Before Barenaked Ladies and Presidents of the United States of America there were these guys PLUS Black Label Society and Swedish Magazines.
This week’s album reviews from The Courier-Mail (ratings out of five stars):
METAL
Black Label Society, Doom Crew Inc.
(Spinefarm) ***
This 11th studio effort from Zakk Wylde and co is dedicated to the band’s roadies and fans after a tough couple of years, and sports dual guitars that are more than the sum of their parts. There’s the Metallica crunch of opener Set You Free, and rollicking numbers like Destroy and Conquer and Ruins. “The sun no longer shines upon this life I once knew,” Wylde sings on the mournful You Made Me Want to Live. Piano power ballads Forever and a Day and Love Reign Down lets Wylde’s vocals mellow a little before building to guitar-solo crescendos. And the near-seven-minute Farewell Ballad brings closure.
ROCK
Swedish Magazines, I Wish Life Could Be…
(Rubber Records) ***
Taking their name from an Iggy Pop lyric, Melbourne’s Swedish Magazines recall the golden age of Australian pub rock. And on their first album in a decade frontman Van Walker channels everyone from Bon Scott to Dave Gleeson. Ballbag Boogie and She’s Evil are balls-to-the-wall rockers, while they reach peak AC/DC on the likes of Girl From the Tote and Head on Ice, on which there are myriad voices in Walker’s head. Meanwhile, the brass section of Movin’ Shakin’ recalls Painters and Dockers, and Walker grooves like Jagger on Standing in the Queue, one of several bonus live tracks. You Never Wanted It provides a change of pace while remaining upbeat.
ALTERNATIVE
They Might Be Giants, Book
(Idlewild) ***1/2
Before Barenaked Ladies or the Presidents of the United States of America, the masters of whimsical rock were They Might Be Giants. Four decades on they continue to reinvent themselves, with a big sound for a twosome. They’re in full spin damage control mode for opener Synopsis For Latecomers and catastrophise on I Broke My Own Rule. If Day For Winnipeg is Beatlesque in its surrealism, while I Can’t Remember the Dream sports a Wild Thing riff. They get careless on I Lost Thursday, while on Quit the Circus (with its hint of glockenspiel) they sing: “We’re as much use as the rotary phone.” And on Less Than One: “I bought half of a timeshare/ Half of me will be staying there.” As the name implies, a companion hardcover is available with cutting-edge street photography.
Originally published as Black Label Society, They Might Be Giants, Swedish Magazines: New album reviews
For all the latest Entertainment News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
