Filed under: Alternative Rock, music, rock | Tags: Anthems for the Damned, Army of Anyone, Audioslave, Cold, Deftones, Filter, hate, helmets, Kill the Day, Nine Inch Nails, rifles, Stone Temple Pilots, war
Filter is back after a six year hiatus and musically picks up where it left off. The album cover art features a helmet propped on a rifle, gazing over a darkened wasteland with little room for the sun to shine through. The visual cue is dead on for the music inside. The songs dwell largely in a world of war, consequences, hatred and uncertainty with a splash of hope. Per usual for a Filter album, the songwriting feels very personable and unguarded. The songs work well with each other and the whole thing feels somewhat like a concept album, creating a very bleak landscape. Within that landscape are a couple of songs with a shot at being successful singles: “Kill the Day” (or its remix) and “Cold” (echoes of “Take My Picture”). Check for yourself.
Quarters for the songs: Kill the Day; Cold; Hatred is Contagious; Lie After Lie.
Worth listening, if you like: Army of Anyone; Audioslave; Sound Garden; Deftones; Nine Inch Nails; Stone Temple Pilots.
Filed under: music, overview | Tags: 3 Doors Down, AM, Buddy, Christian, Citizen/Soldier, duets, Filter, Foxboro Hot Tubs, hot tubs, Jesse McCartney, jukebox, Julianna Raye, Mariah Carey, Mates of State, Mayday Parade, Meiko, music, Rick Garcia, Robin Thicke, Susie Suh, Tenth Avenue North, The Ting Tings, Tina Dico, Ting Tings, Vanessa Hudgens, YouTube
What’s new and in the jukebox for this week (alphabetically sorted by artist):
- 3 Doors Down—3 Doors Down: More blue collar rock appropriate for radio play.
- AM—Side by Side – Duets EP: Came out about a month ago; male singer/songwriter AM sings soft, simple duets with Meiko, Tina Dico, Julianna Raye, Buddy, Susie Suh and Rick Garcia. Listening to it has prompted me to download AM’s previous albums … happy, Leanna?
- Filter—Anthems for the Damned: The band who brought you “Hey Man Nice Shot” and “Take a Picture” is back with an album after a six year absence … “Cold” (which has hints of “Take a Picture”) and/or “Kill the Day” (or its remix) could have some potential as singles.
- Foxboro Hot Tubs—Stop Drop and Roll!!!: Neurotic, frenetic, old-school-feel rock ‘n’ roll.
- Jesse McCartney—Departure: Not that I’m listening, but I feel obligated to say it’s out (it’s his “I’m grown up and have street credibility even though I used to sing and dance for cartoon music videos and now want to be Robin Thicke” album). The production sounds good (for the couple of songs I’ve heard); it will be interesting to see how mainstream play takes to it.
- Mariah Carey—E=MC²: What does Einstein and relativity have to do with Mariah Carey? I don’t know … other than the brief sharing of initials. Either way, expect to hear clips of songs on “YouTube, YouTube … .”
Quarters for the Jukebox 