new release Archive
10 Apr 2017
Album Mini-review: Andrew Joslyn — Awake at the Bottom of the Ocean
File next to: Pet Sounds era Beach Boys, Sufjan Stevens, Neutral Milk Hotel Seattle area composer-arranger-violinist Andrew Joslyn has made a (slightly underground) name for himself lending his myriad talents […]
07 Apr 2017
Album Mini-review: Circus Devils — Laughs Last
File next to: Guided by Voices, Flaming Lips, Starling Electric Seemingly random – yet reliably clever – wordplay has long been a hallmark of Robert Pollard’s work. Along with prodigious […]
07 Apr 2017
Album Mini-review: Valerie June — The Order of Time
File next to: Rhiannon Giddens, Ali Farka Touré, Shovels & Rope If with The Order of Time, Valerie June Hockett sought to create a resolutely unclassifiable record, she’s succeeded beyond […]
06 Apr 2017
Empire Strikes Brass: Everyone Loves a Parade
Empire Strikes Brass managed quite a feat in its first five years as a group. The 10-plus-piece band worked diligently on a grassroots level, playing benefits and street festivals, and became […]
05 Apr 2017
Album Mini-review: Willodean — Awesome Life Decisions Volume One
File next to: David Bowie, Todd Rundgren, Ben Folds Way back in 2005, Los Angeles-based Randy & the Bloody Lovelies released their second album, Lift. The album straddled Americana and […]
05 Apr 2017
Album Mini-review: Otis Taylor — Fantasizing About Being Black
File next to Ali Farka Touré, Robert Johnson, Miles Davis Otis Taylor is one of the foremost modern-day practitioners of the blues. He doesn’t make bar-band electric blues; instead, his […]
01 Apr 2017
BONUS: Two Single Reviews
Every so often, I get a single in for review. Two recent releases are of particular note and merit. So that justifies a rare Saturday post from me. No fooling. […]
21 Mar 2017
Quick Takes, Part Two
More quick-take reviews … Pop Co-op – Four State Solution Making an album via file sharing – instead of the old-fashioned method of gathering in a studio – is now […]
20 Mar 2017
Quick Takes, Part One
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, these days I spend the majority of my time writing for print publications. Altweeklies across the USA, music and entertainment magazines in the U.S. […]
15 Mar 2017
Drive-By Truckers: The Personal is Political
The Drive-By Truckers have always paired incisive, thoughtful lyrics with their supercharged country-rock sound. From their 1998 debut, Gangstabilly to their latest album, 2016’s American Band, the Athens, Georgia based […]