U2: Songs Of Surrender [Album Review]
U2Songs Of SurrenderInterscope Records [2023] A while back, it became cool for a significant moment in time for major touring rock acts to pause in … Read more
Lonnie Holley: Oh Me, Oh My [Album Review]
Lonnie HolleyOh Me, Oh MyJagjaguwar [2023] Long before Lonnie Holley made any music, he had been discovered as a visual artist and sculptor, initially making … Read more
The Royal Arctic Institute: From Coma To Catharsis [Album Review]
The Royal Arctic InstituteFrom Coma To CatharsisAlready Dead Tapes And Records [2023] The Royal Arctic Institute is a quintet of seasoned NYC musicians playing their … Read more
Gramercy Arms: Deleted Scenes [Album Review]
Gramercy ArmsDeleted ScenesMagic Door Record Label [2023] Gramercy Arms is a NYC musical collective brought together around the songwriting of Dave Derby, who keeps the … Read more
Philip Selway: Strange Dance [Album Review]
Philip SelwayStrange DanceBella Union [2023] Philip Selway, best known as the drummer in Radiohead, has released his third solo album revealing an affinity for the … Read more
Lucero: Should’ve Learned By Now [Album Review]
LuceroShould’ve Learned By NowLiberty & Lament/Thirty Tigers [2023] If that sturdy, fast drumbeat that opens Lucero’s new album doesn’t convince you they mean business by … Read more
Neutral Milk Hotel: The Collected Works Of Neutral Milk Hotel [Box Set Review]
Neutral Milk HotelThe Collected Works Of Neutral Milk HotelMerge Records [2023] Neutral Milk Hotel made two modest lo-fi releases in the mid to late 90’s … Read more
The Church: The Hypnogogue [Album Review]
The ChurchThe HypnogogueCommunicating Vessels [2023] The stature and reputation of Australian indie/rock band The Church is such that with only one charting Top 40 hit … Read more
Inhaler: Cuts & Bruises [Album Review]
InhalerCuts & BruisesGeffen Records [2023] The first thing anyone is going to tell you about Irish band Inhaler is that the band’s singer and rhythm … Read more
Fran: Leaving [Album Review]
FranLeavingFire Talk Records [2023] The sophomore release from Chicago-based band, Fran, finds vocalist and principal songwriter Maria Jacobson reflecting on the underlying philosophical values and … Read more
Shonen Knife: Our Best Place [Album Review]
Shonen KnifeOur Best PlaceGood Caramel Records [2023] The Japanese female pop/punk trio that is Shonen Knife have been plugging along since the early 80’s, parlaying their … Read more
Quasi: Breaking The Balls Of History [Album Review]
QuasiBreaking The Balls Of HistorySub Pop Records [2023] It appears to have taken a global pandemic to get Portland, Ore. power duo Quasi back into … Read more
Yo La Tengo: This Stupid World [Album Review]
Yo La TengoThis Stupid WorldMatador Records [2023] This Hoboken, N.J., indie-rock trio have been faithfully plugging along for nearly 40 years, with a new release … Read more
The WAEVE: The WAEVE [Album Review]
The WAEVEThe WAEVETransgressive Records [2023] The WAEVE represents a new collaboration between Blur lead guitarist and second vocalist Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall, who … Read more
The Arcs: Electrophonic Chronic [Album Review]
The ArcsElectrophonic ChronicEasy Eye Sound / Concord [2023] Had things gone as planned, we’d likely have gotten a follow-up to The Arcs’ fine 2015 debut … Read more
The Bad Ends: The Power And The Glory [Album Review]
The Bad EndsThe Power And The GloryNew West Records [2023] According to their bio, three of the guys in this so-called Athens, GA super-group formed … Read more
CVC: Get Real [Album Review]
CVCGet RealCVC Recordings [2023] Listening to Welsh band CVC’s debut Get Real is a lot like stepping into a pop/rock time warp machine set on … Read more
King Tuff: Smalltown Stardust [Album Review]
King TuffSmalltown StardustSub Pop Records [2023] On his sixth album, Kyle Thomas who performs under his original band name King Tuff, steps away from the … Read more
Margo Price: Strays [Album Review]
Margo PriceStraysLoma Vista Recordings [2023] When Nashville singer-songwriter Margo Price made her debut in 2016 with Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, on Jack White’s Third Man label, … Read more
Dave Rowntree: Radio Songs [Album Review]
Dave RowntreeRadio SongsCooking Vinyl [2023] 2023 is shaping up to be a big year for fans of the Britpop/alternative rock band Blur. While the quartet … Read more
Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning: Coming, Going [Album Review]
Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning Coming, GoingArkMusic [2022] Flautist Brian Dunning, who died last February at the age of 70, had a solid recording career … Read more
Iggy Pop: Every Loser [Album Review]
Iggy PopEvery LoserGold Tooth/Atlantic Records [2023] Iggy Pop, sometimes called “the Godfather of Punk” for his role as frontman/vocalist with The Stooges, an early proto-punk … Read more
Belle And Sebastian: Late Developers [Album Review]
Belle And SebastianLate DevelopersMatador Records [2023] When novelist Nick Hornsby wrote that “Sentimental music has this great way of taking you back somewhere at the … Read more
Brendan Benson: Low Key [Album Review]
Brendan BensonLow KeySchnitzel Records [2022] Brendan Benson released his seventh solo album, Dear Life, early in 2020, and even though he played all the instruments … Read more
Too Much Joy: All These Fucking Feelings [Album Review]
Too Much JoyAll These Fucking FeelingsPropeller Sound Recordings [2022] It seems that when the members of Too Much Joy pulled their instruments out of mothballs … Read more