Album Reviews Archives - Page 570 of 712

Truth & Salvage Co.: Truth & Salvage Co.

Jason Rooks May 17, 2010 No Comments

California’s Truth and Salvage Company was born out of impromptu jams at Hollywood’s famed Hotel Café and includes an arsenal of four singer/songwriters from all across the U.S. Truth and Salvage Company caught the ear of fellow Topanga Canyon resident Black Crowes front man, Chris Robinson and he signed them to his record label, Silver Arrow Records and took on the task of producing their debut album.

The Rum Diary: Rum Diary – Retrospective 2000-2007

Bob Lange May 14, 2010 No Comments

Back in 2002, I randomly purchased a little blue 7″ from Springman Records. “Mileage,” the title track, renewed what was, at the time, my waning interest in music. It’s mellow, ambling rhythm and layers of guitar built slowly, steadily and crazily into the frenzy of a tribal right of passage

The Hold Steady: Heaven Is Whenever

Shane Handler May 14, 2010 No Comments

You wonder what comparisons The Hold Steady are more sick of now – the Bruce Springsteen ones or the "best bar band in America" ones. With their fifth album Heaven is Forever, both tags have lost as much weight as guitarist Tad Kubler’s pant size Sure, The Hold Steady are a great band and even a better “bar” one, but that label is now tired, as Heaven is Whenever holds more depth than the “Chip Ahoys” and “Constructive Summers" of album's past.

Moby Grape: Moby Grape Live

Doug Collette May 13, 2010 No Comments

Forgive David Fricke if he succumbs to hyperbole in his liner notes to Moby Grape Live. This collection of concert recordings captures the band's skill and effervescence to such a degree, they do sound like that spirit of those times when everything seemed possible.

The National: High Violet

Shawn Donohue May 13, 2010 No Comments

A deep seeded sense of fearful midlife isolation is engrained in High Violet, the newest album from The National. That’s not all that’s here though; layers of sound and themes buzz below the surface like insects peaking out of their hive occasionally in twisting dissident guitar lines or even lyrical couplets; both tend to emerge more and more after multiple spins.

Josh Ritter: So Runs the World Away

Jason Gonulsen May 10, 2010 No Comments

I am assured that peace will come to me,” Josh Ritter sings on “Lark,” a song that channels his inner Paul Simon on his newest album, So Runs the World Away. Before Ritter penned these tunes, the songwriter from Idaho suffered a case of writer’s block, but you can’t tell that he was struggling on his fifth full-length; because on these 13 tracks, Ritter sounds better than ever.

Minus The Bear: OMNI

Patrick Flanary May 7, 2010 No Comments

This record, on its surface, may sound like another '80s throwback, synthesizer-spiced space jam, but Minus the Bear's equation comes off more measured than, say, the last great album from Seattle peersModest Mouse. While OMNI's title might imply MtB's desire to be everything to everyone, there's no posturing, no faking it from these composers

The Slackers: The Great Rocksteady Swindle

Patrick Flanary May 6, 2010 No Comments

While one might pinpoint The Slackers' signature sound somewhere between the Jamaican essence of The Maytals and the English beat of The Specials, it would only prove futile to casually categorize this band. Since 1991 The Slackers have done more than marry ska's upbeat shuffle with its sluggish reggae counterpart. And they still possess the power to push even the biggest prude to dance in public.

Big Audio Dynamite: This Is Big Audio Dynamite (Legacy Edition)

Bob Lange May 6, 2010 No Comments

Mick Jones’ last three albums with the Clash were genre-mixing explorations that pushed the limits, not only of punk, but of rock and pop as a whole. With the exception of London Calling, these efforts were both uneven as well as underrated. Big Audio Dynamite not only continued that tradition, but also expanded on it. Considering that such a broad palette would be considered commonplace in the next decade, This Is Big Audio Dynamite doesn’t get its due for for the part it played in laying out the landscape for many of the alt rock bands that exploded into the 90s.

LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening

Patrick Flanary May 4, 2010 No Comments

Remember that engineer who left behind the prototype iPhone in the public bathroom? Maybe the act was intentional, maybe it wasn't. Either way, the event sparked a free p.r. firestorm. The same might be said for James Murphy, the man behind synthpop dance group LCD Soundsystem. Murphy ranted and raved last month when his latest album leaked via the Internet. Careless or otherwise, the same kind of whodunit buzz prevailed for the premature exposure of This is Happening.

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