Album Reviews

Mike Scott has been nothing if not prolific in shepherding various lineups of the Waterboys for thirty odd years, in addition to pursuing his own solo projects. The title of the latest group work, Out of All This Blue hearkens not only to his muse, but the slightly sprawling of a project comprised of just […]

[rating=7.00] Brooklyn-based band The National have been making music together for almost two decades. The 2007 release of Boxer brought the band both widespread critical acclaim and increased exposure. Following the release of 2013’s Trouble Will Find Me, the band curated a 59-track charity tribute album to the Grateful Dead called The Day of the […]

[rating=9.00] Upon its release from the vault, Neil Young’s Hitchhiker resonates with the purity of the solo acoustic setting in 1976 which it was recorded. And the album is both provocative and penetrating because the ten songs are of a piece, despite the fact many of the tunes have been released over the forty-year-plus interval since […]

[rating=8.00] The multiple virtues of Gregg Allman’s final album, Southern Blood, are rooted in the pragmatism he displayed by enlisting his own band for the project. Add to that the wisdom of his choice of Muscle Shoals as the site for the recording: the seminal Southern rocker’s late sibling Duane first made a name for […]

[rating=8.00] Over the last three decades, New York pioneers Living Colour have made a habit of defying convention, fusing unrelated genres, and blazing new trails for their unique brand of hard alternative music. Shade, the band’s first new album in eight years, continues that trend. Shade is a politically charged punch in the face – […]

[rating=8.00] Now with a discography of fourteen albums, Charlie Parr is a bonafide contemporary bluesman who refuses to wallow in the downs he encounters. In fact, he uses the songs on Dog to cauterize the psychic wounds and reveal the upside of confronting his adversities. The unified presence of his accompanists no doubt allowed Parr […]

In the newest installment of Wannabe, artist Chris Prunckle reviews High on 95, the new album from Tim Barry, in his signature six-panel comic strip form. Click on the image for full resolution (best viewed on desktop):

[rating=8.00] Over two decades out from the release of their debut, Mogwai Young Team, Scottish post-rockers Mogwai are still consistently releasing great material. While there has been some flirtation (and in the case of Rave Tapes, embracing of) the use of electronics and synths, the main formula of lengthy guitar-based instrumental pieces with dynamic contrast, […]

[rating=6.00] The psychedelic rock scene is efficacious in Australia. From Tame Impala in Perth to The Baudelaires in Melbourne, the psychedelic movement is as alive in Oz as it is in the rest of The West. Newcomers to the scene, The Babe Rainbow bring their contribution with their self-titled debut produced by Eric Moore from […]

[rating=8.00] East Nashville’s Blank Range brings us their long-awaited debut full-length Marooned With The Treasure with Hiss Golden Messenger’s multi-everything guy Brad Cook’s hands on the knobs a’la Thirty Tigers. The loose grooves are plenty, as are great songs. Deliciously left of center just as the previous EPs suggested a long player would be. I’ll […]