a music blog
Nearly every Friday I begin my day by looking at the new releases on Apple Music and the featured new albums listed on AllMusic.com. I then add albums to my Apple Music library that I’m even remotely curious about or interested in. Some of those additions are removed from my library after a couple of…
One week before the Beatles released their massively influential Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Monkees released the first of their albums on which the band members had actual aristic control. It shot to number one on the charts for only a week before being eclipsed by Sgt. Pepper’s. But Headquarters would remain firmly…
Until this past week, I had never listened to The Cars’ eponymous debut album in its entirety, but I never really needed to. Coming of age in the 80s this was a band that was utterly ubiquitous and such an integral part of the musical landscape that I never really needed to own or listen…
From the Hurricane Festival in Germany, a great set from a great band.
I’m excited to post my second album review, especially because I actually know the artist. I met the now Ohio-based composer Incentive when we both grad students living in Pittsburgh. While we didn’t get to know each other well enough to be considered friends, we each recognized a kindred spirit and so have kept in…
Fans of Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, and Wilco will definitely want to check out this video of a 1994 live performance recorded St. Louis. The sound is quite good considering the venue and age of the recording. This would have been one of the final concerts given by the band before breaking up. While many…
Sharing this in case you need something uplifting to touch your heart and raise your spirits: the first single from Elbow’s upcoming album Little Fictions.
I plan on posting a number of playlists in the coming months that will all be related to the different needs of resisting the corrupt, misogynist, racist, incompetent, and cruel administration of Trump and his lackeys. These playlists will, hopefully, provide some beauty, fun, energy, righteous anger, and musical solidarity to your struggle for peace…
Read more Music for the Resistance: Finding a Peaceful Place
say what you want say what you want say what you will just don’t leave me alone “This is My Way of Saying That I’m Sorry” There are some albums that demand your attention. Wintersong, a live album by Dakota Suite’s Chris Hooson and pianist Quentin Sirjacq, is not one of them. It is a…
Nearly every morning my first encounter with music comes through SomaFm’s Groove Salad station. Billed as a “nicely chilled plate of ambient/downtempo beats and grooves,” the station provides pacing without rush and smoothness without tedium, playing at just the right vibe for getting the morning going in a peaceful but energized way. Programmed by Rusty…