Author: John B. Moore

Posted on: November 5, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Bob Dylan and The Band – The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11

Aside from (maybe) The Dead, no other artists’ fans have been more rabid about collecting every scrap of recorded music put out by that musician than Bob Dylan’s acolytes. Ever since his label started releasing their Bootleg Series in 1991 – mainly comprised of outtakes, demos and live recordings, many that had never been heard outside of Dylan’s circle – fans have been speculating about the existence of more songs…

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Posted on: November 3, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger

Those familiar with the James “Whitey” Bulger story have been saying for decades how the tale of the ruthless Boston gangster and his look-the-other-way FBI handler is the stuff of Hollywood movies. The attractive, yet wildly violent Bulger grew up in South Boston and quickly rose up the ranks of the Irish mob, while another neighborhood kid who grew up down the street from the mobster, John Connolly, became an…

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Posted on: October 31, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

I’m the Man: The Story of That Guy From Anthrax by Scott Ian

It’s a pretty rare occurrence when the guitar player is the focal point of a band. Yes, Jimmy Paige, Eddie Van Halen and a slew of other gifted six stringers have all received God-like adulation from their fans, but Anthrax is one of those rare instances when you can name check their guitarist, Scott Ian, before the long pause comes as you search around for the name of the singer.…

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Posted on: October 29, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

The Call (featuring Robert Levon Been of B.R.M.C.) – A Tribute to Michael Been (CD)

It’s always a tough act trying to replace a deceased front man. For every band like Big Country, who successfully (at least for a while) moved Alarm singer and longtime band friend Mike Peters to the front of the mic, there’s an INXS or Doors who have fumbled through various weak versions and ended up looking like sell outs. When the ‘80s band The Call lost its singer to a…

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Posted on: October 21, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Coheed and Cambria – In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3

Released at a point when emo, screamo and pop punk were having an inexplicable revival in the early aughts, upstate New York’s Coheed and Cambria managed to sneak into the party when no one was watching the door, playing an impressive mix of prog rock and metal with a subtle inclusion of pop. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com

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Posted on: October 20, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Skylar Gudasz – Car Song/Dream Lover 7” (Vinyl)

In just seven brief minutes, spread out over two songs, Durham, NC’s Skylar Gudasz has offered a glimpse at quite possibly the most starkly beautiful vocals to come along since The Cowboy Junkies’ Margo Timmins turned in her Trinity Sessions performance. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com

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Posted on: October 17, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Kool Stuff Katie – Self-Titled

With just 10 songs, the duo Kool Stuff Katie has managed to sneak in the best debut of the year. Unfortunate band name aside, Portland-based musicians Shane Blem and Saren Oliver have crammed together garage rock, new wave, punk and a liberal mix of hooky pop music for an instantly-infectious sound that brings to mind everyone from The Cars and The Kinks to The Breeders and The Ramones. John B.…

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Posted on: October 15, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Horse Feathers – So It Is With Us

Much like their first four efforts, Horse Feathers’ latest, So It Is With Us, is a collection of quiet, indie music that straddles the line between folk and Americana. And that is far from being a bad thing. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com

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Posted on: October 14, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

U2: Revolution by Mat Snow

Yes, there are plenty of U2 bios out there – some good, some dreadful and a couple pretty great; There are also a number of hardcover, coffee table-sized books on the band out there, but music journalist Mat Snow has found a way to marry the two, pulling together a pretty solid, overreaching bio on the band and packaging it in a beautiful, three-and-a-half pound book crammed with fantastic photos…

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Posted on: October 14, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Bad Luck – Cold Bones

When people dismissively ask “You still listen to punk music?,” they are actually thinking of bands like the four-piece Bad Luck. This group from Long Island and Daytona Beach, represent all that made the genre such a muddled mess of mediocrity in the early aughts. Pop music and seventh grade poetry masquerading as “Emo” all got mislabeled with the Punk tag, perverting a genre that was doing just fine without…

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Posted on: October 10, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Money for Nothing – A History of the Music Video

Yes, as the closing narration of Money for Nothing points out, “the music video is a dinosaur” – thanks mainly to the fact that the network that created the need for them is stuck in a death spiral of reality TV car wreck/porn. But that’s what makes this documentary that much more compelling; it’s a look back at the music video from its earliest inception six decades ago (actually earlier,…

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Posted on: October 8, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Star Wars Art: Posters (Book)

Admittedly the appeal for this book is a little narrow. That being said, if you’re a Star Wars fan, My God, this coffee table is nirvana between two covers! John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com

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Posted on: October 6, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Not the Life it Seems: the True Lives of My Chemical Romance

Let’s get this out of the way up front: yes, it does seem odd that someone has written a bio on a band that was around for just over a decade; and a band that is (rightfully or not) maligned for their connection to the watered-down nu-Emo genre (I actually think a lot of the criticism is misdirected as the band were closer to Glam than they were Emo). It’s…

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Posted on: September 26, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Lunchbox – Lunchbox Loves You (Vinyl)

After more than a decade off, the Berkley power pop band Lunchbox is back with what is easily their finest collection of songs. A little goofy, but immensely fun, Lunchbox Loves You is 10 indie pop songs brimming with jangly guitars, sing-along choruses and plenty of handclaps. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com

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Posted on: September 16, 2014 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

A Shoreline Dream – The Silent Sunrise

Shoegaze is still alive and well, thanks to bands like Denver-based A Shoreline Dream. Their fourth full-length, The Silent Sunrise, sounds like a band raised on old Lush, Ride and even a couple of Sigur Ros records. The nine-tracks here divert little from the basic formula of atmospheric guitars and Ryan Policky’s subtle vocals struggling to be heard over the deep lines of synth and guitars. The recording of The…

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