Another month, another time to wonder back down memory lane and thing of all the good and bad that has been bestowed upon my poor ears.

American Head Charge - Can’t Stop The Machine (Nitrus)
It’s hard to find a band with as much bad luck as American Head Charge.. a long road of departures, deaths and whatever else life can throw at them since they formed in rehab many years ago. This combination of live tracks, new tunes and remixes plus a live DVD is a good way to pass the time between albums. The live intensity of the band is captured quite nicely in this little set.

Chevelle - Vena Sera (Epic)
Tool-lite has returned, and the track “I Get It”, tucked away towards the end of the album screamed single and spent plenty of time being repeated. The group have been away for awhile, bid farewell to a [literal] brother, and have moved on. They’ve maintained much of the sound and melodies that made them big in the first place, and will in the end please fans.

Hellyeah - Hellyeah (Epic)
The latest in a group of metal all stars combines some of my favorite metal bands from Nothingface, Pantera/Damageplan, Mudvayne and more in a group of tracks that get as radio friendly as metal can get from these confederate flag waving, hard drinking metal heads. While the final product as expected doesn’t live up to the hype, it is still a fine piece of music to rock out too.

Hilary Duff - Dignity (Hollywood)
Mmmm… nothing like good old fashion pop. Tinged with a bit of dark edgy club pop under the guidance of the likes of Richard Vission and others, this grown up Hilary has put out some damn catchy club friendly tracks for half of the album, and retained the bubble gum for the second half (sans the last track). Good, catchy stuff that’s had me humming for days, and shows an obvious maturation for Ms. Duff.

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (Interscope)
With a one of a kind publicity campaign both online and off to enhance the album concept that seemingly overshadowed the album itself, I find it my civic duty to report on what a kick ass album this is. Call be biased being a long time Nine Inch Nails fan, or call me a queer for listening to that ‘gay music’, regardless, there is no denying that Trent is in fine form, pumping out one of the most true to form classic NIN albums in recent memory.

The Noisettes - What’s The Time Mr. Wolf? (Motown)
With one fiesty front woman, this music threesome is a raucous combination of rock and blues into one blistering package that leaves them primed to be one of the break out artists of this year.

Sia - Lady Croissant (Astralwerks)
Having the luxury of catching this lovely lady several times in support of her debut album, this live EP featuring live tracks and one brand new track, is a perfect compliment to bringing back fond memories of true entertainer.

Static-X - Cannibal (Reprise)
The group continue on their quest to venture away from their industrial metal sounds that made them a big deal for a more raw sound, and they do succeed. Some songs are stronger then others and the end result is a mixed bag.

Tiesto - Element Of Life (Ultra)
The biggest DJ in the world releases his follow up to Just Be, released in 2004, which in the end is a bit uneven. Some tracks are strong as hell, sure to take the trance world by storm and beautiful vocal features, and at other times falls a bit flat. This smooth flowing mix has enough bite to satisfy fans.

Timbaland - Timbaland Presents: Shock Value (Interscope)
Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, She Wants Revenge, Fall Out Boy, The Hives, etc., etc…. it’s a whose-who list of collaborations that in the end take a back seat to the star of the show, Timbaland. A block buster year in 2006 set the stage for an album that churns out club friendly tracks by the boat load, but while not as good as his work done for everyone else’s album, it’s good for what it is, and is good enough to make it past more then one listen.

Yoko Ono - Open Your Box (Astralwerks)
Aim squarely at the dance music crowd and slapping them right in the face, this collection of dance remixes from the likes of Pet Shop Boys, Felix Da Housecat, Basement Jaxx and more that reinterpret her past catalog into a palatable and more often then not tight knit collection that brings Yoko into the 21st century.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 24th, 2007 at 12:31 pm and is filed under New Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.