Lana Del Rey/Norman F*cking Rockwell

Mike Wood

Lana Del Rey is the real deal. The whole package, some might say. She’s a singer and songwriter who pushes all the right buttons with a knowing wink and who makes moody, rapturous music that enchants while it stimulates, and makes listeners think (if they care to really listen). Sway, swoon, snicker at the inherent wit, or ball your eyes out depending on your mood—or do all at once if that’s your thing—because Norman F*cking Rockwell is top-tier Lana Del Rey. And that’s quite a feat for an artist who already has a solid catalog of albums under her belt.

Songs from Rockwell have been trickling out over the last several months, offering just a taste of the modern-day diary of sorts that challenges the status quo (gotta love that album title!) and asks her audience to question their very existence in a world seemingly turned upside down. Now we get the whole diary, and we’re enthralled. Whether it’s ballads like “Love Song,” or “How to Disappear,” Del Rey invokes as much to think about—with equal parts passion, purpose, dread and doom—as she does with heavier offerings like “New Best American Record” or the brilliant title track.

With her signature throaty voice, Del Rey is reimagining the American Dream for a generation likely aware that our country’s history is being rewritten every day by the powers that be. A generation ago, Norman Rockwell illustrated an idealized America that offered a sense of serenity and comfort in sameness and simplicity. Lana Del Rey ain’t having it. On Norman Fcking Rockwell, she’s saying, “f you” and offering her deepest, most committed, disarming and amazing album to date to do so.

For more information visit: lanadelrey.com.

Slipknot/We Are Not Your Kind

Jason Savio

Controlled chaos is what comes to mind when listening to Slipknot’s We Are Not Your Kind. The sixth album by the Iowa-based band, We Are Not Your Kind packs a punch while also drawing back and having some vulnerable moments.

It’s a fierce record, not just because of the unabashed heaping of lightning-fast metal it serves up in songs “Critical Darling” and “Red Flag,” but more so because of the moments when singer Corey Taylor puts his heart on his sleeve without the screaming bravado, such as in the stripped down “My Pain,” when he drops a whole lot of “love” bombs. Getting Emo? Close.

Speaking of lightning fast, believe it or not, new Knot drummer Jay Weinberg – the one pumping these songs up with some serious double-bass drum grease – is the son of Max Weinberg, drummer in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

Making this a complete record from beginning to end is the level of experimentation that is included in the interludes between songs, elevating We Are Not Your Kind to not just a solid metal album, but a solid metal album that has a hint of an artsy edge to it. It’s not stop-go-stop-go. Instead, it takes the time to explore the space in between songs and how they blend in with each other.

The best moment of the album is when a creepy piano melody, very similar to the theme from the “Halloween” movies, slinks out of “What’s Next” and into “Spiders.” Bizarre atmospherics and melodies found on “We Are Not Your Kind” sometimes bring the record to the border of an instrumental soundtrack, one conjured up for a riveting horror movie never meant to be.

For more information visit: slipknot1.com.

Saved by Skarlet/Out of Darkness

Jennifer Russo

There was a time in my life when I really enjoyed the whole Christian mainstream scene, but I got away
from it because 1) I became pretty jaded in general and 2) a lot of the music started sounding the same. So other than a few staple favorites like Casting Crowns and Skillet, which always found a place in my rotation, I haven’t much had an interest these last few years. Every now and again though, I go back to my roots just to see what is out there, especially when I get bored or tired of the negativity a lot of music seems to speak about much of the time.

I appreciated Saved by Skarlet’s style, which incorporates ethereal keyboard with solid drumline and catchy guitar riffs for a well-rounded sound. Mostly clean vocals from singer Nathan, with a few growls worked in and some well-placed harmonies.

I’ll start by highlighting my favorite song on the album, “Surrender All”, which is the token ballad and well done. With a piano intro that picks up midway, the song is about surrendering to a higher power and giving control over when there is struggle and doubt. I thought it flowed beautifully, with musical dynamics that weaved in and out of intensity and could really speak to anyone, believer or not.

On the opposite end of that spectrum, was the heaviest song on the album, “The Syndrome”. I loved this song and found it insanely catchy as it came fiercely out of the gate with powerful rhythms and layered sound. I thought the breakdown a little more than halfway through was genius.

Though I think the album would mesh well amongst others in the Christian rock genre, I think it also has what it takes to ripple the otherwise still water. This is a young band that I believe will continue a growth trajectory as they further establish their collective voice, so it rises above others, which I’d encourage, because the message is positive and empowering, and people need that in their lives.

Visit the band’s official website at: facebook.com/SavedBySkarletBand.