Album Reviews Archives - Page 550 of 706

The Greenhornes: Four Stars

Shawn Donohue January 13, 2011 No Comments

The Greenhornes fourth album is cleverly and aptly titled as they return to the retro-garage-psychedelic-pop proceedings that they perfected at the beginning of the millennium. The jangle and aggression have been turned down to focus hardcore on keyboards, simple song structures and trippy blends of sound; all of which are evident on the eastern tempo change mayhem of “Cave Drawings” and the classic soul ringing “Better Off Without It”.

Bruce Springsteen: The Promise

Doug Collette January 12, 2011 No Comments

The Promise consists of material Bruce Springsteen wrote and recorded in 1977 and 1978 in the process of preparing Darkness on the Edge of Town. In his essay in the accompanying booklet, Springsteen tries to explain why he’s gone to such lengths in revisiting this album but he ultimately misses the point in describing the significance of the most musically and emotionally pure work he’s ever recorded (this side of Tunnel of Love).

Kate Jacobs: Home Game

Gerry Hardy January 10, 2011 No Comments

After a seven year sabbatical taken to concentrate on family, New Jersey singer/songwriter Kate Jacobs returns with her fifth album. Recorded with her long-time band, Paul Moschella, James MacMillan, and Dave Schramm, who also produced the album, Home Game is a delightful collection devoted to the art of the three minute acoustic pop song, though two of them do clock in at a comparatively long four minutes.

Cage The Elephant: Thank You Happy Birthday

Nick Gunther January 10, 2011 No Comments

What made Cage the Elephant’s self-titled debut so appealing was that it had both a raw and uncompromising feel to it, while still being a very digestible album. Matt Shultz was able to capture a live sounding, in-your-face, type of style that applied a choke hold on many a person’s first listens. Their second record, Thank You Happy Birthday (Jive), continues to have that blend of distorted chaos that combines aggressive rhythmic chords with edgy sarcastic lyrics, though it is slightly more difficult to chew this time around.

Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings

Doug Collette January 5, 2011 No Comments

The Original Mono Recordings of Bob Dylan are almost as much of a revelation as those of The Beatles, albeit for different reasons. The Bard from Minnesota never took recording as seriously as the Liverpool quartet, but his music lends itself better to the vintage recording technique. A fifteen-track collection culled from his first eight albums illustrates why.

Mikey Jukebox: Mikey Jukebox

Jeremy Lukens January 4, 2011 No Comments

On his debut solo album, Mikey James rebrands himself under the pseudonym Mikey Jukebox and reinvents himself by packaging a disparate collection of influences. It’s not surprising, given the artist’s background. James cut his teeth as a drummer for post-punk band Longwave and a frontman for punk rockers The Blood. That work is contrasted by endeavors as far from punk as possible – fronting DJ Dick James/Footage and power pop band The Mercies.

Jane Lui: Goodnight Company

Jeremy Lukens December 27, 2010 No Comments

Does the world really need another young woman with an acoustic guitar, soulful voice and ear for melody? Yes, it does. Don’t take my word for it, though. Goodnight Company, the third album by Jane Lui, exists because the people demanded it. With half of the album financed by donations from fans on PledgeMusic.com, Lui’s new album is the direct result of making music that the world wants to hear.

Sweetkiss Momma: Revival Rock

Chris Calarco December 27, 2010 No Comments

Sweetkiss Momma, a five-piece rock n roll band, hails from the Pacific Northwest, (most of the band grew up in the churches of Pullayup, WA) but their sound is straight blues based southern rock. With a regrettable moniker recalling the comical jam band names of the late 90s, Sweet Kiss is nonetheless a barnstorming sensation according to their press release, selling records across Europe and garnering huge sale numbers on independent music distribution website CD Baby.

Automagik: Automagik

Shawn Donohue December 22, 2010 No Comments

Commercially overloaded freak-out pop rock is what Automagik offer up on their debut self titled album. The all night party vibe that props up tunes like “Hide and Seek” and “Brain Freeze”, make the chaos head bobbing-jump around fun. Nonsensical lyrics, I won’t even go into “Boogieman”, and all-out good times remind of Cage The Elephant, The Darkness and Weezer. The tracks won’t stick with you for long, but will probably fuel Four Loco like madness while they do.

HoneyChild: Nearer The Earth

Jason Macneil December 20, 2010 No Comments

Ryan Adams can be easily heard in the opening moments of “The Father,” the rootsy, warm and inviting keeper by Vancouver-via-Los Angeles band HoneyChild. Led by Tobias Jesso, the group nails the opener by balancing delicacy with heaviness. Think of an Americana answer to The National and you might get the gist of the first track.

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