A deliberate rip-off of the Spotify series of the same name, here is This Is: Fastball. Fastball, in my opinion, is Austin TX's finest modern rock band, but is criminally-overrated. Best known for its hits "The Way," "Out of My Head," and "Fire Escape," This Is: Fastball contains all those hits and only scratches the surface with the essential album tracks. Only an introduction to a seriously talented group, indeed.
Voyage by The Vintage Caravan
The Vintage Caravan is a trio from Iceland that delivers a brand of classic rock heavily influenced by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, which contains no irony whatsoever. There are no smiles, grins or anything hip on the band's debut Voyage and its straightforwardness—combined with the trio's powerhouse riffs and room demolishing punch—makes for an undeniably refreshing experience in 2014.
That doesn't necessarily mean that Voyage is a truly effective album. It's not missing grit. It has plenty of that, in fact. What it is missing—and absolutely needs—is a few truly spellbinding songs. In that department, this trio provides none. Those looking for a hard rock hit a la "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" will be disappointed. But, if you just want to rock for 50 minutes, you really can't go wrong here.
At their best, The Vintage Caravan makes a totally convincing case for charging a $5-$8 cover to see them at a hot bar in town. At their worst, they seem only marginally better than the average seasoned hard rock band taping posters to the windows at Guitar Center.
It's not a bad debut record though and on "Winterland," an Alice in Chains/Pink Floyd pastiche, and especially on the 12-minute epic "The King's Voyage," these Icelanders sound good enough to ask for—and receive—a case of beer on their hospitality rider.
Detroit's influence on rock music is about as high as its murder rate. Even when you take Motown out of the equation, the Motor City is still a music city like no other. Why, Detroit pretty much brought rock and roll to mainstream audiences with Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock." Later, the city very nearly invented punk music with groups like The Stooges and MC5 (Motor City 5). Next, let's think about the hard rock that dominated the airwaves in the 70s. Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, Grand Funk Railroad, Brownsville Station—they're all Motor City bands. Oh, but there were also heartland rockers like Bob Seger in Detroit. If you fast forward to the 90s and the early 2000s, you have popular icons—and Detroit natives—like Kid Rock and The White Stripes. And then just this year, our hearts were captured by a formerly unknown singer/songwriter from Detroit named Rodriguez. Indeed, the weather may be cold, but the music is red hot. Let's listen to some of the hottest music Henry Ford's city ever made.
Bill Haley & His Comets
(Iggy Pop And) The Stooges
MC5 (Motor City 5)
Ted Nugent
Alice Cooper
Grand Funk Railroad
Brownsville Station
Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band
Kid Rock
The White Stripes
Rodriguez
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