Album Reviews

[rating=7.00] Playing in one of the biggest rock bands in the world isn’t enough for Dan Auerbach who has expertly produced records by famous artists (Dr. John’ fantastic Locked Down) and released solo albums (2009’s Keep It Hid) before now moving into a new group with some friends called The Arcs. What is most surprising […]

[rating=6.00] FIDLAR is one of those bands that found a sound rooted in a time/place that was relevant to the rest of the world for just a fleeting moment, and made it work. In case you lost track of popular acronymed bands, FIDLAR stands for “Fuck It Dog, Life’s A Risk” indicative of the style […]

[rating=8.00] With twenty — yes, twenty! — releases to his credit thus far, Dan Bern somehow remains an undiscovered talent, a singer/songwriter whose music is so honest and evocative, it guarantees an immediate positive impression. His music is frequently compared to Dylan, Springsteen and Elvis Costello, but those comparisons somehow fall short, not because he’s […]

[rating=8.00] It’s been a half-decade of contemplation and anticipation for HEALTH fans. After 2010’s Disco 2, and hearing virtually nothing (except a 2013 Max Payne video game soundtrack), I wondered whether these L.A.-based experimental noise rockers would soon be filed in the ‘Where Are They Now?’  file. With HEALTH’s creativity and innate non-conformity, it is […]

[rating=6.00] Thirty years into their career as a band, Yo La Tengo continues to evolve, but always on their own terms. This particular phase of their evolution finds members Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew coming full circle in many ways, and returning to their roots. New album Stuff Like That There is a […]

[rating=9.00] With the release of Find A Way to Care, John Mayall has effectively shed the oft-overused moniker of “Godfather of the British Blues.” The appellation may remain accurate, but the longevity of Mayall’s career, and the continued vitality he demonstrates here, posit him as one of the most important figures in contemporary blues of […]

[rating=6.00] Carey Mercer, the mastermind behind Frog Eyes, took a fiercely independent route in crafting the material that has become Pickpocket’s Locket, his latest and perhaps most straightforward album. Armed with only the acoustic guitar bequeathed to him in his father’s will, Mercer challenged himself to write ten songs completely alone on that acoustic, free […]

If you were wondering if the new Yes tour with Toto was going to be a more somber experience than usual, there is no need to fear the unknown. Yes have found a way to memorialize their bass player Chris Squire, who passed away this past June from a form of leukemia, with class and […]

[rating=8.00] Debut albums can be a tricky proposition. On the one hand, it’s essential to make an immediate impression. On the other, you don’t want to raise the bar too high so that succeeding efforts dwell in the shadows of that effort that came before. Especially since that initial attempt is the culmination of a […]

[rating=8.00] Shortly into Poison Season, the latest release from Dan Bejar’s Destroyer, he mutters the lines: “I’ll take my chances on the road/On the inside I’m an ocean/Like a wheel set into motion into the storm”. Words like these in the hands of a lesser assured artist would likely ring hollow or vain. In the […]

[rating=7.00] If you find yourself bewitched by the dream pop sounds of Beach House, than their latest record Depression Cherry will continue to enchant you in new ways. A follow up to 2012’s critically beloved Bloom, Cherry has more of those lush, soaring sounds for which Beach House is known, but its touch is soft […]

[rating=7.00] Ruby Amanfu has been around the Nashville music scene since she could sing but getting noticed is never easy. Releasing some quality songs with Sam Brooker as Sam & Ruby and competing on The Sing-Off gave her a little exposure, however it was playing the foil to Jack White on the emotional “Love Interruption” […]

[rating=7.00] “This ain’t the place to be” belts out frontman Peter Niven at the very start of “It’s A Mess,” the opening track of the Atom Age’s latest album Hot Shame. He’s only slightly wrong in his sentiment, as the band has crafted a solid collection of riff-heavy rock ‘n’ roll songs, but seems to […]

[rating=8.00] From the raucous and menacing first guitar notes on the opening track “Willow”, you already know you’re in for a hell of a party and it’s being thrown by none other than the force of nature that is Barrence Whitfield and the Savages. On the follow-up to the stellar Dig Thy Savage Soul, Whitfield […]

[rating=7.00] Despite the somewhat ubiquitous handle — does a White Buffalo roam the musical plain or simply serve as some sort of monumental figurehead worthy of high praise? — Jake Smith has used his alias to purvey some exceptional alt country offerings over the course of the past dozen years. Although his initial independent releases […]

[rating=6.00] In her first solo album since 2004’s Original Soul – released one year prior to forming the Nocturnals – Grace Potter takes a sharp change in course from the blues-based rock that had defined her sound for the last decade. Synthesizers and dancehall beats dominate, with guitars, organ, and her Americana roots relegated to […]

[rating=4.00] I’ve been a fan of The Sword for a decade now, following the musical trail of destruction left in the wake of these Austin metalheads through epic record after epic record of pure rock fury. To say they’ve been a favorite band of mine would be a bit of an overstatement, but they’ve constantly […]

[rating=8.00] The opening track on Jackie Greene’s Back to Birth, “Silver Lining,” has a self-assured positivism that sets the tone for the whole record, not a total surprise as it was produced by Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin who also oversaw previous work of Greene’s including American Myth and Giving Up the Ghost. The comfort level […]

[rating=6.00] Forlorn troubadours never seem to go out of vogue. Whether it’s a teen sensation wailing about losing a lover and crying in the chapel, or a forever downtrodden folkie of Nick Drake’s ilk, loss and lament have always been ideal song fodder. It’s not always the most inspiring subject matter but it does seem […]

[rating=9.00] Prepare to be haunted and hypnotized by Duskland, the new record from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Zachary Cale. Its moody tone and eerie nuances are thought-provoking and heavy, and the slow burn from start to finish on Duskland is enough to keep you longing for more. Cale’s got a soft, sensual voice that he uses ever […]