Author: John B. Moore

Posted on: August 29, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Jason Hawk Harris – Love & The Dark (CD)

“The Smoke And The Stars,” the opening track off of Jason Hawk Harris’s debut album is an impressive, emotional ballad, but one that belies what’s to follow shortly. The building swell of strings and deeply personal lyrics sounds amazing, but ultimately (and thankfully), Harris devotes much of the record to a more stripped down, laid back, wink and a nod approach to Americana. “Cussing At The Light,” the very next…

Posted on: August 28, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

The Hollywood Stars – Sound City (CD)

Not long before Kim Fowley pulled together and ultimately terrorized (or inspired depending on whose version of the story you’re following) the brilliant teenaged, all-female rock band The Runaways, he helped establish the nearly as brilliant, but short-lived, glam rock/power pop five piece The Hollywood Stars. Fowley pulled in a disparate collection of Southern California musicians and went about co-writing, producing and working on his Svengali-in-training role with the group.…

Posted on: August 26, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Dylan Disaster – Remission (CD)

Stripped-down blue collar punk rock anthems are certainly not a new phenomenon. Everyone from Tim Barry and Frank Turner to Dave Hause have made a living crisscrossing the globe for the past decade-plus playing Springsteen meets The Clash-inspired ditties. But, Dylan Disaster’s latest, Remission, proves there’s still room for at least one more on the tour bus. Thirteen tracks cram the latest from this Long Island native, now calling Austin…

Posted on: August 12, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Mike Jacoby – Long Beach Calling (CD)

Although Mike Jacoby offers hints of Americana and even rockabilly throughout his third solo offering, the record is still firmly planted in the world of rootsy rock and roll. Jacoby cites folk troubadour Todd Snider as an inspiration for Long Beach Calling, but it’s just as easy to pick out influences from folks like John Fogerty and The BoDeans here. The opening song, the rollicking title track with its Johnny…

Posted on: August 5, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Mike Jacoby – Long Beach Calling (CD)

Although Mike Jacoby offers hints of Americana and even rockabilly throughout his third solo offering, the record is still firmly planted in the world of rootsy rock and roll. Jacoby cites folk troubadour Todd Snider as an inspiration for Long Beach Calling, but it’s just as easy to pick out influences from folks like John Fogerty and The BoDeans here. The opening song, the rollicking title track with its Johnny…

Posted on: July 31, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Crowded House – The Very Very Best Of (Vinyl Reissue)

In the 11-year span of their first run, Australia’s Crowded House could simply do no wrong, churning out one brilliant album after the next at a rate of just about an album every other year until their split in 1996. The band has since reunited twice – between 2006 – 2011 and again in 2016 – but it’s hard to find a period as creatively solid as their first four…

Posted on: July 25, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Geoff Palmer – Pulling Out All The Stops

Geoff Palmer, best known for part in New Hampshire’s The Connection, proves his record collections contains so much more than old garage rock albums, with his Power Pop/Pop Punk-drenched new LP Pulling Out All The Stops. Combining the joyfully snotty vocals of The Ramones with the best parts of Cheap Trick and The Knack, Palmer’s latest, though brimming with 14 tracks, goes by remarkably quick, thanks in part to the…

Posted on: July 18, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Travis – Live At Glastonbury ‘99 (CD)

Long before their music was co-opted for sappy TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill, the Scottish rock band Travis was churning out brilliant, guitar-centered music that oozed with emotion. No where is that clearer than on the just-released live set from the group’s 1999 appearance at the famed Glastonbury festival. Out for the first time on vinyl and CD thanks to Craft Recordings, the set captures the…

Posted on: July 12, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

The Dollyrots – Daydream Explosion (CD)

Just one year shy of their 20th anniversary as a band, and eight albums into it, The Dollyrots have just turned in their best effort yet. The 14-track Daydream Explosion, their first for Stevie Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records label, is simply pop punk perfection. From the spikey, fast guitars, the gorgeous female/male tradeoff vocals, machine gun drumming, and bratty defiant lyrics, there’s a feeling that The Dollyrots have been building up…

Posted on: July 11, 2019 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Various Artists – This Is The Town: A Tribute To Nilsson (Volume 2) (CD)

Tribute albums are almost always a mixed bag. And this second volume of Harry Nilsson songs is no exception. The covers run the gamut from incredible (Cheap Trick covering “Ambush” and Adam Matta’s beatbox accompaniment on “Driving Along”) to the quirky (Valley Queen’s peculiar version of “I Guess The Lord Must Be in New York City” and Belle-Skinner’s ukulele-backed “Open Your Window”) to the simply uninspired (Invisible Familiar’s trippy take…