Album Review: Forest Walker – UV Sea
Occasionally I’ll come across an album that stops the world around me when I listen to it. The music committed to that record holds a type of special magic that can’t really be explained or dissected, as any attempt pales in comparison to the art itself. What some hear as “noise”, I hear as the …
Album Review: Son Volt – Notes Of Blue
I think if you went back 22 years to 1995 you’d find the running thoughts on the trajectories of Son Volt and Wilco would be significantly different than what actually ended up happening. While Wilco’s debut album A.M. was decent enough, it didn’t hold a candle to the gritty and windswept Midwest epic that was …
Album Review Big Jaw : Fort Fun
Clint Roth, aka Big Jaw, is a name you may not know but give it a little time. He’ll be a name you’ll know soon enough. I’ll give you some highlights: Roth grew up in the Midwest but is now based in Austin, TX. He’s one of those incredibly talented cats that can play everything. …
Album Review: Peter Silberman – Impermanence
Peter Silberman has never been shy about laying his heart out for all to see on his albums with The Antlers. From Hospice to Burst Apart to Familiars his etheral vocals and dramatic musical arrangements show a musician not satisfied with the simple. Silberman wants to make his mark with each song. Scorched tales of …
Album Review: Porcelain Raft – Microclimate
Mauro Remiddi appeared from a hazy cloud of synthwave and dream pop back in 2012 under the name Porcelain Raft with the lush Strange Weekend. It was this wonderful mix of Cocteau Twins big sweeps and early Depeche Mode. It was a breath of fresh air amid the vacuous space known as chillwave that was …
Album Review: Judas Priest – Turbo 30 (Remastered 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
I’m just going to come out and say it, Judas Priest’s Turbo was a damn good album. It was much maligned by the long-haired, leather-wearing metal dudes that pumped fists to songs like “Breaking The Law”, “The Green Manalishi(with the two-pronged crown)”, “Livin’ After Midnight”, and “Electric Eye”, but that’s their problem, man. Turbo wasn’t …
Album Review: Moon Duo – Occult Architecture Vol.1
Moon Duo have had the same mission statement since their first full length LP back in 2011, and they’ve kept to that mission statement. What is it? Simple, find a groove and stick to it. Moon Duo’s sound is all about finding a groove, locking into it, and riding it out for as long as …
Album Review: Richard Pinhas – Reverse
Richard Pinhas is what you’d call a pioneer of both electronic music and experimental rock. His early years were spent recording with first Schizo, then space rock pioneers Heldon, as well as releasing records under his own name. He doesn’t shy away from dissonance and extended stays in musical pieces that seem to go on …
Album Review: Delicate Steve – This Is Steve
Delicate Steve is not what you’d think of as a guitar virtuoso when you listen to his records, but that’s exactly what he is. The reason you don’t think of him as a guitar great is because his albums are too catchy sounding to be considered as “virtuoso playing”. It’s like listening to the best …
Album Review: Ulrich Schnauss & Jonas Munk – Passage
The newest collaboration between Ulrich Schnauss and Jonas Munk, titled simply Passage, is a heady mix of intellectual ambient and euphoric electronic. You get Schnauss’ synths layered with Munk’s liquid guitar lines, sometimes with drum programming and sometimes on their own. The result is a complex and engaging record that offers the best both musicians …