Album Reviews

[rating=8.00] One can only imagine what Lori McKenna’s Massachusetts house must be like. She’s the mother of five. She’s also racked up so many trophies (Grammys, CMA, ACM, and AMA) that she must be hard pressed to find room for them all. Fresh off her 2016 Grammy nominated The Bird & The Rifle, McKenna tackles […]

[rating=6.00] For the second studio release from the experimental guitar noise duo Body/Head titled The Switch, the art rock lifers Kim Gordon and Bill Nace decided for a less structured approach than their debut Coming Apart. This decision leads to more ambient sound and wandering yet also coalesces the overall recording into a more cohesive […]

[rating=7.00] The Sleazeball Orchestra proudly proclaim they play sleazy stripper jazz and any burlesque show with this soundtrack should be honored as I Ain’t In Love No More manages to blend quirky modern day love troubles with classic acoustic jazz offerings in a satisfying way. The album is a mix of originals and covers as […]

In the latest Wannabe, artist Chris Prunckle offers his illustrated commentary on Bay Dream, the new album from heavy rockers Culture Abuse, in his signature six-panel comic strip form. Click on the image for full resolution (best viewed on desktop):

[rating=8.00] Last year’s premature passing of Austin singer/songwriter Jimmy LaFave was a tragedy for the music world as a whole, but Americana music in particular. LaFave’s songs were both poignant and purposeful, not only his insightful original compositions but his superb choice of covers as well. Ironically then, while the posthumously released Peace Town represents […]

[rating=7.00] There’s nothing immediately striking about AHI (an acronym of Ahkinoah Habah Izarh’s name and pronounced ‘eye’), and that seems to suit him well. Humble is an oft overused word, but it feels right here. From humble beginnings in Ontario, the Canadian singer-songwriter has put in countless hours on the road performing his personal blend […]

[rating=7.00] Anyone who’s ever heard even a few notes culled from any Cowboy Junkies album released in the past 30 years will attest to the fact that they’re hardly the most upbeat bunch. With a sound that’s consistently downcast — if not downright despondent — they’ve managed to make their mark in the Americana ethos […]

[rating=8.00 In his essay for the seventh release in the Rolling Stones From the Vault archive series, San Jose ’99, Paul Sexton adopts a wizened but nonetheless insightful perspective writing about the career of a band that was returning to one of its first-ever American tour stops after an interval of nearly thirty-five years. Inside […]

[rating=8.00] Eliza Gilkyson, twenty albums in, seems to be marshaling all her inner emotions, her feminist and political activism, as she challenges conventional religious beliefs while beseeching us to be more accountable in these divisive times.  Secularia follows the heralded singer-songwriter’s 2014 Grammy-nominated The Nocturne Diaries. The well-respected Gilkyson, who hails from a deeply musical […]

[rating=8.00] The fourth album from California based, post-black/shoe-gaze/black-gaze/whatever metal outfit Deafheaven is a transitional disk that manages to expand upon their foundation while reaching new audial heights. Ordinary Corrupt Human Love won’t put to bed the nausea-inducing sub-genre metal arguments, but it does make clear that Deafheaven no longer care about labels or perception; they just […]