vinyl Archive
09 Oct 2023
Album Review: The Lost Generation — Young, Tough and Terrible
From Chicago in 1970 came The Lost Generation. Their sleek, sensuous and soulful sounds is in line with the growing symphonic soul movement of the era. Smooth, layered vocals from […]
04 Oct 2023
Album Review: Andrew Gold — Greetings from Planet Love
Andrew Gold never got the respect or recognition he so richly deserved. He’s best known for his hit single “Thank You for Being a Friend,” a pop tune from 1978. […]
10 Sep 2023
Album Review: Tamar Berk — Tiny Injuries
The 1990s brought a breath of fresh air to the rock world. It might be hyperbole to suggest that the movement was as significant as punk had been nearly two […]
04 Sep 2023
Album Review: Johnny’s Uncalled Four – The Lost Album
It’s among life’s little ironies that some of us are lucky enough to cross paths with individuals whom we see as regular-ol’-people-like-us, only to discover that under their unassuming exterior, […]
28 Aug 2023
Album Review: Dengue Fever – Ting Mong
Led by brothers Ethan and Zac Holtzman and fronted by the exquisite vocalist Chhom Nimol, Dengue Fever combines the traditional sound of Southeast Asia with Western pop values, and the […]
28 Jul 2023
Album Review: Various Artists – Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies
The reactivated Jem Records has established itself as a welcoming home for a particular brand of melodic powerpop. In addition to releasing a steady stream of albums by its featured […]
27 Jul 2023
Album Review: Ani DiFranco — Little Plastic Castles
One of popular music’s most refreshing and encouraging developments of the last couple of decades has been the rise of the independent artist. True, there have always been occasional artists […]
26 Jul 2023
Album Review: R.E.M. — Collapse Into Now
After the mixed reception that greeted 2004’s Around the Sun, R.E.M. seemed to rally with its studio followup, Accelerate, released four years later. Both critical response and sales figures seemed […]
25 Jul 2023
Album Review: R.E.M. — Around the Sun (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… Picking up after my last post’s lengthy contextualization, here’s my look at Around the Sun, newly reissued as a 2LP set. “Leaving New York” certainly comes […]
24 Jul 2023
Album Review: R.E.M. — Around the Sun (Part 1 of 2)
Artists evolve; that’s what they do. Unless they’re outliers (Oasis inevitably comes to mind as the exception that proves the rule), the music they make at the start of their […]