pop Archive
09 Dec 2016
Album Mini-review: Bell X1 — Arms
File next to: Talking Heads, Crowded House Because of the wide array of styles explored on Arms, the record sometimes feels more like a mixtape than an album. “Fail Again, […]
02 Dec 2016
Hundred-word Reviews for Nov./Dec. 2016, Part 10 of 10
Two weeks of capsule reviews wrap up today with the final five. The Well Wishers – Comes and Goes Style: powerpop Jeff Shelton is the Well Wishers. And he’s quite […]
01 Dec 2016
Hundred-word Reviews for Nov./Dec. 2016, Part 9 of 10
Gary Ritchie – Poptimistic Style: powerpop Melodic, good-natured powerpop is the order of the day on Ritchie’s new album. Musical touchstones include the obvious ones (Beatles, Raspberries, Romantics) and some […]
29 Nov 2016
Hundred-word Reviews for Nov./Dec. 2016, Part 7 of 10
Farewell Milwaukee – FM Style: heartland jangle-rock Jangling guitars, good-timin’ harmonica, well-worn chord changes … those are the key ingredients in the musical recipe for this album. Familar echoes of […]
25 Nov 2016
Hundred-word Reviews for Nov./Dec. 2016, Part 5 of 10
Today I take a look at five DVDs, all of which should be of interest to aficionados of 1960s pop culture, and all available only from The Video Beat. National […]
23 Nov 2016
Hundred-word Reviews for Nov./Dec. 2016, Part 3 of 10
Five more quick reviews of archival/reissue material. Three of today’s five are from Grammy-award winning label Omnivore Recordings. One of these days I’ll write liner notes for one of their […]
11 Nov 2016
Sweet Claudette: What We Learned at Bird Camp
On their 2013 For the Birds EP, Sweet Claudette successfully blended classic country and Americana, delivering six original tunes in an intimate, homespun style that focused on their vocal strengths. […]
10 Nov 2016
Album Mini-review: Allyson Seconds — Little World
File next to: Anton Barbeau, Corner Laughers Pop music has long featured engaging artists who don’t write their own material. Going back to perhaps the greatest of them all, Frank […]
08 Nov 2016
Album Mini-review: Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox — The Essentials
File next to: Buddy Rich, Either/Orchestra On paper, it seems like an inspired concept: assemble a top-notch band that can play anything, bring together a wildly varied collection of contemporary […]
07 Nov 2016
Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes Lives in the Moment
Operating just under the radar of the commercial pop landscape, of Montreal nonetheless makes undeniably catchy – if not truly mass-market oriented – pop music. Originally part of the Elephant […]