Rock 'N' Roll Will Save Your Soul
It's always vital, It's always new, It never lets you down.
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Favorite Albums of 2022
1. Chris Church - "Darling Please"
2. The Reds, Pinks & Purples - "Summer at Land's End"
3. Young Guv - "III & IV"
4. Superchunk - "Wild Loneliness"
5. The Helicopters - "Eyes of Oblivion"
6. Flyying Colours - "Flyying Colours"
7. Healees - "Healees"
8. Cheap Star - "Wish I Could See"
9. The Beths - "Expert in a Dying Field"
10. The Smile - "A Light for Attracting Attention"
Other Favorites
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Something Old...Something New (#32)
"Aladdin Sane" - David Bowie (released 1973)
"Chime School - Chime School (released 2021)
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Favorite Albums of 2021
2021 was another challenging year for the music community with remote recording and cancelled tours remaining the norm. With many established acts electing to sit on the sidelines until some sense of normalcy returns it was a good year to discover new artists and that's definitely reflected on my list of 2021 favorites. Remember, musicians pour their hearts and souls into their work so be sure to support them any way you are able (vinyl, CD, download)
1. Cloud Nothings - "The Shadow I Remember"
The band reunites with legendary producer Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio Studios and emerge with another revelation. Light and shade abound in these eleven densely compact post-punk marvels featuring explosive rhythmic discord and resplendent melodies around every corner! Good luck choosing a favorite.
Sunday, February 7, 2021
Favorite Albums of 2020
Not a good year for anyone. Music clubs shuttered, recording studios empty, low quality streaming continues to be the main way people consume music - and yet excellent new releases continued to appear like lights in the darkness to provide comfort, diversion and hope for better times to come. Do your best to support these artists during quarantine as they/we await the return of live music and an avalanche of new releases in 2021!
1. Cloud Nothings - "The Black Hole Understands"
Recorded entirely in quarantine, Dylan Baldi (guitar, bass, vocals) and Jayson Gerycz (drums, mixing) produce a marvel of melodic, hook-laden modern pop/rock gems, each one impossibly outshining the next. The ultimate comfort food in a year when we needed it most!
5. Nada Surf - "Never Not Together"
This band never disappoints. Each release hones their sweet-sounding mellifluous Indie Pop to a fantastically finer edge. Singer Matthew Caws carries each tune with his engaging vocals and continues to write songs of deceptive intricacy.
6. The Persian Leaps - "Smiling Lessons"
After crafting my favorite album of 2019 ("Electrical Living") Drew Forsberg returns with a terrific eight song EP! Slashing guitar rhythms support compelling melodies and addictive choruses. In a better world this music is heading up the charts and on everyone's playlist!
7. Kestrels - "Dream or Don't Dream"
Halifax, Nova Scotia gifts us Chad Peck setting his swirling shoegaze ablaze with fiery guitar, including a remarkable appearance by J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. My favorite "new" find has been recording since 2009 so I have a catalog to catch up on!
8. Close Lobsters - "Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols"
Scottish indie rockers return after more than 30 years and they haven't missed a beat, recapturing the jangly pop goodness of their legendary C86 years! They have been a favorite of mine since the "What is There to Smile About" EP in 1988. Welcome back, but what's up with the unwieldy title?
9. The Hanging Stars - "A New Kind of Sky"
Dreamy, psych-tinged, harmony-laden songs dripping with gorgeous pedal steel guitar. These young Londoners echo the best of Americana while putting their own stamp on each tune. RIYL Band of Horses, Byrds
10. AC/DC - "Power Up"
Following a tumultuous five years (Malcom Young's Passing, Brian Johnson's hearing issues, drummer Phil Rudd's plethora of legal problems) the band improbably returns with their strongest album in decades! Twelve succinct Angus/Malcom compositions loaded with explosive rhythms, searing guitar, and throat-ripping vocals! Straight hard rock and nobody does it better!
Saturday, April 25, 2020
Something Old...Something New (#31)
"Mr. Tambourine Man" - The Byrds (released 1965)
"12" - Sloan (released 2018)
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Favorite Albums of 2019
It seems to get a bit trickier each year to find the musical gold buried among the mountains of corporate endorsed shit that passes itself off as the next big thing. Commercial radio is officially dead - here are my picks for favorite music I've heard over the past year via satellite radio, college shows and music podcasts - Long Live Rock!
1. Persian Leaps - "Electrical Living"
Last year's collection "Pop That Goes Crunch" was in my top ten and is an apt description of the twist Drew Forsberg applies to the Power Pop template. Each track begins with a memorable riff or melody but doesn't settle for simply repeating this pattern. As each verse or chorus comes around more hooks, textures, rhythms and harmonies spring up to carry each tune to new heights! This is exquisite pop songcraft and each listen unlocks a new favorite - "Electrical Living" is brilliant!2. The Jellybricks - "Some Kind of Lucky"
3. Spielbergs - "This is Not the End"
4. The Appleseed Cast - "The Fleeting Light of Impermanence"
Christopher Crisci has been leading this band from Lawrence, KS for over 20 years and I just discover them at the end of 2019?! How to describe their music - maybe Built to Spill meets the Wrens? It often takes a couple minutes for melodies to unfold in these ever evolving songs and your patience is always generously rewarded. An album that begs to be listened to from beginning to end - I have a big back catalog to check up on!5. Young Guv - "Guv I & II"
6. William Tyler - "Goes West"
7. Moving Panoramas - "In Two"
8. The Resonars - "No Exit"
9. Bob Mould - "Sunshine Rock"
Old Mould continues his late career roll with another album of distortion filled angst but there are glimmers of light (even strings!) as he charges through ten new emotion-filled tunes and a cover (the Shocking Blue chestnut "Send Me a Postcard"). The fourth album with his killer rhythm section from Superchunk - Jason Narducy (bass) and Jon Wurster (drums).10. The New Pornographers - "In the Morse Code of Brake Lights"
The combination of A. C. Newman's songwriting and the voice of Neko Case (she never sounds better than with this band) produces another winner for this Canadian supergroup! Keyboards dominate the collection of uniquely quirky yet catchy tunes - nobody sounds quite like The New Pornographers.Honorable Mention: These releases also caught my attention over the past year
Extra Arms - "Up From Here"Potty Mouth - "SNAFU"
Swervedriver - "Future Ruins"
Tacocat - "This Place is a Mess"
Ex Hex - "It's Real"
Juliana Hatfield - "Weird"
Liam Gallagher - "Why Me? Why Not"
Richard & the Young Lions - "Volume 2"