Reviews

Oh! The Ocean, the sixth LP by The Wombats, was inspired by a shitty morning, a brilliant beach view and an almost drug-like spiritual awakening.  “There was this revelation that I had been living a life caught up in my own head, or in some kind of racing helmet or with blinkers on,” said frontman/guitarist […]

When a band is preparing to release an album, there is such a thing as overdoing it. You can announce the album too soon, flood the internet with promotional videos and images, and, for the worst offense, use the album’s best moments as singles. We’ve witnessed this happen to fantastic bands as they fall victim […]

Sun Ra Arkestra bandleader Marshall Allen is the second artist in history to deliver a solo album at age 100.  That, as much as the long-running legacy of the Arkestra, of which Marshall has been a member since 1958, explains the huge buzz and anticipation for “New Dawn,” which began to take shape just two […]

A couple of songs into his blazing set, Jack White yelled from the stage, “That’s the New York I know!” as they packed to the rafters, the Irving Plaza crowd cheered and clapped along with the rocker. Just a few days ago, no one knew anything about this show, but a quick announcement and instant sell-out allowed […]

Throughout his career, Jimmy Vivino has worn several hats – as Conan O’Brien’s musical director, stints in the Levon Helm Band, leading the Beatles tribute band Fab Faux, and recently as a member of Canned Heat, not to mention films, Broadway, and countless other endeavors. At heart, though, he’s always favored blues and soul, so it’s not […]

The Portland, Oregon-based The Delines return with their fourth record, Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom, in their well-established aesthetic, as consistent as four records as any band has made, incrementally better each time. This is due to acclaimed novelist and songwriter  Willy Vlautin’s gripping tales of those that have fallen through the cracks, the unique, world-worn […]

Nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow graced the stage for the Umbrella Concert Series in partnership with Salt Lick Sessions on February 7th, headlining a sold-out concert that shimmered with star power and celebrated the future of music. The event, presented in partnership with the Salt Lick Incubator, wasn’t just about Crow’s legendary hits; it was […]

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country mothership docked at Portland, Oregon’s Wonder Ballroom on Friday, February 7th for just the second date on their extensive 2025 winter tour.  There was a palpable excitement in the air in anticipation of seeing and hearing the young guitar slinger and his able band (Nathan Aronowitz on keyboards, Will McGee on […]

With their latest record, Norther, in tow, Shane Smith & The Saints have continued their tour in support of the new album into 2025. The Austin country crew recently stopped in Michigan, playing to a packed, energetic house at Royal Oak Music Theatre. Here are five moments that stood out from the show:  A Dramatic Entrance  Taking […]

The group of friends who make up the band Travis has been around, as lead singer Fran Healey shared, for 34 years – a remarkable feat. Rising in the early 1990s, the band led the post-Britpop wave, arguably setting the stage for bands such as Radiohead and Coldplay. In a career spanning 10 albums, the […]

Over the last few years, the Dublin, Ireland-based Inhaler has been touring the world, opening for some heavy hitters like Harry Styles, Arctic Monkeys, Pearl Jam, and Kings of Leon. Now, with their third album, Wide Open, the band seems to have taken successful aspects of all of those acts and filtered them into their arena-ready, pop-rock sound, crafting their strongest record […]

Over the past decade, Maribou State has carved out a unique space in electronic music, blending warm, organic textures with deep, intricate production. The UK duo—Chris Davids and Liam Ivory—first gained attention with their 2015 debut Portraits, which fused downtempo electronica with live instrumentation, followed by 2018’s Kingdoms in Colour, an album rich with global […]

Progressive metal powerhouse Dream Theater is back with a new album of epic, expertly crafted melodic metal. With Parasomnia, the Boston rockers that helped pioneer the prog-metal scene reunite its best lineup for the first time since 2009. Founding drummer Mike Portnoy returns alongside founding guitarist John Petrucci, founding bassist John Myung, and James LaBrie, […]

Two decades into their run, Seattle-based Americana band Massy Ferguson can’t be accused of writing the same album over and over again. On You Can’t Tell Me I’m Not What I Used To Be, their seventh record, the band that has built a loyal fan base around their ability to deftly walk that line between […]

Even the most knowledgeable jazz fans might be surprised to learn that saxophonist James Brandon Lewis (JBL) has issued 16 albums. Yet, since his widely lauded 2021 Jesup Wagon, most of us approach his albums with great expectations. The beauty of JBL is that each of his albums is very different, though linked by his […]

When first viewing this title, “Hopium,” it seemed appropriate in today’s climate. While half the country, the side that lost the election, tries to be hopeful, most are just so disillusioned that it’s as if they are in a drug-induced stupor with silenced voices. Saxophonist and composer Dayna Stephens plies this emotional pendulum of hope […]

For the past several albums since the pandemic, Joe Ely has pored over the material in his hefty archives for hours on end, and now we have the fourth album from that effort, Love and Freedom. This one is bit different in a few ways. Ely found these rough track demos, but the multi-track aspect disappeared. No […]

The members of Horsebath may all be born and bred Canadians, but their record collection is clearly crammed with musicians well south of the border. Their 10-song debut, Another Farewell, is slathered in Cosmic Country, Tex Mex and Americana, bringing to mind everyone from Gram Parsons to Doug Sahm. But they also manage to sneak […]

Since the shooting star that was their 2021 debut, Squid has been hellbent on changing rock music standards. Their first two albums established them as art-rock-connoisseurs, morphing the rules of the genre until they were left in unrecognizable, melodic heaps. The five-piece thrives in the unconventional, but their unrelenting trust in each other is where […]

Clad in a brown suede tuxedo jacket with a black peak collar and five-button surgeon’s cuffs, the legendary Stanley Jordan graced the stage at 118 North in Wayne, Pennsylvania, on February 2nd, 2025, with a performance that was both a retrospective and a revelation. Forty years after releasing his groundbreaking debut album, Magic Touch, Jordan […]