Audioslave – Revelations
This is the best thing Chris Cornell has done since Soundgarden (that’s not a fantastic complement, but a complement nonetheless). It’s really not too bad and reminds me of the mid-90s grunge. It’s full of interesting hooks and signature Cornell howling. I give it a 6.
The Rapture – Pieces of the People We Love
Disco-techno weirdness. Remind me of rollerskating disco combined with some 80s techno. Interesting combo and pretty good driving music. Also a 6.
TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
I always flinch when buying the sophmore album of a band I’ve been truly impressed with. Because it’s never as good as you hope it is. That is notthe case with TV on the Radio’s sophmore album. This is hauntingly melodic, disturbingly complex and lyrically wonderful. These gentlemen from Brooklyn will go far, I can feel it. Every bit of a 9.
Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid of You and I will Beat Your Ass
Vetrans of indie rock, Yo La Tengo have produced another delightfully clever album with many more jammy tunes on it. I had heard they were goign to make a harder album with more heavy tunes (in comparison to their older albums), but that wasn’t the case with this album. It’s filled with great rolling jams and super catchy riffs. Lyrics as interesting as ever. And the title…makes you want to find your highschool bully and play this album for him, doesn’t it? A solid 8.
The Mars Volta – Amputechture
I have only listened to this once so far and I can’t quite describe it. It doesn’t seem like this band is on the same planet as you and I. I need to digest it a few more time before I can really come close to a description.
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – Whipped Cream & Other Delights
Classic Herb Alpert. One of the best album covers of all time. Herb gets a 7 for some super hits that make you smile.
Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life and Death
Hi. My name is Dave and I’m a metal fan. I admit it. Unfortunately, this is a very bad example of good metal. I was pretty disappointed in this album. These guys do not have the energy they once had. Alas, there will probably never be another Live After Death (a 10), or Power Slave (a 9), or Somewhere in Time (a 9). I miss the epic metal of the 70′s and 80′s. Maiden…you let me down. And for this, I give you a 3.
There you go.
Oh, and one more thing. If you’re into listening to podcasts, BoingBoing just kicked of its very own podcast. You can listen to the hip kids from San Francisco here:
Podcast, Podcast Feed, Subscribe via iTunes, MP3 Link
Enjoy.
-Dave
