Weekend Music Roundup!

The weekend has come again and in this season of rebirth, I'm going to exclusively share some new releases that I've been jamming to recently. Some are records from bands that are new to me, others are new releases from bands that have been in my life for ages. This is mostly rock, mostly heavy, but there's also some hip-hop, some doo-wop, and some accoustic Neil. I hope you find something worth checking out. As always, enjoy.

Dead Witches - The Final Exorcism: This is the second album from the stoner / doom metal band. It should be known by now that I'm a sucker for anything that looks like this, especially if the band name has Dead or Witch in the title (L.A. Witch, The Devil's Witches, Dead Heaven, etc), so of course I took a chance on this one and my instincts once again paid off. This is a great metal album that veers toward heavy psych and grunge metal at times. "When Do the Dead See the Sun," "Lay Demon," and the title track are among my favorites. 

Smino - Noir: The second album from the Chicago based hip hop artist was released at the end of last year, nearly a year and half after his brilliant debut record. Like that album, this one contains magnificent beats that go beyond the typical, creating a mellow vibe that fits his outstanding flow. I will admit to liking this one slightly less than the last album, but it's still one of the best hip hop records of recent times. "Spinz," "Krushed Ice," and "L.M.F." are standout tracks. 

Guided by Voices - Zeppelin Over China: The newest release from the ever-prolific Ohio lo-fi band is yet another collection of brief snippets of brilliance. The band has had a revolving line-up over the last few years, which is probably necessary to keep up with Robert Pollard's endless well of songs. The current line-up features Bobby Bare Jr., a favorite artist of mine. One thing that a lot people dislike about this band is that the albums, especially recently, are all very long and have tons of songs to slog through. This one isn't going to appease those, but fans will love that there is so much here to hear. 

Ville Valo and Agents - Ville Valo and Agents: Just released, this is a new side-project from the HIM frontman, collaborating with the surviving members of the Finish band The Agents. This is an album of unreleased songs written by the late member, Rauli “Badding” Somerjoki, who Valo has long admired. These are definitely not the gothic rock songs of HIM, being of a different era. These are more like the second wave of garage rock that came around in late '70s and early '80s, with surf rock guitars and even some doo-wop influences. Yes, it's in Finish, but it's still something his fans will enjoy. Definitely worth checking out.

L.A. Guns - The Devil You Know: The newest album from the glam rockers is their first in two years and continues their impressive return to form that began two albums ago and really took hold with their last record. This album certainly feels like a proper bookend to their incredible '88 debut album. It has the same energy and reckless nature of that album, and it quickly become my second favorite record of theirs. 

Neil Young - 5 X or Less "Live" Acoustic: This recent digital bootleg is a two-part collection of Neil Young live songs that he's played...you guessed it...five times ore less. I listened to the acoustic one first and will dip into the electric one soon. Given that these are all taken from different shows, the equalizing is a mess, but the songs, as always, are pure gold. As would be expected, there are a ton of lesser known Neil songs on here and it's nice to hear them get the live treatment. Really for hardcore fans only.