Re-releases of old, out of print EP’s are essentially a double-edged sword. Not only do you realize how much great material you may have missed before you caught on to said band, but you get absolutely no cool points for coming in this late in the game. Thankfully, the release of No Singles, does all…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
VTG, Love Is Letting Go
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VTG is one man known as Lawrence Stone who releases his 6-track EP Love Is Letting Go. It’s worth noting that Stone is a prolific composer and multi-instrumentalist who also studied classical & jazz at The Berklee College of Music. This multi-dimensional artist from San Francisco proves that he is extremely talented with…
Daniel Romano, Workin’ For The Music Man
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The liner notes of Workin’ For The Music Man offer a fairly honest perspective of Romano’s life a rambling, folk troubadour. The notion of naming his first born after the person that would give him his first “Hit,” and the fact that one track Romano recorded enjoyed a run up the charts in Sweden in…
JW, JWtheMusic
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Soulful vocals, backing electronica and infectious lyrical subject matter are the facets that comprise the ethos of the full-length LP from Boston native, JW. The 11-track debut was made under the mantra “Live for today and tomorrow” and it taps a myriad of musical influences that run the gamut from East Coast style Rap to…
The Strange Boys, Be Brave
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God bless The Strange Boys. Listening to Be Brave, their sophomore LP induces a feeling akin to waking up with a foggy yet forgiving hangover on Saturday morning in a house you’ve never seen before. And your choices are many; either you could join the party still happening in the other room (With folks you…
The Skullcranes, Columbia Heights Nights
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When things get a little awkward in social situations, there’s one thing everyone needs to do: crank up Columbia Heights Nights, the latest from The Skullcranes. One of two things will happen: either the entire party will get a good kick out of the band’s outwardly humorous lyrics set to some of the purest punk…
The Gurus, Closing Circles
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Barcelona, Spain isn’t normally associated as a place where psychedelic pop-rock bands rule. That doesn’t seem to bother the Gurus–a trio consisting of guitarist Emilio Ramirez, bassist Sergio Bartel, and drummer Josep Pons–whose fourth record Closing Circles continues on with the band’s love for 60s era guitar pop. Previous recordings by the Gurus have shown…
The Summerlad, Blue Skinned
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The fact that The Summerlad are largely unknown is a crying shame. This three-piece out of Calgary, creates a sonic landscape that is as intriguing and immense as the country which they call home. Stretching guitars, combined with driving percussion and a pure, brazen passion for the music they’re making is what Blue Skinned, their…
SweetKiss Momma, Revival Rock
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First off, I have to say right off the bat that I simply love the style of this group. SweetKiss Momma has such a cool vibe goin’ that incorporates rock, southern rock, classic rock/modern rock and blues. Not to mention, this Seattle/Tacoma-based group offers up a kick-ass band name. Revival Rock is…
Bill Hicks, The Essential Bill Hicks
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Bill Hicks, a self-described “[Noam] Chomsky with dick jokes, is one of the most influential comedians ever. His satire of contemporary mores was always on target and is among the best stand-up sets ever recorded. Rkyo’s recently released Bill Hicks The Essential Collection has compiled some of Bill’s most adored bits, along…
Jackie Arredondo, Someone Like You
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Jackie Arredondo is an artist who is not afraid to step out of her comfort zone and try something new. With the release of her EP Someone Like You, Jackie is proving that she can take on a solo career and do just fine. For years, Arredondo was a well-known vocal coach within…
The Matt Burke Band, Pretty Close to Very Good
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Get ready for an album that offers a lot of good-sounding music for the people. The Matt Burke Band is made up of two musicians: Matt Burke on vocals, guitar, electronic drums, synth and bass & Brue Baker on lead guitar. The duo refers to their distinct sound as “Soulcoustic Beach Rock”. I agree with…
The Jesus Rehab, The Highest Highs and the Lowest Lows
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What I heard was here was completely original and nothing like anything else I’ve listened to before. The Jesus Rehab brings to you a concept album full of real substance. Conceptual songs with a real meaning and a real purpose surround this 11-track set. With a band name like Jesus Rehab they…
Downslave, Cost of Freedom
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What a wake up call I had this morning when I listened to Downslave’s Cost of Freedom on my laptop. A little after 8 AM and still half asleep, I was in for a loud awakening. What I heard coming through my headphones definitely jolted my system and at this point I was…
Superart, The Weirdbeard Sessions
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It’s not everyday that you hear an album where one song is as good as the next. It’s also not everyday that you hear a band that has three lead singers & three songwriters along with each of them being multi-instrumentalists. Actually, let’s be honest; this is extremely rare in today’s music world.…
Tony Palmer, Leonard Cohen – Bird on a Wire
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Tony Palmer’s Leonard Cohen “Bird on a Wire” was to be his masterpiece: that is, until it was re-edited without Palmer’s permission and released in 1974. Using a recently discovered dubbing track of the film as a guide, Tony Palmer salvaged the 294 cans of damaged film that were found by Frank…
Small Sins, Pot Calls Kettle Black
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Thomas D’Arcy, who apparently sealed himself in a basement studio after the implosion of his band, The Ladies and Gentleman, seems able to craft precise and well-crafted pop tunes with alarming ease. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Pot Calls Kettle Black, his latest, was produced by legendary Chicago-based producer John McEntire. Each of the…
RANDOM STABBINGS & ARTLESS CRITIQUE, OCTOBER 2010
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Death in the Park, Death in the Park (End Sounds) Alabama rockers aiming to bridge a few gaps between emo, rock, and punk, and occasionally succeeding, if mainly on the strength of trying many (closely related) trips on for size. For reviewing purposes it’s simply a game of drawing a line from the song…
ALICE COOPER, THEATRE OF DEATH
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The ageless master of rock and roll shock and awe has come up with yet another macabre live performance video, just in time for Halloween viewing. With a career spanning some 40 years while combining magic and theatre with rock, this seventh full video (three went gold) includes a CD for added listening pleasure.…
CircleDown, Mobius EP
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CircleDown’s new project is a 4-track teaser leading up to the much anticipated release of their first full-length album Mobius. CircleDown is made up of: founders Drew “Diode” Madore on vocals, DJ & synth and Kevin “Cansh” Cansian on bass. Rounding out the bunch is Eric “Reebus” Wisely on drums and Dean Romanelli…
Speak, Hear, here
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Upon hearing that Speak was recently named Austin’s “Best New Band” by the Austin Chronicle, this reviewer got mighty excited. Being known as a city that encourages artistic growth through its numerous live music venues, you’d have to imagine that Speak’s debut EP, <i>Hear, Here</i> would engage upon the first listen. Unfortunately, this isn’t the…
Catherine Duc, Visions and Dreams
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Get ready as Catherine Duc brings to life her new work Visions and Dreams. The music here is musically bright and full of sun shine. Prepare yourself as Duc takes you on a relaxing journey that will satisfy your mind, body & soul. The beauty of this record is that Catherine…
Ryan Bingham and The Dead Horses, Junky Star
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Ryan Bingham has enjoyed one hell of a ride of late. The singer-songwriter can boast of winning numerous awards for his writing and performing “The Weary Kind,” the theme song to the Jeff Bridges’ film Crazy Heart, the biggest of which being the granddaddy of them all–an Oscar for Best Original Song. Also, the…
Shapes and Sizes, Candle To Your Eyes
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After two scattered and at times, unlistenable previous releases, Montreal’s (By way of Victoria) Shapes and Sizes have finally managed to find their groove as a cohesive and timely act. It’s no small feat for this four-piece to nail that cohesive groove, seeing as how it’s damn near impossible to classify this eclectic release. It…
Nathan Sexton, Grave
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Nathan Sexton is a special kind of artist when it comes to songwriting and performing. Sexton puts everything he has into each song as he hopes to connect with the audience on a highly personal level. Nathan searches high and low on Grave as he digs deep to find out what we’re all…
PS I Love You, Meet Me At The Muster Station
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OK. Let’s get over the obvious: this fuzzed-out duo out of Kingston, Ontario have the worst possible for their band. Even if Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler hadn’t teamed up to melt hearts on film, it’d still be a wretched name. There’s no doubt that the band has faced pressure to change their name. Yet…
The Dandy Warhols, The Capitol Years 1995-2007
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The Portland, Oregon band The Dandy Warhols sure have enjoyed a rather schizophrenic career in its nearly two decades length. Originally formed in 1992, the group first steadily built up a well-regarded reputation as an intriguing psychedelic pop outfit that could write songs that were arty like Velvet Underground and commercial like Brit rockers Pulp…
STORMKING, STORMKING
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There is a storm coming and his name is Duke Adkisson. Adkisson is the lead singer and guitarist as well being the man behind all of the music & lyrics on the new record. But don’t be mistaken as this is not a one-man show; Stormking comes complete with a load of great…
Baby Eagle, Dog Weather
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If Neil Young were born a nerd, then Dog Weather would have most certainly been his crowning achievement. The loose, ragged feel that permeates the record is so reminiscent of ol’ grandpa Neil not just is sonic texture alone, but within the rural , no-nonsense attitude that seems to serve each song with all kinds…
The Rolling Stones 1969-1974 :The Mick Taylor Years
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The Rolling Stones 1969-1974 : The Mick Taylor Years tells the story behind what is often considered The Rolling Stone’s greatest period. Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St. and Goats Head Soup were all released during guitarist Mick Taylor‘s five year stint with the group. This DVD…
The Dirty Sample, Joshua’s Dreamixes
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The Dirty Sample, AKA Planit, is a Calgary-based emcee and producer with a plethora of vocal, instrumental and collaboration albums under his belt. His recently released Joshua’s Dreamixes ,a companion piece to Beauty and Poison, is a collection of remixed hip-hop songs from artists in Canada, the US, Japan…
DEVON ALLMAN’S HONEYTRIBE, SPACE AGE BLUES
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Singer/guitarist Devon Allman continues to get acclaim, while carrying on the family’s blues roots with his interpretation of the blues. His current Honeytribe lineup features George Potsos on bass, and Gabriel Strange on drums. On this release, he’s also recruited Huey Lewis, Ron Holloway on sax, Bobby Yang on violin, Rick Steff on…
Ian Dury, Rare and Unseen
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Oi! Oi! There’s a new Ian Dury DVD produced by Wienerworld out. Ian Dury- Rare and Unseen chronicles Ian Dury’s time in Kilburn and the High Roads (including footage of him on the London Weekend Show), to his untimely death from liver cancer in 2000. Essentially, this DVD is Ian Dury telling…
Sacred 13, Jagged Regrets
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Two words: HELL YEAH!!!!!! From beginning to end, this new record by Sacred 13 will draw you in and grab your attention. There should be absolutely no regrets for Sacred 13 as they give you an album worthy of greatness & success. Jagged Regrets gets ultimate respect from me, as a music…
Stacie Rose, The Alter-Ego EPs: Means To An End and Raw Sugar
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Following the critical acclaim of 2008’s Shotgun Daisy, Jersey songbird Stacie Rose has released a bang-for-your-buck double record under the guise, The Alter-Ego EPs. The blanket title of the album is fitting in that Rose offers up two very different approaches to song making. Means To An End is a throwback homage to her 80s…
David Gray, Foundling
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For a while there, British singer David Gray looked like he was in the middle of a creative chasm. It took the talented songwriter four years to follow up 2005’s Life In Slow Motion album with last year’s fine Draw the Line. Interestingly, the sessions that produced that record turned out to be extremely productive…
Ra Ra Riot, The Orchard
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If you haven’t heard of Ra Ra Riot, don’t fret: it won’t be long now before this band is the biggest thing in the indie universe. Possessing the flair for dramatic brilliance of The Hidden Cameras and the genuine, soft songwriting skills of Bright Eyes finer work, Ra Ra Riot seem to have everything going…
Limes, Rhinestone River
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In yet another decent, if slightly sluggish release from underground garage legends Goner Records, Limes prove that you don’t need to assemble air-tight, immediate songs to make the kind of garage rock and roll that sticks with you. Yet the title of “Garage rock and roll” is a little misleading: there is very little “Rocking”…
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD, LIVE! IN CHICAGO
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On this CD, Kenny goes back to his blues roots. This release was recorded at the Chicago House of Blues with his current lineup of Noah Hunt on vocals, Chris Layton on drums, Scott Nelson on bass, and Riley Osbourn on keys. Some R&B luminaries showed up including Hubert Sumlin, Willie “Big Eyes”…
SEVENDUST, COLD DAY MEMORY
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Long regarded as one of the best live heavy touring bands, the guys have grown an impressive following. The Atlanta group has released its eighth album, with some great initial results. The release features their trademark double guitar punch by Clint Lowery and John Connolly, which singer Lajon Witherspoon effectively weaves in and…
