Switches
Lay Down the Law
3/5
Available Now
Indie pop is starting to become a bit of misnomer. There's nothing particularly independent about it these days. Switches is no exception, and it's hard to see anything in its music that sets it apart from run-of-the-mill pop rock. That isn't to say that its sound isn't perfectly acceptable - because it is - but nothing about its sound really pops out at the listener. In fact, it would suffice to say, why would I listen to Switches when I could be listening to Death Cab for Cutie, or the New Pornographers? If you want to listen to good indie pop, those are the bands you should be listening to. While there isn't anything wrong with Switches per se, with so many bands out there, there really isn't any reason to waste any time on it. Give it a miss.
If you like this, you might also enjoy:
The Bravery ~ The Sun and the Moon
Joseph Arthur ~ Could We Survive
Jaymay ~ Autumn Fallin'
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Counting Crows
Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
2/5
Available Now
There's nothing particularly wrong with Counting Crows' latest release. The problem is, nothing is really right with it, either. It sounds like every album that they've ever made. They make a weak attempt at social commentary with the first track on the album - but "1492" fails to actually invoke any emotion, or really, any reaction at all. The entire album is like this. There is some attempt at working a theme into the album, but it seems to fall flat. The real issue here is that the average listener could simply play "This Desert Life" or "August and Everything After" and be able to hear everything that Counting Crows is trying to accomplish with this album. It's not actually bad to listen to - but don't expect to find anything new here.
If you like this, you might also enjoy:
Van Morrison ~ Keep It Simple
Jack Johnson ~ Sleep Through the Static
Kathleen Edwards ~ Asking For Flowers
Black Tide
Light from Above
4/5
Available Now
Normally, I wouldn't give a modern metal band a second look. But lo and behold, Black Tide is actually good. This is made only more shocking when one finds out that no one in the band is old enough to drink yet - and most of them can't even vote yet. They sound a bit like early Metallica with just a tiny bit of '80s hair band thrown in for fun. One of the better songs is a cover of Metallica's "Hit the Lights." Even though it's a cover, this song lets the band show off its instrument work to great effect. One caveat: Its songs do tend to be a little bit repetitive, lyrically. Granted, this is almost a trademark of the early metal it emulates, but there is a reason that metal moved past that stage. That's all I can complain about, and I'd be surprised if it will have failed to overcome that one weakness by the time its members can buy beer.
If you like this, you might also enjoy:
Saving Abel ~ Saving Abel
Stone Rider ~ Three Legs of Trouble
Warbringer ~ War Without End
