LATEST ADDITIONS

Michael Fremer  |  Aug 01, 2010  |  1 comments

Sea Change, Beck's late-afternoon, mid-tempo reverie of an album, harkens back to the great old days of painstaking production, carefully drawn arrangements, and a concern for—and love of—sound and musical textures for their own sakes. Tempi are languid, notes are caressed, and gaping atmospheric spaces welcome listeners willing to be drawn in.

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 31, 2010  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  0 comments
Keith Benson  |  Jul 31, 2010  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  0 comments

Cleveland’s newest, and so far only vinyl pressing plant is open for business. Gotta Groove Records seeks to inject more life into two supposedly dormant entities: vinyl records and the city of Cleveland. While the latter has certainly had its troubles, the LP market continues to grow as young buyers discover its superiority over other formats.

Gotta Groove’s owner, Vince Slusarz, had always been into plastics (though it’s unclear how much of a role “The Graduate” played in his career).

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 26, 2010  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  0 comments
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 06, 2010  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  1 comments
Why bother with three phono preamps most of us can't afford? For the same reason the enthusiast automobile magazines cover the newest Ferraris and Lamborghinis: just reading about them is fun.
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2010  |  0 comments

Ian Anderson himself may wonder why people are still interested in Aqualung thirty-six years after it was first released&#151or maybe not. Though almost comically simple, the opening riff to the title cut is one of rock�s most ingenious and indelible. The contemplative album is packed with memorable melodies expressing anger, nostalgia, pity, regret, tenderness and contempt.

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2010  |  0 comments

World Music probably before there was such a term, this musical description of a dramatic, colorful Australian aboriginal dance ceremony told mostly with western classical musical conventions and instrumentation, though a ominous sounding primitive instrument called a bull roarer makes a dramatic appearance.

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2010  |  0 comments

Whatever "it" is, Welsh born 23 year old Duffy has it. If you're old enough to remember and were a fan of Lulu's "To Sir With Love,"  you'll love Duffy's surprising debut, co-produced by Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, who's had an extensive solo and collaborative career since the breakup of that '90's band, the very busy Jimmy Hogarth, producer of Susan Vega's excellent Beauty and Crime reviewed elsewhere on this site as well as co-producer of James Blunt's unfairly reviled debut album, among many others and Steve Booker. 

Greg Hill  |  Jul 01, 2010  |  0 comments

The Fleet Foxes are a new band from Seattle. Put aside any associations you might have with grungy histrionics. Imagine instead a small band of Blue Ridge mountain refugees spending a good long while in remote, lush forests where they smoothed away the rough edges and filigree notes of their musical forefathers while gathering up ideas from key times (the 60’s) and places (Laurel Canyon, rural England) to create their own, incantatory sound.

Michael Fremer  |  Jul 01, 2010  |  1 comments

Josie Cotton, best known for her “controversial” 1980 song “Johnny Are You Queer” that turned into a minor international phenomenon while outraging evangelical types and has a back story worthy of a mini-novel, returns with a high low-concept album. You can search the internet for the backstory and watch her perform the song on YouTube.

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