Author: John B. Moore

Posted on: September 16, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

In Cadeo – Making Our Graves (CD)

Yet another indie band from Brooklyn? Yup, only this one seems to have placed a stronger emphasis on the songs than their image. In a music scene as cluttered as Brooklyn, it takes a pretty amazing band to stand out above the fray, and In Cadeo just happen to have the songs to back up all the adulation that should be coming their way shortly.

Posted on: September 15, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Fringe – The Complete First Season (DVD)

Like trying to live up to its extremely popular older brother, Fringe was unfairly being compared to Lost even before the first episode aired. Because of its co-creator – JJ Abrams – Fringe had the impossible task of having to live up to the cult built around that other Abram’s show. On its own, Fringe held up quite well, as the first season on DVD shows. Though it took a…

Posted on: September 12, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers – The Bear

Stephen Kellogg goes a little more country on his latest album, but that is far from being a bad thing. Songs like “A (With Love)” and “Satisfied Man” could have come straight out of Nashville’s Music Row, rather than from the mic of Massachusetts’ native Stephen Kellogg.

Posted on: September 4, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Blur – Midlife: A Beginner’s Guide to Blur (CD)

It’s easy to forget just how long Blur has been around. Thanks to the handy timeline tucked inside the liner notes of the anthology Midlife: A Beginner’s Guide to Blur, you realize that they started before the EU was officially established, before the Soviet Union broke up and just one month after the Internet was opened to the public. The 25 tracks that make up the release – a collection…

Posted on: September 4, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses 20th Anniversary (2CD/1 DVD Deluxe Edition)

You’d be forgiven for taking the Stone Roses for granted a bit. They only had one remarkable album (their self-titled debut) and it was released in 1989, at the beginning of alternative rock’s heyday, forcing them to compete with everyone from Depeche Mode to Nirvana. But thanks to Legacy Records, the Manchester-based band gets another shot. Because of the infectious, if a bit mopey single “I Wanna to Be Adored,”…

Posted on: September 2, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Smile Smile – Blue Roses (CD)

Despite only having two members, the folk-inspired indie pop duo Smile Smile – comprised of Ryan Hamilton and Jencey Hirunrusme – manage to make some fairly expansive songs on their debut. Blue Roses, originally released in 2006 and re-released this summer, is remarkable in its simplicity.

Posted on: August 26, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Doug Gillard – Call From Restricted (CD)

As sometime guitarist for Dayton’s favorite sons Guided By Voices and Robert Pollard’s post-break-up solo work, Doug Gillard delivered album after album of satisfying jangly lo-fi pop. On Call From Restricted, his own latest solo effort, Gillard delivers more the of that familiar jangly guitar pop, but with impressively accessible vocals.

Posted on: August 26, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Mad Men: Season Two (DVD)

You’d be hard pressed to find any characters as cool as the suit-sportin’, booze-swillin’ ad men (and women) that populate AMC’s incredibly original series Mad Men. The second season, just released on DVD, followed through on all the promises set out in the debut.

Posted on: August 24, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Seven Mile Beach by Tom Gilling (Book)

Australian novelist Tom Gilling may not be that well known outside of his native Australia, but if his latest book is any indication he surely should be. The surprisingly funny mystery/thriller Seven Mile Beach is far more interesting than any of the last few Grisham and Patterson tomes lining the book shelves.