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Eric Clapton’s “Back Home” (2005) – Yes, No, or Maybe So

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Eric Clapton’s Back Home (2005) – MAYBE NOT

Eric Clapton's "Back Home" (2005)

Eric Clapton's "Back Home" (2005)

(August 29, 2005)

Review:

The only “revolution” that happened between 2001’s excellent Reptile and Back Home was Eric Clapton’s conversion to the school of light contemporary snooze rock, filling up his new album with instrumentally pedestrian and lyrically boring recordings; Clapton’s guitarwork is, as always, interesting, but that can’t save most songs from dragging on a minute too long (“Love Don’t Love Nobody” has no business being over seven minutes!) or the background singers from drawing a smirk.

Top Two Tracks:

“So Tired” & “Back Home”

Honorable Mention:

“Love Comes to Everyone” (yes, the George Harrison song, recorded as a tribute following his death and recognized here for sounding so much like the original)

Editor’s note: this post was originally published before December 2015; the exact original date is uncertain.

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STP’s “Stone Temple Pilots” (2010) – Yes, No, or Maybe So

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STP’s Stone Temple Pilots (2010) – MAYBE

STP's "Stone Temple Pilots" (2010)

STP's "Stone Temple Pilots" (2010)

(May 25, 2010)

Review:

This time around, Stone Temple Pilots have gone for the obvious with the album title yet have taken a surprising turn toward the realm of power pop; the first half is populated by dumb but fun rockers, being the rare case where the real gems are sprinkled through the second half.

Top Two Tracks:

“Cinnamon” & “First Kiss on Mars”

Editor’s note: this post was originally published before December 2015; the exact original date is uncertain.

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Guster’s “Easy Wonderful” (2010) – YES, NO, MAYBE SO?

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Guster’s Easy Wonderful (2010) – MAYBE

Easy Wonderful (Guster, 2010)

Easy Wonderful (Guster, 2010)

(October 5, 2010)

Review:

The Easy Wonderful CD design is telling: the disc is a vibrant, organic hand-drawn color wheel (see the cover) with a massive “FBI Anti-Piracy Warning” stamped over it; this design — whether the band approved the warning or not — finds Guster, as always, an engaging band with a knack for beautiful songwriting but with too much feeling forced or underwhelming this time around to truly impress alongside their back catalog (i.e. Keep It Together, anyone?).

Top Two Tracks:

“Jesus & Mary” & “Architects & Engineers”

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How to Destroy Angels’ “How to Destroy Angels” EP (2010) – YES, NO, or MAYBE SO

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How to Destroy Angels’ How to Destroy Angels EP (2010) – MAYBE

"How To Destroy Angels" (How To Destroy Angels, 2010)

"How To Destroy Angels" (How To Destroy Angels, 2010)

(June 1, 2010)

Review:

I don’t know that I’ll ever “get” the finer points of such experimental/industrial rock as How to Destroy Angels creates, yet even I can register the passive-aggressive patterns laid out across these six tracks, accented by volleys of bass, carefully constructed drum tracks, and — not to be overlooked — (Trent Reznor’s wife and bandmate) Mariqueen Maandig’s deep, rich vocals.

Top Two Tracks:

“Fur Lined” & “Parasite”

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