Album Reviews Archives - Page 551 of 716

Chamberlin: Bitter Blood

Jeremy Lukens June 8, 2011 No Comments

Forgive Chamberlin if their debut album seems to end too quickly. The band seems to be lacking in patience. They had only performed in front of friends before deciding to record an album and had only played a handful of shows in Vermont before going on a national tour with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Though the 9-track album is brief, Bitter Blood sounds like the painstaking work of a veteran band rather than an impromptu recording by new band-mates.

Joseph Arthur: The Graduation Ceremony

Gabriel Scheer June 8, 2011 No Comments

The Graduation Ceremony grabs the listener from the start with its emotional immediacy, the flow from one beautifully-crafted song to the next. It doesn’t break new ground, specifically; long-time appreciators of Joseph Arthur will find much here reminiscent of past work. For example, the album’s second track bears beautiful memory (and nearly a guitar riff) of his earlier work “Honey and the Moon,” from Redemption’s Son; that song, by this writer’s ear, is a true gem of melodic, folk-inspired pop, and “Horses” successfully follows in its footsteps.

Man Man: Life Fantastic

Jeremy Lukens June 7, 2011 No Comments

Listening to Man Man’s music is taking a journey down a rabbit hole, observing a world that mirrors yours but is a little less predictable, a little less sane

Dawes: Nothing Is Wrong

Chris Calarco June 7, 2011 No Comments

When Taylor Goldsmith rips into a staccato-laced solo toward the end of “Fire Away” on Dawes’ second LP, Nothing is Wrong, the band emphatically declares their expansion. With more time to write and more attention focused on their efforts this time around, Dawes manages to honor their modern Laurel Canyon country folk by adding moments of increased muscle and bright new flourishes of their striking harmonies inside a wider palette of sound.

Brooks Ritter: The War EP

Jason Rooks June 7, 2011 No Comments

This album is for fans of Amos Lee, Robert Randolph and North Mississippi Allstars. Brooks Ritter’s, The War, has a southern rock and gospel feel, filled with elevating themes and a fresh sound that is good food for the soul.

Natalia Zukerman: Gas Station Roses

Peter Zimmerman June 6, 2011 No Comments

Natalia Zukerman’s latest album Gas Station Roses, released in March on Weasel Records, not only amplifies her strengths as a songwriter but sets a new standard of excellence in her career.

Tedeschi Trucks Band: Revelator

Nick Gunther June 3, 2011 No Comments

The 11-piece band that is the Tedeschi Trucks Band yielded an end product that combines both Derek and Susan’s individual styles yet opens the listener an unrestraint that could only be captured in this type of environment.

Manchester Orchestra: Simple Math

Chris Calarco June 2, 2011 No Comments

Ever since releasing records entitled I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child and Everything into Nothing, Manchester Orchestra has staked a claim as sensitively extravagant rockers. With the more mutedly titled, Simple Math, Hull has concocted a collection of simultaneously bombastic and intimate songs tracking the dissolution and reconstruction of his marriage and his life.

Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring For My Halo

Jeff Strowe June 2, 2011 No Comments

Kurt Vile has put together a release worthy of an early candidate for Album of the Year with Smoke Ring For My Halo. By including his touring band, The Violaters, here Vile has upped the sound quality and density, forgoing the low-fi aesthetic that had somewhat muddied his previous albums by giving them a little too much of a DIY-feel.

Duff McKagan’s Loaded: The Taking

Chris Calarco May 31, 2011 No Comments

While Duff McKagan has always appeared far more open to a reunion than the iconoclastic and downright ridiculous Axl Rose, he has soldiered on since their mid 90’s breakup. The modern world of metal has been more than welcoming with his platinum selling work in Velvet Revolver as well as his longtime band, Loaded. Having always played a supporting role in his two other bands, since 1999, Loaded has afforded McKagan the opportunity to step to the fore, showcasing his song writing, guitar playing and singing.

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