Batman: Arkham City - The Album

Batman: Arkham City – The Album
2011, Watertower Music

On October 18, 2011, Warner Bros. Interactive releases the video game Batman: Arkham City.  The follow-up to Arkham Asylum features many of the same gaming attributes, but enhances features, weapons and tools in an open world environment.  The soundtrack, Batman: Arkham City – The Album, drops on October 4, 2011, and includes some big names in active rock.

Panic! At The Disco kick starts things with “Mercenary”, an incredibly catchy rocker that’s certain to make room for itself on the Billboard charts.  It’s a perfect introduction; the sort of song that pervades your consciousness and refuses to let you go.  It’s the best blend of alternative/heavy rock and pop sensibilities on the collection.  Coheed And Cambria “Deranged” and The Duke Spirit “Creature” offer up solid if not terribly memorable tracks, while Black Rebel Motorcycle Club gets overtly ethereal on the dream-rock number “Shadow On The Run”.  Blacq Audio seem to be channeling 80s rockers such as the Thompson Twins on “Afterdark”, a solid enough track that thoroughly fails to fit in with the other tracks offered here.

Raveonettes make up for a lack of substance with lots of fuzz and buzz on “Oh, Stranger”, paving the way for ††† (Crosses) and their tortured, post-Smiths self-immolation, wrapped in dark commercial medal forms.  The Damned Things make a fine impression with “Trophy Widow”, dropping a tremendous chorus on listeners.  The blend of pop and metal sensibilities here is intriguing and unique, although the screamed verses are more of a contrast to the chorus than a complement.  Daughtry hits all the right notes on “Drown In You”.  The song is well-written, the arrangement tight, and the chorus sets up shop in your forebrain and declares its intent to stick around for a while.  The Boxer Rebellion offers up a solid effort in “Losing You”, but it’s Serj Tankian who steals the show with the closing track, “Total Paranoia”.  If you’ve never heard him before, Tankian has an eclectic and unusual voice that’s almost counterintuitive to this environment on first listen, but he grows on you like dark thoughts in the night.  “Total Paranoia” is an exceedingly pleasant surprise, and an example of how a music director, thinking outside the box on a project such as this, occasionally strikes gold.

There’s no doubt that Batman: Arkham City – The Album will turn out to provide far accompaniment to the game itself, but as an album it has little sense of flow; the songs here don’t have a common theme or driving factor other than the overly complex apocrypha of Batman storylines and legends.  Batman: Arkham City – The Album was put together with an eye toward download sales of single tracks rather than an attempt to build a cohesive theme, and it shows.  On the left, it’s difficult to build this sort of cohesion in a soundtrack collection featuring eleven different artists, which is why being the music director for this sort of project is a thankless exposition.  In any case, this is a time to pick and choose the tracks you want and download accordingly.  There are some real gems here.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Batman: Arkham City at www.batmanarkhamcity.org. 

         CD                          MP3                    MP3 + Score

     iTunes.

And if you're interested in pre-ordering the game, here are the links!

        X-Box 360           X-Box 360                PS3
                                 Special Edition                            


          PS3                   Windows
   Special Edition            Live


Please note that the Amazon.com prices listed above are as of the posting date, and may have changed. Wildy's World is not responsible for price changes instituted by Amazon.com.

Son Of The Sun - The Happy Loss

Son Of The Sun - The Happy Loss
2010, I Blame Yoko Music

Buffalo, NY band Son Of The Sun returns on June 22, 2010 with The Happy Loss, their first full-length album and the follow up to last year’s Before The After EP. The Happy Loss is a highly detailed collection of melodic rock songs, produced by Mike Brown and the band and mixed by Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse, Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker).

The Happy Loss opens with "The Good Ole Days", a powerful and passionate piece of moody rock n roll. Offered in a simple, driven arrangement, the melancholy air of "The Good Ole Days" plays well on the edges of 1960's psychedelia. "The Other Side" is a moody piece in a dark Americana setting. The band employees multiple vocal lines here singing (mostly) in time and in unison, sounding like the relentless call of things we can envision but can't understand. "How Can It Be?" is a lament over a relationship lost; she mistreated him out on the way out the door but he's still searching for her.

Moving on is the theme of "Leopard Print", but this departure is mournful and startlingly desperate. "Get Together" is catchy and danceable garage rock; the best song on the album. The simple, sweet melody here will catch you by the ear and keep you interested even after several listens. In "Keys (Last Call)" we have reminiscence about a first meeting that's both sweet and messy, and driven by the hangover of the desperation apparent earlier in the album. "The Franklin" is right there with "Get Together" for best turn on the album, a mid-tempo country tune with great harmonies and a knockout arrangement. The Happy Loss closes with "Tell Me" which sounds like a classic 1950's ballad. The urgent depicted here is like the helpless dependence of a child; a stark close to an album where the undefined anti-hero falls down and never recovers.

Rather than offering the usual happy resolution of a breakup album on The Happy Loss, Son Of The Sun leaves us mired in the on-going struggle to get by; get through. While it doesn't fit the rules in the pop handbook (similar to the Disney credo of happily ever after), it's a highly realistic rock cycle dealing with loss without ever fully coming to terms with it. It fits the way most people live their lives, flitting to and fro around the damage without ever fully inspecting it or coming to terms. Musically, Son Of The Sun take a few steps forward from Before The After marking no wholesale change but the slow development of a band not in a hurry to take over the world. It's a solid effort, and worth spending some time on.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Son Of The Sun at http://www.sonofthesunmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/sonofthesunmusic. The Happy Loss drops June 22, 2010. Expect wide availability via Amazon, iTunes and Son Of The Sun's website.

Review: Hudson Rail Company - Hudson Rail Company

Hudson Rail Company - Hudson Rail Company
2008, HRC Inc.

Hudson Rail Company is a neo-Classic Rock Quartet based in Jersey City, New Jersey. Raised on bands such as Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, Hudson Rail Company marches to a similar beat to these bands and modern classicists Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Their self-titled EP, released in 2008, is a solid collection of classic rock influenced songs sure to satisfy both Classic Rock and Modern Rock fans.

Hudson Rail Company opens with City By The Ocean, a straight up classic rock song with a groovin' bass line. You'll find yourself dancing and singing along to this highly commercial offering. Take Their Toll sounds a bit like a stripped down Live, with LV Leigh Wilson sounding a lot like Ed Kowalczyk Mystery Madonna finds Hudson Rail Company in a similar mold, although the guitar work here reminds me a bit of Lowest Of The Low (but still with Ed Kowalczyk on vocals. Wisdom sounds very radio ready, with some great guitar work by Arun Viswnathan. Superstar Tonight brings a bit of the rock star glam feel to a modern rock arrangement in a song that seems like it should be a concert favorite. Hudson Rail Company saves the best for last on Friend Or Lover.

Hudson Rail Company brings a classic rock feel into the modern era with songs built on steady, classic rhythms and lots of guitar. Hudson Rail Company is a solid Rock N Roll EP, definitely worth a listen.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Hudson Rail Company at http://www.hudsonrailcompany.com/ or www.myspace.com/hudsonrailcompany. You can purchase a copy of Hudson Rail Company at www.cdbaby.com/cd/hudsonrailcompany2. Hudson Rail Company was recently chosen to open for Kevin Costner & Modern West on Friday, May 8, 2009 at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. We have one pair of tickets to give away. Please email wildyscontests@gmail.com with a subject line of Hudson Rail Company contest. Entries will be accepted through April 30, 2009. One winner will be chosen at random.

Overnight – These Days Are Over
2009, Overnight

Overnight is the sort of musical collective that isn’t far removed from the term super group. Members of overnight have played in various bands/ensembles, including Rye Coalition, NAS, Lauryn Hill, Breech (with members of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Brian Jonestown Massacre), Mary J. Blige and Gliss. This range of influences and exposure form the basis of the sound of Overnight. Lush Rock N Roll with electronic trimmings is the special on These Days Are Over, Overnight’s soon-to-be-released sophomore album.

These Days Are Over opens with Harlem River Drive, 6:45; a near-ambient prologue to This Is How, a U2-style epic rock song that is perhaps the best on the album. Strange Love is a wonderfully off-kilter arrangement that relies heavily on electronic instrumentation. Oh The Life! is also highly catchy and memorable, with lead vocalist Philip Watts sounding quite a lot like Bono. I also enjoyed Other Side, a mellow yet energetic rocker and I Know, where Overnight ends up sounding like a more refined version of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Suspect Genius is also worth a spin or two for its punk rock energy.

Overnight definitely hits some high notes on These Days Are Over. This is a musician’s record, and as happens sometimes when musicians really get into a project, there are points where the attempts to perfect a certain sound or style perhaps overwhelm the pure musicality of a given song or part of a song, but on the whole this is a very worthwhile listen.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Overnight at www.myspace.com/overnight or http://www.overnightmusic.net/. A release date for These Days Are Over was not available at publication time, but keep checking Overnight’s web site for additional information.