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
by Mark Saleski Good gawd, the man is a veritable Fort Knox of ideas. From barroom stompers to pensive ballads to clattering percussion to spoken word oddities. Waits reciting Bukowski? Yes, please! Waits is the weird uncle you’re fascinated by and scared of at the same time. You still loveRead More
Cheap Trick seems to act as if the dark days of the mid-to-late 80s never occurred.
by Mark Saleski Yes, we know that the old methods of music delivery (read: the radio) are broken. This keeps some amazing music away from people’s ear. A happy accident (no Buffalo Tom CDs) at a similarly broken bookstore made me buy this record. It has been played to deathRead More
by Mark Saleski On Nicholas Urie’s MySpace page, we’re informed that “This isn’t your grandma’s big band!” No kidding. With lyrics taken from actual online dating service recordings, the thematic content would make grandma raise those eyebrows. I was hooked upon hearing “Bad Girl?,” which starts off with a kindRead More
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
by Mark Saleski Easily my favorite release of 2009. The Low Anthem surprised me at a show that spring. I’d never heard of them before and they came out and managed to make me forget my name, my identity, and what my favorite color was. It was a stunning experience.Read More
This song, issued in the wake of the devastating attacks on New York City in 2001, nearly overwhelmed me with grief the first time I heard it. I thought of my father. You May Also Like: How Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Tunnel of Love’ Dug Deeply to Find Hard Truths Remembering 9/11:Read More
by Mark Saleski Smack in the middle of the initial Norah Jones explosion (remember? When it seemed like the radio was tryin’ to brainwash you by playing “Don’t Know Why” every 20 minutes or so You May Also Like: How Norah Jones Examined a Deep Hurt on ‘… Little BrokenRead More
by Mark Saleski To call Gottlieb a jazz singer is to miss the point. The problem is that that description brings to mind names like Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald and Abbey Lincoln. Those tremendous artists have their own fine voices but Ayelett Rose Gottlieb is not here to provide aRead More
