Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
Album review: Judas Priest “Nostradamus”
Author: Keith
So what shows up in the mail the other day but my pre-ordered copy of ‘Nostradamus’ by Judas Priest, ordered for one reason and one reason only – along with it came the chance to attend a Judas Priest in-store signing. Which was a great idea, except the Jersey Turnpike had other plans (which you can read about in a previous blog here). So with no autograph to show from the signing and the only other release from the last 10 years the subpar “Angel of Retribution”, I was thinking this album better be good‘. And damn… it IS. Judas Priest is pulling a Bernard Hopkins on us.
read comments (3)Summer Concert Preview: Devo – What Can We Expect Now That It Has Been Told?
Author: Jeff Boule
As part of our Summer Concert Preview/Review, we will be looking at a concert disc by the Spudboys from 1988. They were ten years in and disillusioned from all the abuse from critics, non-fans, their label at the time, Warner Brothers, and so on. Yet that disillusionment NEVER affected the music! Read the rest of this entry »
“Tradition and the Individual Talent”
Author: Anthony Medici
In his famous essay, “Tradition and the Individual Talent,” poet and critic T.S. Eliot famously stated, “No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists. You cannot value him alone; you must set him, for contrast and comparison, among the dead.” I listened recently to three albums that seem to me to seek to place the individual artist in the tradition, while simultaneously moving beyond that tradition, an act both necessary and presumptive. An act that says, “I am here now, I am alive and new, and, by implication, “That was then, the past, which I am replacing.” Yet at the same time, all three albums also acknowledge the importance of the past, of the tradition. The three albums I want to consider are: “Ellington & Coltrane (1962);” Archie Shepp’s “Four for Trane” (1964); and, Marion Brown’s “Three for Shepp” (1966), all on Impulse Records. Read the rest of this entry »
Rilo Kiley Live at The Electric Factory
Author: Liz Kantner
Thursday night Rilo Kiley played at The Electric Factory in Philadelphia with Benji Hughes and Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. Rilo Kiley is one of my favorite bands and I have been listening to them for years, but this was the first chance I’ve had to see them live. Despite the tickets being a bit pricey, it ended up being one of the greatest concerts I have ever been to. Read the rest of this entry »
Summer Concerts Abound, Gas Prices Be Damned!
Author: Jeff Boule
As someone penning for this blog has already asserted, the summer concert season is upon us. For this reviewer, it is a highly pregnant season with many, many promising, quality, not-to-be-missed performances. You can pretty much rest assured, if I am interested in these shows, they are not your run-of-the-mill American Idol loser tours (read: I got your diversity right here!). Read the rest of this entry »
Weezer (The Red Album) And Arrogant Self Awareness
Author: Brett
If artificial intelligence ever reaches self awareness, I’m gonna be freakin’ thrilled. But when Weezer’s lead singer Rivers Cuomo does on the Red Album, I wanted to turn it off just to spite him. A once indie garage band group should know better than to brag about fame. Let this be a warning to you musicians out there currently making your way up in the world. Read the rest of this entry »
Fans Fight in Defense of Beloved Band
Author: Melissa
Emos. Goths. A cult. An army. Weird.
Whatever you call them, there is one thing certain of the fans of My Chemical Romance. They are not joiners, but faithful listeners who stick through thick and thin. And looking at recent times, the group is going to need it. Read the rest of this entry »
The Young Person’s Guide To Fripp & Eno
Author: Jeff Boule
Mr. Billingsworth,
Upon bringing in the email, I found your exchange with my Mrs., from earlier today regarding Fripp & Eno. I have a few points of interest and we can also discuss Prog matters in general.
Also, how are you enjoying the Todd Rundgren albums you have accumulated so far? Remember, your collection only goes through the Bearsville years. You have little of his Indie catalog.
The first issue would be the classification of Fripp & Eno. These are three distinct artists in themselves. Robert Fripp solo, Brian Eno solo, and Fripp & Eno collaborative. Each has their own merit. All have evolved. Read the rest of this entry »
Cheer Up Emo Kid
Author: Liz Kantner
What is emo? The term is commonly stereotyped as a person who is sensitive and overly emotional. Someone who wears excessively tight pants, dark eyeliner and their hair in a side swept bang covering one of their eyes. They wear dark rimmed glasses, studded belts and chucks. It has become a fad and the word’s original meaning has been lost. Read the rest of this entry »
The Good Stuff Is Gone. Let’s Find Where It’s Went!
Author: Melissa
Let’s face it. Music isn’t what it used to be. Every generation has said this statement, but it’s most true in recent days. To quote Leela James,”Where’d the music go/ It’s all just for the dough”. Modern musicians ares becoming less like musicians and more like ridiculous images who only entertain for money and don’t put much, if any thought into their songs. Anyone who is any good or actually cares about their music is long gone, barely remembered or still undiscovered, spending their nights promoting their music and their days working at a pizza joint. Read the rest of this entry »
Oh, Those Doctor’s Office Tunes!
Author: Dee
It’s dark, rainy and windy outside. I’ve come back from my chiropractor where my right shoulder has been through the usual therapy for a pinched nerve. Read the rest of this entry »
What is it about screamo??
Author: Julia Sahin
So when people ask me what kind of music I listen to…they are usually very surprised as to my answer. Other than listening to mainstream bands, and songs and artists on the radio, I’m very much into the “Screamo” scene (as much as I hate to label music, which is in its own a separate topic). I mean, obviously, I’m a girl…and I guess there’s this underlying thought that girls don’t listen to that type of music. Well then, I guess I’m not your average girl. Read the rest of this entry »
Exit 7A on the New Jersey turnpike, and Judas Priest
Author: Keith
At this moment, I still can’t bear to listen to ‘Hell Bent for Leather’ without a tear coming to my eye. I was at the gym yesterday and ‘Breaking the Law’ came on my iPod and I couldn’t bear to listen… well okay, I’m being melodramatic. But that’s more fun than saying “I’m mildly disappointed”, right? Here we are, five days later and I’m still pissed, I still blame the New Jersey Turnpike, and my copy of ‘Screaming for Vengeance’ sits in my living room unsigned. How did I get here? Read the rest of this entry »
Falling in Love with Jazz
Author: Anthony Medici
Still somewhat smitten by my exposure to Sonny Rollins (see my post from last Sunday), I’m borrowing the title from one of his lesser known (and lesser) efforts, “Falling in Love with Jazz,” to sound the theme of this week’s blog. Do you remember your first love? Do you remember your first jazz love? Do you remember how it was, or why it was, or, more likely, who it was, that first opened your ears to jazz? Read the rest of this entry »
“It’s Spring Fund Drive Time!”
Author: Dee
Well, so, it’s spring, and we have to agree that it’s time for our favorite public radio stations to raise money. I believe it’s all bit earlier than it usually is because of the, umm…coincidence between of our tax refunds as well as the rebates, you know. Read the rest of this entry »
Within Temptation’s “The Silent Force” Without Attention
Author: Jeff Boule
Sometimes a reviewer just has to go above and beyond the normal call of duty. Sometimes it is a reviewer’s job to save lives. Or at least save some time in people’s lives.
Let’s face it; we live in fast-paced times. If I can spare you good PREX readers 40 minutes +/-, that you will never get back again, I feel it is my duty to do so. With that in mind, I say to you all, run! RUN FROM WITHIN TEMPTATION AND NEVER LOOK BACK!!
Read the rest of this entry »
Premium Records versus the Dollar bin
Author: Keith
Premium Records versus the Dollar bin
You know, a tough decision sometimes faces you when you’re searching for records – what’s the right balance between pricey records (I would define them as anything over $15) and dollar bin records? It’s weird in a way – I think nothing of spending $25-30 on my tenth Philadelphia Phillies hat because it’s a different colorway, yet react like you’re asking me to finance the Hope diamond if a price tag on a record reads that same $25. If you have a store with a massive dollar bin, the decision gets even tougher: now, that $25 isn’t just relatively expensive compared to the majority of used records out there, it’s TWENTY-FIVE dollar records.
In Praise of “Soundcheck”
Author: Dee
With no elitist apologies, I’m a huge fan of public radio.
Sure, I’m happy to see that indie rock has a new home on commercial radio in many markets, replacing those ungodly “classic rock” stations, and very little makes my “Triple AAA” music heart beat harder and faster than hearing there’s a new station with that format. Read the rest of this entry »