THE NAMES ENCORE! SPLEEN+ RECORDS In 1981, The Names released their first single on the famed Factory Records. It wasn’t their debut, but the Brussels band did release a single, “Night Shift”, which was produced by Martin Hannett, who had [...]
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART PERFECT RIGHT NOW: A SLUMBERLAND COLLECTION 2008-2010 SLUMBERLAND RECORDS Some 15 to 16 years ago (2009 to be precise), we got to hear a band with a very long name making some very substantial music. They went [...]
THE HAROLD WHEELER CONSORT BLACK CREAM REAL GONE MUSIC Perhaps best known for his jingles written for McDonald’s, Coca Cola, Kool Aid, Pan Am Airlines, and Boone’s Farm Wines, Harold Wheeler released his only album, Black Cream, in 1975. For the [...]
BENJAMIN RUSSELL WAVES TCBE RECORDS Benjamin Russell is certainly busy. Hot on the heels of last year’s fantastic album, Pleasure Center, he brings us Waves. Russell is an artist, a visual artist, and a musical artist. In fact, quite often they [...]
GRATEFUL DEAD ROAD TRIPS VOL. 1 NO. 1 REAL GONE MUSIC Grateful Dead has always been the band you can count on, and their latest album, Road Trips Vol. 1 No. 1, proves it! Talk about a blast from the past! This gem captures the magic of their [...]
GARY KEMP THIS DESTINATION EAST WEST RECORDS Gary Kemp has had a fascinating career and quite frankly continues to surprise even his most ardent fans. He was a principal writer for Spandau Ballet, an actor, and is a member of Nick Mason’s [...]
EBO TAYLOR EBO TAYLOR JID022 JAZZ IS DEAD As a pioneering force among the Afrobeat genre, Ebo Taylor has enjoyed a career that has spanned over six decades. Releasing his latest album at the age of 88, Ebo Taylor JID022, Taylor has collaborated [...]
CIRCA WAVES DEATH & LOVE PT. 1 LOWER THIRD There’s immediate joy in Circa Waves’ new album; “American Dream” opens in a blaze of sound and classic indie pop, an explosion of euphoria after trauma, which is probably not that far [...]