PORTLAND, Maine — January is not a month when the major record labels send a lot of fresh music into the world.
The thinking is that people are tapped out after the holidays and not inclined to spend, but the flow of new releases never dries up completely.
Mick Werkhoven and Chris Brown from Bull Moose came on 207 to talk about some of latest albums that piqued their interest.
Here are their comments.
Twilight Force: 'At the Heart of Wintervale'
Much of America was likely introduced to concept of power metal through the inclusion of "Through the Fire & the Flames" in Guitar Hero back in 2007, but the genre has continued to grow and become refined since them. Classical chords, multi-vocal harmonies, and the songs about swords, elves, wizards and dragons – power metal has it all! And the winds of January carry with it a new release from Twilight Force, a Swedish band of adventures who wear costumes on stage and sing the tales of the fictional realm of The Twilight Kingdom. You can’t say it isn’t a ton of a fun.
Margo Price: 'Strays'
Margo Price’s music is country at its core, but like Sturgill Simpson she has many fans who don’t listen to much new country music. We will talk about why her appeal is so broad and why a major indie artist would release their album in January.
Paramore: 'This Is Why'
From pop punk, to just pop, to back again. Based on the singles released so far, the band is returning to the guitar-driven songwriting style that made it famous, and though it’s unlikely they’ll get as heavy as "Misery Business" again, it’s good to see them back to their old tricks. Looking forward to hearing the rest of the album when it comes out in February.
Yardbirds: 'Live & Rare & Renaissance, 'Live Fillmore West and Other Adventures'
We all know that Jimmy Page started Led Zeppelin when the Yardbirds split up. What about the other guys? Singer Keith Relf and drummer/songwriter Jim McCarty went prog and formed the original lineup of Renaissance. Both sets contain plenty of juicy live stuff for fans, including three Yardbirds performances of “Dazed & Confused.”