Album Reviews

[rating=8.00] The first Twin Shadow album, Forget, released in 2010, was a beautiful surprise. Pulsating and dreamy, awash with synths and drum machines, it drew instant comparisons to ‘80s New Wave and New Romantic influences, to which it clearly owed a debt. Twin Shadow, aka George Lewis, Jr., was obviously well-versed in ‘80s synth-pop, but […]

[rating=8.00] Allison Moorer, one of the strongest voices in alt-country, returns for her eighth studio album and the first for eOne Nashville. Down to Believing is Moorer’s most provocative album since 2004’s The Duel and her most personal, with many of the tracks dealing with difficult family matters. The title track references the dissolution of […]

[rating=8.00] Are you still hanging on to Led Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion in London? Are you weary about the off and on again status of Australia’s Wolfmother? And then there’s the roller coaster ride of questions that surround California’s Queens of the Stone Age. Well, if you like any or all of these bands, maybe a […]

[rating=8.00] Papa Mali’s latest album Music Is Love is proof that positive eccentricity can be a definite a virtue in the realm of music. The Louisiana native, whose given name is Malcolm Welbourne, collaborates with producer John Chelew (Blind Boys of Alabama, Charlie Musselwhite, John Hiatt) on a set of tunes as spooky as they […]

[rating=9.00] If you take Pink Floyd, stick them down south and add just the right amount of grit and dirt, you’ll have the killer Austin band the Bright Light Social Hour. A Southern psych rock aesthetic runs through the veins of their new record Space is Still the Place. It’s trippy, but not meandering, and […]

[rating=9.00] Funny how one can measure the shifts in civilization by the span of time that has lapsed between new albums from a favorite band. And in the eight years that lapsed between Modest Mouse records, we’ve experienced a societal de-evolution the likes of which none of us presently alive on Earth have ever endured. […]

[rating=4.00] Wasted on the Dream is an ode to a lost time period: a wistful love-letter to some bygone era, or perhaps simply an imaginary creation of JEFF the Brotherhood, the songwriting duo that cultivated it. In any instance the thesis is, for the most part, a sham: an alternate timeline where bad mustaches, muscle […]

[rating=9.00] When Stone Jack Jones came on the scene ever so quietly in 2014 with his dark, brooding debut Ancestor, it was impactful. Those who paid attention were blown away by his steely, sepia-tinged growl and haunting lullabies. And those who caught him on tour were even more affected, and perhaps a bit perplexed that […]

[rating=8.00] Elliott Smith was known to most as a kind of tortured genius. His demons overcame him far too young, but the music he made has always lived on, even garnering new life after his death. His songs are quiet and contained, but full of silent rage and gut-wrenching sadness. But they are beautiful and […]

[rating=7.00] Here’s the good news: Rebel Heart is better than anything Madonna has put out in a while – a long while. Critical opinion is fairly unified on the fact that it’s her best since 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor. And while it’s not as consistently good as the non-stop dancetravaganza of Confessions, it’s […]

When the an established band sees one of its member form a side-project, sometimes the strength of that project threatens to eclipse the band from which it branched off of. Moon Duo, with their third full-length, is poised to do just that, as Ripley Johnson’s little experiment in synth & garage drone rock has produced […]

[rating=8.00] Disassociating Will Butler with Arcade Fire is the first step to setting expectations for his solo record Policy, a killer, energetic retro rock and roll treat. Policy sets Butler apart from that crowd in the best way, showing off his crystal clear voice and dark songwriting chops. An alternative mix of instrumentals that set […]

[rating=7.00] At one time, extended instrumental beauty, as is executed on Erik Deutsch’s Outlaw Jazz, dominated the airwaves. In our universe however, where a concise melody and less thoughtfulness in song structure constitutes a more attractive commodity, there may be a few fewer outlets for such a well-hewn and uniquely developed album. Nonetheless, Outlaw Jazz […]

[rating=9.00] Is it really any coincidence (some of) the best live playing in the Grateful Dead’s career took place during 1974? This period represented a culmination of the burst of creativity that produced two fine studio recordings (Wake of the Flood and From the Mars Hotel), both released on their own independent record label, at […]

[rating=7.00] A lot has changed for Brandi Carlile since she released her last album, Bear Creek, in 2012. Professionally, she left her major label deal with Sony for a new home on Dave Matthews’ ATO Records. Personally, she’s married and has a child. Perhaps the biggest change, though, can be found in Carlile’s music. For […]

[rating=8.00] Gill Landry is on a roll, making music with Old Crow Medicine Show and now releasing his third full-length solo record. The self-titled release finds the multi-talented singer, songwriter and instrumentalist in a state of calm, creating stripped down Americana roots music. Landry’s voice is deep and steady, and makes for truly clean and […]

[rating=7.00] When Oasis taped an MTV Unplugged performance in 1996, it wasn’t meant to be Noel Gallagher’s first solo album. But the stripped-down set was exactly that, an unintended classic that put the band’s songwriter and part-time lead singer front and center. By that point, Oasis was one of the biggest bands in the world […]

[rating=8.00] Touring relentlessly in support of their first three releases (over 2,000 shows in the last ten years) Blackberry Smoke has built a well-deserved reputation as the heirs to the southern rock music mantle.   Their latest effort and first for Rounder Records, Holding All The Roses, produced by Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Neil Young, […]

[rating=9.00] Andrew Combs is a dynamite artist who just keeps getting better and better. On his second full-length record All These Dreams, a follow up to 2012’s Worried Man, he’s still evolving, this time taking on a more pop-country identity. Have no fear, though, if that isn’t your thing. Combs still sounds like he could […]

[rating=9.00 Labeling Diamond Rugs a “supergroup” is almost too small a concept to hold the explosiveness of what they create together. Though each part of the whole came from an established outfit, as a band they are so cohesive you can easily separate them from anything that came before or co-exists. On their second record […]