Liam Finn – Champagne In Seashells

While Liam Finn’s debut album of last year, I’ll Be Lightning, attracted its fair share of acclaim, the Australian was weighed down by the duality of being a dizzyingly frenetic live performer but something of a straightforward singer-songwriter on record.

Utilising an array of loops, and showcasing his awesome drumming skills, on stage Finn never disappointed; but by witnessing the man in the flesh before hearing his recorded wares, this writer for one was left a little less impressed than was expected. Yet for this new six-track offering, the eldest son of Crowded House’s Neil Finn has chosen to explore sounds that, largely, gently caress the synapses rather than bludgeon their way into one’s affections, as was the case with previous performances. (Read the Full Review)

A. A. Bondy – When the Devil’s Loose

The reason that people are enamored with the singer-songwriter concept is that we all love the idea of conveying our innermost thoughts, hopes, dreams, ruminations, and beliefs through music. Yet, despite such desires, most of us don’t possess the talents necessary to shape words and melodies into the proper form, or at least not a form that will have people singing along at a show, fashioning a mixtape, or spend hours upon hours teaching themselves how to play guitar—all because of one single, memorable, unforgettable song. While the likes of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and others sing about feelings and situations shared by many members of the music-loving public most of us can’t craft the thoughts and chords into a coherent whole that others will appreciate.

What makes A.A. Bondy stand out from his fellow guitar-strumming contemporaries is his ability to pair his beleaguered voice with a brand of road-weary folk rock that’s intimately accessible, without sounding stale or hackneyed. Opposed to indulging in the sort of overtly passionate melodrama that passes for emotional transparency these days, When The Devil’s Loose finds Bondy singing song after gut-wrenching song, yet doing so with a strength that gives his pathos that much more depth. He doesn’t have to belt out his lyrics at full volume, wailing on his guitar with tears in his eyes and a bleeding heart on his sleeve, for listeners to connect with his songs, to believe that what he’s singing is oh-so-true. (Read the Full Review)

John Fogerty – The Blue Ridge Rangers Ride Again

Here is John Fogerty doing what comes naturally. If he seemed immodest in the Creedence Clearwater Revival, he has justified himself and proven that he can make a fine, fine record without anyone’s help at all. The Blue Ridge Rangers may be the most successful one-man rock album yet, and if the general concept still doesn’t make sense at least Fogerty has made it work.The entire album is devoted to reinterpretations of personal favorites; mainly country, some spirituals and early rock. It has practically nothing to do with current rock trends, be they singer/songwriter, heavy metal, theatrical, glitter or flash. Instead, the record is a crystal-clear distillation of one man’s view of the rock & roll past, the source of his strength and his faith. On it, each cut seems to flow into a river of feeling in which country and city, western and blues, gospel and secular blend together in a complete body of indigenous American music. (Read the Full Review)

Muse – The Resistance

1- UPRISING (502)
If the album was announced as being particularly symphonic, Muse is playing with us as this stunning opening, the exact opposite of the direction expected. It starts with an electronic buzz, quickly followed by a low saturated fat and a hammered rhythm on the toms. The feeling tends to be closer to Depeche Mode, just how “Map Of The Problematique” on “Black Holes & Revelations”, but with a dynamic almost at the level of heavy guitar riffs. The title is not dancing, but he keeps it your own sad and melancholy timbre of Matthew Bellamy. Note the presence of a few choruses of “hey” chanted like a Marilyn Manson of the great days. This is the first single extract from the official record.

2- RESISTANCE (546)
Here is the eponymous song, angular piece of the album begins in an atmosphere of calm generated by a few layers of soft synth. Then tumbling piano melody accompanied by a powerful rotating drum that slowly turns into a deafening march rhythmic way. The Muse 2009 vintage seems to have the desire to surprise and that there seemed to be quickly identified is fast, éructant pre-chorus baroque-style way Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody”. And while we thought we hear a predictable final climb, the trio prefers to play calm and keep a few cartridges in reserve … (Read the Full Track by Track Review)