The Allegations have created an album that swings between straightforward seventies-based rock and sun-drenched avant-garde.
Arising from the sessions for Supercalifragile, the final, posthumous Game Theory album, Salt turns on the collaboration of Posies co-frontman Ken Stringfellow, singer/songwriter Anton Barbeau and French guitarist/songwriter Stephane Schück.
Medway band Theatre Royal release a powerhouse-compilation of mouthwatering goodness with 22-tracks
The umpteenth album from the ever-prolific Anton Barbeau, Berliner Grotesk is a tribute of sorts to the Sacramento native’s adopted city.
After a gap of almost twenty-seven years, British band The Claim release a new album, an insightful and enjoyable listen.
The Black Watch release Magic Johnson, twelve tracks of conceptual adoration, along with further releases spanning the career of the band.
Get Pocket Full of Fire as a primer of band’s prowess through a collection of its best songs recorded live, but don’t miss a chance to see this compelling culture clash in person.
This live set will be warmly received by Deadheads and fans of intuitive and skillful jam band playing. Not many songs are duplicated among these three shows spanning five years, but there are a handful of opportunities to hear how the band flexes and twist songs in different moments.
The Divine Comedy are captivating with confidence on their latest, delightful long-player called Office Politics
The Electric Language compilation released by Cherry Red Records gets a review by Kevin Burke.
Once upon a time the term “contemporary instrumental” got thrown around a lot, mainly as a euphemism for the saccharine sounds of new age or fuzak. But if any album deserves this literal description, it’s Lost River, the debut by the speechless trio of drummer Michele Rabbia, trombonist Gianluca Petrella and guitarist Eivind Aarset.
Like any good record by a thoughtful, experienced writer, The Birmingham Poets covers a lot of emotional ground, from self-loathing to detachment to compassion – sometimes all in the same tune. And like any forward-thinking artist, Matthew Edwards builds on his past successes, continuing to evolve as a performer and a tunesmith.
Joan As Police Woman releases Joanthology, a reflection of her work which is long over due.
Scars & Wounds, which is out June 8th, is a tiny but wonderful glimpse at a burgeoning new songwriter who has everything it takes to find a completely original voice of his own.
Kevin Burke reviews Tenderness by Duff McKagan, which offers a new dimension to the Guns N’ Roses bassist.
Kevin Burke reviews the debut Ep by Where We Sleep, entitled “Experments In The Dark”.
Story Of My Life is out June 15, and although short, it might just be West’s finest and most mature statement as an artist yet.
Kevin Burke reviews the new single “Hurry On Home” from Sleater-Kinney,
Due for release Friday the 31st of May, the latest from Cellista, Transfigurations gets a review from Kevin Burke
This third and final set in Omnivore Records’ series of Buck Owens’ Capitol Records singles is a treasure for fans of the Bakersfield sound, and a testament to the power of Owens’ friendship and collaboration with guitarist/fiddler Don Rich.
Where The Action Is swaggers with the very wit and talent of Mike Scott.
The Frank Zappa reissue campaign hits a high-water mark with this lavish 40th anniversary presentation of the bandleader’s 1978 live album recorded over seven concerts between Christmas and New Year’s Eve in 1976 at New York City’s Felt Forum and the Palladium.
Scissor Sisters was the best-selling album of 2004 and a dance-pop smash in the UK, but failed to reach gold-record status in the band’s native USA. This high-quality LP reissue provides fresh opportunity for reevaluation.
Dream Journal may not be a masterpiece, but it is the long overdue return of an artist who has the talent and vision necessary to someday soon produce one.
Nimo & The Light are clearly inspired by a disparate, wide-ranging group of influences, but it’s quite innovative how they take them all and combine them into something fresh and new.
Released today, Morrissey’s California Son lacks far too many of his unique qualities sadly to make it a great album
FINAL NOTICE! isn’t revolutionary although it calls for revolution, but it’s a perfect listen for any fan of classic ’70s glam rock with a modern twist.
What makes Bonney’s work special is his outsider take on Americana. Though his music works with familiar elements – acoustic guitars, violin, steel guitars, folk- and country-derived melodies – it maintains an exotic feel.
As the epic seven-minute closer “So Below” proves, the band is full of the desire and innovation necessary to push the boundaries of their genre.
Like an undiscovered artifact of the original new wave days, Oscillator sounds fresh and exciting, including signposts of its era while still coming off as iconoclastic.
Raising Cannibals is not unlike the work of *The Magnetic Fields*—inextricably attached to the music traditions of the past and yet could only possibly be the product of one singular artist.
For an album that has risen from the ashes, Pleasant Grove Hotel doesn’t sound like it at all and Outerfield have crafted a coherent, strong collection of songs.
The source of some of the most daring and even intimidating sounds in popular music, free jazz flourished in the sixties thanks to the innovations of Ornette Coleman and the endorsement of John Coltrane, among others. While plenty of classics have stayed in the racks over the decades, there are great records that have also fallen out of print, as with any other genre. Fortunately, ORG Music has begun rescuing many of these gems, reissuing them in new vinyl editions that are facsimiles of the originals.
With its debut LP Burst, the mighty Brutus exploded out of Belgium two years ago to redefine the term power trio. Now the band returns with its much-anticipated follow-up Nest. To say that the young threesome meets and exceeds its promise is practically an understatement.
F*ck You_ is both subtle and surprising in its charms, and it bears repeated listening to fully uncover the meanings behind Annamay’s evocative lyrics.
Cobalt has been an immediate success in the electronic charts in his home of Italy, and it certainly is strong enough to possibly be Seti’s breakthrough in the States and internationally.
It’s difficult to understate the influence that Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western had upon its initial release during the Civil Rights Movement. This reissue welcomes fresh listening to an acknowledged treasure of American music.
Versal is a highly accomplished and original statement from an artist who clearly puts his entire soul and personality into his work.
Prior to recording the EP, Ames visited Buenos Aires, and the songs have a strong Latin feel but rather than an opportunistic novelty as is often the case, it’s a natural and respectful incorporation.
Legends In Their Own Minds might not be a complete reinvention of Sundogs’ influences, but they created something which could have easily existed in the stacks of vinyl somewhere alongside Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton.
Ten Years of Solitude is a genre-bending, deeply personal one-of-a-kind statement from an artist with as much vision as individuality.
Guitarist Pete Greenway, bassist Dave Spurr and drummer Keiron Melling – AKA the longest-running version of The Fall – knew they couldn’t just replace Mark E. Smith when he died last year. The Fall without Smith would be a parody of itself. At the same time, the trio had developed a chemistry and rapport that couldn’t just be abandoned. So they did the smart thing: added vocalist/guitarist Sam Curran, reconstituted as Imperial Wax and didn’t even try to sound like their old band.
Whether Revolution is a beginning of something new, an ending of the band’s old style, or a transition between the two, it certainly remains Torres’s most finely executed statement yet, and ends with the exciting open question of what will follow.
Adams proves himself capable of numerous styles here, and Nest of Vipers just might be one of his best albums yet.
The Divorce Party is a bit of a hodge-podge of an album, but it also includes some of Bitter’s Kiss’ finest work yet.
LP3 excitedly shatters the notion of expectation in American Football, blurring their legacy into a foreign concept.
Matmos’s newest effort broadens their toolkit considerably, featuring all things plastic from silicone gel breast implants to PVC pipes.
A New Heart doesn’t quite live up to the work of Thomas’ influences, but he certainly does a fantastic job following in their footsteps, creating a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
