rawk Archive
06 Nov 2017
Crack the Sky’s John Palumbo: Don’t Look Back
The landscape of pop history is littered with one-and-done acts, artists whose first album – no matter how good it might have been – failed or was lost in the […]
28 Oct 2017
Ten 100-word Reviews: Archival/Reissue Releases
With a great deal of my time these days spent working on my new book and various artist interviews, I tend to amass a backlog of albums for review. To […]
24 Oct 2017
Album Review: Floating Action — Is it Exquisite?
Imagine if The Soft Bulletin-era Flaming Lips were influenced as much by pop and soul as by psychedelia. Imagine, too, that they adopted a more intimate, less expansive production aesthetic. […]
20 Oct 2017
The Paul Kelly Interview, Part Three
Continued from Part Two … On Life is Fine you cede the lead vocal duties on “My Man’s Got a Cold” to Vika Bull and “Don’t Explain” to Linda Bull. […]
19 Oct 2017
The Paul Kelly Interview, Part Two
Continued from Part One … The title track of Life is Fine is built around a Langston Hughes poem. What’s special to you about his words? “That was the first […]
18 Oct 2017
The Paul Kelly Interview, Part One
Paul Kelly is an institution in his native Australia. His musical style transcends genre, and the beloved singer-guitarist has released nearly two dozen albums since his recorded debut in 1981. […]
13 Oct 2017
The Church: Democracy as a Key to Longevity
The Church has been making its dreamy, psychedelic-flavored and determinedly original music for more than 37 years. The Australian foursome has remained largely intact through those years: founding members Steve […]
10 Oct 2017
JD McPherson Makes Music in the American Rock ‘n’ Roll Tradition
When JD McPherson released his debut album, 2010’s Signs & Signifiers, he created a slow-burning sensation. The disc first gained notice thanks to a Youtube video of one of its […]
07 Oct 2017
Hundred-word Reviews for October 2017: New Music
Here’s ten more hundred-word reviews. All new releases. All worth a spin, and in most cases, several spins. The Fresh & Onlys – Wolf Lie Down (Sinderlyn) I’m not sure […]
02 Oct 2017
Album Review: Nolan McKelvey & Dave Desmelik – ‘Where it Takes Us’
In an era when recordings artists routinely go years between album releases, Brevard singer-songwriter Dave Desmelik is an outlier. Since Move On, his 1999 solo debut, Desmelik has released no […]