After five albums in 15 years, Alter Bridge quickly exited nervy adolescence (remember “Metalingus”?) and has comfortably matured. Their sixth album Walk the Sky shows their updated priorities, from banging heads to moving hearts. Yes, the curling, snarling guitars that permeate “Native Son,” “Pay No Mind,” and “Wouldn’t You Rather” speak to their sharpened metal pedigree. But it’s singer Myles Kennedy and lead guitarist Mark Tremonti’s melodious thunderstorm that is both crushing and refreshing; songs like “Godspeed,” “Forever Falling,” and the album closer “Dying Light” firmly secure their place in the melodic hard rock universe.
Rough Trade presents “Behind the Counter with Max Richter“. This spectacular compilation put together by much-loved British composer Max Richter is the first in Rough Trade Shop’s Behind the Counter series, in which some of our favourite artists create mixes especially for us using the records we sell on the shop floor. As big fans of Max, Rough Trade invited him to curate a mix, knowing he would pick out some unexpected gems. The result is a 36-track (on CD) and 33-Track (On Vinyl) compilation of soundbites, pieces of composition, interesting mixes and curious musical choices including tracks from Mogwai, Boards of Canada, Philip Glass, Aphex Twin and Low among some classical works by Rachmaninoff and Bach.