Nikki Sixx; PJ Harvey; Black Stone Cherry; the Pet Shop Boys. They don’t have that much in common as a list - apart from that they are musicians. And they have made albums that stand out amid the 100 or so in the ARTINFO review pile this month.As “rock music” becomes an ever broader term, covering a wide variety of genres, some of the best is to be found away from the immediate mainstream of daytime radio pop – think harder rock, retro electronica, indie, folk. 1. SIXX:A.M., “Prayers for the Damned Volume 1” (out April 29 2016 on Eleven Seven Music)This album’s lead single “Rise” was given an acoustic outing before an invite-only audience in London. Those present were keen to get the word out: the performance confirmed the power of James Michael’s voice even without amplification and the guitar commitment of DJ Ashba, who works up greater electric storms on the record.The song has the sort of defiant “you can do it” lines you might have heard from Nikki Sixx’s address to audiences during his just-ended Mötley Crüe days: “Stand up and live your life… don’t let the status quo define you… don't be afraid to fight for something.” Some inspirational lines you might see on a motivational poster on an office wall: “this is your world... it’s a dawn of a new day.” Put this in the context of standing up for rights and beliefs after attacks on democracy. SIXX:A.M. is already known for positive-vibe songs such as “Life Is Beautiful.”This album, the first of a pair in 2016, pairs its call to arms with shiny production like a smooth silver Harley. Sixx and his cohorts come with a ready-made fan base sure, but they aren’t resting on their laurels. A tour starts April 30 in Florida. Information: http://sixxammusic.com/tour/ 2. Black Stone Cherry: “Kentucky” (Mascot)This is a fifth studio outing for the Kentucky rockers. They bring it all back home with the title and a back-to-basics vibe. This doesn’t mean bluegrass twang-guitar and yee-hah country. Instead, they turn it up to 11 and venture further down the grungy road toward heavy metal.Black Stone Cherry has always had an audience in the UK. As its edge gets harder, it may find more success at home in the commercially huge HM area. It’s just what they want to do, though there are lessons here: if your act doesn’t quite make it mainstream, consider grunge, heavy metal, country, electronic. There is always a stadium with phones to be waved aloft if you have a blaster like “Shakin’ My Cage.” 3. PJ Harvey: “The Hope Six Demolition Project” (out April 15 on Island)Those of us lucky to get a ticket into London’s Somerset House last year witnessed Polly Jean Harvey and musicians recording this album live in public.The song cycle is part of a bigger project which she describes on “The Orange Monkey”: “I took a plane to a foreign land, and said ‘I’ll write down what I find’.”Of course, writing about foreign culture from the viewpoint of a new observer, not corrupted by any facts, can work well. In “The Wheel” video, she is wondering around a ruined Kosovo, consoling kids, counting casualties and incanting “watch them fade out.”On the other side of the coin, this lyrical tourism/ impression journalism can also produce misunderstanding. “The Community of Hope” is PJ’s thoughts on part of Washington DC, partly based on the comments of her tour guides. This has angered some local politicians. There is a rich vein of humor about any city that turning ultimate salvation into retail heaven: “They’re gonna put a Walmart here” becomes a gospel chant.Controversy aside, this is a collection whose complexity hasn’t quite the immediacy of Harvey’s best work such as the war thoughts of the Mercury-winner “Let England Shake” (2011). We may be left wondering: this time, is this music-by-numbers set to forced inspiration? Well Harvey, a Briton, pulled off a new background with “Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea” (2000), another Mercury winner rooted in New York, and she’s right to be confident trying again. 4. The Pet Shop Boys: “Super” (X2 records)The opening single “The Pop Kids” sounds pretty much like the Pet Shop Boys did in the 1990s. Well, that’s how it’s supposed to sound. Neil Tennant starts off by recalling the 1990s with students going out every night and quoting the best bits of lyrics. This collection is full of the same pulsating keyboards, gentle vocals and doubtless Tennant’s knowingly raised eyebrow just off frame. Arguably, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If you like the PSB you will probably like this, though it’s unlikely to win any new converts. 5. New View by Eleanor Friedberger (Frenchkiss Records)The recent list of best albums of 2016 so far –Kendrick Lamar, David Bowie, Kanye West, Rhianna, Iggy Pop, the 1975, Savages and more – probably should have included Eleanor Friedberger’s January release.This third solo outing has a simplicity and conventionality about it which is somehow charming. The result is a grower, not so immediate, but there is articulacy here like that of Australia’s Courtney Barnett. How can one not fall for tracks such as “Cathy With the Curly Hair”?It now seems centuries ago that this critic and others were enthusing about Eleanor’s work as half of Fiery Furnaces –her brother Matthew a friend of a friend - and now she is doing just fine as a solo voice. 6. Spiritual Friendship, “Spiritual Friendship” (Hookemon)This album comes from an unusual creative pairing: British producer Gareth ‘Genius’ Jones, who has worked with Depeche Mode, Wire, Erasure and more - and Nick Hook, who among other things is a New York DJ, producer, and remixer.This a something of a masterclass in keyboard programs and seductive synths. There are echoes of electronica from William Orbit’s “Strange Cargo” to the Orb, Boards of Canada and more. But these guys have plenty of fresh ideas, a combined 100 years of life experience and inventiveness that raises it a notch. It repays listening over all 42 minutes.https://soundcloud.com/spiritualfriendship For more, click on the slideshow
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