Lisa Mare Presley, lots of grace and not much storm

Lisa Marie Presley will always be known more for being the ex-wife of Michael Jackson and Nicholas Cage and the only daughter of rock icon Elvis Presley than for her singing career. After releasing two solid albums in the pop-rock vein Presley has returned with her third album, Storm & Grace. The album is full of roots rock slow jams that are sure to be the soundtrack to any rainy day. While Presley's new album is very good, it won't do anything to get her famous for her music.
Her last album Now What, which came out seven years ago was a pop-rock masterpiece. The album featured sass and good lyrics and a few faster paced songs. This album doesn't have any rock influence at all. Highlights include the title track, a gorgeous love song to her husband, guitarist Michael Lockwood and "Un-Break." This song is a retrospective song about her past. "I got run over by my own parade," Presley sings in the chorus.
The album doesn't have a bad song but it also doesn't have too many songs that stand out from the rest and when the album is 11 to 15 songs long depend on whether you have the deluxe or regular edition, it gets to be a little bit too much. This album should wet the appetites of fans and hopefully lead to a more stellar fourth record. Below is a video of the song, "You Ain't Seen Nothin Yet," which serves as the first single.

Cherri Bomb release solid debut album

Hard-rock female quartet Cherri Bomb have released their debut full-length album,This is the End of Control  . The album doesn't have a bad song on it but only a few of the songs are unforgettable. The opening track "Take This Now" is only 48 seconds long but it gets the listener excited before moving into "Better This Way" one of the album's best songs. "I'll admit I miss your face, but it's better this way. Better this way." The song is a hard rocker about a breakup. This subject matter may be a little too heavy for a group of 13-16-year-olds to know about but they sing about it with ease. The album continues into the best song and first single "Raw. Real." The song mixes punk attitude with alternative rock emotion and hard rock punch. The song is everything that Cherri Bomb stand for. The first three songs are fantastic. While the rest of the songs like the rockers "Shake The Ground," "Let It Go," and "Paper Doll" are all addictive, they don't have the same punch that the first songs have. Even the ballad "Heart is a Hole" is catchy. The album is solid but it isn't as great as it could have been. The songs sometimes tend to sound the same and have the same attitude and style of music. The album is good but hopefully their next album will be great. Below is a video of the song "Raw. Real."

Rye Rye releases clubtastic new album

Rapper Rye Rye has finally released her debut album, Go! Pop! Bang! The album proves that Rye Rye can roll with other female rappers. The songs are something between Nicki Minaj's crazy pop-rap and M.I.A.'s hipster, quirky style. From dance music tracks like "Hotter," "Dance" and "DNA" which features weird dance-rocker Porcelain Black. These songs and more are highlights.
The three best songs are the two singles "Boom Boom" and "Never Will Be Mine" featuring Robyn and the M.I.A. assisted "Better Than You."
"Boom Boom" is the album's third official single and features a sample of the 1999 hit "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom" by Vengaboys. the song is a love song with very sexual lyrics. "You be Donald, I'll be Daisy. Gotta put in work, can't be lazy." Rye Rye raps over the club inspired beat. Even when her music is cheesy it's fun and irresistible.
"Never Will Be Mine" samples Robyn's hit "Be Mine!," taking the chorus and adding it to make a touching breakup song that doesn't seem to go with the rest of the album. It shows another side of Rye Rye, that she has feelings besides happy and horny. On the physical copy of the album the original version is missing in favor of a more dubstep inspired remix. Yet on the iTunes edition of the record, the original version is a bonus track. While the remix isn't as beautiful or as well put together as the original, it's still a decent song.
"Better Than You" features the song "Anything You Can Do" from the musical Annie Get Your Gun. The hip-hop song features M.I.A. and features the two MCs bragging about how great they are.
The only bad song on the record is "Crazy Bitch" which features Akon. The song features an acoustic hip-hop beat with lyrics about how crazy they are together. Who knows why people enlist Akon to do anything but this song is the only song that isn't great.
All in all Rye Rye will eventually become huge. There is no doubt in this blogger's mind about that. Get her new album and check it out for yourself. Below is her video for "Boom Boom."

Karmin release debut, forgettable EP

Karmin have released their debut "studio album" which is actually only a seven song EP called Hello. The duo became big with their Youtube covers and their single "Crash Your Party" which for no reason at all is left off of their first proper release. That single is better than anything off of their first album and that is sad. The songs on this record aren't really bad songs, they're just not memorable. The first single "Brokenhearted" sounds like a Jessie J ripoff and the best song of the album, the title track is just repetitive enough to get stuck in your head.
The duo, which is made up of Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan who also happen to be engaged have a good sound, the only issue is Heidemann and her rapping...it needs to stop or at least take a backseat to her and Noonan's harmonies. She tries to pull a Nicki Minaj by kind of rapping and then screaming, but you are not Nicki Minaj.
The subject matter is also silly sounding. Songs like "Too Many Fish" and "I'm Just Sayin" are just stupid. The only redeeming quality of this group is that they sound good singing together and they make catchy music. And the fact that Nick Noonan is kind of cute, too cute. He seems kind of gay to be honest. Somebody should tell Heidemann or else she'll be "Brokenhearted." So Karmin, please stop making boring, recycled music and please put a little more effort into your record next time. Oh and seven songs is not an album.
Below is the video for "Brokenhearted."

In This Moment and Periphery announce new albums

Metalcore kings and queen In This Moment have announced their fourth studio record entitled Blood. The album will be released on August 14. The first video has been shot and the band put on facebook that it is "Insane!" No word yet on when the single will be released.
Progressive Metal band Periphery announed today that their second studio album will be released July 3. No title, single or any details have been announced but this is still exciting news.
Metal fans just got two releases that will make the summer hotter than ever.
Below are videos for "The Gun Show" by In This Moment and "Jetpacks Was Yes!" by Periphery.

Otherwise make generic hard rock sound so good

Hard rock band Otherwise have released their official first record called True Love Never Dies. Everything from the title to the lyrics sound cheesy but the band make a record that works. Lead singer Adrian Patrick sings with such passion that it's hard to not love the album. The band first found fame when Patrick was featured on In This Moment's stellar single, "The Promise." Some of the best songs on the record are "Die For You" and a cover of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." The later which works in the chorus of Moby's hit "Natural Blues" during the second half of the song.This album are sure to have metal purists disgusted but if you love cheesy hard rock then certainly check out this band and their album. Below is a video for the band's first single "Soldiers."

Sorry I haven't posted in so long

Final exam week is not a fun time. But in that time No Doubt and  Cassadee Pope from Hey Monday announced their new releases. No Doubt's six studio record will be in Stores September 25th and Cassadee Pope's first solo EP which is self titled will be out on May 22nd. Below is a video of No Doubt from the studio recording an amazing sounding dancehall inspired track "Push & Shove."

In This Moment name new album Blood

It may have been over a month ago but today I found out that In This Moment have named their fourth record Blood. They performed a new song called "Blood," this is most likely going to be the new single. The video of the performance was decent quality. It sounds like any other of In This Moment's particularly angry songs. Front woman Maria Brink didn't sing at all during the performance so maybe it's going to be a song with no clean vocals like "The Gun Show" or "Blazin." The song sounds good but the title is simply uninspired. It sounds just like any other band trying to sound hardcore. The lyrics sound silly as well. "I hate you for..." is how Brink begins every line of the first verse, hardly imaginative. However, In This Moment have never had a bad record so here's hoping this record stays on that awesome path. Below is a video of the song "Blood" off of the album of the same name due sometime in the summer, rumor has it August.

A+ to B.o.B on his new album

Rapper B.o.B released his second album this week. The record is called Strange Clouds and just like his debut album, 2010's B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray it is phenomenal. B.o.B has always had weird collaborators like Rivers Cuomo from Weezer, Bruno Mars and Haley Williams from Paramore on his first record to Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and Morgan Freeman on his second...yes Morgan Freeman.
Many songs on the album feature dubstep and rock influenced tracks. From the rocking "Bombs Away" which features a spoken intro and interlude from Morgan Freeman to the dubstep oriented "Strange Clouds." A loft of the songs have a very emotional tone. "Circles" discusses B.o.B being hooked on a girl who doesn't care about him at all while "So Hard To Breathe" is a soulful rock song about the pressures of being famous.
The best song and oddest collaboration on the album is the future single "Both of Us" which features Taylor Swift. The song has acoustic undertones and is about B.o.B rapping about hard times and Swift playing a lover, singing about being strong enough to pick them up out of their troubles. "I wish I was strong enough to lift not one, but both of us," she sings sweetly in the chorus.
Other highlights are the crazy duet with Nicki Minaj "Out of My Mind" and the soulful "Chandelier" which features newcomer Lauriana Mae. Also B.o.B unlike many rappers plays instruments on the record. He plays guitar in addition to others. This shows how talented he truly is.
Overall this album shows that B.o.B is here to stay and that he will only get better as his albums keep coming.
Below is a video of "Both of Us."

An open apology to Santigold

I reviewed your new album too harshly. After listening to it many more times I'm in love! The album is sick. Every song is amazing. Her first album is still better but the songs on here are amazing. Sorry girl!

Abandon All Ships release...interesting...new song

Abandon All Ships have released the first single off their sophomore record, Infamous due to be released on July 3, 2012. The first single and title track was released on Tuesday and it is kind of strange. Something about the screamed verses doesn't resonate well with the song in addition to the lyrics being pure shit.
"Born and raised original. You're just TV typical. You think I'm just a gimmick? From east to west you pussies mimic.Right now's our time, and all I fucking know,is this city, throw it up,Toronto," the bands guidotastic unclean vocalist Angelo Aita screams in the first verse. The song is obviously meant to be about how the band has haters and how they're keeping it real.
The only good part of the song is clean vocalist Martin Broda's auto-tuned chorus. He sounds good, with the help of technology. The other weird part about the song is the tiger growls in the song. What the hell is that? The metalcore/electronica sound of the song sounds justs like anything that could be on an album by any "hardcore" band out there.
The band's first album Geeving was an interesting assortment of songs. There were angry songs about break ups that featured inappropriate lyrics such as "put the south in your mouth and swallow," or "we don't give a fuck we just came to party," yet the band also had songs like "Take One Last Breath" which has very religious lyrics. But while that album was full of fun this new single isn't fun at all.
This song isn't made any better by the guest appearance of a rapper named A-Game, whose rap isn't great and he looks like a wannabe B.o.B. The video for the song doesn't help any, clearly trying to be a mock of hip-hop videos but it just comes off looking like a cheap imitation.
Basically this song makes me sad. Sad that a band I greatly enjoy now sucks. Hopefully the rest of the record won't sound anything like this. Below is the video, I'm sorry for showing you this. Watch it if you dare.

Stuff to get excited about, the May 2012 edition

There are lots of great albums to get excited about this month.

May 1

B.o.B-Strange Clouds
After releasing the first single and title track back in September the new album is finally out this month. The album features the single "So Good" and guest appearances by Nicki Minaj, Ryan Tedder and Taylor Swift. The song with Swift is rumoured to be the next single and with an A-List track listing this album is sure to be just as amazing as B.o.B's first album.

Santigold-Master of My Make-Believe
See the review of this album 2 posts down.

May 8

Karmin-Hello
The duo who are known for their YouTube covers had a single "Crash Your Party" which was an amazing pop song, sadly the song isn't on their debut album. Their second single "Brokenhearted" is decent but it's just too similar to every other pop song out there. Hopefully the duo, who are engaged can break out from the pack with their debut.

Huntress-Spell EaterFemale fronted, bad-ass metal will never be the same after the released of the debut album by Huntress. The album features the single "Eight of Swords." This album is gonna be by the books heavy metal at it's finest...be excited.

May 15

Adam Lambert-Trespassing
With two okay singles, this album is not doing so well. After two failed singles and getting pushed back several times it's finally being unleashed in a few weeks. Lambert said that it's going to be more dance oriented than his last album which had a dance-rock sound. Hopefully the album is as good as 2009's For Your Entertainment...but don't get your hopes up.

Lisa Marie Presley-Storm & Grace
Rocker Lisa Marie Presley is unveiling her third album and boy is Elvis' daughter set to bring it. The lead single is called "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" and with a 60s inspired roots rock sound to it this album is sure to be as good as her first two were. This album is sure to be well worth the seven year wait that it took Presley to record this follow up.

Garbage-Not Your Kind of People
The fifth album by Garbage is going to great. The two singles "Blood For Poppies" and "Battle In Me" are just as good as any Garbage song from the 90s. This album is sure to make Garbage the comeback of the year.

Rye Rye-Go! Pop! Bang!
Rapper Rye Rye is signed to M.I.A.'s record label, who had a hit with "Never Will Be Mine" a song featuring Swedish pop singer Robyn that sampled her hit "Be Mine!" The song was overlooked by radio and the album got pushed back. The new single "Boom Boom" which samples the Vengaboys hit "Boom Boom Boom Boom" is out and it's one of the best hip hop singles of the year.

Cherri Bomb-This is the End of Control
All girl hard rock band Cherri Bomb are quite interesting. None of the members are above 16. The first single "Raw. Real." is well executed hard rock track with lots of passion and an in your face attitude. These young ladies are in for a long career.

May 22

The Bunny The Bear-The Stomach For It
Post-hardcore weirdos The Bunny The Bear are back with their new album. Their first record was released only a year ago but the band are already set to return with a new set of synthpop infused post-hardcore. The vocalists wear masks. The Bunny who does the screams wears a bunny mask and The Bear does clean vocals while wearing a bear mask. The band have a set of singles out called "Soul" and "Lonely." No matter what you think, this record will be interesting.

Sister Sin-Now and Forever
The female fronted old school metal band are back with their third record. Their first two albums were full of fun, catchy metal that just makes you want to dance, get drunk and get into fights. According to the band the single has been pushed back so hopefully this album sees the light of day and isn't pushed back as well.

Gossip-A Joyful Noise
The indie dance-punk band are back with their fifth record. Their last album Music For Men had a more dance sound and this album is sure to follow suit. The first single "Perfect World" isn't their best work but this album is still something to be excited about.

May 29

Regina Spektor-What We Saw From The Cheap Seats
Indie queen Regina Spektor is back with her sixth studio album. Her last record, 2009's Far was a very boring, piano filled affair that was simply not interesting to me. Yet with her first single "All The Rowboats" she's back to her weirdly interesting awesomeness. This album is sure to not disappoint.