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Neil Young : Waging Heavy Peace

Doug Collette January 23, 2013 No Comments

The cover of Neil Young’s Waging Heavy Peace is a remarkably accurate reflection of its contents. The Canadian rock icon’s name is emblazoned across the front and a present-day head-shot of the man himself with head down and eyes shaded by a fedora juxtaposes the back cover B & W portrait of a much younger version of the man sporting long black hair with the resolute eyes and mouth of an individual with as much purpose as direction.

Christopher Owens: Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY 01/21/13

Warren Miller January 23, 2013 No Comments

Midway through Christopher Owens’ set at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom this past Monday night, the ex-Girls’ frontman posed a question: “What if I’m just a bad songwriter?” In the lyric, from “Love Is in the Ear of the Listener” off of his new record Lysandre, Owens proceeds to wonder aloud whether his words are unoriginal and if he possesses the knack for entertaining an audience. Fortunately, his struggle with these and other insecurities are only momentary, as he ultimately concludes, “Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder/love is in the ear of the listener.” Had Owens continued to experience this self-doubt and lack of confidence, one would merely have to point out the 11 tracks on his new record to persuade him of his obvious songwriting talents.

Mountains: Centralia

Nathan Rodriguez January 23, 2013 No Comments

Centralia is mood music, perhaps enjoyed best as a palate cleanser in a music library shuffle, or in certain settings—with a nice pair of headphones, during a yoga or meditation session, or as a soundtrack to the television during a 3am post-party.

Camper Van Beethoven: La Costa Perdida

Patrick Flanary January 21, 2013 No Comments

Camper Van Beethoven’s eighth album and first in eight years revives the character study of American oddities the band’s reunion record, New Roman Times, hatched way back in 2004. On La Costa Perdida, Camper keeps the crazies confined to small-town California in this second ode to scandal and scoundrels, among them a fugitive speaking broken Spanish and harboring a secret he can’t outrun. This “half-aware-o caballero” of the album’s upbeat title track kills off his woman and goes on the lam, all the while snarling a half-sinister warning: “You don’t wanna know.”

The Joy Formidable: Wolf’s Law

Brian Palmer January 21, 2013 No Comments

With Wolf’s Law, The Joy Formidable have released what is sure to be a contender for year-end album best of lists. These might be bold words for an album that is only being released in January, but Wolf’s Law improbably fuses together epic rock with gorgeous melodies, swelling choruses, singer Ritzy Bryan’s both pixie-ish and ethereal vocals and all the dramatic sweep and scope of a concept album without imploding under its own weight like most concept albums do.

Free Energy: Love Sign

Chris Calarco January 17, 2013 No Comments

No one is making music like Free Energy. The Philadelphia-by-way-of-Minnesota five piece just self released their second full length, Love Sign, after parting ways with James Murphy’s DFA Records.

Gregg Allman Band/Royal Southern Brotherhood: House Of Blues, New Orleans, LA, 12/31/12

Leslie Michele Derrough January 16, 2013 No Comments

The Gregg Allman Band and the Royal Southern Brotherhood have more in common than just having a band member with the last name of Allman. Both share the distinction that if you took out their singers, you would still have one heck of a show. The musicianship is that good and it is what makes these bands stand out among their peers.

Steve Winwood: Arc of a Diver Deluxe Edition

Doug Collette January 14, 2013 No Comments

In lieu of the usual assortment of outtakes and alternate recordings, only a small array of which appear on this deluxe edition of Steve Winwood’s Arc of a Diver, the two CD set includes a BBC Radio documentary which follows a customary blueprint of interspersing scripted intros to interviews of peers including brother Muff and co-musicians such as the late, long-time Traffic collaborator Jim Capaldi. Much of what's here is easily well-known or researched (of particular interest the various music that’s referenced) but also, as is usually the case, nuggets of insight appear alongside the over-emotive segues.

Carlos Santana – House Of Blues, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV, 11.11.12

Leslie Michele Derrough January 10, 2013 No Comments

He is the man with the golden fingers, the zen master of soul sacrificing chords that ruminate through the very aura of the human spirit

The Scenics: Dead Man Walks Down Bayview

Shawn Donohue January 9, 2013 No Comments

Ahh the elder Punk…what becomes of him or her? Most 12 years old slam-dancers want to grow up to be Mike Ness but that can't be everyone's path. You can keep on the Hey Ho Let's Go! route until you die like godfathers The Ramones, or you could find yourself in some sort of mid tempo vortex of middling hell ala The Scenics with Dead Man Walks Down Bayview

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