Jason Pierce of Spiritualized, even after a close brush with death, released a post-recovery album this year that has quickly become one of my favorites. It is, in fact, my go-to record after a trying day. Songs in A&E is a beautiful collection of poignant songs that, frankly, we are lucky to even have the opportunity to purchase given Pierce’s hospitalization and recovery process. This is one of the albums that one truly appreciates more after realizing the context in which it was written/finished/recorded. Most people will not really buy that last sentence, which is kind of unfortunate. Read the rest of this entry »

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Something strange has been happening in a certain subgenre of metal in the past few years. It started, depending on who you ask, either with the release of Wolfmother’s self-titled album or The Sword’s debut Age of Winters. The subgenre was stoner rock, and the strange thing was it was becoming…hip. Yes, hip. Well, about as hip as any sort of metal can get, which is not very. Still, Austin’s The Sword getting signed to indie label Kemado was an eyebrow-raising move, to say the least. And yet it worked. Positive reviews came steamrolling in, and the quest to make stoner rock mainstream began. And that brings us to this compilation, which feels influential already. Read the rest of this entry »

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I have only a glancing acquaintance with the group Oregon, although some of its members, like Ralph Towner are known to me.  I suppose I’ve heard enough to be interested if not convinced.  I invite Oregon fans to post to this blog entry and voice your thoughts about the group.  My own initial impression is that the group had some interesting musical ideas, the overall result was a bit pallid and airless.  Nevertheless, when I came across the Oregon LP “Together” (Vanguard, 1976) in a recent used LP foray, I was intrigued by the match up of master jazz drummer, Elvin Jones, with the group.  If  Oregon seemed pallid, Elvin was anything but,  typically offering an explosion of power and drive.  This, I thought, was a match up that was either a disaster or something special.  Read the rest of this entry »

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In this Boulder, Colorado trio we have a strange case. They are a band who has radio-ready songs but is on an indie label. They are a band who are steeped in classic rock tradition but not bound by it. They are a band who, unlike most of their peers–if these boys even have true contemporaries–craft original, thoughtful songs and then play them like the ******* children of Cream and Led Zeppelin. Sign me up. Read the rest of this entry »

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One of my all-time favorite albums is Los Lobos’ Kiko, a wonderful rootsy-bluesy Tex-Mex blend. Rather than follow their biggest hit La Bamba with something else chart-ready, they went all experimental. And it resulted in their best album.
But at first, I didn’t like it.

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There are a handful of albums that I gush about consistently. I can’t shut up about them- To my friends, or to my friends’ friends. Largely, because it amazes me that these records weren’t more popular.

I’ve waited a long time for the opportunity to gush openly about one such record:

Artist: The Wrens

Album: Secaucus

Label: Grass Records/Wind-Up Records

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I’m going to start by saying that I do love me some “Mercy”. I think it’s a perfect summer pop song. Read the rest of this entry »

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21-year-old singer-songwriter Samantha Crain, jumps into the Folk Rock world with her debut EP “The Confiscation.” The EP was released by indie label Ramseur Records on July 22nd. It’s already gaining praise for its literate story telling and whimsical sound.

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He’s the best damn fool you’ll ever know, with too many tears, from lyin’ like a dog. The seventy-one-year-old Rock and Blues legend, who influenced the likes of Hendrix, Clapton, and Vaughan, has released his latest album, “Skin Deep.” The twelve track LP consists of songs like, “Hammer And A Nail,” “Lyin’ Like A Dog,” and “Smell The Funk,” and features Susan Tedeschi, guitar greats, Derek Trucks, Eric Clapton, and Robert Randolph, and nine-year-old guitar prodigy, Quinn Sullivan. Read the rest of this entry »

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Fifty years after the “British Invasion,” America is being bombarded from foreign invaders once again. This time, they’re coming by the boatful out of Scandinavia. I’m From Barcelona (but actually from Sweden), Sigur Rós, múm, Mugison, and of course Björk – which all run the genre gamut – have all come out of the collective lands of the midnight sun to grace the global indie scene with their experimental electronic sounds, unique vocal abilities, and vast instrumentation.

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