Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade Returns With Psychedelic Fire & Weirdness on ‘Live Frogs: Volume 1’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Les Claypool has been a busy man to start 2026, with an upcoming nationwide tour, releasing a new double album with The Claypool Lennon Delirium, a new EP with Primus, and now comes another release,Return of the Live Frogs: Volume 1. Back in 2023, Les donned his Colonel persona again to revamp his Fearless Flying […]
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Bring Fire and Fury to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center With Help From Tom Morello (SHOW REVIEW)
Bruce Springsteen’s emotionally charged, politically angry, and incredibly moving Land of Hope and Dreams tour pulled into Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on a gorgeous spring night, Thursday, May 14th. The sold-out crowd got to experience The Boss with the full E-Street Band, along with special guest Tom Morello, delivering twenty-seven powerful songs as well as a few from-the-heart […]
Kevin Morby Builds Haunting Americana Soundscape on ‘Little Wide Open’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
For his eighth studio album, Little Wide Open, Kevin Morby opened his ears to his midwestern upbringing, inhaling everything from insects to tornado sirens. Those sonic influences are exhaled in a mix of tense/fluid Americana altered by his current Los Angeles surroundings and the Upstate New York studio where he recorded. Working with A-list producer […]
Ghalia Volt Channels Grit, Groove & Southern Heat on ‘Burn The House Down’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Ghalia Volt’s sixth album, Burn The House Down, was recorded in Nashville as Volt expanded her sound from her previous one-woman band style. Returning to the raw blues sound that first brought her attention, Volt sings with fire and plays with confidence on the satisfying record. Working with producer JD Simo, the album is focused […]
Mike Ness and Social Distortion Roar Back With ‘Born To Kill’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
The first new Social Distortion record in fifteen years almost never came to be, as midway through recording, Mike Ness was diagnosed with tonsillar cancer. After chemotherapy, his recovery prompted the completion of Born To Kill, an incredibly solid rock/punk album considering all the circumstances surrounding it. Produced by Dave Sardy and featuring bandmates Jonny Wickersham – guitar, […]
Mikaela Davis Polishes & Elevates Her Delicate Roots Sound Via ‘Graceland Way’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Graceland Way, the newest release from harpist-singer-songwriter Mikaela Davis, finds the artist luxuriating in the Los Angeles sunshine, delivering a modern Laurel Canyon pop-rock style, influenced by the famous location’s late 70’s heyday. Working with longtime collaborators bassist Dan Horne and guitarist John Lee Shannon, the trio co-produced the album, with Davis and Shannon co-writing. […]
They Might Be Giants Keep Digging Deep on Quirky ‘The World Is to Dig’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
For over forty years, Brooklyn’s They Might Be Giants have been crafting earwormy art rock that toys with genres, targeted age groups, and educational endeavors. For their 24th album, The World Is to Dig (whose title was inspired by a 1952 children’s book), TMBG continues their quirky style, with the two Johns just keeping up their idiosyncratic […]
Fantastic Cat Refine Their Collective Harmonic Sound On ‘Cat Out of Hell’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
On the first two Fantastic Cat records, the quartet of singer-songwriters (Anthony D’Amato, Brian Dunne, Don DiLego, and Mike Montali) brought their own styles successfully into a band setting. However, on their third album, the cheekily titled Cat Out of Hell, Fantastic Cat feels like a long-running, well-oiled, veteran outfit. Things are more fluid as individual […]
Amplifiers to Oblivion: Sunn O))) Reclaim Their Drone Throne On Self-Titled Sub Pop Release (ALBUM REVIEW)
The long-running, Seattle, Washington-based drone metal act Sunn O)))))) returns with their first new music in seven years, as their tenth album is a self-titled offering and their first for new label Sub Pop. The duo of Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson has been performing for over thirty years, pushing avant-garde metal and noise rock […]
Lost Voice of Connie Converse Resurfaces On ‘How Sad, How Lonely’ Via Third Man Records (ALBUM REVIEW)
Third Man Records is re-issuing Connie Converse’s only known collection of songs on vinyl, cassette and CD so that a new generation can learn her story and sounds. How Sad, How Lovely is an atmospheric collection of folk songs that contain a lingering sense of what could have been. Her backstory is fascinating as she […]
Selwyn Birchwood Lets The Album Title Do The Talkin’ On Scorchin’ ‘Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
The newest release on Alligator Records from the Tampa-based artist Selwyn Birchwood is a confident blast of modern blues. Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues is rich with ripping riffs, emotionally honest lyricism and strong vocals as Birchwood has delivered a studio record on par with his top-notch live shows, GRAMMY voters take note. One key to […]
On ‘A Pound of Feathers,’ The Black Crowes Turn Up the Weight With A Ton Of Riffs (ALBUM REVIEW)
In 2024, The Black Crowes returned with their first album of new material in fifteen years, Happiness Bastards. The brothers Robinson ended their feud, and critics loved it. GRAMMY nods followed. Glide was the dissenting opinion, but however you feel about that release, A Pound Of Feathers finds Chris and Rich incredibly energized, successfully capitalizing on their recent […]
Kim Gordon’s Fearless Late-Career Run Continues with Beat-Driven ‘PLAY ME’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Kim Gordon’s solo career (which didn’t start until she was 66) has been extremely fruitful as 2019’s No Home Record began her collaboration with producer/multi-instrumentalist Justin Raisen, and 2024’s The Collective is one of the best albums of this fractured decade. The pair’s third effort is PLAY ME. While not as exciting as those offerings, it still […]
GUM’s Blue Gum Way Finds Jay Watson in a Lush, Reflective Psych-Pop Mode (ALBUM REVIEW)
The newest offering from the Fremantle, Australia-based GUM is a swirling collection of psych-pop as Jay Watson (Pond, Tame Impala) lets layers of synths and effect-laden guitars wash over the listener throughout Blue Gum Way. Watson’s last offering as GUM found him partnering with Amborse-Smith Kenny (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Murlocs) for the more swaggering, […]
Raw, Loud, Uncompromising: Laughing Hyenas Caught in the Wild With ‘That Girl – Live Recordings 1986-1994’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
The Ann Arbor, MI-based Laughing Hyenas were heavy rockers who toured with/inspired acts like Fugazi, Mudhoney, and Nirvana, yet never received the attention those bands did. A few years ago, Third Man Records re-released their discography on vinyl, and now they add to that collection with the group’s first-ever live album, That Girl – Live Recordings 1986-1994. Presented chronologically, the collection […]
Organ Fairchild Drop BOOM! — A Jam-Ready Organ Trio Statement (ALBUM REVIEW)
The newest release from Buffalo, NY instrumental jamband, Organ Fairchild, continues their tripped-out grooves mixed with smooth flowing vibes that lovers of their live shows have come to cherish.BOOM! is a sweet collection that takes the listener on a journey with the band, knowing that the tracks will shift and morph when the group enters […]
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Beat the Storm: Full-Band Fire & Hard Truths at Radio City Music Hall (SHOW REVIEW)
Before a blizzard shut down NYC, Jason Isbell pulled into town to play two sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall. Friday night was a solo acoustic affair, while Saturday, February 21st, found him delivering a louder set of tunes with his full backing band, the 400 Unit. The Saturday night show was opened by […]
The Wild Magnolias Featuring The New Orleans Project Uncover Undeniably Stellar Cuts On ‘Outtakes + Live 1973-1974’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Just in time for Mardi Gras, the newest release from the Tipitina’s Record Club is The Wild Magnolias Featuring The New Orleans Project Outtakes + Live 1973-1974. The Orange vinyl and (purple 45 single for club members) conveys the bright music contained within. The Wild Magnolias monumental first two albums, their self-titled release in 1974 […]
No Borders: Gogol Bordello Go Global Again With Tough ‘We Mean It, Man!’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
On their previous album, 2022’s Solidaritine, Gogol Bordello shifted more towards a hardcore punk sound, driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 2026 doesn’t offer much in the way of hope on that front, but the band has moved back to their wide-open, global music influences, delivering tunes that mash up multiple genres and layers […]
The Nude Party Stuns With Grit-Meets-Country Swagger On ‘Look Who’s Back’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Lou Reed became interested in Americana and recorded with Gram Parsons? Well, if that unlikely combination seems intriguing, then The Nude Party’s Look Who’s Back is for you. Of course, that oversimplifies the group’s sound, but those two touchpoints are the chocolate-and-peanut combo that makes this […]