November 13 Releases, 2012

By: Sam Boyer, Blogs Editor / '90s Blogger

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but I know you're all thinking about the rad album releases this week instead. No? Okay, fine. It's my job to think about those album releases for you, then. And boy, oh boy, do we have some awesome ones this week.

Let's start with the obvious. Green Day dropped part two of its trilogy, ¡Dos!, which is only slightly better than ¡Uno!. There are some pretty strong tracks, like "Wow! That's Loud" and "Stray Heart," but there are a handful of mediocre ones, too. And then there's "Nightlife," which is perhaps one of the worst Green Day songs in history. If a hardcore Green Day fan like me says a song is terrible, then it really is terrible. I can dig just about anything GD does, but having a female rapper on a track? That's just unacceptable. But there's still one more album in this trilogy, so here's hoping ¡Tre! is some kind of brilliant (wishful thinking, I know).

Look for my review of ¡Dos! on ACRN's website soon!

Since I am a '90s blogger, I have to give a shout out to my boys in Soundgarden for releasing their first album since 1996's Down on the Upside. King Animal is decent, but it sounds more like a warm-up album rather than a comeback album. This is the same band that released Superunknown, arguably one of the best albums of the '90s. So where's that earth-shattering metal sound from before? King Animal isn't bad, but it's a little too tame for Soundgarden. The casual fan might dig it. Hardcore fans might be a little skeptical.

Check out ACRN's review here!

Are you ready for some mainstream rock? The answer is always yes. Deftones released their seventh studio album, Koi No Yokan, and it's not bad. Not bad at all. It's more alternative than mainstream rock, but the Deftones have always avoided being shoved into one specific genre. If you're not into the whole alternative rock scene, I'd skip this album. But if you're like me and you still rock out to "My Own Summer," definitely check this out. 

Some other releases of note: Christina Aguilera's Lotus (shouldn't she just give up at this point?), Brian Eno's LUX and Crystal Castles' III. I don't know a lot about these artists, so I can't go handing out recommendations. But if something strikes your fancy, don't be afraid to give it a try!

Also, check Drop It Like It's Hot each week for new releases and witty commentary!

September 25 Releases, 2012

By: Sam Boyer, Blogs Editor / '90s Blogger

Get ready, world. It's my first Drop It Like It's Hot entry! And what a perfect week to write about. We've been graced with releases from two super rad '90s bands and a group of folk giants. Let's do this.

So after months of anticipation (and some dread after hearing the first single), Green Day dropped the first album in their planned trilogy, ¡Uno!. By some Internet voodoo, I got the album a week early and spent that time studying each track individually. Since Green Day happens to be my favorite band, I made it a point to listen to the album at least seven times before writing a review. Bottom line: ¡Uno! isn't terrible, but it's not great either. It's heavily influenced by GD's side project from a few years ago, the '60s garage rock style band Foxboro Hot Tubs. Very dance-y and quite simple. It's nothing like American Idiot or 21st Century Breakdown. No grandiose political overtones here, just straight-forward pop-punk tunes (mostly) clocking in at less than three minutes each. The first half is pretty solid, but the second half is weak. "Oh Love" happens to be the last track, which is a mistake since it also happens to be the worst song on the album. But like I said, ¡Uno! isn't too terribly disappointing. We've still got two more albums in this trilogy. Be patient.

If you want a more in-depth analysis of ¡Uno!, check out my review for ACRN. Or if you're interested in the history of Green Day/my personal thoughts on the band, head on over to my '90s blog. End shameless self-promotion.

Speaking of '90s bands, No Doubt came back from the dead this week with their first album in 11 years. I thought "Settle Down" was a solid first single, so naturally I was excited to hear the rest of the album. It's a little more electronic than classic No Doubt, which isn't really a bad thing. The band has totally departed from their ska roots, though. That's a shame since that's what attracted me to them in the first place. But bands mature and evolve and blah, blah, blah. Push and Shove is a great pop record, but it doesn't have the same energy as Tragic Kingdom or Return of Saturn. That might be my '90s snobbery seeping through, but I'm still willing to admit that the album has its moments, particularly with "One More Summer." And it's better than Rock Steady, so there's that. Overall, it's a pretty good effort, especially after a decade-long hiatus.

And once again, if you're interested in my personal thoughts on No Doubt, check out my blog. Okay, now I'm done with my shameless self-promotion.

In non '90s-related album news, folk darlings Mumford & Sons dropped the follow-up to the hugely successful Sigh No More. I never really got into these guys, so I don't have the extensive knowledge needed to delve too deep into Babel. Upon first listen, it sounds like a pretty dreamy record. Not the M83 kind of dreamy, but the folksy campfire kind of dreamy. And boy, do these guys sure like frantic banjo-playing. I guess Babel is good in an abstract sense. If I happened to be more of a Mumford fangirl, I'd be all over this release. But I'm not, so you'll have to consult ACRN's review of it for a fair analysis.

Because it's almost Halloween and I have a love affair with Tim Burton (pre-Planet of the Apes Burton, that is), I couldn't resist adding the Frankenweenie Unleashed soundtrack to this entry. This is the collaborative soundtrack, not the Danny Elfman score. It features some rad musicians like Karen O, Kimbra, The Flaming Lips and Robert Smith. I also have to give a shout-out to My Chemical Romance's Frank Iero for Former Blogs Editor Cassie Whitt. "This Song Is A Curse" is a pretty fun tune.

Check Drop It Like It's Hot for new album releases each week! And for some killer album reviews, check out ACRN.com!