The Friday Refrain: What's New In Music

It's a metal morning so get ready everyone...

New Music

Dee Snider, lead singer of Twisted Sister, was challenged to make a true metal album and has risen to that challenge with For The Love of Metal - with guest appearances by members of venerable metal bands like Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage. Speaking of metal, Otep is back with Kult 45. RIse Against released The Ghost Note Symphonies Vol 1. Moving along the musical map, we have Underworld & Iggy Pop teaming up for Teatime Dub Encounters. Boz Scaggs released a solo album today, Out of the Blues. Country star Kenny Chesney released Songs for the Saints. Pop rock band Daughtry are back with Cage To Rattle. And last but not least, childhood megastar Raffi releases Dog on the Floor today.

Should I Bother?

• Otep: They were definitely channeling Rage Against the Machine on this album, so it was no surprise that they covered "Wake Up." While the energy and musical feel of the album does a good job encapsulating that RATM feel, lyrically it's much more straight forward.
• Dee Snider: If you like the genre of metal, then you're going to want to give this a listen.
• Boz Scaggs: It's a bluesy rock album
• Kenny Chesney: Poppy country with wait... guest appearances by Ziggy Marley and another  by Jimmy Buffett? Wow.
• Underworld & Iggy Pop: This is bizarre. I mean, the first track is... bizarre. It's an interesting listen, that's for sure. But don't be surprised if you are mostly just shaking your head thinking, "Wait, what?"
• Rise Against: If you love Rise Against, and would love to hear their songs done in a different fashion, then here you go.

This week I'll be back to multiple postings during the week, hopefully kicking off the weekend with some previously forgotten To Listens, but more like the To Listen 20. I've been spending the week trying to get our work spaces functional (ie. not littered with stuff we don't know what to do with) and I am 50% done. Which is okay. I wanted to be done today but... yeah, that's not happening. Anyway, Happy Listening!