Cast Magic Hour

Cast Magic Hour

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Magic Hour's songwriting rises way above 1997's Mother Nature Calls, especially on tracks such as "Alien" and "Chasing the Day." But it's "Beat Mama's effusive pop flow and well-suited guitar and vocal partnership that gave Cast a Top Ten hit in the U.K., brandishing a firm, streamlined sound in the same vein as Paul Weller, but only to a certain extent. John Power, the La's former bass player, is extremely sharp throughout, giving "Dreamer" and "Company Man" added depth in both his guitar playing and his singing. Overall, though, Peter Wilkinson gains the most attention, sounding more professional and more focused than he did while he was with Shack and Supercharge. Magic Hour's attributes are created in the congenialness of the tracks and how they unfold, not gaining attention right away but emitting a subtle but sturdy English pop/rock charm as the album progresses. Even though none of the songs can match the strength of "Guiding Star" from the All Change album, Magic Hour still stands up as the group's second best recording.

The Hives Veni Vidi Vicious

The Hives Veni Vidi Vicious

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Rousing, stompin' garage rock from these Swedes, with plenty of mod and frantic punk energy to keep you grooving along. "Party party!," they seem to be saying, and you just want to join. This is a definite change-up from the usual hyper-speed pop ska-punk dross offered on Epitaph. Perhaps this arises from the fact that these guys are only distributed on Epitaph and yet are actually on the Burning Heart imprint. Plenty of fuzzed, struttin', propulsive guitar work on this disc to assault your ears. Well-worth your time to take a spin. More records like this need to exist. [The Japanese edition adds three songs taken from the A.K.A I-D-I-O-T EP.]

Duran Duran Rio

Duran Duran Rio

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From its Nagel cover to the haircuts and overall design -- and first and foremost the music -- Rio is as representative of the '80s at its best as it gets. The original Duran Duran's high point, and just as likely the band's as a whole, its fusion of style and substance ensures that even two decades after its release it remains as listenable and danceable as ever. The quintet integrates its sound near-perfectly throughout, the John and Roger Taylor rhythm section providing both driving propulsion and subtle pacing. For the latter, consider the lush, semi-tropical sway of "Save a Prayer," or the closing paranoid creep of "The Chauffeur," a descendant of Roxy Music's equally affecting dark groover "The Bogus Man." Andy Taylor's muscular riffs provide fine rock crunch throughout, Rhodes' synth wash adds perfect sheen, and Le Bon tops it off with sometimes overly cryptic lyrics that still always sound just fine in context, courtesy of his strong delivery. Rio's two biggest smashes burst open the door in America for the New Romantic/synth rock crossover. "Hungry Like the Wolf" blended a tight, guitar-heavy groove with electronic production and a series of instant hooks, while the title track was even more anthemic, with a great sax break from guest Andy Hamilton adding to the soaring atmosphere. Lesser known cuts like "Lonely in Your Nightmare" and "Last Chance on the Stairway" still have pop thrills a-plenty, while "Hold Back the Rain" is the sleeper hit on Rio, an invigorating blast of feedback, keyboards and beat that doesn't let up. From start to finish, a great album that has outlasted its era. [The 2009 Collector's Edition contains both the original U.K. release of Rio and the U.S. album mixes, as well as a bonus disc of demos, B-sides, and remixes.]