Released: May 1, 2010 Label: Parks and Records Back in 2002, I randomly purchased a little blue 7″ from Springman Records. “Mileage,” the title track, renewed what was, at the time, my waning interest in music. It’s mellow, ambling rhythm and layers of guitar built slowly, steadily and crazily into the frenzy of a tribal right of passage. I immediately… Read more »
Released: April 27, 2010 Label: Legacy/Sony The downside of a “deluxe” re-issue of an album is that it forces the hand of completists, pushing the purchase of yet another version of an album they already likely have on more than one format. The upside is that it offers more bang for the buck of first time buyer and often puts… Read more »
Label: Blackheart Records Released: April 13, 20 and 27, 2010 An album of covers travels over sketchy ground any way you slice it. There are more opportunities to screw it up than to succeed. If you break down the elements of a good cover, things like knowing and loving the song, being true to it while simultaneously taking ownership of… Read more »
Label: Small Stone Records Released: October 27, 2009 Over the course of just a few releases, Tia Carrera has proven not only to be among the best of the modern stoner psych bands, but also one that has paved its own path through the influences that permeate the genre. Their latest album (and first for stoner haven Small Stone Records),… Read more »
Label: Hear Music Released: November 17, 2009 In this decade, Paul McCartney has released as many live albums as he has studio albums. Even packaged with a DVD, Good Evening New York City, his third live release since 2002’s Back in the US, begs the question, “Why another live album?” It doesn’t take the album long to answer though. Despite… Read more »
Label: Eagle Rock Entertainment Released: November 10, 2009 Are You Ready? finds the great Thin Lizzy in 1981, on tour for the less-than-great Renegade album. It also features guitarist Snowy White who, by his own admission, never felt suited to Thin Lizzy’s hard rock sound and lifestyle. One would think this would add up to a disjointed and/or disenchanted performance,… Read more »
1. Pomegranates – Everybody, Come Outside! From the first few seconds, it was clear that this was the album where Pomegranates went from promising to amazing. 2. Grant Hart – Hot Wax Knowingly or not, Grant Hart went back and explored the influences that he poured into his work with Hüsker Dü. The results are astounding. 3. Rachel Taylor Brown… Read more »
Well, these are kinda, sorta in order. Well, after the top 20 or so, you can probably take the order with a grain of salt actually. The point, though, is that these are all albums from the last ten years that are worth hearing. 1. Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism (2003) 2. The Velvet Teen – Elysium (2004) 3…. Read more »
Wow.
Label: Demolition Records Released: October 13, 2009 Are you sick of the 80s? I certainly am. Having the synthpop of my youth sold back to me as if it’s a new thing is bad enough, but the more egregious offenders are the old hair metal dinosaurs who not only want to resell their corporate sound, but also the mindless, superficial… Read more »