Genre: Rock Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 6.5/10 Commentary: This is a very enjoyable rock album that sounds a lot like the band’s last release 20 years ago, but fresh enough to be not just indulgent nostalgia. The first half of the album in particular is strong, with “Shiny One” and “Human Child” being… Read More »
Genre: Doom Metal Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 8/10 Commentary: You spend most of the time you are listening to this album embarrassed by how much you are enjoying it. What can I say? It is a killer doom metal album, by a band which just is a little bit too intent on smoking… Read More »
Genre: Folk/Country Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 6.5/10 Commentary: John Prine is one of those song writers who just can’t produce a bad album. This one is classic John Prine – dark but with strategic doses of optimism deployed just when things seem about to collapse from too much self-deprecation. It isn’t Prine’s very… Read More »
Genre: Rock Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 6.5/10 Commentary: This album is surprisingly good. A series of left-over lyrics and writing fragments from Johnny Cash, made into songs by an interesting range of artists. There are a few forgettable entries (“Why do we still listen to Elvis Costello?”) but also some great standouts, especially… Read More »
Genre: Jazz Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 8.5/10 Commentary: Hugh Masekela–the great South African trumpet player, musical virtuoso, and activist–just died this year. This great first retrospective brings together a lot of hard-to-find music, showcasing his diverse musical styles and political edge. More info: here. Listen: here.
Genre: Pop Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 7.5/10 Commentary: This album has been getting inflated reviews from lots of folks who don’t understand much about country music and are just utterly flabbergasted to here such a solid pop album. It is still a very good album; “Butterflies” is a perfect radio single. And, despite… Read More »
Genre: Hardcore Punk/Thrash Metal Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 6.5/10 Commentary: Great politically-charged cross-over metal. Music to be make you angry, and get you out on the streets. Lots of sound samples of Trump sounding stupid about walls and Mexicans and everything else. The band–originally from the Dominican Republic–moves effortlessly between Spanish and English… Read More »
Genre: Pop/Rock Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 6.5/10 Commentary: “The world sucks right now and we need to figure out how to deal with that” is a pressing concern in our current neoliberal neoracist Trumpian landscape. But it’s a tricky thing to do aesthetically. Father John Misty, for example, sounds a lot like a… Read More »
Genre: Pop/Rock Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating (Revamp): 3/10 Rating (Reestoration): 7/10 Commentary: Is anyone else excited about 2 full-length cover albums of Elton John’s music? Revamp features work by pop and rock celebrities, and it mostly sucks, serving up soul-less or tacky renditions of good songs. Restoration on the other hand features covers… Read More »
Genre: Classical Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 9/10 Commentary: This violin/piano duo will melt your face off. Their wild (and virtuosic) take makes it hard to listen to any other recorded versions of these pieces. You get the impression that they probably ended their studio sessions by bashing the violin to pieces on the… Read More »