Beach House 7 Photo: turntablelab.com Of all the ridiculous musical genres and subgenres, the one I’ve grown most pleased with is dream-pop. A long time ago, Mike Watt told me that musical genres are just something someone at a record label came up with to make their job easier. I haven’t quite found it to be that, exactly. Genres are important for listeners because it helps us find what we’re looking for. That said, there have been some subgenres so...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Things Change LP by American Aquarium. Usually when I’m reviewing vinyl records, I try to present my thoughts in a linear manner – from front to back, A-side through B-. In my mind, it just makes sense; unlike on CDs (where it’s really easy to jump around from song to song as a listener likes), records play best song-by-song and bands usually go out of their way to take that into...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Karma For Cheap LP by Aaron Lee Tasjan. The single greatest problem from which Karma For Cheap (and it’s auteur, Aaron Lee Tasjan, by extension) suffers is that it’s just too polished and the the seams on it are too air-tight. For that reason, it’s difficult for listeners to not meet the music with more than a little bit of suspicion. This is precisely the same problem from which artists like...
Predator 3-Movie Collection I remember a time when Predator was not just a scary movie but also a cool one. It had all the right ingredients: military heroes, Arnold Schwarzenegger, a contra-like scenario, aliens, cool visual tech, and a squid-like monster with what clearly were supposed to represent dreadlocks. It also gave us a cool shot of muscled arms clutching each other. The backdrop of Predator is very simple both in setting and colors: a claustrophobic jungle...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into The Nude Party’s self-titled album. As one listens to The Nude Party’s self-titled album, it’s instantly easy to pick out some sounds and ideas which may have inspired the music, but not so easy to figure out how all the pieces might have aligned to produce this result. For example, the haunting keyboards which color the songs on The Nude Party sound as though they might have been inspired by Shadowy Men...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Look Together” LP by Wild Moccasins. In the context of New West Records’ stable of artists, Wild Moccasins stand out as a truly unique entity. Most of the other artists signed to the label have their roots in musical forms and structures linked clearly to rock instrumentation and styling, but Wild Moccasins don’t so much rebel against that paradigm as simply ignore it and try making their own path, without apology....
Hot Snakes Jericho Sirens Listening to this album makes me sad. Let me explain. John Reis’ career is not one that’s always appreciated. I would know, because I’ve come to it late in the game, and it’s one I’m still trying to absorb and get comfortable with. The name Drive Like Jehu gets dropped a lot in musical circles, but honestly, I don’t see what the big deal is. I’ll blame it on the fact that I’m a philistine and...
WHO: Swingin’ Utters WHAT: Peace and Love WHY: Through their many iterations (now with a new rhythm section, courtesy of the Cobra Skulls), the Swingin’ Utters are teetering the rope of can-do-no-wrong. This release sees them experimenting with their new buzz-poppy sound even more for an album that sounds both complex and maybe a little fragmented. The Swingin’ Utters are maybe the gutsiest punk rock band around today, considering how long they’ve been at it. With every new album they manage...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Arthur Buck’s self-titled debut album. Full honesty and disclosure: I’ve been a really big fan of R.E.M. for a really long time and approached Arthur Buck’s self-titled debut album with no small amount of trepidation. I didn’t want to risk sullying my memory of Peter Buck – but it turns out I needn’t have worried. In fact, by crossing Buck’s instantly recognizable guitar tone (which, let’s be honest, helped inspire almost an...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “Just Business” LP by Bass Drum of Death. Even upon one’s first play through Bass Drum of Death’s fourth album, listeners will quickly be able to note that its title is a complete fucking misnomer. Nothing about this album is “Just Business”; it’s impossible to not take this music personally because it is that good and does mark a spectacular potential turning point for the band. Simply put, “Just Business” rocks...