review Archive
07 Mar 2009
Album Review: B.G. — The Heart of Tha Streetz Vol 2 – I Am What I Am
In 2006, intentional mangling of words (anything-izzle) and “creative” spelling are the hiphop equivalent of a rocker bellowing “Hello, Cleveland!” Fans of more-of-the same are in for a treat with […]
06 Mar 2009
Album Review: Steve Bertrand — Pain is a Megaphone
Guest review by Annelise Kopp Pain is a Megaphone? On the album cover, Bertrand sulks introspectively. Maybe he’s regretting having doomed his career with such a terrible album name, or […]
06 Mar 2009
Album Review: Bargain Music — American Born
To a rock and roller’s ears, it’s often difficult to discern the difference between an earnest effort from a singer/songwriter and parody or mockery. In perhaps the same way that […]
05 Mar 2009
Album Review: Phil Ayoub — Schoolbus Window Paper Heart
At musoscribe.com a lot of self-released CDs cross my reviews desk. That’s fine; with the new paradigm, plenty of worthy artists are bypassing the traditional channels, be they majors or […]
04 Mar 2009
EP Review: Nicole Atkins — Bleeding Diamonds
Some albums are suited for playing in the background while doing dishes, enjoying a meal or — as attempted in this case — writing a review. Bleeding Diamonds, the EP […]
02 Mar 2009
EP Review: Automatic Music Explosion — This Is…
“We wanna play your high school,” announces their MySpace page. This one gave me a real chuckle (and not the condescending kind, either). From the leadoff drum beat of “Take […]
01 Mar 2009
Album Review: Apostle of Hustle — National Anthem of Nowhere
What to make of this disc? The first track, “‘My Sword Hand’s Anger,'” bears similarities to the work of the late Malinese guitarist Ali Farka Touré. Yet when the melody […]
21 Feb 2008
Echo Project 2007: The Little Festival That Could
Let’s face it: the festival calendar is pretty crowded. Coachella, Bonnaroo, 10k Lakes, Langerando; the list goes on and on, and it grows longer every year. This is good news […]
16 Feb 2008
Bonnaroo 2007: It’s Not Just for Hippies Any More
A sell-out crowd of 80,000 descended on a barren 70-acre tract in middle Tennessee (halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga) for the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, one of the world’s […]
26 Jan 2008
Legendary Pink Dots: Connecting With the Dots in Chapel Hill
Unpredictable and experimental as always, The Legendary Pink Dots make a concerted and successful bid to connect with their audiences. Cutting a swath through the USA’s eastern seaboard — mostly […]