A band suspended forever between the formalism of Dennis DeYoung’s Broadway pretensions and the harder-edged banalities of James Young and Tommy Shaw, Styx sounded different every time it came on the radio. Yet, critics insisted, somehow the same: Mediocre. You May Also Like: No related posts.
by Tom Johnson First impressions . . . you know what they say about that. They’re always right. Unless they’re not. You May Also Like: Tony Malaby’s Sabino – ‘The Cave of Winds’ (2022)
Enough with the ‘Silk Degrees’ already. Let’s explore elsewhere in Boz Scaggs’ lengthy catalog.
by Mark Saleski There are two things that can be counted on when cracking open a new Carla Bley Big Band record: 1. many, many interesting and twisty passages of musical architecture and 2. volume. Oh yes, the horn section is enormous You May Also Like: Riverside [Dave Douglas, ChetRead More
by Tom Johnson Tortoise alum Rob Mazurek had a big concept behind this project. As we all know, sometimes big concepts pay off, sometimes they simply lead to big letdowns. You May Also Like: Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Orchestra – ‘Lightning Dreamers’ (2023) Rob Mazurek Quintet’s hypnotic, diverse SoundRead More
by Tom Johnson Alien was once the only Alien film I had not seen in the theater. Yes, I actually paid (and dragged my wife along) to see the unfortunate Alien Resurrection. What a stupid concept: Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) having flung herself into flaming, molten metal at the end ofRead More
by Mark Saleski Volume 8 in the Smithsonian Folkways series on the music of Central Asia paired the Kronos Quartent with Afghan rubâb virtuoso Homayun Sakhi and Azerbaijani father-daughter singing duo Alim and Fargana Qasimov. You May Also Like: The Lickerish Quartet, “Snollygoster Goon,” from ‘Threesome Vol. 2’ (2020): SomethingRead More
Emerson Lake and Palmer somehow went from selling 40 million records to becoming one of rock’s more reviled bands – all in the space of a single decade.
by Mark Saleski Tom Waits is a mysterious fellow. I mean, how much do we really know about him? Given the erudite nature of his music, I suppose we know enough. You May Also Like: Mary Halvorson – ‘Cloudward’ (2024) Mary Halvorson and Sylvie Courvoisier – Crop Circles (2017) MaryRead More
Early fans could be forgiven for barely recognizing Chicago by the 1980s, as fussy power ballads eventually flushed out the band’s signature horn sound.
