Man, it must get lonely behind that drum kit. The list of musicians who put down their sticks to take center stage seems to grow every year: Dave Grohl, Phil Collins, Grant Hart, Don Henley and on and on and on… Hunt Sales, go-to sideman for Iggy Pop, David Bowie and Todd Rundgren, is just carrying on a tradition with his debut, “Get Your Shit Together.” The album is a…
While not quite in Ryan Adams/Willie Nelson territory when it comes to prolific visits to the recording studio, Graham Smith’s Kleenex Wonder Girl is certainly on a role. “White Lacuna,” was his second full length in 2018, and sixth in less than 10 years. And far from sounding like a collection of cast-offs and B-Sides, the tracks that make up this latest effort can stand strong against any of his…
In 1993, The Posies turned in one of the finest power pop records of the decade with “Frosting on the Beater.” So, it was almost a given that it’s follow-up wouldn’t stray too far from that formula. And thankfully it didn’t. The 14-track “Amazing Disgrace,” was just as accessible as it’s predecessor, if a little less optimistic in tone, likely a result of troubles within the band (drummer Mike Musburger…
The Reverend Horton Heat (known by his parents as Jim Heath) is likely the only musician out there to be name-checked by Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, John Lydon and Rob Zombie. But it makes sense, as no band since The Cramps has done a better job of fusing rockabilly with a sharp punk rock attitude. And his latest, “A Whole New Life,” shows he still has a foot planted firmly…
Only Elvis could get away with having an album full of songs by a rising star recorded entirely for him. But that’s exactly what happened in the mid-1960s, with one of Elvis’ favorite songwriting duos, Ben Weisman and Sid Wayne, convinced an early-in-his-career Glen Campbell to record a dozen-and-a-half of their songs, so they could pitch them to The King. The tactic obviously worked as Elvis went on to record…
You’d be hard pressed to find a recent musical genre that’s been dissected more in the past two decades than Grunge. Countless books, articles, documentaries, and radio and TV interviews dig into the Seattle-based phenomenon and just about every single discussion on the topic eventually comes around to the ground-breaking indie label Sub Pop. So, it’s surprising there was any new material left to report about the label, let alone…
The Germs may have only released one proper studio album before frontman Darby Crash died, but you’d be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of more influential hardcore/punk rock bands to come out of that era. Everyone from the Minutemen and L7 to Soul Asylum and Pennywise owe a debt of gratitude to that Southern California band of nonconformists. So, it’s frustrating just how few songs the band managed…
Paul Kelly is a national treasure in his native Australia, but like Colin Hay or Graham Parker, he’s perpetually on a list of woefully under-appreciated musicians here in the States. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
The sophomore record from the Texas-based Power Pop band Fastball is likely remembered by most for the lead track and ultimate earworm “The Way.” The ridiculously catchy song about an old couple who goes out for a drive and gets lost forever, was endearing for the first few weeks of it’s release… but seven weeks in, the amount of time it spent on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart, it had more…
It’s been more than four decades since country/honky tony legend Lefty Frizzell passed away but his music inspired a slew of musicians that are still around today, a diverse group that includes everyone from Willie Nelson to John Fogerty. His music was also a key ingredient that helped launch the careers of The Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison (who was so inspired by the singer that he took the name…
Much like Tom Waits or Nick Cave, Ed Hamell (better known as Hamell On Trial) is one of those extremely rare musicians that have somehow managed to go decades ignoring conventional wisdom and norms of the restrictive music industry, and focus purely, instinctually on churning out remarkably creative records in pursuit of entertaining vs. simply selling a shitload of records. And have confusingly been able to make a living at…
Long before Dan Wilson became the go-to songwriter for an incredibly diverse range of musicians from Adele and Taylor Swift to Weezer and Nas, he was known as that guy who sang that earworm “Closing Time.” John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
Becky Warren’s semi-autobiographical debut drew a lot of attention for the intriguing story of the relationship between an Iraqi War vet and his girlfriend. But, not to take away from the beauty and brutality of War Surplus, on her follow up, Warren uses a much larger canvas and turns in a wonderful, genre-stretching album for her effort. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
It’s been seven years since R.E.M. officially walked away, but thankfully folks are still digging into their vaults to pull out some remarkable, unreleased music. The MTV Unplugged series last year was a nice surprise, but this latest from the BBBC is an even more impressive find. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
While The Clash, The Damned and the Sex Pistols all justifiably get their due in just about any discussion around the origins of punk rock, Cock Sparrer is almost always inexplicably left off the list by many in this country. Which is odd considering the London band had several years head start on all of the aforementioned peers, dating all the way back to 1972. And as influential as the…
Jason Isbell surprised many when he walked away from cult favs Drive By Truckers 10 years ago. What were the chances of an Americana artist that bristled against modern country music making it beyond a record or two. Turns out, the chances were a hell of a lot better than most thought. It helps that Isbell also happens to be one of the best songwriters to come around in a…
The idea of revisiting someone else’s album is fraught with plenty of downsides. The idea of covering an iconic Ray Charles record is down right ballsy. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
Five albums into it, Boston’s Sarah Borges has perfected that mix of alt country with punk influences; like Willie Nelson in a worn-out Sex Pistols shirt. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
Just two years after his last release for Yep Roc, legendary songwriter and swamp rock/country funk pioneer Tony Joe White is back again and he’s doubling down on the Blues with this offering. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
Like a better-behaved version of The Kinks, without the complicated family bond and on-stage fisticuffs, Brother Reverend deliver a remarkably addictive debut with “The Tables Turn Too Often.” John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com