Review: The Sword- Warp Riders

The Sword are a band you either get or not. If you don't like retro metal that Sabbath and Priest would be proud of, you can leave now. However if this is the thing you can jive with, and if you get pass goofy Rush-like concepts and J. D. Cronise's less than stellar voice, welcome home. Austinites have taken notice as well as huge metal outlets like Ozzfest and those dudes in Metallica have professed their liking for the quartet and expanded the band's fanbase with each album. On their third album, the band finally makes a name for themselves, taking a gamble and succeeding...kind of.

Warp Riders is the type of album you can release deep into your catalog, just three albumsin, it's a gutsy move to release a concept album that's a hell of a lot heavier than we've come to expect. Warp Rides is heavier than the first two albums, but the band has taken strides to make their sound better by being heavier. In this case, bigger is better.

The album kicks off with "Acheron/Unearthing The Orb" which is complete with no vocals, displaying just the type of sound that'll be revisited throughout the album. It's loud, it's clean, but it'll knock you off your ass with how fresh it sounds when you put it up against most metal band gaining popularity. The first single off the album. "Tres Brujas" follows with two guitar solos at the same time that's utter mayehm. Ignore the lyrical content, and it's one of the best rock songs of the year.

"Arrows in the Dark" doesn't display better lyric writing, but it's hard to deny the musicianship and talent with the band. All four members show their cards and everything is top notch because they actually sound like the give a shit about what they're playing, something most young bands forget. Following "Arrows" is "The Chronomancer I: The Hubris", the longest song on the album, but also the highlight. In nearly eight minutes, they tackle rock from Sabbath and Zeppelin to Metallica all in one swift kick to the ass, it's all here, and it's all done right.

The album's second half is a little dreary unfortunately. "Astraea's Dream" isn't anything we haven't heard from the album's opener and almost crosses into wankery territory, but almost into crappy New Wave of American Metal territory, something the band is way better than. The title track that follows more than makes up for that lapse and shows Cronise doing his best Ozzy impression. It's a song so heavy even the Ozzman Cometh would be proud.

The album closes with "(The Night The Sky Cried) Tears of Fire" which much like "Chronomancer I", has the band going harder than anything while displaying their talents of rocking the fuck out, it's a closer worty of praise for an album that has this young band ready to take the next step of being arena gods.

Warp Riders may not be a mainstream breakthrough for the band, they're one album away from that, but don't say I didn't warn you. With a growing fanbase, a heavier sound showcasing 70's heavy metal with a cleaner production, and the band's constant touring, The Sword are going to make a name for themselves. Making Warp Riders is a huge step and a challenging one, but the lesson learned here is that the band doesn't fear anything and just wants to rock, and that should be a creed for many bands to follow.

**** out of *****

Review: Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan- Hawk

Three albums in, this collaboration of Belle and Sebastian heavyweight Isobel Campbell and Screaming Trees ass kicker Mark Lanegan would seem to have run its course. After all, how many songs can you write with Campbell's beautiful and soft voice with Lanegan's whisky soaked mumbles? Apparently you can write many, and not only is this the third chapter, it's probably the best. It's a nice formula that reinvents itself here after "Sunday at Devil Dirt" left many people wondering if it had indeed been one too many.

Campbell is indie rock royalty and for the most part, the choices she makes in putting these songs together works. She's not just a great female vocalist, she's a great vocalist, and not only is she a great vocalist, she's a damn good musician who knows how to arrange these songs well. Lanegan on the other hand has spent much of the decade appearing with Queens of the Stone Age and Soulsavers using his gravely voice is a fine tuned insturment, and boy is it always powerful.

Opener "We Die and See Beauty Reign" is a classic example of the duo hard at work. Slow music with both voices lapping each other through a slow ballad is exactly why we loved the duo in the first place. It's depressing, dark, heartbreaking, but enjoyable. It's quickly followed by "You Won't Let Me Down Again" where Lanegan is heard loud and clear over a kick ass blues rocker, it's a song that was tailor made for him.

Standouts on this album include "Come Undone", backed by a 50's soul sound, the song is exactly the type of drown your sorrows song that would probably hit you hard in the gut with its poetic honesty and almost perfect timing on vocals by both Campbell and Lanegan. "Get Behind Me" is a jolt to the diner, dance off rocker filled with riffs and solos that were absent from the first two albums that rears its head here. It's probably the most fun song on the album and sees Lanegan almost by himself as Campbell's voice are almost gone from the mix.

The second half of the album is just as strong as the first. The title track has no vocals at all, instead it's a kick ass jam filled with sax and blistering guitar, it's the type of track that a higher end bar band would break into and it's probably the best song on the album. "Eyes of Green" is backed by flutes and accordian in a sort of celtic like tune. It's beautiful and enchanting and a perfect way to describe the bulk of the work done by the duo throughout their efforts.

"Lately" closes out the album with Lanegan being backed with bongos and a gospel choir. Americana in its own unique way and quite different from all the heavy norms most of us are used to hearing from Mark, it's pretty much the exact opposite from anything he's done with Queens or Screaming Trees, but serves as a reminder of how powerful his voice is because it works well with damn near anything.

It's safe to say we can go ahead and order another helping of this, because it's simply great music. It works and just when you think it isn't going to work anymore, we're all caught blind-sided by how fresh it sounds each time. And while I'm praying that Mark gets together with Queens again in the near future (look no further than his work on Rated R and Songs for the Deaf), his work with Campbell stands alone and is worthy of the input he's been on of the past two decade. As for Campbell, let's just say she's sorely missed in Belle and Sebastian, but has managed to pass her old band in making teriffic music.

**** out of *****

Review: Arcade Fire- The Suburbs

Canadian Indie Rock kings Arcade Fire have probably benifitted the most from being a buzzband. Their 2004 debut "Funeral" caught they eye of every hipster, A&R guy, and mainstream cool guy to the point where the damn thing was out of print. It is a landmark album and changed the way that music was going to be marketed for alt rock as we see it now. As if that wasn't enough, 2007's "Neon Bible" was a sophomore jump of an album. Loud, anthematic, and warm, it showed us that they weren't a flash in the pan, but in fact, the next great band. Sadly, "The Suburbs" is a mess. Slow, boring, and as bland as indie rock can get, it's almost hard to believe that they were nearly fighting Radiohead for most important band in the world.

"The Suburbs" is poorly sequenced, it's not top or bottom heavy, hell it's just not heavy, it's a collection of auto pilot songs sprinkled with some of the best material the band has ever done. The opening title track continues the band's winning streak of awesome openers. Like "Neighborhood #1" and "Black Mirror", "The Suburbs" is a track worty of your attention with Win Butler's voice mowing over a near rockabilly tune, it's not anthem, but it's a great song that ranks up there with the band's best work and starts the album on a high note. Oddly enough, it's about as high of a note this album has, and the next few songs that follow are painful to endure.

"Ready to Start", "Modern Man", and "Rococo" are little more than dreary, there's really nothing new here to add that the band hasn't expanded on and done much better on their first two albums. The tracks lack of the Springsteen like sound that defined "Neon Bible" and made it such an enjoyable album, instead it sounds flat and hurried with a sense of "what can we say now?" or "what should we play?". "Empty Room" follows which sounds like a track off of Owen Pallett's "Heartland" on crack, stringy and fast, it washes out the bad taste of the previous three songs.

"Empty Room" is way too short and we're again bombarded with more boring tracks that are grey and less interesting than what they've showed. It's all forgiven though once "Month of May" hits you with it's heavy as thunder, rock and roll, ballsy, Queens of the Stone Age riffage. This song is what the band should sound like, it's not only the best song off the album, but probably the best of the entire year. With Win and the misses dueling on vocals, it's shows the strength of what made them a big fucking deal in the first place. It's a track that wouldn't sound out of place on "Neon Bible", exactly the type of song to play to get the crowd ready to get excited and have fun, something the band can't seem to accomplish.

"Month of May" ends and again, we're attacked with pellets until the surprisingly dancy "Sprawl II" comes up. With it's synthpop hooks and female vox, it's a nice surprise to end an album that is nothing else but a failure in execution. "Sprawl II" utilizes Régine Chassagne's voice which is a hidden treasure for the band, making it an enjoyable end to an album that's not a breeze to sit through.

One thing striking about the album is even in Obama's USA, Butler still writes songs because he has a chip on his shoulder. He's a bitter guy who comes off as someone who can't have fun. This time around he's taking pot shots at suburban life and hipster, two things that made this band matter. Call it a matter of biting the hand that feeds, but listening to Butler croon about how miserable he is is exhausting and just plain silly at this point.

Like The Strokes with "First Impressions of Earth", Arcade fire have hit a slump on their third album, making us fail to see what's so special about them. Even though they had blood bad last year, Win Butler can take some hits from Wayne Coyne on how to have fun and not be self serious being in a band that can do so much more. It's a swing and a miss and proves what we feared, these kids aren't ready for the torch yet.

** out of *****