Reviews

[rating=8.0] In its latest incarnation, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress may be a slightly realigned and augmented version of The Greyboy Allstars, of which he is a founding member. But as captured on Get Thy Bearings, this band has as much of a distinct, albeit understated personality, as its leader. Recorded around the same general timeframe […]

[rating=6.0] Filled with sun-drenched melodies, dreamy aesthetics and a whole lot of echoing sounds and fantastical flourishes, it is obvious to anyone listening to the sophomore release from Imaginary Cities that singer Marti Sarbit and songwriter Rusty Matyas had an absolute ball making this record. It doesn’t necessarily fall into any particular genre, as elements […]

Sunday is a day of exodus and closure at Bonnaroo, but this was not a year to pack up early and head for home. An extremely high-quality evening of music greeted those who stuck it out until the end. After witnessing the festival’s final acts, it was no wonder that the farm was more packed […]

[rating=8.0] Yellowbirds’ sophomore album marks Sam Cohen’s first foray into a full band collaboration since the dissolution of Apollo Sunshine in 2009. Yellowbirds’ 2011 debut, The Color, was essentially a solo album, written and conceived simply because Cohen’s overactive mind couldn’t stop writing songs. Not surprisingly, the release felt small and intimate. After traveling with […]

Saturday’s Bonnaroo bands faced a daunting task: To somehow follow up the already legendary Paul McCartney performance from the previous night. But with a new day comes new opportunity, and it ultimately proved to be the wildest day of the festival in more ways than one. Friday night, McCartney managed to overwhelm the audience on […]

Friday morning at Bonnaroo 2013 broke with the news that Jack Johnson, already on the farm because of his appearance with ALO, would be filling the freshly-vacated Saturday night headlining spot for Mumford and Sons. Attendees reacted with wildly varying levels of excitement and disappointment, but generally took the news in stride. After all, a […]

For one weekend each year, Manchester, Tennessee becomes the musical capital of America thanks to the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Before the music royalty moved in, a warm-up like no other took place on Thursday night. Bonnaroo’s 2013 headliners include greats from rock music history, but Thursday was a celebration of artists – not […]

[rating=8.0] It’s been quite some time since Chris Flemmons fired up his Denton, TX collective The Baptist Generals. Ten long years, in fact, have passed since the critically acclaimed No Silver/No Gold  buzzed the music world with its’ ambient and kaleidoscopic whirling dirges and sound-scapes.  In this day and age of blogs and self-uploading of […]

Folk singers like Marling are often called “storytellers” to the point that it has become a cliché, but if her previous releases were collections of short stories, Once I Was an Eagle is Marling’s debut novel.

Splashed with mud several times to the face, drudging through an ankle-high river of mud, the first day of the Governors Ball gave new meaning to a sloppy outing. Friday’s main acts —Kings of Leon and the electronic dance music act Pretty Lights — both had to suspend Friday’s closing performances.  A rep for the […]

Ferrick’s performance at Rockwood Music Hall ultimately demonstrated why she continues to succeed after two decades in the music business. Alongside her performance, rife with raw energy and witty banter, her new album the truth is exemplifies her natural evolution as an artist.

The show was sold out and Billy Idol’s legion of fans were lined up down the boardwalk well before the doors would open and two and a half hours before the show would even begin. Fans were clad in leather, lace, and ripped T-shirts with the classic plethora of safety pins pointing all directions. Hair […]

[rating=7.0 ] Eisley has had a few years to purge their demons and have come out on the other side stronger. 2011’s comparatively angry and jaded The Valley was preceded by their split with Warner Bros. Records and various band members’ personal problems, which provided fodder for that record. You had to wonder if the […]

[rating=9.0] With The National’s last release High Violet, mid-life dread was floating everywhere; it was the perfect “hip white people’s problems” disk.  The band apparently scrapped thousands of hours of music to get the right sonic tone and texture and in that department there are few (if any) indie bands that can rival them (Spoon […]

After a humongous world tour and a month-long over-the-top residency in Las Vegas, how does Guns N’ Roses possibly top what they have just done? It’s quite simple, actually. Something probably no one but the band even thought of: strip it all down by cutting out the props, the dancers, the mega-watt lights and the […]