By Bryan Menegus & Andrew McNally
Every Time I Die- Ex-Lives
Keith Buckley remains one of the most versatile and expressive screamers in metalcore, and his voice alone could carry this record. Luckily, the rest of ETID are still as on-point as ever, and while Ex-Lives doesn’t display any dramatic changes from their previous two records, it incorporates some elements of their early LPs Last Night in Town and Hot Damn! in such a way that makes this feel like a summation of the band’s entire career—in some ways that makes it more cohesive, and in others it feels a bit warmed-over. Still, Ex-Lives burns through its 14 tracks with intelligent vitriol.
RIYL: Ghost of a Thousand, The Bronx
Grade: B+
School of Seven Bells – Ghoststory
School of Seven Bells should’ve have fallen apart in 2010, when one member of the trio – the twin sister of another member – left. But they continued on as a duo, producing another album of spacey, electro-pseudo-pop. At neither a party nor a grocery store would it feel out of place. Its bouncy songs and supposedly-cryptic lyrics appeal broadly, but there’s nothing we haven’t been overwhelmed with already. It sounds just like their previous albums, which sound like many other electro-alt bands. “Ghostory” is ultimately catchy and listenable, but leaves without a reason for ever coming in the first place.
Grade: C
RIYL: Animal Collective, lesser Depeche Mode works.
The Cranberries – Roses
Fans of the Cranberries will rejoice at “Roses,” the band’s first album of original material in eleven years. Anyone less than big fans will find the album a total rehashing of the band’s 90’s hits. Songs like “Tomorrow” and “Schizophrenic Playboys” are reminiscent of their “Linger” and “Zombie” days, but otherwise, the album lacks originality, both musically and lyrically. The lyrics are a far cry from the beautiful “Zombie,” sounding more like the poetics of a middle-schooler. Musically, it’s neither good nor bad, although the album closes on two similarly dull slow songs. It’s not awful, but it’s certainly for diehard fans only.
Grade:D+
RIYL: Alanis Morrissette, the Cranberries