Album Reviews

[rating=7.00] Kyle Cox is cute as a button, and his new record The Plan, The Mess reflects that. Best described as alt-pop, Cox also incorporates elements of country and indie rock into his songs, mixing steel guitar with his smooth and sweet voice. You can hear influences from all of these styles of music in […]

[rating=6.00] Let’s be honest, prolific singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams does not need to prove anything to anyone. And her new record, a lengthy double album titled Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone is proof of that. No doubt a few eyebrows were raised questioning why at this point in her career, Williams can’t pare 20 […]

[rating=7.00] With the one-minute bare bones’ acoustic guitar and vocal opener, “If I’d Waited” which sounds nothing like any other track, Holy Ghost, is a successful work of misdirection.    Based on both his history and his abilities you would expect former Black Crowes’ guitarist Marc Ford’s latest solo effort to be blistering leads over layers […]

[rating=7.00] Who exactly does Gary Clark Jr. think he is, releasing a double-disc live album after only three full-length studio albums? Isn’t a double live album supposed to be reserved for musical legends and those with extensive catalogs from which to pull? Clark’s live album, simply called Live, doesn’t fit into that mold because it’s […]

[rating=8.00] For many artists, it can take years to forge a clear identity in their music, but J.P. Harris makes it look easy. Leading his incredibly tight band the Tough Choices, Harris is a rising country artist with a voice you won’t soon forget. It’s deep, it’s smoky and it’s perfectly suited to his honkytonk […]

[rating=8.00] Julian Casablancas and the Voidz look like The Warriors.  They sound like John Carpenterminator.  Tyranny is the sound of 80s New York sewer grime and gristle, Mean Streets remade into a cacophonic opera with a chorus of blood-speckled Travis Bickles screaming arias.  When Eli Roth or Ty West remakes They Live and Roddy Rowdy Piper […]

[rating=6.00] Little Machines, the third LP from Canadian singer Lights, is a hook-laden collection of warm electropop that provides steady dance floor beats and enough variety to keep things interesting. The Canadian singer (real name: Valerie Ann Boxleitner Bokan) melds various pop influences with the electronic rhythm backing, combining huge sing-along choruses with floor-shaking beats. […]

[rating=9.00] Joe Fletcher’s come a long way since his last record, literally. He relocated from home state Rhode Island to Nashville, and he’s been on the road touring almost nonstop. His new record, You’ve Got the Wrong Man, is a kind of cataloguing of those experiences with its gritty Americana vibe. Blues guitar shows up […]

[rating=7.00] Mike Doughty’s latest project is billed as an exploration of modern hip-hop. The concept is certainly apparent, but Stellar Motel is not a complete departure for Doughty. There are several songs that sound much like the rhythmic, hyper-linguistic pop we’ve come to expect from him, and those who have followed his considerable career won’t […]

[rating=8.00] This is not what The Drums are known for, but it is perhaps some of their best work. After two members of The Drums left, the band almost fell apart. Founding members, Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham were left to pick up the pieces and carry on. Their third album, Encyclopedia, is a reflection […]

[rating=9.00] Coping with a loved one who is undergoing treatment for cancer is heavy stuff. It’s happening to someone in all of our lives at this very moment, be it first, second or third hand. And for those along for the ride in the thick of the chemo treatments,  hospital trips and moments that intersect […]

[rating=7.00] Ten years have passed since the Toronto bass and drums duo Death from Above 1979 released its debut LP, the high-octane You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine. For a good while, it seemed that record would be the only full-length release the duo would put out, following an extended hiatus that began in 2006. […]

[rating=8.00] Goth beach is the type of bizarro moniker that can at one turn feel like a salty acid trip or a meandering moonlit stroll along the water. It’s a descriptive phrase that supposedly comes the closest to defining SoCal outfit the Growlers. They’ve latched onto it to a certain extent because everyone needs a […]

[rating=9.00] “You can call me a madman/But I’m spoken for”, sings Sean Rowe on the title track of his latest record Madman, and immediately we are pulled in by that deep, stirring voice that’s unlike anything else. Folk mastermind Rowe is an artist that continues to surprise and intrigue listeners with every new record, and […]

[rating=8.00] One New Orleans legend salutes another here as Dr. John bounces his way into the Louis Armstrong catalog, bringing with him the funk, R&B, and soul for Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch. From the first song you notice this isn’t going to be your normal tribute album. Tackling the most well known Armstrong offering […]

[rating=9.00] In an expression of their collective confidence, the opener of Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood’s Juice sets the tone for an album conceived of the foursome’s exploration of Latin-influenced music. The quartet slip so easily into the lightly syncopated groove of  Eddie Harris’ “Sham Time,” it’s as if they gave no forethought to what […]

[rating=5.00] Four years since Penny Sparkle, an album that seemed to shine about as much as a tarnished penny would itself, the 1990’s, Blonde Redhead has released their ninth album, Barragán. If Penny Sparkle knocked them down, then Barragán is Blonde Redhead limply tottering back to their feet. But instead of turning back the way […]

[rating=9.00] M.C. Taylor, better known as Hiss Golden Messenger, is one to watch. On his follow up to last year’s incredibly sparse and haunting Bad Debt, he’s lightened his load a bit to radiant results. Lateness of Dancers finds Taylor embracing a more sun-drenched country sound than we’re used to from him. Inspired by the […]

[rating=6.00] Often peppy, never dull, and at times ambitiously prolific, Bishop Allen are back after a long (for them, at least) five year hiatus. In that interim, the band members worked on film and television scores, copiously demoed tracks, and left behind their longtime Brooklyn surroundings for a fresh start amongst the lush greenery of […]

[rating=6.00] The fourth studio album from Delta Spirit is a lush, epic foray into arena-ready rock, more so than anything they’ve done before. Into the Wide, as it’s so aptly titled, feels grand and big, like it’s ready to move mountains. They’ve always had a knack for creating pop rock head bangers, but on Wide […]