Once any noteworthy band "blows up," it seems the U2 comparisons fly rampantly - first it was Coldplay and then it was Kings of Leon. The Arcade Fire are subjected to nothing different. Like the beloved U2 (who are the slightest bit too hyped at times), The Arcade Fire use minimalistic progressions and production tactics to make grand songs. Creativity runs rampant on The Suburbs, surprisingly trumping the grand Neon Bible at times. While "Intervention" isn't necessarily bested, there are songs of nearly/if not the same level on 'The Suburbs'.

The album opens up superbly with the strong "The Suburbs," where frontman Win Butler's vocals are their most clear and present - not to mention his grand falsetto on the refrain ("sometimes I can't believe it/I'm moving past the feeling again"). "The Suburbs" benefits from a fine and haunting production work filled with strings, electric and acoustic guitars, and piano. "Ready to Start," a personal favorite cut, maintains a driving groove and contrasts the mid-tempo groove of "The Suburbs." Again, the superb songwriting lends a catchy refrain ("If I was scared, I would, and If I was bored (broke, pure, etc.), you know I would, If I was yours, I'm not... now I'm ready to start." 'The Suburbs' bats a thousand with "The Suburbs" and "Ready to Start."

"Modern Man" finds the band dabbling in asymmetrical meter and once again a minimal harmonic progression provides the backdrop for Butler's vocals. Not quite as epic as "The Suburbs" or "Ready to Start," its still a fine cut. "Rococo" loses no momentum, while "Empty Room" is an interesting listen, if a bit hard to decipher. Reginé Chassagne, wife of Butler leads the charge vocally but the busy production work overtakes her vocals. This cut would've benefited from being mixed slightly better, but maybe the cacophonous effect was what the band had in mind.

"City With No Children" proves to be much better featuring a notable bass line and a clever groove. On "City With No Children," the religious allusions come full circle as Butler sings "feel like I've been living in, a city with no children in it, a garden left to ruin..." "Half Light I" and "Half Light II (No Celebration)" are two contrasting cuts, both worthy of a couple of spins. On "Half Light I" Reginé Chassagne is the main focus, where her lovely vocals are better produced this go-round. On "Half Light II (No Celebration), " Butler takes the reigns, with Chassagne's vocals harmonizing mid-way through the first verse, mixed in the background.

"Suburban War" stands out, if mainly because of its stylistic changes at given points within the track. "Month of May" finds Arcade Fire channelling "punk rock" to an extent with its driving guitar work and Butler's raw vocals. "Wasted Hours" doesn't necessarily stand out, but it is another solid number. "Deep Blue" and "We Use To Wait" are both Arcade Fire cuts at their best. On "Deep Blue," the guitars take on a "garage" sound and the piano twinkles make this cut reminiscent of a saloon or lounge. "We Use To Wait" makes clever use of a minimalistic piano figure and clever songwriting.
"Sprawl I (Flatland)" turns out to be a languid, dark cut exploiting a vulnerable sounding Win Butler while its sister cut "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" sounds as if it could have been equally at home on MGMT's Congratulations. "Sprawl II" is a worthwhile cut if for no other reason than it contrasts everything else that Arcade Fire has released at this point. Kudos for that. A reprise of "The Suburbs (Continued)" closes the album.

'The Suburbs' is easily one of the top albums of 2010. Here, Arcade Fire deliver an album that is both captivating and different from their previous effort. No wonder the Canadian based band debuted atop the Billboard Album Charts. 4 stars.

Long time fan of Ray here too. I'm glad he doesn't stay with the same pattern even when it was successful in the past. He's been touring with this band for about five years and I love the sound they are producing together. Ray uses a nice mix of story telling, beautiful music, and passion in his vocals that many of us appreciate. God Willing is a clever letter home by a cowboy on the trail to his girlfriend. Beg, Steal, or Borrow is a lively tune telling a young man to go out and find his own way in the world. And my favorite is a nicely written and sung story of an older man describing life's hard journey and how he now sees what it's truly all about. This has more banjo and steel guitar that most of us non-country music folks are use to, but Ray makes it work for me and I feel there is not a bad song on the album. Really a great CD. It made the "it moves my soul" rating, for me anyhow. :)

I actually bought this on Itunes at first for $14, but my stupid Ipad just lost it. So I bought it again on amazon with this CD version. It's very simple, just an great alumb

Katy Perry knows how to create the perfect anthem for any occassion or mood. And Teenage Dream doesn't disappoint. If you think 'California Gurls' is a catchy tune to get your foot tapping, just wait until you hear the rest of the album. It's a perfect album for blasting in your car on a road trip with the top down!

HM

2010 album from the Rock 'n' Roll legend. Pioneering musical genius Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, has teamed up with George Gershwin, in Wilson's latest album release, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin. Featuring timeless classics like "Rhapsody in Blue," "I Got Rhythm" and "Summertime," the album makes history with "The Like in I Love You" and "Nothing But Love" - two new songs Wilson crafted from never-before-published music by Gershwin. Produced by Brian Wilson, mixed by multi-Grammy winner Al Schmitt and joined by his longtime acclaimed band, the new album features the trademark stacked vocal harmonies and orchestrations that made Wilson a towering and revered figure in popular music.

In an age of auto-tuned, computerized recordings, John Mellencamp's approach on his Rounder debut, No Better Than This, is refreshing. The entire album was recorded with Mellencamp and his band all playing live in one room using a 55 year-old Ampex tape recorder and just one vintage microphone. Legendary producer T Bone Burnett captured the stunning thirteen new Mellencamp originals at three historically important locations: Sun Studio in Memphis, TN (where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis all first recorded); the First African Baptist Church in Savannah, GA (the oldest Black church in North America, dating to 1775); and in Room 414 of the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, TX (where Robert Johnson made his first recordings in 1936). The songs on No Better Than This reflect classic American musical traditions including blues, folk, gospel, rockabilly, and country, while addressing such themes as the need for hope, the nature of relationships, and narratives that recount extraordinary occurrences in everyday life. Mellencamp says of the album, "It was absolutely the most fun I've ever had making a record in my life. It was about making music - organic music made by real musicians - that's heartfelt and written from the best place it can come from."

Heart was long ago reduced to Ann and Nancy Wilson and support staff; fans that latched onto the band in its first-flush of mid-70s fame may never have made the turn that left Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen and Michael Derosier behind. But new listeners climbed on board for the band's mid-80s renaissance, and together with a helping of longtime fans, the band sustained into the `90s. The sisters worked on side and solo projects, but recaptured the rock `n' roll heart of Heart with 2004's Jupiter's Darling. Six years later, with Ann Wilson's 2007 solo debut in the rear view mirror, the duo is back with Ben Mink in tow as co-producer and co-instrumentalist.

Together with a rhythm section of Ben Smith (drums) and Ric Markmann (bass), Heart is more of a concept of the Wilson sister's musicality than an on-going concern as a working band. Despite that, the productions sound surprisingly fluid and whole. The songs reach back to the band's 1970s folk-influenced rock glories, skipping past the sounds of their MTV years. Ann Wilson doesn't hit the spine-tingling high notes of her younger years, but she's a cannier singer these days, able to find drama within her limitations and deploying the grit in her voice to convey emotion and passion. Nancy Wilson is still charming as vocalist, singing sweetly on the country-tinged "Hey You."

The Wilson's lay down the line on "WTF" with hard-charging guitars and a lyric full of angry recriminations. Ann Wilson's "what's the matter with you?" is all the more powerful for its near under-the-breath delivery, and the thick middle part is an interesting layer cake of muddily echoed vocals and sharp, insistent rhythm. The album plays up its dynamic range, slamming rock tunes into the gentle abyss of string-lined blues, building the urgency and tension of songs as they lead to dissipated resolutions. Memories of the Wilson's childhood Seattle are heard in "Queen City," and though the album isn't themed on Autumnal years (Ann turned 60 this year, Nancy 56), nostalgia informs optimistic forward plans as much as it contemplates earlier lessons.

At times the album's instrumental backings outshine the lyrics, with the rhythm section augmented by great guitar figures and Ann Wilson's vocals riffing on phrases rather than telling stories. The appreciation of "Sunflower" feels like a reverie that was better left in its personal moment and the fear in "Death Valley" doesn't have the palpable heat of its subject. Better are the Zeppelin-styled folkloric rock of "Safronia's Mark" and the emotional closer "Sand." It's on the last tune that the Wilsons seem to connect most deeply with the lyrics, with Ann straining into her upper register. This may not be the exuberant first press of a rock band, but the Wilsons still have the inclination to rock, and do so with genuine fire. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Disturbed began building 'Asylum' as soon as they got off the road in the summer of 2009. Officially entering Groovemaster Studios in February 2010, the band set about self-producing the album, as they did with 'Indestructible.' Draiman declares, 'This record shows a certain degree of maturation and enhanced complexity. 'Asylum' is still identifiably Disturbed, but the evolution is clear. It preserves the elements of what we do but at a more advanced level.'
Each CD includes a card to access exclusive download or stream of the documentary 'Decade of Disturbed' that recalls ten years of history in the most candid of ways. It takes you through years of countless tours, dedication and sacrifice stripping away all the gloss and letting the real story be told... the documentary is about the fans and their brotherhood that has been formed with the band.

Also Available as a Limited Edition CD+DVD:
-Expanded packaging in digi-pak with 16-page booklet
-CD: Standard album track listing plus 2 bonus live tracks 'Down With The Sickness' & 'Stricken'
-DVD: 'Decade Of Disturbed' (documentary) and Disturbed 'Dissected' (band showing/teaching fans to play tracks):
-Dan - Intro to the Asylum, Asylum, Another Way To Die, The Animal
-Dan/John - Stricken, Indestructible, Inside The Fire, The Night, Haunted

Robert Plant's Band of Joy reflects his unquenchable thirst for new songs and new sounds. Not satisfied with his stature as one of the great innovators and heroes of pop music, he continues to let his curiosity guide him to unexplored territory. Building on the roots-imbued sound he achieved with Alison Krauss on the wildly successful Raising Sand, Plant's song selection and incomparable vocals make Band of Joy a new triumph.

What can I say other than Sara is a wonderfully talented song writer and musician. This album is beautiful from start to finish. A nice production with more layered vocals than Little Voice had. She talks about how hard it was to come up with new material,and even though most of the songs are relationship based,the writing is excellent and the lyrics are mature. Great job Sara ! We love you.