Sup y’all. Summer is finally here and I’m working every damn day. But that’s alright, because we actually have some interesting stuff in the way of music now, and hopefully the pacing continues for the rest of the year. It’s great to see that the artists we expect to release solid material have done so, as well as new faces emerging as players for this year’s top albums. Here’s another sweet 3-peat of releases.
First of all, the ageless wonders, Rush. I’m going to be completely honest with you, but I’ve only given a small portion of their vast collection of solid material the listens they deserve. However, when I heard reviews saying that “Clockwork Angels” was the heaviest thing they’ve released in years, I had to give it a listen. And I still can’t believe this is the same band that sang Tom Sawyer. Sure, they are still progressive rock masters, but this stuff pillages your ear drums in a way that you would never think 58+ year olds could accomplish. Geddy Lee’s high pitched singing is buried a little more in the mix, while his superb bass, Lifeson’s brilliant guitar work, and Peart’s jaw dropping drumming steal the show and show that these guys are not even close to running out of gas (4/5).
Next we have the newcomers in the metal department hailing from Australia. Ne Obliviscaris bring a highly dynamic progressive metal album to the table as their first LP, and my, oh my, is it epic. The immediate comparison would be Opeth, a highly melodic progressive band with death and black metal elements, but when the violin comes in, we see they are something different entirely. Something fresh and exciting. Look out for these guys in the coming years, especially if they can tighten up the sometimes messy songwriting and lose the weird, verbose lyrics (3.5/5).
He is the best folk artist in the world right now. Period. The Tallest Man on Earth recently released his follow up to 2010’s The Wild Hunt, and I have it on vinyl! But seriously, it’s just as good as its predecessor, albeit not in the same ways. Sure, Matsson still is a man with his guitar (and piano), but instead of being very upfront and boisterous with his cryptic (for me anyway), nature themed lyrics, he is more reserved this time around. This allows for him to expand his palette while still staying true to himself. I absolutely adore this record (4.5/5).
Thanks all. Look in the future for a crazy in depth talk about Linkin Park's new album and a talk about who the hell Linkin Park is anymore. I'm looking forward to it.
-Caleb, the kid who works in a bakery and can't even write on cakes.
