Album Reviews

By the time From All Sides arrived in 1965, Vince Guaraldi had already scored a pop-jazz hit with “Cast Your Fate to the Wind,” and Bola Sete was gaining recognition as a singular voice in Brazilian guitar. The duo had already developed a strong musical rapport the previous year by performing together at the Trois […]

The Ann Arbor, MI-based Laughing Hyenas were heavy rockers who toured with/inspired acts like Fugazi, Mudhoney, and Nirvana, yet never received the attention those bands did. A few years ago, Third Man Records re-released their discography on vinyl, and now they add to that collection with the group’s first-ever live album, That Girl – Live Recordings 1986-1994. Presented chronologically, the collection […]

The newest release from Buffalo, NY instrumental jamband, Organ Fairchild, continues their tripped-out grooves mixed with smooth flowing vibes that lovers of their live shows have come to cherish.BOOM! is a sweet collection that takes the listener on a journey with the band, knowing that the tracks will shift and morph when the group enters […]

When Voxtrot reunited in 2022, it didn’t feel like a nostalgia grab. The Texas indie band, which first gained traction in the mid-2000s with a pair of self-released EPs and a strong debut album,came back with renewed purpose. Dreamers in Exile is their first full-length in nearly twenty years, and instead of trying to recreate […]

Chick Corea’s Forever Yours: The Farewell Performance, a 2-LP set,is a fitting finale to the iconic composer and pianist’s career, recorded just four months before his surprising passing in 2021. Perhaps it’s only coincidental, but the word ‘Forever” in the title is a clever nod to Corea’s great fusion group, Return to Forever. Also, although […]

At this point, the beloved alt-folk outfit Big Thief has proven to be more than a band. They are a collection of individuals, each with their own perspectives that form into an experimental monster hellbent on honoring tradition while shaping their own. Each member of the band brings with them a singularity that forms this […]

In this new era of Gorillaz, which ultimately began when the virtual band returned from a seven-year hiatus with the release of Humanz in 2017, the Damon Albarn-led outfit has been more prolific than ever. In the four albums they’ve released post-hiatus, they’ve tapped into the collaborative energy that defined the band while returning to […]

His first major studio album in six years, Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye III+, is the latest evolution of a concept he first introduced in 2021. The ongoing project is designed to focus on collaborations with younger musicians the contemporary jazz icon admires, allowing him to reimagine his past work and devote the collective talents to new […]

Before a blizzard shut down NYC, Jason Isbell pulled into town to play two sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall. Friday night was a solo acoustic affair, while Saturday, February 21st, found him delivering a louder set of tunes with his full backing band, the 400 Unit.  The Saturday night show was opened by […]

Bill Frisell is the unassuming guy in a flannel shirt, wearing Sketchers. He has this ‘everyman’ aura that one would not typically associate with one of the most inventive, fascinating guitarists of the past five decades, one who is likely to become an NEA Jazz Master at some point. He conducts himself with grace and […]

Just over six months since their last LP was released — and coming off a seven-year musical drought — Mumford & Sons have turned in Prizefighter, yet another full-length record. Like last year’s Rushmere, their latest is a nice blend of their earlier folk revival sound and their more recent, indie rock/pop-focused approach. Along with […]

Twenty years after they started, The Band of Heathens clearly realize there is little upside to fucking with what works. They have stripped down their sound to the acoustic basics at times and brought in Hayes Carll in 2024 for a fantastic duo record, Hayes & The Heathens, but for the most part they have […]

Getting signed to a major label with two albums full of “dick and fart” jokes doesn’t seem like something achievable for most, but that is exactly what blink-182 did. Originally signed to Grilled Cheese, a subdivision of Cargo Records, Blink released Cheshire Cat and Dude Ranch. While the former mostly gained attention in the 90s […]

Dave’s Picks Volume 57 is one of the most compelling releases in this ongoing archival series devoted to the Grateful Dead. But just as Chelsea Housand’s eye-catching cover art demands close perusal to appreciate its intricacy, so too does it require careful listening to comprehend the overall beauty of the music on these three CDs. […]

The underrecognized guitarist and musicologist Duke Robillard is arguably the most important roots and blues musician to come from Rhode Island. Heck, let’s extend that to one of the most important in roots music at large. Now 77, Robillard has found a new home with the nation’s fastest-growing blues label, NOLA Blue, with his offering […]

Portland folk singer Jeffrey Martin releases one full show, Alive, on July 25, 2025, recorded at Portland’s The Showdown, with 16 tracks, unedited, overdub-free, and unsequenced. Sam Weber (Madison Cunningham, Anna Tivel, Bahamas) joins Martin on acoustic and electric guitars. Weber also recorded and mixed the record. Only five of these songs appeared on his […]

Just in time for Mardi Gras, the newest release from the Tipitina’s Record Club is The Wild Magnolias Featuring The New Orleans Project Outtakes + Live 1973-1974. The Orange vinyl and (purple 45 single for club members) conveys the bright music contained within.  The Wild Magnolias monumental first two albums, their self-titled release in 1974 […]

On her sixth studio album, To Whom This May Concern, Jilly from Philly is more reflective and confident than ever. Her message is clear: in the face of adversity and oppression, Jill Scott is here to spread self-assurance rooted in contemplation, creativity, spirituality, sexuality, and self-love. She plays the role of someone who has lived, […]

On their previous album, 2022’s Solidaritine, Gogol Bordello shifted more towards a hardcore punk sound, driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 2026 doesn’t offer much in the way of hope on that front, but the band has moved back to their wide-open, global music influences, delivering tunes that mash up multiple genres and layers […]

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Lou Reed became interested in Americana and recorded with Gram Parsons? Well, if that unlikely combination seems intriguing, then The Nude Party’s Look Who’s Back is for you.  Of course, that oversimplifies the group’s sound, but those two touchpoints are the chocolate-and-peanut combo that makes this […]