Record reviews

The Chainsmokers

Album: “Memories ... Do Not Open”

Grade: D

The Chainsmokers wowed with their infectious single “Closer” and gave Coldplay a trendy EDM makeover on “Something Just Like This.” But high hopes for a whole album by the DJ duo of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall have gone up in smoke.

This 12-track collection not only fails to break new ground, it spins its tires into a deep hole. The songs usually begin with slow, moody piano that builds into monster synth beats, interrupted by a period of calm. That’s thrilling in a single dose. It’s formulaic and tiresome on a full album.

The Chainsmokers are best when they let others sing, like Emily Warren on “Don’t Say” and “Just My Type”; Jhene Aiko on “Wake Up Alone”; and the lovely Coldplay collaboration. (It turns out The Chainsmokers need Coldplay more than Coldplay needs them.)

Cynics might say this is just an attempt by a couple of musical hucksters – one approaching 30 and the other on the other side of that milestone – to appeal to teens with easily digestible, morose dance songs punctuated with expletives that give it an appearance of honesty. How else to explain lyrics that deal with cutting class, endlessly hooking up and drinking too much? “It’s hard when you’re young,” goes one song. So hard.

Standing still like this in EDM – like standing still in a club, for that matter – is a dangerous proposition. Other DJs are creating thrilling stuff – Calvin Harris’ “Slide” or Zedd’s “Stay” – so to hear The Chainsmokers blowing the same old smoke is a real disappointment.

—Mark Kennedy, Associated Press

Deep Purple

Album: “inFinite”

Grade: A

This album is so Purple even Prince would love it.

Deep Purple, those space truckers from the late ’60s whose four-chord intro to “Smoke on the Water” became the go-to practice riff for every kid picking up guitar for the first time, is back with what may or may not be the final album in its Hall of Fame career. The band is being deliberately coy in the album title, the tour nickname (“The Long Goodbye”) and recent interview comments.

But whether or not this is as deep as they ultimately go, this album has plenty of what keeps Deep Purple great. Singer Ian Gillan’s glass-shattering screams of yesteryear have been replaced by mid-range rock rumblings, and founding guitarist Ritchie Blackmore has been gone for 20 years now, ably replaced by the fluid licks of Steve Morse.

Morse and keyboardist Don Airey (Rainbow, Ozzy Osbourne) deserve particular credit for keeping the trademark Purple sound fresh on tracks such as “Time for Bedlam” and “All I Got Is You,” with the intricate interplay between guitar and keyboard solos, saturated in the keyboard distortion that makes this band’s sound so instantly recognizable.

“Hip Boots” evokes the classic “Lazy” guitar and keyboard riff, and a cover of The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues” is worth the price of the disc all by itself.

—Wayne Parry, Associated Press

Mastodon

Album: “Emperor of Sand”

Grade: B

Metal purists are like country purists. The debate is about remaining true to the cause. Are bands keeping it sludgy – or twangy – enough to please old-school fans? Or are they selling out by rendering the music too easily digestible, hawking their wares to the mainstream? On “Emperor of Sand,” Atlanta heavy-hitters Mastodon skillfully walk both sides of the line. The pummeling prog-rockers with three singers – guitarist Brent Hinds, bassist Troy Sanders and drummer Brann Dailor – return to the concept album approach. The songs are linked by a narrative about a lone warrior wandering the wasteland after being handed a death sentence by a desert tyrant (“Sultan’s Curse”) as the sands of time fall through the hourglass and lead us all toward our ultimate demise. There’s plenty of time-signature switching, precision playing and intricate riffage, but also inviting melodic choruses that could almost pass for pop hooks. And though the story line might seem a mere exercise in heavy rock fixation with scary-seeming mythology, note that the album was recorded while several people close to the band were battling cancer and guitarist Bill Kelliher’s mother died of a brain tumor, and the narrative about the struggle to survive intentionally resonates beyond its literal story line.

—Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer