It’s only been eight years since AC/DC put out an album? Jesus, it seems like twenty. Things have changed quite a bit since the glory days of Back In Black. Arena rock’s been homogenized, sounds and styles have been co-opted and xeroxed till the ink is barely legible and the substance is… well, there is no fucking substance.
But still, to this day, nobody does it quite like AC/DC. The snarly, sex-anthem party rock with swagger for miles that we grew up on is a stylistic entity all its own, a timeless symbol of nostalgic rock purity that’s stood the test of time. And while the modern relevance has diminished considerably, the legends’ return is anything but unwelcome.
In short, Black Ice is the perfect album for rock fans who want the good shit with that classic feel, without having to resort to derivatives or records we’ve heard ten thousand times before. It’s a reanimation of testicular fortitude, a breath of wonderfully familiar air in a pungent atmosphere of mediocrity and irrelevance. There’s a reason they’ve sold over 200 million albums.
In short, this sextet of hearty cocksmen rewrite the periodic table of party rock. They are ridiculous refined, a wide-eyed, sex-charged disco-metal beast, voracious for the sacred cow. They are Electric Six, and their fifth album arrives today. It’s called Flashy, and it’s a dynamite bacchanal of the highest order.
If anything on the FM dial were worth its weight in radio waves, this album would be in heavy rotation on the party station. No, to hell with that- E6 deserves their own full-time slot. Sure, you can steal this record the same way you do all the others… but some things are worth the price of admission- even if the emergency exit’s propped open.
Hank Williams III: Damn Right, Rebel Proud
Hank's fourth album stays true to his hard-drinkin', swaggering shitkicker ways, and the moves are laced into his DNA for dancin' with the Devil. He brings the blinding bootleg moonshine this time around, a blistering balls-out country punk party.
Grammy Award Winner and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Waylon Jennings' final recordings are collected on Waylon Forever, an eight-song collection of cover songs and originals. Also featured are vocals by his son Shooter Jennings and the .357’s.
A four-CD "collector's package" with each disc devoted to showcasing one particular Kiss member's contribution to the band. Despite the inclusion of a 24-page booklet filled with classic Kiss photos, this is the 7 millionth repackaging of the same old-ass songs we've all heard before. Gene Simmons has lots of money. He wants more.
Various Artists: All Aboard: A Tribute to Johnny Cash
MxPx, Bouncing Souls, Ben Nichols and The Flatliners are among the many artists cramming Cash originals through the punk processor. There's nothing particularly special about this collection of songs or the artists that interpret them, so unless you're a Cash maniac you can skip this one.
/ - (Plus/Minus): Xs on Your Eyes
An Albatross: The An Albatross Family Album
Anni Rossi: Afton
Beach House: Used To Be (single)
Bloc Party: Talons (import single)
Bombay Dub Orchestra: 3 Cities
Boy Eats Drum Machine: Booomboxxx
Brett Dennen: Hope for the Hopeless (vinyl)
Brian Eno & Robert Fripp: Evening Star (reissue)
Brian Eno & Robert Fripp: No Pussyfooting (2-CD reissue)
Brother JT3: Jelly Roll Gospel (vinyl)
Cornelius: Sensuous/Sensurround
Daniel Johnston: Fear Yourself
Danielson: Our Givest (Remix) (vinyl)
Davis Coen: Blues Lights for Yours and Mine
Dead Trees: King of Rosa
The Dears: Missiles (vinyl)
Dears: Money Babies (import single)
Deep Vibration: Vera Cruz EP
The Doors: Perception (remastered 12-disc box set)
El Guincho: Alegranza! (vinyl)
Eric Copeland: Alien In A Garbage Dump (vinyl single)
Erik Friedlander: Broken Arm
Final Fantasy: Play
Fireworks: We Are Everywhere
Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna (vinyl)
Gary Louris: Acoustic Vagabonds
Genesis: Genesis 1970-1975 (13-CD box set)
Grails: Doomsdayer's Holiday (vinyl)
Gretchen Peters: Northern Lights
Heavy Hands: Smoke Signals (vinyl)
Herman Düne: Next Year in Zion
The High Strung: Moxie Bravo (vinyl reissue)
Hospital Ships: Oh, Ramona
Hush Arbors: Hush Arbors
Jack White & Alicia Keys: Another Way to Die (import single)
Jazzanova: Of All the Things
Jesus H Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse: Happier Than You
Jimi Hendrix: Axis: Bold as Love (vinyl reissue)
Jolie Holland: The Living and the Dead (vinyl)
Keane: Lovers Are Losing (import single)
Lake: Oh, the Places We'll Go (vinyl)
Last Shadow Puppets: My Mistakes Were Made for You (import single)
The Lemon Pipers: Love Beads and Meditation (import reissue)
Libertines: Time for Heroes: The Best of the Libertines (vinyl)
Long Blondes: Singles (import)
Lydia: Illuminate
Mark Farina: Mushroom Jazz, Vol. 6
Mick Fleetwood Blues Band: Blue Again! (import)
Miles Davis All Stars: Broadcast Sessions 1958-1959
Mogwai: Hawk Is Howling (import with bonus CD)
Mythical Beast: Scales
Night Horse: The Dark Won't Hide You (vinyl)
Of Montreal: Skeletal Lamping (2-LP vinyl)
OhGr: Devils In My Details
Parts & Labor: Receivers (vinyl)
Pit Er Pat: High Time (vinyl)
PJ Harvey: To Bring You My Love (vinyl reissue)
Primus: Sailing the Seas of Cheese (vinyl reissue)
Prodigy: Product of the 80's
RTX: JJ Got Live RaTX (vinyl)
Sam Taylor Wood: I'm in Love with a German Film Star (single)(vinyl)
Sara Groves: O Holy Night
Sea and Cake: Car Alarm (vinyl)
Sebastian Grainger: Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains (vinyl)
Shawn Lee & Clutchy Hopkins: Clutch of the Tiger (vinyl)
Simon Bookish: Everything | Everything
So So Glos: Tourism/ Terrorism (vinyl)
Super XX Man: Vol. XII: There'll Be Diamonds
Swervedriver: Ejector Seat Reservation (remastered import)
Swervedriver: Raise (remastered import)
Tim Ries: Stones World: Rolling Stones Project, Vol. 2
Tony Trischka: Hill Country (reissue)
Van Halen: Van Halen (reissue)
Various Artists: SAW V: Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture
The Welch Boys: Drinkin' Angry
The Whispertown 2000: Swim
White Hinterland: Luniculaire EP
Yo Majesty: Futuristically Speaking: Never Be Afraid (vinyl)
