Lordi

3.5/5 stars

“Deadache”

The End Records

Coming off of the 2008 Ozzfest 2008 tour, the Finnish heavy metal band makes their way back to rock scene with its fifth album, “Deadache”.

Those rockers out there who love KISS will be in for a treat. Lordi brings the theater back to the music scene by outfitting themselves in demonic costumes. These elaborately detailed costumes revolve around the band’s gimmick, which has been very popular around Europe — its fanbase set a world record of “most people to sing karaoke simultaneously” with 80,000 singing along to “Hard Rock Hallelujah”.

The album starts off with kicking riffs and ends the exact same way. The lyrics aren’t exactly stellar, but the band has a great sound that you will find yourself humming in class. For those of you wary of the heavy metal connotation, the album features many songs that don’t involve ear-bleeding shredding.

Just like the old saying goes, be sure not to judge this album by its cover. The band delivers an interesting aural experience that most will enjoy.

— Luke Atkinson/The Daily

Hundredsomethings

3.5/5 stars

“Get Well”

Self-released

Getting handed a homemade copy of a small-time local band’s foray into music is like drawing all vowels when you’re playing Scrabble. You immediately think to yourself, “What am I going to do with this?”

Usually.

Midwest City-based Hundredsomethings isn’t that kind of local band.

“Get Well,” the debut album from the group, is a strong first effort, combining plenty of healthy power-pop guitar licks with a surprising level of consistency. The album does run into a common problem — many of the songs sound the same, but standout tracks “All Here” and “Waitin’ On Me” break up the potential monotony.

Hundredsomethings have a sound akin to fellow Oklahoma rockers The Uglysuit, and they could be next in line for the explosion of popularity that The Uglysuit has experienced.

— Dusty Somers/The Daily

The Clash

4/5 stars

“Live at Shea Stadium”

Epic/Sony BMG

This live recording comes from a transitional time for The Clash. The band’s album, “Combat Rock,” was still on top of the charts, but the band had just let go of drummer Topper Headon due to a heroin problem. The set comes from a 1982 New York City concert at Shea Stadium. The band supported The Who in front of a rain-soaked crowd of over 50,000. Photos in the CD sleeve reveal an intimate backstage hangout with the band, David Bowie and Andy Warhol.

The setlist doesn’t play like a greatest hits record, but some of the band’s more popular songs are well-represented. “I Fought the Law,” “Rock the Casbah” and “London Calling,” are among the more recognizable songs. The set also includes a quality version of the reggae-influenced “Armagideon Time,” as well as an enthusiastic performance of “Train in Vain.”

The recording itself is extremely well-mastered. The audio quality is remarkable, considering it was taped on a rainy night over 25 years ago. But in a strange way, the clean sound takes away from the rawness associated with The Clash. Overall, the album is a good pickup for fans of the band as well as people who admire a good live album.

— James Lovett/The Daily

Snow Patrol

3.5/5 stars

“A Hundred Million Suns”

A&M Records

If you’re going to listen to an arena-leaning rock band that spreads the anthems on thick, you really should be listening to Snow Patrol.

After years of laboring in obscurity, they’ve settled in comfortably to a familiar formula – expansive, heavily layered rockers mingling with hushed, intimate ballads. To that end, “A Hundred Million Suns” doesn’t sound much different than Snow Patrol’s last album “Eyes Open.”

And yet, there are not many bands achieving the blended sound the group has developed – Coldplay is its only serious competition here.

Despite its obvious lack of risks, “A Hundred Million Suns” lives up to the rest of the material in the Snow Patrol canon – it’s neither standout nor stinker, but for the crowd that listens to Snow Patrol, it’s perfect.

— Dusty Somers/The Daily

Kenny Rogers

Cheese factor: 3/5 stars

“Christmas”

Capitol Records

The Christmas album is a rare glimpse into the realities of corporate consumerism. It combines sub-par originality with an exploitive agenda to capitalize and profit from holiday cheer. But I’d like to celebrate this in all its cheesy glory, because after all, while representing all that is wrong with America, it also makes a great addition to your Christmas party this year.

Today we celebrate Kenny Rogers’ “Christmas,” which I found in a thrift store for $1, is the perfect LP to throw in the record player whenever you feel bad about your career: Your Christmas sweater isn’t as washed up as him.

And as the bone-shivering winds begin to blow, you can take comfort that with “Christmas,” Kenny’s gravelly voice and grizzly beard will be able to keep you warm during the holidays. “Kentucky Homemade Christmas” reminds you of the “real America,” and traditional carols like “O’ Holy Night” and “White Christmas” are at least familiar enough to calm old people when they are confused about where they are. What makes this album so eerie is that Kenny can be so patronizing and exclusory, yet warm and fuzzy at the same time.

It’s traditional, country and about as gut-wrenching as Grandma’s mystery pound cake. But just like her cake, it’d oddly comforting. I recommend putting this on at your Christmas party without telling anyone, so that eventually somebody will walk up, tugging uncomfortably at their Christmas sweater and say, “Um, is this Kenny Rogers?”

Yes it is. And it’s bad, it’s offensive and it’s our obscure Christmas album of the week.

— Tyler Branson/The Daily