Album Reviews

[rating=9.00] There comes a time in life when you’re a ways into adulthood, and it finally sinks in that the carefree days of your twenties are behind you. Colorado-based band Ark Life has captured this so poignantly on their debut record The Dream of You and Me. Led by These United States’ Jesse Elliot, Ark […]

[rating=9.00] Hypnotic Eye is vintage Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. In fact, it may rank as one of the two or three best albums the veteran rockers have ever done. Firing on all pistons like a well-tuned automobile, the band is clearly inspired by songs in which Petty vividly renders his own personality and those […]

[rating=5.00] In theory, everything about Puss N Boots should be appealing. A trio of women made up of powerhouse songstress Norah Jones with Sasha Dobson and Catherine Popper singing twangy folk songs, both originals and covers from the likes of Rodney Crowell and Neil Young. But on their debut record No Fools, No Fun, more […]

[rating=5.00] Whenever an actor attempts to cross over and make music, it’s always smart to manage expectations accordingly, but approach with an open mind. Got a Girl is the project of indie actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead and talented producer and musician Dan Nakamura, and their debut together is cheekily titled I Love You But I […]

[rating=7.00] If Jim Lauderdale weren’t a great songwriter, he’d be playing at your local tavern this weekend, singing spirited versions of country classics. As it is, Lauderdale is an established Americana star and a writer of hits for mainstream artists including George Strait. Lauderdale’s gifts as a composer allow him to easily cross the boundary […]

[rating=8.00] Throughout their twenty year run as a band Spoon has managed to never release a disappointing record. They have also maintained a healthy status as the quintessential hip indie rock band from Austin. The secret to this – if you want to call it a secret – is their ability to play around with […]

[rating=7.00] In the ever-expanding genre of dream folk, Duluth, Minnesota natives Trampled by Turtles are continuing to make a name for themselves. On their latest record Wild Animals, their sound is airier and more atmospheric than ever, and they also seem to have honed their instrumental skills, creating lush waves of strings that complement the […]

[rating=6.00] You can’t fake family, and Ohio brothers Zachary and Andrew Gabbard are proof. Their band Buffalo Killers’ latest record Heavy Reverie is a study in the nuances of familiarity and kin, with an authenticity that’s like flipping through an old photo album. Reverie plays like an old 70s record, with Americana themes and straight […]

[rating=7.00] The greatest tribute Eric Clapton and Friends offer in their tribute to the late J.J. Cale on Call Me The Breeze is to so accurately emulate the low-key sound the late Oklahoman most often formulated on his own records. The brevity and economy of the tracks just begins to descend into sameness when the […]

[rating=9.00] Hailed as the first stadium tour of its kind, Crosby, Sills, Nash and Young’s 24-city tour across the summer of 1974 is the stuff of pure classic rock mythmaking. And this long-awaited, hotly anticipated 3 CD/1DVD box set, simply entitled CSNY 1974, has been on the minds and message boards of AOR savants since […]

[rating=7.00] A Life Worth Living, the sixth studio album by Louisiana roots singer Marc Broussard, is his most personal project to date. No longer hiding behind ambiguity or his former label’s desire for performances targeted to Broussard’s demographics, this time Broussard opens up and creates a music mosaic straight from his soul. Broussard’s earlier work […]

[rating=9.00] Sixteen years after the last proper Braid LP and No Coast begins with “Bang” and ends with a song called “This Is Not a Revolution.” Insert your poor puns here; they don’t matter. No Coast is what happens when a band leaves, arguably at the height of their abilities, and returns with more than a […]

[rating=7.00] To commit so fully to psychedelic rock is a feat not many bands undertake, and even less bands do well. The Black Angels have defined themselves within this genre so distinctly; it’s hard to imagine them doing anything else. And that’s just fine because they’ve honed their craft so tightly, especially on their new […]

[rating=8.00] It gets louder when we’re singin’ together,” Eleanor and Chris Masterson sing on the title track off their second full-length album Good Luck Charm. Coming off the acclaim of their debut Birds Fly South, The Mastersons are stronger than ever both vocally and in their songwriting. Playing off each other’s strengths, they have perfected […]

[rating=9.00] Any album that opens with a didgeridoo and a cavalry of finger cymbals deserves at least one listen. Morrissey’s gorgeous tenth record, World Peace Is None of Your Business, demands many more—despite an early lecture on global meddling. “Each time you vote, you support the process,” he taunts in his velvet croon several times on the […]

[rating=6.00] With his debut album, the aptly titled In the Lonely Hour, London singer Sam Smith spends just under an hour bemoaning the loneliness, sorrow and self-doubt that love leaves in its wake. Packed with smooth R&B crooning and energetic dancehall grooves, the album has enough variety to become more than simply a vocal showcase, […]

[rating=7.00] John Hiatt has recorded with his band The Combo before (albeit not since bassist Nathan Gehri replaced Patrick O’Hearn), but he’s never worked so self-sufficiently as on Terms of My Surrender. The brilliant guitarist Doug Lancio assumed the role of producer on this, Hiatt’s twenty-second studio effort, and he helps maintain an earthy atmosphere […]

[rating=7.00] The first full-length record from Vancouver band Jpnsgrls plays out like the fast-paced, hormonal diary of a teenager. Circulation is an impressive debut from the young foursome, and tackles some pretty hard-edged themes. With a “live fast die young” mentality laced through the record like a sketchy joint, Jpnsgrls simultaneously arouse the fear of […]

[rating=9.00] On their stunning sophomore album Big Black Dog, Birmingham, AL duo Dead Fingers create eccentric and imaginative soundscapes. Songs about heartbreak, uncertainty and resilience are kooky and unique, but always thoughtful. Dead Fingers are a band to watch. The husband and wife duo join an impressive lineup of acts on the Big Legal Mess/Fat […]

[rating=9.00] A super group like The Delines only comes around so often. A collaboration between vocalist Amy Boone, the Decemberists’ Jenny Conlee-Drizos, Minus 5’s Tucker Jackson, Sean Oldham, Freddy Trujillo, and beloved songwriter and novelist Willy Vlautin of Richmond Fontaine, their new record Colfax wipes a finger through the thick layer of dust settled on […]