Album Reviews

[rating=7.00] Cemetery Dares, the debut album by Brooklyn-by-way-of-St. Louis band Modern Rivals, is an ambitious mix of sun-drenched psychedelic pop. At times basking in the warm reverb and at other times exploring the foggy sonic terrain of 60s psychedelia, it is a solid if slightly busy effort produced by Kyle “Slick” Johnson (Cymbals Eat Guitars). “Angel […]

[rating=9.00] Five albums and over a decade into her career, singer-songwriter Mirah is getting back to her roots, literally. Her new record Changing Light covers a lot of earthly ground, from animals to nature and seasons. Hailed as a breakup album, Light deals with being in transition on deep levels, confronting mortality in fascinating ways. […]

If the lyric from “Oysters” of “working my way back to me again” was a goal and creative impetus for this project, one can say without reservation—imperfect as the record is—that Tori Amos has succeeded.

[rating=9.00] Once again The Black Keys duo of Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach have teamed with producer Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) to craft an album of textured rhythms mixed with sonic tricks and experiments while still keeping their blues roots grounded, especially in the real of personal lyrical expressions. This is the fourth collaboration […]

[rating=6.00] Considering that the latest album by Sarah McLachlan, the queen of the mournful piano ballad, is largely inspired by personal tragedy, one might expect an unrelenting deluge of misery. Luckily, that is not the case, as McLachlan includes enough hopeful moments to break through the pain. Shine On is McLachlan’s eighth studio album and […]

Lykke Li’s new album “I Never Learn” manages the contradictory feat of lingering in your mind without sonically overstaying its welcome.

[rating=8.00] Atmosphere’s new record Southsiders is a statement in slowing things down.  At this point in their nearly 20-year career, Slug’s got a family and it seems that he and Ant are finally taking a step back to breathe. That signature sense of urgency and intense energy is still there, but it’s mingled with a […]

[rating=7.00] For two weeks last year, Merrill Garbus, the leader of the duo tUnE-yArDs, studied dancing and drumming in Haiti “to situate myself in a non-western musical tradition,” as she later put it in The Talkhouse. There, half a world from her studio in Oakland, Garbus began to extract herself from a creative rut. A […]

[rating=7.00] The camaraderie of The Chris Robinson Brotherhood belies their time together. Formed in 2011 by the co-founder of The Black Crowes, the group caught the proverbial lightning in a bottle with their two initial albums (Big Moon Ritual and The Magic Door) released in quick succession the very next year. Now the sextet has […]

[rating=8.00] Some bands become known not due to corporate record label exposure but word-of-mouth reputation. From this platform, individual members gain kudos and experience to branch off into solo work. Here is a case of the parent band itself being a collaboration of individuals who have other projects, and as the years go by may […]

[rating=6.00] With their last release, 2012’s Great Ideas In Action, Archie Powell & The Exports put out one of the catchiest indie/pop rock albums of the year. Safe to say shit got real for the band as Back in Black showcases a raw shouting, harsh take on inner human emotions…mostly the pissed off kind. Instantly […]

There’s some wit here, and even smart anecdotes on our social media-driven culture, which will keep listeners thinking while they tap their feet, but with uninspired music backing that type of sharp cultural reflection, the result is a somewhat hollow offering from a band that’s shown they’re capable of much more.

[rating=8.00] Sex, drugs and rock n’ roll are the constant theme on the newest studio album from beloved country alt-rockers Old 97’s. Most Messed Up is chock full of sarcasm, satire and fantastic stories, weaving together a kind of rock and roll quilt of all the fun they’ve had in their lengthy and seemingly never-ending […]

[rating=6.00] Cope, the fourth full-length album by Manchester Orchestra, finds the Atlanta rockers at their loudest and most bombastic. From start to finish, the collection is wall to wall guitar crunch and dropped-D power chords. It abandons the experimentation of 2011’s Simple Math, opting for straightforward arena rock while eschewing the nuance that made the […]

[rating=6.00] The Damn Choir’s collection of songs on Creatures of Habit stem from frontman Gordon Robertson’s childhood in fundamentalist homeschooling. Tracks are packed with sins, praying, preachers profit, bones and graves. Things aren’t dour and dismal, quite the opposite; Robertson’s songs question and yearn while the music behind him stays constantly (almost to a fault) […]

[rating=6.00] Is the LP finally dead? The most intriguing element of the Pixies’ newest album Indie Cindy may prove to be its release style. The album was offered originally as three separate EPs, released four songs at a time across a six-month span. This method allowed the band to stay relevant before ultimately compiling those […]

[rating=7.00] Since leaving The Felice Brothers, Simone Felice has created truly cinematic contemporary folk music, in his collaborations such as The Duke & The King as well as on his own. Strangers expands on the scope of production from the previous eponymous album, but Felice maintains a rigorous restraint that stands him in good stead. […]

[rating=7.00] Since the dissolution of Cream in 1968, Jack Bruce has released a stylistic array of albums delving into the rock, jazz and classical genres he touched upon as a member of that seminal power trio. The personnel he has enlisted for his latest release, Silver Rails, is representative of that eclectic approach. They, along […]

[rating=9.00] The second installment of a live performance/recording series, Medeski, Martin & Wood + Nels Cline’s Woodstock Sessions Vol. 2 consists of edits from a roughly two-hour performance in front of a small audience conducted in late August of last year. Just as collaborating with guitarist John Scofield elicits largely funky goings on from the […]

[rating=9.00] Bobby Bare Jr. practically oozes swagger, and on his first new record in nearly 4 years, his sound is more defined than ever. Undefeated brings his effortlessly cool vocals to the forefront amidst his seamless hybrid of country and alt rock. At times quirky like the country-folk and oh-so-dark banjo pluck-er “My Baby Took […]