Month: November 2014

Album Rank: The Doors

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One of my earliest childhood memories is my parents playing all sorts of music that helped mold my musical taste. The Doors were very big in my house and became a huge factor in my love for music. Here is a ranking of all their albums from not their best to their best.

 

The Soft Parade:

 

Waiting For The Sun:

 

Morrison Hotel:

 

Strange Days:

 

L.A. Woman:

 

The Doors:

List: Best Female Rock Singers

Here is a list of the best female singers in rock music…in no particular order. I’m sure I missed some so add them in the comments!

1. Shirley Manson- Garbage
2. Joan Jett
3. Lita Ford
4. Janis Joplin
5. Aimee Echo- Human Waste Project/The Start
6. Courtney Love- Hole
7. Grace Slick- Jefferson Airplane
8. Stevie Nicks- Fleetwood Mac
9. Brody Dalle- The Distillers
10. Hope Sandoval- Mazzy Star
11. Delila Paz- The Last Internationale
12. Kim Gordon- Sonic Youth
13. Cristina Scabbia- Lacuna Coil
14. Amber Webber- Black Mountain/Lightning Dust
15. Arden Fisher- Dekades
16. Meg Myers
17. Fiona Apple
18. Ann Wilson- Heart
19. Wendy O Williams- Plasmatics
20. Patti Smith
21. Karen O- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
22. Alanis Morrisette
23. Skin – Skunk Anansie
24. Chrissie Hynde- The Pretenders
25. Emily Armstrong- Dead Sara
26. Alison Mosshart- The Kills

Band Of The Week: Dedvolt

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Dedvolt is a heavy rock band based out of Sacramento, CA. Their mix of aggressive, heavy yet melodic music, blends into a very dynamic sound. Influenced by bands such as Deftones, Sevendust, Shinedown and Chevelle, Dedvolt has a sound that will surely grab the attention of fans of heavy rock. Since the formation of the band in December 2011, Dedvolt have begun putting miles on the road playing shows through out the West Coast and everywhere they can gaining fans from their live shows. Their debut album Bleeding Heart was released in July 0f 2014. Dedvolt has come out at the right time, especially when melody is missing from a lot of heavy music these days. 

 

Carving The Waters:

 

https://www.facebook.com/DEDVOLT

http://www.reverbnation.com/dedvolt

 

 

By: Brian Lacy

Underrated and Amazing: Ours

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It’s a crying shame that so many talented bands go unnoticed. Some of the time it’s the label that they are on’s fault for not doing the work to get these bands to the level they should be at. And sometimes the band is just ahead of their time, that the people out there just can’t quite grasp it. Ours is a perfect example of all that. In 1997, Jimmy Gnecco restarted Ours again after a few year break and quickly drew the attention of many labels industry. Ours signed with the now defunct DreamWorks Records and after four years,  finally released their major label debut the wonderfully masterful Distorted Lullabies in 2001. This album was produced by Steve Lillywhite (early U2 producer). Distorted Lullabies was met with mixed reviews (probably my journalists that just didn’t get it) but led to many successful tours with bands such as The Cult and Pete Yorn.  The first single off the album “Sometimes” was a powerful track.  Other wonderful songs from the album include, “Medication,” “Fallen Souls,” “Drowning,” and “Bleed.” In 2002 Ours released their follow-up, Precious. Precious featured a more stripped-down sound and received much more positive reviews. I find that to be odd considering that Distorted Lullabies is a much better album than Precious. Songs like “Leaves,” “Realize,” “In A Minute,” and “Disaster In A Halo” are all stand outs. There is even a really good cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale.” In 2004, Jimmy Gnecco relocated from New Jersey to Los Angeles to work with Rick Rubin for a upcoming album. The end result was the beautifully masterful Mercy…Dancing For The Death Of An Imaginary Enemy, which was released in 2008. This album stands out not just for the songs, but for Jimmy’s hauntingly, soulful voice, He has always had comparisons to Jeff Buckley, but definitely comes into his own on this album. Songs like “Mercy,” “Black,” “Live Again,” “Willing,” and “The Worst Things Beautiful” really capture the essence of the mood of the album. In 2010, Jimmy released his highly anticipated self-produced first solo acoustic effort, ‘The Heart’ and followed it in 2011 with the release of ‘The Heart: X Edition’ in which built upon the intimacy of his solo album with a full band version of the record. In 2013 Ours released Ballet The Boxer, a re-inspired and resurgent self-produced release. This album builds upon the moody, soulful and epic sound captured on Mercy but with a greater sense of purpose that expands on the emotional state of previous releases.

Ours is a band that deserves to be bigger than they are. Jimmy Gnecco has a real knack for creating music with meaning and purpose. His voice is unmistakable and chilling. Give Distorted Lullabies and Mercy a listen and you’ll hear exactly what I mean.

Unsung Masterpieces: Sparta- Wiretap Scars

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The early 2000’s were full of so many bands and genres. One genre that really began to take off at this point was post-hardcore. Following the break up of one of the most exciting bands to come around in years, At The Drive In, members Jim Ward, Paul Hinojos, and Tony Hajjar formed Sparta. In 2002 Sparta released their debut album Wiretap Scars. The album brought well-earned respect and relieved some of the pressure brought on by the shadow of At the Drive-In. Opening the album is  “Cut Your Ribbon”  an explosive rock song that stuck true to the bands roots. “Air” is my all time favorite track on the album. Other tracks such as “Cataract”, “Glasshouse Tarot” and “Mye” are full of emotion and expansive melody. Jim Ward’s vocals really captivate those listening. His delivery makes his words really stand out. The music of Sparta packs enough of a crunch to really drive home the heavy parts, and at the same time can shift to a more subtle approach to highlight the more melodic parts. Wiretap Scars is one of the best albums to come out since the beginning of the 2000’s. It’s one that deserves to be in every collection.

Wiretap Scars:

 

By: Brian Lacy

Album Review: Foo Fighters- Sonic Highways

 

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When a band reaches a certain point in their career it’s hard to keep things fresh and inspired. For the bands eighth album the gents in the Foo Fighters tried something different. While the idea is a great one, the final product falls a bit flat. The idea of recording a song in a different city is a great idea. Lyrically it just falls flat. The songs feel rushed and incomplete. It’s as though the thoughts were unfinished. The show on HBO is quite interesting and full of a rich musical history. In my opinion the show is way better than the album. The albums eight songs are very hit and miss. The best song I heard on the album is a song called “Outside” which features the great Joe Walsh. This is the best song on the album hands down. This album is very disjointed and not an “album.”  It’s a collection of single songs, that have no cohesiveness. Also the use of Butch Vig as a producer I think was the wrong choice. His input and methods just don’t work for what the band was trying to do, Nick Raskulinecz would have been the perfect choice. The first song “Something From Nothing” is a good track but nothing special. The whole record is nothing special. In fact I’d probably put this album towards the bottom of the list of ranking their albums. I truly thought that after how good Wasting Light was they would continue on a path similar to how that album turned out. Nice try on this one Foos.

On the scale of 1-10: I give this a 4

By: Brian Lacy