Posts by Shawn Donohue

It is great to literally hear the walls of genre coffining labels collapse when Akron/Family starts a’rolling.  Their newest release Set’Em Wild, Set’Em Free isn’t as experimentally weird as past efforts, but still brings enough freak with their Nuevo-hippy folk to keep listeners on edge.

Few bands have successfully produced two decades of quality music and lived to liven listener's senses for a third. Even fewer bands staking that claim hail from that musical-bridge between the late 80’s and early 90s. Yet that is exactly what Dinosaur Jr. has re-affirmed with their newest release: Farm.

Coming off the most accessible album of their career, Rather Ripped, the 16th full length recording from Sonic Youth is aptly named, The Eternal. They have returned to odd timing’s clanging guitars and poetic lyrical workouts, however not all the mainstream sheen is worn away.

These Tuscaloosa, Alabama boys made their first stop in NYC a memorable one at Piano’s on the Lower East Side.  Equipped with trucker hats, pompadours, and sideburns that could cut a steak, this 5-piece blasted out the doors and invigorated a small but eager crowd.  They powered through their set with a three guitar attack and rock solid low-end that dripped hellfire an Jack Daniels.   

Overall it is a solid effort for the duo, with top notch production and a few odd vocal choices; but it is far from the ruin implied in its title.    

The newest release from Richard Swift is The Atlantic Ocean; delivering strings, odd poppy stabs of synthesizer and varying whacky lyrics.  The constantly plunking western saloon style piano is omnipresent to a point that teeters on annoyance.

Over the last few months George McConnell has been going back to the glory days of rock and roll releasing “Virtual 45’s” complete with B-Side’s.  Come to think of it, that is pretty close to the glory days of today an I-tunes, but either which way McConnell decided to combine all his individual tunes into this full length titled, appropriately enough, Singles Only

Les Claypool is a rare beast.  After being asked to score music for a videogame (“Mushroom Men”) and a horror film about a mutant pig (“Booneville Stomp”) he decided to keep the weird juices flowing and put out a full length album.  Maybe he should have slowed his roll a bit.  Of Fungi and Foe is a scattered, loose effort that feels like Les is reheating some leftovers. 

Overall One Last Century is an excellent effort and as Dezen grows and continues to express himself lyrically hopefully the music behind him will grow and challenge the listeners as well.  Download today and enjoy.  

Straight out of The Breakfast Club comes The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, quite the band name/album title and one that really is apropos of the music contained within.  The sound of love-longed teens lounging in their Tiger Beat pin-up covered bedroom, crossed with shaggy-haired-skinny-rockers in a garage; turning up the feedback and peppering the skins and keys with the combined angst and pressure of a first kiss.    Layers of acoustic guitars and feedback build on the quick opener “The Contender” before the abrupt end, leading to the swinging catchiness of distant broken lovers in “Come Saturday,” whose ending contains a sped-up Jesus and Mary Chain “Head On”-esque riff.  The hooks, dreamy voices and lovelorn lyrics would flutter away if it was not for the impressive low-end teaming of Alex Naidus on bass and Kurt Feldman on drums giving the group a power-pop-punk vibe in the vein of The Exploding Hearts.  Sure, you’ve heard this all before, and at times it borders on mimicry over tribute, but tunes like “Everything With You” and “Hey Paul” are fantastic and will win you over instantly.            Earnest and melodic; borrowing heavily from Black Tambourine and slightly from My Bloody Valentine, while mixing in a sunshiny-sheen on top of the playing that bursts through.  Where those groups were dense and required multiple listens you GET IT upon the first run through with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.