Posts by Shawn Donohue

Beans is more Artist then Master of Ceremony and End It All is more art installation that you visit once and ponder then favorite album you play everyday.      

The first thing that jumps out at you is the stunning cover art of Generation Debt; taken from a George Jartos painting as the Bellingham, WA group featured a hometown artist on their album.  The second thing that is noticeable is the running time of the tunes, these songs stick around for a while as there are no quick ditty’s on Acorn Project’s newest offering. 

It is amazing how pure distortion can sound when it is distilled through 6-strings at high amplification.  Yuck know this and continually present guitar tones that cradle the brain on their self titled first release. 

The Celtic storytelling and all-for-one union drive is flowing like a pint of the dark throughout Going Out In Style.  The album unfolds like a screenplay and when it wraps up with the groups cover of the classic “Irish Rover” you realize Dropkick Murphy’s have crafted one of their fullest and most fulfilling albums of their career. 

What seems like an annual rite of spring in Manhattan rolled into town from Ireland again as The Pogues brought their reels and whistles to Terminal 5 with Jersey’s Titus Andronicus opening the festivities. 

The electropunk gets shifted to overload with Parts & Labor’s newest release Constant Future.  Out of the gate the first two tracks amp the art-rock keyboard blasts beyond the sonic limits, frying speakers with electricity overloads. “Fake Names” and “Outnumbered” are chaotic pieces that seem like a Technicolor installation, opening the ears for the catchier fare to follow.

With the passing of their father the Dickinson boys, Luther and Cody teamed back up with bassist Chris Chew and released this heartfelt collection of southern rock that they “Produced for Jim Dickinson”. 

This Austin four piece has released its fourth full length self titled album and it opens with rising guitar lines and vocals just as high on “Angel-ess”.  The group is fronted by twin brothers Nathan Campbell on vocals/guitar and Aaron Campbell on lead guitar; think of them as a humor removed Dean and Gene Ween.

The Philadelphia five-piece has created a hazy indie-pop gem with See Through.  Pete Stewart, Justin Seitz, Chris Wirtalla. Kate Stewart and Cara Stewart have managed to sprinkle parts of major artists throughout the 11 tracks but never overpower any of them with mimicry. 

Cases of Abita and Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane mixed were shipped in to turn the sold out Westside club into the closest approximation of a French Quarter haunt as two New Orleans acts (and friends) brought the jambalaya flavor north.  The night was ‘hosted’ by “The Rent Is 2 Damn High” guy himself, Jimmy McMillian who launched into his catch phrase multiple times to the delight of the fans in attendance.

The little record label that can from New Brunswick, NJ sold out the Music Hall of Williamsburg Saturday night showcasing what Don Giovanni does best; allow artists to be themselves and have a good time doing it. 

J Mascis has traveled down multiple musical paths on drums and guitar but this is his first proper solo acoustic venture, and Sub Pop is the lucky label that gets to release Several Shades of Why.  Upon first listen you may mistake this for a demo which points to the delicate nature of its recording but upon multiple listens the tracks unfold with grace.  A piano sprinkled here, a tambourine tapping there and strings from all over allow Mascis to do what he does best; first person songs of nervousness that ache in front of guitar majesty.

Glide recently had the pleasure of chatting with some members of the fantastic New Orleans gutter gospel rock group, The Rough Seven.  Bringing to the forefront honesty, a blazing sound that’s ready to run off the rails at any moment, and a smile to the most fucked up situations injects the Rough Seven with a sense of vitality.  The band is a conglomerate of local All-Stars, but their coming together and release of Give Up Your Dreams allows us all to get a glimpse inside the gritty greatness of the group. 

The Greenhornes fourth album is cleverly and aptly titled as they return to the retro-garage-psychedelic-pop proceedings that they perfected at the beginning of the millennium.  The jangle and aggression have been turned down to focus hardcore on keyboards, simple song structures and trippy blends of sound; all of which are evident on the eastern tempo change mayhem of “Cave Drawings” and the classic soul ringing “Better Off Without It”.

Commercially overloaded freak-out pop rock is what Automagik offer up on their debut self titled album.  The all night party vibe that props up tunes like “Hide and Seek” and “Brain Freeze”, make the chaos head bobbing-jump around fun.  Nonsensical lyrics, I won’t even go into “Boogieman”, and all-out good times remind of Cage The Elephant, The Darkness and Weezer. The tracks won’t stick with you for long, but will probably fuel Four Loco like madness while they do. 

With all the sprucing up and revamping of past catalogs that is going on today, endless new glossy ways to watch and hear, one can only imaging the amount of re-mastering that the late great Frank Zappa would be doing on his vast history of releases.  The man was constantly tinkering with his music, refiguring it for new formats (CDs at the time) overdubbing; processing and pushing the limits of his technology which makes the new DVD release The Torture Never Stops so surprising in its simplicity.   

The Televangelist and the Architect is a MIT PhD student named Jerry Chen (with various friends helping out) who seems to get a kick out of hiding his face in the band’s promo photos. Then again, when you produce something that is simultaneously pompous and dull (a nifty trick) anonymity could be a blessing. 

Lately when Bob Dylan plays his adopted city he has chosen to do so in theaters or gardens, but the smallish Terminal 5 was the perfect choice this Thanksgiving season; you could tell the intimacy added to the legends performance.  With the consistent rhythm of Tony Garnier the band flowed along, allowing Charlie Sexton to roam free before sliding into duals with Dylan’s keyboard.  More of a bluesman then most would like to admit, the roadhouse style of rollicking was on display plenty tonight. 

Hopefully the dreaded H word doesn’t last too long for The Black Crowes as they have never been more “on” over their entire career.  With progressive albums and electrifying tours, it is a shame they are putting it to bed, here’s wishing also that Luther Dickinson keeps bringing his magic on that day when the Crowes do come back to roost. 

They are devastatingly serious when it comes to their ass kicking hardcore punk style and hysterically uproarious with their song writing; they are the one and only No Redeeming Social Value from New York City.  In the tough guy/beat down world of Hardcore Metal NRSV’s style is a welcomed change of pace, never taking themselves to seriously, but constantly putting everything they have into their explosive style of playing; blood sweat and beers included.