Archive for February, 2018

Vinyl

The La De Da’s, Blue Stars and others – How Is the Air Up There? (2018)

Some might recognize a couple of the New Zealand garage-rock groups on ‘How Is the Air Up There?’ The rest may be new to most, like me.

Vinyl

Roscoe Mitchell + Matthew Shipp – Accelerated Projection (2018)

After a long fermenting period, Roscoe Mitchell and Matthew Shipp’s ‘Accelerated Projection’ is nevertheless just as relevant today as it did when the music was pulled from thin air more than twelve years before release.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono Declared 'Time's Up' – Way Back in 1972

John Lennon and Yoko Ono Declared ‘Time’s Up’ – Way Back in 1972

As the Time’s Up / #metoo women’s movement rages on, Mike Tiano notes that John Lennon and Yoko Ono boldly addressed this issue decades ago.

Yes, "Shock to the System" from Union (1991): YESterdays

Yes, “Shock to the System” from Union (1991): YESterdays

“Shock to the System” almost seems like a leftover from Yes’ ‘Big Generator’ era, instead of a tune begun by Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe.

Vinyl

Anna Nalick, singer-songwriter: Something Else! Interview

Anna Nalick joined Kristina Mondo to discuss the best piece of advice she was ever given, her dream collaborator and her very first song-writing experience.

Vinyl

Quoan – Fine Dining (2018)

Quoan’s ‘Fine Dining’ is a feast of so many ways two horns and a rhythm section can generate excitement and keep us guessing what happens next.

Toto, "Struck By Lightning" from 40 Trips Around the Sun (2018): Sneak Peek

Toto, “Struck By Lightning” from 40 Trips Around the Sun (2018): Sneak Peek

Toto’s “Struck By Lightning” has a tough attitude that wouldn’t have been out of place on 1984’s ‘Isolation’ or 1992’s ‘Kingdom of Desire.’ Yet it also offers something different.

Vinyl

Deejays – Coming On Strong: The Best of the Deejays (2018)

As far as I know, no legit reissue of England’s ’60s beat group the Deejays has been made widely available before this.

Vinyl

Clement Regert’s Wild Card – Life Stories (2018)

Like Wild Card itself, Clement Regert’s ‘Life Stories’ encompasses an exciting range of styles – from hard-bop and Afro-Latin, to New Orleans and raw funk grooves.

Chicago, "Sixth Sense" from Chicago VIII (2002 reissue): Saturdays in the Park

Chicago, “Sixth Sense” from Chicago VIII (2002 reissue): Saturdays in the Park

At times, it felt like subtraction by addition when Rhino re-released Chicago’s catalog with bonus tracks. “Sixth Sense” was one of the exceptions.