Modern Vintage (Deluxe)

The third album from Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, Guns N’ Roses guitarist DJ Ashba, and singer/producer James Michael is a modern-sounding left turn from the band’s moody debut and its more traditional hard-rock follow-up. Again and again, dirty pop melodies punch through the sheen of industrial strength thrashers and poppy riffs. Highlights include a cool electro retread of a Cars classic (“Drive”), a suburban wasteland anthem with gamely gang vocals (“Gotta Get It Right”), an ode to media-saturated contemporary life (“Hyperventilate”), an anti-drug backward-gazer (“High on the Music”), and a plea for help (“Miracle”). It’s the trio’s best yet.