vinyl Archive
16 Jul 2021
Album Review: True Loves — Sunday Afternoon
If you have an appreciation for – heck, even an awareness of – the sort of kinetic soul jazz that formed the musical component of late ‘60s and early ‘70s crime film and television, then ohmygoodgracious do I have something to tell you about. True Loves’ Sunday Afternoon is a 21st century answer to that
14 Jul 2021
Album Review: WRD — The Hit
Far more often than not, the term supergroup is hype. Even when it isn’t use of the word can create unfairly high expectations. The members of Blind Faith understood that, and named their (short lived) group thusly. But in the world of jazz, a different sensibility took hold long ago. Artists receive co-billing, and get
13 Jul 2021
Album Review: Trees Speak — PostHuman
Krautrock and its variants are not for all tastes. To some listeners, the idea of minimalism combined with an insistent beat is a recipe for migraine. But for those who appreciate the droning yet oddly exploratory vibe of the style, riches await beyond those well-worn Neu! LPs. PostHuman is the newest release from Trees Speak,
12 Jul 2021
Album Review: The Eyebrows – Fight/Flight
Listeners wandering into Fight/Flight expecting some sort of slavishly imitative power pop outing a la [any of hundreds of current artists; pick one] will find themselves in for a shock. The Eyebrows’ latest album starts out with a blast, the yelpy “Have Mercy, Lose Control.” And things never let go. The opening tune plays with
11 Jul 2021
Album Review: Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal – Natural Born Hustler
The Color Red label has quickly and effectively established itself as the home of current-day retro-soul/boogaloo, issued on good ol’ vinyl. Some of the artists – Color Red’s founder Eddie Roberts, for example – are well-known. Others, like Josh Hoyer, less so. The thing is, Color Red’s track record is such that I’m more than
10 Jul 2021
Album Review: Sleepersound – Idle Voices
After a lengthy hiatus, once again it’s Vinyl Week on Musoscribe. For the next several days, I’ll feature reviews of new albums released on my favorite format. When I reviewed this Milwaukee band’s previous album, 2018’s In Medias Res, I noted “a bit of a shoegazy vibe.” The group has since doubled down on that
29 Apr 2021
Album Review: Keb Darge Presents The New Mastersounds
As the leaders of the funk-soul boogaloo revival, The New Mastersounds have churned out along and impressive string of deep funk/groove albums, exploring the part of the musical Venn diagram in which jam-band and dance music intersect. With impeccable taste and even better chops, the foursome originally from Leeds UK (but now based in Colorado)
23 Apr 2021
Album Review: Snowglobe — Our Land Brains
The groups associated with the Athens, Georgia-based Elephant 6 Collective are a mixed bag. While all share a certain musical sensibility, Neutral Milk Hotel and Of Montreal each appeal to a slightly different subset of listeners than does Olivia Tremor Control (my personal favorite). And what is and is not an Elephant 6 band is
22 Apr 2021
Album Review: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – Dap Dippin
Curated by Eddie Roberts of the New Mastersounds, Rare Sounds is a new subscription service that unearths gems from various genres, reissuing them on vinyl. The first round of releases included The Greyboy Allstars’ West Coast Boogaloo and the debut from Roberts’ band, Keb Darge Presents The New Mastersounds. The third record in that first
21 Apr 2021
Album Review: Breakestra — The Live Mix, Part 1
A central component of some of the best hip-hop is the repurposing of tasty licks, breaks or other snippets from previously-record music, creating something new out of the old. Los Angeles-based Breakestra takes things a step farther (or backwards, depending on your point of view). However you describe it, it’s inspired. Breakestra’s debut album The