Blurring the lines between hard rock, power pop and emo, Anberlin’s audience spans listeners who grew up in the 1980s through today. Instead of showcasing an affinity for The Smiths or Depeche Mode (as in the past), this brand new disc Dark Is the Way: Light Is a Place (Republic) is a straight-up rocker that ranks amongst its most urgent to date, thanks to production from Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine). (more…)

Issue:  Does a 12” single sound better than an LP cut?

12”/LP:  The Black Keys 12” “Tighten Up”/”Howling for You”; The Black Keys, Brothers LP.

Relevence:  Brothers has been a strong vinyl seller for Edge Distribution, Cleveland, holding steady in their top ten for the last two months.  It makes sense, as vinyl is the perfect format for The Black Keys’ blissful blend of punk swagger, sonic backwater blues, and 60s soul.  Even surface noise (the snaps and pops on dusty records) adds to the throwback ambience of this group. (more…)

The stories have been told countless times behind legendary bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, and while Rush isn’t quite in that upper echelon of influence, its impact is rampantly apparent throughout the classic and alternative rock annals. Surprisingly up until now, there’s never been a definitive documentary telling the story of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart (along with the team that helped elevate them to international prominence), and despite less drama than many of the above bands, Beyond the Lighted Stage (Banger Films/Zoe Vision) is endlessly interesting from start to finish. (more…)

While the Goo Goo Dolls didn’t hit the charts until the mid-1990s, the band’s actually been together since 1986. The group’s longevity remains with the brand new studio release Something For The Rest Of Us (Warner Brothers), which finds front man John Rzeznik writing about society’s current uncertainty. Musically, the band extends plenty of muscle from ramped up rockers to power ballads in its epic tradition.
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Not only are the Sklar Brothers hilarious, they have great taste  in music, too.   Which makes their new podcast, Sklarbro Country, even more worth the listen. (more…)

For the past several years, Los Angeles’ Jane’s Addiction has occasionally reassembled for a reunion tour and/or gig. This 2009 show, held on Halloween in New Orleans, featured the original line-up of singer Perry Farrell, drummer Stephen Perkins, bassist Eric Avery and guitarist Dave Navarro. Playing to an arena full of fans, the band puts on quite a show. Farrell, for one, is certainly up for the occasion. Wearing a cape and drinking from a bottle of wine as he launches into the opening tune, “Up the Beach,” he looks a bit like Dracula. His ghoulish vibe is only amplified as costumed dancers arrived on stage for the woozy “Three Days,” which features a extensive Navarro guitar solo and turns into an epic jam. While Jane’s certainly doesn’t embarrass itself during this show, it doesn’t pack enough raw power, either. Perkins has slowed down on the drums and Farrell is most concerned with being flamboyant and mugging for the video cameras. Still, tunes such as “Been Caught Stealing” and “Jane Says” are classics that the group clearly still enjoys playing live. Bonus tracks include footage of the band performing “1%” and “Ocean Size” in Los Angeles in 2008 as well as a collection of photos and a short feature put together by the British magazine NME.

From his rise as a good old fashioned rock n’ roller in the 1970s to pop chart conquest throughout the 1980s and ‘90s and settling into elder statesmen singer/songwriter territory in more recent years, John Mellencamp’s amassed a massive audience from all walks of life. And as this 54-track/72-page book box set On The Rural Route 7609 indicates, he’s just as apt to write about every type of person and circumstance he meets along the way, tracing those working class Indiana origins to socially conscious subjects like bigotry and poverty to poetry rich narratives spanning a slew of colorful characters.
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“I ain’t your repo man,” husky voiced Ray LaMontagne sings on “Repo Man,” the opening tune on his new album, God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise. Backed by the feisty Pariah Dogs, LaMontagne sounds invigorated as he delves into the bluesy side of his sound with abandon. Too bad he doesn’t sustain the energy over the course of the album. “New York City’s Killing Me,” is a quiet number that features pensive vocals and purring pedal steel guitar. LaMontagne says he’s “tired of all this concrete” in a tune filled with clichés about country living.

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With over five million copies sold of her sugary sweet (though still substance filled) debut One of the Boys, Katy Perry follows-up with the equally fantastic Teenage Dream (Capitol). The pop diva who kisses girls and likes it (but is marrying a guy) knows just how to push people’s buttons while laughing all the way to the bank as her fans sing-a-long to summertime standouts like “California Gurls” (backed by Snoop Dogg). (more…)

LP:  The Roots, How I Got Over

Relevance:  Justifiably praised released from this established, Philly-based hip-hop group.  Tough urban subject matter goes down easier in How I Got Over’s sunny, 60s throwback groove, ala Curtis Mayfield and Sly and Family Stone.

Why the vinyl is better than the digital:  This one is a toss-up.

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