By Kendall GibsonCOLUMNIST
‘The Ceaseless Roar’ – Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters
“The Ceaseless Roar” is a great album, and damn to anyone who says Robert Plant should still be doing rock. He owes us zip after giving us Led Zeppelin. Plant is unique among the rock gods because he chose to grow up, and as a result, his music sounds sage and spiritual. “Rainbow” especially is a mystical-sounding song. It is grungy and has a tiptoeing Moroccan beat. Plant does not sound weary or arrogant from the wild-life and mountain of drugs. Instead, he sounds high-minded and appreciative.
If You Like: Rod Stewart, Pete Townshend, Roger Waters.
‘Crush Songs’ – Karen O
This album makes me wish I was an emotionless robot, because it pounds on the mushy love buttons of your heart and makes you cry existential tears from your ears. First of all, it is ukulele done right. I don’t know why exactly, but the class that Karen O exudes from her ukulele far exceeds 90 percent of those annoying ukulele girls on YouTube. And the lyrics are ludicrously poignant if you are a maudlin loser like myself. “NYC Baby” is especially close to the heart if you’ve been with someone who lives in the city.
If You Like: Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Taken by Trees, Victoria Bergsman.
‘Songs of Innocence’ – U2
U2 would be a good band if not for their stupid bulls***. The second coming of Jesus Christ would be a less miraculous event in the eyes of Bono than the release of their crappy new album. How arrogant can you be to foist your album onto 500 million phones? Actually that was what Apple did. All U2 did was sell out. It is ridiculously pathetic, U2, to sell out when you already have millions.
If You Like: Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen.