Posted in Music Reviews, tagged George Harrison, John Lennon, Oasis, Radiohead, the Beatles on October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Reviewed by Edward Wallace
Oasis/Dig Out Your Soul
This the Oasis album that should have come after (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? – the third great album fans have been waiting for. Closest in spirit to their debut Definitely Maybe, it’s tighter than their last two good albums Heathen Chemistry and Don’t Believe the Truth with a [...]
Posted in Music Reviews, tagged Joy Division, Mark Lanegan, post-punk, R.E.M., the Screaming Trees, unrequited love on October 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Reviewed by Kit Burns
Yves Villeneuve/The Chorus Man
The Chorus Man is a pretty cheerful title for an album that honestly should only be played with the lights out. Yves Villeneuve has a deep, raspy, blues-tinged voice that is reminiscent of Mark Lanegan, former lead singer of the Screaming Trees. Like Lanegan, Villeneuve sings from the gut, [...]
Posted in Music Reviews, tagged acoustic, Americana, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Newman on September 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Reviewed by Kit Burns
Chad Kichula/World Shaker
Apparently the title cut of this three-track EP was inspired by the 1967 Paul Newman film Cool Hand Luke. Having not seen the movie since I was a child, I’m unable to identify the lyrical references to it but it might be noteworthy trivia to the enlightened. For the rest [...]
Posted in Music Reviews, tagged classic rock, college rock, the Strokes on September 12, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Reviewed by Jack Richter
The Tunes and Tones/Apple
The Tunes and Tones have a sense of humor. They must. On the cover of Apple, the band is lying on the ground, staring intently at the record’s namesake. This is the first image a potential fan is greeted with, and perhaps in a case of irony, it suffers [...]
Posted in Music Reviews, tagged American Idol, Americana, Ben Folds, Billy Joel, Elton John, Paula Abdul on September 9, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Reviewed by Kit Burns
Paul Marturano/Bucks County
Paul Marturano will perhaps be always known for his appearance on American Idol, singing his “Stalker” tune to Paula Abdul. But Marturano is surprisingly a fine pianist and a serious singer/songwriter, too. His 2007 release, Bucks County, is an emotionally involving collection of songs for the dumped. Drawing similarities with [...]
Posted in Music Reviews, tagged Alternative Nation, alternative rock, Blondie, modern rock, Smashing Pumpkins, the Pretenders, the Waitresses on September 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Reviewed by Kit Burns
Garfan/Family Affair
Nebraska-based modern rockers Garfan piece together parts of Alternative Nation past and present and manage to weave their obvious influences into something quite listenable. Vocalist Katie Preston is a bit of a chameleon, shifting singing styles depending on the varying directions of the band. Against a wall of guitar fuzz a [...]
Posted in Music Reviews, tagged 9/11, Neil Young, presidential election on August 31, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Reviewed by Kit Burns
Steve Pichan/Am I Here Already?
I had become so fond of singer/songwriter Steve Pichan’s Am I Here Already? that actually writing about it proved to be somewhat difficult; after all, what new words could I use to praise a CD that is now so familiar to my ears? The last decade has seen [...]
Posted in Music Reviews, tagged Big Mountain, Days of the New, Lynn Copeland, peace on August 24, 2008 | 4 Comments »
Reviewed by Kit Burns
The Billy David Band/”All I See Is Hate”
I am hearing a political subtext in the Billy David Band’s intriguing single, “All I See Is Hate.” Maybe it’s because of the upcoming presidential election, but “All I See Is Hate” seems to be acknowledging the hyprocrisy surrounding us, people pretending to care for [...]
Posted in Music Reviews, tagged acoustic, coffeehouse, Filipino, folk, Frente!, Morrissey, Swing Out Sister on August 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Reviewed by Kit Burns
Frances Ancheta/Now We’re Here
Filipino singer/songwriter Frances Ancheta may employ an acoustic guitar, but her quietly pretty songs are more coffeehouse pop than folk, which is fine with me. Given the glut of unplugged young lyricists out there, it’s not easy to encounter someone with a voice that is distinguishable from the crowd. [...]
Posted in Music Reviews, tagged jazz, ska, Sugar Ray, surf, U2 on August 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Reviewed by Kit Burns
Feed the Need/Feed the Need
Feed the Need is a promising group of youthful musicians from New York. Unlike most other acts their age, Feed the Need look to older bands for inspiration and pretty much ignore the likes of Blink-182 and their pop-punk contemporaries. If Feed the Need can be compared to [...]
