Album Reviews

[rating=6.00] Three albums on, Royal Southern Brotherhood have moved to the top ranks of the jam band legions, bringing them a certain distinction that belies their relative rookie standing. In truth, they come about their royal moniker quite rightfully, being that two members of this collective are affiliated with one of the most revered families […]

[rating=8.00] Few new releases in any contemporary genre carry the distinguished credentials of Larry Campbell and Theresa Williams. The former was Bob Dylan’s lead guitarist from 1997 to 2004 before going on to assume similar duties in the last stable lineup of Phil Lesh and Friends from 2007 to 2008. Campbell then went on to […]

[rating=8.00] Richard Thompson has a unique standing in contemporary music circles. Although the origins of his career can be traced to his tenure in Fairport Convention — a band considered one of the leading lights among the English folk rock vanguard — his ties to any traditional trappings remain tenuous at best. Here was a […]

[rating=9.00] It’s been nearly two decades since the world was blessed with new Failure. Fantastic Planet was a monumental achievement in the world of post-grunge alt rock, with its spaced out vibe and trippy soundscape propelling it out of this world. Despite the band’s initial success with the record, tensions from within and without eventually […]

[rating=6.00] The topical concerns that permeate the songs on The Monsanto Years shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s listened to Neil Young over the course of his career and particularly in recent years. And if nothing else, the collection of material maintains the viability of the album as a collection of recorded material, in a time of […]

[rating=7.00] Cynics might be tempted to dismiss Underhill Rose as far too sweet and sincere to give them the necessary edge up. After all, they don’t dwell on politically charged topics or ponder societal ills or fret about disillusionment with the way things are. Instead they proffer a cheery sound that brings to mind an […]

[rating=10.00] Box sets have a tendency to be exhaustive in the way they are often just a way to re-release an artist’s work to get more money. Don’t worry, this is not the case with the new box set, Directly From My Heart: The Best of the Specialty & Vee-Jay Years. On the set’s cover […]

[rating=6.00] Such is the widespread mass appeal popularity of Americana these days that even a band that gives itself an odd handle like Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank can get a measure of credibility, if not based on the name then at least on the music. Minnesota-based brothers Teague and Ian Alexy, the nephews in […]

[rating=8.00] The purity of rock and roll is up for debate these days, with the dilutive qualities of all the competing genres and crossovers wreaking havoc upon the merits of good ol’ fashioned rockin’. Everything is post-something or proto-whatever; nothing exists simply for the rock. It’s a predictable conclusion for a world obsessed dichotomously with […]

[rating=8.00] Listening to T. Hardy Morris and the Hardknocks will leave you feeling dirty, in a really good way. There’s something so disheveled and gritty about his twangy sound, and he’s been bringing it to countless stages on tours with both the Hardknocks and his side project Diamond Rugs all year. Morris is just the […]

[rating=8.00] A lot of contemporary pop musicians rely on overly clever lyrics and pulsating dance beats to get their point across, but that’s not the case with Western Massachusetts based singer- songwriter Seth Glier. Glier, who received  a Grammy nomination for his 2011 release “The Next Right Thing,” is more interested in connecting with his audience […]

[rating=8.00] If the title of Jamie Lin Wilson’s first full solo album seems both expansive and inclusive, you can be sure that the heading is actually appropriate. Wilson writes from a knowing perspective, specifically, a life rich in both personal and professional anecdotal experience. A wife, a mother (she was carrying her third child during […]

[rating=6.00] Of course Franz Ferdinand joined forces with Sparks on a new album. The Glasgow post-punk quartet was heavily influenced by the pop rock pioneers, with their snarky songwriting, infectious beats, and danceable rhythms. After a decade of trying to collaborate, they finally succeeded, under the name FFS. This isn’t a paint-by-numbers collaboration, however. Rather […]

[rating=7.00] It’s been a long time since Jim O’Rourke has released a solo album, 2009’s The Visitor to be exact, and even longer since he released one with vocals, for that you need to go all the way back to 2001’s Insignificance. Titling this new effort Simple Songs is loaded as anyone familiar with this […]

[rating=9.00] Your song of summer awaits, and you’ll find it in an unexpected place, specifically, the title track off the latest record from Billy Shaddox, I Melt, I Howl. Shaddox hails from Colorado, and is the rare songwriter who seems to have a natural knack for crafting a pop song, and a deep understanding of […]

[rating=8.00] Listening to the sonic experimentation of Paul Weller’s album Saturns Patterns, it only makes sense this is the man who fronted two bands, The Jam and The Style Council, so very stylistically diverse from each other. Yet Weller declaims his iconoclastic personality here, often as not as cacophonous as it is on “White Sky.” […]

[rating=8.00] Admittedly, Canada’s Barenaked Ladies aren’t always in the best position to be taken seriously. For starters, there’s their handle, chosen when the group’s founding members Ed Robertson and Steven Page, two former school chums, tossed around ideas for band names after deciding to pool their talents. And then there’s the signature songs on which […]

[rating=8.00] Black Sheep is the first album in the new era of Yonder Mountain String Band’s existence, and their first proper release in 6 years. Since the departure of exuberant mandolinist and founding member Jeff Austin last year, guitarist Adam Aijala has assumed the most prominent role in the band. Now front and center on […]

[rating=7.00] “No longer motivated by fear”, sings Kevin Galloway on the opening track “The Light” off the new record of the same name from his band Uncle Lucius. Thought The Light is the band’s fourth record, its material is new territory for them. Having recently split from their label, their album was funded through crowdsourcing from their […]

[rating=6.00] Unbeknownst to me, Guided by Voices, Robert Pollard’s revolving member and ragtag band of merrymakers, released their hi-fi masterpieces, Do the Collapse and Isolation Drills, on vinyl for Record Store Day 2015. By reflex alone, I scooped up both LPs. Price was not a concern, neither was format. I own multiple copies of the albums, but […]