new release Archive
19 May 2017
Capsule Reviews for May 2017, Part Two
The Lancashire Hustlers – Adventures (Steep Hill Music) This London duo – Brent Thorley and Ian Pakes – has clearly come of age on a steady diet of Magical Mystery […]
18 May 2017
Capsule Reviews for May 2017, Part One
Thank You, Friends (Concord Bicycle Music) I remember a time when seemingly nobody knew about Big Star; happily for me, that was about the time I found “new old stock” […]
17 May 2017
Album Mini-review: Buttercup — Battle of Flowers
File next to: Sugar, Crowded House With a name like Buttercup – not to mention album art scattered with flowers – one might expect Battle of Flowers to be a […]
17 May 2017
Album Mini-review: Flywheels — I’m for the Flowers
File next to: The Bangles, Young Fresh Fellows, Matthew Sweet When Kim Wonderley takes lead vocals, the Flywheels sound a bit like early Bangles with a subtle touch of country […]
03 May 2017
The Beth Hart Interview, Part 2: “It’s just about being fuckin’ honest and real.”
Continued from Part One … Bill Kopp: Wait a minute … did you just say 65 songs? Beth Hart: Oh, yeah. At first, you know, some people are better at […]
02 May 2017
The Beth Hart Interview, Part 1: “If we have a bad show, no one’s going to die.”
Beth Hart is one of the most popular vocalist-songwriters working in the blues idiom today. But she doesn’t confine her work to one genre. Her latest album, Fire on the […]
01 May 2017
Album Mini-review: The Feelies — In Between
File next to: Violent Femmes, Velvet Underground The choice of production aesthetic is everything on In Between, the Feelies‘ 6th album (and their second since ending their nearly two-decade hiatus). […]
01 May 2017
Album Mini-review: Chicano Batman — Freedom is Free
File next to: War, Mayer Hawthorne, Sly & the Family Stone The spirit of late-sixties psychedelic soul is alive in Chicano Batman. On this collection of twelve socially aware originals, […]
28 Apr 2017
Album Mini-review: Colin Hay — Fierce Mercy
File next to: Men at Work, David Gray, Paul Kelly Colin Hay long ago left behind the bouncy pop of Men at Work, though his solo releases are every bit […]
28 Apr 2017
Album Mini-review: Judith Owen – Somebody’s Child
File next to: Carole King, Tori Amos, Ben Folds Judith Owen‘s impressive résumé includes a run as a key member of Richard Thompson‘s “1000 Years of Popular Music” tours, but […]