Articles by: Tom Johnson

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One Track Mind: Sarah Jarosz, "The Tourist" (2011)

by Tom Johnson Do we need another Radiohead cover? Hasn’t everything been said about Radiohead by artists from every corner of the music world? You May Also Like: Richard Turgeon, “Better With You” (2022): One Track Mind Richard Turgeon, “Learning to Fly” (2020): One Track Mind

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Radiohead – Hail to the Thief (2003)

I wanted to love this. I originally heard the “pre-release” mp3s that slipped out, and I was enthused at what appeared to be a return to the “classic” Radiohead sound of OK Computer and The Bends. You May Also Like: Radiohead Saw the Future With ‘OK Computer,’ Then Became ItRead More

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Half Notes: Fear Factory – Demanufacture (1995)

by Tom Johnson If you want to look back and see when metal changed directions, Demanufacture is the album that could easily be the one that did it. With their previous album Soul of a New Machine, Fear Factory did something unusual: They released a remix album helmed by FrontRead More

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Half Notes: Bjork- Army of Me: Remixes and Covers (2005)

by Tom Johnson Created as a benefit for Unicef, this is a bit of a unique remix album. Bjork allowed fans, or, well, anybody, to submit their own take on her song, “Army of Me” on her official website. The best results wound up on this album. You might needRead More

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One Track Mind: Muddy Waters, "Mannish Boy" (1977)

by Tom Johnson When Tool’s Lateralus came out a few years back, there was much talk about how intense it was going to be, how it was going to be all about building tension and sudden release. I ran out and scarfed up a copy You May Also Like: HowRead More

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Half Notes: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)

by Tom Johnson Nick Cave seemed to have found his lighter side on this double-release (packaged in the same box), shunning a bit of the dark murder themes he’s been known for. In fact, this is a downright uplifting album, a complete anamoly in his catalog, full of gospel choirsRead More

Cheap Trick - Rockford (2006): Half Notes

Cheap Trick – Rockford (2006): Half Notes

Cheap Trick seems to act as if the dark days of the mid-to-late 80s never occurred.

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Half Notes: Modest Mouse – Good News For People Who Love Bad News (2004)

by Tom Johnson This is one of the few instances where a song by a very odd band got huge, was virtually everywhere, and still I loved every second of it. “Float On” couldn’t be ignored, and I don’t know why you’d want to ignore it anyway. (And so whatRead More

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Half Notes: Bill Frisell – Live (1995)

by Tom Johnson My first real exposure to jazz was either John Coltrane’s Sun Ship or this. Time has erased the gap between the two, but it matters little. Either way, I was in way over my head. I bought both in quick succession, but found Sun Ship simply wayRead More

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Half Notes: Ziggy Marley – Dragonfly (2003)

by Tom Johnson Bob Marley’s son did this one without the Melody Makers to make an album less about being reggae and more about music. Ziggy seems to find some influence in the Dave Matthews Band, as many songs feature passages that could easily have been played by the DMBRead More