review Archive
01 Jul 2013
Book Review: 400 Saturdays, An Anthology of Vinyl Folklore
It’s actually a great idea for a book. 400 Saturdays: An Anthology of Vinyl Folklore is described on its (exceedingly well-designed) cover thusly: “In the spirit of Studs Terkel‘s Working…an […]
28 Jun 2013
Hundred Word Reviews: June 2013
Here’s another installment in my occasional series of capsule reviews; this time ’round I’m focusing on new releases from long-established artists who nonetheless aren’t quite household names. My self-imposed limit […]
27 Jun 2013
Album Review: Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra – For the Baby Doll
In and of itself, eclecticism is neither a good nor bad characteristic. Consistency may in fact be (as Ralph Waldo Emerson sorta-said) the hobgoblin of a little mind, but it […]
26 Jun 2013
Album Review: Pulp and Pop Culture Box Vol. 1
You know what’s cool? When the compiler of a collection of music makes no outsized claims of cultural import about the music. Sometimes it’s art, for sure, but sometime, it’s […]
25 Jun 2013
Album Review: Mason Williams – The Mason Williams Phonograph Record
For a number of reasons, instrumental tunes rarely crack – let alone top – the pop music charts. And it has long been so. Though there have been exceptions both […]
24 Jun 2013
Album Review: Todd Rundgren – State
As I’ve mentioned before, and is patently obvious to anyone who pays attention, Todd Rundgren has always followed his own muse. Most of the time – the overwhelming majority of […]
20 Jun 2013
Album Review: R.E.M. – Green 25th Anniversary Edition
If you’re at all like me, and fondly remember the days when albums came jam-packed with an assortment of goodies, you may appreciate the new 25th Anniversary deluxe reissue of […]
19 Jun 2013
Album Review: Various Artists – The Dutch Woodstock (CD+DVD)
I’m a hardcore Pink Floyd fanatic. Yeah, one of those lot who insists that the stuff they did before The Dark Side of the Moon is filled with untold riches. […]
18 Jun 2013
Album Review: Iasos – Celestial Soul Portrait
Near the tail-end of the 20th century, I played piano in the “house band” for a monthly coffeehouse in the suburbs of Atlanta. Since my bandmates often played acoustic twelve-string […]
17 Jun 2013
Album Review: Yes – Magnification
It’s little overstatement to point out that by 2000, most listeners had given up on Yes. The group had its commercial and creative apex through a large portion of the […]