Rocking out 2008 with three CDs

2008 is ending with a big bang. And it is of the rocking sort what with the recent local release of new CDs by three of the best young rock bands today. Previous albums by this trio were all good and it is great to find out that they are still on the right track with their latest.

Folie a Deux by Fall Out Boy (FOB). Patrick Stump on vocals and guitar; Pete Wentz on bass; Joe Trohman on guitar; and Andy Hurley on drums took the country by storm with a sold-out concert at the Araneta Coliseum two years ago. Rumors have it that they will be back for another show in February 2009. If they are, then they couldn’t have found a better way to whet the appetites of their Pinoy fans than with this album.

Folie a Deux is one of the Top 10 selling CDs in the US today. This is proof of the market’s acceptance of FOB’s decision to milk emo for all it’s worth. There is now more piano than guitars, prettier melodies, attention-grabbing themes and titles. These, along with Stump’s dramatic vocals contribute towards what must be the band’s most commercial album. Fans may complain about missing the grit of the early days but I am sure the big number of new followers would more than make up for the gripes.

A Hundred Million Suns by Snow Patrol. Aside from Gary Lightbody’s impressive vocals, the thing that caught my attention in Snow Patrol’s Eyes Open was how wonderfully quirky the lyrics are. The same may be found in this new CD and more. Lightbody goes for the kill with a wider vocal range and even more imaginative songs. Not just with the lyrics but with brilliant, inventive melodies.

The mood too, is brighter, a virtual feast of sounds that flows smoothly from one to the next. Nothing jars and even non-rock fans would find lots to admire. These guys are musicians in every sense of the word and must be the most exciting among the younger bands from the UK. If There’s a Rocket Tie Me to It gets the CD off to a great start but the ender is the real mind-blower. The Lightning Strike is an ambitious piece of electronica. The band’s usual emo excesses take a backseat to a newfound minimalism in the three-song suite. The result is blasé and understated. But it works! No doubt about it, these guys will be around for a long time.

Day & Age by The Killers. The Las Vegas-based band is one of the most consistent hitmakers in the US today. Think singles like Mr. Brightside, When You Were Young, Somebody Told Me, Smile Like You Mean It. Its Hot Fuss CD was big. Sam’s Town was a delight. Sawdust showed off interesting B-sides. But I expect this new and fourth one to be bigger. This is because despite the diversity of sounds, it is the group’s tightest, most coherent and most confident work to date.

Day & Age brings together the types of music we have come to associate with The Killers. It is big arena rock Human. It is pop, I Can’t Stay. It dances, Losing Touch. And I am sure epic rock has found a great find for its classics roster with future addition Spaceman. The CD is short and one cannot help but want more. But it is such a solid piece of work where an additional song or two would have ruined the vibe.

The Killers is Brandon Flowers on vocals and keyboards; David Keuning on guitar; Mark Stoermer on bass; Ronnie Vannucci on drums.

Noticed something about the covers of these CDs. The inlays are all in single folds with the barest of credits. No thick booklets of lyrics and photos of the bands. I do not know if it is the same case with the original foreign editions. If it is, then I see this as a way to cut production costs. Printing covers costs a lot and what with record companies continuing to lose money through diminishing sales and piracy, something must be done to bring down the expenses. So the elaborate covers have to go.

It is just as well. Album covers have become mere vanity trips for artists anyway, mostly filled with drivel buyers do not really care about. No more the informative liner notes of old. Besides with downloads becoming more and more popular album covers will soon be a thing of the past. These three albums might just mark the beginning.