I can’t even begin to pretend to be impartial here: Guitarist Mike Keneally is absolutely one of my all-time favorites. You May Also Like: Mike Keneally, “Draconian Blump” from ‘Nonkertompf’ (1999): One Track Mind How Mike Keneally’s Comeback on ‘The Universe Will Provide’ Fulfilled All of His Promise Here’s HowRead More

by Tom Johnson I have a sort of extra-sensory perception relegated solely to picking up the faint signals thrown off by the arrival of music I want in a music store at a specific location. You May Also Like: Kait Dunton, with John D’earth – ‘Planet D’earth’ (2019) Mark Papagno:Read More

by Tom Johnson This tiny little pop-rock band took something like 8 years off between albums and returned in 2004 with one of those albums that periodically appears on the musical horizon and feels like it’s saving your life. So enveloping was its warmth that it found itself heavily andRead More

by Tom Johnson My favorite guitarist released, at long last, his second live album in 2005. How a guitarist this amazing and talented had gone so long between live releases is beyond me. Whereas his first live album, the intriguingly titled Live, captured Frisell at the peak of his noisyRead More

There are moments when bands turn a corner, where everything becomes a bit more tightened up, stronger, more prominent. Transatlanticism was that album for Death Cab For Cutie. You May Also Like: Death Cab for Cutie, “Summer Skin” from ‘Plans’ (2005): One Track Mind

by Tom Johnson This album wasn’t initially as well received as I think it should’ve been. It wasn’t the masterpiece I was hoping for, but it was a step up from the wildly uneven 13. With the exit of guitarist/fellow-mastermind Graham Coxon, Damon Albarn pretty much had complete artistic controlRead More

by Tom Johnson Sarah McLachlan’s angelic voice is reason enough to check out this new album. It’s certainly not to hear anything particularly new: Afterglow was just more of what Sarah does so well. The most powerful segments of the album arrived early on, with the more up-tempo material providingRead More

by Tom Johnson There’s something really worrisome when you hear that any highly regarded artist is doing the soundtrack for a kid’s movie. It conjures images of Sting and Phil Collins destroying their careers and what little credibility they had left. But, you know, Paul Westerberg. I mean, come on.Read More

I have a confession to make: Metal fan that I have always been, I’m not particularly a Black Sabbath fan. I know, I know: You’re all black-listing me right now. You May Also Like: Why Black Sabbath Went Out on a High Note With ’13’

by Tom Johnson I fell hard for Sheik’s highly developed melodic sense on Phantom Moon, a moody, dark, mostly acoustic album of songs about the psyche written by a friend and playwright. I stepped back through his small catalog to Humming and found the album almost as beguiling, and onlyRead More