Bruce Springsteen – High Hopes Album Review
For lovers of underground music, it’s a virtue but for fans of the main stream, it leaves a gap in your record collection to play requests. The artist is question this time is Bruce Springsteen. He has never been a featured artist in this abode as his voice has always underwhelmed. His song writing chops are of course admirable but that voice. He’s also just too American, too accessible.
When word developed of him releasing an album featuring ex-Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom ...
The Wrong Object – After The Exhibition Album Review
Your senses will be assaulted and your musical boundaries will be challenged by an onslaught of almost overwhelming proportions. But it will be good and you will come out the other side a better man.
The sonic spectrum will be filled by devices that make sounds, bold sounds. Musical notes from vibrating steel and fibrous material. Notes from zeroes and ones and tangible forces being applied to all manner of receptive surfaces. It will redefine the term elasticity and the physical ...
Sons Of Anarchy – Songs Of Anarchy: Vol. 3 Album Review
Many are the times that he drops into story development mode by using the montage approach with a driving or reflective song playing over the top. He also has a penchant for using established songs covered by new artists and this gives some very familiar songs a new lease on life.
The current season in America (which is season’s ahead of what Australian free to air television is currently broadcasting) sees Sutter delivering some of his best dialogue ever and the songs in the current ...
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Miami Pop Festival Album Review
Now with the business being what it is, this year’s celebrations include the release of new product. But in difference to many of the years gone by, the product this year is both important and insightful.
First up is the American Public Broadcasting System’s fine documentary Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin. In stark contrast to a lot of the docos that have come before, the PBS version is of high quality and includes a number of previously unseen bits of footage. There are no real ...
Dusan Jevtovic – Am I Walking Wrong? Album Review
While most ultra practitioners continually punctuate bold statements with speed and excess, Dusan tickles the ears with an overabundance of surprises and restraint.
In a soundscape where strange time signatures abound and a series of unique tones are produced of an almost revisionist nature, there is little that remains static and forward motion is a welcome constant. The music is out there but it is also grounded by a humanistic sense of humour and discovery.
Dusan is on to something ...
Willie Nelson – To All The Girls Album Review
His delivery has changed little in all these years and that’s just fine. The thought of him continuing to fall out of the tour bus amid a cloud of green smoke and then take the stage to deliver one of his laconic sets still warms the heart.
Returning to the duet formula for his latest release also fits just fine in these ears. It also helps getting your country on first thing on a lazy Sunday morning after a previous night of working an Aussie hip hop show. If definitely helps to ...
Dewa Budjana – Dawai In Paradise Album Review
This collection of songs (the first release of an upcoming trilogy) sees Dewa indulge in his most esoteric nature and the end result makes one happy, very happy.
His phrasing is sublime and the variety of tones he unleashes from a wide selection of guitars is remarkable but what most impresses is how uplifting this music actual is. Utilizing a wide range of guest artists and their unique instruments (to most western ears) also gives the work a travel log vibe filled with the treasure of ...
Lovelace (Music from The Motion Picture) Album Review
There are even times when it can inform on a period that wasn’t even experienced first hand. That ramble brings us to Lovelace, it’s not a film score but a collection of tracks that evidently will be included in the not yet released movie about the porn star Linda Lovelace and the movie Deep Throat.
If taken as a sampler of the radio of the day (Deep Throat was released in 1972) it shows how constricted and formatted modern day radio has become and how wide open and fun it used to ...
Karnivool – Asymmetry Album Review
The new long player Asymmetry more than lives up to those expectations with its expansive take on progressive rock.
The work screams with passion when the mood strikes but also whispers with precision. The band creates a musical world with all the bombast and idiosyncratic behaviour that marks the best in the genre. It’s minute attention to detail also gives clues to the band’s less than vast recorded output.
It’s a dense work that is best left to wash over you as it reveals ...
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Made Up Mind Album Review
With the amazing talent pool in the Tedeschi Trucks Band, one could be forgiven for thinking it would result in music aimed squarely at fellow musicians. Made Up Mind sidesteps this concern most spectacularly.
It’s an earthy workout with band co-leader Susan Tedeschi delivering just the right amount of grits and gravy in her vocals while husband and Allman Brothers Band alumni Derek Trucks spits fire when it’s completely appropriate while laying out and comping extremely tasty fills ...
