blink-182 - Neighborhoods

The wait is finally over! After a long 7 year hiatus, blink-182 is finally back with their brand new studio album Neighborhoods. The follow up to their 2003 self titled release finds the Poway, California natives returning to their distinct, classic pop-punk sound that has inspired a legion of fans and countless pop-punk bands currently making it big nowadays.

The album starts off with a blast on "Ghost on the Dance Floor" an intense, melodic pop-punk blast that will definitely bring you back with Tom DeLonge's familiar vocal refrain adding a bit of a nostalgic flavor to the song that will definitely excite seasoned blink-182 fans and will create some new fans in the process as well. This track segues right into the next track "Natives", another solid track that builds upon the energy that was found on the prior track and looks to build upon that kinetic energy exponentially and allowing it to get bigger and bigger as the album rolls along. The album's first single "Up all Night" is an intense, hard edged blast that allows Tom and Mark Hoppus to trade off vocal chops to create an intricate and expansive track that is one of their most cohesive yet. "Heart's All Gone" is a fast paced juggernaut that is very reminiscent of their earlier material from the Dude Ranch era and gives early era Blink fans something to look back fondly on as they listen to this album proudly on their iPods.

The disc's second half kicks off with my favorite tune off the disc, "Kaleidoscope" a downtempo, melodic opus that features Mark and Tom's vocal abilities weaving in and out of the toned down guitar riffs and drummer Travis Barker's fantastic drum abilities that never go unnoticed in any Blink song. "This Is Home" is another nostalgic track that brings it all home with melodic guitar riffs bringing in that familiar Blink sound that send shivers down listeners' spines and will have you singing along all the way through. We get ready to shut it all down with "MH 4.18.2011", a melodic, high energy tune that will definitely have you grooving along right until the very end with its pure melodic undertones hitting at you instantly and leaving you feel refreshed. The disc's finale, "Love is Dangerous" does an excellent job of wrapping everything up with Tom's vocals adding a distinct aura and strikes a certain nerve that no other band can do with his vocal power setting off a chain reaction domino effect of sorts with all the instrumentation creating a strong emotional response that has been blink-182's hallmark and has made them the kings of the pop-punk mountain. If you were to have a flow chart with all the pop-punk bands that have sprouted up in the last 10 years, the one band that has constantly been traced back as an immense influence is blink-182. If you look back at some of the legendary pop-punk bands that have been formed in the last decade up until now including Green Day, New Found Glory, and All Time Low, none of those bands would have ever existed if it weren't for the sheer influence of blink-182 to mentor and guide them musically to where they are right now.

All in all, a terrific and welcome return for blink-182, who have made their promise to their fans and don't disappoint with a consistent and terrific effort that shows everyone that they're back and here to stay for good this time!

                                                                                                                              Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:

1. Ghost On The Dance Floor
2. Natives
3. Up all Night
4. After Midnight
5. Heart's All Gone
6. Wishing Well
7. Kaleidoscope
8. This Is Home
9. MH 4.18.2011
10. Love Is Dangerous

Joan Jett, The Cure, Guns N' Roses, and Heart Nominated For Rock And Roll Hall of Fame!

Hey everyone!

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its nominees for the Class of 2012 today, and the list includes some very notable names that have helped shape the music of today. Rounding out the list is Joan Jett, The Cure, Guns N' Roses, and Heart. Other musicians that made it onto the ballot include Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Spinners, Donovan, Beastie Boys, War, and Donna Summer. Nominees are chosen by a committee and are then voted on by a pool of musicians, media, and industry people. The winners will be announced in December and the induction ceremony will take place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14 in Cleveland.

Artist Spotlight: The Perms & "Sofia Nights" Album Review!

Hey everyone!

We have a jam packed edition of Artist Spotlight for you guys today! This week, I present to you a band coming from our neighbors to the north, Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada called The Perms. The band consists of Shane Smith on bass and vocals, Chad Smith on guitars and vocals, and John Huver on drums. The band has an eclectic mix of power pop similar to that of Fountains of Wayne and Weezer, with some dynamic guitar riffs and resilient drum patterns that make the songs stand out prominently to the listener. If you have really simple musical tastes that don't rely too heavily on intricate instrumentation and hard to understand lyrics, this band is definitely the one for you and can be depended upon to better enhance the standout moments of your life with high energy, bombastic music. Some standout tracks from these guys include: "High School High" and "In No Time".

For more info on the trio called The Perms and to listen to their music as well, head on over to their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/theperms The band can also be followed on Twitter by going over to http://www.twitter.com/theperms For the latest on all their upcoming tour dates and other pertinent info, cruise on over to their official website at http://www.theperms.com Recently, I just checked out the latest effort from them called "Sofia Nights" and I felt that it was worthy enough to do a review to go along with this Artist Spotlight. And without further ado, here it is:

Coming out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada The Perms have arrived on the scene with their latest release called "Sofia Nights". The newest effort from the trio finds the group making their presence known with a vivid and eclectic mix of high energy power pop tunes and dynamic instrumentation that leaves nothing to the imagination and doesn't feel the need to do too much to get their point across.

The album starts off strong with "High School High", a melodic, bombastic tune that introduces you to the vocal stylings of bassist Shane Smith and guitarist Chad Smith who both blend in their vocal talents real well here to create an exciting and refreshing track that eloquently displays the energy that is starting to emanate strongly from the album. The next track "In No Time" is another solid track, amping up the energy quite a bit from the subsequent track and also has an indelible drum pattern brought to you courtesy of drummer John Huver who adds a distinct element that can all be heard one way or another throughout all of the songs found on the disc. My favorite track off the album is "Live For Today", an energetic, vivacious power pop anthem that will provide endless amounts of energy to your day and is the perfect companion to take along with you in your car, when you're walking, or just about anywhere you go.

The disc's second half features "Over and Over", a more alt-rock leaning track but still features all the energetic vocal work and vibrant instrumentation that was found on the prior songs we've heard up until this point. The album's latter tracks include "Skin and Bones", a downtempo, slightly melodic number that brings down the energy considerably from the other songs and adds just a hint of musical diversity to an otherwise pretty solid disc heard here so far. "Slipping Away" returns the energy to a more familiar level and begins much like the way the album started in the first place: dynamic and energetic instrumentation built upon simply written lyrics that don't need a whole lot of explaining to get its point across, it just lets the music do the talking for them.

All in all, a solid and well thought out effort here from The Perms, a great band that is recommended for people who need an escape from the ordinary type of music that's polluting the airwaves these days.

                                                                                                                             Album Score: 3.5/5

Track Listing:

1. High School High
2. Make It Through
3. You I'm Thinking Of
4. Said and Done
5. Skin and Bones
6. Slipping Away
7. Live for Today
8. Mannheim
9. In No Time
10. Over and Over

R.E.M. Reveal Track Listing For Greatest Hits Album!

Hey everyone!

Continuing on with the story that I broke to you last week regarding the disbanding of R.E.M. You might remember that the group were planning to release a greatest hits collection in November that would be a career spanning collection of all their best known songs. Well, the track listing for the greatest hits set was just released today. The disc will be called: "Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982-2011". The compilation is a two disc set with over 40 songs spanning from Murmur all the way up to their most recent release, Collapse Into Now. The set will be released on November 15 via Warner Bros. Records. Here is the track listing for the two disc set:

Disc 1:

1. Gardening at Night
2. Radio Free Europe
3. Talk About The Passion
4. Sitting Still
5. So. Central Rain
6. (Don't Go Back to) Rockville
7. Driver 8
8. Life And How To Live It
9. Begin the Begin
10. Fall on Me
11. Finest Worksong
12. It's The End Of The World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)
13. The One I Love
14. Stand
15. Pop Song 89
16. Get Up
17. Orange Crush
18. Losing My Religion
19. Country Feedback
20. Shiny Happy People

Disc 2:

1. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
2. Everybody Hurts
3. Man on the Moon
4. Nightswimming
5. What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
6. New Test Leper
7. Electrolite
8. At My Most Beautiful
9. The Great Beyond
10. Imitation of Life
11. Bad Day
12. Leaving New York
13. Living Well is the Best Revenge
14. Supernatural Superserious
15. Überlin
16. Oh My Heart
17. Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter
18. A Month of Saturdays
19. We All Go Back to Where We Belong
20. Hallelujah

BREAKING NEWS!! R.E.M. Break Up!

Hey everyone,

Some unexpected news that came into the music world earlier this afternoon. In a shocker, it was announced that after a 31 year run, R.E.M. would be calling it quits effective immediately. The band issued a statement earlier this afternoon via their official website:

"To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening." R.E.M.

The band just released their latest album, Collapse Into Now this past year and was met with strong critical acclaim from the music press. The band have released a string of numerous albums and tracks that have defined the essence of the alternative genre including "Radio Free Europe" "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" "Losing My Religion" and "It's The End Of The World (As We Know It)" just to name a few. Michael Stipe added this to say to their fans following the initial announcement:

"A wise man once said--'the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave.' We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we're going to walk away from it.

"I hope our fans realize this wasn't an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way.

"We have to thank all the people who helped us be R.E.M. for these 31 years; our deepest gratitude to those who allowed us to do this. It's been amazing."


The band will be releasing a career spanning greatest hits collection in November. Leave your comments on this story right here on the blog!

Thrice - Major/Minor

Irvine, California's own Thrice are back with their much anticipated, brand new studio album titled Major/Minor. The follow up to 2009's stellar Beggars finds the group reaching the pinnacle of their career on a superb and unheralded effort that is the best album they've ever made and is one of the best albums of the year so far.

The album opens up with the incredible and jarring first single, "Yellow Belly" a dark, gritty tune that immediately starts out with churning, emotional guitar riffs that grab a hold of you instantaneously and coupled that with the intense vocals of frontman Dustin Kensrue add to a thrilling and emotional track that builds up right until the very end with an amazing climax. "Promises" is an immediate throwback track that is reminiscent of material released on 2001's Identity Crisis and contains passionate, heartfelt lyrics and the intense guitar work of Teppei Teranshi adds to a spectacular track inside and out. "Blinded" is another splendid track that starts off with a groove laden guitar flow before settling into a steady drum infused pattern brought to you by drummer Riley Breckenridge who adds a distinct element to all of Thrice's songs that can't be duplicated by any other drummer out there in music today. "Call It In The Air" is a midtempo, quiet rocker that relies solely on finely tuned guitar riffs to get its message across, which is eloquently delivered by Dustin in a clear and concise manner. "Treading Paper" does exactly the same thing as well, but is much more solemn lyrically and adds a more emotionally gripping guitar riff set that builds up exponentially until the song's conclusion.

The disc's second half starts off with a bang on "Blur", a fast paced, no holds barred track that takes no prisoners with a cavalcade of guitar riffs, drums, excellent bass work from Eddie Breckenridge, and Dustin's amazing vocals once again delivering an outstanding performance that is something to behold. "Listen Through Me" is an amazing, gripping saga with an incredible melodic output that comes right out of the gate ready to captivate you on impact. The disc begins to reach its end with "Anthology" a breathtaking, full bodied track that best encapsulates Thrice's full ability as a band and how they conduct themselves both in the studio and on stage as well."Disarmed" closes out the album perfectly with an intense, real to life tune that best captures the emotional intensity of the album as a whole and how it has impacted the lives of its listeners during the span they've listened to the album. When I first discovered Thrice back in 2003 when they released The Artist In The Ambulance, their music immediately hit me like a ton of bricks with its emotional wall of sound that was especially evident on "Stare At The Sun", my favorite Thrice song of all time. I had the pleasure of meeting Dustin last December at The Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge when he was part of the Where's The Band Tour? which also featured Chris Conley from Saves The Day, Anthony Raneri from Bayside, and Matt Pryor from The Get Up Kids. When I met Dustin after the show, he autographed my copy of The Artist In The Ambulance and I was in immediate awe of his humble and genuine personality and I told him how much his music has inspired me and changed my life as well.

In retrospect, a spectacular and career defining effort from Thrice, who have reached the creative zenith of their professional lives on this masterpiece that is certainly an effort that will be talked about for some time to come. This is the only album review I've done where I haven't picked out one favorite song off the album. All of the songs on this disc are best listened to as a whole in succession one after another to fully grasp the emotional message that is present on this album if you listen closely. If you are going to buy one album all year, this is the one!

                                                                                                                          Album Score: 5/5

Track Listing:

1. Yellow Belly
2. Promises
3. Blinded
4. Cataracts
5. Call It In The Air
6. Treading Paper
7. Blur
8. Words In The Water
9. Listen Through Me
10. Anthology
11. Disarmed   

Artist Spotlight: Rich and Fameus

Hey everyone!

Welcome to another edition of Artist Spotlight! This week, we head down to the South Beach area, Miami, Florida to be exact and check out the sweet sounds of Rich and Fameus. The duo consists of identical twin brothers who use a creative blend of hip-hop and a dash of rock to create a truly exciting blend that gives fans of the hip-hop and rock genres a little taste of everything and also brings fans from these two genres together in the process! The music sounds like a cross between Lil' Wayne and Pitbull and brings to mind music that sounds primed and ready for a day at the skatepark and contains bombastic beats and slick rhymes that sound fluid and cohesive all the way throughout. Some rappers have attempted to crossbreed the worlds of hip-hop and rock and most if not all have tried and failed, but some had varying degrees of success with it including Jay-Z and Linkin Park on their 2005 release, "Collision Course". However, this album is a well executed effort that accurately molds the blueprint of hip-hop and rock into a beat heavy, melodic groove that will excite fans of both genres and also make them user accessible to a wider audience in the process! Some tracks for you to check out from these guys include "Skateboard Fresh" and "Fired Up".

For more info on Rich and Fameus, head on over to their Facebook page and 'Like' it at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rich-and-Fameus/136181486444219 You can also follow them on Twitter by going over to http://www.twitter.com/richandfameus If you want to check out the duo's recently released mixtape, "Ready For Take Off", head on over to the duo's official website at http://www.richandfameus.com and click on the 'Download CD Here' button located at the right hand side of the page towards the bottom, and get ready to experience Rich and Fameus in all their glory!

Interview w/ Ken Yates

Hey everyone!

Wrapping up my special series that I've conducted this summer with a host of up and coming artists who were also featured here on the blog as Artist Spotlight write-ups. We conclude this series with an interview with emerging singer-songwriter Ken Yates. Ken was a featured Artist Spotlight here on the blog back in May and is an incredibly talented artist who has a real elegant, straightforward acoustic style to him similar to that of James Taylor and his songs evoke feelings of love within relationships. I caught up with him recently to get to know a little more about him and how his education has helped prepare him for his musical journey. And without further ado, here is that interview:

Give your name and where do you come from?

Ken Yates, I'm from London, Ontario, Canada

How did you first become interested in music?

My whole family is very musical and had me playing the piano and the trumpet at a young age. I gradually moved to the guitar once I really started getting into music and because my influences were mostly guitar players.

When did you first learn to play a musical instrument and when was it?

I first started learning the piano when I was about 9 and dropped that quickly to play guitar.

Recently, you just graduated from Berklee School of Music. What was your experience there like?

Amazing, I was surrounded by so many talented people and it really helped me discover what my strengths are as a musician. Without going to Berklee I don't even know if I would have been a songwriter. I learned so many new things that helped shape what I wanted to be as a songwriter and it was really great to be able to learn and network with people trying to do the same thing as me.

How have your studies helped prepare you for your musical career?

My studies at Berklee have really helped me understand the music industry. I really think that having constructive criticism from my peers and teachers has been so important in preparing me for my career because I know where I stand as a musician, and I know what I need to get better at. Berklee allowed me to really just focus on writing and making my songs the best they can be before I bring them out into the real world.

When did you first learn how to write your own songs?

I didn't start writing songs until my second year at Berklee. I started taking a few songwriting courses not knowing if I would like them, and then I got hooked. The great thing about taking classes for songwriting is that it really motivates you to write, and to write something good for that matter. I never wanted to bring a bad song into class so it made me work a lot harder to write something I was proud of.

Where do you draw inspiration from to write your music?

I generally don't write about my personal life because it always feels like a personal joke with myself and honestly, there just isn't enough interesting stuff to write about! Instead I like to think of interesting emotional situations and write about something that a lot of people will relate to. It often starts with a personal idea, but then I try to twist it to make a more interesting story.

What themes and overall subject matter does your music revolve around?

I usually write about love and relationships (that sounds really cheesy) but it really is the best subject matter. I've promised myself that my next song will not be about a girl! 

What do you like to do in your spare time when you're not playing music?

I'm pretty big into the outdoors so if I do actually take time off from playing music I'm using fishing or camping or something like that.

What are your hopes and where do you see yourself in the future with regard to your musical career?

I hope to continue to make a career as a singer/songwriter. I really just want as many people to like my songs as possible.

Thanks once again to Ken Yates for taking some time to do this interview! His insight and passion for overall simplicity in his music really shines through and he is an extremely gifted and talented musician with plenty of potential for success in the future! Keep an eye out for more interviews to come sometime soon with other up and coming artists from the Boston area and beyond.

The Kooks - Junk Of The Heart

 

Fresh out of Brighton, East Sussex England, British indie rockers The Kooks are back with their brand new studio release, Junk Of The Heart. The follow up to 2008's Konk finds the band not deviating much from their harmless blend of indie rock to a receptive and enthusiastic crowd who has followed the band actively ever since they released their debut album in 2006, Inside In/Inside Out.

The album starts off with the refreshing and invigorating title track as its first single. The song starts off with a pleasant, upbeat acoustic guitar riff and the fantastic lead vocals of frontman Luke Pritchard that makes this song so upbeat and indelible that you'll have it on repeat for quite some time as you enjoy the last days of summer. "How'd You Like That" adds some piano melodies into the mix and they blend in together quite well with the cavalcade of guitars, drums, and Luke's warmly inviting vocals that make you want to continue listening to the album. "Taking Pictures of You" is an acoustic based, mellow tune that features delicately tuned guitar patterns that sound smooth and go down quite easily like a fine bottle of wine. The next track "Fuck The World Off" is actually a pretty pleasant sounding track with the guitar melodies and Luke's melodic vocal style adding plenty to be desired on this track despite its harsh sounding title. 

We start off the disc's second half with "Runaway", an upbeat, guitar driven track that produces a bevy of other instruments as well including a violin if you hear very closely in the distance, a dense and layered track that allows you to dissect each part and listen to it independently. My favorite track off the album is "Is It Me", a melodic, bombastic delight with frenzied guitars, great drum patterns, and Luke's extremely comforting vocals making you fall in love with this track almost immediately upon impact. "Petulia" is a warm and inviting track that again shows off Luke's beautiful and laid back vocal style that you will definitely swoon over the first time you hear it, a remarkable listen all the way through. We head into the disc's final two tracks, "Eskimo Kiss" an extremely upbeat and melodic tune that will have you singing along and bopping your head along at the same time, and "Mr. Nice Guy",  a piano fueled romp that does a great job of bringing in sounds heard at various points earlier in the album and bringing them all together to create a synopsis of all the instruments that we've heard so far on this disc. When I first heard The Kooks 5 years ago, I feel in love with the band almost immediately with the overall simplicity of tracks that relied heavily on acoustic instrumentation and Luke's smooth and melodic vocal delivery that made the songs really stand out. I'll be seeing these guys in concert on November 19th at the House of Blues and I can't wait to see them in concert and what the new songs sound like performed live.

All in all, a respectable effort from The Kooks, four good looking British chaps who have a knack for crafting highly infectious melodies and basing a majority of them around simple acoustic guitar arrangements and amazing vocal patterns.

                                                                                                                         Album Score: 3.5/5

Track Listing:

1. Junk Of The Heart (Happy)
2. How'd You Like That
3. Rosie
4. Taking Pictures of You
5. Fuck The World Off
6. Time Above The Earth
7. Runaway
8. Is It Me
9. Killing Me
10. Petulia
11. Eskimo Kiss
12. Mr. Nice Guy

.

Artist Spotlight: City of Squares

Hey everyone!

Kicking off this Tuesday with another edition of Artist Spotlight! This week, we're staying in the Beantown area and focusing on an up and coming band from the area called City of Squares! The band consists of Jenna Paone on lead vocals and piano, John Baptista on guitar and vocals, Bill Ferri on bass and backing vocals, and Jon Francis on drums and backing vocals. The band mixes in the worlds of pop and rock into a more user accessible sound that everyone can relate to and takes in influences of various artists such as The Beatles and Maroon 5. Jenna's voice is absolutely captivating and stunning, and her amazing vocal delivery allows the songs to have a life of their own and reel you in almost instantaneously with their hypnotic piano melodies and intricate guitar licks, all done with spontaneous ease. I just had the pleasure of seeing them in concert recently this past Friday at The Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, and I only attended the show because I've heard of the band name before but I never actually heard any music from them, I just wanted to see what their music is all about. They were well worth the price of admission and totally blew me away with an amazing performance that showed off all their talents in one, fell swoop! Some recommended tracks for you to check out include "City of Squares" and "Dirty Shoulder".

To check out the music of City of Squares for yourself, head on over to their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/cityofsquares The band also has a ReverbNation page, and you can access that by going to http://www.reverbnation.com/cityofsquares

Interview w/ Paul Materne

Hey everyone!

Chugging along with my series of interviews with artists that were former Artist Spotlight features here on the blog several months back. Today, I present to you an interview with my absolute favorite Artist Spotlight musician that I've ever heard, Paul Materne. He was featured here on the blog back in February, and he has the absolute best voice I've ever come across in my musical travels. Never before have I encountered a musician with so much passion and determination that listening to his music almost threw me to the brink of tears at one point. You can view my original Artist Spotlight post on him right here: http://www.music-box-pete.net/2011/02/artist-spotlight-paul-materne.html I recently had the pleasure of conducting a brief interview with Paul to get a better idea of how much music has changed his life and how it's shaped him as a person as well. Here is the full transcript of the interview:

Give your name and what instrument do you play? 

My name is Paul Materne and I play a Taylor acoustic guitar that's worth more than my car haha

How did you first become interested in music?

Well my whole entire family sings. Not just my mom and dad and sister, the whole group grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins. So I grew up around it.

What themes and/or subject matter does your music cover?

Mostly things that I go through in life.

What is your song "If You Only Knew Her" about? 

Well it's about my ex-girlfriend and it basically means you'd have to know her to know how amazing she was because words can't describe it.

How big a role has music been in shaping who you are as a person?

It saved my life man. I used to be into drugs bad and almost died alot of times and when I quit doing them, playing and writing got me through it and with no rehab. And now I've been sober.... it'll be two years in November!

What has been the reaction to your music so far?

Well not that many people listen to it which I would like to change! But people who have heard it say it's amazing and I should be famous! lol

What musicians/bands have helped influence your music? 

None really, my life is really what influences me.

Do you plan on playing any shows or releasing a EP sometime in the near future?

We'll see, I would love to but I'm going through alot of struggles in my life that I won't mention.

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard of you?

Hmmmmm.... it's passionate because the lyrics when I write them come from deep down, emotions and thoughts. And when I sing them I really bring that passion out through my voice.

What do you hope people take away from your music? 

I just want them to enjoy it, chill to it, whatever man. I just want people to listen and if they could get something out of just listening to me sing then that would be a blessing.

Thanks once again to Paul Materne for taking some time out to do this interview! It's absolutely amazing to hear how music has practically saved his life and made him realize that he has a true calling in life to express his talents through music. To check out the immense talent of Paul Materne for yourself, head on over to his Facebook page and 'Like' it as well by going over to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paul-Materne-Music/145412042192989 Check back next week for my last artist interview in this special series.






 

Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You

Red Hot Chili Peppers make their long awaited return with their first studio disc in 5 years, I'm With You. The follow up to 2006's masterful, two disc Stadium Arcadium finds the Cali funk-rockers still bringing their eclectic blend of rock and funk to a devoted audience that has stayed with them for the better half of 25 years. This new effort continues to build upon RHCP's legacy as one of the great American rock bands of our time.

The disc kicks off with "Monarchy of Roses" an energetic, bombastic tune that brings back the familiar vocals of frontman Anthony Kiedis who sounds superb and melds together his voice seamlessly with the avalanche of rhythms and guitar licks present at every turn. "Factory of Faith" starts out with a familiar bass lick from Flea, who has cemented his position as one of the top bassists in music today, and the song is pure and consistent all the way through with guitars and drums sounding sharp and poignant right up until the very end. "Ethiopia" is a funk laden, groove abundant track that is classic RHCP with melodic guitar riffs and high energy rhythms heightening the fun factor on this high energy track. "Annie Wants A Baby" brings down the kinetic energy a little bit, but still retains the rhythmic onslaught that was found on the prior tracks to a great degree. "Look Around" recalls the fun loving party vibe of RHCP's earlier records, and adds in a bit of nostalgic factor as well to an album that caters both to old and new Chili Peppers' fans. My favorite song off the disc is the album's blasting first single, "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie". If you're not dancing to this song from the get go, there is something seriously wrong with you. The song features Anthony's soaring vocals, incredible guitar riffs, and even some hints of cowbell heard at the beginning and the end of the song, a clever touch to a particularly well rounded track.

The disc second half starts off with "Did I Let You Know", a drum heavy track brought to you by drummer Chad Smith who brings a lot of rhythmic flavor to a richly melodic toned song. "Happiness Loves Company" starts off with a melodic piano refrain that seems to come out of nowhere, but melts in together quite well with the guitars and drums brought down to a certain comfort level. "Even You Brutus?" brings back that familiar piano that amps up the energy considerably and also does a great job on extenuating Anthony's vocals and giving the song some added depth musically. The disc gets ready to close out with "Meet Me at The Corner", a low energy, mid tempo rocker that gives you a little breather from all the raucous, high energy party music we've heard so far and enables you to relax and take notice of all the ambient rhythms that are present in great quantities here. The disc's finale "Dance, Dance, Dance" closes out everything with an ambient yet melodically active track that shows off RHCP's versatility and their ability to add elements of funk and dance into each and every composition they create. Red Hort Chili Peppers have been around for so long, and yet it's hard to classify what genre their music falls under. It's not quite alternative rock and it's not entirely funk rock but adds influences from all sorts of genres and is quite hard to classify what they fall under. One thing we do know is that they fall under a category that they've been under for quite some time now: rock and roll legends.

In retrospect, a solid and welcome return from Red Hot Chili Peppers, who have emerged from their hiatus stronger and picking up right where they left off, full of ambient party energy and ready to continue their reign as rock n' roll's preeminent party starters.

                                                                                                                             Album Score: 3.5/5

Track Listing:

1. Monarchy of Roses
2. Factory of Faith
3. Brendan's Death Song
4. Ethiopia
5. Annie Wants A Baby
6. Look Around
7. The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
8. Did I Let You Know
9. Goodbye Hooray
10. Happiness Loves Company
11. Police Station
12. Even You Brutus?
13. Meet Me At The Corner
14. Dance, Dance, Dance

Artist Spotlight: Apollo Starfleet

Hey everyone!

Hope everyone had a relaxing Labor Day weekend! Returning this week with a brand new edition of Artist Spotlight! This week I have for you guys an up and coming band right out of Dracut, MA called Apollo Starfleet! The band consists of Ryan Moloney on drums and vocals, Jesse Ryan Graham on guitars and vocals, Caitlin Lento on keys and vocals, Jesse Robichaud on bass, and Jared Blake on lead guitar. You might remember Jesse Robichaud as drummer from his old band The Dead Beats, whom I did an Artist Spotlight on last year. This band takes a more direct, alt-rock approach with hard knocking rhythms and a straightforward, melodic hard-rock sound that gets straight to the point with incredible drum patterns to match. A lot of up and coming local bands experiment with a host of different genres and sometimes it's difficult to discern what genres the band is dabbling in. With this group, it's pretty clearcut what the band's message is and what it will deliver to its audience in the process as well. A great first start to a band that we hope to see more of in the near future.

The band just released their debut EP titled, "In Love & War Act I" and to download the EP in its entirety and see what Apollo Starfleet is all about, head on over to one of these digital music retail outlets to purchase it!:

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/...in-love-war-act-i-ep/id457043047  
Amazon MP3: http://www.amazon.com/In-Love-War-Act-I/dp/B005HZ0BNE/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315325313&sr=301-1
CDBaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/apollostarfleet

For more info on Apollo Starfleet and what tour dates they have coming up, head on over to their official website at: http://www.apollostarfleet.com You can also 'Like' the band on Facebook by going over to http://www.facebook.com/apollostarfleet and you can follow them on Twitter as well by going over to http://www.twitter.com/apollostarfleet