Album Reviews

The Scientists

Every so often, the Scientists, always restless and unruly, needed a change of scenery.  Birthed in 1978 in Perth, Australia, these feral rogues, who toiled in obscurity and experienced a … Read more

BJ Barham

Despite their lack of wider recognition, American Aquarium is a band that’s well seasoned in the art of exceptional americana. So that might beg the question of why one of … Read more

Tall Heights

In 2005, the great Phil Lesh (bassist and co-founder of the Grateful Dead) published a excellent memoir, Searching For The Sound.  It is a nice title for a volume of … Read more

The Coal Men

Guitarist Dave Coleman impressed me with his rock n’ roll guitar licks on the Coal Men’s 2013 Escalator. This one has a completely different feel. It’s dark, dusty, and atmospheric, showcasing … Read more

Velvet Crush

As far as legendary albums go, Velvet Crush’s Teenage Symphonies To God doesn’t garner more than a cursory nod from the intelligentsia. Regardless, when it comes to classic power pop, … Read more

Marley’s Ghost

Time always seems to stand still when Marley’s Ghost comes to visit. Resisting modernity with an almost Amish sensibility, these West Coast traditionalists stubbornly cling to the past in a … Read more

Girls on Grass

Beauty is in the eye, or rather the ear, of the beholder with Girls On Grass. Hardly the belle of the ball, there’s nothing fancy or precious about the solid, … Read more

Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer

It’s a classic dream: retreating from the world into near-total isolation to put everything into your next creation. Probably few of us could actually handle it for months at a … Read more

Colonial Blue

Any album that’s entitled Dear Misery does not bode well for any kind of uplifting experience, but Colonial Blue’s debut album is less about angst and more about expression. Given … Read more

Alessandro Fadini

A lone, edgy sax intros the title track, an equally jumpy, (kudos to the fluid pump and bump of bassist Jakob Dreyer) though tightly wound backstreet riff that unfolds like … Read more