pop Archive
29 Jan 2016
Hundred-word Reviews January 2016: Compilations
This week-long run of quick reviews wraps up today with looks at five excellent compilation albums. King Curtis – The Complete Atco Singles Real Gone Music swings for the fences […]
06 Jan 2016
Album Mini-review: Terry Adams — Talk Thelonious
File next to: NRBQ, Professor Longhair, Joe Jackson Though he’s rightly revered now, for much of his career jazz pianist Thelonious Monk was considered the maker of some dissonant, even […]
06 Jan 2016
Album Mini-review: Dweezil Zappa — Via Zammata’
File next to: Frank Zappa, Primus, Tenacious D Today, Dweezil Zappa might sound like a chip off the old block, but it wasn’t always so. On his first release – […]
01 Jan 2016
Album Mini-review: DM3 — West of Anywhere
File Next to: Shoes, Cheap Trick, Raspberries If you were American and into power pop, the 1990s was a decade filled with riches. You could blissfully ignore all that dreadful […]
01 Jan 2016
Album Mini-review: Motobunny — Motobunny
File next to: The Bangles, Amboy Dukes, Joan Jett It’s quite a tightrope walk to create music that rocks hard – really hard – yet maintains a strong, hooky, singalong […]
21 Dec 2015
DVD Review: Drop In 1963-1965
It’s a well-established part of 20th century pop culture history: the world – or at the very least North America – changed irrevocably in February 1964 when The Beatles appeared […]
18 Dec 2015
Album Review: William Duke — The Dark Beautiful Sun
There’s always room for an album of fine music in a Tom Petty-meets-Brian Wilson vein. What, you say? Well, William Duke‘s latest, The Dark Beautiful Sun – even the title […]
16 Dec 2015
Album Review: Tall Dwarfs — Weeville
As I discussed in yesterday’s review of Chris Knox‘s Seizure, famed New Zealand independent label Flying Nun has released that title and Tall Dwarfs‘ Weeville on vinyl LP. Some might […]
15 Dec 2015
Album Review: Chris Knox – Seizure
I have a lot for which to thank Richie Unterberger. Reading the renowned music journalist’s 1998 book – the first of several – Unknown Legends of Rock’n’Roll introduced me to […]
14 Dec 2015
Album Review: Donovan’s Brain — Heirloom Varieties
At peril of engaging in a mild bit of hyperbole, Donovan’s Brain can rightly be described as a college-rock supergroup. “College rock” – those of you over thirty may recall […]