Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders get Red Light Fever
August 15, 2014 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
On “Red Light Fever”, Taylor wears his influences on his sleeve even more proudly than on the first Coattail Riders’ album. 70s Glam rock is the star of the show here, with many songs reminding this listener of everyone from Queen to The Sweet to T. Rex…
Brandon Flowers Takes a Break from The Killers with Flamingo
August 9, 2014 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
Brandon Flowers, lead singer of the highly successful rock band The Killers, breaks the mold of the typical debut solo album with his first solo record, Flamingo. Unlike other singers who release an album of material that wouldn’t fit the sound or structure of their bands’ work…
Ryan Star Lives in the Moment with “11:59”
August 7, 2014 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
Ryan Star, one-time contestant on Rock Star: Supernova, has just released his first major-label album, 11:59. But has the high-end production made Star’s work sound too generic?
The Hoosiers are back with The News From Nowhere
May 9, 2014 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
Perhaps it makes me a bit of a “cranky old rock dinosaur” or music snob to state that there have been very few new rock bands in the past decade that have really grabbed my full attention and interest. The Hoosiers are one of those precious few…
Curved Air’s North Star is brilliant and bright
May 6, 2014 | Posted in PROGRESSIVE ROCK | By sockii
Fans of progressive rock have great reason to rejoice; Curved Air’s 2014 album North Star is not only the band’s first album of new material since 1976 but it’s an outstanding collection of music…
Circa Zero’s “Circus Hero”: Is this what new Classic Rock sounds like?
April 7, 2014 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
I had Circa Zero’s debut album Circus Hero pinned as one of my most-anticipated music releases for 2014. As a lifelong fan of The Police, how could I not be excited by this band…
Album Review: “All You Need is Now” by Duran Duran
February 11, 2011 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
While most other bands of their era have long since disbanded or turned into strict-nostalgia acts, Duran Duran has continually produced new music and worked to keep up with the times, albeit with often mixed results since their glory years…
In Review: Linkin Park’s “A Thousand Suns”
November 2, 2010 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
This record, in the works since 2008 and finally released in September 2010, takes the band in new directions with its daring “concept album” approach, focusing on heavy issues of nuclear armageddon, warfare, technology and humanity. While the album’s concept approach occasionally loses focus…
Fiction Plane Tries to Unleash “Sparks” with Their Third Full-length Album
June 15, 2010 | Posted in ROCK | By sockii
I have to confess, I’m a little bit mad at Fiction Plane right now. And that may be coloring my reaction to their new album release, Sparks…
