Bands back from the dead
The year of the resurrected musical artists

By Matt Weaver · The Mainstream
Published March 8, 2011

We’re faced with an unusual and exciting event this year. Cake and Social Distortion put out their first studio album in 7 years, and Bush put out their first new song in 10 years. Travis Barker is also releasing his solo compilation project. Several other big musical artists are returning to the recording scene, including the first studio albums in over a decade from both Primus and Rage Against the Machine. Word is out that new studio albums from Aerosmith, Blink 182, Soundgarden and Van Halen are coming as well. Though I’m completely excited about these albums, no music has been released from them as of yet.

“Give the Drummer Some”

Travis Barker is coming back strong after his near-death experience in a plane crash. The crash reunited his old band Blink 182 after the other members of the band rushed to his bedside in the hospital. They plan to release their first album in eight years later this year.

Barker already recorded his own solo project and released one official single and two other music videos from this work. His album is a compilation rap album with artists such as Lil Wayne, Tech N9ne, Snoop Dogg, Tom Morello and many others. Barker is trying to start a new trend of real, live drummers on rap albums instead of beat machines hence the album name, Give the Drummer Some.

I’ll admit I’m not a huge rap fan, and Lil Wayne’s voice can wear on me, but the sound of an actual drummer on a rap track was a nice change of pace.  It gave a different level to the drums, allowing them to stand out and drive the song. The single “Can a Drummer Get Some?” was even a little catchy.

Besides that song, the other two were a little lackluster, even with Tom Morello, a guitar hero, performing on one. I’d say this project has the ability to change the music industry, but this first attempt wasn’t perfect.

“Everything Always Now”

The band Bush, most known for their 90’s songs “Glycerine” and “The Chemicals Between Us,” released their new single last year after a long hiatus and plan for their full album to be released this year. The new single “Afterlife” features a dance beat rhythm, techno style guitar and an overall pop feel. Very different from what Bush fans have been accustomed to. The worst part of the song was the new backup vocals, which were high and contradictory to the band’s traditional “post-grunge” feel.

The song wasn’t terrible, just a change. I would recommend listeners giving it a chance.

“Showroom of Compassion”

The new Cake album, which debuted Jan. 11 at number one on the charts, can easily be described as “classic Cake.”  Anybody who’s heard Cake before won’t be surprised to find that the band, just like the classic birthday party dessert, hasn’t changed much. The album is rich with the indie-ska-alternative sound that is uniquely Cake. This album was produced by the band in their 100 percent solar power studio. The song’s lyrics range from strange and joking to deeply political.  Though Cake never wrote amazing lyrics or delivered stand-out guitar, their songs have always been just plain ‘ole catchy.

“Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes”

Social Distortion’s new album was the most surprising to me. They have the sound and energy to match anybody in today’s music industry, and they’ve been playing since the late 70’s. Lead singer Mike Ness has one of the better voices out of any punk band. The driving, slightly distorted guitar perfectly fills out the songs between phrases of his singing. They had a fantastic contrast between up-beat rock songs, such as the single “Machine Gun Blues” and slower ballad style songs like their song “Writing on the Wall.” Out of all these songs and albums, this was my favorite. I strongly recommend this CD to everyone.

We’re only in the first quarter of this year, and there’s already so many bands coming back from the dead to start recording again. This year is definitely a spectacular oddity. I encourage everyone to keep an eye on the charts and their ear to the airwaves to catch more bands returning to the music scene.