Foo Fighters
Sonic Highways/RCA Records
At this point in its storied career the Foo Fighters have carte blanche to do whatever the hell they want, and Sonic Highways is the proof. It’s a concept record—each of the album’s eight songs is inspired by and recorded in a different American city—that doesn’t feel self-serving because it focuses on the history and cultural sensibilities of each location, giving the record texture and cohesion. “Something for Nothing” runs on the signature, hook-filled brand of rock that the band is known for, and the Arlington, Virginia-inspired “The Feast and the Famine” harkens back to the rip-roaring tunes on The Colour and the Shape, but then the Foos toss in some country-tinged rock on “Congregation” and play with the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band on “In the Clear” just to keep you on your toes. There’s less about personal demons and relationships than on other Foo Fighters albums—this record examines the nation’s musical pulse and marks an unusual entry in its discography.
Larkin Poe
Kin/RH Music
Rebecca and Megan Lovell are sisters in life and in rock ‘n’ roll, and after four years of touring, five EPs and performing as backup singers for Elvis Costello and Conor Oberst, the duo is releasing its first full-length album, Kin, and it is a beauty. From the sassy, hip-shaking “High Horse” to the seductive, suggestive Americana track “Sugar High,” the Lovells show that they are just as dynamic vocally and lyrically as they are musically, incorporating electric, acoustic and lap steel guitar work with aplomb. The groovy “Jailbreak” impressively mixes rock with country and a dash of Motown soul to great effect, and the intoxicating “We Intertwine” is irresistible. This debut is sure to create a big buzz for Larkin Poe in 2015.
Project 86
Knives to the Future/Team Black
“No retreat/There’s nothing behind me.” These lines from the title track to Project 86’s Knives to the Future sum up the tone of its latest album nicely. Blistering guitars, thunderous drums and rumbling bass all surround singer Andrew Schwab’s bellows on a cacophonous battlefield aptly defined by song titles like “Captive Bolt Pistol” and “Valley of Cannons.” As nu-metal and post-hardcore music goes, this is an intriguing record because it plays like an exorcism of demons, yet it’s much more of a self-determined war cry. The raucous, plodding “Acolyte March” is dark and apocalyptic, evoking images of angels and demons preparing for battle, while the melodic “Son of Flame” provides one of the starkest visual moments with a savior-
like figure entering the picture as a means of hope amidst crushing oppression.