CD Review: Yeasayer, “Odd Blood” | Popdose
February 9, 2010
My review of the new Yeasayer album, Odd Blood, was posted to Popdose today:
“The Brooklyn-based band (yes, another one!) Yeasayer garnered a lot of positive critical and public attention with their 2007 debut album All Hours Cymbals. Following rigorous touring in support of the album, the band retreated to upstate New York to record their second album, Odd Blood (Secretly Canadian). The new album is the sound made by musicians who have their ears, and their minds, open. The sound is a combination of pop smarts, and a determination to move the ball forward in terms of experimentation. Rarely in recent memory have the two co-existed so peacefully.”
To read the entire review, please click here.
CD Review: Midlake, “The Courage Of Others” | Popdose
February 5, 2010
My review of the new Midlake album, The Courage Of Others, has been posted to Popdose:
“A meadow. Sheep. A wild-eyed man with torn britches playing the flute whilst standing on one leg. All of those images occurred to me when I listened to the new Midlake album, The Courage of Others. Nearly four years removed from their acclaimed album The Trials of Van Occupanther, the Denton, Tx. band is back with another set of lilting, pastoral, and yes, spooky Americana.”
You can read the entire review by clicking here.
Film Review: “Still Bill” | Popdose
February 5, 2010
My review of the new documentary about Bill Withers, Still Bill, was posted to Popdose today:
“Bill Withers released his last album in 1985. After a relatively brief but hit-filled career, he walked away. Frustrated by the efforts of the so called “blaxsperts” at Columbia Records to package him into something he decidedly was not, he opted to spend his time being a good father to his children, and a good husband to his wife. The new documentary Still Bill uses a long-delayed Withers return to his hometown, vintage footage of his glory years, and contemporary interviews to tell the story of Bill Withers before, during, and after his time in the spotlight.”
You can read the entire review by clicking here.
Cratedigger: The Uglysuit, “The Uglysuit” | Popdose
January 30, 2010
My latest Cratedigger column for Popdose features a young Oklahoma City band called the Uglysuit:
“I tend to reserve this space for albums that I remember fondly from a bygone era, but there is a lot of worthy new music around these days, and once in awhile, I like to feature a promising young band. That brings me to a band from Oklahoma City called the Uglysuit.”
To read the entire column, please click here.
Miles Davis Performance at the 1982 Grammy Awards Show
January 29, 2010
Miles Davis Performance at the 1982 Grammy Awards Show
CD Review: Chris Bell, “I Am the Cosmos” Deluxe Reissue
January 27, 2010
My review of the deluxe reissue of Chris Bell’s I Am the Cosmos was posted to Popdose today:
“In the summer of 1978, EMI saw the light. Driven by interest in Big Star in the U.K., they released a gatefold double album package containing the first two Big Star albums, #1 Record, and Radio City. Available only as an import in the U.S., I scraped together the money and bought it. After all, the buzz, at least among people whose opinions I respected, was nearly deafening when it came to Big Star. I didn’t know much about the band, other than the fact that Alex Chilton had once been in a Memphis band called the Box Tops, and I was familiar with their hits “The Letter,” “Soul Deep,” and “Cry Like A Baby.”
To read the entire review, please click here.
TV Review: “Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders” (PBS) | Popdose
January 25, 2010
The PBS series Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders debuts tonight:
“The new PBS series Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders debuts tonight. The program offers a magazine-style look at the various ways in which music is influencing politics and culture around the world. I read a lot about music, and I was unaware of any of the stories covered in the first installment, which visits three continents, to tell its four stories.”
To read my entire review, please click here.
Popdose Flashback ‘90: The Blue Nile, “Hats”
January 25, 2010
My first entry in the Popdose Flashback ‘90series was posted today. In the series, the Popdose staff looks back at our favorite albums from 20 years ago. Today, my recollection of Hats by The Blue Nile:
“1990 was a watershed year for me. In January, I moved back to New Jersey, and stayed with a friend until I could move into a new apartment. I had been living in Florida for about 18 months. I was sent there by the company I worked for, and while I was there my heart was broken in the most ill-advised romance of my life. I tried to flee Florida, but then an automobile accident complicated things. I was unable to work for awhile and had to move in with my parents. My lawsuit was finally settled in December, and I quickly got back to where I once belonged.”
To read the entire story, please click here.
TV Review: “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” | Popdose
January 22, 2010
My review of the new Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand was posted to Popdose today:
““Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?” – Captain Oveur
Only a creepy airline pilot could appreciate the epic television fart that is Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Yes, you will actually notice a bad smell coming from your television tonight as this new dramatic series from Starz debuts. The story is familiar, and largely beside the point. Romans imprison a brave Thracian warrior and sell his beloved wife into slavery. The Thracian trains to become a gladiator, and hopes to one day be reunited with his wife. Look, they sent me the first four hours of this, and I managed to struggle through three of them. I don’t know how all of this turns out, and frankly, I don’t care.”
You can read the entire review here.
My review of the new Editors album In This Light And On This Evening was posted to Popdose today:
“If you have been reading my ramblings here on Popdose, you know that I like a lot of music, and a lot of different musical styles. There are some genres that I am not particularly fond of though. For example, if you said to me “synths and drum machines,” I’d be likely to say, “pass.” The problem is that such a response runs counter to my number one rule when it comes to music, i.e., it’s all about the song. I firmly believe that if the song is great, it doesn’t matter what the genre is, the quality will shine through.”
To read my entire review, please click here.
