Recorded

Recorded, Singles Going Steady, Slideshow

Going Steady: New Singles Reviewed 9-18-15 – 9-24-15

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Whatever you might think of Beyonce, she has exquisite taste in collaborators and they don’t get much better than Naughty Boy. The master producer already has a track record and anybody who heard his Zayn Malik track from earlier this year can only pray they work together on Zayn’s solo comeback. Till then, this is a high falutin’ ballad with Bey tackling the hook like a real pro, absolutely giving over to it. Arrow, who handles a verse like a pro, I have never heard of but we all will after this – B+

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Friday, September 18th, 2015

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Bad Blood – Ryan Adams – While it isn’t my favorite Taylor Swift song at the same time, and while it is just one track off the upcoming Ryan does 1989 album, this is alright I suppose: it sounds like Ryan covering “Bad Blood”. Polite to its source, to a fault, it is a little bit strange. Why is he doing this? To teach us Taylor Swift is a good songwriter? Don’t we know that? – B

Be Here Now, Recorded, Slideshow

Be Here Now: New Album Releases Reviewed 9-18-15 – 9-24-15

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This Sixpence None The Richer singer releases an album of irreproachable country songs, Leigh’s voice has just enough undertow to suggest depth without solemnity, her ballads are subtle enough to draw you in and her singing is clear, clean and unadorned enough to gain your trust. Try “Cruel Heart” or “Chicago” or “”Tell Me Now Tennessee” -try anything, she co-wrote them all. Leigh name checks Dottie West but she reminds me of mid-period Iris DeMent without sounding like her at all – Album Of The Week – A

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Wednesday, September 15th, 2015

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Chocolate Factory – R. Kelly – before all that godawful stuck in a wardrobe crap, Kelly was seconds away from being a modern day Stevie Wonder with a larger libido and maybe a tenth the talent (which means he was great), and this was the lead song off the album that made us take R. Kelly seriously for a year or so. A masterful Wonder redux, a beautiful soul song of faith in love and metaphor – A

Album Reviews, Recorded, Slideshow

Taylor Upsahl’s “Viscerotonic” Reviewed

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It is music for a peer group dealing with similar battles between theory and practice, how things feel and how they are, the emotional range is noticeable and the disquiet is tempered, sometimes distempered by mooted desire: it is all burgeoning lushness and self awareness. Sixteen years old , but sixteen years old unblinking looking into the heart, and sometimes into the dark.

News, Recorded, Slideshow, Sneak Peak

Sneak Peaks: Upcoming Album Releases 9-18-15 – 9-24-15

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Of the big ones I am not impressed with, put Keith Richards at the top of the list and then add Chris Cornell, Mac Miller, Metric, The Front Bottoms who are emerging into one of the biggest disappointments, then moved to the maybes with Lana Del Rey, Motion City Soundtrack, Mercury Rev, Robert Forster, David Gilmour and Lucero. Finally, the battle for most intimating, intimate, and anticipated album of next week… no not Robert Delong or Darlene Love but RUDIMENTAL!!! If only because it includes one of Bobby Womack’s last vocals. And not only because of that either.

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Saturday, September 12th, 2015

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Still waiting for its official release, this is a Stonesy meets punk workout with a great groove and a Stiv Bators via Mike Hudson (who is indeed the lead singer) vocal, all snarl and drugs, Richard Duguay’s guitar is fluid and fast and first rate. If Hollywood High was art rock by other means, “Hopped Up” is 70s punk by professional hit men – A

Going Steady, Recorded, Slideshow

Going Steady: New Singles 9-11-15 – 9-17-15

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In which Kurt expands his horizon into MOR old school rock, with a piano motif up close and personal, and I hated it yesterday but I think I missed it because I was expecting something completely different. This is a beautiful and strange rhythmic hook, it is like there are two beats and one falls off and discombobulates the song and neither rests with the drums- B+

Be Here Now, Recorded, Slideshow

Be Here Now: New Album Reviews 9-11-15 – 9-17-15

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If there is nothing as great as “Honolulu Blues” it is much much better than the last Hold Steady album. Craig is like Snoop Dogg, his voice is so distinctive that when the song isn’t rock solid, the voice overwhelms it. This is better than his last solo album. a tremendous run of great songs from one end to the other and what it misses in the top rung, it makes up for in the middle – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A-

Recorded, Slideshow, These Days

These Days: Thursday, September 10th, 2015

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Remember Sha Na Na? Sure you do, the old school rock and roll cover band who gave a spark of continuity to the Woodstock generation back in 1968. Dennis Greene was the black guy and a real talent, who appeared with the band in both Grease and Happy Days, before turning his back on the biz and becoming a Professor of Law (Harvard Grad, no less). Sadly he died earlier this week at the age of 66.

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Thursday, September 10th, 2015

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You Make Me feel (Mighty Real) – Sylvester – The six minute twelve incher, not only does Sylvester’s voice simply soar, he also mutates a declaration of love till it is a declaration of dance, and presides over one of the greatest grooves ever recorded – A+

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Wednesday, September 9th, 2015

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Knockin’ On Mine – Paul Westerberg – In retrospect, 12 Songs could stand as the final Replacements album, if anything it is even more professional than we were used to. This song is Paul at his best, the dodgy depressionalism getting burnt in the summer and wet in the rain – A

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Monday, September 7th. 2015

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Career Opportunities – The Clash – A masterpiece of agitprop dead endism that heralded a world where people in the UK would never have a job in their entire life. Meanwhile, bus driver? ambulance man? Opening Letterbox. And it never ever knock – A+

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Sunday, September 6th, 2015

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Crown – Jay Z – Years later, and I am beginning to think maybe I am underestimated Holy Grail. The problem with the album is it came out around the time of Yeezus and felt a little whatever in its shadow, but this song, with Travis Scott’s excellent hook, is actually pretty darn out there – B+

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Saturday, September 5th, 2015

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Maggie I’ve Been Searching For Our Son – Craig Finn – Once every seven attempts, Finn nails it, this isn’t a masterpiece but it is a good song, nice riff he works well and a good lyric, better than most of the last Hold Steady and some of his first solo album – B+

Recorded, Slideshow, Sneak Peak

Sneak Peaks: Upcoming Album Releases 9-11-15 – 9-17-15

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Prince, who was great on GMA earlier this week, is a Tidal exclusive and while I certainly might pay ten bucks to own his new one, I won’t pay ten bucks to rent it for a month by subscribing (the real question is: will Hov and Bey make their next albums exclusives. I’d claim it is between Craig Finn and The Libertines, I was streaming some of the Finn album and it sounds like his last solo without the flat out masterpiece “Honolulu Blues”. So I guess I’ll go with the Popdose’s Ken Shane recommended The Libertines.

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Thursday, September 3rd, 2015

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Hollywood Divorce – Outkast – Weezy is superb on the rap and the song is a jazzy beauty like the Outkast’s were the white Steely Dan: God Save Apple Play which came up with an excellent playlist: “Lil Wayne In The ’00s”… I wish I could share it – A

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: September 2nd, 2015

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D.L. F – Sean Price – With Foul Monday, Rim & Royal Flush – The late great Price a Dope Loop Finder if ever there ones, brings together some friends, Royal Flush are particularly hot at the moment, and freestyles for three minutes, somewhat awesome stuff – A-

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Tuesday, September 1st, 2015

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Sure, it gains depth from Chinx’s murder (at the age of 31) earlier this year, and the hook is beyond prescience, but the last words to his children are so real and heartbreaking it takes the track to levels most people don’t ever reach if they live to be 91: “I pray I be OK when I grow up a little bigger, if I don’t tell my babies daddy was a real nigga” – A

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Sunday, August 30th, 2015

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I Don’t Like Who I Was Then – The Wonder Years – I’ve had problems with all three new songs but for some reason I’d had the volume kinda low and if you blast it, there is a moment of revelation when it becomes a great anthem of mesed up emotional smash grab – A-

Recorded, Slideshow, Sneak Peak

Sneak Peaks: 9-4-15 – 9-10-15

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This is one of the more interesting weeks of music, Iron Maiden, Public Image Ltd, Travi$ Scott, should all have something of value coming down. A little further in, Against Me! live album has sounded great so far, but it seems to me to be a toss up between happy punks Fidlar and voice of a generation punks The Wonder years. I am going with the Katter despite not being crazy about any of the songs I’ve heard because… well, because they’re the voice of a generation.

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Saturday, August 29th, 2015

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Under You – Willis Earl Beal – We all make mistakes and I make my biggest around 9am on Friday mornings after spending hour upon hour absorbing and reviewing new releases. I think my ears sometimes go wonky and that is definitely the case with this guy who I dubbed a “black Scott Walker” last night, which he is definitely, but then I decided this was a bad thing. How I came up with that assumption I can’t tell you, it isn’t, it is a wonderful thing – A-

Recorded, Singles Going Steady, Slideshow

Singles Going Steady: New Singles Reviewed 8-28-15 – 9-3-15

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What Do You Mean – Justin Bieber – I never bought Bieber as the anti-Christ, just a garden variety teenage brat with a whole lotta power to wield his brattishness. But I never much cared for him musically either, so his post teens, post Diplo/Skrillex exercise in grown up EDM, this first single off his upcoming fourth album is an low key and pretty calypso flavored synth track that does the job. Good move – B

Be Here Now, Recorded, Slideshow

Be Here Now: New Album Reviews 8-28-15 – 9-3-15

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Stuff Like That There – Yo La Tengo – This is exactly how I like my Yo La Tengo, a sequel of sorts to their masterpiece, 1990’s Fakebook , every song here has a reason for being and if none of them is “Did I Tell You” or “Oklahoma USA”, all of it as a whole has the tunefulness and character of the latter: a superb collection of covers, of theirs and others,performed to get every single melodic element out of every single song of those type of songs. And, hey, maybe “Friday I’m In Love” is as good as the Kinks. Their best album since 1997 – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – A-

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Thursday, August 27th, 2015

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1Train – A$AP Rocky – Great sample to kick it in, this is as clever as you can possibly get when it comes down to money and success with a virtual who’s who of first tier young rappers (I mean two years ago, of course): Kendrick, Action Bronson, Danny Brown… and a great great hook – A

Recorded, Slideshow

10 Songs: Wednesday, August 26th, 2015

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Girls Talk – Dave Edmund – there is no finer expression of edmund’s genius than the way he manipulates costello nightmare relationship into a verse chorus verse rock and roll Rockpile jumped up pop song.. wait for the instrumental break… short but so strong…

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