Category: Rock

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (May 8, 2025)

It is officially the summer season and the hits just keep on coming.

Rock is the New Roll’s favorite glamster takes a trip to “Snake City” laying down some Alice Cooper vibes along the way.

The Dead Daisies are out in front of their May 30 release of Lookin’ For Trouble with “Boom Boom.”

And, if that’s not enough , Geoff Palmer lays down some epic pop-punk from his latest E.P. Exit Wounds.

This week, the rock keeps rolling in a sure sign that this summer will be pretty epic when it comes to music. Here is a sampler set of our favorites.

Gypsy Pistoleros – Church of the Pistoleros

The self-proclaimed best flamenco gypsy rock and roll band is back with nary a stylistic change in site. Much as you would expect from a band with Gypsy Lee as lead singer and a guitarist that goes by the name of Shane Pistolero Sparks, the order of the day here is straight-ahead rock and roll that would make Billy Idol, Alice Cooper, and Queen blush.

Come for the Billy Idol snarl of “Dance Naked In The Rain,” but stay for the better than the original “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”

Truly an earworm lovers delight, this one is high-octane, smash to the brain, rock and roll like it is meant to be played, loud and proud.

This one is the leader in the clubhouse for rock album of the year.

Billy Idol – Dream Into It

With one listen of “Still Dancing” you will be hot tub time machined all the way back to 1983 and “Rebel Yell” era Billy Idol. With his long-time sidekick Steve Stevens in tow and his signature sneer still firmly implanted, this record is far better than it has a right to be.

The voice is snarly cigarette and whiskey soaked great, the rock is pure 80’s dancing yourself glory, and with guests the likes of Joan Jett and Alison Mosshart to smooth out the rough edges, this record just might be his best record since 1986 and Whiplash Smile.

Just listen to “John Wayne,” the “Eyes Without A Face” ethos of “Dream Into It,” as well as “Too Much Fun” and tell us we are wrong.

Samantha Fish – Paper Doll

The reigning queen of the blues has been pretty much everywhere lately with her solo work, her collaboration with Jesse Dayton, and her partnership with BFF, Joe Bonamassa.

Full of bad-ass bravado, the likes of which we haven’t heard since the latest Beth Hart Record, the opener “I’m Done Runnin,” is a defiant ode to self-reliance, “Can Ya Handle The Heat” could have been a Bonnie Raitt anthem, and “Rusty Razor” kicks out the jams while veering heavily into the rock lane on the blues-rock highway.

Looking for the leader in the clubhouse for the blues album of the year? Your ship has just come in.

Counting Crows – Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!

Forcing us to calibrate our time machine, fantastically, it has been 11 years since the last proper Counting Crows record, Somewhere Under Wonderland, was released. And, this latest record just might be the band’s best effort since 1993’s August And Everything After.

Always a familiar listen, the latest record doesn’t stray far from the Crows template of mid-tempo rhythms coalescing with sharp songwriting, paired with the avuncularly warm vocals of lead singer Adam Duritz.

With multiple spins of this one, the petals of the flower reveal themselves most notably on the Mellencamp-worthy “Elevator Boots,” the REM adjacent “With Love, From A-Z,” and the rare driving anthem rocker “Boxcar.”

Look for this one to be on many of the end-of-year lists, best-of lists.

Sunflower Bean – Mortal Primetime

Four albums in, and Sunflower Bean seems to have hit that sweet spot of ‘70s meets ‘90s retro glam. Adroitly walking that delicate tightrope between Blondie, the cooler side of ABBA, with some Twigs-adjacent psychedelia thrown in for good measure, this record is a time warp record.

Fully formed, every nuance of this record seems curated with the coolness knobs set to hyper drive. The opener, “Champagne Taste” has a certain Suzi Quatro joie-de-vie to it, “Waiting For The Rain” would have fit in quite nicely on any Jellyfish record, and “Shooting Star,” would be perfect fodder for the b-side of any Cranberries single.

An elegant record for dysfunctional times,

Video of the Day: Beth Blade & The Beautiful Disasters – Never Let It Go

Should the Go Go’s have veered more into Blondie territory they would have sounded much like British rockers Beth Blade & The Beautiful Disaster. The single “Never Let It Go” is the precursor to their upcoming September 12 release, Mythos, Confession, Tragedies, and Love.”

Song of the Day: Alice Cooper – Black Mamba

Alice Cooper is back for the first time in 50 years with his original band courtesy of his upcoming July 25 album, The Revenge of Alice Cooper. A fitting successor to Love it to Death, Killer, and Billion Dollar Babies, the record brings back the vintage shock-horror of vintage Alice Cooper.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (April 18, 2025)

The summer is close and things are heating up across the world, but there is a cool breeze blowing on the album front. So grab a Mai Tai and settle in.

Pearl Charles is quilting her Nancy Sinatra vibes prepping for a new record to be released later in the month.

Silver Synthetic released a new record, Rosalie. Think Big Star if they spent more time at Joshua Tree.

And, for fans of Queens of the Stone Age, the band HIMALAYAS will scratch your desert rock itch.

But, that’s not all. As per usual here are five new players to spin on your turntables.

Valerie June – Owls, Omens, and Oracles

With her genre bending music that flows through the veins of Americana, Soul, Pop and Blues her latest Owls, Omens, and Oracles is a life-affirming record with plenty of earworms throughout.

Produced by pop master M. Ward the record channels ‘70s pop on “Trust The Path,” Phil Spector wall of sound on “All I Really Wanna Do,” and Amy Winehouse vibes on “Endless Tree.”

This record is a ray of optimism in desolate times.

Those Damn Crows – God Shaped Hole

Straightforward rock and roll is the order of the day on God-Shaped Hole, the latest from Nashville-based Those Damn Crows.

From the opening salvo of “Dancing With The Enemy,” your ears are treated to some sort of Devil’s hybrid combining The Hu, U2 in their prime, and Metallica. Interesting stuff indeed.

Word of caution, don’t listen to “Let’s Go Psycho” when driving, and “Night Train” burns the soul much like a Pearl Jam ballad in the “Jeremy” mold.

Don’t sleep on this one as the leader in the clubhouse for the rock record of the year.

Cold Specks – Light For The Midnight

Just listen to the first two minutes of “How It Feels,” the initial salvo from Cold Specks on her latest record Light For Midnight, and we dare you not to have Carole King ear worms drilled into the minds ear.

The musical project of Laden Hussein, Cold Specks floats on a cloud of atmospheric synths, delicate piano, and deep R&B to create her own vision, a sort of doom soul.

“Venus In Pisces” has a certain ‘Till Tuesday lilt to it, “Lingering Ghosts” harkens back to darker times when she was misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia, and “Endlessly” is a study in stellar songwriting.

A record that would not seem out of place it was released in the early ’90s, this one represents an artist coming out of a dark tunnel and delivering what might be the best album of her career.

Turnpike Troubadours – Price Of Admission

You would be hard pressed to find a more legitimate roots country band over the last ten years than Stillwater’s own Turnpike Troubadours.

Ignoring the glitter of Nashville, the band instead has chosen to stick to their Oklahoma roots and imbed themselves in a state, a town that is as hardscrabble as it gets with an everyman ethos that is palpable.

Produced by Shooter Shennings, the new record meanders from pensive to rowdy in the blink of a hot steel guitar solo.

Critics might call out the semi-slick production, one of the hazards of hiring a big-time producer, while others will revel in the honky tonk ethos.

Come for the poignancy of “Forgiving You,” but stay for the heartbreak of “A Lie Agree Upon” with this one.

Little Barrie – Electric War

Mutch like you get with virtually every Easy Eye Sound release, The latest Little Barrie collaboration with drummer Malcolm Catto, is an exploration in eclectic sounds and textures.

With a distinct raw, analog feel, the record, with its groove-centric pulse takes on a jazz feel that seems to be vintage and refreshingly contemporary at the same time.

With elements of funk, psychedelia, rock, and jazz permeating the air, this one is an eclectic listen that will educate your ears.