RECORD REVIEWS

Greta Van Fleet

Album: “Anthem of the Peaceful Army”

Grade: B

There’s a whole lotta Led Zeppelin in Greta Van Fleet, but they haven’t yet found their Stairway.

On its debut album, “Anthem of the Peaceful Army,” the Michigan quartet channels Led Zeppelin and ’70s-style old-school classic rock with scary precision, on tracks like “When the Curtain Falls,” “Watching Over” and “Lover Leaver (Taker Believer).”

They have Zep’s sound down so perfectly that it’s not hard to imagine you’re listening to Jimmy Page playing slide guitar or a jangly acoustic piece.

The big difference here is in the songwriting: While Greta Van Fleet have rightly generated a huge buzz as an up-and-coming young band that convincingly plays old-school hard rock, they have yet to take that crucial next step and write a rock anthem that burns its way into your brain with just one listen.

There’s no “Whole Lotta Love” or “Heartbreaker” riff here – yet – to cement Greta Van Fleet’s place in rock history. But they’ve got the foundation and the talent to support the next great classic rocker, whenever it might arrive.

—Wayne Parry, Associated Press

Kurt Vile

Album: “Bottle It In”

Grade: B

Perhaps you can’t get Kurt Vile to stand still.

Vile co-founded The War on Drugs and promptly quit after the formidable band’s debut album release, setting out for a solo career. Now we find him ambling around the country and recording just enough fine music to deliver “Bottle It In,” an accessible guitar-fueled foray into the things that give him artistic pause and push him forward.

Vile is inventive throughout the 13-song album, leaning on a lazy lilt of electric guitar to provide the background to his playful lyrics. “Check Baby” buzzes with energy as Vile sings about taking the stage and prepping to play music. A song about preparing to play songs is Vile at his finest.

Then there are the calmer offerings, such as “Mutinies,” on which we find Vile backed by Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon. On this track Vile sings about controlling urges in his mind, rebuffing them with pills where applicable.

The centerpiece here is the nine-plus minute “Bassackwards.” It’s psychedelic and indeed backwards (stabs of guitar sound magically reversed at times) and upside down and addresses how Vile says he sees the world. This is an accomplished release and should earn Vile some new fans and assure his longtime followers that he’s on top of his game.

—Ron Harris, Associated Press

HALEY

Album: “Pleasureland”

Grade: B

In 2016, she was Haley Bonar and “Impossible Dream” was her album of gliding power-pop and cinematic textures. Last year, she changed her name to Haley McCallum, now performs as HALEY and “Pleasureland” is an album of instrumentals which purges power-pop and expands the cinematic feel.

HALEY says her decision to go wordless came in response to the 2016 U.S. elections and her difficulties with finding the right terms to express herself but even without lyrics, the passion in the generally brief compositions is unmissable.

Leading the way with piano and synths, HALEY occasionally also straps on an electric guitar with the tunes also featuring a handful of musicians like Mike Lewis on saxophone and Erica Burton on violin and viola.

“Give Yourself Away” is a haunting, spacey ballad in Pink Floyd and Radiohead mode, moving slowly toward more melodic parts that shine through like sunlight after an eclipse. The piano and tremolo guitar on “Future Maps” draw out an elastic melody while the sweeping piano arpeggios on “Credit Forever, Pt. 2” may cause you to want to learn the instrument.

—Pablo Gorondi, Associated Press