This week is several flavors of punk rock, another take on dubstep, and a compilation covering North Africa. Finally completed my Avril Lavigne discgraphy (the studio releases at least), and filling out some Dropkick Murphys.
New Releases:
Art Brut - Brilliant! Tragic!
Label: Cooking Vinyl Records
Released: 5/24/11
Genre: Punk
Art Brut sometimes gets lumped into the UK Indie Rock scene, over here in the US I consider them firmly in the Punk Rock genre, and this album especially. The whole thing reminds me of early clash - stripped down, good guitar riffs, and songs about life and people. The album actually feels like it might be from two sides of a single relationship, which puts half the songs from the girls perspective. An excellent example of punk rock that isn't all noise and bluster.
Filling Out The Collection:
Bassnectar - Underground Communication
Label: Om Records
Released: 2007
Genre: dubstep
Bassnectar is one of the 'big names' in the dubstep genre, spilling out across multiple genres actually. Here sees the inclusion of a lot of hip-hop elements, especially the MC, on top of the dubstep beats that drive the music. The lyrics come with a social message involving the increasing lack of media integrity. The beats, themselves, are top notch.
Dropkick Murphys - Blackout
Label: Hellcat Records
Released: 2003
Genre: punk
DKM has long been a favorite of mine, though I lost track of picking up releases in the early 2000s so I've got some back catalogue to fill. Blackout has a lot of now standards on it, and sounds as good as they ever have. Songs about life, drinking, working, fighting, and getting on with it. This is the album with 'Fields Of Anthenry' which is one of the best DKM versions of a Traditional out there. And the track 'The Dirty Glass' is awesome in that it's not just about a bar, but they got guest vocalist Stephanie Dougherty to sing from the point of view of the bar. Punk Rock Drinking Songs.
Avril Lavigne - Goodbye Lullaby
Label: RCA Records
Released: 2011
Genre: punk (pop punk)
The latest release from pop-punk queen Avril. It sounds more like Under My Skin, but more refined, cleaner. She's still focused on the good and bad of boys, which isn't a bad thing but one wonders how many more albums she can make on the topic. One thing missing with the more experienced sound is the grit of her first two albums, which was part of her charm. For pop-punk rock, though, this album is really good and one of the better pop- albums out there.
Rough Guide To North African Cafe
Label: World Music Network
Released: 2007
Genre: (many)
This regional compilation crosses over many genres, from blues to pop and rock. The languages also cover the entire region. Morocco, Egypt, Tunisian and Algerian artists dominate the fourteen tracks. Very little English is here, some French, but mostly native languages and instruments. Not all the artists here are from North African, or based there anymore, but all the sounds are influenced heavily by that region. Like all Rough Guides, it's a place to start to get interesting new artists.
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