24 Nov 2011
A Thanksgiving Thank-you
Maybe you’re the sort who doesn’t spend Thanksgiving in front of a television, watching men run up and down a field in funny costumes. Further, maybe you didn’t eat so much turkey on Thanksgiving to cause a tryptophan-induced coma (or maybe it hasn’t kicked in yet). Or maybe you’re not reading this humble little note
21 Sep 2011
CD Review: Vegas With Randolph – Above the Blue
Comparisons to Fountains of Wayne are inevitable: strong melodies, well-thought-out vocal harmonies, middling tempos, clever lyrics, high-octane guitars. That’s the recipe on Above the Blue from Washington DC-based Vegas With Randolph. But VWR have their own distinct style; that the New Jersey band comes to mind when hearing their music says more about what passes
13 Jan 2011
CD Review: Lannie Flowers – Circles
I will readily admit it: I’m a slave to the jangle. Give me a dose of high-energy, upbeat powerpop and I’m yours (musically speaking). And that’s precisely what happened when I popped Circles — the latest CD from Lannie Flowers – into my CD player. Double-tracked lead vocals, trebly Rickenbacker-toned bass lines, Revolver-era musical arrangement
03 Aug 2010
Album Review: Maple Mars – Galaxyland
Intelligent, well-produced powerpop generally draws its inspiration from a rather short list of influences. While the most mediocre powerpop tends to chase its own tail – serving up predigested, overly derivative pop you’ve heard before – the better quality stuff manages to have it both ways: remaining firmly grounded in the powerpop tradition of its
04 May 2010
Album Review: Jody Porter – Close to the Sun
Rock history is littered with examples of artists who need to break out on their own to fulfill their creative ambitions. Sometimes they are able to do it while remaining in the group they’re in — keeping their day job, as it were. John Entwistle stayed in the Who while mounting a simultaneous solo career
06 Jan 2008
Interview: Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Crenshaw is one of rock music’s most underappreciated artists. After a string of critically-acclaimed albums (beginning with his self-titled 1982 debut, right through 2003’s What’s in the Bag?), and a good bit of work in other media (books, films and more) in 2007 he was between record deals. But that didn’t slow him down.