Rock sounds for summer

At a time when mellow sounds combined with the humidity can make you drowsy at odd hours, what better way to send the ennui scampering than with a dose of good rock music. Sheryl Crow’s rock and roll still works but if you want to go all out for something harder, newer, younger then here are the albums to check out.

The Long Road is the latest album by Nickelback which is made up of Chad Kroeger on vocals and guitar, Ryan Peake on guitar and vocals, Mike Kroeger on bass and Ryan Vikedal on drums. These rockers from Canada are also trying for music that is newer and harder than their previous hits. Please don’t think though that they have decided to lose the melodic quality they exhibited in earlier releases like The State and Silver Side Up, which includes the Grammy nominated monster hit How You Remind Me.

This flair for hook-filled melodies remains Nickelback’s strongest point but I am very glad to find out that these guys have progressed into music that is tight though commercial and has lyrics that are honest reflections of their new-found concerns. They seem to be saying they have now gone beyond boy and girl pinings and are prepared to take on the world. Best of all though is the fact that they perform these songs with the same biting intensity as the rock idols of old.

Someday, the big hit single of the album is a future rock anthem. Do This Anymore is frustration set against burning guitar metal. Throw Yourself Away roars with anger. Then if you still want the old Nickelback there is the romantic pop in Feeling Way Too Damn Good.

A Crow Left of the Murder by Incubus, the group composed of the heartthrob with an edge Brandon Boyd, singer and percussionist; Jose Pastillas, drummer; Mike Einziger, guitarist; Ben Kenny, bassist; and DJ Chris Kilmore which wowed Manila last February. Incubus seems to have pledged to themselves that they will only offer something new with everything they record and this album is no different. It is funk. It is rock. It is pop. It is in every way unique and it kicks very hard.

Like Nickelback these rockers from California straddle a wide range of topics in their songs. Love is present in the romantic ballad Southern Girl. But Brandon also shouts out "Quit blowing each other up" to the world in the hard rocking anti-war anthem Megalomaniac. Pop makes its appearance with Here in My Room but they spare nothing by way of social commentary in the driving Pistola. They wax philosophical in Leech then drive off to an aural trip with A Crow Left of the Murder.

Incubus’ growth in terms of technique and artistry is so evident in every cut that listening to the album feels like opening one box after another of goodies, each one unique and better than the last. Not bad for guys who started out just playing anything in high school or should I say, very good for sensitive guys who love to rock.

Still on rock music. The coming showing of the extremely enjoyable comedy School of Rock reminded me of this interesting album I came across a few months ago. In the movie, the volatile Jack Black turns a group of kids from an upper crust school into a truly rocking rock band. This album is a realization of that dream. Titled Forever Young it has a group of kids singing rock classics from the ’80s.

I initially thought the title referred to rock heroes who have left for the great beyond but are now considered "immortals" because of the music they left behind. Think Freddie Mercury of Queen whose We Will Rock You opens the album. Well, it turns out it is children performing the popular tunes and with their fresh voices and innate vitality, they do make the old favorites sound young. Truth to tell, listening to this shows kids can do other things than go into the paroxysms of "birit" when they sing the songs of Mariah Carey or Christina Aguilera.

So remain forever young with rock. After all, proof that it works is evident in Mick and Keith and maybe even Rod. Other cuts included are I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll, Walk Like an Egyptian, Should I Stay or Should I Go, Wot, Tainted Love, Boys Don’t Cry, Shout, Just Can’t Get Enough, Highway to Hell and Forever Young.