by Tom Johnson Jazz has been in a kind of holding pattern since the mid-1970s, when even Miles Davis declared the genre dead. You May Also Like: Matthew Shipp Trio – Piano Song (2017) Matthew Shipp – Zero (2018) Matthew Shipp – Symbol Systems (1996, 2018 reissue)

by Tom Johnson It took the late Jay Bennett a few years, but in 2006 he finally released the kind of album that made listeners sit up and think “Maybe Jeff Tweedy should have kept him around in Wilco after all.” Full of heartfelt ballads and Stones-influenced rockers, The MagnificentRead More

by Tom Johnson Drummer Joey Baron’s Barondown, featuring Steve Swell on trombone and Ellery Eskelin on tenor sax comes across like the mischievous little brother to John Zorn’s Masada. You May Also Like: The Spike Orchestra – Cerberus (2015) Groove Legacy – Groove Legacy (2016) Trombone Shorty Raced Beyond GenresRead More

Iron Maiden fans who wanted this thing waited and waited, patiently enduring month after silent month of absolutely no word at all.

by Tom Johnson Three discs and a DVD that covered the entire career of Tortoise, so far. That’s generally a formula for something pretty spotty, but like Tom Wait’s magnificent Orphans box, this one worked on the virtue that it covered so damn much territory that it kept listeners onRead More

by Tom Johnson I find myself torn today between commemorating the anniversary of a horrific attack and giving in to my cynical side. The cynical side is winning. You May Also Like: Cover Songs by Johnny Cash, Tori Amos, Ryan Adams, others: Gimme Five Jamie Leonhart Goes In-Depth on ‘TheRead More

by Tom Johnson Who knew, at the time, that Low would crank things up like they did with The Great Destroyer, their 2005 Sub-Pop debut? Had they been holding back all those years, or did the label urge them to do something different? You May Also Like: Kiss’ fussy andRead More

by Tom Johnson After an embarrassing attempt at recapturing the limelight he had with his first big hit (“Barely Breathing”), Sheik focused once again on the dark-hearted pop that he’s so good at. He missed the mark here and there, but more often than not, this unfortunately overlooked disc deliveredRead More

Muse released one of the most completely self-indulgent, ridiculously over-the-top fun albums I’ve heard that didn’t bear the name Queen.

by Tom Johnson As a long-time fan of the group, I’ve simply come to expect to be perplexed by what electronic-noise pioneers Autechre put out. And, as it turns out, the more perplexed I am upon immediate inspection of the new material, the longer I tend to be interested. FirstRead More