On Peasant's new album, Bound For Glory, Damien DeRose puts together some solid acoustic folk pieces. Though the album as a whole, and in comparison to his previous ones, remains static, it is still able to provoke a feeling parallel to hot, lazy summer days, sepia colors, and tumble weeds.
The first day of the inaugural Catalpa/NYC Music Festival kicked off with more logistical problems than could be counted but ended on a high note with a barn burning headline performance by The Black Keys.
More conventional fans of Mike Patton might want to wait until January of 2013 when the long-awaited new Tomahawk LP, Oddfellows, comes out, which the singer has described as "really heavy Beach Boys".
For a period of time The Smashing Pumpkins looked like they had the potential to be the next U2; Corgan shares Bono’s gift for creating over-the-top anthems that hit their mark, although the lyrical content is dark and mysterious instead of straightforward and earnest. For a variety of reasons The Smashing Pumpkins imploded before this could happen, and at this point it most likely never will, but “Oceania” is a strong return to form for a band that could do wonders to help revive a struggling rock n roll scene.
They may not be a more family friendly act in rock and roll today then Wilco and while a brewery isn’t perfect for an all ages show, the idyllic upstate New York Setting brought out the kids and parents alike for this weekend summer show.
Regardless of Everclear’s disappointing performance, the night was a success. Cynics may argue that there’s something pathetic about a tour like this. They may suggest that these bands are well past their prime and creative apex and have nothing to offer to music fans today. The truth is, this music remains important.
A writer trying to organize fifty years of popular music—a sprawling and unruly topic—has several options. One possibility is to pick a single genre, say the blues, and trace its birth and development. Another is to follow the history of an influential record label. A more dynamic approach is to tell the story of one influential musician or band, though any artist’s story is restricted by the particulars of his or her career.
This is a throwback to the moment college rock wrapped earnest woe and anger into the sweetest of melodies. Delayed Reaction is an example of a band that is deeply in touch with what they do best. There are no curve balls here, just fire from the heart.
With the tragic passing of founding member Richie Hayward, Little Feat suffered what is undeniably the band's greatest loss since the untimely death of its mastermind Lowell George. But the venerable group has enlisted some redoubtable reinforcements for its 16th studio album Rooster Rag.
Yet this stuff still sounds like it was recorded on a one-speaker Emerson boom box from 1984. And to remove that sense of scratchiness from the listening experience of material like "Secret Knowledge of Back Roads" and "Bar Scene from Star Wars" would be akin to sucking the soul from its historical importance entirely, not to mention usurping the fun of the challenge in peeling away the fuzz to reveal the true grit of these wonderfully scrappy pop songs.
