Archive for December, 2012

Vinyl

Heroso – Enjoy This (2012)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGtl-_qW1sQ&w=500&h=305] Blending elements of arena rock, prog and metal, Heroso confounds expectations in the very best of ways. The album opener, called “Act 1,” begins as a tensile, mainstream rocker, marked by a searching riff courtesy of Brian Rohr You May Also Like: Charlie Parker – Unheard Bird (2016)

Vinyl

The Archies, DeFranco Family, Ohio Express, others – Bubble Gum Hits (2002)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpO7TW0NwqE&w=500&h=305] There’s definitely no lack of compilation albums promoting gooey goodies from the late 1960s and early 1970s, but this particular collection, which I picked up at the Dollar Store, is what I’ve been spinning the refried beans out of You May Also Like: Rachel Platten – Waves (2017)

Vinyl

2012: Music Writing and the Return of Monoculture?

It seems that many year-end arts and music lists feature a kind of longing look back at the supposed “good old days.” You May Also Like: Joe Jackson’s Rain underscored a complete modern-era return to form Buggles’ ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ Predicted the Music Industry’s Larger Shift

Vinyl

Research Turtles – Mankiller, Part 2 of 2 (EP) (2012)

Brit-styled power pop has been making undiluted rock bouncy and fun since the Beatles and “Can’t Buy Me Love” took the world by storm in 1963. New wave bands that emerged at the end of the 70s such as Squeeze The Cars, The Romantics and The Knack reminded us ofRead More

Vinyl

Bob Lind – Finding You Again (2012)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp_rgWn5Yp0&w=420&h=315] Flush with beauty and mystery, “Elusive Butterfly” by Bob Lind remains one of the greatest tunes ever to inhabit the airwaves. The track reached #5 on the charts, both in America and Europe, making an instant star out of literate singer/songwriter, who was born in Baltimore, Maryland. YouRead More

Vinyl

On Second Thought: Pete Molinari – A Virtual Landslide (2008)

Pete Molinari’s second album found him going electric, with spectacular results. This felt more like a debut album than his all-acoustic low-fi Walking Off The Map. You May Also Like: Bob Dylan, ‘The Bootleg Series Vol. 15: Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969′ (2019)

Vinyl

Jeremy Udden – Folk Art (2012)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di2EmyzCmdw&w=420&h=315] As one of jazz’s more restless saxophonists of his generation, Jeremy Udden has moved from the “melodic jazz-rock” of his Torchsongs ensemble to the country/folk-inflected jazz of Plainville. You May Also Like: Three-Layer Cake [Brandon Seabrook, Mike Pride + Mike Watt] – ‘Stove Top’ (2021)

Readers' Top 10 for 2012: The Beatles, Toto's Steve Lukather, Bob Dylan, Rush, The Monkees, Donald Fagen

Readers’ Top 10 for 2012: The Beatles, Toto’s Steve Lukather, Bob Dylan, Rush, The Monkees, Donald Fagen

In 2012, readers flocked to a boisterous discussion on those times when the Beatles didn’t exactly impress. You May Also Like: Part of Neil Young’s Creative Process Was Ignoring Bob Dylan

Vinyl

Simon Sullivan – Groovin’ (2012)

You might be tempted to peg Simon Sullivan, a Canadian singer-songwriter and harp player, as a bluesman. And there’s plenty of that to be found here. In the end, though, that would be selling the genre-busting Groovin’ short. You May Also Like: The Young Rascals – Groovin’ (1967): On SecondRead More

Vinyl

The Friday Morning Listen: The Roots – The Roots Come Alive (1999)

Ah, the year’s end approaches and I’m sitting here thinking about coming up with some cohesive statement about the 365 days gone by. Or rather, I’m actually at a remove…thinking about the person in his chair who’s struggling to figure out what goes in box. The truth is, that personRead More