It’s hard to dispute 2012 as the best summer to be a Beach Boys fan in the last quarter-century or so, but thanks to the band’s new Made in California…
Album Reviews
A wonderfully warm and melodic new album from the core trio of Hannah Marcus, David Grubbs and novelist Rick Moody – rich in its simplicity with acoustic guitars, understated drums,…
Following the releases of new albums by David Bowie, My Bloody Valentine and Justin Timberlake, 2013 might go down as the year of the unexpected comeback (your move, Dr. Dre)….
Indeed – Sound The Alarm is an apt title for an artist with the legend and magnitude of the great Booker T. Jones. Back on Stax Records, the label whose…
I can’t lie. I love this album. Never mind that it’s Grant Hart, who never fails to deliver interesting and complete pieces of work when he releases something new –…
Amethyst zooms in and out with might and musical muscle, sporting an all-killer-no-filler approach that improves upon the band’s idiosyncratic 14-track debut.
The Boy With Astronaut Eyes finds The Purrs in a particularly joyful state of mind, and sounding perhaps the most invigorated and pumped up they’ve ever been.
Rivers is a delicately beautiful perspective of this master musician’s artistry, and may even widen the acceptance of avant garde jazz, given the chance.
At a time when albums are teased, hyped, leaked, dissected, discarded and re-evaluated before they are even officially released, it has become increasingly rare to be able to approach one…
Lightning Dust is the side project of Black Mountain’s Amber Webber and Joshua Wells, an outlet for the Vancouver duo’s softer, sweeter, less stoner-rock-y tendencies. On their third album Fantasy,…
This Seattle-based 3 piece pleases with this fine effort. Great sounding; has a very early-to-mid ’70’s feel which is fine with me. “Amy” is a quality starter; good, soulful and…
Tasty riffs – good production and catchy songs put this band on my radar now. Starting off with “Here I Go”, this album is chock full of class-A/classic American power-pop…
I don’t know why or what it is, but now this is the second new band I’ve heard in a week who seems to have used Big Star as a…
This 12-track collection of lush rock melodies and introspective wordsmithery is the brainchild of Minneapolis’ Jon Herchert. Clean, “full” production and warmth made this a pleasure to take in. Of…
How can you miss with a title like Songs About Cars, Space and The Ramones? You can’t, especially if you’re Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ – who are back, yet again, with…
In the wake of Black Sabbath 13, let’s remember one of the men who kept the beast alive.
What can be said about two legends getting together to combine forces on a double album? Beach Boys lyricist Stephen Kalinich and producer/musician/journalist Jon Tiven (with production help from no…
I’m not sure why – I can’t put my finger on it, but this is a special album. Released during the long and sometimes dreary winter months, this album immediately…
Hearing that The Rain Parade had reunited towards the end of 2012 filled me with no end of joy. Sure, it’s been 30 years since I first bought Emergency Third…
A surprising release from this Iowa City/Fort Collins duo; music that is bright and sunny, counterbalanced by somewhat dark lyrics. I like this; it’s wide – all over the map…
Well, kick me in the head and call me Sally. What we have on offer here is Rod Stewart’s first LP of material ”written entirely” by the laziest star in…
This band from South Carolina hits the mark with their fourth album, a Mitch Easter/Ted Comerford-produced collection of 14 songs that span the pop spectrum. The warm vocals of Sean…
I’ve seen the lovely Ms. Bonet of the blue violin perform on several occasions as part of Richard Barone’s band and it’s here that she gets to shine with an…
Our review of “Walt Whitman Mall,” the new album by Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom
Mutt’s Company isn’t wasting time. Ultimate newcomers, the Danish quartet is under a year old and already leaving its imprint on the Copenhagen music scene with its trippy concoction of…
Emerging from the dissolution of a quartet, Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach decided to take on the musical responsibilities of their departed band mates and construct a new sound. The…
Bay Area songstress Ash Reiter delivers a second full-length album that’s concise, full of exciting modern pop productions, and packed with hit-worthy tracks.
Give two critics THREE months to listen to one album, and of course we will wait ‘Til Tuesday to publish our reviews. Which in this case is quite appropriate. Up…
Don DiLego’s first album in five years, the Western And Atlantic EP, is an excellent return to form.
Despite a name perhaps more fitting for a pair of gold-hearted outlaws in a 1960s revisionist Western, Shovels & Rope – Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst – are a…