Posts by Brian Palmer

[rating=6.00] Something About Knowing is the perfect album to listen to on a downer day when you need a serious pick-me-up. The tones and moods that fill the album are warm, rich and easygoing, and if you are looking for something to lift your spirits, then it is hard not to see the beauty in […]

[rating=7.00] It is easy to appreciate the beauty of a record like Let’s Be Still. It has a generally even pace to it with some perfectly placed rousing moments, the songs are crafted meticulously with regard to structure, sing-ability and theme, and the vocals are top-notch. In short, Let’s Be Still is everything a solid […]

[rating=7.00] In an open letter to fans earlier this year, The Avett Brothers  said their new album, Magpie and the Dandelion, would have a strong feeling of “youthful wonder” about it, and they weren’t kidding. The album is filled with questions, defiance, romanticism and even something of a lone-wolf mentality that anyone can relate to. […]

[rating=8.00] Amos Lee’s latest record, Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song, is a testament to the fact that there are artists out there who know what a true Americana record is, critics and fans be damned. It’s more than a genre and it’s more than a mood created by a certain set of generally accepted […]

[rating=6.00] If you are looking for background music and aren’t too interested in paying attention to vocals or lyrics, then Innocents is probably going to be your cup of tea. Moby’s latest record is ultra-serious, incredibly moody, and—to its discredit—sounds largely like the same song played over and over. There isn’t a ton here that […]

[rating=6.00] The problem with The Speed of Things is not so much in how it sounds. For all intents and purposes, it is the sort of album that fans of electro pop and ‘80s-era pop should have no trouble enjoying. There are definitely moments where you can dance to some of the songs and enjoy […]

[rating=8.0] It’s been almost five years since Travis released their last record, and it seems like the lengthy break was the best thing they could have done. Where You Stand is a magical album that will almost make you forget the bloated mess that was 2008’s Ode to J Smith, and ranks up there with […]

[rating=9.00] You will not see this coming. Throw out everything you remember about KT Tunstall and her previous records because none of it applies here. For all intents and purposes, with her latest record, she has completely scrapped her previous discography as if to start afresh and take her career in a new direction. Whether […]

[rating=8.0] If you’ve been longing for a return to the jam-heavy, free-wheeling, good-time tunes which marked Robert Randolph & the Family Band’s debut, Unclassified, and the live albums which preceded it, your prayers have been answered. After a mild misfire in Colorblind and the band’s decision to explore the roots of soul, blues and rock […]

[rating=7.0 ] Eisley has had a few years to purge their demons and have come out on the other side stronger. 2011’s comparatively angry and jaded The Valley was preceded by their split with Warner Bros. Records and various band members’ personal problems, which provided fodder for that record. You had to wonder if the […]

Listening to Promises from The Boxer Rebellion is like gorging yourself on chocolate for a bit before you start to get tired of it and suddenly remember that you can add some things to the chocolate to make it even better.

There are many reasons for the Joy Formidable to be basking these days. They released their sophomore album, Wolf’s Law, in January to a string of positive reviews, played on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, charted just outside Billboard’s Top 50 albums and their lead single, “This Ladder is Ours,” has reached the top 25 on the U.S. Alternative charts. They have also just embarked on a North American tour which included a series of gigs at SXSW and will take them clear into the middle of May. And to think, to some degree this album’s early success owes a lot to a canceled gig.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Paramore is one of the more interesting bands in music today. This power pop rock band has been churning out rock hits for a handful of years now, and more than its fair share of band drama as well. With the departure of the Farro Brothers at the end of 2010, fans have been split about whether the band could really continue on as a trio after losing so much talent. But Hayley Williams & Co. pressed on, and three and a half years after releasing Brand New Eyes, they are back with an eponymous record which takes them in a bold new direction.

Ultramarine is a middling experience. It doesn’t really have much of a direction and in the end it’s hard to make head or tail of what you’ve just listened to.

The latest release finds Jessica Campbell using her beautiful vocals to compliment the country, folk, Americana and pop sounds that accompany the album’s ten tracks, and she does so in a way that is engaging. Campbell’s presence is enough to elevate the album’s largely familiar subject matter and turn it into something more memorable than it would be in the hands of a lesser performer

The pairing of Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer is nothing short of magical on this seven-song collection of tracks. Mitchell’s clear, spritely voice is the perfect complement to Hamer’s thick, rich vocals, and when combined with the simple folk stylings of these traditional ballads from England and Scotland, these ballads are made stirring and beautiful. Child Ballads transports you to another time and place, and in so doing becomes one of the year’s most unique releases.

Josh Rouse has delivered a record which plumbs the depths of the ups and downs of love and life with surprising richness and delicacy. While much of the material is more cheery than not, even the more wistful material—namely the closing title track—is imbued with a beauty that evokes tears of joy if anything, rather than sadness. Rouse has a way with melodies that draws you in and The Happiness Waltz is filled with melodies you will likely get stuck in your brain for a long time to come.

The Ash & Clay, the latest album from The Milk Carton Kids, is no-frills, utterly simple folk music, and it is beautiful. Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale use nothing more than acoustic guitars and their effectively intertwining vocals to tell a series of tales that are both timely and timeless. The emotions are expressed subtly, the subjects are deep and the payoff is big. If you long for a return to the old days of folk music, then this is your ticket to happiness.

Between the steady, slightly scratchy vocals of Pete Quirk, the generally upbeat songs and the lyrics which traverse an emotional landscape that’s as broad as the Asian landscape, the latest release from The Cave Singers is an all around compelling effort.

Eels’ Mark Oliver Everett (aka-E!) loves making unique, largely un-categorizable albums that span a plethora of genres and incorporate a variety of sounds and raw vocal performances. For proof, check out his concept album trilogy of Hombre Lobo, End Times and Tomorrow Morning, or Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. Wonderful, Glorious attempts to continue this trend, but is far less successful than its predecessors.