually saw a limited physical release (as of this writing it's not available for purchase except in digital format), but good luck getting your hands on a CD of it unless you caught the short window when it was sold on their website. So, according to my CD shelf, Victorious is Wolfmother's third official major release, which would also make it the first properly released and promoted album from the group since 2009's Cosmic Egg . That's not to say that Keep Moving and New Crown don't exist, but that is to say that unless you've been paying very close attention this re...