Modern Rock Reviews

Tool - The Pot - A+
The best song off of Tool's new album, the light and trippy "The Pot" is one of the best metal songs of the new millennium.

The Shins - Phantom Limb - A+
Easily the best song off of their new album, "Phantom Limb" features one of the best choruses of the year.

Wolfmother - White Unicorn - A+
Honestly, they could release every song on their debut album as a single and it would be top notch, but this is one of the best and most Zeppelin-esque.

The Thermals - A Pillar Of Salt - A+
One of the best political punk bands in music at the moment, The Thermals deserve a bigger audience and this is the type of song that could give it to them. The lyrics are sharp as ever and the guitars and beat are very radio-friendly.

The View - Wasted Little DJ's - A+
An extremely good indie rock song for a debut CD, "Wasted Little DJs" has a fast beat and hooks worthy of the Arctic Monkeys or Franz Ferdinand.

The White Stripes - Icky Thump - A
A nearly, but not quite, perfect White Stripes that is a bit too heavy for it's own good. This song does tell one of the most interesting lyrical stories of any Stripes song, though.

Tool - Jambi - A
Another great prog metal song from one of the most reliable artists in modern rock music. Like most Tool songs, it features a fantastic build from start to finish.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Hump De Bump - A
An outstanding funk song that gets better every time I hear it.

The Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye - A
Imagine if the Arcade Fire played hard rock music instead of indie rock. This is likely what they would sound like.

The Manic Street Preachers - Your Love Alone Is Not Enough - A-
An excellent comeback song from the long-dormant Preachers. This song has good verses and an above average chorus.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Hey Oh) - A-
Yet another great single from the Chili Peppers, who seem to be able to create these songs in their sleep.

Velvet Revolver - She Builds Quick Machines - B+
One of the best from Velvet Revolver and a good way to kick off their second album. Probably the best song Guns N Roses never got to record.

The Shins - Australia - B+
A notch below their usual output, this song still has a great sound to it, but the bar is set pretty high for this band.

The Sounds - Painted By Numbers - B+
One of the most overlooked bands at the moment, The Sounds finally puts a song on the radio and it's this excellent indie rocker.

Tim Armstrong - Into Action - B+
A fun reggae-tinged punk song from the lead singer of Rancid that leans heavier on his side project, The Transplants.

The Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles - B+
Not as good as "Lazy Eye", but still just about the best straight hard rock band out there.

Sum 41 - Walking Disaster - B+
One of their best, this is an excellent pop punk song that can't transcend it's genre.

Linkin Park - Bleed It Out - B+
Umm, this song is actually pretty good. As usual, the weakest part is when the screaming guy shows up, but other than that, it's actually well written and well-paced.

Flight Of The Conchords - Business Time - B+
A funny, but not quite hilarious, Tenacious D-lite folk humor song.

The Smashing Pumpkins - Tarantula - B+
Not their best work on their new album, but a nice return for the alt-rock legends.

Tyrone Wells - What Are We Fighting For? - B+
A clever adult oriented rock song with a political message. Essentially, everything that "Waiting on the World To Change" tried to be but failed.

The View - Same Jeans - B+
An excellent indie dance rock debut for the View with a great chorus and breakdown at the end of the song.

The Stars Of Track And Field - Movies Of Antarctica - B+
An excellent debut for an indie band that almost lives up their band's namesake (Belle And Sebastian) with this sweeping indie tune.

U2 - Window In The Skies - B+
A fantastic chorus can't quite completely save the song, but it comes close.

The Vincent Black Shadow - Metro - B+
With a sound that's more like the Dresden Dolls than what their name indicates they'll sound like, this poppy song has a great chorus and good tempo going for it.

Hard-Fi - Suburban Knights - B
A good but not quite great follow-up to "Cash Machine". The song is slower and that doesn't seem to be Hard-Fi's strength.

The Young Knives - Weekends And Bleak Days - B
A solid debut from a band that can probably do better in the future.

The Starting Line - Island - B
Another solid pop punk band enters the airwaves with this solid song from The Starting Line.

The Vincent Black Shadow - Control - B
Another good-to-great song from VBS which is dominated by an excellent chorus.

The Used - The Bird And The Worm - B
I'd call them a My Chemical Romance knock-off, but they were around before MCR. This song isn't their best, but is still good for it's over-the-top genre.