Sonic Boom

Plug in here to check out the latest and hottest music albums on the shelves (or almost there) ...
GET LUCKY | Mark Knopfler
The man they call the voice and guitar of Dire Straits has been prolific since he went solo. And with his own sound to boot. Those who pick up a Knopfler album in the hope of listening to Dire Straits-like rock are due for an appointment with disillusionment, as he seems more at ease with country and folk.Any hope you may have had of this changing in Get Lucky, dissolves as the sound of bagpipes launches Border Reiver, the opening track. The guitars do come into play (they would!) later, but Get Lucky remains a typical Knopfler album - understated country-rock sound with thoughtful, intelligent lyrics, topped off with that voice that seems almost too embarrassed to be singing. The result is (once again) a work that will not leave you unmoved, whether you smile at You Can't Beat the House, dab your eyes at Remembrance Day and Piper To The End or just plain blubber at Hard Shoulder. Melancholy runs deep in this album but seldom has it sounded more melodious. Knopfler still doesn't sound like Dire Straits. But you will be too busy applauding to notice. Or care.
(Country/Rock, Vertigo, Rs 395)
PLAYLIST PICKS |
Border Reiver (bagpipes, guitars, brilliant lyrics, foot-tapping stuff, brilliantly rendered); Cleaning My Gun (about as uptempo as he gets, with stunning guitarplay and lyrics like "you can still get gas in heaven, and a drink in Kingdom come / In the meantime I'm cleaning my gun" !); Remembrance Day (a tribute to those who passed away. There's cricket too. Keep a hanky handy.)
NIMISH DUBEY
THIS IS IT | Michael Jackson
God knows we'll miss the crotch-grabbing , falsetto-hitting King Of Pop and all the hype about him. This double compilation album will be released on October 28, with the concert documentary This Is It, containing footage of his final interviews and rehearsals. What's really got our attention is the new single This Is It, which has been ruling air waves and Youtube lately. The track isn't exactly new though; it was recorded in 1983 with Paul Anka, who still maintains that MJ stole the tapes of the song, which was supposed to be recorded as a duet! MJ's original number was found in his belongings, and now comes to you remastered with string arrangements and the Jackson Brothers' vocals added.
(Pop, Epic Records, price to be announced)
PLAYLIST PICKS |
They Don't Really Care About Us (MJ was right about this one. We build celebrities just to tear them down. The ominous drum roll in the background is to die for); Billie Jean (We miss him as much as he misses doing the moonwalk now, every time we hear that familiar bass riff boom through the speakers.)
HUMANOID | Tokio Hotel
If dance metal band Rammstein and pop rockers Jonas Brothers were to meet and somehow join forces, they wouldn't sound too different from the unique sonicscape of Tokio Hotel - the only German band ever to have won an MTV Video Music Award. If Automatic, the first single from their new album, is any indication, then these German pretty boys seem set to resurrect glam metal looks as well as the forgotten days of rock & roll ballads. The video, shot in the Kalahari Desert, is replete with humanoid robots and allusions to The Matrix, Fritz Lang and other cinematic motifs. With the entire album's electro-rock treatment, the tracks wouldn't be out of place on a Transformers-like OST. Goo Goo Dolls and Linkin Park, watch out! Another track (leaked on the WWW) is titled Dark Side Of The Sun. Are Gilmour and his boys listening?
(Synthpunk, Universal, Rs 395)
PLAYLIST PICKS |
Hey You (the hooks on this song are reminiscent of all that Tokio Hotel are about. It is probably the only track on the album you would want to sing along to); Automatic (Do you love muscle cars? Do you love muscle cars and robots grooving to a beat? Look no further - this electro pop jive is for all you Transformers fans out there); Dark Side Of The Sun (The band's attempt at getting its music taken seriously? Perhaps. The tune doesn't feature catchy hooks, though.)
Anand Chandy