Album Review: The Black Keys - "El Camino"

HOLYYYYYYYY. The Black Keys never cease to amaze me. I've liked anything and everything they've put out, so I was going crazy waiting for this album to drop. They nail every single aspect of songwriting. These songs are catchy, sexy, driving, and extremely relatable. The guitars jam so well together they speak to you like nothing else you've heard this year. I could listen to every track over and over. I've gotta go with top 3 favorites this time instead of just one. "Lonely Boy," "Gold On The Ceiling," and "Mind Eraser." Definitely my favorite album of 2011 (tied with Black Veil Brides). 5 out of 5 stars!

Album Review: Chevelle - "Hats Off to the Bull"

I've always been a fan of Chevelle, but haven't listened to any of their albums in their entirety. I'm glad I did with this one. Every single song on this CD is worth owning. Overall, it has sort of a sultry feel and it's very cinematic. Perfect baby making music. Pete, the lead singer, wails like always, so there's a lot of deep feeling to his vocals. Plus it's hard to find an album that makes you want to move around as much as this one does. Track 11 was my favorite titled "Clones." 5 out of 5 stars, easily!

Album Review: Evanescence - "Evanescence"

I was sooo hoping for awesomeness from Evanescence after being obsessed with their "Fallen" CD in 2003. You can tell they went a little more mainstream on this one, but it's not a negative thing like I see in a lot of cases. They still include a ton of depth and layers to their music with countless instruments. Lots and lots of strings (as usual). Everything just sounds beautiful. This is a more mellow album and because of that, you're able to appreciate the elements brought into each track. "Oceans" was my favorite song by far. 5 out of 5 stars!

Album Review: Nickelback - "Here and Now"

Ok honestly, I didn't want to listen to this at all, but I decided to give Nickelback another chance. Nope, still not a big fan of them. Some songs sound like they went back to the 80s, tripped, thought they were writing genius music, but it really ended up not that awesome. The only good thing I can find out of this is that they've stuck with they're old sound. I like when bands do that. The only track I liked was #1, "This Means War." 1 out of 5 stars. Yikes.