Hard Rock
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the hard rock music genre.
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Queen – “A Day at the Races”
Queen’s albums became a lot less consistent after A Night at the Opera. Fortunately, they didn’t fall too hard yet on A Day at the Races. The biggest problem with this album is that it really is, in many respects, just a lesser version of its predecessor. Many songs here evoke the same feeling. The… (read more)
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Queen – “A Night at the Opera”
The Beatles were the first band to show me how fun and enjoyable music can be. Queen were the band that showed me what music could be, and that’s demonstrated in full force on A Night at the Opera. Queen were powerful. Not only because of the self-evidence of their own name, but because they… (read more)
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Catherine Wheel – “Happy Days”
‘Happy Days’ is overly heavy, thick, generic grunge-y alternative rock. A gigantic step down from ‘Chrome.’ (read more)
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Cheap Trick – “Sex, America, Cheap Trick”
Sex, America, Cheap Trick is a rather half-assed, unfocused box set. Primarily has rare and unreleased tracks/demos, but also seems to be trying to make a case for Cheap Trick by including some (but certainly not all) of their biggest hit songs. However, this is pointless because due to the haphazard track selection and random… (read more)
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Queen – “Jazz”
On Jazz, Freddie Mercury absolutely piles on the pop culture references in his lyrics. Seriously, see how many you can count. Make it a fun game with friends. If you feel in the mood for pointless fun, then Jazz is your ideal soundtrack anyway, as it’s by far Queen‘s silliest album. I certainly don’t need… (read more)
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Foo Fighters – “Foo Fighters”
In the running for the best Foo Fighters album. Being their first, it has a less-produced sound than their later albums and is essentially a garage rock album. Very melodic alternative rock with several great riffs and a lot of energy accompanied with Dave Grohl’s soft voice or tuneful yells. At times borders on noise… (read more)
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Queen – “Flash Gordon”
Good for a soundtrack album. As a matter of fact, the soundtrack is pretty much the only thing worth watching the 1980 version of Flash Gordon for. The music suits the film’s themes and art direction perfectly, those being that of a mediocre, humorously camp ’80s sci-fi flick. In that sense, it’s a total triumph… (read more)
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Foo Fighters – “The Colour and the Shape”
Similar pop songwriting ideals of the debut album, but the hooks are bigger and the production is cleaner. Loses the more lo-fi, garage-y, punk feel of the debut that made it so charming. Almost all songs are midtempo, and there’s only two types of songs: brash rockers and strummed mellow electric guitar ballads. The latter… (read more)
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Queen – “Innuendo”
Innuendo is often called a return to form for Queen but that’s, quite literally, only half true. Innuendo is split right down the middle between Queen’s progressive touches from the ’70s, and their schmaltzy ballads of the ’80s. Predictably, this leads to an album that’s varied in quality. Regardless, Innuendo is properly hailed as one… (read more)
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Foo Fighters – “There Is Nothing Left to Lose” (1999)
On the Foo Fighters’s third album, Dave Grohl made a conscious effort to juxtapose the abrasive nu metal bands that had become popular during the album’s conception by making There Is Nothing Left to Lose the band’s most restrained album yet. Melodic and full of guitar lines that just glide by even during the loud… (read more)