New CDs in stores today come from a New York neo-psychedelic band, a U.K. hip-hop sensation who has shown impressive staying power and an American rock band still carrying the nu-metal torch.
Secret Machines, “Ten Silver Drops” (Reprise) As a band that wears its influences so obviously on its sleeve – think of Led Zeppelin’s catalog as played by a spacier, more self-aware Kraftwerk – the Secret Machines are not going to dominate modern rock airwaves with its neo-psychedelic rock music. But the New York band is filling an important void in pop music, in that its thoughtful builds and rewarding but drawn-out climaxes are teaching listeners a lesson in patience. As they proved in their debut LP, “Now Here is Nowhere,” and the EP “The Road Leads Where It’s Led,” this is a band that knows where it’s going, even if that’s said in a Talking Heads “This is not my beautiful life” kind of way.
Streets, “Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living” (Vice) “When You Wasn’t Famous” is the first single from Brit grime master Mike Skinner’s third full-length album. It’s a true Brit garage jam, and proof Skinner hasn’t lost anything since his 2002 debut, “Original Pirate Material.”
Godsmack, “IV” (Republic) If you’re into contemporary alt-metal, you’re likely into this Boston quartet, which has consistently produced since the late-’90s.
Here they push on with the formula – loud stadium-styled anthems with the ocassional quiet track (“Hallow”) – and it works for them.
– Ricardo Baca
