NEW MUSIC CORNER # 28 (NIGHT HORSE/COHEED & CAMBRIA/BUCKCHERRY/BAD CITY)

[RJhog (Admin)]

by RJhog

 

I got four discs this week.  You'll hear boogie rock, progressive metal, party rock and some sleaze rock.  How 'bout that?  Hope you enjoy it.  Click on any album cover to hear all of the songs.

 

Night Horse - Perdition Hymns (2010)

1. Confess To Me

2. Angel Eyes

3. Black Cloud

4. Come Down Halo

5. Same Old Blues

 

 

 

from Amazon.com

Since 2008, Night Horse has caught the ears of critics and fans with their unique ability to blend the classic sounds of hard rock and blues with a much needed breath of contemporary fresh air. Now they return with their highly anticipated sophomore effort Perdition Hymns, produced and mixed by Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Mastodon, The Sword). Perdition Hymns is a patent demonstration of a group that has quickly become a well-refined song-writing machine. The band has chiseled the six-minute jam style of their debut into hook-laden gems with riff driven catchiness and soaring melodies that stick.

 

Coheed & Cambria - Year Of The Black Rainbow (2010)

 

 6. The Broken

 7. Guns Of Summer

 8. Here We Are Juggernaut

 9 World Of Lines

10. Pearl Of The Stars

 

 

 

from Amazon.com

The eagerly awaited prequel to "The Amory Wars" tetralogy, Year of the Black Rainbow provides the long awaited prelude to the band's four previous inter-related concept albums -- The Second Stage Turbine Blade (2002); In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (2003); Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (2005) and Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow (2007) - which comprise "The Amory Wars," the conceptual narrative driving the band's lyrics, penned by Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez. Year Of The Black Rainbow is also likely to be the final installment of the narrative of "The Amory Wars."

Year of the Black Rainbow is produced by Atticus Ross (Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction) and Joe Baressi (Queens of the Stone Age, Tool). The new record also features the studio debut of Coheed and Cambria drummer Chris Pennie, who has been playing alongside Sanchez, guitarist Travis Stever and bassist Michael Robert Todd since 2007 and was featured on Neverender: Children of the Fence DVD.

 

Buckcherry - All Night Long (2010)

 

11. All Night Long

12. It's A Party

13. Oh My Lord

14. Never Say Never

15. I Want You

 

 

 

from Amazon.com

All Night Long -- the fifth album from Buckcherry -- is the vital sound of rock and roll endurance at its very best. It s not just rock, it s rock and roll. More than a decade after first establishing its good name with the popular eponymous 1999 debut effort, Buckcherry has created the band s most eclectic and impressive effort yet. All Night Long is a thoroughly rocking song cycle in the grand tradition of classic albums by the group s forefathers and now friends Aerosmith, AC/DC and Kiss.

'We set out to make a great rock record from beginning to end,' says lead vocalist Josh Todd. 'That s always been our quest. When I listen back to All Night Long, I think that this is definitely one of our strongest efforts to date and has a really definitive overall vibe. Now I can t wait to sing these songs live for people and let everyone hear the results for themselves.'

All Night Long finds the band returning to its roots with original independent label Eleven Seven Music, thus giving Buckcherry the freedom over the creative process that the band has always desired. As Buckcherry cofounder and guitarist Keith Nelson explains, Buckcherry is by design a real rock band that s built to last. 'I think we endure and evolve because we genuinely do this for the love of the music,' says Nelson. 'All the by-products of loving the music -- being rock stars, having nice cars and lots of toys -- are pretty cool too, but that s not the motivating factor for us. The motivating factor for Buckcherry is that we all truly love being in a rock and roll band -- specifically, in this rock and roll band -- and that s the passion that drives everything else that we do.'

 

Bad City - Welcome To The Wasteland (2010)

 

16. Showdown In Central Park

17. Take Me For A Ride

18. Do You Believe In Rock n Roll

19. Fire In The Pouring Rain

20. Call Paul Stanley

 

 

 

from Amazon.com

Bad City have created a stir around the Chicago underground with their riff-crazy brand of old-school hard rock. Produced
by Grammy Award-nominee Johnny K (Staind, Sevendust, 3 Doors Down), 'Welcome to the Wasteland' is an electrifying introduction to the band's idiosyncratic sound, riddled with glamtastic melodies, trashy hooks, and stadium-sized choruses.
Among the album's many highlights are the blazing 'Wildlife,' 'Take Me For A Ride,' and 'Fire In The Pouring Rain.'

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Scott]

NIGHT HORSE ... (Thumbs neutral)
I kinda enjoyed this one.  I thought the production was not that clean, but the raw sound has merit and is good for jamming loud!  I wasn't sure about the lyrics and choruses it doesn't have a real high quality feel to it for some reason.  It just feels more like a jam band that did the same thing in the studio.  Might be best as background noise at a party, I cant see myself sitting down and listening to this one in any other way.

COHEED & CAMBRIA ... (Thumbs slightly down)
My oldest son loves this band!  He's always pushing them on me.  In turn, I refer to them as "Cohesion and Cambodia". As musicians they are real solid and extremely impressive!  Its the the singer I can get into.  I love the progressive feel, the time changes and the shredding, all top quality.  Although I will give them props on "Here we are Juggernaut" and "Pearl of the Stars", these work well, but I gotta pass...

BUCKCHERRY ... (Thumbs barely pointing up)
I love the riffs and the classic rock feel.  But something is missing, it sounds like some tracks are trying too hard to be an anthem, while others just sound like they have been done before - there is a missing spirit to this band, is it just me?  I like it in spite of all that, just not enough to buy or go back and listen to again...

BAD CITY ... (Thumbs 1/3 up)
Interesting that you didn't include the "blazing 'Wildlife'" in your post.  Things that make you go hmmm....  Loved the opening to the first track, but the song wasn't strong enough to hold my interest and went to refill my coffee.  Just sayin'.  But then 'Take Me for a Ride' did the exact opposite, so-so opening riff but cool lyrics and chorus, nice track!  Then they go into a very Queen like tune in 'Do You Believe In Rock and Roll', or would you say its not as much Queen-like as it is The Darkness-like'?  again, just sayin'.  I think you bought this because it has a song titled "Call Paul Stanley", kidding, its actually a pretty cool track.  From an overall entertainment value this is the best of the 4, not sure if its a buy, but I would listen to it again, though I get the sense that it would grow tired, and that makes it more The Darkness-like...

[Scott]

Correction.

In the Coheed and Cambria section I stated ... "Its the the singer I can get into."  I meant to say "Its the the singer I CAN'T get into."

[RJhog (Admin)]

Actually, I did buy it just because it had a song called "Call Paul Stanley"...just sayin'.  But how could I pass that up. 

 

I agree wholeheartedly on the Buckcherry assessment.  I only started somewhat getting into them after I say them open for Kiss in 2009.  I had high hopes for this, but it just doesn't work for me. 

 

I thought the guitar playing for Night Horse totally rocked.  Songwriting was just okay for me, not bad, but not great.

 

Cohesion and Cambodia is one that I'm on the fence with.  I think the two songs you mentioned at the end are wonderful, and Pearl Of The Stars almost made my top songs list.  I guess I'll have to buy some back catalog to make a formal decision on them.

 

Thanks for listening bro.

[Jon]

Night Horse--Middle thumbs

Umm...Black Crowes anyone? A couple songs were good, the rest kinda bleh.

 

Coheed & Cambria--3/4 down thumbs

I have 1 C&C album. 1. And it will remain that way. It started off promising and then just got almost unlistenable. I dunno. they're a critics darling, don't know what makes them so special.

 

Buckcherry--3/4 up thumbs

Fun, party rock. Coulda done without the ballad. Just something to crank up when cleaning out the gutters or wasging the car. Good, mindless rock. 

 

Bad City--3/4 down thumbs

Hey, Scott and me were thinking alike! THe Darkness popped into my head while listening to this. This is hair band stuff...wonder if it would have sold a bunch back in the mid to late 80's? Dumb rock, but not unlistenable.

[Niels (Mod)]

NIGHT HORSE - THUMBS 3/4 UP

This sounds okay. A bit like a heavier "Black Crowes". The best song was "Come down Halo".

 

COHEED & CAMBRIA - THUMBS WAY DOWN

This I do NOT like. I'm not allowed to swear here, but if I could, I would say, this is utter c...!!

 

BUCKCHERRY - THUMBS ON THE WAY DOWN

Hmmm, I allmost bought this album last year, but now I'm glad, that I did'nt. It's supposed to be Party-rock'n'roll, but it's a dull party. If I had bought this, I would only had heard it once.

 

BAD CITY - THUMBS UP

Now, this was a surprise, because I started thinking, "Oh, no, a Def Leppard-clone from the Hysteria-periode", but I kinda like this. It's some good melodies, and I would'nt mind hearing this again. And a song, with Paul Stanley in the lyrics, is funny.