CARIBOU HONEY MERGE RECORDS There’s no need to make an album review a statement about the threat of AI, but at risk of being hypocritical there’s no way to discuss Caribou’s latest release unless a statement is made. Here’s the thing—what’s the [...]
TONY VAZ PRETTY SIDE OF THE UGLY LIFE JUBILEE GANG Tony Vaz is one of those mavericks in music that have a left-of-center concept in songwriting (think R. Stevie Moore gone everywhere), where it is so hard to put a finger (or ear) where his [...]
PAUL SPRING KIND OF HEAVEN INDEPENDENT Queens, NY-based songwriter and guitarist Paul Spring recorded his latest album, Kind Of Heaven, live in two days, with only two guests to accompany him, quite a feat. With the help of drummer Jon Nellen [...]
THE CLEARWATER SWIMMERS THE CLEARWATER SWIMMERS NEW MARTIAN RECORDS How does a roots and slow core combination sound to you? Well, if it on first pitch sounds a bit incongruous, Portland/NYC band The Clearwater Swimmers escape the possible murky [...]
ALLT FROM THE NEW WORLD CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS The concept of the future often sheds glimmers of excitement about where our lives are headed while at the same time unveiling a sinister air of quiet tension and fear that lingers with what lies [...]
ALISON MOYET KEY COOKING VINYL Since Yazoo called it a day in 1983, following the release of two landmark and influential albums, Alison Moyet embarked on a solo career that would change everyone’s view of her. Although she was in a synth-pop [...]
HORACE ANDY AND JAH WOBBLE TIMELESS ROOTS CLEOPATRA RECORDS Jamaican-born Horace Andy is an icon and legend. Although he is known for his songwriting, he is equally known for his remarkable voice and interpretation of songs. One of his biggest [...]
MAXÏMO PARK STREAM OF LIFE LOWER THIRD/[PIAS] Perhaps the late 2000s greatest indie survivors, Maxïmo Park return with their eighth album, and if there are any lingering doubts about their remaining power, they dispel it pretty quickly with [...]
ADELINE HOTEL WHODUNNIT RUINATION RECORDS When artists pick up monikers, these may be telling signs, and yet, they may not be. Brooklyn’s Dan Knishkowy goes under one – Adeline Hotel, and based on his latest album Whodunnit, that [...]
BIG SHARE PRINTED PICTURES INDEPENDENT Some just might remember Bent By Elephants, a collaborative musical effort that produced some interesting music from 2009 to 2015. Part of that effort were Chesley Walsh & Luke Fowlie, the [...]
ALICE IN CHAINS BLACK GIVES WAY TO BLUE (15th ANNIVERSARY EDITION) CRAFT RECORDINGS Originally released in 2009, Black Gives Way To Blue stands as Alice In Chains’ seminal return following the passing of original vocalist Layne Staley in 2002. [...]
THE ASTEROID NO. 4 SEVERAL SHAPES OF SOLAR FLARES CLUB AC30/LITTLE CLOUD RECORDS As nostalgic as Several Shapes Of Solar Flares is, it’s difficult to create such music without the listener straying too far from the sounds and voices that placed [...]
FUR TRADER WHOSE DREAM IS THIS INDEPENDENT It has become a sort of a tradition for artists to pick more than one role in the creation of their art, and in this case, music. So, it might come as no surprise thar Los Angeles singer/songwriter [...]
VARIOUS ARTISTS WHY DON’T YOU SMILE NOW: LOU REED AT PICKWICK RECORDS 1964-65 LIGHT IN THE ATTIC RECORDS Back in the sixties Pickwick Records were supposed to be a budget version of the then-dominating songwriter powerhouse that was New [...]
BLITZ VEGA NORTHERN GENTLEMAN FUTURESONIC RECORDS/CEN/THE ORCHARD On May 19, 2023, the world lost Andy Rourke. He was a remarkably talented bass player and DJ. He was also working with KAV (Kav Sandu, the former guitarist for Happy Mondays) in a [...]
HALCYON PHASE CRITICAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS ON THE PRECIPICE INDEPENDENT Critical Misunderstandings On The Precipice the second full-length studio album from Halcyon Phase. It has been a while since we heard from Frank Smith and Phillip Victor [...]
KAT VON D MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN KAT VON D Stumbling across Kat Von D’s My Side of the Mountain, I was perplexed with what was on offer: “Kat Von D’s signature blend of disco goth, heavily influenced by synthwave, new wave, post-punk, and other [...]
CLINIC STARS ONLY HINTING KRANKY RECORDS There’s always a specific feel to artists releasing their music through Kranky Records, but also a very individual take on that specific feel. There’s no exception to that ‘rule’ [...]
SEETHER THE SURFACE SEEMS SO FAR FANTASY RECORDS With their newest album, The Surface Seems So Far, Seether proves that rock is not dead. It is hard rock at its finest and loudest. The Surface Seems So Far is one of, if not the heaviest, album [...]
LEA THOMAS COSMOS FOREVER TRIPLE DOLPHIN RECORDS Dream pop in any shape and form has become a bit of a jaded (sub) genre these days if it is handled by the artists that only go through the motions and simply use it as an empty musical shell. [...]
TOMMY BOLIN GREAT GYPSY SOUL CLEOPATRA RECORDS Tommy Bolin was an incredible guitarist. He was diverse and could play many different styles with many different bands. He is best known as a member of Zephyr, The James Gang and Deep Purple (1975 [...]
AFTERIMAGE FACES TO HIDE INDEPENDENT PROJECT RECORDS Throughout rock history, there are a number of bands that existed for a very short time but have an almost mythical reputation. Afterimage is one such band. The original line-up of Los [...]
SUNSET RUBDOWN ALWAYS HAPPY TO EXPLODE PRONOUNCED KROOG It is said that the body replenishes itself every seven years, cells being reborn and in turn a sort of rebirth, and while this doesn’t hold true in that you’re literally a new [...]
ULNA GAZEBO INDEPENDENT Is there anything wrong when the music of a certain artist/band seems to follow in the footsteps of another? Not really, particularly if it is the footsteps of a great one, like in this case, late great Eliot Smith, and [...]
