Archive for February, 2012

Vinyl

Something Else! sneak peek: Jay Farrar, Yim Yames take on lost Woody Guthrie material

A dream team of Americana stars including Jay Farrar (Son Volt), Will Johnson (Centro-matic), Anders Parker (Varnaline), and Yim Yames (actually Jim James of My Morning Jacket) have gathered to reinterpret unrecorded lyrics from Woody Guthrie. Preview a track here! You May Also Like: How Son Volt Got Back onRead More

Vinyl

Forgotten series: The Candy Skins – Space I’m In (1991)

Founded in 1989, the Candy Skins specialized in a stirring stripe of psychedelic salted pop rock that was actually a few years ahead of the times. Although the Oxford, England band never attempted to camouflage their influences, which touched base on the tasty tones of Revolver-era Beatles, the Hollies, theRead More

Vinyl

Paul McCartney to stream live set through iTunes on Thursday from Capitol Studios

Paul McCartney will stream a live concert featuring songs from his forthcoming release Kisses on the Bottom this Thursday from Capitol Studios. You May Also Like: Why Paul McCartney’s ‘Kisses on the Bottom’ Was the Perfect LP at the Perfect Time

Vinyl

Celebrate A Different Kind of Truth with SiriusXM and 'The Whole Truth: The Howard Stern/ Van Halen Special'

Seems Howard Stern is as jacked up about the new Van Halen reunion project as any of the band’s staunchest fans. To whit: He’ll be airing a sprawling five-hour segment on his SiriusXM radio show called “The Whole Truth: The Howard Stern/ Van Halen Special.” You May Also Like: WhyRead More

Vinyl

Scorpions – Comeblack (2012)

The re-recording of old favorites has always been a tough one for me. I know there are sometimes reasons to do it – rights issues or personnel changes – but as a fan, it’s hard for me to put aside 30 years or so of listening to a song andRead More

Vinyl

Half Notes: Tord Gustavsen Quartet – The Well (2012)

ECM is a record label that is often stereotyped as offering only open, spacious, and sterile European — frequently Scandinavian — kind of chamber jazz and I’ve often come across so many exceptions, that characterization can’t even be considered the rule. But Tord Gustavsen’s music can be. Playing economically andRead More

Vinyl

Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, "Factory" (1978)

Until a severe heart attack forced him into early retirement in his 40s, my dad worked in a factory, running ball bearing machines for General Motors. You May Also Like: Pop Co-Op – ‘Factory Settings’ (2020) Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’ The DeananRead More

Vinyl

Owl City – Live From Los Angeles DVD/Blu-ray (2012)

Owl City represents the new paradigm in music: Just a kid at his parents’ house, mixing up an emotive brand of synthpop and posting it up on the Internet — but sounding to all the world like a polished and produced Top 40 act. You May Also Like: Ben Goldberg,Read More

Vinyl

Steely Dan Sunday, "Everything You Did" (1976)

In rock music, there’s been occasions where one act provokes another in a rock song, resulting in a retaliatory song by the provoked. You May Also Like: Steely Dan, “A Man Ain’t Supposed to Cry” from ‘Northeast Corridor’ (2021): Steely Dan Sunday Steely Dan’s Aja at 40: Still the pinnacleRead More

Vinyl

Forgotten series: Derek Bailey – Mirakle (2000)

Imagine walking into a big music store. Two guys are playing: a solid funk bass propelled by a wiggly, syncopated drummer. You May Also Like: Derek Sherinian – ‘Vortex’ (2022)