Posts by Lauree Guyer

Donavon Frankenreiter is celebrating not only the release of his new album Glow, but his new record label, Liquid Tambourine, as well. Having just finished one phone interview, Frankenreiter graciously granted Glide another one from his home in Kauai while driving in his truck, getting ready to do some yard work.

What could a band called The Honeydogs with a CD titled Sunshine Committee possibly have to offer? Do not be deceived by the backwoods name, the syrupy title, or even the psychedelic Python-esque design on the cover.

It may be a select few musicians who have the audacity to name their album Maestro, but in the case of Taj Mahal, the title is well deserved.

Open Your Box is a dance mix collection of quintessential Yoko Ono songs. The unique feature here is that the lyrics are understandable, and quite often full of pain, not your typical mind-numbing dance fare. Even though the songs didn't originate as dance music, Open Your Box does contain one essential ingredient in successful dance mixes: sex.

Shapes and Sizes sophomore effort, Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner," exerts less of an impact than their self-titled debut by taking itself too seriously. Despite that, the band continues to engage in an intellectual slugfest, creating their form of art rock by hammering away at convention. Here you will find an array of horns, notes from a music box, and static all working together to produce progressive sound.

Yoko Ono's Yes I'm a Witch is the result of an inspired idea whose time has come–again. Witch contains seventeen newly interpreted tracks by artists/groups that include Cat Power, The Flaming Lips, Peaches, and The Apples in Stereo.

Chris Difford, formerly of Squeeze, has written songs with the best. In addition to his longtime writing partner, Glenn Tilbrook, Difford has worked with legends Elvis Costello and Elton John. Now, out on his own with several releases to his credit, Difford made his first U.S. tour in ten years, culminating at Shank Hall in Milwaukee.

With an unpopular war claiming lives overseas, there just couldn't be a more appropriate time for the U.S. vs. John Lennon to be released. This relevant collection from one of the world's most fondly remembered musicians includes anthems inspired by a campaign for peace launched by John and Yoko.

Kunek doesn’t belong in the ambient bin, as it’s a bit more Badly Drawn Boy with a couple of Beatles moments thrown in, but most fans of the genre would appreciate the album.

If you were around when the moody yet danceable sounds of The Cure and New Order were popular, then Chin Up Chin Up’s This Harness Can't Ride will trigger a blast from the past.

Shapes and Sizes, as demonstrated by their self-titled debut, is a band whose focus is on the voice, something akin to Modest Mouse, except they have the appeal of having both a female and a male lead singer.

PJ Harvey is a powerful performer and an interesting artist. If you can get past the generic music video filler, there are some truly rare gems worth the look.

I Hate Myself and Want to Die is an amusing book written not just for collectors of kitsch and lovers of lists. Author Tom Reynolds has chosen the 52 most depressing songs you've ever heard and explains in detail why each deserves to be on the list.

A series of life shattering events kept Karl Wallinger out of the spotlight for the past five years. He left EMI on troubled terms and an aneurism left him speechless and unable to walk for a time. But World Party is back – with a new tour and album to celebrate.

One For The Road captures the same kind of sprightly fun as a Peter Pan tale.

All Saints Records has released an 18-track introduction showcasing its unparalleled roster of artists touching ambient, world, electronic and minimalist. From Brian Eno and John Cale to Roger Eno and Harold Budd, while all sonically diverse, approach music from an original perspective.

While I enjoyed the videos, I’m left somewhat unsatisfied by songs that end prematurely.

Compared to tracks like “The Day We Left Town,” from his first album, Johansen is capable of much more dark drama than is present on Tourniquet. The dreamlike quality here conjures up nothing more foreboding than visions of scarves billowing in slow motion.

Wipe the slate clean. Ray Davies has dawned over rock’s new millennium. Davies, formerly of The Kinks, is a complicated, socially conscious musician, who delivers his message by drawing from a mount of musical styles.

On December 10, 2005, Low performed a Christmas concert in the Sacred Heart Music Center in Duluth, Minnesota, for a church full of appreciative music go-ers, to benefit the Maasai School Project in Kenya. Out of a perfectly satisfying seventeen song set, Low performed only one up-tempo song, “It Was Just Like Christmas.”