Turning fast beneath the mightiest of guns,” A.A. Bondy sings on “Mightiest of Guns,” the opening track off his newest offering, When the Devil’s Loose. It’s a song that exemplifies what Bondy does best—he takes his time with his talents, slowly taking you in with his dreamy voice, smart lyrics, and soulful punch.
Described as part hippie love-fest and musical traveling circus, one look at the cover photo of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros’ Up From Below and you’ll rightfully agree with the description. If that correlation doesn’t ring true, go to the band’s homepage and check out the image of the ten or so band members holding hands in a tribal type dance circle and you’ll come to fathom that there is more than just music to this collective.
The Upwelling is a three piece New York City-based indie/pop/rock trio that delivers their music in a straight forward manner. Dominated by multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Ari Ingber, who, along with his brother Joshua Ingber on drums and Conor Heffernan on keys, create lush soundscapes decorated with crooning.
It would demean The Duke and The King to say it's an offshoot of The Felice Brothers, but Nothing Gold Can Stay does radiate the same rustic (thought slightly ominous) charm of the Catskill Mountain clan’s music.
This five song EP, in classic punk fashion, clocks in at just under eight minutes, but we all know it's quality, not quantity, that counts. These tracks, culled from two different shows, reflect GI's hardcore heyday in 1982-83.
While the group has shifted over the years, Love and Curses proves once again that Cartwright and crew are the most criminally-underrated songwriter and rockers rolling today.
Yim Yames’ (nee Jim James’) homage to the late George Harrison, Tribute to, is truly a labor of love. Recorded in 2001 in a moment of inspired grieving upon hearing of the man’s passing, the titular leader of My Morning Jacket channels the spirit of The Beatles’ lead guitarist as he plays an unusual cross-section of his music.
Reigning Sound is the brain child of prolific talent Greg Cartwright. While the group has shifted over the years, Love and Curses proves once again that Cartwright and crew are the most criminally-underrated songwriter and rockers rolling today.
Formed in 1985 in Minneapolis with Mark Olson (acoustic guitar and vocals), Gary Louris (electric guitar and vocals), Marc Perlman (bass) and Norm Rogers (drums), The Jayhawks were sorely one of the most under-rated bands of their era.
Essential Jazz Classics has recently released a set of CDs that collects some of that period's best albums along with some interesting bonus material.
