Sonic Boom

Plug in here to check out the latest and hottest music albums on the shelves (or almost there) ...
OUT OF ASHES | Dead By Sunrise
Any notions you may have had that Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington would get milder in Dead By Sunrise (a name inspired by his binges) are dispelled within seconds as Fire kicks in - all zinging guitars and thumping drums, just short of thrash.OOA treads the thin line between hard rock and alternative pretty neatly. It strikes a healthy balance between extremes. There are 'typical' hard rock numbers like My Suffering and Condemned dripping with aggression; there are also slower numbers like Let Down and Into You. Bennington is in supreme fettle either way, whether snarling defiance or wrapping his voice gently around lyrics. The lyrics are top drawer; sample the start to Walking In Circles: 'Everyone's sleeping through life/ Afraid that their questions / Just might have answers/ Quiet/ Everyone shut off their mind/ So I'll turn on mine...Great music, great singing, great lyrics - OOA could well be winter's surprise package, fiery, mild, very melodic.
(Rock, Warner, Rs 395)
PLAYLIST PICKS |
Crawl Back In (Bennington shouts "won't let your lies take a piece of my soul" with screaming guitars, and your nerves hum); Too Late (softer and slightly melancholic; take lessons, Bryan Adams); Give Me Your Name (prime example of how hard rock acts often take slow tempo songs to another level)
GOD & GUNS | Lynyrd Skynyrd
Seeing a veteran act get together for one more throw of the rocking dice can be a bit of a trial for its followers. One part of you wishes that they would teach those young whippersnappers what music really is, another part is terrified that they will embarrass all their loyal fans with a sub-standard album. So you can imagine what went through our fragile hearts when we got the first Lynyrd Skynyrd album in almost half a dozen years in our hands. Any doubts that the Skynyrd crew had lost it were chucked into the dustbin the moment the awe inspiring Still Unbroken came on. The magic continues with Simple Life, and then moves into the classic rock territory. By the time you are midway through Little Thing Called You, you know that God & Guns is not an idle addition to the Skynyrd discography. For the most part, God & Guns is built around skilful wordsmithing, accompanied by some good, solid - albeit occasionally eccentric (check out the distinctly weird Floyd) - rock music. It ain't the greatest Lynyrd Skynyrd album ever, but it surely is among their better works.
(Rock, Roadrunner, Rs 395)
PLAYLIST PICKS |
Still Unbroken (Got the blues? Just hear Van Zandt throw down the gauntlet. Our song of the year); Skynyrd Nation (Check out the starting riffs and the vocal play between Van Zandt and Rickey Medlocke); God & Guns (You may not agree when they say "God and guns keep us strong" but there's no questioning the sheer melody of the song)
NIMISH DUBEY
THE FALL | Norah Jones
She's been called this century's most successful female jazz singer (36 million albums vouch for that) but with her fourth studio album, the woman we Indians like to call our own makes her first attempt to transcend her comfort zone. We aren't complaining! Her soothing vocals have earned her the moniker 'Snorah' , so some lively new material here is refreshing! Strangely, her piano play takes a backseat; Marc Ribot and Smokey Hormel's (of Elvis Costello & Johnny Cash fame) electric guitars replace it. As do some unusually strong beats. At times, the extravagant instrumentation doesn't blend with her voice. But lyrics-wise , the underlying theme of lost love and vengeance defines this as a 'breakup album' , since it's her first since her split from long-time beau, bassist Lee Alexander. The transformation from soft Snorah to a quietly aggressive, come-of-age woman is worth a listen.
(Jazz, EMI, Rs 395)
PLAYLIST PICKS |
Chasing Pirates (sets the pace for the album; has some electronic sounds you won't expect on a Norah track); Back To Manhattan (about being divided between two lovers on either side of the bridge; postdinner relaxation music); Man Of The Hour (an ending as sweet as it gets; the smoky voice and piano is vintage Norah, and there's sardonic wit too)
NIGEL BRITTO