Something Else!

Vinyl

Chris Connor – Sings Gentle Bossa Nova (1965, reissue)

You’re forgiven for forgetting that Chris Connor, one of the premier cool-jazz vocalists, took a quick detour into popular music in the mid-1960s. You May Also Like: Eliane Elias Confidently Expanded Her Main Influences on ‘Bossa Nova Stories’ Gentle Giant – ‘Free Hand [Steven Wilson Mix]’ (1975; 2021 reissue) GentleRead More

Vinyl

Battles – Mirrored (2007)

Three years into Battles’ existence, it had only issued a single and two EPs — until this, their long-awaited debut album. The wait was more than worth it. Where the EPs hinted at what was to come, they suffered a bit from a band struggling to define themselves. Mirrored provedRead More

Vinyl

One Track Mind: Johanna and the Dusty Floor, “Cloudbusting” (2011)

Kate Bush didn’t make much of a stateside splash, despite achieving fame 25 years ago in Britain. So remakes like this one from Johanna and the Dusty Floor, brilliant though they may be, likely resonate with most listeners as if they were brand new. You May Also Like: ElectroBluesSociety feat.Read More

Vinyl

Lindsey Buckingham – Seeds We Sow (2011)

You keep waiting for Lindsey Buckingham, the old rebel, to soften into middle-aged acceptance, to conform. This isn’t that record. Credit Buckingham for never trading true emotion for sentiment. Seeds We Sow is as hard eyed as it is musically ambitious You May Also Like: How Lindsey Buckingham Balanced ItRead More

Vinyl

Derek Sherinian – ‘Oceana’ (2011)

Derek Sherinian is a keyboardist. It’s worth repeating, under your breath, as the forthcoming guitar-heavy ‘Oceana’ spins.

Vinyl

Kyle Eastwood – Songs From the Chateau (2011)

I’m no movie buff but I still vividly recall the Charlie Parker biopic Bird, with the central character portrayed so convincingly by actor Forest Whitaker and the film well directed by Clint Eastwood. You May Also Like: Archie the Goldfish, “Begin Again” (2022): One Track Mind Neal Morse Did ItRead More

Vinyl

Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, "Spirit In The Night" (1973)

And now we have Greetings‘ cast of characters — Wild Billy, Killer Joe, Hazy Davy, G-Man, and Crazy Janey — heading out for a Saturday night of wild abandon up at Greasy Lake. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’

Vinyl

Greg Burk – Many Worlds (2010)

by Mark Saleski Several years ago, I happened upon a book called A Pattern Language. It was an odd purchase for me, because I’m not really an architecture person, at least not in the grand “Oooh, majestic building!” sense You May Also Like: Gareth Lockrane – Fistfight at the BarndanceRead More

Vinyl

David Sylvian – blemish (2003)

by Tom Johnson It isn’t necessarily that blemish was so drastically different than anything David Sylvian had done before. He’d done ambient, both alone and with such visionaries as Holger Czukay and Robert Fripp, and some of it verged on being noise to me. You May Also Like: Mark Papagno:Read More

Vinyl

Steely Dan Sunday, "Parker’s Band" (1974)

Going straight from a tribute to one jazz icon right to a tribute to another jazz icon. Ha, and they call themselves a rock band? You May Also Like: Steely Dan, “Carey” (circa 2001): Steely Dan Sunday Steely Dan, “Things I Miss the Most [Live]” (2021): Steely Dan Sunday