Tag: The Struts

Top Rock Albums of 2020

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2020 was probably the strangest year yet.  With the Covid virus running rampant, many new releases were either postponed until late in the year or we never saw the release at all.  There were a flurry of albums at the beginning of the year, then basically nothing for a few months until we got to the Fall and now there are too many to get through.  But there were some great releases and I am sure I missed a number of great albums and if you look around the web, there will be tons of Top Album lists you can get a pretty good idea of what you should check out in case you missed any of these.

This list will be my favorite “Rock” albums of the year.  All other types of music will be for another post tomorrow.  I am going to leave this one to my favorite genre.  It is a broad genre, but these are the albums that I consider to be ROCK!!

Also note, these are MY FAVORITES!!  These are not the most popular or trendy albums.  You won’t find the cool trendy bands, because they are usually here today gone tomorrow.  These are the albums that I connected with during the year and I kept coming back to again and again.  And without further adieu, here are the Top Rock Albums of 2020:

#10 – Storm Force – Age of Fear:

81HSuWcovgL._SY355_ Thanks to some fellow bloggers in the name of LeBrain and SuperDekes, I was introduced to this Canadian band that unapologetically brought us a classic 80’s rock album full of songs that rocked you out and songs that were actually relevant to the events going on in the world which is amazing considering this song came out prior to the Covid shutdowns.  I believe these guys can see the future and with music like this, I can see their future being very bright.  You need to hear the songs “Breathe”, “Because of You” and “Dirty Vegas because once you do, you will be caught in the Storm!!

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You Pick It! – Which Album to Review in November?

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You, my reader, are going to pick an album for me to review each month.  It is really simple…first, I will give you 5 albums to choose from and second, you will tell me which one of those you would like to see reviewed on the site.  See…simple!

There are a few simple rules I have put in to place in my selections.  They are…

  • One has to be a new release (within the last month)
  • One has to be one I have never heard before (new releases don’t count for this one)
  • One has to be from a genre I don’t normally listen to at all or very often
  • And the last two are choices from my collection that I haven’t reviewed before

What are the 5 albums you ask?  Funny you should ask because I have those right here…

  New Release – The Struts – ‘Strange Days’

  Never Heard Before – Patti Smith – ‘Horses”

Not My Normal Genre – Lauryn Hill – ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’

  From My Collection – Prince & the Revolution – ‘Purple Rain’

  From My Collection – The Police ‘Synchronicity’

Let me know which one you would like to see and sometime in November, I will post a review of the album that gets the most votes. You have one week to decide and from there I will start listening to the album and do a review.

Thanks for participating!!

Friday New Releases – October 16, 2020

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Each week comes faster and faster which I am thrilled only for the fact that each Friday is new release day for music. And we have another week of some great releases. There are a handful I wanted to grab hold of and listen and they are highlighted in Blue below. Let me know what you are wanting to hear and what I may have missed as there is always something good that usually gets by me and I want everyone to know what is out there. Thanks for stopping by and I do hope you have a great weekend. We will see you next Friday for the next batch of releases.

  • A1FOARuHicL._SX522_  The Struts – Strange Days – (Interscope Records): The Struts are bringing us their 3rd studio album and this one has a few very special guests. Lead off single and title track, “Strange Days”, has Robbie Williams and then “I Hate How Much I Want You” has Joe Elliott and Phil Collen from Def Leppard. If that isn’t enough, “Wild Child” features Tom Morello and “Another Hit of Showmanship” has Albert Hammond, Jr. My only complaint is I haven’t seen where there is a vinyl available. Since I have the first two on vinyl, I would like this one as well.
  • 51a4R9e5RzL._SX522_  Tommy Lee – Andro – (Better Noise Music): Motley Crue drummer, Tommy Lee, brings us a new solo album and this one seems to be hip hop…well…okay. I will give it a listen, but don’t expect much from this at all.
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The Top Rock Songs of 2018

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Welcome to the Top 20 Rock Songs of 2018.  These songs are my favorite songs of the year and were not necessarily played on the radio or even shot up the charts.  They just moved me in some way good or bad!

If you missed the Top Rock Albums of 2018 or the Top Albums of 2018 (that were not Rock), just click on the link and go check them out.

It is time to start the list so here we go…

#20 – “Loading Zones” –  Kurt Vile off the album ‘Bottle it In’:  Kurt’s can be about the mundane and anything that troubles him in life. This is about the horrors of trying to park in the city.  It has such a great little beat to it and some great guitar and such a simple subject that yet turns into something amazing.  The video is great as well.

#19 – “Roll Me Under” – Stone Temple Pilots off the album ‘Stone Temple Pilots (2018)’:  I know I did give the album the best review, but I liked this song.  It had the old STP sound, but it was also Jeff Gutt at his best on the album.  Such a heavy bass and guitar sound,  it was just great.

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The Top Rock Albums of 2018

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic26 Comments

2018 was another year with some great releases and way too many to get through them all so I am sure I missed a number of great albums and if you look around the web, there will be tons of Top Album lists you can get a pretty good idea of what you should check out in case you missed any of these.

This list will be my favorite “Rock” albums of the year.  All other types of music will be for a later post.  I am going to leave this one to my favorite genre.  It is a broad genre, but these are the albums that I consider to be ROCK!!

Also note, these are MY FAVORITES!!  These are not the most popular or trendy albums.  These are the albums that I connected with during the year and I kept coming back to again and again.  And without further adieu, here are the Top Rock Albums of 2018:

My #1 Album of the Year:

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Reach – The Great Divine: A modern, yet melodic rock album that just grabs hold and won’t let go from beginning to end.  A band I had never heard of prior to this album and I am now wondering where they have been my whole life.  Just a fantastic album with no songs to skip or delete.  Almost pure perfection.  The first album I bought that was new in 2018 and still listen to it today.  With songs like “The Great Divine”, “Nightmare” and “Into Tomorrow” you can see they have the goods.  The production value was great, the music, the vocals, it was all solid and my favorite album of the year!!  Give it a try (and check out my original review by clicking the album title).

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The Struts – ‘Young & Dangerous’ – Album Review

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The Struts come back with their second album, ‘Young & Dangerous’, and they are showing that rock is alive and well and can be one helluva a good time.  Their retro rock sound is both refreshing and feels entirely new.  Where Greta Van Fleet is getting picked on for sounding too much like Led Zeppelin, the Struts seem to be celebrated for sounding like bands from the past.  They sound like Queen, Aerosmith, Mott the Hoople and they crossover genres like Glam, Classic Rock and 80’s Pop and the Hair Bands.  They are the best parts all rolled up into one.

The band consists of Adam Slack on guitar, Jed Elliott on bass and Gethin Davis on drums and let me tell you they rip it up throughout this album.  Their ability to play around with genres and sounds is so convincing and outstanding.  But let’s admit it, it is lead singer Luke Spiller who truly shines with this band.  His cocky, confident and flamboyant singing and style just screams frontman.  Think Freddy Mercury and Steven Tyler and you have some idea of what I am talking about.

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From the opening track “Body Talks” and the over-the-top, glam-filled “Primadonna Like Me” and you see that they can play and that your are in for a fun-filled, rocking good time.  The energy level is up to 10 and I can imagine that their live show takes it up to 11.

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Friday New Releases – October 26th

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Happy Friday and welcome to the last Friday of October.  Halloween is just around the corner, but sadly not much to scare up in the releases this week.  There a couple I might check out and if I get in the early Christmas spirit, maybe the William Shatner Christmas album will get a spin…but seriously doubt it.  My choices are highlighted in Blue. Let me know what interests you, if anything, and let me know what I am missing out on this week.  Thanks and have a great weekend.

  • 51cDoAXQKKL._AC_US436_QL65_  The Struts – Young&Dangerous – (Interscope):  It has been a couple years since the Struts debut and they felt like they might the next big thing.  But for me, the Jury is still out as they seem to be more of a novelty act than anything.  The lead singer is a little over the top now and seems to be trying too hard to be something he really isn’t.  I haven’t been overly excited of what I have heard so far, but I will give it a listen as they did interest me at one time.  Man, I am really selling this one aren’t I!!!

  • 41t8Gq4R4-L._AC_US436_QL65_  Boy George & Culture Club – Life – (BMG):  Boy George is back and with Culture Club.  That alone is enough to sell this one.  I don’t know why, but this one interests me. I haven’t heard anything on it yet (not even the video posted below), but I want to hear it.  It will get a spin mainly out of curiosity.

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The Top Rock Albums of 2016

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2016 is about to be over so it is time to look back on the year and see what amazing albums rocked my world this year.  It was a great year indeed.  This was the year I started this blog back in April and it has been a blast. I have listened to a lot of albums this year so I had stuff to write about and it really made the year special.

This list will be my favorite “Rock” albums of the year.  All other types of music will be for a later post.  I am going to leave this one to my favorite genre.  It is a broad genre, but these are the albums that I consider to be ROCK!!

Also note, these are MY FAVORITES!!  These are not the most popular or possibly even the ones that have sold the most.  These are the albums that I connected with during the year and kept coming back to again and again.  And without further adieu, here are the Top Rock Albums of 2016:

My #1 Album of the Year:

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Hellyeah – UnDen!able (Eleven Seven Music):  This album screams Rock & Roll to me!  It is heavy and pounding with aggressive vocals and lyrics and was perfect for me when I got stuck in traffic and needed to vent a little.  With songs like “Startariot”, “X”, “Scratch A Lie” and “Be Undeniable”, I was completely satisfied with this gem.  Check out the review at this link to see what I thought in detail about the album.

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Bands I Discovered Through Internet Radio – Playlist

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Have you discovered great bands by listening to Internet Radio? There are so many bands that I would hear just one song by that band and instantly become a fan. Below is a list of some bands that I now listen to just because I heard one song while listening to Internet Radio stations. The song on the list is that one song that turned me on to the band. Enjoy!

Will Hoge – “Not That Cool”

My Darkest Days – “Porn Star Dancing”

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The Struts – “Everybody Wants” – Album Review – 100%

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In Mid-February, I was listening to a Shinedown radio station on Apple Music and I came across a song that immediately stopped me in my tracks. I picked up my phone and saw it was a band called The Struts and the song was “Dirty Sexy Money”. The Struts???? Who the heck are these guys? What a cool name for a band!!

I searched them and saw the album was coming out on March 4th. That day could not get here fast enough. Apple Music did have the Have You Heard EP that tied me over until the album came out, but you can’t get that E.P. now but you don’t need to as all the songs are on the album. I have not stopped playing this album since I got it that Friday.

The Struts, an English rock band, have this great retro rock vibe. The lead singer was definitely influenced by classic rock and he is even a little Glam in his appearance. The band is a four piece and is lead singer Luke Spiller, guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliott and the drummer is Gethin Davies. They have been together since 2010 and just signed with a U.S. company last year.

It is probably the most exciting rock band to come out in a long time. The album originally came out in 2014 in the UK, but is just getting released here in the U.S. by Interscope Records. This album is already the best album released so far in 2016. And even though we are only in April, this album WILL end up being one of the best out in 2016.

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