New Album Releases 11/25/08: Guns N' Roses, Kanye West, The Killers, Scott Weiland, Jeff Beck, Coldplay, Hall & Oates, Ludacris, Cynic & More - Page 3

Part of: New CDs

The Fireman
Electric Arguments
ATO
Neo-Psychedelia, Pop/Rock

Guns N' Roses
Chinese Democracy
Geffen
Album Rock, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock

The Killers
Day & Age
Island
New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Alternative Pop/Rock

Scott Weiland
Happy in Galoshes
Soft Drive
Alternative Pop/Rock, Hard Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Post-Grunge

Kanye West
808s & Heartbreak
Roc-A-Fella
Midwest Rap, Urban, Pop-Rap, Pop

Trace Adkins
X
Capitol/EMI
New Traditionalist, Contemporary Country

Arild Andersen
Live at Belleville
ECM
Avant-Garde Jazz, Post-Bop

Arion
Maria, Madre di Dio
Early-Music.com
Baroque Solo Cantatas & Sacred Music

Jeff Beck
Performing This Week: Live at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Eagle
Guitar Virtuoso, Hard Rock, Blues-Rock

David Byrne/Brian Eno
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Todomundo
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Los Campesinos!
We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
Arts & Crafts
Indie Rock, Indie Pop

Coldplay
Prospekt's March
Capitol
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock

Rivers Cuomo
Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Geffen
Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock

The Datsuns
Smoke & Mirrors
Hell Squad/Cooking Vinyl
Garage Punk, Hard Rock

Death Cab for Cutie
Something About Airplanes [Deluxe Edition]
Barsuk
Indie Rock, Twee Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock

E-40
The Ball Street Journal
Reprise/BME
West Coast Rap, Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap

Feist
The Reminder [Deluxe Edition]
Cherry Tree/Interscope
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Electronic, Indie Rock

Angela Gheorghiu
My Puccini [CD+DVD]
EMI Classics
Romantic Opera

Goldfrapp
Seventh Tree [Bonus DVD]
Mute
Alternative Pop/Rock, Electronica

Good Charlotte
The Greatest Remixes
Epic
Punk-Pop, Punk Revival

Hall & Oates
Live at the Troubadour
Shout! Factory
Blue-Eyed Soul, Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary

Hollyridge Strings
The Beach Boys Song Book, Vols. 1-2
Collectors' Choice Music/EMI
Mood Music, Orchestral Pop

Jaheim
Classic Jaheim, Vol. 1
Warner Bros.
Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul, Urban

Al Jourgensen
Wicked Lake
13th Planet/Megaforce
Alternative Metal, Soundtracks

Linkin Park
Road to Revolution Live at Milton Keynes
Warner Bros.
Alternative Metal, Post-Grunge, Rap-Metal

Ludacris
Theater of the Mind
Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam
Dirty South, Southern Rap, Hardcore Rap

Magazine
The Complete John Peel Sessions
EMI/Virgin
Post-Punk, New Wave

Barry Manilow
The Greatest Songs of the Eighties
Arista
Adult Contemporary, Soft Rock, Pop/Rock, Vocal Pop

Metro Area
Fabric 43
Fabric
Left-Field House, Club/Dance, House, Post-Disco

Moby
Last Night Remixed
Mute
Club/Dance, House, Techno, Progressive Trance

Shawn Mullins
Live at the Variety Playhouse
Vanguard
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Americana

Anna Netrebko
Souvenirs
Deutsche Grammophon
Opera Arias

Anthony Spiri
W.F. Bach: Fantasias; Fugues; Sonatas
Oehms Classics
Classical Piano

Fei Wu
Yuan
Tzadik
Contemporary Chamber Music

Original Soundtrack
Juno: Music from the Motion Picture [Deluxe Edition Soundtrack]
Rhino
Indie Pop, Film Music, Indie Rock, Pop/Rock

Paramore
The Final Riot! [CD/DVD]
Fueled by Ramen
Emo-Pop, Punk-Pop

Various Artists
Badd Santa: A Stones Throw Records Xmas
Stones Throw
Holiday, Underground Rap, Alternative Rap, Novelty, Funk

R.E.M.
Murmur [Deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition]
IRS/Universal
College Rock, Jangle Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock, American Underground

The Rapture
Tapes
!K7
Club/Dance, Left-Field House, House, Disco, Funk

Rick Springfield
Mission Magic! [Bonus Track]
Master Classics
AM Pop, Bubblegum, Pop/Rock

The Sword
Age of Winters/Gods of the Earth
Kemado
Heavy Metal, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal

Various Artists
Red House 25: A Silver Anniversary Retrospective
Red House
Contemporary Folk, Country-Folk

White Zombie
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie
Geffen
Metal, Hard Rock, Industrial, Horror-Rock

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Article Author: Glen Boyd

You'll find Blogcritics assistant music editor Glen Boyd sharing his Thoughtmares on his personal blogs The World Wide Glen, and The Rockologist. In a previous life, Glen was a music professional and journalist whose work has appeared in The Rocket, SPIN, Pulse!, and The Source. …

Visit Glen Boyd's author pageGlen Boyd's Blog

Read comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own
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    As the front man for Stone Temple Pilots, Weiland has remained a dominant force in rock music. Now with his 2nd solo release he proves that his music and songwriting is as potent and powerful as ever. ...

  • Prospekt's March Prospekt's March

    US CD pressing. A special EP/Mini Album only available for a limited time, featuring new artwork with a special EP Booklet. 8 tracks of new material including 5 brand new songs, a special guest appearance ...

  • Performing This Week...Live At Ronnie Scotts Performing This Week...Live At Ronnie Scotts

    "An absolutely jaw-dropping display of the most exciting, imaginative and inspirational jazz-rock guitar witnessed in years." - Jazzwise "Perhaps the greatest living guitar virtuoso...Combining ...

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    Ludacris is gearing up for a multi-tiered and mutli-faceted plan to introduce his newest release to his fans. There are plans to rollout consecutive new singles and videos leading up to the November ...

  • Daryl Hall & John Oates-Live at the Troubadour(CD/DVD) Daryl Hall & John Oates-Live at the Troubadour(CD/DVD)

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  • Traced In Air (Ltd. Edition) Traced In Air (Ltd. Edition)

    Traced in Air is the second full-length album by the progressive/technical death metal fusion band Cynic. It is the first album since their 1993 debut Focus. Cynic disbanded during the fall of 1994 ...

Article comments

  • 1 - Mark Saleski

    Nov 25, 2008 at 12:17 am

    Weiland did seem a little toasted, eh? i did hear one of his new tunes on the radio and it was quite good.

    and speaking of the awards show...geezies, aren't there any rock bands out there anymore? Coldplay? c'mon...!

  • 2 - Jordan Richardson

    Nov 25, 2008 at 4:15 am

    aren't there any rock bands out there anymore?

    Rock is dead.

  • 3 - hannnah;]

    Nov 25, 2008 at 6:37 am

    i like guns and roses.
    (8) welcome to the jungle.

    rock is not dead.

  • 4 - hannnah;]

    Nov 25, 2008 at 6:38 am

    tbh rock is actally alive.

  • 5 - Mark Saleski

    Nov 25, 2008 at 7:37 am

    oh, i totally think rock is alive...just not on the american music awards.

  • 6 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus

    Nov 25, 2008 at 9:42 am

    I don't know exactly what kept Cynic apart in the decade and a half since 1993's groundbreaking Focus...

    Cynic first disbanded in 1994 but the members were quick to approach different avenues. Sean Malone gave us the brilliant Gordian Knot while his own solo release prior to that was just as amazing for its time. Sean Reinert stuck with Mr. Malone for his solo effort as well as Gordian Knot. BUT, he was also involved with Aghora on their Y2k self titled release which was damn good. Both members including Paul Masivdal had some brief but worthwhile commercial success with AEon Spoke. Masvidal also writes and performs music for television and motion pictures, credits include main title (composer credit) on an Emmy nominated NBC teen series show 'Operation Junkyard', short films 'The Yellow Umbrella', 'A Bride In Black', session musician for Carsey Warner network sitcoms, 'That 70's Show, 3rd Rock From The Sun, also has library songs regularly performed on network and cable television.

    *Phew*... After all that it is nice to hear a new release and I, for one, am an odd mind that finds "Traced in Air" to be not only Beautiful but a true "progressive" effort for the metal community.

    It pushes the envelope on so many levels. Cynic is no longer technical for the sake of complexity but more like Modern Jazz where it blends in. It is different but the same &, to me, shows a mature vision of where "Prog" Metal needs to go.

  • 7 - Tom Johnson

    Nov 25, 2008 at 10:07 am

    And there you go, our resident Cynic expert chimes in. I somehow knew you'd help us here, Brian. ;-) And, yes, it is a very, very good album - took me by surprise even though I really wasn't sure what to expect from the band after all this time.

  • 8 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus

    Nov 25, 2008 at 10:33 am

    Oh?? Come on Tom... Don't report like you didn't know that Wikipedia existed *Smirk*. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I am quite the frenzied fan of Cynic,Gordian Knot,etc...

    Honestly, you took me by surprise with such an insightful review. Nice Job!

  • 9 - Pico

    Nov 25, 2008 at 1:00 pm

    so sez Mr. Guppus...

    Cynic first disbanded in 1994 but the members were quick to approach different avenues. Sean Malone gave us the brilliant Gordian Knot while his own solo release prior to that was just as amazing for its time.

    I didn't know about the connection between Cynic and Gordian Knot. Gordian Knot is indeed very good stuff, so if this Cynic is anything like that, I'm on board. Thanks for the tip.

  • 10 - Josh Hathaway

    Nov 25, 2008 at 1:33 pm

    Hall & Oates, without a trace of irony.

  • 11 - Mark Saleski

    Nov 25, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    irony is for the weak.

  • 12 - Tom

    Nov 25, 2008 at 3:24 pm

    Hall & Oates a guilty pleasure? Do you eat ice cream when listening?

  • 13 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus

    Nov 25, 2008 at 3:27 pm

    Pico...

    IMHO, if you are ProgHead, like me, I don't see why you wouldn't like Cynic. The growling back-up vocals may turn you off if you don't like Death Metal,but, I feel with Traced in Air they are used tastefully. Almost more like an added emotion/instrument instead of being the main focal point. As for Focus, I think you could appreciate the progressive attributes though it is a little bit of a tougher listen. Just like Tom said, it was very groundbreaking for 1993 so you kinda have to expect that. Those sounds were unheard of for this genre with exception to Watchtower & Atheist,but, they still presented some amazing ideas.

  • 14 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus

    Nov 25, 2008 at 3:31 pm

    I totally dig I can't go for that(No can do)
    by Hall & Oates. I just don't understand the whole "guilty pleasure" thing...But, I also like Benny Mardones If I Could Fly. I guess I'm just weird like that.

  • 15 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus

    Nov 25, 2008 at 3:36 pm

    Oh and let's not forget Jo Jo by Boz Scaggs

  • 16 - Tom Johnson

    Nov 25, 2008 at 10:20 pm

    Yep, Pico, you need to check out Cynic. The "death growls" on the new one are very minimal - they are basically almost background vocals on the new one, with the "altered-straight" vocals being the most prominent. I guess it's kind of a vocoder type effect (Brian? you probably know more,) but more sci-fi sounding. Honestly, even if you're not big into this, but you can handle it, Cynic is VERY worth checking out. They are several cuts WAY above, and the instrumental stuff is so tasty.

  • 17 - Jordan Richardson

    Nov 26, 2008 at 12:49 am

    Because I trust Brian's metal cred. and Tom's everything cred., I'm checking out Cynic. Wish me luck, fellas.

  • 18 - Glen Boyd

    Nov 26, 2008 at 3:40 am

    If you trust TJ's cred Jordan...and you should...you should also check out Porucpine Tree. TJ (and Pico) turned me onto them about a year ago, and I've since become a pretty big fan. If I'm not mistaken, Gupster's a fan too.

    Word of warning though, they've got a ton of records and if you get hooked it'll be expensive. Trust me, I know...

    -Glen

  • 19 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus

    Nov 26, 2008 at 8:45 am

    Yea, Tom, it is a vocoder. Though, I am not certain how far the technology has come and whether Paul is using an actually piece of equipment or hardware/software for a computer.
    Either way, he has a great voice and this really masks it in a supportive way.

    Jordan... thanks. Glen is right, you should check out PT.Very Solid Prog Rock. I like most of their latter stuff but my favorite is In Absentia.

    I would also suggest:
    Spiral Architect
    Attention Deficit
    Aghora
    Spock's Beard
    Sieges Even Paramount
    SubSignal

    Oh and of course The Improv Project
    *Smirk*

  • 20 - Mark Saleski

    Nov 26, 2008 at 9:18 am

    i will take the vocoder-ed vocals over the silly growls any day. besides, the music is really happenin'.

    gonna have to buy that one.

  • 21 - Tom Johnson

    Nov 26, 2008 at 4:52 pm

    The artwork is worth the purchase of a hard copy, Mark. Really beautiful stuff - the kind of thing we don't see very often anymore, unfortunately. It's this kind of thing I'm going to be very sad to see disappear when downloads/streaming are the only choices we have.

  • 22 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus

    Nov 26, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    It's this kind of thing I'm going to be very sad to see disappear when downloads/streaming are the only choices we have.

    Actually, I think it could get better. No paper to worry about so they could design artwork in HD and make it like 1600 x 1200 and @ only 1-2Mb the cover art would look sick. Include that file with a Flac formatted d/l(96Khz/24Bit) then you could print that shit yourself via color laser printer on some glossy photo paper and have an actual poster.

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