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10 Songs: Tuesday, July 21st, 2015

I’ve Got You Babe – Sonny And Cher – has anybody not sung this to their sweetie pie at some time in their life? An ode to togetherness and sharing that has reached far past being a cliché, or camp or even funny: it is the “Happy Birthday To You” of romance…. babe – A+

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Titus Andronicus “The Most Lamentable”: Stream It Here. Also, A First Opinion

It sounds great but it sounds too much, it overloads you and not in a great way (though certainly in a good way). But I may be wrong, the move between the two parts of the album, from “More Perfect Unions” extended instrumental coda to “Sun Salutations” a capella and then the classic rock thump of “(S)HE SAID/(S)HE SAID” is kinda major stuff… Nobody else can do it.

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10 Songs: Monday, July 20th, 2015

I’m On Fire – AWOL Nation – I totally missed this, off the 50 Shades of Gray soundtrack, but it is really lovely and it is also a little on the quiet side, it is like they don’t want to hard sell you with everything all around, Bruce is all edge, and here there is just a huge sense of distress – B+

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Tomas Doncker And The Mess We Made

I know Tomas won’t do any of them, and given our respective track records, I tend to think he is probably making the right decision. In the meanwhile, The Mess We Made, with its Beatles and Hendrix references, its rubabdub dubs, its Mayfield falsetto and simmering when not exploding anger, should be with us soon.

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10 Songs: Sunday, July 20th, 2015

U Mad – Vic Mensa – With Kanye West, on this terrific piece of rap genius, Kanye’s verse is a good low key rhymin’ but Vic hits it out of the park: “All praise to Allah, not Ramadan but these bitches fast…” Sure, it’s the usual shit but very well done – B+

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Singles Going Steady: New Singles Reviewed July 17th – July 23rd, 2015

Robin Williams – Cee Lo – The angry little man who could, can’t on this so bad it’s good sort of you kinda stop and watch it in a state of suspended horror Why would he recommend a suicide comic to tell us to laugh the pain away? Isn’t Robin the poster boy for NOT laughing the pain away. -what on earth was he thinking of? “Robin, can you hear me?” he asks at the end -don’t, just don’t. Has to be heard to be believed. The worst song since “Beer With Jesus” – F

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10 Songs: Thursday, July 16th, 2015

‘Round Midnight – Live, 1955 – Miles Davis – This is the third composition from the Live At Newport album, and it is swoonily beautiful. Who is playing, you ask? Miles Davis, trumpet; Zoot Sims, tenor saxophone; Gerry Mulligan, baritone saxophone; Thelonious Monk, piano; Percy Heath, bass; Connie Kay, drums… pretty sick right? Three years later he would add John Coltrane – A

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10 Songs: Monday, July 13th, 2015

Good For You feat A$AP Rocky – Selena Gomez – The purist of pop products, the former Disney star is all doe sultriness in 2015, which doesn’t save this slow burn se song by the numbers. And neither does A$AP Rocky, rapping on his cell phone between orgies and acid trips – C-

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Be Here Now: New Album Reviews, Friday, July 10th, 2015

No Life For Me – Wavves And Cloud Nothings – Two punk rock heavy melody bands reach the second half of their 20s with a tasty little rock album. Cloud Nothings have been on a roll since the Steve Albini album an Wavves have been a little whatever for the past couple of years, but this will do them both well. All loud guitars and playful tunefulness, two good bands, one good album – ALBUM OF THE WEEK B+

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The Wonder Years “Cardinal” Review

“Cardinals” is an important song for the band to release as a lead single as it holds a familiar theme all while introducing this new sound they’re trying out. If the rest of “No Closer To Heaven” follows suit with “Cardinals” I feel as though this could quite possibly be The Wonder Years best effort out of any and become what will be their Opus.

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10 Songs: Tuesday, July 7th, 2015

Pure Imagination – Fiona Apple – Fiona takes on Willy Wonka and finds the gothic downbeat horror in the spectacular dreams of children, she sings it perfectly but the high drama music is a major downer. I am sure why you would do it – C

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10 Songs: Monday, July 6th, 2015

Cool For The Summer – Demi Lovato – This won’t win the summer sweepstakes and maybe shouldn’t ether, but the hook is the stickiest thing you’ll hear all summer and it has a very sexy vibe that is, plainly, undeniable. That’s the thing about pop in 2015, you can’t count anyone out – A-

Album Reviews, Recorded, Slideshow

Lil Wayne’s “FWA” Review

The problem is, Weezy has been off his A Game since 2008, and the man has all the gifts he needs to be the top of the game. Yet he isn’t any more. When I saw him with Drake last year, he more than held his own. On record, he can’t catch up with his student. Weezy needs to free himself as well as his album.

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10 Songs: Sunday, July 5th, 2015

My Heart Races On – Lil Wayne – A terrific central part of the puzzle from Weezy’s new album FWA, or do I mean mixtape?. His second one this year and here is the keeper, a self portrait so sweet it bleeds all over the hook by… who he? Jake Trouth… the best line either the one where the devil exchanges his soul or the one where he turns back to see what second place looks like – A-

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Oldies But Goldies: In 2009 I Reviewed And Graded All Of Elvis Costello’s Albums

Why was Costello the great rock and roll savior? I might claim he was my savior because he was the first rock start to look like me but he didn’t really, he was better looking than me in 77 and he is fatter than me in 09. And his love life wasn’t mine -he may have been getting fucked over but he was getting fucked anyway unlike, well, certain unfortunate 18 year olds.

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10 Songs: Saturday, July 4th, 2015

Memories Are Made Of This – Val Doonican – This doesn’t swing, it sways, the definition of easy listening, it takes an innocuous and lovely song and turns it into fluff. A gift the late Irish crooner had in abundance – B+

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Sneak Peaks: Upcoming Album Releases, July 7th, 2015

not quite as filled with goodies as last week but I never what you are staring at excitedly! But guess what? You ain’t gonna heart it. It is only available through Tidal tomorrow, the second big get for Tidal in two days. The other was being the final streaming platform allowed to stream the Prince catalog. So ignore Lil Wayne, and what do you have? I’m sick of Ghostface Killah, so pass on that, Little Boots, Veruca Salts grand return, The-DReam (aka missed the boat after 4) and… Cradle Of Filth???

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Sneak Peaks: Upcoming Releases, Week Of July 13th, 2015

Well, I know for sure what is not the most anticipated new album of net week (late next week to be precise), and that would be the new Jason Isbell, one of the biggest disappointments of 2015. I have a full review in mind, maybe by Sunday, and will not be a happy thing at all. Alan Jackson? He sucked so bad at Carnegie Hall a coupla years ago, I am not too thrilled any more. Pitbull releases album after song after album, Chemical Brothers -wasn’t crazy about the single. I think I’ll go with the psychedelic weirdos who were so good at Governors Ball earlier this year, win first place.

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10 Songs: Wednesday, July 1st, 2015

Hells Bells – AC/DC – From the death knoll that opens it to the blues breaker lick that follows, all the way through the end of the song, this does two things at the same time, it toughens out AC/DC even in the midst of intense loss, and connects the extremeness of power pleasure and power sorrow: a mythic “you’re only young once but you’re gonna die” – A+

Be Here Now, Recorded, Slideshow

Be Here Now: New Album Reviews, June 30th, 2015

The Monsanto Years – Neil Young And And Promise Of The Real – From “Harvest” to “Harvest Moon” to “Wolf Moon”, this isn’t the devolution we have been promised but rather a wildly eccentric rock and folk mash up, that works better than anything Young has done since Psychedelic Pill. Even the seven minute song that gives the album its title is a goodie, plus it is politically smart – ALBUM OF THE WEEK – B+

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Marshall Crenshaw EP “Grab The Next Train” Review

Marshall Crenshaw’s album by segments is now in its second year and sixth installment with no lessening in quality: six new songs, six covers, six live songs, six re recordings, and all about exactly what you would’ve have hoped. Much like the Easybeats cover here, “Made My Bed, Gonna Lie It”, it is youthful, quirky, superbly arranged with some great harmonies

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10 Songs: Monday, June 29th, 2015

You Are In Love – Taylor Swift – As my own personal Taylor Swift backlash continues unabated, I so regret she lost her balance and became removed from the world she created and I guess I’ll feel that way till I see her on stage next week. Meanwhile, this song, written for Lena Dunham, reminds us how though the world has changed her, it hasn’t infected her songwriting – A

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10 Songs: Sunday, June 28th, 2015

The Tide Is High – Blondie – Is this an official gay anthem? Blondie’s famous cover of the Paragons masterpiece survives as their encore. It was the highlight of their set at Roseland, with a full brass section coming out to join her and the highlight of a whole day of music yesterday with Debbie literally wrapping herself in a rainbow flag – A

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The Jangle Band’s Debut Single Review

The two songs are perfect examples of jangle, “This Soul Is Not For Sale” is a rethinking of the “The Bells Of Rhymney” with the folkness replaced by Beatley power pop. My Buddy Robert Ross will flip for it, I promise, and while I know it looks easy to wear your influences so on your sleeve, if it was easy, why doesn’t everybody do it. There is a magic to renewing something so great and making it your own.

Recorded, Slideshow, Sneak Peak

Sneak Peaks: New Album Releases Week Of June 22nd, 2015

Bilal might be a biggie true, 2013’s A Love Surreal was terrific and the one time I saw him live he was very good. The current single with Big K.R.I.T. is a goodie. Bassnectar released one of the best albums of 2014, but he was a bore on stage and it is a little soon for an new album, also the EP sampler was a disappointment. I’m going with Vince Staples.I’ve got a feeling about his first solo album, the Odd Future collaborator has been waiting years for his turn and the three songs I’ve already heard off Summertime ’06 have been excellent.

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10 Songs: Saturday, June 27th, 2015

I belong to a secret group on Facebook, invite only, called “For The Love Of Music” and all we do is share songs off YouTube, it shouldn’t be this much fun but it is. Run by Beiruti musician Peter Abela and with the great Salim Haddad and regulars like Tala Barrage and Zeina Misu, they lose me when they go prog rock but are excellent with European pop and Salim posted this terrific track, which is neither, yesterday. One of the great blues tracks I’ve never heard the original of – A+

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10 Songs: Friday, June 26th, 2015

I Think It’s Going To Rain Today – Randy Newman – He sounded like Mel Torme with a cold and the piano playing was so quiet and the downbeat of the down beat so down beat, it was hard to tell when he was joking and when he had stopped. On this song as well, where the emotions are written so large and small at the same time, it is hard not to take Randy seriously, I always took it as a break up song, other people claim homelessness – A

Recorded, Slideshow, Track Review, Upcoming Releases

Just In Time For The Season, Listen to Lael Neale’s New Song ‘Born In The Summer’

‘Born in the Summer’ is inspired by those early adolescent years of feeling awkward in your own skin and painfully self-conscious, yet knowing that someday those growing pains will recede, explains the press release.
The song is also the 8th track of Lael’s forthcoming album, ‘I’ll Be Your Man’, set to be released on July 10th

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Singles Going Steady: New Singles Reviewed For the Week Of June 22nd, 2015

If Radiohead are the Oxford upstarts who went hi-tech and Elbow the university boys most likely to stand a round at their local, Foals are the kid brothers who take themselves way too seriously… with predictable results. But any band with lines like “I fell for a girl with a port-wine stain, I knew her initials but never her name” are alright in my book and this blistering rocker is as good as Elbow at their best. A shocker – A-

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10 Songs: Monday, June 22nd, 2015

Still Feeling Blue – Gram Parsons – There are two artists I will get on a jag for no apparent reason -this guy is one, and this first song off his first solo album is one, it resonates with a swing but a swing all about missing the swing. So overblown and true, just the sound of her name makes him want to die – A

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10 Songs: Sunday, June 22nd, 2015

Ruby My Dear – Roy Hargrove – The best thing I’ve seen on stage in the past week was Roy performing with Ibeyi, the hard bop trumpeter is older and the sound is mellow without being dreary, especially on this Thelonious Monk ballad which dates from… the earliest moments of his career – A

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Anne Husick’s “Insomnia” EP Reviewed

People might have the opinion that all you have to do is be indie for me to love you but the truth is, I don’t review smaller labels if I don’t like their music so it only seems like that. However, so far I haven’t heard anything I don’t love on World Wide Vibe, and if the volatile Miss Husick wants to storm off stage any time soon I’d be happy to be there to see it.

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Sneak Peaks: Upcoming Albums Week Of June 22nd, 2015

despite a somewhat minor live show earlier this week at LPR, I will be surprised if there is a better album that WOlf Alice’s My Love Is Cool. But I’ve heard it plenty so for anticipated nah. Richard Thompson, maybe, not sure, Desaparecidos? The single was pretty good. Kacey Musgraves, yeah yeah, gravy and biscuits, got it. I am going with young indie poppers signed to Sony, Bully, whose all three songs off their debut album Feels Like are great, especially “Too Tough”.

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10 Songs: Thursday, June 18th, 2015

Hold My Hand – Jess Glynne – This must hit the US charts, it is gyramandered from a Clean Bandit (Jack Patterson is one of the writers) like beat, disco Moroder, Kanye piano discretions, and all comes together with a full force vocal as smart as it is addictive. Even the hook is a work of addition through addition. I really think it should be the song of the summer… A

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