Esperanza Spalding is an astonishing performer, and puts forth eir all in creating a stellar album in Radio Music Society. It may be only two years since 2010’s Chamber Music Society, but I feel that there has been considerable evolution in terms of the types and styles of music that issue forth here. Radio Song is a straight flip of what one would expect; I believe that what Spalding is…
Robert Nix cannot be pigeonholed; his work on Walk Down The Street simply defies genre convention. This is the reason that this release is so compelling. The album begins with the titular track, a ball of frenetic energy that firmly plants listeners in their seats. The momentum garnered by this opening is used to great effect in Should You Should I. This early-disc masterpiece pushes Nix’s vocals to the fore;…
The Chorderoys create an EP that speaks more to listeners than many bands do on a full-length album. The Train is the initial salvo on No Man’s Land, and it will immediately snare fans through a blending of intelligent arrangements and utterly soulful singing. The confidence exuded by the band will endear The Chorderoys to their listeners. Keeping things strong, the band is able to move to The Train. The…
In Cages are an incredibly eclectic rock act that looks to challenge the stuffiness of the genre. Their unique style ensures that listeners will take note, while their attention to detail and sheer musical ability will make a fan out of anyone. Dirty Water blends catchy arrangements with a down and dirty style; putting the guitars at front and center ensures that listeners stick around for the long haul. In…
The Good Lovelies is an act that looks to create a wholly unique sound with their Let the Rain Fall. This is done through the inclusion of multi-part vocal harmonies and a bright feel to each of the tracks presented on Let the Rain Fall. The act has been around since 2006, and this title showcases the sheer maturity of their compositions. Listeners will be impressed from the introductory…
What’s His Name is the first track on RoGizz vs. Black Blago, and the track immediately will draw listeners’ attention to the disc. RoGizz’s flow is utterly unique as it touches upon the new New York City (French Montana, Red Cafe) rappers just as much as Atlanta (T.I., Shawty Lo). The production of this cut takes on past and present. The track moves through the work of Mannie Fresh and…
Ahmad Jamal is still creating tremendous music in eir eighth decade on this earth. I feel that the tracks on Blue Moon allow Jamal to come back to eir roots. In doing so, I believe that the recordings are much more polished than these initial efforts, and represent a considerable evolution from all other stages in eir career. Autumn Rain immediately throws listeners into the fray, the seven minute runtime…
Loreena McKennitt has found a great groove with eir latest album, Troubadours on the Rhine. I believe that this title does tons for expanding the celtic genre, and does so in a way that will appease fans and newbies alike. This is largely due to McKennitt’s inimitable vocals, but the supporting instrumentation that is present deserves ink. I believe that the arrangements on a track like The Wind That Shakes…
Born out of friendship between Drivin’ N’ Cryin’s Kevn Kinney and The Golden Palomino’s drummer Anton Fier (also with the Feelies, Bob Mould Band, etc.), A Good Country Mile takes the best influences from both and a slew of 60’s and 70’s rockers resulting in an unforgettable slab of Blues-soaked Americana, punctuated beautifully with plenty of harmonica and Hammond organ. The record includes some new material, some inspired covers…
Stephin Merritt is able to create a title that both works with the existing Magnetic Fields discography as well as establish a new tack for the band to take. What results with Love At The Bottom of the Sea is a title that will appease old and new fans alike, while adding a different tool to the band’s repertoire. I like the transitory opening God Wants Us To Wait,…
Pat Mastelotto may just be the most well-known musician that you’ve never heard. Recidivate, eir latest work, looks to change that. With each of the releases’ 42 tracks, Mastelotto shows that ey has a lot to say I the current period. Whether working with members of King Crimson (of which ey is a part), Porcupine Tree, or breaking out some crazy rare tracks, Mastelotto tries to imbue Recidivate with…
On a great many of the albums that I review, the vocals take a back seat to the instrumentation. A Woman’s Way starts off Loren’s latest, Heart First, and showcases that this does not need to be the case. Where the instrumentation is solid, Loren’s vocals contribute the greatest in regards to the overall path that the album takes. C’Est Si Bon showcases the worldliness of eir vocals, as…
Nehedar’s (Emilia Cataldo’s) work on High Tide is hard to categorize. With so many styles, approaches, and sounds cultivated on the whole of High Tide, listeners will never truly know what to expect from the band. After listening to each of High Tide’s 14 tracks, the commonality that strikes me is one of honest and impactful compositions. Where a guitar line may seem out of place during the first few…
For a whole legion of new fans, Johnny Cash is the bad ass guy in black who covered Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode; is on a poster in dorm room walls across the country giving a defiant middle finger to the camera; stood in front of prisoners in Folsom and San Quentin, doped out of his mind, and openly mocked the prison guards during live concerts. And yes,…
Sisters of Mercy is one of my favorite acts, but I feel that their influence on gothic rock has been largely ignored. Frostbite’s approach on Valentine and Other Stories of Hope builds off of the early work of acts like SoM, 45 Grave, and even flirts with ambient and darkwave music. Where there is a desire for a great many goth-related acts to be pigeonholed into a much too…
White Rabbits are an act that have been riding a wide of success from It’s Frightening. Milk Famous is the band’s latest title, and is one that sends the White Rabbits in a bold new direction. Heavy Metal is the first track on the album, and it immediately breaks ties with the conceptions that listeners may have about the band. The track is the longest on the album –…
Few performers that have been in the music industry as long as Chris Klimecky would be able to break free of their influences and create an innovative album like This Journey. However, each cut on This Journey provides listeners with something catchy, familiar, and utterly unique. The style of alternative rock that Klimecky includes here is based on the work of acts like Fuel, Incubus, and the Foo Fighters;…
There is such a narrow sound that is being fostered in electronic music, and Francis Bowie has released an EP that looks to redefine what the genre is and can be. The EP begins with Endlessly, a track that touches upon a number of electronic-influenced genres. Whether it be new wave, nineties dance, or the current electronic scene, hints of each can be heard weaved through this introductory track.…
The thrash metal genre has been spinning its wheels for a few years. However, Venezula’s Overhate adds some much-needed polish to the style. Relentless is Our Strength is their latest album, and it pushes the boundaries about what metal (and thrash specifically) can be. The disc begins with When Nothing Is Mine, an utterly relentless sort of track. Each member of Overhate gives it their all, meaning that the…
Unreal is a perfect bit of punk meets metal. With an arrangement that immediately recalls early Misfits and Strike Anywhere, the band is able to craft a cross-over hit. No Blitz has a catchy style to their arrangements that will appease fans of Shrinky Dinx and The Offspring. My Life is the longest track on Never Satisfied, but the band crams enough material in the five-plus minute runtime to keep…