SOUND BITES

As has been established at this point in their 20+ years of existence, Spoon is incapable of making a bad record. Even their missteps can be boiled down to minor gripes; on previous release They Want My Soul , though, I felt Dave Fridmann's in-the-red production style didn't do the songs justice, and as such was left just a little cold by a Spoon record for the first time... well, ever. So, on tenth record Hot Thoughts , Fridmann's been enlisted again. However, the difference this time out is that the songs seem more suited to our modern, loud times. There's a noticeable shift away from indie rock here, as the band explores a more rhythmic avenue for the majority of the songs. Beats pulse, guitars jangle, and there are a lot more background sounds happening here than on previous Spoon albums. It's not as though they've never experimented before, but this is the first time they've employed such an exploratory nature of such an extent; to be clear, there...

Any goodwill Bush built up with the familiar yet forward pushing Man On the Run three years ago is effectively wiped out on seventh record Black and White Rainbows . The aim seems to be creating rich, important stadium pop/rock anthems akin to the likes of U2 and/or Coldplay; however, with much of the performances coming across flat and dull, this ends up being a record that misses the mark handily. The electronic flourishes that were minimized last time out are back again here and, while keyboards may be par for the course among younger, sprier alt-indie bands, they feel like a forced attempt at relevance here. To be sure, it's no crime to tinker with your sound and explore outside possibilities, but with very few exceptions the experiments on this record fail to prove much benefit to the songs. Also, if you're going to run fifteen tracks deep on an album that clocks in just shy of an hour, you've got to bring more sustained energy than is found on Black and White R...

Does anyone (aside of those who've never heard a Danko Jones record) not know what they're in for when a new Danko Jones record comes along? I'm asking because I knew what I was in for, and I don't think I'm that big a rock snob or especially clairvoyant; hard charging riffs, big choruses and the highest amount of references to loud music and hot women this side of AC/DC. The thing is, just like the endeared Aussie rockers, a new batch of Danko Jones tunes is as welcomed as it is predictable. At this stage in the game (this marks the group's eighth record over fifteen years, following a trio of early EPs), this record serves as your biannual reminder of what rock n' roll is at its core: relentlessly energetic blasts of feel-good power chords and gang vocals, free of political affiliations and dramatic societal hypotheses. Sure, this brand of rock may not be exactly in vogue in the current musical climate, but I doubt Danko gives a damn whether what he ...

The 16th(!) proper studio album by Ryan Adams is a heartbroken affair, being his first platter of original material post-divorce (this coming a year and change after a song-for-song cover of Taylor Swift's 1989 album); that said, it isn't a totally sullen and dark record. The tunes are vibrant and interesting rather than bitter, bleak and depressing (although, to be fair, there is some of that lurking too), and the album is consistently engaging as a result. Adams' discography has been somewhat spotty and cluttered over the years, but Prisoner feels especially focused; lead single Do You Still Love Me? and a couple of other fleeting moments aside, it's a largely acoustic, natural sounding record that never overdoes it on added instrumentation and yet doesn't come across as dull. It's a distillation of Adams' natural talent, and his first record in about a decade that showcases his effortless gift for songwriting without ever feeling tossed off or underc...

If there's a Gaslight Anthem-shaped hole in your heart after that band announced an indefinite hiatus a couple years back, perhaps The Menzingers' fifth album can ease your suffering a bit. That's not to say that they're a clone of the Jersey rockers, but they do follow a similar motif; their punky, ragged racket is lyrically boosted with hard luck tales of twenty-somethings becoming thirty-somethings in the urban wastelands of America. These nostalgic, heart-on-sleeve litanies are well tread ground, to be sure, but there's something wholly endearing about the way The Menzingers weave the experience together on After the Party . There are glimpses of greatness throughout their discography, and previous LP Rented World was of a high enough quality that an album as consistently energetic and engaging as After the Party doesn't come off as a complete surprise. Still, it is heartening to hear a band with so much potential live up to it in such convincing fashi...

Big Wreck has spent the five-plus years since their return seemingly on a mission to subvert expectations at every turn; their previous record, 2014's Ghosts , was a stylistically far-reaching and fearless, drawing influences from five decades worth of rock. It's a little hard to imagine them following such disparate styles even further, but that's exactly what happens on Grace Street . There's a slick sheen to much of this album, with synth and vocal effects popping up here and there, adding more colour to what was already an impressively diverse portfolio. On the other end of the spectrum, there are muscular turns at classic rock staples like Zeppelin and The Stones, and even some complex, rhythmic moments that recall Rush's first decade. When the pieces fit, it's borderline magical; see the groovy, exploratory tones of Tomorrow Down , the busy and frenetic A Speedy Recovery and (especially) the penultimate, seven minute instrumental workout Skybunk March...

Upholding the hallowed tradition of old-school thrash and hardcore masters like Slayer, Anthrax and Suicidal Tendencies (and featuring members of several revered underground metal acts), Iron Reagan's third album feels like the record the world needs right now. The rule book isn't being rewritten here, but the no-muss no-fuss thrash attack heard on Crossover Ministry! offers a welcome release, an opportunity to blow off steam for a half hour and get lost in the racket. Over the course of its eighteen tracks, Crossover Ministry! deals in the topical and the humourous ( Fuck the Neighbors , in particular, is riotous fun), while never relenting for longer than a fleeting moment or two. With its crushing riffs and fleet beats, this is an album that pays homage to the thrash titans without coming off as a mere carbon copy, adapting the pillars of the genre to our modern times; if nothing else, it's a hell of a good time for thrash fans. February 3, 2017 • Relapse Highlig...