Before music there was silence
Madonna deserves to have the good come before the bad. Since, MDNA is an up and down, inconsistent affair a song by song review prevails as the best way to take it in. GOOD GIRL: The opening spoken words of “Girl Gone Wild” obviously are reminiscent of “Like A Prayer.” It also makes me think [...]
Two months from now, Puddle Of Mudd will release a CD of covers; pulled from their influences and history. Their fifth studio release, Re:(disc)overed is a celebration of sorts for the polyglot band’s 10 years in music, and if someone’s gonna let them do it, well heck they’ll do it. They’re auspicious beginnings demand nothing [...]
Impulse buys don’t always work out. Foster the People was featured for as an iTunes free download. I’d heard the band was burning up the road getting seen and heard. I listened to “Helena Beat” for about a minute and bought the entire Torches album. On top of the unsettling feeling of not being sure [...]
If it wasn’t for one thing, I would think this band represents the second coming of Jesus. Well, his support band. “It’s A Good Thing” has an insanely catchy opening riff, that instantly sends your mind spinning into “Who is this?” territory. Not so much that Choo Choo sound like anyone, but that they sound [...]
Radiohead self-released an album again. People are again calling it the model of the future and thebestthingeverohmyGod. OK, but what about the music? “Lotus Flower” and “Feral” are The King of Limbs two best songs. At least on first and second listen, so take that for what it’s worth. These two have a sound that [...]
Oh, My Heart? Oh. My. God. Stipe sounds so old. This tune comes off the highly-anticipated release Collapse Into Now from the Athens legends. Due in April. Listening to Michael Stipe – as I have not for a long time – is like seeing your cousin who you used to play with everyday decades down [...]
More music. These guys need to release it. As often as possible. Punk roots are turned upside down here, completely exposed to whatever elements these guys want to beat it up with. At times, caressing, at times angry and abusive, Thank You, Happy Birthday reaches out to touch you. Breaking out into the public consciousness [...]
We knew posthumous releases by Michael Jackson were coming. Tupac has had more music in the 14 years since his death than he did alive. People are still digging up new songs by Elvis and the Beatles. Go ahead, don’t feel bad. Sit back and enjoy the music. New is almost always better than nothing [...]
The New Dance Orchestra is a project by Geoff Downes of Asia and Buggles fame, which for this album features Panic Room’s Anne-Marie Helder on lead vocals. It was an unexpected surprise when I heard about it online, and I ordered it unheard based solely on the reputations of the people involved. Billed as “Dance-Pop” [...]
All the greats seem to have half-finished music in their, literal, wake. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Tupac, Tiny Tim. Not the Beattles, oddly. Too much lag time between band demise and the deaths of John and George’s. I discovered more about Michael’s music after he died. Invincible is my favorite Michael Jackson album. (NEWS RELEASE) [...]