Listening Booth »
Listening Booth: Guns n’ Roses, “Chinese Democracy” — A Second Opinion
It’s the curse of the debut album: the artist, unsure of who he/she is or what he/she ought to sound like strikes out in all directions — a power ballad here, a blues grinder
Read More »Listening Booth: Ranlom, “Going on Holiday”
Ranlom – Going on Holiday (Quirky Bird, 2008) purchase this album (Amazon) With the amount of shit I’ve given Christmas music over the last few years, and the obvious relish with which it’s been
Read More »Listening Booth: The Guggenheim Grotto, “Happy the Man”
Guggenheim Grotto – Happy the Man (UFO Music, 2009) purchase this album (Amazon) Its artwork has the sort of washed-out color tones that usually suggest an album from Jack Johnson or one of his
Read More »Listening Booth: Guns n’ Roses, “Chinese Democracy”
Guns n’ Roses – Chinese Democracy (Geffen, 2008) purchase this album (Best Buy) Unless you’ve spent a lot of time in the company of William Shatner, Chinese Democracy will likely be one of the
Read More »Listening Booth: Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, “Cardinology”
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Cardinology (2008) purchase this album (Amazon) It’s been fashionable for the last few years to slag Ryan Adams at every turn. There’s no doubt that he’s brought some of
Read More »Listening Booth: Tipsy, “Buzzz”
Tipsy – Buzzz (Ipecac, 2008) purchase this album (Amazon) They call their music “drunktronica,” explain the seven-year layoff between this and their previous release by saying they were “distracted by commercial corporate money music
Read More »Listening Booth: Rosie Thomas, “A Very Rosie Christmas”
Rosie Thomas – A Very Rosie Christmas (Nettwerk, 2008) purchase this album (Amazon) Okay, yes, I know — everyone hates Christmas music, and anyway, we’re about to bombard you poor bastards with 25 days
Read More »Listening Booth: Miranda Lee Richards, “Light of X”
Miranda Lee Richards – Light of X (Nettwerk, 2009) purchase this album (Amazon) She took guitar lessons from Kirk Hammett and R. Crumb was her godfather, but don’t expect shredding or off-color humor from
Read More »Listening Booth: “Warren Zevon” (Collector’s Edition)
October 30, 2002 – It was close to the end when Warren Zevon made what everyone knew would be his final appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. The cancer had already taken a
Read More »Listening Booth: The Cure “4:13 Dream”
The Cure – 4:13 Dream (2008) purchase this album (Amazon) For bands like the Cure, that have been able to stick it out for 30 years of recording and touring, one must ask: “Is
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