New release: Free Energy, Stuck on Nothing (DFA Records) It has become the catch phrase for a generation: retro. From eighties post-punk/new wave to nineties grunge, many bands have made a mint restyling vintage music. But now there comes a band wanting to go even further back and […]
For listeners who feel that Austin’s Spoon achieved overnight success with 2007’s triumphant Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, they couldn’t be more wrong. These guys have been hard at it since 1993, when Britt Daniel (vocals, guitar) and drummer Jim Eno formed the band. Various and sundry musicians […]
This New York foursome came out of the gates in 2008 – guns-a-blazing – with their self-titled debut Vampire Weekend. It was rife with worldbeat beauties about being rich and prominent. Many critics eluded that these youngsters were posing and had stolen their fresh new sound from a […]
Songs from their initial independent EP, Chronic Town, shine here as four of the five are performed in a way unfamiliar to fans: Michael Stipe’s lyrics are intelligible.
Sting, If On a Winter’s Night… (Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music Classical) Whenever musical artists stray from their customary paths, there is invariably an outcry from fans around the world. People, in general, fear change. They thrive in their comfort zones. But it is only with change that one can […]
Liam Finn & Eliza-Jane Barnes, Champagne In Seashells (Yep Roc Records) On the new EP Champagne In Seashells, New Zealander Liam Finn has again created a fresh and cutting-edge collection of songs. For the follow-up to his 2008 debut, the critically acclaimed I’ll Be Lightning, Finn shares billing […]
(Burning Building Recordings, released April 21, 2009) The sources of new music for me are many. Recommendations from friends, reading music reviews, and once in a while, a chance radio experience. While listening to the local college station here in Atlanta recently, I heard a song that I […]
Let’s put aside, if we can, the years of accolades this band has earned. Let’s forget about Rolling Stone Magazine’s five-star rating for this album (giving it “classic” status). Ignore the aging rock stars that have been written off more than once. And pay no attention to the […]
New Music: R.E.M.’s Accelerate (Warner Bros. Records) Legend has it that guitarist Peter Buck was working at Wuxtry Records in Athens, Georgia when Michael Stipe strolled in. They talked about music and bands. The rest is history. Twenty-eight years and fourteen albums later R.E.M. has become the little […]
New Music: Liam Finn, I’ll Be Lightning (Roundhead Music) Some things are just meant to be. For example, Liam Finn was meant to create a musical career for himself. Forget about his place in the Finn Dynasty. He can confidently stand his own merits and talents. This is […]
NO EARPLUGS 