new release Archive
03 Jan 2017
Album Mini-review: Various Artists — Friends and Frenemies
File next to: Sloan, Matthew Sweet Based in the redwoods of Northern California, Allen Clapp‘s Mystery Lawn Music has in recent years become a trademark of pop music quality. Originally […]
02 Jan 2017
Wes Tirey: In Print and On Record
Last fall, Bob Dylan won the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. That news is a reminder that, at their best, music and the printed word can be two sides of […]
27 Dec 2016
Best Music of 2016: New Releases
I’ve said it before, and in 2016 it’s true as ever: those people who complain that there’s no good music any more simply aren’t looking hard enough, or in the […]
23 Dec 2016
Album Mini-review: Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath – Vol. II
File next to: Black Sabbath, Santana High-concept musical acts have been around for decades. Dread Zeppelin was one of the earliest groups to recast well-known music in a decidedly different […]
22 Dec 2016
Album Mini-review: The Mavericks — All Night Live: Volume 1
File next to: Los Lobos, Neil Young Fans who heard “All Night Long,” the standout track from the Mavericks’ latest studio album (2015’s Mono) could be forgiven for wondering if […]
22 Dec 2016
Album Mini-review: Mike Mills and Robert McDuffie – Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra
File next to: R.E.M., E.L.O. Hybridizing rock ‘n’ roll and classical is nothing new: arguably, the Beatles did it in 1965 with “Yesterday.” And many others have attempted since, including […]
14 Dec 2016
Teenage Fanclub is Here and to Stay
Glasgow, Scotland-based Teenage Fanclub is quite popular in Great Britain; 9 of the band’s 11 studio albums have charted there. Here in the US, their albums haven’t sold as well; […]
12 Dec 2016
Album Review: Big Star — Complete Third
The third album from Big Star is the most difficult in the Memphis group’s slim catalog of 1970s releases, and quite unlike its predecessors. The band’s debut – 1972’s #1 […]
10 Dec 2016
A Holiday Treat for Musoscribe Readers
‘Tis the season for … a bonus weekend post. I almost never post features or reviews on a Saturday, but these two titles warrant the exception. Plus, if I wait […]
09 Dec 2016
Album Mini-review: Bell X1 — Arms
File next to: Talking Heads, Crowded House Because of the wide array of styles explored on Arms, the record sometimes feels more like a mixtape than an album. “Fail Again, […]