The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia: A

Music: 8/10 Vocals: 5/5 Lyrics: 5/5 Production: 4/5
Total: 22/25 = A

The Gutter Twins is a collaboration of the singers from Screaming Trees and The Afghan Whigs. I'm a huge Mark Lanegan fan so I was eager to get this. And it did not disappoint.

One thing is for certain. God is coming for these two. And from the sounds of it, God may not be pleased! This makes Saturnalia a very dark and heavy album. But redemption requires facing one's demons and perhaps that's what this is all about. Certainly not to be missed is the Eastern-influenced Idle Hands which is perhaps one of the best songs of the year. Get this and repent.

The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America: C

Music: 7/10 Vocals: 3/5 Lyrics: 2/5 Production: 4/5
Total: 16/25 = C

The Hold Steady is a mix of Southern pop and Bruce Hornsby. The singer is a blend of Bruce Springsteen and Michael Stipe. It all kind of works well except for the lyrics. The singer is too busy talking about partying and getting high that it taints the other good songs on the album. Hopefully this band will mature since a lot of it is actually pretty catchy.